daily BallPark baseball blog

Zimmerman's iron man streak now done

Posted by Tim on May 4, 2008

In today's game for the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a 205 game streak ended. No, it wasn't the Nats losing that many in a row :), it was Ryan Zimmerman sitting on the bench for the entire game. Not that he had to because of an injury or because he is not doing very well (so the Washington sources say), but because he asked for a day off. Zimmerman's streak of 205 games was second in the big leagues to Jeff Francoeur's 335 and counting.

Evidently, earlier Zimmerman and Nationals manager Manny Acta agreed that he didn't necessarily "have" to play a 162 game schedule. Again, the Nationals have said that it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Zimmerman is hitting a lowly .217 with 3 HR and 14 RBIs.

What do I think? I'm so glad you asked...well, here's the thing--if you are struggling and merely playing to play for a streak like this, I don't think having a player on the lineup sheet is what needs to happen. But if you are a major league baseball player who gets paid more than 99% of the people on this world, asking for a day off--to me---especially if you are struggling or have a streak like this--is not acceptable. At least the Nationals could have taken the high road here.

Picture Source: MLB.com

TAGS: Baseball, Iron Man Streak, Manny Acta, National League, Nationals, Nl East, Ryan Zimmerman, Streaks, Washington, Washington Nationals
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

Shhh...The Phillies are in first!

Posted by Tim on May 2, 2008

Ryan Howard has probably heard it all at the beginning of this season--he had lost his groove, came back down to earth, yadda yadda yadda, and really, he couldn't do a wholeheckuvalot to dispel the whispers, as he entered the game last night with a paltry .172 average (Yes, Ryan, even the Mendoza line is laughing at you). Last weekend, Howard decided to take more reps in batting practice and to really focus on what was happening to his swing and why he was striking out and popping out so much. And while the results weren't immediate, last night, they certainly were.

Howard's go-ahead homer in the eighth inning not only won the game for the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Diego Padres, it also propelled the Phillies into first place. The team had been kind of lukewarm for the year despite Chase Utley's offensive onslaught, but they have stayed the course and now sit atop the NL East.

And what's more scary is this--they've done it without the big help that Howard normally provides offensively for this team. But beware--guess who's back.....back again.....He's swinging the bat much better and that could spell bad, bad things for opposing teams. As always, stay tuned....

Picture Source: SI

TAGS: Baseball, Chase Utley, Major League Baseball, National League, Nl, Nl East, Padres, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies, Ryan Howard, San Diego, San Diego Padres
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

Big Papi's knee a worry to Red Sox

Posted by Tim on May 1, 2008

He says that the day you see him out of the Boston Red Sox lineup due to pain is the day he's dying, but David Ortiz' knee is a bit of a concern for the Sox, as in the fact that when he singled against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday that he was so gimpy that he had to have a pinch runner once he got to second. But he was back in the lineup at his regular DH spot, batting third today.

Still, Manager Terry Francona isn't for sure that Big Papi is in the clear. It's one thing to be a gamer, it's another thing to blindly continue to play and make an injury that may just be a nagging injury into a season ender. It is a good thing that Ortiz does not normally play the field so that he doesn't aggravate things, but yet the most important part of his game is his stick, and with a knee problem, that could make an absolutely HUGE impact on his abilities at the plate.

The injury seems to have come at a time where his plate abilities have indeed stepped up; he has homered three times in the last five days. Ortiz had surgery on his right knee in November and was going through the normal progression of recovery, at least until Friday. It was then that Ortiz tried to beat out an infield hit by making a headfirst dive into first base. He landed right on his knee and has been hurting ever since.

Picture Source: AP

TAGS: Al, Al East, American League, Baseball, Boston, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, Designated Hitters, Injuries, Knee Injuries, Major League Baseball, Red Sox, Terry Francona
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

Tulowitzki's injury forces ripple effect for Rockies

Posted by Tim on April 30, 2008

Troy Tulowitzki may only be hitting .152 with 1 dinger and only 11 runs batted in. But as he returned to Denver for an MRI on his left leg, the Colorado Rockies shortstop has caused a flurry of roster moves for the team in lieu of his possible move to the disabled list.

First, because Tulowitzki is not officially on the DL yet, Colorado had to put pitcher Kip Wells onto the DL to make room for Jonathan Herrera, who called up from AAA Colorado Springs and immediately played against the San Francisco Giants. Clint Barmes, who has started 10 games at second base for Colorado, played shortstop in Tulowitzki's absence.

The injury occurred when Tulowitzki was throwing to first base in the first inning, and then tweaked it even more while bending over in an attempt to field a ground ball. It appears that it may be an upper left quadriceps strain. Nonetheless, while he hasn't been all that great at the bat, it appears that obviously even with a little injury like this, the ripple effect can touch a lot of people.

TAGS: Baseball, Clint Barmes, Colorado, Colorado Rockies, Disabled List, Injuries, Kip Wells, Major League, Major League Baseball, National League, Nl, Rockies, Troy Tulowitzki
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

Cameron to return: everyone can rest easy now

Posted by Tim on April 29, 2008

I read an article on ESPN.com discussing Mike Cameron's return to baseball after his 25-game suspension. In this article, it discussed the long road that Cameron has had to battle back from in terms of rebuilding his reputation and getting back to the big leagues. It literally waxes poetic about the life he has been "forced" to live and laments his absence--in a way.

I am not saying the ESPN is pardoning what Cameron did to be suspended--his second offense of a banned substance--but it really doesn't make him out to be someone who really did all that wrong, either. And after the damaging Mitchell Report still fresh in our mind, what type of article does this really show as a society as to what we've learned from what athletes have done to bastardize this sport? I mean, there are some things that can literally be a death sentence to some things and programs overall, but even with so many big names like Clemens and McGwire and Sosa and Bonds and what not still having that cloud of doubt as to what they as athletes really accomplished in baseball, why even remotely go this route in terms of covering Cameron's return as a "prodigal" type of issue.

I'm also not saying that what Cameron did was remotely connected to the levels that those big names "allegedly" did, but the fact is that he did something wrong--and he's been punished. Let the man be what he is-a baseball player--and earn our trust back and love for him as a person and ballplayer--don't sensationalize or patronize what this stands for; it's this type of mentality and overall indifference to a very large problem in baseball that cannot be ignored.

Picture Source: AP

TAGS: Baseball, Drug Use, Drugs In Baseball, Espncom, Major League, Major League Baseball, Mike Cameron, Suspensions
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

Blalock's torn hammy puts him on DL

Posted by Tim on April 28, 2008

Hank Blalock is starting to have a reputation to be a glass joe. Last season, Blalock played a whole 58 games for the Texas Rangers and now, in this very young season, Blalock has a torn hamstring after coming up limp on a double this last weekend. The injury will put Blalock on the disabled list and he will miss a minimum of three weeks.

Hamstring injuries are certainly tricky, so three weeks could be a little aggressive--especially considering ole Hank's injury history. Granted, Blalock has played seven seasons and this has been the only major issue that he has had during that time, but now with this, for fantasy owners as well as Ranger fans, this could be a bad omen of things to come.

This is not good news for the Rangers, who also have an issue with team leader Michael Young, who is nursing a sore calf. Although manager Ron Washington has said it really is not a big issue, with Blalock and Young hurting, the Rangers will be praying for a quick return--or praying for a lot of rain.

Picture Source: AP

TAGS: Al, American League, Baseball, Disabled List, Hank Blalock, Injuries, Major League, Major League Baseball, Michael Young, Mlb, Rangers, Ron Washington, Texas, Texas Rangers
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

Morris to call it quits?

Posted by Tim on April 27, 2008

Matt Morris has had a good career--he's pitched for 11 years and had some very nice years overall to go along with statistics that are commendable--A two-time National League All-Star, he has a career record of 121-92 with a 3.98 ERA.

But this year with the Pittsburgh Pirates has been anything but commendable, as Morris has posted an 0-4 record with a 9.67 ERA. Ouch. In his last outing, he only last 1.2 innings--and even for a team that is not all that great, the management in Pittsburgh could not ignore that it was time for them to part ways.

Morris had been contemplating what his future would be after this season anyways, and to be as ineffective this season as opposed to his lifetime numbers is not only humbling, it's also something that should tell him that it's probably time to just retire and go out with some dignity. Really, the only other thing I can see Morris doing at this point is to join a team as a short term reliever--his time as a starter is definitely up.

Picture Source: AP

TAGS: Baseball, Matt Morris, National League, Nl, Pirates, Pitchers, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pirates, Retirement
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

Astros run streak to five

Posted by Tim on April 24, 2008

Public Enemy number one for the Cincinnati Reds: Lance Berkman. That's really been no secret for a while, but the scary thing is that there's never really been any let down: The first baseman has more career homers (42) and RBIs (120) against the Reds than any other team. It really does seem that every time the Houston Astros go against Cincinnati he decides a game with a clutch hit or two.

And the streak continues: Berkman hit his 18th HR in Great American Ball Park--the most by any player that's a non-Red--and the Astros ran their winning streak to 5 games, the longest streak they've had for one year (April 16-20, 2007). The Reds had thought they'd be able to slow the 'Stros by sending Johnny Cueto to the mound and his blazing fastball: but Cueto gave up eight hits, the most of his ML career, and Houston continued to chug along.

And the Reds seem to be heading a different direction. The homestand ended mercifully with a 2-5 record, and they are now 9-14, their worst start in five years. Walt Jocketty, you have your work cut out for you...

Picture Source: AP

TAGS: Astros, Baseball, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Reds, Houston, Houston Astros, Johnny Cueto, Lance Berkman, Major League, National League, Nl Central, Reds, Walt Jocketty
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

A Grand(erson) Return

Posted by Tim on April 23, 2008

Curtis, we've missed ya.

That may have been the exact sentiments shared between the entire Detroit Tiger team and Curtis Granderson, who made his season debut today versus the Texas Rangers. Following an injury that broke bones in his hand after getting smacked with a fastball in spring training, Granderson started the season on the disabled list and rehabbed for 5 games before returning to Motown.

The Tigers offense has, well, sucked, to be blunt. Management has started to take some heavy criticism for all of the money it spent in the offseason, but you have to put something on the fact that Granderson, the team's leadoff hitter, is certainly the sparkplug of the team and it could mean a huge boost to the team's chemistry overall--and for the Tigers, they are certainly begging that to be the case.

Granderson is not just simply a leadoff hitter, he does a little bit of everything--last year, Granderson batted over .300 and became one of four players in Major League history to hit 20 home runs, 20 doubles, 20 triples and steal 20 bases in a single season. Basically, as a master of the obvious, you NEED to have this type of player in your lineup--perhaps you'll see a very different team now.

Picture Source: AP

TAGS: Al, Al Central, American League, Baseball, Curtis Granderson, Detroit, Detroit Tigers, Injuries, Tigers
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )

Dodgers finally remember how to hit

Posted by Tim on April 22, 2008

We all know that Atlanta has been known for having good pitching; but last weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers literally look like the Keystone Cops at the plate, going 1 for 23 with runners in scoring position and getting basically hammered by the Braves. So, Manager Joe Torre, the eternal "tinkerer" (ok, not as bad as Tony LaRussa, but getting close), changed his lineup once again to face the Cincinnati Reds and--bingo--the Dodgers responded.

Nomar Garciaparra finally got the goose egg off his proverbial back (or bat, is it?) in hitting a homerun for LA, who got 15 hits and scored three times as many runs in one game as they did in the entire series against Atlanta in a 9-3 drubbing. Brad Penny pitched six innings to get his third "W" of the season, and career-wise went to 7-2 against Cincy.

Ok, so some people are saying that the only reason that the Dodgers exploded was not because of Torre's genius, but more likely because Matt Belisle, who just came off the DL for the Reds, started and was shelled for for seven runs -- five earned -- and 12 hits in five innings. Nevertheless, the team has to have a bit more confidence after getting their tails smacked in Hotlanta, and whether it was because of the team chemistry or a rag-arm pitcher, a win is a win is a win.

Picture Source: Getty Images

TAGS: Atlanta, Atlanta Braves, Baseball, Brad Penny, Braves, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Reds, Dodgers, Joe Torre, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Matt Belisle, National League, Nl West, Nomar Garciaparra, Reds, Tony Larussa
POST TOOLS:
COMMENTS ( 0 )