TDA Bullpen - Our Writers' Blog

Saturday, June 12, 2004

The Pre-Game Show

There was another Home Run Derby at the Metrodome last night before the Twins and Phillies squared off. You can read about the first such spectacle, involving a showdown between T.C, the Twins mascot, and Dave Kingman here. Apparently this is a regular event, every Saturday game at the Metrodome. I'm going to try to catch as many Saturday games between now and whenever I move to San Diego this summer.

In this edition, there were two John Q. Public types, a couple of guys from the Minnesota Vikings, and T.C. I have to say I think I misunderestimated the distance between where they put home plate and second base. It's probably more like 50 feet from second, making straightaway center about 230 feet, rather than the 25-30 feet I reported before. Or perhaps the put home plate further from the wall for Kingman vs. T.C., I can't say for sure.

Anyways, JQP #1 gets one homer in his seven pitches. JQP #2 actually has a nice run at it, getting three fairly lengthy dingers for his efforts, with all three landing a good 15 rows up the bleachers.

The first Viking is backup wide receiver Aaron Hosack. He struggles to get one over the fence. The other Viking is backup center Cory Withrow. He comes up empty in his first four swings. You have to believe at this point that he's thinking that if he rolls a bagel and gets beat by a rookie wideout that he'll never hear the end of it. Fortunately for Withrow, he slugs his last three out, the third a liner that just clears the fence in center.

Now it's T.C.'s turn, clothed in full mascot regalia. He's already got a 5-4 victory over a 50-something Dave Kingman, so that's going to be hard to top. But T.C. comes out ready to go, and uncorks three absolute bombs on the first three pitches. We're talking 20 rows or more into the bleachers, a good two-thirds to three-quarters of the way up the seats. He then takes a pitch before blasting two more about halfway up the stands.

So here he is, 5-for-5. I think the moment kind of caught up with him. He hits #6 but it doesn't have quite the lift, and it's a liner that goes about 5 rows back. Apparently T.C. has never gone 7-for-7, so the announcer gets the crowd to cheer T.C. on as he goes for it. Last pitch is another liner, with even less lift, but it just nestles over the wall, and the guy in the mascot suit has just hit seven straight out of the park. The contrast between his earlier efforts and his last homer sort of reminded me of the contrast between the typical Mark McGwire homer and the record-breaker he hit off of Steve Trachsel, a bullet that barely cleared the fence in the left-field corner.

Clearly the guy is a ringer, but in the two times I've seen him go, he's had 12 homers in 14 swings. I don't care if it is batting practice softball with a short porch, going 12-for-14 in a homer derby in a mascot suit is damn impressive. That's how well-run the Twins' organization is, even the mascot is hitting the ball on the screws. Maybe the Expos or Royals should look into signing him.

My All-Star Ballot

The last time I went to the Metrodome on May 1-2, I didn't cast an All-Star ballot, even though they handed them out. It was just too early then. This time around I did, though, and here's how it went.

I tried to stay away from many of the frontrunners. Too boring. My NL selections stayed entirely in the NL Central, and, oddly enough, the Rangers got a lot of love from me in the AL, more than the Twins.

For the NL, my ballot went:

C - Michael Barrett
1B - Sean Casey
2B - Jeff Kent
SS - Jack Wilson
3B - Aramis Ramirez
OF - Moises Alou
OF - Scott Podsednik
OF - Lance Berkman

A little Cub-heavy, but I think all the guys I voted for deserved it. I'm still wondering when Michael Barrett is going to wake up and realize he isn't Mike Piazza or I-Rod.

For the AL, I went with:

C - I-Rod
1B - Frank Thomas
2B - Alfonso Soriano
SS - Michael Young
3B - Hank Blalock
OF - Vladimir Guerrero
OF - Carlos Beltran
OF - Jacque Jones

I felt obligated to vote for at least one Twins player, but I had a hard time picking one. The position player who is most deserving is Lew Ford, but he wasn't on the ballot and I didn't have anything to write with, so I went with Jones.

It was weird turning in a ballot with a vote for Kent and none for Bonds, as well as voting for The Big Hurt at first, since he hadn't played there before tonight. I may have to go to tomorrow's game and cast a vote for Bonds (and not a second vote for Kent), and bring a pen for some write-in votes as well. I'm thinking I need to cast at least one vote for Chone Figgins, I just have to decide what position.

And finally, the game

So, there was baseball at the Metrodome last night as well. The pitching matchup was Kevin Millwood vs. Carlos Silva. Millwood was, unbeknownst to him, putting his lifetime 0.50 ERA when I was in attendance on the line. I saw Millwood in Atlanta toss a four-hit shutout against the Expos with David, on a hot Sunday afternoon, June 14th, 1998. The date sticks in mind because of a certain Game 6 (and the subsequent ending of an era) in Salt Lake City, the results of which we learned on the flight back to Chicago. David and I also caught the first two games of the 1999 NLDS matchup between Atlanta and Houston in Atlanta, and Millwood one-hit the Astros in Game 2, the one hit being a Ken Caminiti solo shot in the 2nd.

The Twins took control early, scoring four in the second. Millwood hadn't been fooling anyone, the Twins went down in order in the first, but SS Cristian Guzman grounded sharply to Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz lined a bullet right to Phillies 1B Chase Utley, and then LF Lew Ford lined out to short to end the first. CF Torii Hunter made the second out in the 2nd on a sharp liner about 10 steps behind Phillies CF Marlon Byrd's defensive position before Jacque Jones lined a single to left.

DH Jose Offerman then walked, and C Joe Mauer laced a single up the middle to score Jones, with the runners moving up to second and third on the throw home. The big blow came on 2B Luis Rivas's triple to the gap in right-center, scoring Offerman and Mauer with ease. Guzman singled to right to plate Rivas, and the Twins had a 4-0 lead after two innings.

It was good for the Twins that they took advantage of Millwood early, because he didn't give anything up from the third through the sixth, when he was lifted. Carlos Silva was in control through the first six innings, striking out a career-high eight on just over 70 pitches. He then very nearly turned into a pumpkin, giving up a cannon shot to DH Jim Thome to lead off the 7th, Thome's 18th of the year and #399 of his career. Then two of the next three Phillies reached, and on Silva's 89th pitch C Mike Lieberthal hit a 380-foot shot that landed in the first section on the foul side of the foul pole in left. On Silva's 90th and final pitch of the evening, Lieberthal grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3.

Larry Bowa got ejected in the bottom of the 7th for arguing a play at third on a double steal. Lieberthal's throw beat Rivas to the bag, but 3B David Bell had trouble catching the ball cleanly, and a momentary juggle allowed Rivas to beat the tag. Naturally Bowa had a dissenting opinion on the matter, but to no avail, leaving the field while serenaded by Dale Evans classic Happy Trails to You. The Twins tacked on two more in the 8th to get to the 6-1 final score. All in all a big day at the big bubble-looking thing.

posted by Tom Renbarger 11:04 PM

Thursday, June 10, 2004

Clash of the Sleeping Titans

With interleague play now in full blossom, there are a couple of intriguing matchups between teams who have managed to stay afloat while battling injury troubles

The first matchup is the Twins and Phillies in Minneapolis. The Twins are just now getting a chance to play with a nearly full strength lineup. Torii Hunter, Shannon Stewart, Joe Mauer, Matthew LeCroy, and Corey Koskie have all spent time on the DL. Stewart is still there with plantar fasciitis, and no return date has been set. Guys like Lew Ford, Henry Blanco and Michael Cuddyer have filled in, but without a doubt with the regulars back the Twins are a deep, deep ball club. Having just swept the Mets, they may be poised to make a move in the AL Central, a move that will only be strengthened now that Johan Santana has finally gotten a handle on his straight change and breaking ball.

The Phillies have had to endure recent injuries to starters Vicente Padilla and Randy Wolf. Closer Billy Wagner has just come back from a groin injury that forced him to miss most of May. Jim Thome has been playing hurt pretty much all season. Yet the Phillies are still within a couple of games of the Marlins at this time. They're still the class of the NL East if they can get their starters back; if not, and it will be a struggle for the Wild Card.

The other series I have in mind is Angels-Cubs, taking place in Anaheim. The Angels have absorbed injuries that would cripple lesser teams. Garrett Anderson, Troy Glaus, and Tim Salmon have all missed a month or more. Glaus may be out for the season, and Anderson and Salmon are just coming back after lengthy absences. In Anaheim's case, it's been guys like Chone Figgins and Jeff DaVanon filling in and giving support to Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Guillen. Throw in Darin Erstad and the Angels have a potentially devastating lineup, plenty good to offset a shaky but reasonably serviceable rotation.

The Cubs have had to work around perhaps the most high-profile set of injuries. Mark Prior has just come back after missing the first 9 weeks of the season with a slow-to-heal Achilles tendon. Given the battering he absorbed at the hands of the Cardinals, he still has a few more kinks to straighten out before he can return to the form that allowed him to dominate in the final two months last season. The Cubbies are also being ultra-careful with Kerry Wood and Sammy Sosa, though both may be back in a couple of weeks. Injuries have kept the Cubs starting middle infielders, Mark Grudzielanek and Alex Gonzalez, out for most of the season. In the Cubs' case it's been guys like Todd Walker, Todd Hollandsworth, and Jose Macias that have filled the gaps. Big seasons by Moises Alou, Aramis Ramirez and Michael Barrett haven't hurt, and Derek Lee is showing signs of coming into the .900 OPS post-May form that he has traditionally produced.

The recurring theme is that injuries have robbed these solid ball clubs of their depth, but they have nonetheless perservered to remain in the thick of their respective divisional races, at least up to now. The results of these upcoming series will determine who will fall into a little deeper hole, and who might look back in September and point to these series as turning points in their seasons.

posted by Tom Renbarger 9:22 PM

Diane Grassi drops in for a guest spot in The Bullpen

A Couple of Golden Gems and A Diamond in the Rough

Not enough can be said about the stellar pitching coming out of the National League this season and no less than from the "senior circuit" by way of Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson. They just get better and better! First we have Roger Clemens, playing in the National League this year the first time in his career at the age of 41. He appears in better shape physically than he has been in years, and is impressing with another Cy Young Award type season.

Clemens now owns a 9-0 record, the best in the Major Leagues and posts an ERA of 2.08, the lowest in the Major Leagues as well. He has struck out 88 batters this season, bested only by Randy Johnson's 98. Clemens is a lock, barring injury, to start the All Star Game for the National League, in his hometown of Houston, this July.

There may be a couple of reasons which have contributed to the fine season Roger Clemens is now enjoying in what was to be his first year of retirement. He his living in his hometown, gets to spend more time with his family and his contract with the Houston Astros was structured to not require him to be on the road for games in which he does not pitch. In addition, he is not under the type of pressure he experienced the last several years in NY while playing for the Yankees. He appears to be playing for the sake of playing the game, not for recognition or financial gain at this point. It is clearly more enjoyable to watch Roger pitch this year from a fan's perspective, as he is clearly is painting a different kind of portrait.

Not one to be upstaged, is the ever dominant Randy Johnson, who at the age of 40 has only pitched a perfect game this season, has struck out 98, owns a 2.75 ERA and has allowed only 21 bases on balls the entire season. Randy has pitched two complete games and his record now stands at 8-4. Considering his club, the Arizona Diamondbacks, is 12 games under .500, it is remarkable for him to have as sparkling a record as he has. After all, he does not get the run support or defensive skills behind him, as he once enjoyed on this very same team, when capturing the World Series in 2001.

The pitching performances this year of both Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson are a baseball fan's dream. While they are locked in, in their respective zones while pitching, they seem to dominate the fans' attention as well. They reel us in and capture our imaginations as we experience baseball at its best. We can leave our troubles behind and are taken to another place, reminiscent of baseball's past. These two giants are representative of baseball as it was played in another era, and whose records we may never see the likes of again.

However, we can still appreciate young talent, and this season, Ben Sheets, of the Milwaukee Brewers deserves considerable attention. His pitching in 2004, his fourth year in the Big Leagues, reminds us of Clemens and Johnson. Sheets' first great effort this year was on May 16th , when he struck out 18 batters over nine innings. On June 8th he pitched nine shut out innings of one hit baseball and for almost seven innings had the makings of a perfect game, which then went on for a total of 17 innings, and almost 5 hours to complete against the American League's Western Division leading Anaheim Angels. Although he did not figure in the decision for his gallant effort, which Milwaukee eventually won, Sheets did lower his ERA to 2.41, the fifth best in the National League. His command of his pitches and his poise on the mound give us hope for the future of baseball, as it was meant to be played, with grit and determination. Let's hope Ben Sheets can be one of the gems of the future, helping to keep baseball alive and healthy, in the tradition of Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson and those greats which preceded them, in honor of their legacies.

posted by David 8:58 AM

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

At-bat of the Year Nominee No. 4: The Rocket vs. Ichiro

The Astros under Clemens takes a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the 7th. Clemens and Joel Pineiro of the Mariners have been engaged in a classic pitcher's duel, and the tie has just been broken in the top of the inning on a sacrifice fly. Yes, it's a case of little ball, and Roger's got to face the king of contact, slap bunts, steals, and manufactured runs, Ichiro Suzuki.

Clemens has faced Ichiro three times already this game. The first time up, Ichiro grounded out. The second time, amazingly, Ichiro was struck out looking. For a man who doesn't strike out much and always seems to be able to foul anything not to his liking or on the border off, it's a sign of how good Clemens is this year that Ichiro got fooled. But it's an even-up duel: in the fifth, with two out and a runner on second, Ichiro was walked intentionally to set up a force and let Clemens face Randy Winn. Winn drew a five-pitch walk, loading the bases, but Clemens survived a scare on the next batter, Edgar Martinez, when the world's greatest DH flied out to deep right.

So Clemens starts the 7th against Hiram Bocachica. Roger is still bringing it hard in the 90s, and gets off to a 0-2 lead, and Hiram is looking silly doing it. Clemens wastes one, then comes back inside hard and fast and plunks Bocachica. Runner on first, nobody out, for Ichiro.

Now Hiram's got some wheels, and this is the kind of situation that calls for advancing the runner by any means. So Bocachica is cut loose to steal during the AB. He doesn't go every swing, but it seems like it from about the fourth on. Here's how the at-bat went:

Ball, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Ball, Foul, Foul, Foul, Ball, Foul; Suzuki reached on fielder's choice to shortstop, Bocachica out at second.

The marathon 12-pitch AB is really much longer if you count numerous throws to first (which I unfortunately failed to take note of at the time, or we might be up into Alex Cora territory in terms of actual wear and tear on the soup bone).

Every one of those fouls was a hard fast ball, thrown out of necessity to keep Bocachica from getting that extra step. Every time Clemens throws the ball, Ichiro is gauging his swing just a bit more, and Bocachica loses a fraction of an inch off his sprint towards first. It's a race, only Clemens keeps getting just a bit more giddyup on the old fastball and beats Ichiro down the stretch by a nose. He starts the AB at 105 pitches, and ends it at 117.

Here's why Randy Winn won't be a good major leaguer, ever: after all that, he swings at Clemens' first pitch -- with a base stealer named Ichiro on first with fresh legs and Clemens out of gas -- and flies out. He got a hold of it, and with another smidge on the ball it would've gone out, but it's just a fly-out to left. Clemens is yanked at that point, Brad Lidge comes in to ice the inning against Martinez with a K, and Octavio Dotel survives the usual scare to save the game in the 9th (surprisingly, striking out Ichiro looking again in the ninth). Clemens got overextended, but not overly-overextended.

One is well-reminded that the great pitchers are great because in so many of these situations they come out ahead -- they make the adjustments on the field, to the situation, dig down, and get that last out.

posted by The Crank 2:04 PM

Monday, June 07, 2004

Random Monday Thoughts

I understand that I'm part of the very small minority that enjoys college baseball. This minority is so tiny that the ESPNs decided to show things like women's pro hoops, spelling bees and golf rather than some great Regional Playoff games. I'm still in shock that both Rice and Stanford got bounced in the Regionals.

As a quick preview of folks to watch from this year's draft, here's Jered Weaver relaxing before he brought the hammer down on Stanford on Saturday:




Weaver will be damn good... Prior good? I don't know about that, but it's not out of the question.

Barry Bonds drew walk #80 today. That raised his OBP to .633. Lance Berkman, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramierz, Jeromy Burnitz, Mike Lowell and Scott Rolen are all having good years with their bats, they are also the players who have a higher slugger percentage than Bonds' OBP. Yikes.

posted by David 8:00 PM

Sunday, June 06, 2004

And in Other Home Run News...

Not to take away from Junior Griffey's achievements or the huge amount of attention he'll get when #500 comes along (expect even more screams of "best comeback of this year!" and "can he get back on track to chase Hank?"), but I scanned the list of league leaders in dingers today to see who he's competing against and look who's there:

Steve Finley, right in the hunt with 16 home runs.

What?!

Finley hit two a few nights ago against the Giants after a seven-game homerless "slump." But there he is, at the age of 39 still raking them in. He's been left out of the "Life begins at the age of 40 or so" discussions, but Finley has put together a very nice career: a lifetime .276 hitter with 265 dingers (6 seasons of 20+ and with four more this year, he'll have a seventh), 1008 RBIs (four 90+) and a solid 303 SB. Not to mention a career OBP of .337.

Why do I bring him up when we're talking about guys like Griffey and Bonds? Because Steve is one of those players who quietly puts together a great career and he's still doing it this year. He's a two-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glover, and when he retires, I'm not sure anyone will talk about him much. But those who watched him in Arizona will say that he was as important to their championship in 2001 as anyone on that team.

There are tons of these players out there today who obviously don't get the same recognition because they're role players who put up good, not great numbers. So here's my quick tribute to Steve Finley and the members of the All-Unsung Team. Why? Because they win championships with their heads down.

Meanwhile, I hope Griffey stays back on track. It would be a huge surprise if Finley won the home run derby this year though...

posted by Charles Curtis 2:02 PM

Didn't he used to be Ken Griffey Jr.?

I'm going to borrow a line I heard from Sportscenter for today's post. Junior is zeroing in on 500 career HRs. He tied Adam Dunn last night for the Reds' team lead with his 15th dinger last night before Dunn hit two to retake the lead. Now Griffey has hit homers in his first two ABs against the Expos this afternoon to catch Dunn (and Albert Pujols) for the NL league lead at 17. That makes 498 career for Junior.

This is kind of nice to see. It's easy to forget that Griffey has seven 40-HR seasons in his career, including back-to-back seasons of 56 in 1997 and '98. At that time, Junior was the guy who was going to catch Aaron's 755, and Barry Bonds was the guy who might have a shot at 500 HR/500 SB, which would be impressive in its own way but not quite as presitgious as 755. Five years is a long time.

posted by Tom Renbarger 11:23 AM