The Weekly MLB Rundown 04.04.08: Week One

Posted by A.J. Stevens on 04.04.2008

Extra innings, walkoffs, and blowouts, oh my!

Welcome back to the Rundown, fans. It's been an exciting week for baseball, with extra innings, walkoffs, injuries, rainouts, blown saves, blowouts, and one-run games. What more could you ask for? I was so stoked for opening day, I wound up telecommuting so I could park myself in front of the television from 10 AM until 10 PM. Ah, baseball... how we've missed you.

Let's jump right in!

NEWS FROM LAST WEEK

Is there a doctor in the house?
This hasn't been a good week for big-name pitchers. I'm sure there were more than a few Cubs fans whose hearts sank when Carlos Zambrano was pulled from his first start with an apparent hand injury. Thank goodness for the Cubbies that all he needs to do is eat a few bananas. Pedro Martinez wasn't so lucky: his hamstring strain is going to keep him on the DL until the beginning of May. It will be interesting to watch the Mets, who were expecting a veteran pitching rotation of Santana, Martinez, and Hernandez cope with Santana, Maine, and… um… Mike Pelfrey.

Lights-out Seattle closer JJ Putz is out for at least a couple of weeks with costochondritis (that's "a rib inflammation" for us laypersons). Here's hoping that he gets better and that Roy Corcoran will fill his shoes nicely – the M's need every win they can get in their division. With the Angels staff decimated by injury and Oakland being, well, Oakland, this division could be a lot more competitive than people would have thought even 8 days ago.

I would also like to mention Arizona's Doug Davis, who, while not on the DL yet, will be undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer after he makes his second start of the year. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, and we wish him a speedy recovery.


Nationals Stadium opens to much fanfare, boos.
Strangely enough, it wasn't the Nationals who were getting booed. I know I complained last week about this game designated as the annual "Sunday night opener," so I was very pleasantly surprised when the Braves and Nats put on a thrilling competition. Tim Hudson settled in nicely, at one point retiring 19 batters in a row. The stadium is nice and recalls some of the classic stadiums in baseball, most notably old Griffith Stadium.

Washington has also followed suit with other cities by placing their new stadium in an area that could use a little revitalization, thus hoping baseball will help them increase commerce. I think that's a good idea, and while I don't have high hopes for the Nats this season, I do think that Washington is a good enough "baseball city" that this will work out for them in the long run. Once the owners see the growing fan interest, they'll be even more motivated to put a good product on the field.

Wood, Gagne debut as closers.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. As much as I love a good pitching duel, trainwrecks are fun to watch, too. And nobody right now screams "trainwreck" more than Eric Gagne. It would be nice to see Kerry Wood succeed. Really, it would. I hope his arm can recover from the damage done earlier. But still, watching Sweet Lou stew in that dugout while the Brewers did the conga around the bases was priceless.


Rookie columnist not prognosticator
OK, so I didn't do so hot in my predictions last week... but that's OK, the season's early, and you will see that I am right more often than not. If you disagree with any of my predictions, leave a comment below and tell me why I'm wrong!


WALKOFF OF THE WEEK

It's time for our new feature: the Walk Off of the Week. We had four contenders this week:

1. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals, vs. Braves


2. Edwin Encarnacion, Reds, vs. Diamondbacks


3. Robert Andino, Marlins, vs. Mets


4. Delwyn Young, Dodgers, vs. Giants

It's a no-brainer for me this week – Ryan Zimmerman wins this one hands-down. Drama, Opening Day, new stadium, and a team that wasn't expected (at least by me) to win wins. Not a bad night's work, sir.

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks, Monday 4/7 – Wednesday 4/9

April baseball is just as good as September baseball because the schedule tends to focus around intra-division play. The Dodgers have the potential to be spoilers in the NL West this year – I don't think they will win anything, but they have a good enough team to confound the D-Backs. The ‘Backs dropped a disappointing series in Cincinnati earlier, but they're showing more plate discipline than they did last year, and this is a great sign for what remains to be a young team. Arizona to win this series 2-1.


Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, Tuesday 4/8 – Thursday 4/10
An early battle in the National League East, this will be the playoff race in September. I don't think that there's going to be an epic fail on the Mets' part like last year. They don't have it now, but later on in the year the Mets' rotation will be healthy enough for them to contend. Phillies win 2-1.


New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, Friday 4/11 – Sunday 4/13
It's not that I'm biased, it's that this is one of the the only interesting series outside of Colorado/Arizona, and I've already picked the D-backs to watch earlier in the week. Yes, it seems like all the news is going to be focused on Yanks-Sawx next weekend, but bear with me: there are two talented teams going toe-to-toe again, and besides, would you really rather watch Twins-Royals? Red Sox 2-1. OK, if you really want something else to watch this weekend, go for Angels-Mariners. This will be another good preview of September.


CLOSING IT OUT

What a start to the year! Next week I'll be looking at what milestones are going to be achieved this year, as well as how Sony thinks the season is going to turn out. I look forward to it, and I hope you are too.
Want to talk baseball? Drop me an e-mail at [e-mail], or post a comment below. Any and all comments are welcome.