The Weekly MLB Rundown: 07.18.08
Posted by A.J. Stevens on 07.18.2008
We're coming out of the All-Star Break with a bang! Come join us with a preview of this weekend's baseball, an opinion piece on the Midsummer Classic, and the latest transaction news! It's all here in the Rundown!
PRE-GAME: BLATANT PLUGGAGE
Hey, I'm reviewing the occasional movie, too! Saturday morning, be sure to check out my review of WarGames: The Dead Code over in the Movies/TV section!
LEADING OFF
This week in transactions
Last week we discussed the merits of both the Harden and Sabathia trades. This week at press time we have a trade two trades and a free agent signing.
Former slugger and Seattle Mariner Richie Sexson has signed with the Yankees for the remainder of the season at the league minimum salary (prorated, even). The Yankees have been notoriously terrible at hitting left-handed pitching, currently at .257/.338/.394 for the season. Sexson is .344/.423/.623 against lefties and could see some time platooning at either DH or 1B.
Verdict: UPGRADE. While Sexson may quail under the lights of New York, in the end the Yankees have nothing to lose by signing him and giving him a couple of ABs. And if the Yanks do make the playoffs -- something I'm still not convinced that they are going to do -- who would have thought that Sidney Ponson and Richie Sexson would be contributors?
The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded to re-acquire Tony Clark from the San Diego Padres. While the Diamondbacks need veteran leadership on the bench and a solid bat somewhere in the lineup, Clark has not appeared to be the Tony Clark of last year, who was a frequent contributor to last year's NL West championship team, when he hit .250/.333/.563 with 3 HR coming off the bench.
Verdict: NEUTRAL. The Dbacks would be better served with a new hitting coach - a role that Clark can help fill from the bench - and someone to help them drill fundamentals and learn from their mistakes. The role that Clark played last year was supposed to be filled by Eric Byrnes this year, and as Byrnes has failed to live up to expectations, the knee-jerk reaction was to bring Clark back. While the Snakes could conceivably roll out a lineup that includes Clark at 1B, Three True Outcome poster boy Mark Reynolds at 3B, Conor Jackson in left, and Chad Tracy in right, I am not confident that manager Bob Melvin would be able to make that move. As I identified two weeks ago, the Diamondbacks desperately needed a LH OF power bat. Solving your problem with Chad Tracy was probably not the best move.
BREAKING NEWS (at least it was at press time): Phillies acquire Blanton from Athletics. So, if you were an A's starting pitcher, and you started in Japan, you are no longer with the team. Well, regardless of what the A's are thinking - maybe flipping some prospects for pitchers for the stretch run? - the Phillies got what they needed, and that's another reliable arm in the rotation. This makes the Phils even more dangerous, as they may have solved the puzzle that will take them to the postseason and beyond.
Verdict: UPGRADE.
Mike Young and Justin Morneau steal All-Star Game limelight, both performances completely forgotten by Friday
The Rangers' Mike Young should be voted a playoff share from whichever AL team wins the World Series this year. Either that, or he should be given some sort of no-prize for having a GWRBI in the past two midsummer classics that he participated in (Young was elected to last year's team but did not play, possibly due to the fact that the AL was winning from the 5th inning and did not need him to knock in the winning run). Hey, the game counts for something, right? Mike Young should get a prize equivalent in meaning to the game.
And who did Mr. Young knock in? None other than Home Run Derby champion Justin "Jason", "ESPN-hopes-he-doesn't-win", "never participating in another Derby again" Morneau. Seriously, how bad of an experience did Morneau have at the All-Star Game? First, his win is completely overshadowed by some kid from the Rangers and his 71-year-old pitcher. Heck, during Round 2, Morneau hit 9 home runs, but you wouldn't know because a) the crowd was dead silent and b) the ESPN announcers were talking about something completely different (I think at this point they were interviewing Reggie Jackson). Second, the dude presenting him with the check for the Boys and Girls Club charity called him "Jason," and third, he had to listen to a recording of "O, Canada," while Sheryl Crow was tapped to belt out "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Josh Groban contributed "God Bless America."
Hmm, maybe he was better off with the recording.
But if I can be serious for a second, we here at the Rundown thoroughly enjoyed the ASG this year. After all, it was just a few outs away from having The Holy Trinity of Things We Like: a walk-off, extra innings, and position players pitching. So close, J.D. Drew and David Wright! It was a great contest, and I love the pageantry surrounding it, although I think it was a bit excessive. I'm not sure why there is such a big hubbub over Yankee Stadium closing: it's a business decision, nothing more, nothing less. The Steinbrenners don't owe the City of New York back taxes, the Stadium isn't falling apart, and the team's not hurting for attendance. The baseball club has made the decision to build a new stadium, which will be bigger but seat less, for those of you playing the home game, for the sole purpose of getting some more revenue.
The Stadium should not have overshadowed the game. Now, before you jump on me, I've been to Yankee Stadium. I hung over the right-field wall trying to get players' attention between innings to the point where I dropped my glove onto the field accidentally. I've been to Monument Park. It was a great experience that I'll remember for the rest of my life - even if it was the Yankees vs. the A's in the early 80's when both teams were horrible. The pageantry, with all the Hall of Famers, the nearly ONE HOUR pregame ceremony -- that was excessive. Toss in a 15-inning game that ended at 1:30 local time, and I was starting to fear for the safety of the fans who stayed to watch the game. Who the heck gets caught outside at 1:30 AM in the South Bronx?
WALK-OFFS OF THE WEEK
Emil Brown, Athletics
Jayson Werth, Phillies
David DeJesus, Royals
Jason Michaels, Pirates
Reed Johnson, Cubs
Craig Counsell, Brewers
Mike Young, AL
WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND
Wow, so after some great series to close out the pre-ASG portion of the season, we have some completely uninspired matchups to get us through the first week back. Here's what I recommend watching:
Dodgers at Diamondbacks These teams are 1-2 in the NL Worst, with the Dodgers being 1 game back and both teams under .500. The silver lining here is that these are the only two teams in the division with a positive run differential, so technically they should both have winning records. Plus, I think the D-Backs are starting Davis, Haren, and Webb, while the Dodgers are trotting out Kuroda, Billingsley, and Lowe. At the very least, these pitchers are going to have the chance to be dominant. Heck, the way Kuroda has been pitching and the way the Snakes have been hitting, we could see a perfect game by the time the weekend rolls around.
Red Sox at Angels The only series this week that could reasonably be considered a "playoff preview." Plus, it's a Boston game, so ESPN is showing it on Sunday night as Tim Wakefield battles Jered Weaver. The Sox and Halos always seem to match up well, so if you're a fan of baseball, check out these games.
Toronto at Tampa Bay This series is worth watching to see if the Rays can pull out of their epic 7-game losing streak. They're a good team, and they're definitely not as bad as they've been playing recently. Plus, it looks like Mo Rivera was giving Kazmir some tips on throwing a cutter before the All-Star Game, so that's automatically an upgrade.
CLOSING IT OUT
We're going to wind up this week with some thoughts that I recorded during the All-Star Game. Maybe one day we'll be strong enough to liveblog these games, but for now, you just have to settle for the aftermath...
From ESPN's SportsNation in-game chat: James CA: It's total BS that they didn't announce that Lincecum was ill and couldn't attend when they announced the reserves
SportsNation Jim Caple: (8:44 PM ET ) You know they would have if he was a Yankee They would have had a blood drive for him.
[I've always been a fan of Caple's writing, and he was absolutely, 100% spot-on. I know that Lincecum wasn't technically available to pitch, but they should have at least had someone available to replace him on the roster last-minute like. The NL suffered for this and might not have had to go as deep in their bullpen if there was another fresh starter in the pen.]
Honestly, who would have thought in the "Moneyball" era of baseball, when hitters are encouraged to take their at-bats, get on base, and then wait on base for batters with decent SLG to knock them in... who would have thought that two stolen bases would be the turning points of the game?
JD Drew's home run is the most he's going to be cheered at Yankee Stadium, ever.
And speaking of boos... wow, Papelbon got booed when he gave up that hit to Tejada. And when he throws a strike, no cheers, just dead silence. At least the "Mariano" chants stopped. And now here come the "overrated" chants. And Tejada scores... the crowd is now lustily booing Papelbon.
(When the AL had the bases loaded with no outs in the 11th:) Rob Iracane is going to die if this game ends in a walkoff walk.
That's it for me this week, faithful readers. Drop me a line or leave me a comment, and don't forget to tune in next Friday morning for the latest Rundown!
