Plenty has gone wrong for the Nationals in the early going. Dan Haren is basically broken, Gio Gonzalez might be and Stephen Strasburg — while pitching well — has not kept up the star pace expected of him in the early going. The offense might be just as concerning, however. Despite Bryce Harper’s continuous blossoming, a combination of injuries and underperformance has conspired to make the Nats’ offense one of the worst in the game.
The other day on our internal message board, the shockingly handsome David Laurila pointed out that the Reds had dropped down a sacrifice bunt in the first inning the other day, and that this had struck him as strange. In exploring the subject further, I found that the practice has not yet evaporated but this there is some hope that it is lessening this season. Or at least, there would be if not for the San Diego Padres, who piled up five sacrifice hits in the first inning during April.
Let’s break down the five plays, shall we?
Read the rest of this entry »
| 6:09 |
: Hi everybody!
Join us live at 9 pm ET for all of the baseballing action that you’ll let us cram down your cramhole! Get your questions in now, and I’ll put up a bunch of polls too, because polls are fun. |
| 9:01 |
: My fantasy team had a -3 yesterday. Screw fantasy baseball. Let’s talk actual baseball.
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| 9:01 |
: Just finished listening to Katy Feeney tell Buster Olney why the schedule is the way the schedule is on his podcast. I remember meeting with Katy waayyyyy back in 2006, and getting the chance to ask her the same questions. She’s the best. Let’s do this!
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| 9:02 |
: 2006? 2005 maybe? Whatever. I’m old.
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| 9:02 |
why does cj wilson suck so much? |
| 9:02 |
: Well, it’s not because he uses Head & Shoulders, that’s for darn sure!!!
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The Astros are not a good baseball team. But, as Tyler Kepner detailed in the New York Times this weekend, they are a baseball team with a plan. Whether or not that will lead to wins this season is another matter, but the fact that they have a plan is shining through, even amidst the deluge of runs allowed. Read the rest of this entry »
Entering the spring, Gerardo Parra was once again a man without a home. After a starting a career-high 124 times in 2011, and doing so handily, Parra shifted back into part-time status in 2012. But with Adam Eaton and Cody Ross both suffering injuries before the season began, and Jason Kubel landing on the disabled list with a strained left quad two weeks into it, Parra has once again been seeing regular action. In the process, he has not only acquitted himself well, but also helped hold down the Dbacks offense in the early going.
| 6:20 |
: Hi everybody!
Jeff and I will be here at 9 pm ET to answer all of your baseballing queries. In the meantime, drop in some questions for us, and we’ll try to get to all of them! See you soon! |
| 6:30 |
: I won’t be able to make the chat tonight, ladies and gents. Have fun without me. Be back next week.
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| 9:00 |
: Alright, let’s light this candle!
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| 9:00 |
Does Alex Meyer have a shot at a rotation spot this year? |
| 9:00 |
: I would say yes.
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| 9:01 |
: Yea, why not.
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Yesterday, I was doing some All-Star Game research. In doing so, I came across the name of Bill Freehan, and was surprised to find that he started for the American League at catcher for seven straight years. Doing some more digging, I realized he was essentially the best catcher of whom I had never heard. The classic “whole is greater than the sum of his parts” player, there wasn’t anything that Freehan did poorly.
Sometimes players are described as “bad-ball hitters.” Or, sometimes players will be described as having strike zones that range from the head to their heels. Vladimir Guerrero used to own these tags, and once upon a time, so did Nomar Garciaparra. It is possible to succeed while swinging at everything, and nobody personifies that today better than do Robinson Cano and Pablo Sandoval.
Austin Jackson has a fairly well-documented history of frequent strikeouts. But every day, Jackson seems to be creating a new history. That’s because he’s decided to stop striking out.