The first month of the 2010 season certainly didn’t turn out as I’d expected. The Padres finished April with a 15-8 record, 1 1/2 games ahead of second place San Francisco. Whether they can sustain their success over the long haul remains to be seen, but at the very least, they have given fans a reason to watch. Continue reading ›
Saturday Links (1 May 10)
Hi there, and welcome to a very special “Day Job Kicked My Keester This Week” edition of Saturday Links…
- Padres Win Streak Ends; We go To Lake Elsinore to See The Storm (Avenging Jack Murphy). Mike visits The Diamond at Lake Elsinore and, like everyone else who goes there, falls in love.
- Latos vs LeBlanc in the rotation? (Padres Trail). A different Mike wonders about the back end of the Padres rotation and suggests that maybe Mat Latos should be sent down when Chris Young returns from the DL. I see Mike’s point, but I wouldn’t jerk Latos around on the basis of four starts.
- Seriously, now… (The Watson Files). Dan Watson offers his thoughts on some current TinCaps players: “Rymer Liriano has a TON of potential. He’s 18, he’s built like a tank, shows all five tools and is still learning the game.”
- Visual Baseball: Introducing the Score Tracker (Hardball Times). Kevin Dame gives use more cool charts.
- Good GMs, Bad Agents (FanGraphs). Matt Klaassen uses the recent Ryan Howard contract extension as a launching point for a fascinating question: “What interests me is the comparison of the negative cases: while someone might call a general manager ‘terrible’ or ‘incompetent’ because of foolish contracts, I’ve never read a piece going on at length that an agent should be fired because of an extremely team-favorable contract.”
- Why We Watch (FanGraphs) Carson Cistulli asks, “Why do we watch? Or, more specifically: all things being equal, what compels us to watch one game and not another?” and identifies five potential criteria. I might suggest a sixth: being at the ballpark.
- Pair of Padres in fine form … at the hoop? (Padres.com). Matt Antonelli and Wade LeBlanc are famous on the Internet.
- Is the win a useless statistic? (Hardball Times). Pat Andriola suggests that “If we want to attract casual fans to sabermetrics, then instead explain why wins are useless!” Speaking from personal experience, it’s difficult to get people to hear things they don’t want to hear. And I’ll piggyback on Studes in the comments, who says: “I like to think in terms of wins.”
- Incidentally gang, beer fest is terrible (Sacrifice Bunt). Hard to tell from the title, but I don’t think Melvin liked Friday night’s promotion.
- NL Central: Trouble brewing in Milwaukee bullpen (Kansas City Star). Speaking of terrible, that’s the kind of start Trevor Hoffman is off to this year. Reader LynchMob shares his thoughts: “Hoffy’s struggles seem to be exceeding anything I/we’ve groused about in the past… is the end now near? I know I’ve Chicken-Littled before… but… really! Especially with a prospect at AAA (Zach Braddock) being lights-out (11.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 22 K).”
- Video: Bango strikes again, this time from above the rim (Ball Don’t Lie). LynchMob also sends us this, noting that “The Chicken now has some competition for ‘best mascot’.” Indeed.
That’s all, peeps…
Garland Arrives in Style, Everyone Speculates about Gonzalez
It was nice of Jon Garland to finally arrive at the party. Sure, the ERA has been pretty, but that’s mostly because he keeps putting his defense to sleep.
I fell asleep a few times during Tuesday’s victory over the Marlins, although Garland isn’t to blame (I’m fighting a little bug, nothing serious). He pitched a terrific game.
It didn’t start out that way. Garland needed 30 pitches to get through the first inning and took the count full against five of the first seven batters he faced. But his pitches were moving and eventually he settled down to work six strong innings and tie a career high with 10 strikeouts. Continue reading ›
Tuesday Links (27 Apr 10)
The Friday links are getting a bit unwieldy, so I thought I’d try a different approach. Rather than dumping a boatload of links at the end of the week, I’m going to post shorter lists… well, whenever. This should make them less daunting and more timely. We’ll see how it goes; if you have thoughts on the matter, please keep them to yourselves… er, let me know…
- Looking at Some Games with My New Score Card (Baseball Analysts). Before the season, Dave Allen developed a new way to keep score. Now, he shares some real-world examples, including a couple of Padres wins.
- Time to Worry About Peavy (FanGraphs). Dave Cameron notes that Jake Peavy has gotten off to a terrible start for the White Sox and suggests that four starts is enough for fans to be concerned.
- Platoon splits 2.0 (Hardball Times). Max Marchi continues his work on pitch classification.
- More “Planning to Fail” (IIATMS). Jason asks some fascinating questions: “How do teams strategize to climb the ladder, in the face of a vastly different economic reality? Teams, I am guessing, do not bemoan their ‘small market fates’ like the fans; rather they devise plans to be better, smarter, nimbler. Will these plans work? Who knows, but the inherent strategy within each, to me, is where the essence of the game lies.”
- These Questions 3: Josh Wilker (SweetSpot). Rob Neyer chats with the author of Cardboard Gods, who says, among many other things: “I’ve never counted my cards, or even done any kind of a rough estimation… I actually don’t really want to know. I’ve decided to write about every card I own, and I think if I find out exactly (or even roughly) how many cards I have, it might be like knowing how many days I have left to live.”
- And with the 9th pick… (Padres RunDown). Peter begins his coverage of the June draft and offers some possibilities for the Padres.
- Bryce Harper’s makeup (Hardball Times). Pat Andriola notes that one of the players Peter mentions has come under scrutiny of late, quoting Kevin Goldstein: “It’s impossible to find any talent evaluator who isn’t blown away by Harper’s ability on the field, but it’s equally difficult to find one who doesn’t genuinely dislike the kid” due to, among other reasons, “a disturbingly large sense of entitlement.” The “E” word led one commenter to invoke the name of Ryan Leaf. It burns, burns, burns.
- The Science of Playoffs (Baseball Analysts). Sky Andrecheck asks a good question: “What is the point of having playoffs?” As several commenters correctly note, it’s to generate revenue.
- The Padres Are Who We Thought They Were (Friar Forecast). According to Daniel, “The Padres are still the same team we thought they were prior to the season. They just happen to temporarily be occupying first place.” Maybe, maybe not. The truth is, it’s too early to tell.
Looking for a Heartbeat
The Padres got whooped right good on Monday in Miami.
Positives:
- Only 10,924 people witnessed the event in person.
- When Sean Gallagher coughed up his inevitable homer (to Dan Uggla in the fourth), it increased the Marlins’ lead from 7-0 to 9-0, so no harm done.
- I forgot to set the DVR.
Negatives:
- Everything else.
Meanwhile, I’m still sore at myself for failing to make a single WKRP reference during the Reds series. Homer Bailey Quarters? Johnny Cueto, Johnny Gomes, Johnny Fever? So many wasted opportunities.
Now I have to come up with something for Miami Vice. I never even watched that show. We could laugh about the time Don Johnson tried to sing. That doesn’t get old.
Padres Take Series in Cincinnati
Two out of three in Cincy? Sure, another sweep would have been nice, but I’ll take it. We are perhaps getting spoiled by the early success, no? (Oops, I see my inner Hercule Poirot has escaped again.)
Seven Bullets for Seven Wins
Random thoughts from Friday night’s victory over the Reds…
- Kevin Correia did a nice Adam Eaton impression, dominating and then unraveling. Correia had a no-no through five but couldn’t make it out of the sixth. The Padres have scored 35 runs in his four starts. Or, to put it another way, 47.3% of all runs they’ve scored so far in 2010 have come in 25% of their games.
- The Padres enjoyed a six-run fourth inning, which is their second-best fourth inning of the young season. They plated 10 in the home opener and have scored 23 runs in fourth innings of games so far. Or, to put it another way, 31.1% of their runs have come in 11% of their innings. It’s a dramatic difference from what they’re doing in the third inning:
Inn PA BA OBP SLG R 3rd 67 .196 .318 .250 0 4th 85 .343 .440 .614 23
- Bases loaded, nobody out for Adrian Gonzalez? In that ballpark? Yummy.
- Tony Gwynn Jr. knocked a two-run homer to chase Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo in the fourth. Next inning, reliever Micah Owings plunked Gwynn on what looked like a purpose pitch. Owings probably should have plunked Arroyo for allowing a homer to Gwynn. Big power hitter there… he once hit four home runs in a season at Triple-A Nashville, way back in 2006.
- Matt Stairs got his first start of the season and rewarded manager Bud Black by whacking a two-run double in the second to give the Padres an early 2-0 lead.
- Tim Stauffer did a terrific job in relief of Correia, allowing two singles and fanning three of the 10 batters he faced. What else is new? Microscopic sample (39 PA), but opponents are hitting .189/.231/.216 against him so far. I hope Stauffer can keep this going. After all he’s been through, it’d be good to see him have a career.
- It seems like every year the Padres stash someone on their pitching staff that they’re afraid to use or lose. In 2009 it was Rule V draftee Luis Perdomo; in 2010 it’s Sean Gallagher. You’d like to see a guy shut the door when handed an eight-run lead. Granted, Gallagher hadn’t pitched in more than a week, but the Padres have been playing a lot of close games and why would you bring him into a close game?
Morning game (10:10 a.m. PT) on Saturday. Wade LeBlanc faces Johnny Cueto. I have concerns about LeBlanc pitching in a bandbox, but the way the offense is going, maybe it won’t matter. I’ll be commenting on the game via Twitter if anyone is interested in joining me.
Friday Links (23 Apr 10)
A friend of mine recently attended a wedding where “Dust in the Wind” played at the reception. How does that work? “Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky… Hey, baby, relax… don’t you know that you’re the earth and I’m the sky?”
Whatever. Go read stuff…
Earth
- Bullpen Usage (Daily Baseball Data). Here’s a fun tool that “summarizes the usage of all active relievers, sorted alphabetically by team.” Baffle your enemies, dazzle your friends by telling them which pitchers will come into the game before it happens.
- Padres staying put on cable TV (U-T). From Mike Freeman’s article: “Despite a Federal Communications Commission decision in January that forbids cable companies from keeping local sports programming all to themselves, the Padres games are not appearing yet on DirecTV or AT&T U-verse in the San Diego market.”
- Eckstein’s Unlikely Bomb (FanGraphs). As Jack Moore notes, “One of the most remarkable things about major league hitters is that even those that we consider not to have any power, such as Eckstein, are capable, on any given pitch, of hitting the ball out of the ballpark.” As commenter Coal Bear notes, in response to… everybody, “The Eckstein ‘clutch’, ‘grit’, and ‘winner’ jokes are very, very tired and quite lame.” Really? You think? Moore also likes Mike Adams.
- Difficult start for top picks Tate, Williams (U-T). From Bill Center’s article: “Center fielder Donavan Tate remains in Peoria, Ariz., for extended spring training while Everett Williams’ start at low Single-A Fort Wayne has been slowed because of a sinus infection.”
- Cut to Chase: Padres, Headley walk off (Padres.com). Old news, I know, but it was an awesome game and my buddy Tim got a byline at Padres.com so you have to read it.
- Four Good Wins and More (It Might Be Dangerous… You Go First). DePo asks the important questions: “You may think you have lived a full life, but have YOU ever been to Caldwell, Idaho? Or eaten at a Denny’s in Nampa on the way there?” No, but I’ve been to Bucksnort, Tennessee. Man, I love a good road trip. [h/t reader LynchMob]
- Great Pinch Hitters Since 1961 (Baseball-Reference). Steve Lombardi gives us a fun list. Hey, look, up at the top… it’s Willie McCovey and Matt Stairs.
Padres Guilty of Possession… Sole Possession
I love small samples. We can’t glean much from 15 games, but at least we can say the Padres are in first place all by their lonesome little selves. That’s a nice place to be. A guy could get comfortable there. Break out the deck chairs and stupid hats.
Never mind. It’s too early to get comfortable anywhere, although an off-day to enjoy the view (and rest the bullpen) is nice.
I didn’t watch or hear Wednesday’s 5-2 victory over the Giants, just followed along on Gameday as circumstances permitted, so what follows is an amalgamation of thoughts on the individual game as well as the entire homestand and season to date. Bullet points? Sure, let’s go crazy…
- In a twist, Jon Garland’s start was delayed 18 minutes by rain, and not the other way round. If anyone’s going to make the rain wait…
- Garland, who is a fan of Petco Park, enjoyed his first strong outing for the Padres. Good to see him not have to lean on the official scorer for help. As with Mat Latos a day earlier, efficiency was key. Garland needed just 92 pitches to work two batters into the eighth inning. Also like Latos, he served up a boatload of grounders. I am totally down with efficiency and grounders.
- I liked Nick Hundley’s two-run homer in the fifth. Not only did it extend the Padres lead to 4-1, it also represented another good at-bat for Hundley, whose strong suit isn’t necessarily hitting. As he did on Friday against Arizona’s Juan Gutierrez ahead of Chase Headley’s walk-off homer, Hundley fought his way back from down 0-2 to work the count full against Dan Runzler before swatting one over the left-field fence. Juan Gutierrez? Dan Runzler? Ah, I’m seeing a pattern here. Still, Hundley made them pay. And he had a monstrous homestand, hitting .300/.440/.600 in 25 PA.
- Come to think of it, the entire team had a monstrous homestand, hitting .260/.361/.421 with nine homers in as many games. If they keep that up, I want Randy Ready to have my baby.
- Speaking of Runzler, here’s his sixth inning: Bunt single, errant pickoff throw, sacrifice bunt, squeeze. That’s got to frost a guy.
- Kyle Blanks got the day off, replaced by Oscar Salazar in left field. Blanks is hitting just .217, but he’s getting on base and crushing baseballs. He took some ugly hacks against Jonathan Sanchez on Tuesday night; then again, so did most of the Padres. It’s good to see Bud Black give Gigantor a day off to clear his head and let Salazar get some work in the field. I’ve enjoyed watching the way Black deals with young players… especially the part where he uses them when they’re on his roster and doesn’t bury them when they struggle (Kevin Kouzmanoff sends his warm regards).
- Nobody heard me, so I could be making this up (I’m not), but I called Pablo Sandoval’s ninth-inning leadoff homer. Edward Mujica fell behind, 3-0, then grooved a fastball. I figured Mujica would groove another and Sandoval would crush it. He did, and he did. That was a great pitch by Mujica because it was a strike. Sandoval could have hit the ball to Symphony Hall and the score still would have been 5-2. Sandoval got his moment in the spotlight, Giants fans had something to cheer about for a moment, and then Mujica returned to the business of completing the sweep.
- Speaking of Sandoval, props to Luke Gregerson for bailing out Garland in the eighth. Gregerson entered with two on and no out, but got Eugenio Velez to line into a double play and Mark DeRosa to fly out to end the frame, leaving Sandoval on deck, where he could do no harm.
- Will Venable stole two bases on Wednesday. The Padres now lead the National League with 17 steals. More importantly, they’ve been successful in 85% of their attempts. If they keep that up, I want Dave Roberts to have my other baby.
- The starting pitching has been a pleasant surprise so far. I expected the rotation to be one of the weaker links this season (and again, we’ve got 147 games left on the schedule so let’s not jump to conclusions), but I’ve been impressed, particularly by Kevin Correia and Clayton Richard. We’ll see how I feel after they’ve gotten a few more than three starts under their belts.
Atop the NL West is a fun place to be. Savor it now, while you can.
Nobody Ever Paid Money to Watch an Umpire Assert His Authority
by Geoff Young on May 04, 2010 (11) Comments
In the eighth inning of Saturday night’s loss to the Brewers, Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and manager Bud Black were ejected by home plate umpire Rob Drake for arguing balls and strikes. Of course, this is well within Drake’s right, as stipulated by Rule 9.02(a) of MLB’s Official Baseball Rules, which reads:
Even if Gonzalez was correct (and evidence suggests he was not), he and Black cannot dispute the call without fear of consequence, in this case, the team losing its best hitter and manager late in a tight game. That said, Joe West’s umpiring crew had a terrible series and it’s understandable that players would grow frustrated at the inconsistent officiating. (Two other Padres expressed displeasure at Drake’s strike zone — If we are to believe Pitchf/x, Tony Gwynn Jr. did not have a legitimate gripe in the first inning on a ball at the knees, while Jerry Hairston Jr. did on an outside pitch in the sixth.)
Drake himself had a particularly embarrassing week, making one of the most “mind-boggling” calls on an appealed check swing you will ever see in an April 27 contest between the Angels and Indians at Anaheim. Suffice to say, someone owes Hideki Matsui a strike.
I’m not familiar enough with Drake’s work to comment on whether he’s a good ump in a slump (poor command, one might say) or just bad at his job. Either way, he hasn’t been performing well. It happens; you hate to see it, and if such mistakes become habitual, that needs to be addressed, but isolated incidents happen and you live with it.
What nobody should have to live with is Drake’s behavior following his ejection of Gonzalez. Fans paid to watch a baseball game between two teams of professional ballplayers. I would venture to guess that nobody paid to watch Drake stick his finger in Gonzalez’s face to show everyone in attendance “who da man.”
Like the rest of us, Drake is not immune to the pressures of daily life. It’s depressingly easy to do stupid things in stressful situations. That said, an umpire’s job involves calmly making judgments in such situations. It’s part of his skill set, in much the same way that plate discipline and opposite field power are part of Gonzalez’s. When either man loses the ability to perform these tasks, it is time to question their utility.
In fact, such a premium is placed on an umpire’s on-field behavior that it is addressed in the aforementioned Official Baseball Rules. The final paragraph of Rule 9.05 provides a critical reminder to all who would officiate an MLB game:
Where I come from, sticking your finger in someone else’s face is not considered courteous. Whatever Drake’s other strengths and weaknesses might be, at that place and that time, he failed to uphold his employer’s standards. This doesn’t remove responsibility from Gonzalez and Black, but Drake should not be under the misperception that his actions went unnoticed. They were noticed, and be assured, they did not “compel respect from all.”