Buchholz Returns at Oakland, Strasburg Faces Off With Cincy

There are some solid starting pitchers taking the mound today hoping to get a victory. Bronson Arroyo has won three straight games, Brett Myers has seven wins and a 3.35 ERA, Colby Lewis is 9-5 with a 3.42 ERA, and Jaime Garcia has eight wins and a superb 2.27 ERA. Other notables include: Zack Grienke, Felix Hernandez, Francisco Liriano, Barry Zito, and Jon Garland.

The focus today, however, should be on two of the game's youngest stars: Clay Buchholz and Steven Strasburg. Buchholz will take the mound against Oakland today for the first time since he injured his groin running bases on June 26th. He has already set a career-high in wins (10) and will set new marks for Games Started and Innings Pitched during this start. He made one rehab start that yielded mixed results. His "stuff" was still top-notch, but he was rusty and his location was a bit shaky. It will help that he is making this start in Oakland (pitcher's park) and against their poor offense. My projection is 6.2 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 ER, 3 BB's, and 5 K's. He will get into a jam in the seventh and be replaced by a reliever who will get out of the tough situation allowing Buchholz to get his 11th win on the season.

Now on to Strasburg. He is making his ninth career start and will hope to lower his ERA below 2.00 and get his fifth career win. Two things will have to happen if he is going to get his W. First, the Reds' offense will have to be a bit flat in order for him to shut them down and the Nats offense will have to score enough runs to put him in position to get the W as he hands the ball to the bullpen. This brings me to my second point: the bullpen must hold the lead. Strasburg will most likely go six innings, which means that Nats seventh inning man, Drew Storen, set-up man, Tyler Clippard, and closer, Matt Capps, will have to be lights out. The Reds should sweep the Nationals in every series they play, but if the Nats are going to get a win, it will be with Strasburg on the mound.

All-Star Week Features Sad Morning

So far this week there has been a Future's Game, a Home Run Derby, and a Celebrity Softball Game (basically, a celebrity Home Run Derby). The Future's Game was won by the USA team, which was lead to the 9-1 victory by Angel's prospects Hank Conger (AAA C) and Mike Trout (A OF). The State Farm Home Run Derby was won by David Ortiz as he outlasted Hanley Ramirez in the last round. Other notable performances from the event were Corey Hart's 13 first-round dingers and Chris Berman's constant "back, back, back, back, and gone!" calls from the booth. The Celebrity Softball Game was not as good as it has been (there was no Kenny Mayne, Mike & Mike, or Harold Reynolds), but it was still fun to watch. Jennie Finch and John Kruk kept me laughing and into the game a bit.

On the morning of the All-Star Game, there is sad news making its way around the league.

George Steinbrenner has passed away to a better place at the age of 80 after suffering a massive heart attack. Steinbrenner completely turned around the Yankees organization and always had a second-to-none attitude about winning. There are mixed opinions about him throughout the league and the nation, but, I for one, am deeply saddened by this news. One of the greatest executives in professional sports is no longer with us and he will be missed greatly. My heart goes out to the Steinbrenner family and the Yankee Nation. Win #28 for The Boss!

Fired Up About The All-Star Game

Now that the final vote has been decided and Nick Swisher (AL) and Joey Votto (NL, shouldn't have even needed the final vote) have made the teams, it's time to discuss some of the more questionable choices.



Let's start with the American League Team. The two pitchers who are having good seasons, but should not have been selected are Fausto Carmona and Matt Thornton. Who would I replace them with? Jeff Niemann and Jered Weaver.



Carmona has had a nice first half so far and has posted solid numbers: 7-7, 3.69 ERA, 1.29 WHIP. His numbers look less stellar when compared to my replacement choice, Jeff Niemann. Niemann has been the second best pitcher (and most consistent) all season for the Rays and his numbers currently sit at: 7-2, 2.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP. Is that not convincing enough? Let's delve deeper. Carmona's strikeout-to-walk ratio is less than the goal of 2-to-1 and Niemann is greater. Also, Niemann's team is contending in the AL East and Carmona's isn't even a threat to win the Central. The only reason Girardi could have selected Carmona is because no other Cleveland Indian is good enough to be selected.



Thornton has been lights out most of the year, but is his role on the team All-Star worthy? Based solely on his numbers: 2-3, 5 SV's, 2.72 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and more than 1 k per inning, I would say he is a contender. When you look into it, however, he does not deserve the nomination. He is a set-up man on a team who has struggled at times. Compare that to Jered Weaver, who is the ace on a team that is contending for the division title in the AL West. His numbers sit at: 8-4, 2.97 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 6-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and more than 1 k per inning. Are you serious Joe? How could you not pick this guy? His numbers are better than half the current players on the All-Star team.



Onto the AL Reserves. Girardi did a good job with these picks, except for one. Ty Wigginton should not have been selected over Paul Konerko. How does a guy who has 20 HR's and 61 RBI's not make the team? Sure, Wigginton has been a nice surprise in the early going, but his numbers are all inferior to Konerko's. He has a mere 14 HR, 44 RBI's, and a below-average .253 AVG (Konerko is at .296). Also, Baltimore is the worst team in the league and Wigginton's defense has not been superb. Konerko is a solid defender and has the White Sox on their way up in that division. The only reasons why Wigginton was picked are that Baltimore has no other All-Stars (I would suggest either Tejada or Markakis) and Wigginton's versatility has been helpful to the Orioles.



There you have it, the AL has three mistakes on its roster. Niemann should be there instead of Carmona, Weaver should be there instead of Thornton, and Konerko should be there instead of Wigginton. Now on to the NL.



Charlie Manuel may be getting a bit out of touch with the league because he has a few mind-boggling picks. Lets start with the pitchers. I have a firm belief that middle relievers should not be All-Stars because they don't have a significant enough role on the team. With that said, I would take Arthur Rhodes and Evan Meek off the NL Roster. The replacements are: Jaime Garcia and Mat Latos. Also, Jonathan Broxton should be replaced with Billy Wagner.

Here is the statistical breakdown of Meek, Rhodes, Garcia, and Latos.

Meek: His 45 K's in 48.2 IP, 1.11 ERA, and a 0.95 WHIP are all good. The problem with Meek is that he only has 1 SV and 5 holds, but he also has 5 blown saves.

Rhodes: His 32 K's in 34.2 IP, 1.56 ERA, and 0.95 WHIP are solid numbers, but while he has 15 holds, he has yet to record a save.

Garcia: He boasts an 8-4 record with an impressive 2.17 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Also, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is 2-to-1 and he has been key to St. Louis' success.

Latos: Latos' numbers are the most impressive of all the names here. He is 10-4 with a 5-to-1 K:BB ratio and a 2.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. His WHIP is equally as impressive as CY Young candidate Josh Johnson's.

After reviewing these stats, there is no way that you can possibly argue that Rhodes and Meek deserve the nod over Latos and Garcia. Latos has been the unquestioned ace of the Padres' staff and Garcia has been an ace-caliber third starter in the stacked Cardinals' rotation. Rhodes and Meek have been nice early season stories, but do not warant roster spots on the NL All-Star team, period.

The last switch I would make is Wagner in for Broxton. This is a very close call, but I will tell you why I chose Wagner. Wagner has one more save and blown save then Broxton, but the real separation appears in ERA, WHIP, and team performance. Wagner sports a 1.24 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP (Broxton has a 2.11 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP) and his team (Atlanta) currently leads their division while Broxton's team (LA Dodgers) sit in second behind San Diego.

Enough with the NL Pitching Staff, how about the reserves? I have one quip.

Carlos Gonzalez should be on the team. He has been one of the best hitters this half and should replace Omar Infante in a heartbeat. Infante isn't even a full-time starter, he's a backup! How does a backup get on the All-Star team? Somebody needs to inform Charlie Manuel that an All-Star must first be a starter in order to impact his team in such a way that he deserves a mention. Carlos Gonzalez started off the season hotter than any hitter in the bigs (aside from Martin Prado) and, despite a minor slump, still has top-notch numbers. He has a .312 AVG, 16 HR's, 57 RBI's, and a .343 OBP in 317 at-bats. Infante has a .321 AVG, .349 OBP, 2 HR, and 23 RBI's in 184 at-bats. 184! Are you kidding me? This is by far the worst pick this year and my apologies go out to Carlos Gonzalez.

Furthermore, you could replace Michael Bourn with Angel Pagan if you added Oswalt to the staff (because you need an Astro).

Okay, well, if you've read through all of my babbling and made it this far in the post (thanks and congratulations) then you need to get a hobby. Just kidding. Here is a recap of my changes:

Fausto Carmona and Matt Thornton out, Jeff Niemann and Jered Weaver in.
Ty Wigginton out, Paul Konerko in.
Evan Meek and Arthur Rhodes out, Jaime Garcia and Mat Latos in.
Jonathan Broxton out, Billy Wagner in.
Omar Infante out, Carlos Gonzalez in.
Michael Bourn out, Angel Pagan in (pending addition of Roy Oswalt).

Now that I've told you what I think should've been done, please tell me what you think.

Who's the best pitcher in the NL? Jimenez? Halladay? Nope...None other than Josh Johnson

Josh Johnson will make his 18th start of the season today in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. His ERA still sits at a Pedro Martinez-like 1.82 and his WHIP is currently at 0.96. Despite these impressive numbers (also, his batting average against is .203) his overall record sits at 8-3.

Only 8 wins!! Are you kidding me Florida offense? All you have to do is score two or three runs a game and he gets a win.

His insane numbers don't stop at ERA and whip, actually, his complete statistical line is off the charts. He strikes out a batter per inning, walks about one hitter every five innings, and has only given up four homers in 114 IP. (He's basically the starter version of Mariano Rivera.)

Will he get his ninth win today? Yes. He will. Plain and simple. He is the most dominant pitcher in the league and he should be the All-Star Game starter. If he isn't, I will be completely shocked and Charlie Manuel should be shunned from baseball for a week or so (seems like a fair punishment to me, oh and by the way Charlie, there's more to come on your ridiculous All-Star picks).

Unlikely Pair of Sub 4.00 ERA Pitchers Duel in Arizona

At the beginning of the season, if I had told you that on July 5th both Ian Kennedy and Tom Gorzelanny would have sub 4.00 ERA's, you would have thought I had a couple of screws loose. As unprobable as it may be, it's true. The two starters face off this afternoon at 1 o'clock hoping to lower their respective ERA's even further towards that illustrious 3.00 mark.

The starter for the home team, Ian Kennedy, has an ERA of 3.77 and a WHIP of 1.23 (his career numbers are 4.61 and 1.39). He has managed to maintain such an impressive mark into July by having success at his home ballpark, Chase Field. His ERA at home sits at a solid 2.41 (it's 4.70 on the road, yikes!) which has kept his overall numbers way down.

Kennedy's opponent, Tom Gorzelanny, has been even better so far: his ERA is 3.14 and his WHIP is 1.37 (his career numbers sit at 4.64 and 1.47). What is the key to his success? Three main things have contributed to his stellar start so far this season. He doesn't give up the longball (only three HR allowed all season), he strikes out a batter per inning (65 K's in 63 IP), and he has been lights out on the road. In 29 innings pitched on the road his ERA sits at a Josh Johnson-like 1.86.

So, who will win today? Who has the better the shot of maintaining this level of performance all season?

The winner today will be Ian Kennedy, but not because he is any better than Gorzelanny. This game will be decided on the offensive side of the ball, in which, the Diamondbacks are far superior to the Cubs. The player with the best shot of continuing this success all season is Tom Gorzelanny. His high strikeout, low HR, and fairly low walk rate will help him in the long run. If the Cubs offense can provide three or four runs a game for Gorzelanny he may be able to finish the year around 10-8 (he is 2-5 now).

Can Moyer Make It Four In A Row?

Jamie Moyer, "the ageless wonder", has been outstanding in his last three starts. His season numbers are not very attractive at 9-6 with a 4.30 ERA, but in his last three starts he has improved dramatically. He has won all three (3-0) by throwing 23 innings and giving up a mere 5 earned runs combined. In those 23 innings he gave up only 11 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 17 hitters. This is an unforseen flash of brilliance from Moyer that has been largely over shadowed by a record he achieved (it's not the kind of record you want). Moyer has given up four homeruns in his last three starts, officially making him the pitcher who has given up the most homeruns in the history of baseball.

Moyer hopes to extend his hot streak to four starts in a row today with a solid outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This shouldn't be too difficult. Pittsburgh is hitting a meager .236 on the season (.241 vs. lefties) and even worse at .179 in July.

I'll go out on a limb here [sarcastic tone] and say that Moyer will have another solid start. More specifically, I predict 7 IP with 2 ER and 5 K's. Even if he doesn't do well, Philly will win regardless.

Taking Suggestions

Earlier today, my friend texted me and suggested that I create a post arguing that the Twins should remove Nick Blackburn from the starting rotation and insert Brian Duensing in his place. Blackburn has been struggling all year, but he notched a W yesterday so I told my friend that I wasn't going to do the post. I still may in the future (depending on how Duensing and Blackburn do over the next few weeks), but that is not the point of this post.

The point of this post is to let everyone know that from now on I am open to suggestions. If you have an idea for a post that seems interesting or informative, then just comment on this post and let me know your idea. If I like it, it will become part of Summer's Game. If I don't think that what you have given will make a solid post, sorry.

Hopefully, some good suggestions will arise and this blog will improve greatly.

Thanks to anyone who reads or follows this,

Sosa