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

New Team, Same Old Dontrelle

The story of Dontrelle Willis has not always been as grim as it is today. There was a time in which he was very highly regarded and he actually pitched well. That was then, this is now. Now, Dontrelle Willis cannot even throw the five innings necessary to be able to earn a win. He has pitched a total of 21.1 innings in his first five starts as a Diamondback (that is a little over 4 innings per start). Those 21 innings wouldn't be terrible if he had just given up hits (21) but he added on an absurd amount of walks (27) making his WHIP over 2.00.

This brings me to my question: why is he still in a major league rotation?

Honestly, there isn't a legitimate reason why he is still allowed to go out to mound every five days and pitch like a wild high-school reliever who has never heard of command. I have two theories that may help explain this odd phenomenon.

Theory 1: There just aren't enough good pitchers these days to fill 30 five-man rotations. This theory has some truth to it, but could easily be disproved if teams weren't afraid to call up young pitchers because "they aren't ready yet." My response to that is "would you rather have a veteran who can't get through the fifth inning or a rookie who has the ability to be dominant?"
I'll take the rookie.

Thoery 2: Willis is getting paid enough money to force teams to start him so they can get a return on their investment. This theory, while flawed (I realize that these theories aren't perfect, I am just brainstorming here people), has some truth to it. A team that drops multi-million dollar contracts on a player will want to see that player succeed so that they can earn that money back (via sponsorships, endorsements, winning championships, etc.). After a while, however, a team should realize that the veteran is a lost cause and bring up a youngster.

My advice to the D'backs: Give up on Dontrelle. While everyone wants to see the underdog succeed (including me, I actually really like Dontrelle) it makes no sense to keep him in your rotation. He is taxing your bullpen way to much and not providing anything positive in his starts. Call up someone from your farm system, maybe Barry Enright?

R.A.D. Is Back

To say that New York Mets' starting pitcher R.A. Dickey (initials R.A.D.) is back may be the wrong way to put it. It would be more accurate to say that R.A. Dickey has finally arrived. The 35-year old veteran has been in the majors since 2001 (spent 2002 and 2007 in the minors), but has only thrown over 100 IP three times. In each of those three seasons (2003, 2004, and 2008) he also posted an ERA over 5.00 (5.09, 5.61, and 5.21 respectively) and had a combined win-loss record of 20-23.

So why, you ask, do I even bother posting an article about him?

Well, in 2010, Dickey has been on a run that could earn him Comeback Player of the Year honors. He didn't make his first major league start until May 19th, but in his 7 starts since then he is 6-0 with a 2.33 ERA. Furthermore, he has pitched a "quality start" in 6 of 7 outings and has saved the Mets' bullpen by throwing an average of 7+ IP per game. He reached the peak of his young season in his last start against Detroit by throwing 8 innings of shutout ball and giving up only 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.

What is R.A.'s recipe for success?

The knuckleball! About 67% of the pitches he has thrown so far this season have been knucklers. His next most popular pitch, at 28% of his total pitches, is his fastball. The other 5% of his pitches are a combination of curveballs, sliders, and change-ups. However, his knuckleball is not your common knuckler, he throws it much harder than the norm. It has good sink on it though, which allows it to be his bread-and-butter pitch because he can get a quick groundout or flyout whenever he needs to.

Dickey will make his 8th start of the season later today against the Florida Marlins in Puerto Rico. His one previous start this season against Florida was, to be kind, decent (6.1 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER's, 2 walks, and 4 K's), but he still came away victorious. Today, he will oppose Marlin's hurler Ricky Nolasco as he searches for his seventh victory.

My prediction: He will be successful in obtaining his victory and bringing his season win-loss record to 7-0.

Young Studs Battle in San Fran, What's up with Johan?

Saturday night's game at AT&T Park will feature two of the league's most promising young hurlers. Boston's Clay Buchholz is much more experienced and proven than his opponent, but San Fran's Madison Bumgarner is "supposed" to be a future ace. Buchholz has posted 48 career starts and is finally blossoming into the hyped player he was by pitching to the tune of an impressive 2.47 ERA. Possibly the Giants' top prospect, Bumgarner (what a rough last name to grow up with!) enters this game having only started a total of 1 game (he also made 3 relief appearances in 2009) in his career. I would expect Boston to work the youngster's pitch count and have him out of the game either before or during the sixth inning. San Fran's offense is no match for the likes of Buchholz, so he should turn in a dominating performance in another Red Sox victory.

Now on to the news of the day (there is only 1 game so far, so news is limited). Johan Santana is widely regarded as the ace of the New York Mets. But is he on a major down swing in his career?

Honestly, Johan has started 16 games this year, 7 of which he has given up 4 or more earned runs. He gave up 10 earned runs to the Phillies in a horrific start in early May. His other 6 rough starts consist of one 5-run outing to Washington and four 4-run showings against SF, SD, CLE, and NYY. His total ERA on the season is still around 3.60, so maybe his rough starts aren't enough to ring the alarm. The reason I am writing about this unusual occurance: he is getting lit up again today!

His three most recent starts all ended with 6 0r 7 IP and 4 earned runs. Today, through 4 innings against Minnesota he has given up 5 earned runs. I won't even bother to pretend I know what is wrong with him (because, to be frank, I haven't the slightest clue), but if he doesn't turn it around, the Mets are in deep trouble.

So, is he still the ace? For now, yes. However, a changing of the guard may be taking place around Citi field these days. Veterans John Maine and Oliver Perez have been walking injuries so far this year (and when they were healthy, they completely underperformed) and youngsters Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese have pitched extremely well in the first half of 2010. If these vets continue to struggle (especially Johan), we may be looking at a completely different pitching staff in 2011, headed by none other than Pelfrey himself.

Two Former Aces Face Off in Windy City

Chicago is one of baseball's most prolific cities. It is home to both the Cubs (in the NL) and the White Sox (in the AL). Today will mark the start of another three game showdown between the two teams.

What does the winner get? Bragging rights until next time, of course!

Game 1 of this series at U.S. Cellular Field (White Sox) features an interesting match-up on the mound. Former San Diego Padres' ace Jake Peavy takes the mound for the White Sox and up-and-down ace Carlos Zambrano gets the nod for the Cubs. Two years ago, this would've been a marque duel and many baseball fans would tune in to watch it unfold. In 2010, however, both of these pitchers have above 5.00 ERA's (Peavy is at 5.07, Zambrano is at 5.10) and Chicago's teams are struggling.

The Cubs are a lowly 32-40 on the year and there are no signs of a positive swing in momentum. The White Sox, benefactors of a recent hot-streak, are currently sitting at 37-34 on the season. They will attempt to extend their winning streak to 10 games today against the Cubs.

My Prediction: Both starters are coming off impressive starts, so this will one appears to be low scoring. The White Sox will successfully extend their streak to 10 wins with a 5-2 victory over Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs.

Will Cliff Lee ever find a permanent home?

The 2008 Cy Young Award Winner is currently on his third team in two years..soon it could be a fourth. After winning the Cy in '08, Lee came back to Cleveland to begin the 2009 season, but would be dealt before the trade deadline. Perenial World Series contender, Philadelphia, took interest in him and offered Cleveland a deal that they couldn't refuse. Philly's goal was to win the World Series right away and Lee almost helped them do that. Too bad for them, the Bronx Bombers were in full swing last year and dominated the postseason on their way to a 27th championship.

In the offseason, Philadelphia decided to make a trade and acquire possibly the best pitcher in the league, Roy Halladay. They could have kept Lee on the team and been a powerhouse all year, but instead, General Manager Ruban Amaro Jr. decided to trade him away to help replenish their depleted Minor League System. Lee was dealt to the Seattle Mariners for an array of prospects and had almost the entire baseball community viewing Seattle as the favorite to win the AL West in 2010.

The reality, however, has been a complete letdown. Lee was hurt to begin the season and Seattle got off to an extremely poor start. Add on the fact that veterans Milton Bradley and Chone Figgins are having extremely unproductive seasons and you understand why Seattle is in dead last in the AL West.

Each year a few teams who sit last in their respecive divisions and feel that they have no chance to win go into a phase called "rebuilding". Basically, they trade a few of the star veterans on their team in order to acquire young rising prospects for the future. This year, Seattle could be one of those teams. Any team would gladly add Lee to their roster if they could, the only question is: who is willing to pay the price?

Strasburg Mania

Steven Strasburg has been the center of most of the talk around the league since he was called up in early June. He set a record for most strikeouts through 3 starts (32 total K's) and has been absolutely dominant except for a pitch here and there (ask Delwyn Young or Travis Hafner what I'm talking about). So after three very nice starts, what can we expect in his fourth?

More of the same. He faces a Kansas City offense that many people tend to overlook. At first, I thought that KC's offense would be one of the weakest in the league, but further research contradicted that opinion. They have the AL's top batting average at .280 and are mid-pack in RBI, runs, and OBP. Their only real weakness is a lack of power; they sit 11th in the AL with only 52 homers on the year. It is reasonable to expect Strasburg to go about 7 IP, give up around 5-6 hits, an earned run, and strikeout at least 8 hitters.

Other news on this busy Wednesday in June: The Cardinals vs. Blue Jays match-up looks to be a pitchers duel as Chris Carpenter (8-1, 2.83 ERA) and Ricky Romero (6-3, 3.08 ERA) face off. Cinderella story R.A. Dickey will face a huge test in Detroit's slugging offense (his "wonder year" may come to an end a bit earlier than he'd like). Lastly, baseball's newest CY Young caliber pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez, gets a tough draw in Boston's hot offense. Hopefully the dizzyness that forced him to leave the stadium on Tuesday has gone away and he will be able to duel the Red Sox' hitters all night long.

Enjoy baseball today, it should be a good one!

The Resurgance of Mike Aviles

Who is Mike Aviles?

Aviles is a 29-year old middle infielder who grew up and attended college at Concordia College in Manhattan, New York. He first broke out into the league in 2008 when he batted .325 over 102 games. He slugged 10 homeruns during that season and firmly took over the starting shortstop job in Kansas City. I, along with many, thought very highly of him entering the 2009 season and decided to draft him as the shortstop on my fantasy team.

Just how poorly did that decision turn out?

Aviles played a total of 36 games last year for the Royals (I dropped him long before his 36th game) and hit .183 with a single homerun. Injuries and lack of offensive production shortened his season drastically as he was forced to spend time on the disabled list and in the minor leagues.

So after one breakout season and one flop, could Aviles turn his career back in the right direction?

The answer is simply: so far, so good. He has already played in 40 games and has hit .323 with 2 homeruns. His OBP and SLG are still a bit low for his BAA but he is moving in a positive direction. If he keeps it up, he may regain his starting position on the Royals team and end up have a very successful season.

My advice for fantasy owners: Buy now. If your shortstop has been a bust so far (E. Aybar, J. Bartlett) or is currently in the midst of a offensive slide (E. Andrus), then feel free to ride Aviles' hot streak. If he completely returns to form expect .315 with 6 homers the rest of the way.

Friars Offense explodes on Father's Day

After the last out in the top of the first had been recorded the scoreboard read: BAL 4, SD 0. Sitting in the stands at Petco Park on a Sunday afternoon I could feel the overwhelming sense of exasperation. The Padres had lost the night before and imploded for 4 runs in the first inning of a game that would decide if they would remain atop the division. Normally, fans in San Diego are fairly indifferent when it comes to the Padres, but this year is not normal. An early season filled with clutch victories and extremely dominant pitching has fans arriving to the ballpark ready to root their team to victory with pride.

The Padres chipped away at the Orioles' lead with an RBI double by Adrian Gonzalez in Bot 1 and scored another run in the 2nd via an embarassing gaffe by O's first baseman Luke Scott. Now down 4-2, the Padres stepped up to the plate and promptly changed the outcome of the game. Nick Hundley started the scoring by whacking an RBI single into left field. Next up to bat was Will Venable, who had been hitting .225 with 4 homeruns on the season. He got into a hitters' count and then launched a towering homerun (389 ft.) into the right field stands. Now up 6-4, San Diego began to cruise. They tacked on one more run with a Venable RBI single in the 5th and completely separated themselves from the Orioles when Hundley stepped up to the plate in the seventh. He ripped a fastball over the fence for a 2-run blast, giving the Pads a 9-4 lead that would last until the final out.

Throughout the game the players were shown on the big screen giving Happy Father's Day wishes to their dads. Not only did they wish their fathers a happy day during the game, but they gave them something to celebrate after the game by winning convincingly.

One more thing: I would like to wish my dad, grandfather, and all the other dads out there a Happy Father's Day.

Rook gets first hit, Relievers have rough day

Four games and 12 at-bats after being promoted to the bigs, Pirates top prospect Pedro Alvarez finally notched his first major league hit. In the bottom of the fifth inning with a runner on base, Alvarez slugged a ground rule double to drive the run in. Alvarez, a highly touted prospect since 2009 and proven minor-league hitter, can now relax and focus on producing for the struggling Pirates on a consistent basis.

In other news around the league, today was not the day to be a relief pitcher in the major leagues. Setting the tone for the day was the relief corps of the Chicago Cubs. After their starter, Ted Lilly, got whacked for 8 runs (6 ER) they proceded to give up a total of 4 runs in 3.2 IP. Bob Howry was the main culprit, allowing 3 of the 4 runs in just a single inning of work.

Following the Cubs precedent were the relievers of the Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies. The Rays' pen allowed a three-run lead to vanish by giving up 3 runs in the eighth. They continued to attempt to blow the game when they gave up 3 more in the bottom of the 11th inning (luckily they had a 4-run lead). Manager Joe Maddon has Randy Choate, Lance Cormier, and Dan Wheeler to thank for almost giving the game away. The Marlins (who played the Rays) actually outdid the putrid play of the Rays by serving up 5 runs in 4 IP (including 4 R by Jorge Sosa) and ended up losing that slugfest.

To wrap things up let's discuss possibly the worst performing pen of them all: Philadelphia. Jose Contreras, who had been making a strong push for closing duties in recent weeks, began the ninth inning by getting one out and allowing 3 runs to cross. Oft-injured Brad Lidge came in to attempt the bail out, but was unsuccessful as he allowed to more runs to cross tying the game up at 9. In the 10th and 11th, Chad Durbin and Danys Baez would go on to allowed a combined 4 runs and cost the team the game. After leading 9-4 entering the ninth inning, they eventually lost 13-10 in the 11th.

Hopefully Sunday is a bit less troubling for relievers.

Saturday Spotlight

Friday's action was focused on the next "great one", Steven Strasburg. The man to watch on Saturday will be none other than San Diego's own Clayton Richard. He faces a weak Baltimore offense who limps into this game hitting .244 on the season against lefties. Richard will work quickly and throw plenty of strikes (60% first pitch strike rate), which should effectively keep Baltimore from getting in a groove. Couple that with Baltimore's putrid .249 batting average in June and I forsee some success in Richard's start tomorrow.

Also on the tab for tomorrow, a game that looks to be a hard-fought pitchers duel in the Bronx. The two dueling pitchers: Mike Pelfrey (9-1) and Phil Hughes (9-1). Big Pelf has been a very pleasant surprise for the Mets in the early going. He has posted a solid 2.39 ERA so far and has limited opposing hitters to a .243 batting average against. His 59 K's and only 75 hits allowed in 86 IP shows that he isn't the benefactor of too much luck and should continue his dominance in the future. Hughes has a slightly higher ERA (3.11), but his WHIP is an impressive 1.13. The up-and-coming Yankee ace has limited hitters to a .224 batting average against and has recorded 74 strikeouts in 75.1 IP. If all goes according to plan, runs will be at a premium on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Post #1 is officially finished. Enjoy and spread the word!

- Michael Sosa