SB Nation - Chris Volstad

Chris Volstad to rejoin the Marlins Tuesday

craig — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:33:52 -0000

After throwing a simulated game, Chris Volstad is set to rejoin the Marlins.

Chris Volstad threw 50 pitches in a simulated game Saturday and will be available in the bullpen for Tuesday's doubleheader against the Phillies.

Volstad will probably be used out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. Guessing he will be added to the list of long relievers available.

Chris Volstad to throw simulated game

craig — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:33:29 -0000

Chris Volstad will be throwing a simulated game on Saturday in hopes of working out some of his problems.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez has been noncommittal when asked if Chris Volstad would start again before the end of the season. Volstad, who lost his spot in the rotation, will throw a simulated game before batting practice Saturday against Marlins hitters.

Unless someone gets injured I doubt that the young Mr. Volstad will start again this season. And frankly he shouldn't. Volstad will once again regain control of his sinker and be able to spot the fast ball and probably be a fixture in the Marlins rotation for sometime to come. But it ain't going to happen in 2009.

The Marlins only have 15 games remaining and are 8 games back of the Phillies in the division and 5 down to the Rockies in the wild card. The Marlins need a serious win streak if they plan on capturing a playoff birth. This is not the time to see if Volstad can return to form.

Fish Wrap - Marlins 2 Nationals 7

craig — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:31:13 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

3 months ago: Members of the grounds crew unroll the tarp to cover the diamond as rain begins to fall during the top of the sixth inning of a baseball game between the Florida Marlins and the Washington Nationals Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

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The Marlins finished up the homestand against the Nationals by losing. Something they really didn't need to do.

Chris Volstad only made it through three innings giving up five runs and walking five. Half of his pitches were called balls. Now, I am no expert but that doesn't seem to me to be a very good outing. After Volstad left the game BGA took over and threw more strikes than balls by a whopping total of one. Naturally he gave up another run. (Long man my butt.) And then we get into the "I don't want to talk about it" phase. It got so bad in the pitching department that the Marlins had to use Calero and the Hopper.

Of course come the sixth inning the rains came and causing over a two-hour delay and if that wasn't enough there was another delay in the ninth of almost an hour when the umpires finally called the game and put everyone out of their misery.

It was truly a game to forget. But here is the problem, the Marlins can't afford many more, if any, games to forget and still keep their playoff chances alive.

Washington Nationals Take Two Of Three From The Florida Marlins With 7-2 Win Sunday.

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:13:06 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

3 months ago: Members of the grounds crew fold up the tarp covering the diamond as the rain slows down during the top of the sixth inning of a baseball game between the Florida Marlins and the Washington Nationals on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Miami. The game was called because of rain in the ninth inning. The Nationals won 7-2. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

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Nationals Take Two Of Three From Fish In Florida...

It took Florida starter Chris Volstad 24 pitches to get through the first, and before the first frame was over the soon-to-be 23-year-old right-hander had allowed 2 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs, only two of them earned because of an error on Dan Uggla. DC lefty John Lannan got two quick outs in his own first, but Hanley Ramirez singled, stole second and scored when Jorge Cantu came through with a liner over Pete Orr at third to make it 3-1 Nationals.

A two-out walk by Volstad, his fifth, in the third, proved costly as he put Justin Maxwell on in front of Pete Orr, who hit his third MLB dinger to right center for a 5-1 Nationals’ lead. Vostad’s exited early, having allowed 5 hits, 5 walks and 5 runs, 4 earned in 3.0 IP over which he threw 59 pitches. Marlins’ lefty Andrew Miller took over in the fourth and walked the first batter he faced, Willie Harris, who was running on Ian Desmond’s infield single in the next AB. Harris took third when Hanley Ramirez threw wide of first on Desmond's grounder and scored when Cristian Guzman followed with a single over second for a 6-1 Nationals' lead after three and a half. In the fifth, it was Orr again, who doubled, took second on a passed ball and came home on an infield groundout by Wil Nieves for a 6-run, 7-1 lead.

John Lannan (W, 9-11) allows just 1 ER on 6 hits through 5.0, throwing 81 pitches, 50 for strikes, but a rain delay ends his day after just the five innings pitched. Tyler Clippard comes out after nearly two more hours of rain on top of last night's delays, and Clippard throws two scoreless in which he allows just 1 hit. Jason Bergmann starts the eighth by giving up a single to Hanley Ramirez, but a DP grounder from Jorge Cantu erased that runner. A two-out walk, however, did end up scoring, after a passed ball and a Cody Ross single make it 7-2, but any hope of a late Florida comeback ends when Land Shark Stadium is soaked by another storm...This rain delay finally ends it after two hours and forty-eight minutes of play, and three hours and three minutes of delays...

Nationals win, 7-2 final.

For A Florida Marlins Fan's Perspective On The Rain...uh, Game....Check Out The SB Nation's Marlins Blog:

FishStripes.

"Game 143: Rain helps the Nats for once" by Doghouse.

BACKPAGE:

• E: 122.

• What's Tim Foli Going To Do Now?

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals now 50-93.

BACKPAGE:

E: 122.

Pete Orr got his 3rd MLB HR today and his 2nd double of 2009, but he also commited his second error, which gives the Nationals 122-Major-League-leading errors on the season. E: 122 - Orr's E came in the first, on a throw to first that got by Adam Dunn, who was pulled off the bag and then just missed the ball. Orr's throw was offline, which is why, I suppose, he was given the E, as opposed to Dunn, who flat-out missed the catch. OUTCOME: Jorge Cantu moved first to third on the error, but he was stranded there one batter later when Cody Ross grounded into a force at second. No Harm.

What's Tim Foli Going To Do Now?

MASN's Nationals Sideline Reporter Debbi Taylor conducted an interview with DC GM Mike Rizzo in the fifth inning of today's game in which Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Rizzo quickly discussed John Lannan's performance, Ian Desmond's debut and the future of '09 Syracuse Chiefs' Manager Tim Foli...

Debbi Taylor: Mike, a nice turnaround for John Lannan, what are you seeing there?

Mike Rizzo: Well, I think he's commanding his fastball much better than the previous couple of starts, and when he gets ahead of hitters, he can be really tough on guys with the rest of his repertoire, and he's pounding the strike zone today.

Debbi Taylor: Ian Desmond making his first start at second base, what are your impressions of him over there so far?

Mike Rizzo: Well, he's a very live-bodied, rangy play, he's very athletic and he's got a good arm and good hands, and we feel that if need be he could make the transition to second base or stay at shortstop, but, you know, his major league debut's been uh, it's hard to find any faults in it so far...

Debbi Taylor: He's been spectacular, a couple of more hits today, but how difficult is it not to be tricked by good play in the month of September?

Mike Rizzo: Well, September, when you're in the position we're in, is, you know, usually the players are relaxed coming up here and it's a little bit different feel than you get through the long haul of the season, so, you know, we're optimistic, but we're cautiously optimistic, and we take everything with a grain of salt on the performance, good or bad, because often times it can fool you...

Debbi Taylor: Tim Foli is somebody that has been really helpful to a lot of the players, and I know this is the time of year that you make some changes within the organization, what are your plans for him next year?

Mike Rizzo: Well, Tim's been, he's been a vital part of the organization, he's one of the true great baseball minds in our organization, and he's made the transformation from Field Coordinator to Triple-A Manager to help us out in Triple-A this year, we feel that he may be best suited and most valuable as a field coordinator, coordinating all of the instruction of all the levels of the minor leagues, not just our Triple-A players.

GAME REPORT:

Washington Nationals At Florida Marlins. Game 143 Of 162.

Willie Harris walks to start the Sunday finale. Marlins’ starter Chris Volstad gives up single up the middle on the first pitch to Ian Desmond. Cristian Guzman grounds to second, Desmond avoids the tag and Dan Uggla throws high to first pulling Nick Johnson off the bag to load the bases. Adam Dunn up, and a wild pitch from Volstad brings Willie Harris in, 1-0 Nationals. Dunn walks to bring Elijah SSSUPER DUKESSS up. Dukes slices a fastball inside over first for a two-run single and a 3-0 DC lead. Justin Maxwell flies out to center on the first pitch he sees. Pinch Hittin’ Pete Orr walks to reload the bases for the "Blocker" Wil Nieves. Nieves grounds to short, Hanley Ramirez to Uggla to Nick Johnson at first, double play...Chris Coghlan grounds out to Ian Desmond at second for John Lannan’s first out. Nick Johnson hits a liner right into Adam Dunn’s oversized glove. Hanley Ramirez punches a single to center in front of Jorge Cantu. Ramirez swipes one on Lannan. Cantu scores Ramirez from second with a liner over Orr at third. 3-1 Washington. Pete Orr backhands a grounder from Uggla and throws wide of first, Dunn misses it. First and third. Cody Ross grounds to Guzman at short, to Desmond, like the sound of that, 3-1 after one.

Lannan leads off the second with a weak groundout to third. Willie Harris takes a one-out walk off of Volstad. Ian Desmond takes an 0-2 fastball for a called strike three. The Guzzz, Cristian Guzman flies to left on the first pitch from Volstad...John Lannan gets a groundout to short from Ronny Paulino. Cameron Maybin grounds toward short, Orr cuts it off and throws to first, in time. Lannan gets the opposing pitcher swinging.

Adam Dunn sends a leadoff single whistling back up the middle. Elijah Dukes chops one out to Uggla, to Ramirez, to Johnson, double play. Justin Maxwell takes a two-out walk from Chris Volstad, and Pete Orr makes’em pay, Orr scores Maxwell the easy way with a line drive HR to right center, 5-1 DC. Wil Nieves reaches on a grounder that Volstad can’t handle. Lannan stares an 0-2 bender all the way in...Chris Coghlan rips a grounder to second and Ian Desmond can’t make the play. Nick Johnson pops out to center on a 3-1 fastball inside. Hanley Ramirez gets blown away on a 2-2 fastball outside and low. Jorge Cantu grounds to Desmond at second, to Guzman.

Andrew Miller replaces Chris Volstad after the third, and walks the first batter he sees, Willie Harris. Harris is running on a sharp grounder to short by Ian Desmond, Hanley Ramirez throws it by first, first and third when Harris moves up. The Guzzzzz, Cristian Guzman singles in a run, slicing a liner through second. 6-1 Nationals. Andrew Miller throws a wild pitch to move Desmond to third. Adam Dunn tips a 3-2 pitch into Ronny Paulino’s glove. Dukes pops the first pitch he sees up to first. Justin Maxwell swings through a 3-2 fastball to end the top of the fourth...Dan Uggla grounds out to short to start the Marlins’ fourth. Cody Ross rips a line drive to left center, but has to stop at first. Ronny Paulino walks to put two on for Cameron Maybin. Lannan hits the outside corner with a 1-2 heater for a called strike three. Pinch hittter Gaby Sanchez grounds to short, Guzman throws to second for the force, and Desmond gets out number four with a throw to first.

Christhian Martinez gives up a leadoff double to Pete Orr, who gets a liner by Johnson at first and into the right field corner. Orr takes third on a pitch from Martinez that gets by the catcher. Wil Nieves ground sharply to short with Orr running home, Hanley Ramirez throws to first, 7-1 DC. John Lannan grounds to short. Willie Harris grounds out to first to end the Nationals’ fifth...Chris Coghlan pops out to Justin Maxwell in right center. Nick Johnson flies out to Elijah Dukes on the warning track in right. Cristian Guzman stabs a grounder from Hanley Ramirez, but throws late to first. Jorge Cantu lines to left where Willie Harris grabs it.

Florida lefty Dan Meyer gets Ian Desmond looking for a called strike three. Cristian Guzman rips a single through short...and it’s another Rain Delay...Kiko Calero’s on the mound when it’s over, Adam Dunn’s K’s swinging and Elijah Dukes flies out to Cody Ross in right to end the Nationals’ sixth...Tyler Clippard vs Dan Uggla. Uggla pops up over the mound, Desmond gets in to make the catch. Cody Ross swings through a 1-2 fastball. Ronny Paulino swings through a two-strike change to end the sixth.

Justin Maxwell takes an 0-2 fastball outside and high for a called strike three. Pinch Hittin’ Pete Orr flies out to Maybin. Wil Nieves chops out to third to end the top of the seventh...Cameron Maybin rips a ground ball through short to start the bottom of the frame. Ross Gload sends a flare out to short for Guzman to grab. Chris Coghlan flies out to Willie Harris in left. Nick Johnson flies out to right to end the seventh.

Mike Morse is up in the top o’ the eighth. Burke Badenhop throwing for Florida. Morse shoots a grounder to short that Hanley Ramirez handles. WIllie Harris sneaks a single through second. Ian Desmond grounds into a force at second, but beats out the DP throw to first. Cristian Guzman grounds sharply to short, Hanley Ramirez has no play at second and he bounces a throw to first that’s too late. Alberto Gonzalez ground out to short to end the frame...Jason Bergmann takes over on the mound against Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez drops a pop into short right. Jorge Cantu grounds to the hole at short, Desmond gets there, backhands, throws to second, Alberto Gonzalez to first, double play. Dan Uggla takes a two-out walk. Uggla takes second on a passed ball with Cody Ross at bat. Ross fouls off a few 3-2 pitches and finally singles to left to score Uggla. 7-2 DC. Ronny Paulino grounds out to second to end the eighth.

Elijah Dukes leads off the ninth. Dukes takes strike three on the outside edge. Justin Maxwell K’s swinging over a bender. Pete Orr K’s staring at a slider...Cameron Maybin vs Jason Bergmann in the ninth. Maybin singles to center. RAIN DELAY AGAIN!!!! And they never come back...Washington wins, 7-2 final.

Nationals now 50-93.

Chris Volstad to start on Sunday

craig — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:04:41 -0000

Chris Volstad starts on Sunday.

Chris Volstad will start Sunday in place of Rick VandenHurk. Fredi Gonzalez, however, was non-commital about starting Volstad after Sunday.

Can't say I am excited about it, but if Volstad can his sinker to work, then he should be fine. The problem is him getting his sinker to work which is something he has had trouble with of late.

Chris Volstad and Gaby Sanchez to rejoin the Marlins

craig — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:52:32 -0000

As being reported by Clark Spencer (via twitter), Chris Volstad and Gaby Sanchez to be recalled.

Gaby Sanchez and Chris Volstad will join#Marlins in New York

Volstad was the starter for the Zephyrs yesterday.

Volstad (0-1), who allowed three runs and five hits in four innings, was making his Zephyrs debut after being sent down by the Marlins last week. He struck out seven and walked two.

Well at least the strikeout numbers are impressive. Volstad for his other outs had 4 ground outs and only 1 fly out. So maybe he has his sinker in working order. Seeing how he went four innings and threw 72 pitches don't look for him to see any action for a couple of days. I'm guessing the plan is to have him pitch out of the pen.

Kinda sad when the team is having to stockpile long relievers, but I guess it is that time of year especially when the rotation consists of young arms and the innings are piling up.

As for Gaby, grab some pine and Brett Hayes will tell you all about his home run. Don't get me wrong, I am all for Gaby getting playing time, but he won't.

Chris Volstad and Gaby Sanchez optioned to NOLA

craig — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:54:46 -0000

As I'm sure you all know, Chris Volstad and Gaby Sanchez were optioned to New Orleans in search for some bullpen help.

The bullpen is so shot that not only was Volstad optioned to Triple A, but so was infielder Gaby Sanchez. The Marlins plan to call up a couple of pitchers, one of which is expected to be reliever Luis Ayala.

The other is expected to be Tim Wood.

I must give credit where credit is due: DSTRO was the first to report it is going to be Ayala and Wood to be called up. (via twitter) She most definitely broke the story.

I must admit neither player excites me, though Wood has at least shown some signs he can still pitch at the major league level, but of course, that was earlier in the year. Now don't get me wrong, Ayala has had some good years in his past and maybe he can regain the magic of old. But I wouldn't count on it.

The Marlins haven't announced who is going to be added to the roster, at the time this is being written, so I will leave it alone until they do.

Whomever is called up to fill out the roster slots will get a chance to show their wares, since the last two starters only combined to go 5.1 innings which has resulted in the bullpen being overtaxed. And it has shown.

The September call ups can't happen soon enough.

Two Astros' starts, how the Marlins finish and Being clutch without swinging the bat

HighLeveragePerformer — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

The Astros' Mr. Clutch

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And Bazardo makes three: With Mike Hampton's injured shoulder holding him back for at least one start, Yorman Bazardo will become the third former Round Rock starter to make his season debut for the Astros in 2009. He is following in the footsteps of Felipe Paulino and Bud Norris. Hampton is going to throw a bullpen today in hopes of returning to the rotation on Saturday.

For what it's worth, isn't this what we all pretty much expected from the Ortiz/Hampton experiment? That at some point, both veterans would step/be pushed aside in favor of younger arms? It was a marriage of convenience for Ed Wade and those two: the Astros would have two fairly cheap replacement level arms to toss out there on the cheap, and Ortiz/Hampton would be able to showcase their arms coming off serious injuries. At certain points it seemed like it could work, that they would at least give the Astros a puncher's chance of winning in the games that they started. At this point though, the experiment has been much more failure than success.

With the deadline to sign 2009 draftees having past, the Astros didn't have to sweat not having their highest draft choices go unsigned. First rounder Jiovanni Mier is no exception. A number of early signees have gotten off to solid professional starts, and Jio is no exception:

Houston has done a very good job of bungling previous drafts to horrific levels, but the organization seems to be making amends with its last two drafts. Mier was selected out of a California high school with the 21st pick of the draft and has performed better than expected. The raw shortstop is currently hitting .302/.406/.504 with nine steals and 15 extra base hits in 139 at-bats. Scouting reports suggest Mier has average to below-average power, but he’s already hit four homers in rookie ball. He’s also showing an encouraging walk rate of 13.1 BB%.

Heading into last week's series with the Marlins I was somewhat optimistic because while the Astros pitching staff doesn't strike out that many batters, the Marlins were a team with a reputation for being a fairly free swinging team. Obviously, they had no problem hitting against the Astros, and worked counts well. In the Miami Herald, I came across an article that detailed how well the Fish were hitting of late. Up and down their lineup, there are no holes. Everyone can hit for extra bases, and guys like Nick Johnson and Dan Uggla will work counts and draw walks.

The other strong suit of the Marlins that really struck me as impressive was their bullpen. They throw hard, limit the long ball and have a top 10 FIP as a group. Matt Lindstrom, their closer entering the season, has been hurt and/or ineffective for much of 2009, but step in closer Leo Nunez, along with unheralded pitchers like Kiko Calero, Brian Sanches and Dan Meyer have filled in the gaps. I wouldn't say that they are the favorites the win the Wild Card, but hot hitting and a strong bullpen can at least help the boat stay afloat until a fourth starter can find his way behind Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Chris Volstad.

Say what you will about the Astros, but at least they have a home all to themselves. I tried to find a picture of their "new field", but was unsuccessful. It looks at this point like the A's are a definite afterthought. You can almost picture JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden and the rest of the Radiers tapping their toes and pointing at their watches during A games. Then again, I guess if the Texans and Stros played at the same stadium, the same could be said...God Bless the Juice Box.

Last, there is at least one conflucence of sabermetric thought and traditional baseball thought. I present to you: clutch walking.

Marlins-Rockies Double Header on Sunday

craig — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 02:08:39 -0000

To makeup for Saturday's postponement the Marlins and Rockies will play two on Sunday.

The game will be made up as part of a double-header beginning at 1:35 p.m. ET Sunday. Game 2 will begin approximately 30 minutes after the first one ends.

Beginning at 3:30 ET, FOX Sports Florida will televise the first game in progress and then carry the second game.

In Game 1, the Marlins will send Chris Volstad (8-9, 4.78 ERA) to the mound, while the Rockies counter with Aaron Cook (10-4, 3.93). The Game 2 pitching matchup will be Rick VandenHurk (2-1, 4.15) against Jorge De La Rosa (10-8, 4.78).

Should it rain on Sunday, a double header will be scheduled for Monday. Both teams have an off-day Monday. If it rains on Monday.... who knows. But these games will be played at some point in the season.

Rockies 0, Marlins 0: Rain forces traditional double header tomorrow

Poseidon's Fist — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:05:28 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

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Maybe it would have been better for the Rockies if we had played through the heavy rain. After all, the Rockies outscored the Marlins 3-0 once heavy rain started last night.

The game will be made up tomorrow as a traditional double header, with the first game starting at 11:35amMDT. Chris Volstad has been moved to the first game against Aaron Cook, and Rick VandenHurk slides to game two to be Jorge de la Rosa's opponent.

Apparently the Stephen Curtis Chapman concert is still on at Land Shark though.

Even though the Rockies lost yesterday and didn't play, they suffered more in the standings today than yesterday. The Giants beat the Mets in extras. Hiroki Kuroda and Doug Davis are pitching against each other tonight.