SB Nation - Emmanuel Burriss

NL West in Review: 2nd Basemen

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:00:36 -0000

Felipe Lopez only got in a half season in the NL West, but was he good enough to be the best 2B in the division in 2009?

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Introduction

Before getting to the second base rankings, I thought I would touch on a peripheral discussion on the accuracy of WAR. It is important to understand that even the WAR found at Fangraphs isn't absolute. The methodology of chosen inputs can make the final numbers vary slightly, or in some cases, drastically. The best example of this is this year's season by Ricky Nolasco, who was a 4.0 WAR pitcher from Fangraphs, but just a 1.0 WAR pitcher via Rally's historical database. The quick explanation is that Fangraphs' input is FIP, while Rally's is more based on actual runs allowed and BABIP.

In my case, I'm using Statcorner's component park factors, while Fangraphs has their own methodology for park effects. That is why some of my numbers will vary some from Fangraphs' data. For instance, I have Orlando Hudson as a 2.52 WAR second baseman, while Fangraphs has him at 2.9 WAR. Which is right? I think it's a matter of preference.

A few weeks ago, Dave Cameron wrote an article entitled WAR: It Works, which defended their methodology by finding a 0.83 correlation between a team's total WAR and final record (for comparison, Pythageorean W-L has a 0.91 correlation). So it does a decent job, but there's some understandable noise in the data.

Method

See the full methodology as explained last week. Last Monday, I omitted stolen bases and caught stealings from my value calculations. It turns out Fangraphs' positional splits are accurate to positional at-bats, and Baseball Reference's positional splits are not accurate for stolen bases and caught stealings. As it turns out, first basemen don't steal much, so that omission made practically no difference.

However, second basemen do tend employ the running game, so I did the extra legwork of utilizing ESPN.com's positional splits to extract SB/CS data. It didn't make a great deal of difference. Four teams saw their team wOBA* increase by .001, while the Rockies dropped by .001. Clint Barmes, who led all NL West 2B in caught stealings with nine, was the only prominent player to be affected, who dropped one slot in the rankings.

Read the results after the jump.

Results

No NL West team had complete personnel consistency at second base, but that didn't stop Arizona from far surpassing the rest of the division with some surprise production from their second-sackers.


Teams	Players	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA*	WAR
1. Arizona	4	.298	15	49	.372	.448	.362	5.97
2. Los Angeles	6	.283	12	77	.356	.424	.347	3.19
3. Colorado	5	.231	31	98	.281	.441	.301	0.80
4. San Francisco	7	.236	17	80	.281	.329	.281	-0.26
5. San Diego	5	.246	2	58	.315	.314	.292	-1.04

Brendan Scolari's calculations had Arizona projected to be the weakest team at second base this season, but the other four teams fell in line as expected from there.

Your graphical plot of the RAR for all five teams, with the positional RAR set at +2.5.

The second base position was exceedingly interesting, in my opinion. To wit: the most valuable player was also the fifth least valuable fielder; the worst and best fielders came from the same team; the man with the third most homers was the fourth worst second baseman; and, one team had four second basemen in the top seven in the division:

There were 27 total second basemen, and you can view the complete rankings and data here in Google Docs. Here are the top and bottom five:

Rank	Player	Team	PA	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA*	UZR	WAR
1	Orlando Hudson	LAD	627	.285	9	62	.359	.420	.345	-3.7	2.52
2	Felipe Lopez	AZ	375	.305	6	25	.366	.417	.351	3.8	2.25
3	Ryan Roberts	AZ	199	.303	7	16	.374	.506	.383	2.3	1.65
4	Clint Barmes	COL	551	.238	22	69	.286	.437	.301	7.0	1.60
5	Juan Uribe	SFG	131	.274	6	15	.331	.538	.380	3.5	1.25
~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~	~
23	Edgar Gonzalez	SDP	54	.234	0	3	.315	.319	.289	-2.1	-0.17
24	Ian Stewart	COL	73	.235	8	26	.274	.632	.349	-7.5	-0.39
25	Luis Rodriguez	SDP	102	.200	1	7	.294	.256	.266	-4.1	-0.48
26	Emmanuel Burriss	SFG	220	.238	0	13	.292	.267	.265	-3.7	-0.53
27	Eugenio Velez	SFG	106	.198	1	8	.226	.287	.231	-4.7	-0.80

Arizona

2009 in Review

Felipe Lopez barely played half a season for the Snakes, but his stellar first half offensively and plus glove defensively kept him in position to finish second best in the division. Ryan Roberts had the best rate stats of any divisional player with over 100 PA (he surpassed Clint Barmes for WAR when I added the SB/CS factor), and he was joined in the top seven by Augie Ojeda and Rusty Ryal, who led the entire team in wOBA in a small sample. All four players had positive UZR scores.

2010 in Preview

AJ Hinch will most likely choose either a starter from the pool of Ryan Roberts, Rusty Ryal and Tony Abreu going forward into next season. It is possible that an unnamed free agent would be thrown into the picture, but I personally don't expect it. The fact that the hands down best team at 2B in 2009 has such a question mark going into 2010 with only Lopez subtracted speaks to the relative weakness of the position in the NL West.

Colorado

2009 in Review

Clint Barmes had a heck of an enigmatic season. He was easily the most valuable defensive 2B and had more than twice the home runs of any other player. However, his Ryan Howard impression was completed by having a poor average and batting average, and he led the division in caught stealings, helping Roberts to surpass him. Ian Stewart was third in the division in home runs, but he posted the worst UZR by far, completely negating Barmes' defensive contributions, at least statistically. Omar Quintanilla contributed enough defensively to stay out of the bottom five despite a 2-for-28 mark with the bat.

2010 in Preview

Rumors abound that Dan O'Dowd is going to lock Barmes down to a multi-year contract, so it appears he will have the position locked down going into spring training, though Eric Young Jr could provide a completely different toolset.

Los Angeles

2009 in Review

Orlando Hudson had an All-Star first half, but his defense has slipped and Ronnie Belliard (who had a strong stretch in his own right by finishing8th in just 42 PA) of all people took starts from him down the stretch. Blake DeWitt, Juan Castro and Mark Loretta provided negligible negative value.

2010 in Preview

Hudson will be a Type A free agent and probably won't be retained by the Dodgers. By trading Tony Abreu for Jon Garland, Ned Colletti gave up his best internal option for the position going forward. There's no way they go with Loretta or Castro full time, and Blake DeWitt seems to have regressed after perhaps playing over his head in 2008. Los Angeles could go with Belliard, but second base is certainly on Colletti's offseason shopping list.

San Diego

2009 in Review

Grit is not an input for WAR, so almost all of David Eckstein's value goes unchecked. He combined his light hitting with the second worst UZR in the division. Oscar Salazar and Chris Burke played a small role, but Luis Rodriguez and Edgar Gonzalez really hurt the team, as both were in the bottom handful both with the bat and glove. As a team, the running game was essentially non-existent, as the Padres only stole four bases from second base. All five second basemen posted negative UZR scores.

2010 in Preview

Kevin Towers extended Eckstein through 2010 with a $1 million deal in August, so he is unequivocally the starter going forward, especially with signs pointing towards very minimal free agent spending this offseason

San Francisco

2009 in Review

The position looked to be weak going into the season, and it was. Freddy Sanchez was unable to get on the field consistently after being acquired, but Juan Uribe picked up the slack by not only performing well (his wOBA* at second was just four points behind the best in the division for those with 100+ PA) but having a career season overall. Emmanuel Burriss and Eugenio Velez each got a well deserved Simon Cowell treatment for their poor auditions, and the team seemed that Kevin Frandsen is not the answer. The Giants' combined wOBA of .281 was by far the worst in the division.

2010 in Preview

As Rox Girl noted yesterday morning, the Giants signed Sanchez to a 2-year deal on Friday, paying him $6million/year, more than he's ever made in his career. On the surface, Sanchez is not much of a threat in the division, as he has regressed due to age in recent years and he dealt with a multitude of injuries of late. In 2008, he provided just $1.8million in value, and though he provided the Giants almost no value in 2009, he did have $10.1million total. And after seeing the terrible play at second and need to validate the Tim Alderson trade, it's no surprise Brian Sabean decided to go this direction. At any rate, barring injury to The Mole, the Giants will be much improved at second base in 2010.

The Giants and Minor League Evaluation

Grant — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:57:18 -0000

Not much time for a ton of writing today, so I'll just ask your help for possible posts down the road. I'm trying to make a list of examples of the Giants ignoring minor league performance in their hitter evaluation process in the Brian Sabean era.

Rich Aurilia -- Fine numbers for a AAA shortstop, blocked by Jose Vizcaino because he was the "get one free" part of the Jeff Kent trade.
Todd Linden -- Stellar numbers in AAA, never given a chance (note: this is a list of examples for better or for worse. It was almost assuredly a good thing that Linden didn't get a chance as a starter.)
Dan Ortmeier -- Very little power, contact, or on-base skills in the minors, fluked his way into a .497 slugging percentage in 157 major league at-bats, taken seriously as a candidate for a starting 1B job in the majors
Kevin Frandsen -- Career .317/.380/.452 hitter in the minors, blocked by vets and rooks alike. Also a career .241/.306/.342 hitter in the majors in over 450 at-bats, so this might be more of a Linden situation rather than a crime against player evaluation.
Nate Schierholtz -- Career .308/.355/.516 hitter in the minors, blocked by vets and rooks alike. Also a career .287/.318/.408 hitter in the majors in over 450 at-bats, so...hey, that reads familiar.
Brian Bocock -- A year after hitting .220 in A-ball, he was the Opening Day shortstop. Seriously.
Emmanuel Burriss -- Two years after hitting .165 in A-ball, he was the Opening Day second baseman. Seriously.
John Bowker -- Hit .342/.451/.596 with a reworked approach in AAA. The player standing in the way of a starting job in the majors hasn't hit a home run since April.
Buster Posey -- Isn't likely to have an on-base percentage below .300, which makes him a special offensive catcher in this organization's history. Needs to prove his worth to get a single start; won't get a single start until he proves his worth.
Eugenio Velez -- Nothing in his minor league career, other than a fine age-24 season in low-A, suggests he'll be more than a fine bench player. Because he had a ridiculously hot 80 at-bats when he was called up, though, he's a starting outfielder. And he's done just fine, mind you. But he also starts against left-handers, against whom he's hit .241/.288/.353 over his minor league career and .212/.287/.260 in his major league career.

No thesis, really. I'm just trying to figure out why the Giants completely ignore minor league statistics when they evaluate hitters. Actually, I guess I'm trying to figure out if they ignore minor league stats, and if that's even helped the team on a few occassions. Please help me fill in any gaps or omissions. Also let me know if I'm cherry-picking and/or making too much out of nothing. Also, feel free to ignore baseball entirely and talk about lunch, as that's what you're going to do anyways.

Lousy Lineup Optimizer: San Francisco Giants

devil_fingers — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:11 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Who would have thought that a team with a .264/.278/.439 cleanup hitter could wind up scoring so few runs?

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The eight of you who are familiar with this series will remember that "Lousy" in the title does not necessarily refer to the lineup, but perhaps to the optimization procedure, or, as the "Optimizer" (me). The Giants have made some additions down the stretch (Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez) as they push for a wildcard spot. No, Garko and Sanchez aren't exactly mashers, and those trades were not exactly universally acclaimed. However, it is also true that in the short term they are better hitters than Travis Ishikawa and Emmanuel Burriss. But does the lineup still qualify as lousy? Since I agree with those who say we should look forward by checking out a player's "true talent" estimate (using past performance, age adjustment, environment, etc) rather than the past -- maybe not. And when I look at the ZipS RoS projections for the starters for the Giants, their average wOBA is about league-average.

That being said, as of this writing the Giants have the second least-productive offense in baseball at 96.8 park-adjusted Batting Runs below average. The SBNation Giants site, McCovey Chronicles, has "In play: Out(s)" as its (awesome) subtitle. And let's face it: I wanted to write about a team that actually is playing meaningful games at this point. Sure, over a full season, an optimized lineup will only probably only gain a team between 5 and 15 runs, so over these last six weeks, even 4 runs would be a miracle. But, hey, teams spend a lot of resources on trades that accomplish a lot less than that. Why not do something that will help you team win that won't cost you anything more?

But this all pales in comparison to the biggest justification for this column: any team using Bengie Molina as their everyday cleanup hitter definitely could be getting more out of their batting order.

Lineup Optimization by The Book

This is the fourth in an occasional series have been writing batting orders of particular teams. The general principles are largely drawn from The Book, which is worth checking out on this and many other topics. Sky Kalkman gives a good, brief rundown in this article. While there is already good stuff out there, I like to do this things for myself.

Here are a few of the guidelines (with my own twists). Yes, there is a lot of stuff here... Feel free to skim or skip this stuff and browse down to the "Getting to the Point" section, although if you aren't somewhat familiar with The Book's ideas on lineup optimization, it's at least worth skimming this section.

"It's all relative." Although this isn't directly stated in The Book or in any of the summaries I've seen, I think it's worth noting: the appropriate spot in the batting order for any particular player is relative. People talk about having a "true leadoff man" or a "#4 hitter" or that a player has a swing that's just perfect for hitting #2 or whatever. But the truth is, a player's "best" place in a lineup depends on his skills relative to the other players.
Where should the best hitter hit? The best five hitters (by wOBA or equivalent stat (e.g., not OPS) should be in the top five spots. Of those 5, generally, the best hitters will be in the #1, #2, and #4 spots. Ideally, of these three the hitter in the #1 spot will have the best OBP, the #4 hitter will have the most power, and the #2 hitter will be somewhere in between (relative to the #1 and #4 hitters). The best hitter will probably be in the #2 or #4 spot. The fourth and fifth best hitters will be in the #5 and #3 spots, respectively. Yes, you read that right: the #3 hitter's only advantage in run expectancy over #5 is in home runs. Of the top five spots, this is where you want your low-OBP slugger. As we'll see, platoon issues can make getting the best into the ## 1,2 and 4 slots tough, but getting them into the top 5 is pretty close.
The other half: In slots ##6-9, simply go in descending order of hitter quality, keeping in mind:
Platoon issues: Separating lefties takes a certain precedence, since this prevents the opposing team from leveraging LHPs against your lefties, who generally have bigger platoon splits. Moreover, given platoon splits (more on how these are generated in the next section), different batting orders against RHP and LHP are in order (har har). This also means that if your best hitters are lefties, they may not get into the "ideal" spots next to each other.
Can pinch hitting help? Note that in the chapter on platoons, the authors of The Book show that pinch hitting to gain the platoon advantage really doesn't solve this and other problems since the penalty pinch hitters suffer from the difficulty of hitting off of the bench offsets the platoon advantage they might gain.
Speed on the bases: Baserunning and basestealing are important, but are difficult to place, since often (but not always) the same players are good at both. In general, you want good baserunners (aside from stealing -- those good at taking the extra base, scoring from first on a double, etc.) in front of good contact hitters who can "move them over." Basestealers are best leveraged in front of poor hitters who have trouble moving them over. In both cases, if possible, avoid putting these players in front of high-power hitters, since this negates the advantage of those skills. So while your good baserunner might best be utilized at the top of the order (e.g., in front of a #2 hitter with moderate power), your best basestealer will likely be best utilized in further down the order in front of poor hitters -- say, in the #5 or #6 spot.
The Jim Rice Effect. Some spots have a greater odds of facing double play situations. The spot that sees the most DP situations is #3 by far, followed by #2. Therefore, try to avoid having high GDP players in those spots. The spot that sees the least (particularly in the NL) is the leadoff spot. So some times if you have an excellent hitter who also hits into a good number of DPs, even if he is slow, it might be worth it to move him into the leadoff spot.
Movin' on up: The "second leadoff hitter" theory has some validity -- having a #9 hitter who can "set the table" for the top of the order does increase run expectancy, so putting the worst hitter 8th sometimes helps. However, this worst hitter has to be really, really horrible in order for the advantage to obtain. In other words, in National League parks, hitting the pitcher 8th is the smart move according to The Book, although it is worth noting that Tom Tango wrote the chapter on lineups, and Mitchel Litchman (aka "MGL") is more circumspect regarding the value of the pitcher hitting 8th.
Remember that who is in the lineup is much more important that what order it goes in. So relax -- despite my nitpicking over two points of wOBA here and there, it really doesn' t matter that much. But it sure is fun to quibble...

Projected Stats, Sources, and Ground Rules for this Series

Who gets in? Again ultimately, who is in the lineup is more important than what order they go in. Having said that, in this occasional series my focus is opposite issue -- the order. So I'm generally going to accept whatever group of players the manager is throwing out there, whether I think it is the right group or not. I won't always get this right, since lineups change day-to-day depending on how players are feelings, how much acid reflux the manager had the night before, etc.
Where are those numbers coming from?, the basics: For each posts raw batting stats, I'll either use projections from one or more of the more popular projection systems (CHONE, ZiPS, PECOTA, or maybe even in-season Marcels), or if it's a "reader request" and the requester wants to submit his or her own numbers, that's fine, too. This far into the year, the beginning of the season projections are still pretty good, but some players are peforming differently enough (or are getting more PAs than expected) that our projections change. For wOBA/AVG/OBP/SLG stats for this column on the Giants, I'll be using the handy ZiPS In-Season projections ("RoS") as listed at FanGraphs on Sunday August the 16th. For steals, I'm generating the runs above average per ~150 games from ZiPS preseason projections for reasons we can get into in the comments if you really want to...
Who is the better hitter? From these stats, I will generate a wOBA (if it isn't done already, such as at FanGraphs) for each player. wOBA (weighted on-base average), for those who don't know, is the total offensive value stat that has taken the baseball internet by storm. Introduced by the authors of The Book and invented by Tom Tango, wOBA takes care of all the problems OPS had in terms of the weighting of OBP and SLG, doubles and home runs. It's roughly on an OBP scale, so something between .330-.340 is about average. For the version used at FanGraphs, .330 was about the MLB nonpitcher average in 2008. You can read more around the 'net, but in short: if one player has a better wOBA than another, he's a more productive hitter, period. wOBA for players can be found at FanGraphs and Stat Corner, for now, and probably more places as time moves on...
What about platoon splits? As The Book also explains (I'm telling you, you really should read it!), while each player has his own platoon split, it takes a lot longer than you would think to establish it -- it takes about 2,000 PAs against LHP for right-handed hitters to be able to say with some degree of confidence what their platoon split is -- so that's means only guys in the league a long time. For left-handed hitters, since there is more variability, it doesn't take as long -- about 1,000 PAs. Still, only veterans really get that far. Until then, most players should be assumed to have the league average platoon split. So, following the procedure used in by the authors for earlier years, I took the average wOBA and OBP splits for the 2005-2008 AL (it was easier to exclude pitchers that way) and applied them to each player. The only stats I will be adjusting this for are wOBA and OBP. BA, SLG, ISO are the generic ones, just to get a sense of the "kind" of hitter a guy is, obviously, those will change, too. but are harder to adjust for generically. In the "vs. RHP" and "vs. LHP" lineups, the wOBA and OBP figures are adjusted for league-average splits, and are thus italicized. [For more on estimating platoon skills, read this.]
What about Stolen Bases? I took the linear weights SB/CS runs projected by ZiPS before the season and prorated for ~600 PAs.
And baserunning? A bit more complicated... In the previous installments, I used Baseball Prospectus' EQBRR stats minus the stolen basees component. But I realized that what we're really looking here is just the runners ability to advance on hits, so starting with the Giants, I'm just using the EqHAR component. I did a primitive Marcels-type projection with them, without age adjustments, but with regression incorporating the Speed Score listed in the CHONE projections. Just to get a feel for the relative abilty of the baserunners, I projected runs values above/below average per 50 advancement opportunities. The listed numbers are projected baserunning runs above/below average per 600 PAs.
How about grounding into double plays? In short, the new Baseball Reference came out with information on GiDPs, opps, league averages and stuff. So I was able to do another pseudo-Marcel. The number listed is the GiDP runs above (avoided) or below (grounded into ) average per 600 PAs, normalized for the average number of opportunities seen over 600 PAs from 2005-2008.

Getting to the Point

Below are the raw, un-platooned stats projected as of August 16, 2009 for the Giants from the ZiPS RoS projections at FanGraphs with some other stuff. I had a hard time figuring out who the Giants were going to start in left field. I originally did the lineups with Fred Lewis in LF (he's a really good baserunner, by the way), but a commentator in another thread said Nate Schierholtz was probably going to be getting most of the starts, so I subbed him in (his projection is also better than Lewis's). I hope I didn't screw too much stuff up. Below is something like a recent Giant batting order according to baseball-reference.com, except with Nate Schierholtz hitting in the #1 place instead of Velez.

2009 pseudo-Giants Batting Order 2009 ZiPS In=Season Projections + Some Other Stuff
Player	Pos.		wOBA	BA	OBP	SLG	ISO	EqHAR	SBr	GDPr
Nate Schierholtz	LF	L	.341	.300	.328	.464	.164	0.2	0.4	1.3
Freddy Sanchez	2B	R	.324	.291	.335	.437	.146	1.1	-0.5	-0.1
Pablo Sandoval	3B	S	.359	.301	.337	.503	.202	-0.2	-0.5	0.1
Bengie Molina	C	R	.309	.277	.299	.416	..139	-2.2	0.0	-1.8
Ryan Garko	1B	R	.336	.270	.345	.413	.143	-1.9	0.0	0.5
Randy Winn	RF	S	.327	.279	.337	.396	.117	0.6	1.6	1.2
Aaron Rowand	CF	R	.332	.275	.335	.423	.148	0.0	-0.7	-1.5
Edgar Renteria	SS	R	.305	.269	.323	.359	.090	0.1	-0.5	-1.7
Pitcher

What's that? You actually want to see an optimized batting order?

Optimized Giants Batting Order vs. RHP
Player	Pos.	Bts	*wOBA*	AVG	*OBP*	SLG	ISO	EqHAR	SBr	GDPr
Aaron Rowand	CF	R	0.327	.275	.329	.423	.148	0.0	-0.7	-1.5
Nate Schierholtz	LF	L	0.350	.300	.338	.464	.164	0.2	0.4	1.3
Ryan Garko	1B	R	0.331	.270	.339	.413	.143	-1.9	0.0	0.5
Pablo Sandoval	3B	S	0.359	.301	.337	.503	.202	-0.2	-0.5	0.1
Randy Winn	RF	S	0.327	.279	.337	.396	.117	0.6	1.6	1.2
Freddy Sanchez	2B	R	0.319	.291	.329	.437	.146	1.1	-0.5	-0.1
Bengie Molina	C	R	0.304	.277	.294	.416	.139	-2.2	0.0	-1.8
Pitcher
Edgar Renteria	SS	R	0.300	0.269	0.317	0.359	0.090	0.1	0.3	-1.7

[Only the columns in italics are adjusted for league-average platoon splits.]

Comment: Whatever other problems one might have putting together a batting order for the Giants, having too many good left-handed hitters isn't one of them. Seriously, in some lineups, all the best hitters are lefties, so it makes it impossible to get them in the 1, 2, and 4 spots. Anyway, after adjusting for average platoon splits, the three best Giants hitters (projected) vs. RHP are Sandoval, Schierholtz, and Garko, followed by Rowand and Winn in a tie. The first inclination, given the various wOBA, OBP, ISO, and baserunning numbers, was to put Schierholtz #1, Garko #2, Sandoval #4, and then have Rowand hit #3 (he has a higher ISO than Randy Winn, and the #3 hitter sees the most 2-out PAs, so more HR power is important in that spot), and put Winn, the closest thing this lineup has to a basetealer, #5. However, If you look at Rowand's numbers, he's absolutely dreadful when it comes to grounding into the double play, and the #3 spot sees the most GDP opportunities, by far. By putting him in the #1 spot, we avoid that (particularly with OBP wizards like Molina and Renteria at the bottom of the order), and both Garko and Schierholtz have been better than average at avoiding it. That probably saves as many or more runs than any other single betting order move. The #2 and #4 hitters are to be of the same quality, and maybe Scheirholtz would have just as much power as Sandoval if we adjusted those numbers for platoon splits. Plus, Schierhotlz isn't exactly projected to be a walks machine. But I finaly decided that Sandoval is just a bit of a surer bet for power and "moving guys over," but I can see it either way. And, yes, either guy (or any number of Giants) would be an upgrade of Bengie Freaking Molina hitting cleanip. You could also make the argument for switching Garko and Schierholtz, given how well Nate avoids the GDP. It's all pretty close. Finally , having Winn hit #5 allows his decent base stealing to be leveraged in front of the terrible hitters behind him so he can get into scoring position for the occasional Sanchez single vs. RHP.

Optimized Giants Batting Order vs. LHP
Player	Pos.	Bts	*wOBA*	AVG	*OBP*	SLG	ISO	EqHAR	SBr	GDPr
Aaron Rowand	CF	R	0.348	.275	.355	.423	.148	0.0	-0.7	-1.5
Ryan Garko	1B	R	0.352	.270	.363	.413	.143	-1.9	0.0	0.5
Freddy Sanchez	2B	R	0.340	.291	.353	.437	.146	1.1	-0.5	-0.1
Pablo Sandoval	3B	S	0.359	.301	.337	.503	.202	-0.2	-0.5	0.1
Randy Winn	RF	S	0.327	.279	.337	.396	.117	0.6	1.6	1.2
Bengie Molina	C	R	0.324	.277	.315	.416	.139	-2.2	0.0	-1.8
Nate Schierholtz	LF	L	0.323	.300	.312	.464	.164	0.2	0.4	1.3
Pitcher
Edgar Renteria	SS	R	0.320	.269	.340	.359	.090	0.1	0.3	-1.7

[Only the columns in italics are adjusted for league-average platoon splits.]

Comment: If nothing else, these guys should smash LHP. And I was also easily able to slot the guys with the three best wOBA vs. LHP in the #1, #2, and #4 slots. That is so rare and exciting that I'll leave it to you to decide whether switching Sanchez and Garko in order to better utilize Garko's better HR power (although not ISO in general, oddly), ability to avoid the DP, and Sanchez's baserunning better. Rowand again stays at leadoff, since GDP ability doesn't Platoon." And ##6-9 easily go in descending order of wOBA. I do go against The Book by having a better hitter at the #3 spot than the #5 spot, but Winn's speed is a bit wasted in front of Sandoval, and his despite Renteria and Molina being almost league average against LHP, I'm going to guess they'll still need his help to get into him into scoring position. Keep in mind that not everyone agrees with having the pitcher hit #8, but it works either way.

Final Thoughts:

I don't know if anyone reads these, or if those who do actually enjoy them, but I like putting them together (although it takes a lot longer than you would think). Remember that these are just suggestions. They are worth debating in a friendly manner, and trying out in different combinations. I don't have a sophisticated simulator to try these out on. I know that Baseball Musings has one, but it doesn't take baserunning, platoon splits, and GDPs, etc. into account, although if you want to compare these and other lineups using such a simulator, it would be interesting to compare the results.

And if through some strange twist of fate, it somehow leads to Bengie Molina not hitting cleanup, then all this work will have been be worth it.

Update August 19, 2009, 4:11 P.M. EST: Just realized that I made a small mistake -- Sandoval (whom, I should note, looks like a surefire superstar with those sorts of numbers at age 22) is actually a switch-hitter. It doesn't really make a difference for the orders. I just changed his numbers back to "even" for platoon splits. Sorry, Giants fans, no disrespect intended, the kid is a stud.

With 300th Win, Randy Johnson Now 300-164. Giants Beat Nationals, 5-1. Then 4-1.

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:21:57 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

6 months ago: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Randy Johnson hugs his son Tanner, front, after the Giants beat the Washington Nationals 5-1 for Johnson's 300th career win, in the first game of a baseball doubleheader, Thursday, June 4, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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First Response: (written between games, the immediate reaction to Randy Johnson's 300th win.)

Randy Johnson had a no-hitter through four, but Elijah Dukes broke that up with a broken bat single to start the fifth, so Johnson had to settle for a simple win, no. 300 of his 22-year MLB career. Johnson throws 6.0 innings, gives up just 2 hits, 2 walks, and an unearned run. The Nationals score one in the 6th to cut the Giants' 2-0 lead in half, and Johnson's 300th "W" is put in serious jeopardy in the 8th when Giants' reliever Brandon Medders gives up a leadoff single and Jeremy Affeldt gives up a two-out walk, forcing closer Brian Wilson to come on early. Wilson walks Ryan Zimmerman, so he has to face Adam Dunn with the bases loaded...Dunn K's looking at a low 96 mph fastball outside that's called strike three...Dunn argues, but the Ump doesn't change his mind...Wilson comes back for the ninth with a 5-1 lead after Joel Hanrahan implodes again. Wilson gives up a two-out single, but strikes out the side. Randy Johnson gets the big W.

The Big Story.

Were you watching? When Randy Johnson won game No. 300, becoming just the 24th pitcher in MLB History to reach that total, and the second player (named Johnson) to do so in a Washington, DC ballpark...(The first? Do you have to ask? Walter Johnson recorded his 300th win in a Senators' triumph over the Detroit Tigers on May 14, 1920 in Griffith Stadium.) Were you watching when DC's Ronnie Belliard beat out a ground ball with two outs in the ninth and the crowd assembled inside Nationals Park booed the call? Did you hear the crowd chanting, "Ran-dy! Ran-dy! Ran-dy!"? Were these all Giants' fans? Fans of baseball history just happy to see a piece of it made? Were they Nationals' fans so desparate to be associated with winning that they decided to get behind Randy Johnson, whose only connection to the DC franchise lies back in Montreal, a team whose history the DC Faithful otherwise want no part of? Were you watching the second game of the doubleheader?

Washington Post writer Chico Harlan noted in a Nationals Journal post last night entitled, "In A Rain Delay", (which was put up shortly after the second game of the Giants/Nationals doubleheader was delayed because a steady rain which had fallen all day, had finally become intolerable), that when the tarp was rolled over the field, and the game was officially in a Delay, he realized:

"...there is virtually nobody in the stadium right now other than press, players, and stadium employees. There are maybe 50 people in the Red Loft area, and about 25 in one upper deck section of the outfield. Other than that, the attendance is... well, maybe seven or eight."

Of course, they never came back to finish it up, the Giants claimed the second game of the double header by a score of 4-1 F/6, but if the teams had returned to the field, it would've been in front of a near-empty house. The DC Faithful aren't turning out for the Nationals, who have lost 18 of 26 games at home, including 11 of the last 14 in Nationals Park, and 8 of the last 10 overall. They didn't even turn out to see baseball history being made. Sure it was a makeup game for a rainout, in yet another persistent storm, and sure it was a 4:30 pm start that was delayed over 30 minutes by rain that many ticket holders probably looked at and found unappealing...but they don't really turn out en masse for the games that take place on time and as scheduled either...

Randy Johnson's 300th...

Giants win, 5-1 final.

Giants win, 4-1 final.

Miss Randy Johnson's 300th? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

Did You Stay Around For The Nightcap? The DC Faithful Did...

For The Completists, Full Double Header Report After The Jump...

Nationals now 14-37.

Nationals now 14-38.

Game 1 of 2.

San Francisco Giants At Washington Nationals. Game 51 or 52 of 162.

(ed. note - "Before I start watching...DC right-hander Jordan Zimmermann strikes out Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria, both looking, and gets a ground ball to first out of Randy Winn...")

Bottom of first -

Alberto Gonzalez grounds out to Edgar Renteria at short for the first out of Randy Johnson’s first attempt at win No. 300. Aaron Rowand makes a diving catch to steal a trademark single away from Nick Johnson. Emmanuel Burriss is standing behind second to field Ryan Zimmerman’s grounder, Randy Johnson’s through the first.

Jordan Zimmermann gets Bengie Molina swinging through a two-strike fastball on the outside corner. Fred Lewis singles to left center. Travis Ishikawa gets a grounder through Nick Johnson’s gold glove, allowing Fred Lewis to take third. Ronnie Belliard snaps up a one-hopper from Juan Uribe, throwing to first as Lewis scores, 1-0 Giants. Zimmermann throws too good a fastball for an 0-2 count and gives up an RBI line drive to Emmanuel Burriss for a 2-0 Giants’ lead. Zimmermann gets Randy Johnson swinging to end the top of the second...Adam Dunn starts the AB with Randy Johnson up 3-0, and he ends up swinging through strike three for Johnson’s 1st K. Elijah Dukes grounds a 2-2 slider weakly to short. Austin Kearns K’s swinging through 92 mph heat.

Aaron Rowand gives Ryan Zimmerman an infield practice grounder. Edgar Renteria takes a 3-2 slider for a called strike three. Randy Winn tries to will a grounder foul, but it stays fair for Nick Johnson to record the final out of the Giants’ third...Ronnie Belliard grounds an 0-2 fastball out to short. Wil Nieves rolls the second out to Burriss at short. Jordan Zimmermann grounds back to the mound.

Zimmermann gets the 5th K of the day from Bengie Molina on a 2-2 slider. Fred Lewis grounds to Alberto Gonzalez, who sidearms an arching throw to first. Travis Ishikawa hits one hard, but right at Dunn in left...Alberto Gonzalez grounds out for the tenth straight out to start the game. Nick Johnson works a one-out walk for the first baserunner of the day for DC. Ryan Zimmerman takes 2-2 pitch outside for a short ride to right for Randy Winn. Adam Dunn pops a 1-1 pitch out toward first. Johnson through four...

A 1-2 pitch up high to Juan Uribe is lined out to Zimmerman at third. A 1-2 pitch to Emmanuel Burris goes right back to Zimmermann. Randy Johnson K’s looking to end the Giants’ fifth...Elijah Dukes has hit bat shattered, but he gets enough to send it rolling into center for the first hit of the day. A fastball from Randy Johnson tails and gets away from Bengie Molina with Austin Kearns up, Kearns takes three more and there’s two on for Ronnie Belliard. Belliard hits a grounder that jumps after it rolls over the mound and Emmanuel Burris dives to get it, tosses to second, Renteria to first, a spectacular DP from DC native Emmanuel Burriss.

Jordan Zimmermann gets a groundout to Ryan Zimmerman (no relation) from Aaron Rowand for the first out of the sixth. Renteria rolls the second out to third, Zimmerman does it again. Randy Winn pops out foul of third, Zimmerman does it all...Randy Johnson comes down off his perch to knock the ball down and throw pinch hitter Anderson "Elvis" Hernandez out at first. Alberto Gonzalez gets a free base when Edgar Renteria’s throw to first gets under Ishikawa’s glove. Nick Johnson lines a 2-2 fastball to left center and to the wall for a trademark RBI single NJ™, 2-1 Giants. Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to short. Adam Dunn pops out to Uribe foul of third to end the sixth.

Ron Vill0.00NE gets a pop fly foul of first from Bengie Molina, Nick Johnson has it. Fred Lewis grounds sharply to first, Nick Johnson has it. Travis Ishikawa K’s looking to end the top of the seventh...Brandon Medders takes over for Randy Johnson. Elijah Dukes K’s swinging over a curve. Austin Kearns K’s swinging at a two-strike curve. Ronnie Belliard pops out to second to end the seventh.

A 1-2 pitch to Juan Uribe is popped out to second. Ronnie Belliard throws out Emmanuel Burriss. Brandon Medders goes down looking...Wil Nieves lines a single to center to start the frame. Medders out. Jeremy Affeldt on to face Cristian Guzman, who flies out on the first pitch. Alberto Gonzalez hits a one-hopper to short with Nieves running to avoid the DP. Nick Johnson tries to hit a 3-1 pitch over the moon, but misses. Full count, Nick Johnson uses his Discerning Eye to draw a one-out walk. Ryan Zimmerman will face Brian Wilson. Zimmerman walks with two down, bases loaded for Adam Dunn. Dunn K’s looking at a fastball which is called strike three.

Aaron Rowand singles to start the ninth. Edgar Renteria lines a dead duck to left, second and third, no out. Randy Winn pushes a 1-2 pitch to left, two runs score. 4-1 Giants. Bengie Molina reaches down and lines a fastball to center. Winn to third. Hanrahan’s out, Joe Beimel on to end the inning. Pablo Sandoval lines out to center, and Dukes’ throw is short and it bounces off the mound, 5-1. Andres Torres flies out to Dukes...Elijah Dukes K’s swinging through a 96 mph fastball. Austin Kearns K’s swinging. Ronnie Belliard grounds to second, and barely beats out the throw to first. Wil Nieves goes down swinging, and Randy Johnson gets a W for the 300th time.

Giants win, 5-1 final.

Nationals now 14-37.

Game 2 of 2.

San Francisco Giants At Washington Nationals. Game 51 or 52 of 162.

Ross Detwiler gets a fly ball to center where Willie Harris catches the first out of the night game. Edgar Renteria flies out to Dukes in right. Ross Detwiler gets Giants’ LF Andres Torres swinging to end the top of the first...The Guzzz, Cristian Guzman doubles to start the Nationals’ first. Nick Johnson’s trademark single NJ™ moves Guzman to third, and Ryan Zimmerman’s sac fly scores Guzman for a 1-0 DC lead. Adam Dunn walks to put two on for Elijah Dukes. Dukes grounds out to second, both runners move up. Willie Harris K’s swinging through a fastball up high.

Ross Detwiler gets a ground ball out out of Pablo Sandoval. Rich Aurilia hits a one-out single to center. Eli Whiteside pops out to Nick Johnson foul of first. Nate Schierholtz lines one into Nick Johnson’s glove to end the Giants’ second...Josh Bard flies out to Rowand in short center. Anderson Hernandez slices a liner into the left field corner and comes in standing at second where he does a DY-Wave to the dugout. Ross Detwiler K’s swinging. Cristian Guzman chases strike three as it rises over his head.

Matt Cain hits a one-out single through second. Aaron Rowand lines an 0-2 pitch to center where Willie Harris makes the catch. Elijah Dukes hustles over to the line to catch the third out off of Renteria’s bat...Nick Johnson pops a full count pitch up behind the mound. Ryan Zimmerman works a one-out walk in front of Adam Dunn. Dunn K’s swinging through a two-strike fastball at 95 mph up high. Elijah Dukes pops out to Rich Aurilia to end the third.

Andres Torres hits a ground ball through short for a leadoff single off Detwiler. Pablo Sandoval up, Detwiler picks Torres off first, but he beats Nick Johnson’s throw to second. Sandoval grounds back to the mound, Torres to third. Rich Aurilia grounds out to short. Eli Whiteside lines an RBI single the other way to knock in Torres from third, 1-1 ballgame. Detwiler gets Nate Schierholtz looking to end the Giants’ fourth...Willie Harris' fly ball falls into left center, right between Schierholtz and Rowand, and Harris takes third, sliding in safely in front of the throw. Josh Bard flies unproductively to center. Anderson Hernandez flies out unproductively to left. Cain throws a 92 mph heater by Detwiler, Harris stranded at third.

Emmanuel Burriss lofts a weak fly to right and it lands inside the line, Burriss takes second ahead of Dukes’ throw in. Matt Cain pops out on a bunt attempt. Aaron Rowand lines to center and Burris beats the throw home from Harris in center to Hernandez and home. 2-1 Giants. Edgar Renteria singles to right. Detwiler gets Andres Torres chasing a two-strike curve that drops out of the zone. Pablo Sandoval doubles off the out-of-town scoreboard. Rowand scores. 3-1 Giants. Renteria to third. Rich Aurilia singles to left to score Renteria. 4-1. Eli Whiteside flies out to right to end the inning. 4-1 Giants...Cristian Guzman grounds weakly to second. Nick Johnson K’s chasing a high fastball. Ryan Zimmerman Ryan Zimmerman singles to center with two down. Adam Dunn K’s swinging through a letter-high fastball.

Nate Schierholtz hits a leadoff double to right, sliding in ahead of Dukes’ throw. Detwiler gets Cain swinging with a two-strike bender...Rain Delay...

Giants win, 4-1 final. F/6

Nationals now 14-38.

Washington Nationals Break Six-Game Losing Streak, Beat San Francisco Giants 10-5 In DC.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:11:26 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

6 months ago: Washington Nationals' Cristian Guzman (15) high-fives Alberto Gonzalez (12) and Adam Dunn (44) after he scored on a Ryan Zimmerman double as San Francisco Giants catcher Bengie Molina stands in front of the plate during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 2, 2009 in Washington. The Nationals won 10-6. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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HEADLINES:

RON VILL0.00NE IS MY HER0.00!!!

Brought on in the seventh inning with a man on third and one out in a 5-4 ballgame that saw the Washington Nationals trailing the visiting San Francisco Giants, and in danger of losing their seventh straight game, DC lefty Ron Vill0.00ne proceeded to strike out the next two batters, Randy Winn and Bengie Molina, to leave Aaron Rowand, who'd doubled off Julian Tavarez to lead off the frame and moved to third on a groundout...stranded...by Mr. Perfect, Ron Vill0.00ne who gets the win (W, 3-0, 0.00 in 14.2 IP), after one more inning on the mound when his work allows the Nationals to mount a comeback with a six-run eighth.

• Don't Walk Dunn, Dukes Is Back...

Josh Bard started the eighth inning with a single to center off San Francisco reliever Bob Howry. Anderson Hernandez followed with his third hit of the night, and the visiting Giants' slim one-run lead was officially in jeopardy. Cristian Guzman singles, 5-5 ballgame. Alberto "The General" Gonzalez hits the fourth straight single, scoring Bard's-pinch-runner Wil Nieves from second and moving Anderson Hernandez to third, 6-5 DC takes the lead. Howry's replaced by Merkin Valdez, who gets Nick Johnson to K looking. Fooled by a slider. Ryan Zimmerman, who was just 1 for his last 19, doubles to the right center gap to score two to put Washington ahead 8-5. Merkin Valdez gives Adam Dunn the intentionals, which in recent weeks might have meant Austin Kearns or Josh Willingham were coming up, but Elijah "Super" Dukes is back, and he tears into a 1-0 slider for an RBI single to center. Zimmerman scores, 9-5 DC. Pinch runner Wil Nieves hits a sac fly to right, Dunn tags and scores. 10-5 DC.

• Let's just ignore the fact that "Wild" Joel Hanrahan gave up a run in the ninth, shall we?

• Rise of The Bard. The Fall of Flores.

In addition to hitting his first HR of the season in the second, which was only the second home run that San Francisco starter Tim Lincecum has surrendered all season, DC catcher Josh Bard scored the winning run by proxy in the eighth, and finished the night 3 for 4 with his sixth RBI. Bard and Wil Nieves are going to be counted on the rest of the way unless someone rises up from the system like "Disgruntled" Luke Montz, because, as the Washington Nationals announced and MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported this afternoon in an article entitled, "Shoulder could end Flores' season", Jesus Flores has suffered a "stress fracture inside his right shoulder", which will put him out for "a minimum of three months" according to "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo, who's quoted in Mr. Ladson's article stating that:

"'It's a bad day for the organization. It's not a devastating injury. It's going to take time to heal. Once it heals, we should have him at 100 percent.'"

• 49 and 50.

Error #49 - Josh Bard, (E - 1). - Men on second and third after Fred Lewis and Juan Uribe single in succession and one out later are sac'd over by Giants' pitcher Tim Lincecum. DC starter Craig Stammen uncorks a 3-1 curve to Aaron Rowand that hits the dirt and gets by Bard, but that's a WP, not the error, Fred Lewis comes home, and Bard tosses wildly over the covering pitcher's head and toward the first base dugout, E, Uribe comes around to score from second on the wild pitch-walk-error combo, Rowand takes second.

Error #50 - Cristian Guzman, (E - 7). - Bottom of the sixth, Pablo Sandoval leads off for the Giants with a broken bat grounder that saw the sawed off barrel shoot out toward right while the ball went up the middle to the short side of second, Cristian Guzman gets to it, reaches down, and comes up empty. Sandoval scores one out later on Juan Uribe's RBI double.

Miss The Game, The DC Faithful Were Watching.

Nationals win, 10-6 final.

For The Completists, Complete Game Report (currently unedited) After The Jump...

Nationals now 14-36.

San Francisco Giants At Washington Nationals. Game 50 or 51 of 162.

Did new Nationals' pitching coach Steve McCatty tell him to throw that? A 1-1 change from DC righty Craig Stammen acts more like a BP fastball, and Aaron Rowand treats it as such, homering to left to lead off the game. 1-0 Giants. Stammen gets squeezed a bit on a 2-2 pitch that’s arguably low, but Edgar Renteria flies out to deep center on a full-count fastball. Craig Stammen kicks the dirt at his feet for a moment before firing low again with a 2-2 fastball to Randy Winn, who ends up doubling to left center just out of Willie Harris’ reach. A groundout to third from Bengie Molina and a high pop to center from Pablo Sandoval and Stammen’s out with minimal damage...Tim Lincecum gets Cristian Guzman looking at a fastball Guzman thinks is low. Nick "Two-Spot" Johnson hits a trademark single to left center. NJ™. Ryan Zimmerman walks with one down and the Donkey’s up. Adam Dunn almost gets one, but it falls into right. Elijah Dukes swings over a 1-2 bender inside. 1-0 Giants after one.

Adam Dunn charges in behind Cristian Guzman to catch the first out off Fred Lewis’ bat. Ryan Zimmerman robs Juan Uribe, picking a one-hopper and firing to first, in time. Emmanuel Burriss flies out to Dunn in left, Stammen retires the Giants in order....Lincecum throws a 93 mph full-count fastball to Willie Harris that’s popped out to left. Josh Bard hits only the second HR Lincecum’s allowed in '09, taking a fastball inside to straight left, 1-1 ballgame. Craig Stammen pops up on a bunt out a foot in front of home when Bengie Molina pops up to catch it. Anderson Hernandez singles and then steals second with Cristian Guzman at bat. Guzman grounds out to second.

Tim Lincecum slices an arching liner out to left. Aaron Rowand only gets as far as short with a groundout Guzman handles. Edgar Renteria grounds to Guzman again and again Guzman throws to first to end the frame...Nick Johnson takes a swing at an 0-2 change in the dirt, and has to run it out after K’ing. Ryan Zimmerman grounds a 2-0 pitch to Burress at second. Adam Dunn goes the other way with a fastball outside and doubles to the left center wall. Elijah Dukes grounds to Uribe, who has it go under his glove, Dunn scores. 2-1 DC. Willie Harris K's to end the third.

Randy Winn grounds out to Guzman. Bengie Molina K’s swinging for a change in the dirt. Pablo Sandoval flies out to Dunn in left, and Craig Stammen’s mowing down Giants...Two-strike curve/change outside from Lincecum gets Bard looking. Anderson "Elvis" Hernandez goes the other way with a line drive single to left. Craig Stammen K’s trying to bunt with two strikes. Cristian Guzman patiently takes a free pass. Nick Johnson goes inside out to left, Fred Lewis has it...

...And Fred Lewis singles to center on a curve from Stammen. Juan Uribe singles on a hop in front of Dunn in left. Emmanuel Burriss flies out to Willie Harris in center. Craig Stammen tosses softly to first to get Lincecum on the sac. Second and third, Josh Bard misses a curve from Stammen with Aaron Rowand up, and it bounces away, Bard recovers and tosses it, over Stammens head, Lewis scores, Uribe scores as they chase down the ball, 3-2 Giants, Rowand, who walked on the pitch takes second on the errant toss. Edgar Renteria singles, Rowand to third, and Randy Winn goes back up the middle with an RBI single that scores Rowand, 4-2 Giants. Stammen gets a flyout to center to end the inning...Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to start the fifth. Adam Dunn pops out to the infield. Elijah Dukes chases a 2-2 curve out of the zone...

A broken bat sails toward second on Pablo Sandoval’s grounder to short, Guzman blows it, error No. 50 on the Nationals. Fred Lewis flies unproductively to Willie Harris in center. Pablo Sandoval scores from first on a line drive to left from Uribe that dies in the corner as Dunn awaits the bounce, 5-2 Giants. Cristian Guzman steps back to catch Emmanuel Burris' pop out. Cristian Guzman throws out the pitcher...Willie Harris lines a double to right that rolls into the corner. Bard dumps a single into left, Harris takes third. First and third for Anderson Hernandez. Hernandez grounds into what should be a DP, but Renteria throws it away after stepping on first, Harris scores, 5-3 Giants. Stammen out for PH Ronnie Belliard, Hernandez steals third, and scores when Belliard flies to right, sac fly, 5-4 San Fran. Cristian Guzman grounds out to end the sixth.

Aaron Rowand doubles off Julian Tavarez to start the seventh. Edgar Renteria moves Rowand over with a groundout to second. Tavarez out so Ron Villone can face Randy Winn, who’ll bat from the right. Ron Villone throws a low two-strike fastball outside by Randy Winn. Rowand still at third. Ron Vill0.00ne gets Bengie Molina to chase strike three out of the zone!! Vill0.00ne remains perfect...Nick Johnson pops out foul of third and it curves back in to Uribe. Ryan Zimmerman lines to left for a single in front of Adam Dunn. Jeremy Affeldt on to face Dunn. Lefty vs Lefty. Adam Dunn’s way out in front of a two-strike curve. Elijah Dukes up, Zimmerman takes second on a pitch in the dirt that gets by Molina. Another wild pitch, and Zimmerman takes third. Bob Howry on for Affeldt against Austin Kearns, who hits for Willie Harris. Kearns sends a dribbler to third, Uribe guns Kearns at first.

Ron VILL0.00ne gets a fly ball to left from Pablo Sandoval. Zimmerman throws out Fred Lewis after backhanding a hot shot and firing to first!!! Ground ball to second, and Hernandez throws out Uribe!! VILL0.00NE LIVES!!...Josh Bard singles to center off Howry to start the Nationals’ eighth.Wil Nieves runs for Bard. Anderson Hernandez singles Nieves over to second. Pinch hitter Alberto Gonzalez tries to bunt twice, but fouls them off, so he swings away and singles to center, Nieves scores, tied at 5-5!!! Cristian Guzman vs Merkin Valdez, Guzman gets a single under second, and into right, Hernandez scores the go-ahead run, 6-5 DC. Nick Johnson gets called out on a two-strike curve. Ryan Zimmerman lines to right center and into the gap, two runs score, 8-5 DC!!! Dunn gets the intentionals, and Elijah Dukes makes them pay, a new pitcher makes no difference, Dukes doubles off Giants’ righty Justin Miller, 9-5 DC. Austin Kearns gets the intentionals to bring Wil Nieves to the plate. Nieves hits one to deep right, Winn catches, Dunn tags and scores, 10-5 DC. Anderson Hernandez grounds out to end the eighth. Wait for it...

"Wild" Joel Hanrahan vs Emmanuel Burriss. Burriss reaches on a single back to the mound and off Hanrahan’s outstretched glove. Nate Schierholz pops out foul of third. Aaron Rowand singles to right, Burriss scores. 10-6. Edgar Renteria pops out to Zimmerman for out No. 2. Randy Winn doubles to right, Rowand to third. Bengie Molina pops out to second, Hanrahan ends it!! Nationals win, 10-6 final.

Nationals now 14-36.

Ryan Zimmerman Hits In 30 Straight, Joe Beimel Fails Closer Audition, Giants 9 Nationals 7.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:03:09 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

7 months ago: Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman drops his bat as he hits a single off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain in the fourth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, May 12, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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HEADLINES:

Joe Beimel Fails Closer Audition.

7-6 Nationals. Bottom of the ninth. The San Francisco Giants send pinch hitter Juan Uribe up against Washington Nationals' lefty Joe Beimel. Beimel starts Uribe with an 84 mph change, then slows another down even more, Uribe flies out to center. ONE!! Two sinking fastballs low on the outside edge to Rick Aurilia, and the second pinch hitter goes down, groundout to Cristian Guzman at short. TWO!! San Francisco second baseman Emmanuel Burriss gets two straight change ups, and lines the second to center. Beimel checks the runner at first, and sails the throw, Nick Johnson comes up empty, Burriss takes second. Three straight balls from Beimel to Edgar Renteria, and Rent's taking, 3-1, and ball four, high and outside. Pablo Sandoval gets a 2-2 change inside and up and Sandoval unloads, deeep to left and GONE, Giants win on the walk off. 9-7 final.

THE KIDS CALL IT THE STREAK!!

93 mph 1-1 fastball from Matt Cain and Ryan Zimmerman goes back up the middle for a two-out single in the first and 30-straight games with at least one hit. In the top of the fourth, Zimmerman singles off Cain again. Ryan Zimmerman goes hitless the rest of the way, ends the day 2 for 5, hitting .364 with 12 doubles, 8 HR's, 26 RBI's and a .408 OBP.

Wednesday Matchup:

Zimmerman vs Barry Zito - 2 for 8, .250 AVG, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 K.

Comeback Comes Up Empty.

DC righty Jordan Zimmermann went 6.0 innings last night, allowing 7 hits, 5 ER and 2 walks with 8 K's collected. A HBP, a two-out walk and a two-out, two-RBI double by Randy Winn in the first gave the Giants an early 2-0 lead. Two scoreless frames for Zimmermann followed, and in the fourth, Washington got on the board with a sac fly RBI to cut the Giants' lead in half. San Francisco responded with a 3-run 4th in which Zimmermann allowed a walk and four singles. 5-1 Giants.

Nick Johnson hit a 3-run HR in the 7th to make it 5-4 DC, and Washington took the lead in the top of the eighth when Ronnie Belliard knocked in Willie Harris with a single, and Nick Johnson brought two home with a two-out, two-run single of his own. 7-5 Washington. The Giants strike back with Bengie Molina's solo HR in the eighth off Kip Wells, and then the 3-run HR by Pablo Sandoval that wins it...

Giants win, 9-7 Final.

Missed Last Night's Game, We Didn't. See What The DC Faithful Saw In Last Night's GameThread.

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

Nationals now 10-21-1.

Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants. Game 30 or 31 of 162.

Matt Cain throws a two-strike fastball inside on Cristian Guzman and it breaks back in for strike three. Nick Johnson pops straight up, Giants’ catcher Bengie Molina jumps up discards the mask and makes the catch. Ryan Zimmerman lines a single to center in his first AB, has now hit in 30 straight games. Adam Dunn flies to left where Randy Winn catches it in front of the track...Emmanuel Burriss K’s chasing a breaking ball into the dirt and Wil Nieves throws to first to complete the out. Edgar Renteria takes a fastball in the elbow and takes his base. Pablo Sandoval up, Renteria steals second. Sandoval grounds out weakly to short, Renteria takes third. Bengie Molina walks for the first time in 2009. Randy Winn doubles to center, Renteria scores, Molina comes around, 2-0 Giants, Winn caught off second on the cut throw, 2-0 Giants after one.

Austin Kearns flies to right for Nate Schierholtz. Matt Cain drops a bender off the outside edge to get Willie Harris chasing. Anderson Hernandez aims one at Pablo Sandoval at third...Aaron Rowand grounds out to Cristian Guzman at short. Travis Ishikawa lines a line drive on one hop into Dunn’s gut in left. Jordan Zimmerman throws a 95 mph two-strike fastball right in over the outside edge, Jordan Schierholtz K’s looking. Cain gets a slider, that isn’t fair, Zimmermann gets another K.

Wil Nieves sneaks a liner to right in under a diving Nate Schierholtz. Jordan Zimmermann bunts back to Matt Cain, who takes the lead runner at third. Cristian Guzman grounds into a corce at second. Nick Johnson swings through a mid-90’s two-strike fastball up high...Emmanuel Burris spins a pop fly to Zimmerman at third. Edgar Renteria hits a soft line drive to second. Pablo Sandoval reaches down a sends a liner to right for a two-out single. Bengie Molina can’t catch up to Zimmermann’s heater.

Ryan Zimmerman sends a screamer to center for another single. Adam Dunn doubles off the fence in right center, when Nate Schierholtz comes up empty. Two-strike fastball to get Austin Kearns swinging. Willie Harris gets it done, fly ball to right, Zim tags and scores, 2-1 ballgame. Anderson Hernandez grounds to short, Renteria nails him...Randy Winn singles over second, Kearns collects it. Aaron Rowand battles to stay alive and grounds out to Guzma...Guzman misses it, 2 on for Travis Ishikawa who goes with Zimmermann’s pitch and lines an RBI single to center, Winn scores, 3-1 Giants. Broken bat groundout from Schierholtz brings up the pitcher. ZImmerman gets Cain swinging. Emmanuel Burriss takes a two-out walk. Edgar Renteria drops a bloop single over second, two runs score, Ishikawa avoids Nieves and scores, 5-1 Giants. Pablo Sandoval grounds out to short to end the inning.

Wil Nieves slaps a curve through Burriss at second. Jordan Zimmermann gets the sac bunt down this time. Cristian Guzman flies out to center. Nick Johnson uses his Discerning Eye to draw a two-out walk. Ryan Zimmerman pops straight up...Bengie Molina K’s swinging, and looks dejected. Randy Winn lines one right to Willie Harris, Aaron Rowand chops a grounder out to second, Zimmermann through a quick frame...

Adam Dunn grounds into the dramatic shift. Austin Kearns sees the fastball coming, and he rips it up the middle. Willie Harris grounds to Burriss at second. Anderson Hernandez chops one to Renteria, who first to first...Travis Ishikawa chases a 2-2 curve and comes up empty. Schierholtz flies out to Guzman off a shattered bat. Jordan Zimmermann drops a cruel curve under Matt Cain’s bat.

Wil Nieves pops up behind the second base bag. Alex Cintron waits on a 3-1 curve and drives it up the middle for his first hit of the year! Cristian Guzman singles off the right field wall, Cintron to third. Low outside fastball to Nick Johnson and he takes it to deeeep left center and GONE!! 3-run HR for “Two-Spot” Johnson, 5-4 Giants. Adam Dunn pops out to left...Julian Tavarez gets a fly ball out to left from Emmanuel Burriss. Edgar Renteria lines right at Adam Dunn in left. Pablo Sandoval demolishes one to center that falls between Austin Kearns and Willie Harris, Sandoval trips, and falls on in face at short, ouch, tagged out.

Bob Howry vs Austin Kearns. 3-2 fastball right through Kearns’ swing. Willie Harris works the count full and walks. Josh Willingham flies to left, two down. Wil Nieves gets down 0-2, and ends up singling through short to keep the inning alive. Ronnie Belliard to pinch hit. Belliard shatters his bat on a single to center, Willie Harris flies around to score, 5-5 game. Jeremy Affeldt gives up a swinging bunt single to Cristian Guzman. Nick Johnson grounds to second, the first baseman, Ishikawa dives, and comes up empty, two runs score, 7-5 DC...Kip Wells vs Bengie Molina to start the Giants’ eighth. Wells hangs a slider, Molina hits out to left and GONE, HR, 7-6 Nationals. Randy Winn taps one back to Wells. Aaron Rowand pops a 1-0 pitch out to center where Willie Harris makes the catch. Travis Ishikawa pops out to Adam Dunn in left to end the eighth.

Adam Dunn hits a broken bat grounder to second. Austin Kearns K’s swinging. Willie Harris lines to Rowand...Here we go...

Joe Beimel vs Juan Uribe. Uribe flies out!! Rich Aurilia grounds to Guzman at short. Emmanuel Burriss hits a two-out single. Edgar Renteria up. Beimel starts 3-0 to Renteria, and walks him on a 3-1 pitch outside. Beimel vs Pablo Sandoval. Beimel hangs a 2-2 pitch and Sandoval sends it OUT!!!!!!. Walk-off winner. Giants win, 9-7 final.

Nationals now 10-21-1.

Sunday Roto Round Up

faketeams — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

7 months ago: Cincinnati Reds' Jay Bruce hits a two-run home run off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright in the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 10, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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SS Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies: Three days after his AVG bottmoed at .198, he goes 6-11 with a couple of HRs and 4 RBIs to raise his AVG to .237 and quell any anti-Tulo/pro-Romero talk. In mixed leagues, he appears to have momentum and can be started over the likes of Christian Guzman and Marco Scutaro.

C Ivan Rodriguez, Houston Astros: A 4-4 day with his 4th HR has brought Pudge's AVG to .273. He was considered washed-up when he signed with Houston at least from a fantasy perspective, but the man who as recently as 2007 walked a total of 9 times has six walks already. He may also break a four season streak of declining HRs.

OF Michael Cuddyer, Minneosta Twins: Anyone else notice that Cuddyer has started all eleven games this month going 14-39 with 2 HRs and 12 RBIs? At this point, Carlos Gomez is clearly the 4th OF.

OF Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds: With his 10th HR of the season, the likelihood of Jay Bruce being available in shallow mixed leagues just approached zero. A .262 is all that prevents me from stating he is starting in all mixed formats.

3B Hank Blalock, Texas Rangers: With a two-homer game, Blalock has nine taters on the season. Inuries the past two seasons and Chris Davis have dimmed Blalock to the point he was an after-thought in most drafts. A free agent next Winter, Blalock may end-up being a much pursued bat as the July 31st non-waiver deadline nears.

1B Aubrey Huff, Baltimore Orioles: In the first inning, Huff hit his 6th HR of the season. With it, he brought his RBI total to 31. Here was a cornerman whose 2008 season was obscured by a the two before it. Now with a .290, .352 and .358 hitter in front of him, Huff looks likely to repeat his 2008 RBI total of 108.

OF Ben Francisco, Cleveland Indians: Francisco stole his 6th base of the season. For years the only Indian given the green light on the base paths was Grady Sizemore. Maybe it was the success of the Red Sox on the bases that forced the Indians' management to run more than the sabre-dogma allowed. Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubel Cabrera have five a piece. Last year, just three Indians stole more than four bases.

OF Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles Angels: I was committed to ignoring anything Abreu did until he began to hit with some authority, but he went 0-0 today with four walks. I wonder how long it willt ake before pitchers begin challenging him. A .355 SLG says he has to be treated as if he can't drive the ball anymore.

SP Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays: Eight shutout innings in his second start shows Cecil's Spring numbers should have been heeded by fantasy leaguers rather than his AAA ones.

2B Manny Burriss, San Francisco Giants: A week or so ago I mentioned Burriss may not be long for the starting role as his .228/.315/.253 slash stats wouldn't be overcome by his eight steals. In just five games, he went 13-25 to raise his AVG to an impervious .287. Those nine steals make him bullet-proof.

8th Inning Set-Up (Holds): Alan Embree COL (4), Carlos Marmol CHC (9), David Aardsma SEA (5), Jason Motte (7), Blaine Boyer (2) and Trever Miller STL (2), Phil Coke NYY (1), Mike Gonzalez ATL (1), Tony Pena AZ (4)

Saves: Rafael Soriano ATL (3), Mariano Rivera NYY (6), Chris Perez STL (1), Brandon Morrow SEA (6), Kevin Gregg CHC (6), Huston Street COL (4), Brien Fuentes LAA (9), Chad Qualls AZ (8), Jonathan Papelbon BOS (8)

Blown Saves: Ryan Franklin STL (1)

Giants and Rockies - Take 2

Poseidon's Fist — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:39:41 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Insert your own caption here

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Let's focus on the future shall we? If I dwell on last night any more, my head asplode for sure.

The Giants are in town for the first time in 2009. They have only played two games since we last saw them, so there's no a lot new to say. Frisco just finished a split with the Cubs at Wrigley, which means they have gone six straight series without losing one. Their 11-7 record over that stretch isn't otherworldly, but I'd take some series wins.

San Francisco Giants (13-12, W1, 2nd)

Wednesday-Thursday : 2-game series at Coors Field

The 13 runs the Giants have scored in the five games since the last Giants profile haven't changed a whole lot. They are still dead last in runs scored. Their wOBA dropped four slots to 29th. Get the picture? Bad offense. Couple that with a dominant Rockies staff of late (1.96 ERA since Friday), and well...things look good on paper.

Despite being one of two teams (Arizona) that has yet to reach 100 runs, the Gnats have hung in with their pitching staff. They are the only team still in double-figures for runs allowed, ranking them #1 overall.

The Giants are just 3-8 away from AT&T Park, with two of those wins coming at Arizona and one at Chicago yesterday.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 6:40 MDT

The rematch:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Randy Johnson	2-2	4.50	1.27	30	13

Randy Johnson has won every start he has made against the Rockies (not in his career, though it may seem like it) since September 22, 2004. And he allowed just one run in 7 IP in getting outdueled by Shawn Estes. He is 19-7 with a 2.23 ERA in his career against the Rox, but Johnson has yet to string two good starts together in 2009.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez	1-4	6.58	1.81	24	19

Ubaldo's numbers don't look pretty, but they still make him one of the top six valuable starters in the pitching-rich division. He allowed 3 runs in 7 innings last Friday in decidedly a step forward. That actually raised his career ERA vs the Giants to 2.65, so maybe Ubaldo can tame the the Giants again.

Thursday, May 7, 1:10 MDT

The rematch, part deux:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Matt Cain	2-1	3.09	1.41	21	14

Sure, Matt Cain's ERA looks good, but quite frankly, that's lucky. His FIP is actually 5.21 - that's 68% higher. His K- rate and HR rate (thanks to the Rox Saturday) are higher than any year in his career...and his BABIP against is lower than his career numbers. All of that means he has been barely as valuable as Franklin Morales in terms of RAR.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Marquis	4-1	3.31	1.19	17	12

Jason for Cy Young! Well maybe not, but he has been very impressive. He has pitched 7+ IP and given up 3 or less runs in four of five starts. He is 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA at Coors this year. But also note his FIP is a full run higher as well, and his BABIP against is sitting at 22 points below his career best.

Pablo Sandoval (7-for-18, 1 HR), Emmanuel Burriss (8-for-17) and Edgar Renteria (8-for-24) have been hitting well in the past week. Justin Miller has pitched four scoreless innings since his callup Friday.

Aaron Rowand (2-for-23) has been ice cold the past week, and Randy Winn (3-for-13), Travis Ishikawa (2-for-13) and Fred Lewis (4-for-19) haven't been much better.

Relief pitcher Joe Martinez was placed on the 15 day DL last Friday after a concussion and was replaced by Justin Miller.

Poll

How does this "dual" play out?

Win - Avoid 1-run games and we're golden (10-8)

32 votes

Lose - but don't worry, we'll figure out how to outscore them still, somehow

18 votes

Draw - you win some, you lose some

22 votes

72 votes | Poll has closed

Monday Roto Round Up: This Year's Cliff Lee Has Been Identified

faketeams — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:37:18 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

7 months ago: Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, on Monday, May 4, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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SP Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals: Through 45 innings covering six starts, Greinke has six Wins, 54 Ks and 8 walks. I know most of the fantasy world is looking for this year's Cliff Lee in the Recently-Crappy-Undrafted-Pitcher Bin, but Greinke is this year's Cliff Lee. The strikeouts are up and the walks are down.

SS Michael Young, Texas Rangers: Before the season started, Young's star had faded even in the SS-depleted AL. Last night, he hit his 7th HR. While I wouldn't project a 30 HR season, I would expect Young to be near 20. That is level most thought to be nothing but a memory for Young.

OF Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers: Kemp stole his 7th base of the season and drove-in his 17th run. This has been done mainly from the 7th spot in the line-up. While Kemp's SB totals shouldn't be effected, his RBIs totals won't keep pace.

OF Scott Hairston, San Diego Padres: Hitting 3rd in front of 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Hairston hit his 4th HR of the season and drove in his 13th run. With the Padres' line-up in need of punch, do not be surprised to see Hairston start more frequently against right-handers. His early splits are indistinguisable from each other. Until a more drastic split arises, that is.

3B Joe Thurston, St. Louis Cardinals: Thurston went 3-5 last night and drove-in the Cardinals' lone run. I mention this not because it was a good game, but because Thurston has now started the last five games at third and 16 of the Cards' 26 games. I capitulated two nights ago and added him in an NL-Only league.

2B Manny Burriss, San Francisco Giants: In a season that has seen a 4-, 5- and 6-SB game, stealing your 7th base when you're fantasy profile shines as brightly as Joe Thurston's gets missed. Burriss entered the season in a three-man battle with Kevin Frandsen and Eugenio Velez for the 2B ABs. Burris has now started 23 of the Giants 24 games. Unlike Thurston, Burriss' .211/.294/.237 slash stats hint that his hold on the starting job could be slipping.

SP Aaron Harang, Cincinnati Reds: With 9 Ks against the Marlins, I am warming to the idea that spot starting pitchers against the Marlins is a good idea - hot first half of April be da**ed! Harang's last two starts resulted in back-to-back two strikeout efforts.

2B Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers: His 6th HR of the seaosn won the game last night. Whatever Weeks' has done to add power, it looks to have come from his ability to take walks. With just 5 free passes through 105 ABs (and 25 Ks), he looks like he has destroyed the idea he had plate discipline and speed but couldn't hit for AVG - A 2B version of Mike Cameron. But even the speed looks gone as he has been caught twice in his three attempts.

OF Matt LaPorta, Cleveland Indians: Despite a 1-3 game with a HR, LaPorta was lifted for pinch-hitter Dave Dellucci, who was promptly singled and was pinch-ran for by 2B Josh Barfield, who went into the field to play left. I don't know what bothers me more - the pinch-hitter or using a 2B as a defensive sub.

C Jason Varitek, Boston Red Sox: A day after the Rays stole eight bases, the Yankees swiped two. While a catcher normally escapes culpability, I can't help seeing both bases were stolen with a lefty starter on the mound. Here I thought it'd be the Yankees' battery mate who'd be exploited in the AL East.

8th Inning Set-Up: C.J. Wilson TEX (2), Alan Embree COL (3), Carlos Marmol CHC (6), Rafael Perez CLE (3), J.J. Putz New York Mets (6), Ramon Ramirez BOS (1)

Saves: Frank Francisco TEX (8), Huston Street COL (3), Kevin Gregg CHC (4), Trevor Hoffman MLW (4), Jensen Lewis CLE (1), Francisco Rodriguez New York Mets (6), Jonathan Papelbon BOS (7)

Blown Saves: Matt Capps PIT (1), Kerry Wood CLE (1), Brandon League TOR (1)

Rockies hope to continue success at AT&T Park this weekend

Poseidon's Fist — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:55:49 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

The Rockies have knocked the Giants down flat in recent meetings, even on the road.

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In past years, a trip to AT&T Park could be written off as a series loss with high confidence, but those days are gone. Colorado has won 3 of their past 6 series in San Francisco, including sweeps in each of the last two years and series wins in their last two trips to the bay. The Rockies were 11-7 in games at San Fran the last two years, highlighted by a 6-3 mark in 2008.

The Rockies have won the overall season series against the Giants in each of the last three seasons, going 31-23 in that span. Colorado has won four straight series against San Francisco. So forget the overall 99-130 record Colorado has posted against the Giants. Our beloved Rox have fared fared better against Frisco of late.

San Francisco Giants (10-10, W1, 3rd in NL

West)

Friday-Sunday : 3-game series at San Francisco

Hopefully, you have had your fill of tacos for a while. The Giants are, as expected, one of the best pitching staffs in the major leagues. They are ranked 2nd in runs allowed behind the shutout-happy Pirates, 6th in ERA, 7th in strikeouts, and 8th in HR allowed. So far this year, AT&T Park has been the 8th best pitcher's park in terms of runs to boot.

Naturally, the Giants offense completely negates their pitching staff. The Giants are dead last in runs scored, 29th in walks earned, 29th in HR, 28th in K%age, 25th in wOBA, and naturally dead last in BB/K. Even worse, their BABIP is .321, good for the 5th best in MLB, meaning they are overachieving if anything thus far. Their offense isn't pretty...it's time for the Rockies staff to have a good series.

After going a paltry 2-7 to start the year, the Giants have won 8 of 11 on their way to four consecutive series. They are 8-3 at home.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 8:15pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez	1-3	7.58	2.11	19	17

Where's ~~Waldo~~ Ubaldo? The talented righty's electric stuff has gone MIA in his past three starts, where he was 0-3 with a 12.00 ERA. If there is any game to get right, it is against the little Giant offense, who Jimenez pitched well against in his career. Hair-B-There is 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA in over 30 IP against San Francisco.

The only Giant regular with a career average of better than .250 against Ubaldo is Aaron Rowand, who is 4-for-13 with a HR.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Randy Johnson	1-2	6.16	1.53	21	13

Randy Johnson is four wins short of 300, a record the Rockies have substantially helped him approach. He is 18-7 with a 2.31 ERA over nearly 200 IP in his career vs Colorado, including going 3-0 with a 2.71 ERA in 2008.

But the 45-year-old Big Unit has struggled in 2009. Overall, he has allowed 2.37 HR/9 IP. Throw out his 7-inning home dominance against the K-happy Baby DiamondbacK's, and Johnson is 0-2 with a 9.75 ERA. In his last start Monday, Johnson walked 7 D'Backs, got only 2 K's and failed to get out of the fourth inning. Yorvit Torrealba is 6-for-19 off the Big Unit in his career, and Garrett Atkins is 4-for-14 with a HR and 2 BB.

Saturday, May 2, 2:05 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Marquis	3-1	4.10	1.37	13	11

Jason Marquis has been better than the Rockies hoped, going at least 7 and allowed 3 or less runs in 3 of his 4 starts. Marquis' second best pitching line since 2006 has come against the Giants, at 1-1 with a 2.46 ERA and a ridiculous .157 average against. His favorite team to face in past years is Los Angeles, whom he shut down Sunday.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Matt Cain	2-0	2.08	1.31	18	10

Matt Cain has been phenomenal so far - he has gone six innings and allowed no more than two runs in all four starts this season, winning both starts at AT&T Park. His 2.08 ERA ranks 6th in the NL, second in the division behind Dan Haren. Brian Wilson's first blown save of the season negated Cain's third win last Sunday.

Sunday, May 3, 2:05 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Hammel	0-0	5.59	1.97	7	5

Jason Hammel will attempt to reaffirm his status in the rotation after a shaky start Monday. In fairness, Hammel gave up four of his five runs in the third inning of his start after Ryan Spilborghs failed to make a catch running in on a line drive. It was catchable, and Garrett Atkins compounded the inning with a fielding error. Hammel has shown major league rotation quality "stuff" in his past three appearances.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Barry Zito	0-2	5.24	1.39	15	9

The Bad Contract doesn't look to be getting better. Zito has put up quality starts in each of his last two outings, both home stars (coincidence?), but a 5.24 ERA isn't earning the dough. Zito is 2-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 49 IP dating to 2006 against Colorado.

Pablo Sandoval (10-for-22, 1 HR) and Bengie Molina (9-for-24, 2 HR) have been hot in the previous two series.

Fred Lewis (4-for-22) and Emmanuel Burriss (5-for-23) have struggled over the past seven days.

Randy Winn (knee) and Pablo Sandoval (groin) are listed as questionable, and OF Andres Torres was put on the 15-day DL Tuesday with a hamstring injury.

Poll

How many wins?

0 - Rox have second worst record in the NL! They suck!

11 votes

1 - The Giants offense is so bad...we can easily get a game, but recent history be damned, I'm scared of AT&T

19 votes

2 - It's foolish to predict a sweep when facing Cain @ SF, but we face their worst two starters otherwise, and we mash lefties!

45 votes

3 - Rox sweep their second straight trip to AT&T. Back to contention!

16 votes

91 votes | Poll has closed