SB Nation - Sergio Romo

Bill James 2010 Projections -- Part Two: Pitchers

Grant — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:36:59 -0000

Hitting? That's the bad news. That's opening up the pantry after not eating for a week and finding nothing put potted meat ("Now with partially defatted beef fatty tissue!").

Pitching? That's the good news. That's after you take the potted meat and put it on a delicious, flaky Ritz cracker and swallow it whole, trying to ignore the gag reflex that comes immediately after smelling the unholy processed chum, plugging your nose as the smooth puree slides down the back of your throat, but, oh god, some of is still stuck to the back of your throat, and you can't hold back as you retch violently before passing out. You wake up three days later with an IV sticking out of your arm. A nurse offers you a delicious, flaky Ritz cracker without potted meat on it. You take it. Hey, it's pretty good. It's all buttery. That's the pitching.

But it isn't likely to be as good next year. There was a little bit of luck running with some of the pitchers. Like, oh...

The clutchest pitcher in the world until he poops out the horseshoe. Affedt had a fantastic year getting the dealer to bust when he was standing on 11. That's probably not going to keep happening, but he's still a fine pitcher. He almost made up for Renteria. Almost.

The cluchest p...hey. Cain wil probably have another Cain year, complete with an ample supply of blown saves by his relievers, mathematically impossible run support, and diplomatic post-game quotes. Prince Fielder's projection has him at a .967 OPS, which gets me thinking, but I'll hold on to that kernel of thought until my week-long series on Cain-for-Fielder.

Both sides are right. Howry is still a worthwhile reliever with a good strikeout/walk ratio, but he was absolute murder on close games last season. Did he tense up in crucial situations, or did he just have an odd distribution of poor performances? Yes. But it isn't much of a gamble to bring him back if he wants to return.

That looks like a worthwhile addition to the bullpen, but I'm not sure the Giants need Randy Johnson on a roster with Jeremy Affeldt and Dan Runzler. If that reads like a familiar sentence, it's probably because I wrote that sentence over and over in 2001.

If it makes the Reds feel better, Drew Stubbs is projected to be something like Aaron Rowand but $12M cheaper next year. That's something.

Aaaaaand suddenly I'm a little suspicious of these projections. I mean, I love Joe Martinez. Everyone does. Your mom thinks he's nice. He'd probably hold a door open for you if you were carrying groceries. And he might be a good long man, or even a back-of-the-rotation starter, with the ability to put up league-average ERAs. Heck, that might start next year. But I wouldn't predict it just yet.

Another reliever who is likely to poop out a horseshoe. Heckuva year, and another astute bullpen signing by Sabean, but he isn't a 3.00 ERA kind of pitcher. Did you know he was second on the team in relief innings? Weird.

Another reliever who is likely to poop out a horseshoe. Heckuva year, and another astute bullpen signing by Sabean, but he isn't a 3.00 ERA kind of pitcher. Did you know he was sixth on the team in relief innings? Not so weird.

A starter with an ERA over 4.00? How brutish and gauche. Lost in the Penny madness of the last month was the fact that he wasn't striking out a whole bunch of hitters. Small sample sizes are in play a little, but he wasn't exactly Lincecum in Boston, either. At the right price, he'd be a fantastic option. I'm thinking he's going to get three years and much millions, though. That's probably not a good buy.

Uh, okay. I'm as big of a Romo fan as anyone, but this seems pretty danged optimistic (assuming the innings pitched is too low). Then I remember Romo's PECOTA comps before last season: Keith Foulke, John Wetteland, and Jeff Reardon. Just pulling this from my nether regions, but I'd wager that those are three of the 100 best relievers in the modern era. Romo doesn't allow a lot of homers, he throws strikes, and he gets a fair amount of swing throughs, so that seems to be a recipe for projection convection. Still, this seems pretty optimistic. The top four relievers for 2010 by ERA, according to these projections: Joe Nathan, Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, and Sergio Romo.

By now it's probably clear that these projections are in the context of a low-run universe, so there are a lot of semi-shiny ERAs. Still, I'd take this season by Sanchez. It would be measurable progress.

Maybe we could get Russ Ortiz back. Valdez is like Felix Rodriguez without the command, which is to say, not much of a reliever until he develops good command.

Wilson's second half: 33 innings, 38 strikeouts, 12 walks, one very unfortunate home run allowed, and a 1.64 ERA. I'm usually not a big seasonal splits guy, but he really seemed like a different pitcher after the All-Star break. For the BABIP wonks, it's comforting to note that he wasn't very lucky at all (.301 in the second half). This is probably the most pessimistic projection of the bunch.

Maybe the reason we can't sign Jermaine Dye to an eight-year deal is because we have Zito. So let's enjoy Zito's league-average stylings, and forget about the contract. Besides, complaining about Zito's contract is so '08. It's all about Rowand these days.

NL West Report: Division closes strong season, Kevin Towers axed

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:21 -0000

The season officially concluded yesterday, at least for everyone outside the AL Central, and the National League West had a very formidable showing this year.

Two divisions are sending two teams to the postseason. Two divisions can boast each of their teams reached at least 70 wins. Only one division fits in both categories. Care to guess?

NL West Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Los Angeles	95	67	.586	0	Won 2
Colorado	92	70	.567	3	Lost 2
San Francisco	88	74	.543	7	Won 1
San Diego	75	87	.462	20	Lost 1
Arizona	70	92	.432	25	Won 1

(updated 10.4.2009 at 6:19 PM MDT)

The NL West checked into the W column 420 times, just two times less than the AL East. The AL West did have a slightly higher win percentage, but come on...they only have four teams.

The final seasonal team capsules are included after the jump.

NL West Report

Arizona (70-92, 5th, W1, 24.5 GB)

Last Week: 3-3. 0-3 @ Giants. 2-1 @ Cubs. Arizona's win yesterday helped the club avoid finishing with under 70 losses.

Divisional Change: Gained 0.5 games on LAD.

News: Try to remember a year ago, when several baseball pundits pointed to Stephen Drew's strong second half, suggesting he was better than Troy Tulowitzki. Can't remember? I don't blame you. But Drew's disappointint 2009 campaign has led some, like Bob Nightengale, to suggest the D-Backs trade Drew. Nightengale actually goes as far as to say Arizona is planning to shop him.

Stephen Drew

#6 / Short Stop / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Mar 16, 1983

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Stephen Drew	135	533	71	139	29	12	12	65	49	87	5	1	.261	.320	.428

The trusted source Nick Piecoro claims that is false currently, though, and that sticking with Drew makes sense. He raises good points, that his defense has improved, that he's still an above average offensive shortstop in spite of not reaching projections, and that he'll be as cheap as Cesar Izturis.

MLBTradeRumors hosted a chat about Drew and his future.

Fire Brand, a blog covering the Red Sox, suggest Drew would look great turning double plays with Dustin Pedroia. The writer suggests Clay Buchholz would get the deal done, but Rob Neyer states obviously that such a deal makes no sense for Boston.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: None.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Chris Snyder	lower-back	08/23/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Chad Qualls	knee	08/31/2009
Conor Jackson	pneumonia	05/12/2009
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

Los Angeles (95-67, 1st, W2)

Last Week: 2-4. 0-1 @ Pirates, 0-2 @ Padres, 2-1 vs. Rockies. It took six games to do it, but the Dodgers finally clinched the NL West Saturday. By taking that meaningless game from Colorado yesterday, Los Angeles officially won all six series against the Rockies.

Divisional Change: Lost 2.0 games to Colorado.

This Week: Game 1 of the Dodgers NLDS series will start Wednesday at 8:37 MDT at Dodger Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 2 will take place Thursday, and Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Busch Stadium.

News: The LA Times report that they are in talks with GM Ned Colletti on a contract extension. Jon Heyman from SI claims negotiations point to a 3-year extension. Heyman's article also highlights areas of concern from all eight playoff teams, including the Rockies, who got a "worry meter rating" of a four, lower than any playoff team sans the Yankees. Of course, his reasoning - that the Rockies struggle on the road - is fairly ill-informed. The Rockies were over .500 away from Coors Field. Oh yeah, this is about the Dodgers. Woops. Even though the Dodgers' rotation is in flux, they got a four as well.

Back to Colletti. MLBTradeRumors.com has a solid breakdown of Colletti's key moves, positive and negative.

Clayton Kershaw

#22 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Mar 19, 1988

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Clayton Kershaw	8-8	31	30	0	0	0	0	171.0	119	55	53	7	91	185	2.79	1.23

Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw will start the NLDS for Games 1 and 2. The lefties are a bit of a surprise at the front of Joe Torre's playoff rotation, at least relative to March. At that point, Wolf was an above average journeyman pitcher and Kershaw was an unknown at 20 years old.

The perceived ace coming was Chad Billingsley, whose struggles relegate him to an unknown role.

An 18-year-old left-handed pitcher named Yusei Kikuchi is a lock for the No. 1 overall pick in Japan's amateur draft this month. However, reports are he is considering being the first Japanese high school ever to bypass the draft and sign with an MLB club. If he does the Dodgers are one of his suitors, as are the Giants.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Hiroki Kuroda will miss the NLDS with a bulging desc in his neck. Will Ohman underwent surgery on his left throwing shoulder, ending his bid to rejoin LA in the playoffs. He will be ready by 2010.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ronnie Belliard	groin	10/04/2009
Charlie Haeger	knee	10/04/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Will Ohman	shoulder	05/28/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Xavier Paul	ankle	05/21/2009
Jason Schmidt	shoulder	08/06/2009
Eric Milton	lower-back	06/28/2009

San Diego (75-87, 4th, L1, 21.5 GB)

Last Week: 3-2. 2-0 vs. Dodgers. 1-2 vs. Giants. In spite of losing the final series of the season, San Diego finished the season 23-13.

Divisonal change: Gained 1.5 game on LAD.

News: The biggest story in the division this week outside of LA and Denver absolutely was the firing of San Diego GM Kevin Towers, who had spent 27 years in the Padres organization since being drafted by San Diego in 1982. Looking at Towers' 14-year GM career, this is a very strange time to be given a pink slip. He scoured the scrap heap - from Mexican Leagues, to the Rule 5 draft, to divisional rivals' bullpens, to minor league free agents - to fill a roster with players no one respected, yet San Diego was one of the hottest teams in the majors by year's end.

The team clearly has rushed through the infancy of their rebuilding plan and is firmly pushing towards middle school. Towers has led them in the right direction in arguably his best year on the job. Ken Rosenthal agrees, saying Towers is better off without the Padres and their internal drama anyway.

Kevin Towers

#0 / General Manager / San Diego Padres

Height:6-1

Weight: 190

Bats:R

Throws: R

Born: Nov 11, 1961

Photo of Kevin Towers courtesy of espn.com/mlb

GasLamp Ball has the Padres' press conference on the firing, if you're interested. Tim Sullivan at the San Diego Union Tribune remembers how Towers could command an entire room.

Towers absolutely did not deserve to be fired, but the wild card in everything is new ownership. Jeff Moorad swooped in and decided quickly he wanted his own guy. So, who's next? Jerry DiPoto, the former Rockies closer who currently works in Arizona's front office, was initially reported to be a candidate, though we learned Saturday that there are no internal or Arizona candidates for the job.

Moorad said he has already interviewed three candidates, though their names are undisclosed at this point. At least we can be sure Dan O'Dowd isn't one of them. As for Towers, his prematurely ended career obviously leaves a competitive fire. He wants to and likely will GM again. Mets GM Omar Minaya apparently contacted Towers and is interested in giving him a "job in the organization." That would be interesting. Towers: "How'd Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins treat you? Thanks for Heath Bell."

As for other news, Jeff Moorad hints the Padres' payroll will likely begin with a 4, which would seem to indicate they plan on holding onto Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez.

Most rebuilding teams point to the future with optimism as they see divisional foes head to the post-season. Surprisingly though, the Padres have a right to be optimistic after their finishing kick.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Kyle Blanks and Brian Giles failed to return to the lineup by season's end, though Edgar Gonzalez returned in a pinch-hit role over the weekend.

San Diego Padres Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Brian Giles	knee	06/19/2009
Kyle Blanks	foot	08/29/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Chris Young	shoulder	06/15/2009
Shawn Hill	elbow	04/26/2009
Cliff Floyd	shoulder	06/18/2009
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
Mark Worrell	elbow	03/27/2009

San Francisco (88-74, 3rd, W1, 7.0 GB in Div, 4.0 GB in WC)

Last Week: 5-1. 3-0 vs Diamondbacks. 2-1 @ Padres. The Giants finished the season with their best week of the year, helping them to end with 88 wins, 12 more than their season high of the past five seasons.

Divisional Change: Gained 3.0 games in NL West (LAD), Gained 1.0 games in WC (COL) but was eliminated Wednesday.

News: It is no secret that San Francisco is still lacking in the offensive department, and on the shopping list this offseason ought to be an impact bat. No, not like Ryan Garko. WEEI.com's Alex Speier points out that Boston free agent Jason Bay could be a fit for the Giants given their potential salary relief from free agents, sore need for a bat and current contending status int he NL West.

Second most important for GM Brian Sabean is deciding how to handle the catcher situation. As Andrew Baggarly writes, it will be a tricky offseason for Molina and the Giants. Molina finished the year as one of the worst cleanup hitters in the past half-century yet will enter free agency as a Type A free agent. The opinions are quite mixed on bringing back Bengie:

Bengie Molina

#1 / Catcher / Free Agent

Height: 5-11

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 20, 1974

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Bengie Molina	132	491	52	130	25	1	20	80	13	68	0	0	.265	.285	.442

Keith Law says pass, given that Buster Posey is ready to take over the reins offensively - he just needs help with game-calling, which would only come with experience. Not only that, the $6million coming off the books could help in bringing offensive help.

Ray Ratto at the San Francisco Chronicle insists that Molina and the Giants need each other, and John Shea at the Chronicle goes so far as to call Molina the best catcher in San Francisco history.

Baggarly also wonders if Brian Sabean be retained next season. Sabean swung and missed completely this trade deadline and signed lucrative deals (Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand) that were questioned even at the time of signing. Despite that, the team is absolutely on a clear upswing, and Peter Gammons doesn't understand why bringing Sabean back is even in question.

He was there for only four starts, but Brad Penny enjoyed short stint with Giants. San Francisco figures to be a fit for next season, as he seemingly wants to stay on the West Coast for an NL team.

Without a doubt, the Giants exceeded expectations in 2009. Personally, I never bought them as a playoff team at any point in the season, but they gave me doubts as late as September. That's an incredible accomplishment, and congratulations to San Francisco.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Sergio Romo's knee locked up Saturday during his follow through. Justin Miller played catch last week. Both will be fine for 2010.

San Francisco Giants Injuries

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Justin Miller	elbow	09/13/2009
Noah Lowry	ribs	03/27/2009
Kelvin Pichardo	shoulder	06/28/2009
Emmanuel Burriss	foot	09/01/2009
Henry Sosa	shoulder	08/05/2009

Giants must see history repeated

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:00:40 -0000

More photos » by Eric Risberg - AP

The playoffs will soon be out of reach

Browse more photos »

San Francisco sees this series as a great opportunity, though really it is their last legitimate opportunity to pull back into the race. They will need to replicate the sweep they pulled off to close August to even pull within 1.5 games, and that won't be so easy. They are just 5-7 since that sweep, 2-7 in games not started by Brad Penny, whose rotation slot does not come up for the series.

Here's the scenario. After this series is over, the Giants will have 16 games left. If the Rockies sweep, the ensuing 7.5 game deficit effectively eliminates the Giants, but you probably already thought that. If the Rockies win the series, a 5.5 game deficit would be practically insurmountable. For reference, the Rockies surreal once-in-a-lifetime Rocktober run had them 4.5 games out with 16 back.

So if the Giants don't win this series, the Rockies are in the playoffs. Even if the Giants win the series though, they won't sweep again, though they need to. Given the Rockies have 9 of 15 games remaining at home after the series, catching the Rockies from a 3.5 game deficit would be extremely difficult as is. I would go as far as guaranteeing the playoffs at that point barring injuries. I just can't see lightning (a sweep) striking twice, even though they are tossing out the same Lincecum/Zito/Cain trio that debuted as a series triumverate with that sweep against the Rockies at the end of August.

The Giants see this as an opportunity, but really, the opportunity belongs to Colorado. If the Giants can't capilatize on their head-to-head battles with a sweep, the Rockies will have buried the Giants to the point of non-Rocktober-caliber elimination. Sweep or die.

San Francisco Giants (77-66, W1, 3rd, 4.5 GB WC, 7.5 GB Div)

Monday-Wednesday: 3-game series at AT&T Park

The Bats: F

Bruce Bochy has atrociously constructed his lineup all season, and he hasn't learned. Sure, he has practically nothing to work with, but that's not enough of an excuse. I suppose perfect lineup construction wouldn't help them with how poor their bats are though. If you need a refresher course, check here or here or here. Sure adding Freddy Sanchez will help some, but he's not really a significant threat (his wOBA this year is worse than what Eric Young Jr has done so far, but with the Giants, it has been worse than Garrett Atkins' level). Here's the grossness:

LINEUP	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA
Eugenio Velez - LF	.270	4	20	.319	.417	.321
Freddy Sanchez - 2B	.293	7	39	.328	.425	.326
Pablo Sandoval - 3B	.322	21	77	.377	.541	.384
Bengie Molina - C	.260	17	70	.279	.430	.300
Ryan Garko - 1B	.270	13	51	.343	.432	.340
Nate Schierholtz - RF	.275	5	29	.308	.415	.307
Aaron Rowand - CF	.269	14	57	.326	.438	.333
Edgar Renteria - SS	.252	5	48	.309	.331	.284

By wOBA metrics, the lineup features one All-Star caliber players (Sandoval), one above average hitter (Garko), two about average hitters (Rowand and Sanchez), two below average hitters (Schierholtz and Velez), one on the cusp of terrible (Molina) and one that is just flat out bad (Renteria).

Bochy's glut of reserve infielders include Juan Uribe (.279, 12, 40), Travis Ishikawa (.254, 9, 35), Ryan Rohlinger (1-for-10), Jesus Guzman (2-for-16), Rich Aurilia (.225, 2, 15) and Kevin Frandsen (.146, 0, 1). Fred Lewis (.266, 4, 16), John Bowker (.205, 1, 5), Andres Torres (.250, 3, 16), and Randy Winn (.263, 2, 48) have gotten starts in the outfield as well. Rookie Eli Whiteside (.212, 1, 8) is Molina's backup catcher, while Buster Posey (0-1, K) has been called up to effectively wash Whiteside's jock.

Hop after the jump for the scouting report on the arms, the D, the pitching matchups, injuries and the hot/cold players.

The Arms: A

The first time Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain pitched in the same series, they swept the Rockies at AT&T Park. Now they will try to do it again. Lincecum and Cain were no-brainer All-Stars and Barry Zito is having a strong season, helped mostly by the Rockies. The Giants rank in the top three in just about every pitching category there is - impressive given they don't get a benefit from the home park, and their bullpen is very solid at the back end. As we have seen though, should a starter get chased early, or if a game goes extra innings, that bullpen is vulnerable.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Brian Wilson	5-5	62	0	0	0	34	6	67.0	57	25	20	2	25	72	2.69	1.22

Brian Wilson, who I hear is dumb, has seven straight scoreless appearances (hey! - that's how many Heath Bell had coming into the weekend!). After Wilson, there's lefties Jeremy Affeldt, Dan Runzler and Madison Bumgarner to go with righties Sergio Romo, Bob Howry, Merkin Valdez, Justin Miller, Waldis Joaquin, Joe Martinez and Brandon Medders.

The D: B+

The Giants' UZR/150 has dropped three entire spots in the last two weeks, yet they still come in at MLB's 5th best, which slots them 3rd most valuable according to Fangraphs. Playing Velez at second is partly to blame for the fall, though Sanchez should be starting at least two of the games in the series there.

The Ballpark: Hitter's Park

AT&T squelches home runs, given there really is no "power alley." However, the spacious outfield has plenty of room for hits, and the park factor reflects it, coming in solidly on the offensive side at 103/104.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 8:15 pm MDT

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jason Hammel	8-7	29	26	1	0	0	0	150.1	177	81	72	12	38	107	4.31	1.43

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Tim Lincecum	13-5	29	28	4	2	0	0	200.1	150	59	52	9	55	233	2.34	1.02

Hammel has been the ultimate secret weapon for the Rockies at the back end of the rotation. Despite his opponents reading like an All-Star team (Cain x 2, Santana, Moyer, Randy Wells, Josh Johnson, Kershaw, Haren, Arroyo) in his last ten starts, the Rockies have won six of them. That's incredible for a fifth starter. We have a new dragon slayer, and he has the 11th best WAR in the NL, no kidding. He has strung together 8 straight starts of 3 ER or less. Dan O'Dowd earned his Christmas bonus. Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher in the National League, but he is coming off of back spasms. On top of that, he only has one win in his last six starts, though that's not obviously his fault. You can't bet against Lincecum at home (8-1, 1.83 ERA), though Hammel has the ability to keep things interesting. I find it fitting that to slay the Giants, the Rockies begin with a David vs. Goliath matchup. Favors: GIANTS moderately

Tuesday, September 15, 8:15 MDT

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP

2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez 13-10 29 29 1 0 0 0 195.1 164 74 72 12 73 167 3.32 1.21

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP

2009 - Barry Zito 9-12 30 29 1 0 0 0 171.1 159 78 76 18 70 132 3.99 1.34

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez	13-10	29	29	1	0	0	0	195.1	164	74	72	12	73	167	3.32	1.21

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Barry Zito	9-12	30	29	1	0	0	0	171.1	159	78	76	18	70	132	3.99	1.34

Ubaldo Jimenez returns to the rotation after getting a couple days off with a hamstring injury he sustained scoring a run. The injury bothered him a bit, as he surrendered three runs the following inning and lasted just six innings. He had gone 7 starts without allowing more than 2 ER and 8 starts of going more than 6.0 IP. Jimenez has lost just one of his 11 starts since the All-Star Break, and the Rockies are 9-2 in those starts. Zito struggled in his last two starts against two fairly unfrightening offenses (San Diego and Milwaukee) but, like Jimenez, Zito has not allowed more than 3 ER in a post-ASB start. He has feasted on Rockies hitters, since his strike-throwing loopy curve style goes against the Rockies strengths of patience and crushing fastballs. Zito is 1-0 with an anemic 0.42 ERA against the Rockies this year in three starts covering 21.1 IP. Favors: ROCKIES moderately.

Wednesday, September 16, 8:15 MDT

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP

2009 - Jorge De La Rosa 14-9 29 28 0 0 0 0 166.2 159 86 81 20 75 170 4.37 1.40

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP

2009 - Matt Cain 13-5 29 29 4 0 0 0 196.1 162 60 57 20 68 151 2.61 1.17

Jorge de la Rosa has allowed just one run in each of his last three starts, part of an 11 of 15 string in which he has permitted two or less. As a starter, de la Rosa actually has a Runs Above Average of 30.8, a tick better than Matt Cain's 30.4, for what it's worth. I'll never get tired of noting this as long as it still rings true. The Rockies have lost just 2 of the last 16 games in which DLR has pitched. He has won both starts vs the Giants this season, though he was terrible in one of them. Matt Cain has won just one of his last 9 starts, though the Giants won five of those. He's still second in MLB in ERA/FIP disparity. He is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA vs Colorado in 4 starts this year and has very even home/road splits. The game has earned the late night national broadcast on ESPN. Favors: DRAW.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	14-9	29	28	0	0	0	0	166.2	159	86	81	20	75	170	4.37	1.40

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Matt Cain	13-5	29	29	4	0	0	0	196.1	162	60	57	20	68	151	2.61	1.17

My take

The Rockies will all but eliminate the Giants by winning at least one game. Winning the series is certainly possible though.

Brian Wilson has tossed seven straight scoreless outings, though only one featured no baserunners. Juan Uribe will start at least one game, maybe two, given his 5 September HR, hitting .349 for the month. Sergio Romo hasn't allowed even one hit his last five appearances.

Pablo Sandoval is hitting just .220 with zero dingers this month. Perhaps he returned from injury prematurely? Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria are both hitting under the Mendoza line this month. Merkin Valdez had that debacle against Ryan Spilborghs at Coors Field, but he was even worse Friday, allowing four runs without getting an out against Los Angeles.

Oddly, the Giants have no players on the 15-day DL. Noah Lowry (ribs) has been on the 60 day DL since at least Opening Week, and P Kelvin Pichardo (shoulder - 6/28), Emmanuel Burriss (foot- 9/1) and Henry Sosa (shoulder - 8/5) are now keeping him company. Tim Lincecum missed his last start with back spasms but is expected to take the mound tonight, though he is still listed as "probable." Randy Johnson has seen no setbacks of yet in his attempt to return to action with the Giants in their bullpen after a trapezius injury in early July.

Poll

Will the Giants be vanquished?

Completely. Beating Lincecum will completely deflate the Giants, initiating their ensuing roll-over.

26 votes

Yes. The Rockies will win this series, placing the Giants further out than the Rockies were in 2007 at the same point.

59 votes

Almost. The Rox win one game, keeping the Gigantes on their death bed, but someone else will have to put the nail in the coffin.

91 votes

Nope. Lightning strikes twice, and the Giants are less than two games back. Hold on to your hats.

63 votes

239 votes | Poll has closed

Paging Dr. Smith: Seth saves Rockies with two run blast off Lincecum, team now three up in wild card chase

Rox Girl — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:45:26 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

3 months ago: Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez works against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of a baseball game in Denver on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Seth Smith cures what's ailing the Rockies. Last night he supplied a key triple in the Rockies big comeback win. In this case, Carlos Gonzalez, one of the team's hottest hitters goes down with a cut hand and Smith steps in and provides the go ahead blow, a crushing 450 ft two run home run to right off of Tim Lincecum to help the Rockies to a 4-2 victory.

Ubaldo Jimenez had one big mistake, a second inning two run home run allowed to Edgar Renteria, only the third home run Renteria has hit all season, but otherwise pitched very well through eight innings, allowing just six hits, walking two and striking out nine. With the win he improves to 12-9 on the season.

For the Rockies on offense, hits were at a premium, Smith's home run was one of just three hits by the team off Lincecum in seven innings. In fact, through five innings they couldn't even manage one. The others were a bloop single by Todd Helton to break up the no hitter in the sixth, and a subsequent clutch single by Ian Stewart with two outs to drive him home. The Rockies did make up for the lack of hits with patience, collecting five walks off of Lincecum to drive up his pitch count and move runners along.

Giant defensive miscues and a wild bullpen led to a bases loaded situation in the eighth and Sergio Romo plunked Clint Barmes to drive in Troy Tulowitzki for the Rockies final score.

Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 33rd save.

70 - 54

Games Back: 4

Streak: Won 2

Games Left: 38

The win puts the Rockies three games ahead of the Giants, four ahead of the Braves, and five ahead of Florida for the wild card spot in the NL. With a Dodgers loss to the Cubs the Rockies also gain a game in the division standings and are once again just 3.5 games behind Los Angeles.

via www.fangraphs.com

NL West Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Los Angeles	74	51	.592	0	Lost 1
Colorado	70	54	.564	3.5	Won 2
San Francisco	67	57	.540	6.5	Lost 2
Arizona	55	70	.440	19	Won 1
San Diego	52	73	.416	22	Lost 1

(updated 8.23.2009 at 7:04 PM EDT)

Rowbot Roll Call:

SDcat09, Charlie77, jcn7vc, bballrox4717, TuLoRocks2008, Rox Girl, El Paso Jeff, 5280reasons, coolopotamous, Kumar_98, MissR, Maris6161, Chrysicat, ejskater, FooMan, WolfMarauder, MohrPlease, Cargo's Ball Sack5, GoRockies!!, Neclord56, brian8065, RockiesMagicNumber, RockyMtnCat, mkorpal, dclvegas, SpringStein, realmenwearpurple, TheRockHead, biondino, WalkInRight, GoRoxGo, ch3cooh1, EricMedic, David OhNo, squalene203, Rawktober, lizardlad01, butterfly, amoeba, befizzle, fantasyfencing, Poseidon's Fist, free7694, Wetwilly, Timmy Cain

Hate

Grant — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:59:22 -0000

I was going to write a long, in-depth piece that compared Kevin Frandsen's minor league career to the minor league careers of the top 15 major league second basemen, but my internet connection went down. Then it went back up. Then back down. Then up. Now, as of 11:00 a.m., it's down. So I'll have to make do with a research-free post, or as I like to call them, a "typical and ordinary weekday post." I'll summarize the point of the canceled post in a sentence: Because Brian Roberts didn't have have the numbers that Frandsen did in the upper minors, science says that Frandsen will have a better major league career.

It's probably for the best, though, as my heart wasn't really in a pseudo-research mode. Today, my heart is full of hate. The All-Star break was long, and during the entire break, I was allowed to fantasize about a playoff-bound Giants team. They would have made it if the season ended at the break, of course. I hate that I was duped, bamboozled, and possibly even hornswoggled. This team, as presently assembled, is a reaaaaal stinker.

After the jump, there's more hate.

I hate that of the three left-handed hitting corner outfielders on the roster, I'm still not sure if any of them will ever be worth a starting role. I want closure.

I hate that Jason Marquis has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year. Seriously, that's really annoying. Let's go with Occam's Razor here. What's more likely: a) that Jason Marquis pitches well in Coors Field and the Rockies go on their second historic 40-game run in less than two years, or b) the Rockies are cheating by spraying humidor balls with freon in the top half innings of home games. Obviously, it's b. I'm just trying to figure out why they're winning on the road too, and then I'll publish my paper.

I hate that there were actually people who thought Ryan Sadowski's first two starts in the majors meant more than his entire professional career to that point.

I hate that Kevin Frandsen never got a shot after getting hot toward the end of 2007, even though his career minor league numbers are comparable to the minor league numbers of most of the top second baseman in the game. I guess he just needed to play for an organization that had more of an opening at second base.

On a related note, I hate that I even suspect that my favorite team is run by people who could look at Frandsen's 5-for-39 this year and conceivably think, man, that's obviously his true performance level now.

On another related note, I hate that someone just read that and didn't get the point. "Yeah, but what's Frandsen done in the majors, man? NOTHING. Minor league stats, AAAA players, blah blah blah, game played on the field, blah blah blah, Damon Minor and Todd Linden."

On yet another related note, I hate that I'm worrying that two bad outings + no help from the relievers who followed him + ERA over 6.00 = back-o'-the-bullpen duties for Sergio Romo.

I hate that my cat wants out and then scratches to get in so he can meow to get out once he's in, and that wakes up my daughter, which seriously impedes my effort to write about a crappy team that no one wants to read about right now. Solution: I'm going to shave the cat and mail him to Finland. You read that,cat? I swear on my life, I will shave you and mail you to another country. Pull this crap during a winning streak.

I hate that Pablo Sandoval didn't make the All-Star Game. Sorry, I'm not letting it go.

I hate that this team will probably start winning soon, making me look like an idiot. They won't go on a Rockies-type tear, of course. They'll win just enough to make the haters look stupid, and then they'll have another terrible road trip right as I start to believe again.

I hate the Dodgers. I hate that they're winning. I also hate the Dodgers.

Comment starter: THINGS YOU HATE. I hate this road trip. I think I hate every road trip now.

Game 93 Recap: Giants 3, Braves 11

gondeee — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:20:57 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

You never see it on the broadcast, but Tommy Hanson really likes to stick his tongue out when he delivers the ball... sort of Michael Jordan-esque.

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What's this! We're a game over .500! A whole game!

This was the tale of two games. The game started out being a pretty good pitchers duel, with both Tommy Hanson and Jonathan Sanchez working out of jams before each settled down. Then the Braves broke out the bats against the Giants' bullpen.

Tommy Hanson was all types of dominant tonight, en route to his fifth win. He struck out a career-high 11. The box score will say that he allowed 3 runs, but he was the victim of some unfortunate misses in the outfield. Matt Diaz barely missed a ball in the second inning which led to some runs, and then Nate McLouth lost a ball in the twilight that turned into a triple and eventually a run (the tying run in fact).

The Braves' bats didn't let it stay tied for long. With the very effective Sanchez out of the game, the Braves took full advantage of the Giants' bullpen. Reliever Sergio Romo (who is cursed with one of the most annoying last names in the history of sports) became the victim of some bad luck. Yunel Escobar singled to start the inning, and then Garret Anderson blooped in another single in front of the left fielder. Matt Diaz was then asked to bunt, and once again could not execute. With the bunt play taken off, Diaz was swinging away and laced a triple in the right center field gap to score two and break the tie.

Casey Kotchman followed with an RBI single to extend his hitting streak, and after a pitching change, pinch hitter Ryan Church delivered his first homerun as a member of the Braves (ironically, on the same night that Jeff Francoeur delivered his first homerun as a member of the Mets).

The Braves got some more power in addition to the homerun by Church. Garret Anderson got the scoring started with a solo homerun in the second inning, and Chipper Jones put the Braves ahead in the third with a two-run shot.

Every batter in the starting lineup had a hit except for Martin Prado, who hit every ball hard with nothing to show for it.

Great game tonight. I also really liked the high-home camera angle they used on SportSouth. I remember ESPN using it several years ago and I didn't like it when they did it, but I really liked it tonight. I hope they keep doing that.

Source: Giants Interested in White Sox Dye and Indians Martinez

Matt Buggenhagen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:52:17 -0000

More photos » by Amy Sancetta - AP

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According to a report in today's Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Giants sent a top scout to Cleveland Monday night to watch White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye. It is also believed they may have scouted the Indians Victor Martinez, said a source in the Tribune article.

Dye, 35, would be a tremendous acquisition for the Giants. He is an above average hitter, and by all accounts is a strong veteran leader in the clubhouse, both something the Giants could use.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Jermaine Dye	69	247	44	71	12	1	18	46	26	56	0	2	.287	.357	.563

On the surface Dye seems like a perfect fit for the Giants. He grew in Vacaville, California, which is only an hour east of San Francisco. According to the Tribune, Dye and his family also make their off-season home in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is where the Giants spring training facility is located.

Dye's contract includes a $12 million mutual option for 2010 that becomes a player option if he is traded. The Sox would receive two draft picks if Dye stays with the Sox but his option isn't picked up and he leaves for free agency.

It still remains to be seen which direction the White Sox will go come the non-waiver trade deadline. Early reports were the White Sox were going to be buyers (i.e. their attempt to acquire Jake Peavy), then the team struggled and it appeared they were going to be sellers. Now a recent win streak has put the Sox only four games out of the division lead, which has created confusion on their actual trade position.

Here is how manager Ozzie Guillen explained the Sox's current position Monday night.

"If Kenny is going to make some moves, he will make the move first and then say he's selling. He's not going to tell people."

Should the White Sox elect to sell the Giant's appear to be a great trade partner. They have significantly upgraded their farm system over the last few years, and have several pieces that could accommodate the Sox's needs.

Here is a look at the Giants 10 best prospects courtesy of Baseball America.

1. Madison Bumgarner, LHP

2. Buster Posey, C

3. Angel Villalona, 1B

4. Tim Alderson, RHP

5. Tim Noonan, 2B

6. Ehire Adrianza, SS

7. Conor Gillaspie, 3B

8. Rafael Rodriguez, OF

9. Scott Barnes, LHP

10. Sergio Romo, RHP

Now don't expect the Giants to move any of their top three prospects (Bumgarner, Posey, Villalona) in any sort of deal, especially one that would bring back a 35 year-old outfielder. However, they may be willing to part with other pieces in their farm system.

The Giants are believed to be very serious about making a post-season run. They sit seven games behind the Dodgers in the west, but currently have 1 ½ lead on the NL wild card.

Expect the Giants to start attempting to make a move soon. They are in a strong position, and people within the organization believe a few additional parts could certainly make this a playoff team. Following the departure of Barry Bonds the Giants have disappeared from the national spotlight. With their loaded young pitching staff, and a plethora of mediocre teams in the NL, I see no reason the Giants cannot hang on and win the NL wild card.

Poll

Will the Giants make the postseason in 2009?

Yes, they are good enough right now

111 votes

No chance, to many better teams out their right now

41 votes

Yes, only if they significantly upgrade their offense

179 votes

331 votes | Poll has closed

Post-Game Recap: Giants Defeat Marlins

Grant — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:46:24 -0000

More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP

The pre-made AP caption on this one was "LOLWUT?", but I thought I'd erase that and open it up to a caption contest.

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This game was a great example of why a good closer is a finishing touch on a good team, not a prequisite to having a good team. If Wilson blew the game, all of the focus would have been on him. Why can't we get a reliable closer? Why can't Wilson just have a 1-2-3 inning? Grrr, Wilson!

Less of a focus: the Giants turned 14 baserunners (including six doubles!) into three runs. They have a gift, don't they? As it stands, Wilson's wacky ninth-inning transpirings are something to worry about when the team is capable of scoring runs.

Also of note: Sergio Romo is like Tim Lincecum with a mustache, six miles per hour less on his fastball, and 53 different breaking balls. I will note Romo's successes, and ignore his shortcomings. A-ha! That was a trick statement. Romo has no shortcomings. Man, how he was missed.

Also also of note: Gee, guys, I'm starting to wonder if Edgar Renteria's bat isn't going to come around.

Also³ of note: Great win. After the horror shows in Seattle and San Diego, this has been a pleasant surprise of a road trip so far.

Post-Game Recap: Zito Gets a Well-Deserved Win

Grant — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:32:46 -0000

The best part of the game for me wasn't Sandoval's homer. It wasn't Zito's continued non-Zitoness, which is a return to his pre-Giants Zitosity. It wasn't Aaron Rowand's continued non-Rowandness, which is...well, you get the point.

Sergio Romo, baby. He's back.

The slider slid, the cutter cut, and Romo got through two innings of one-run ball, pumping his fist back to the dugout.

Brandon Medders and Justin Miller have done much, much, much better than we had any right to expect. As options in the back of the bullpen go, the Giants aren't in bad shape. In the meantime, Medders and Miller did fine impressions of late-inning guys. Thanks for that.

But: Romo.

We all have our favorites. Steve Reed used to be one of my favorites. What if, then, late-inning scientists developed a Steve Reed who could also get lefties out?

Romo.

Good win. Now is the time on McCovey Chronicles when we dance.

Now I just can't wait until we trade for a hitter.

Know Your Foe: Visiting Chase Field never looked so good

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:40:47 -0000

More photos » by Eric Risberg - AP

The frustrated Diamondbacks are there for the taking if Colorado hopes to turn their own frowns upside-down.

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The Rockies have completed four series thus far, winning one, tying one, and losing two. After a sweep punctuated by an embarrassing loss Sunday, a return to play Arizona in the desert might be just what Colorado needs. Did I just say that? Forget the past - that's history. What matters is right now, and the Rockies will be playing the coldest team in the majors, and the one team they have beaten in a series this year to boot.

Arizona Diamondbacks (4-8, L1, t-4th in NL West)

Monday-Wednesday : 3-game series at Colorado

As bitter as it tastes to be a Rockies fan after this past week, it's far worse being a D-Backs fan right now. Check it out:

Arizona managed just TWO runs in their weekend set at AT&T.
Despite allowing just four runs in three starts, Dan Haren is 0-3 - one total run of support will do that to you.
At one point last week, not a single D-Back crossed home plate for 20 innings.
Their run differential is -22, dead last in the majors (even the 1-10 Nats)
Six losses in eight games.
Rankings at the bottom of the barrel all around:

Team Stat	MLB Rank	Amt
wOBA	28th	.293
OPS	26th	.680
Average	28th	.227
Runs For	27th	40
ERA	20th	5.18
Runs Against	20th	62
K's For	25th	70

For perspective, their team wOBA is worse than Willy Taveras was last season. And those pitching stats aren't even misleading - their staff has allowed the 7th lowest BABIP in the bigs. Quite frankly, Arizona is performing like everyone thought San Diego would. DbacksSkins has issued advice to himself and his brethren. Jim McLennan at the 'Pit has 10 reasons to be fearful for Arizona fans.

Colorado faced the hottest team in the majors this weekend on the road, and now it's time to take on arguably the coldest. It will be a great opportunity to rebound while simultaneously returning the favor of sending Arizona spiralling downward in April.

Probable Pitchers:

Today, 7:40pm MDT

Battle of the new veterans:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jon Garland	1-1	8.44	1.96	2	8

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Marquis	2-0	1.93	1.00	5	4

Jason Marquis looks like the better veteran rotation addition so far. Anything close to his two previous starts should be a streak-breaker. Jon Garland has never faced the Rockies in his career. Marquis is 2-3 with a 3.82 ERA vs Arizona since 2006.

Tuesday, April 21, 1:40pm MDT

Battle of the pseudo-5th starters:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
009 - Franklin Morales	1-0	1.50	0.83	6	1

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Yusmeiro Petit	0-1	7.71	1.57	7	4

Yusmeiro Petit filled in the fifth spot in the rotation when Brandon Webb landed on the DL and struggled, while Franklin Morales returns to the fifth spot in the Rockies rotation after a scoreless outing in AAA. The Petit Unit has allowed two runs in seven innings in his career vs Colorado; Morales is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA vs Arizona in three career starts.

Wednesday, April 22, 1:40pm MDT

Battle of the unfairly winless:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	0-1	4.50	1.70	8	6

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Dan Haren	0-3	1.89	0.79	17	3

Dan Haren leads MLB with three losses, but he has been the victim of historically minimal run support. Jorge de la Rosa allowed no runs in his last start, but a blown save foiled his chance for his first win. Haren is 3-2 with a 2.85 ERA vs. Colorado since 2006, and DLR is 1-1 with a 3.92 ERA vs the Snakes.

Lineup:

What follows is what was considered the best line-up Arizona had to start the season, but as is evident, the struggling offense will breed a lineup shuffle in order and personnel.

Player	Avg	HR	RBI
Lopez	.370	2	4
Young	.238	1	3
Drew	.222	1	5
Jackson	.200	1	7
Tracy	.290	1	6
Upton	.185	0	1
Reynolds	.257	2	5
Snyder	.100	0	1

It's a bad sign when your best player is 0-3. Dan Haren (0-3, 1.89 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 17 K) has allowed just four runs in his three starts but lost all three of them. Felipe Lopez stayed hot after his historic Opening Day. He hit .462 last week in 26 ABs.

How about the rest of the lineup? Stephen Drew, Conor Jackson, Eric Byrnes, Chris Snyder and Chris Young all failed to record as many hits last week as Ian Kinsler did Wednesday alone. The entire offense frozen, especially with runners in scoring position.

Stephen Drew left Friday's game with a left hamstring injury. He is day to day but has not played since Friday. Augie Ojeda has taken his place in the line-up, hitting leadoff and pushing the hot-hitting Lopez to the three-hole.

NL West Report after the jump

NL West Report

Arizona (4-8, t-4th, L1)

Last Week: 1-2 vs Cardinals, 1-2 at Giants. Arizona has lost every series this season, three of them at home. Getting buried early while

This Week: 3 game home series vs. Rockies, 3 game home series vs Giants

News: Brandon Webb threw a flat-ground bullpen session yesterday, and will throw off the mound tomorrow. Jim McLennan says it "doesn't seem he'll be back soon." The course of action Arizona will take with Webb is entirely dependent on his performance tomorrow.

Stephen Drew

#6 / Short Stop / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Mar 16, 1983

Stephen Drew left Friday's game with a hamstring injury and has not played since, and Mark Reynolds missed Sunday's game with a left quadriceps strain.

D-Backs fans can at least take refuge in the fact that their AAA team is going strong. Until the Sky Sox won yesterday, the Visalia Rawhide were undefeated. 2008 Minor League Player of the Year Josh Whitesell is on fire, so perhaps he could see some playing time soon over struggling Tony Clark.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Stephen Drew	hamstring	04/20/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tom Gordon	elbow	03/27/2009
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

Los Angeles (10-3, 2nd, W8)

Last Week: 3-0 vs Giants, 3-0 vs Rockies. The Dodgers have the greatest run differential in the majors at +42. That eclipses 11-1 Florida by 11.

This Week: 3 game road series at Giants, 3 game road series at Rockies. Los Angeles owns MLB's longest win streak this season, though all but two of those games came at home. Los Angeles will hit the road for their next nine games, so hopefully they will slow down away from Chavez Ravine.

News: The Dodgers are one of three teams rumored to be interested in Mark Mulder. The former Athletic and Cardinal is still a few weeks away from being ready to pitch.

Mark Mulder

#30 / Pitcher / Free Agent

Height: 6-6

Weight: 215

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Aug 05, 1977

Signed LHP Chuck Tiffany to a minor league contract and will be assigned to extended spring training. Tiffany was traded to Tampa Bay in the Danys Baez deal in 2006 and was released by the Rays last month.

The Dodgers traded OF Delwyn Young to the Pirates Wednesday for two PTBNL's. Young was out of options and injured.

Los Angeles is on a tear to start the season, but it can't last forever. Sky Kalkman ran the CHONE projections again Saturday for the remaining games, and the Dodgers finished just two games north of .500. If after the weekend sweep you want to see more bad press on the Dodgers, check out GM Ned Colletti's all-time team of players he gave up on.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Doug Mientkiewicz	shoulder	04/17/2009
Jason Schmidt	shoulder	03/30/2009
Hiroki Kuroda	oblique	04/07/2009
Cory Wade	shoulder	04/12/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Claudio Vargas	elbow	04/05/2009

San Diego (9-4, 2nd, W4)

Last Week: 2-1 at Mets, 2-1 at Phillies. Despite facing the top two NL East favorites on the road, the Padres continue to roll. A blown save yesterday by Edwin Moreno prevented a 5-1 week. Heath Bell, who leads MLB with 7 saves (3 more than anyone else), was unavailable due to multiple recent appearances.

This Week: 1 game to finish 4 game series at Phillies, 2 game road series at Giants, 3 game home series vs Pirates.

News: 2B Trivis Denker was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox last Tuesday.

Travis Denker

San Diego Padres

Height: 5-9

Weight: 205

Born: Aug 05, 1985

Paul DePodesta answers questions regarding Denker, the sporadic use of Eulogio de la Cruz, and why the Friars carry 13 pitchers.

The Padres have surprised so far this season with their 9-4 record. If they remain in contention, they have the payroll flexibility to add a piece in a push for the playoffs.

Walter Silva strained his forearm and will head to the DL.

San Diego Padres Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
Everth Cabrera	other-excused	04/20/2009
Walter Silva	forearm	04/14/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mark Worrell	elbow	03/27/2009
Mike Adams	shoulder	03/27/2009

San Francisco (4-8, t-4th, W1)

Last Week: 0-3 at Los Angeles, 2-1 vs Arizona. It is hard to gauge San Francisco, as they faced the division's hottest and coldest teams in the same week.

This Week: 2 game home series vs Padres, 3 game road series at Arizona.

News: GM Brian Sabean is reportedly back-tracking on another bad contract. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday that the Giants are trying to unload Aaron Rowand, with the White Sox as a possibility.

Aaron Rowand

#33 / Center Field / San Francisco Giants

Height: 6-0

Weight: 220

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 29, 1977

	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Aaron Rowand	.297	.350	.541

For any trade to take place, San Francisco would have to eat a large portion of his contract. Such a trade would hurt former Rockie Scott Podsednik's chance to make a contribution in Chicago.

El Lefty Malo notes that many fans are pointing to 2010 as the year the Giants will compete. He isn't so sure.

San Francisco Giants Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Noah Lowry	shoulder	03/27/2009
Sergio Romo	elbow	03/27/2009
Joe Martinez	concussion	04/10/2009

Poll

How many games will Colorado take from Arizona this series?

0 - This team is in such disarray, even another struggling team will sweep them

10 votes

1 - That's the most you can hope for with the bottom three of the rotation in the queue

27 votes

2 - Arizona has lost every series this season and is ice cold. The Rox are struggling too much to expect a sweep, but a series win is in the bag.

54 votes

3 - We might be struggling, but Arizona is worse off than when we took two in the desert two weeks ago. The Snakes are banished to the cellar

26 votes

117 votes | Poll has closed