SB Nation - Chad Moeller

Heroes of the Zeros: Catcher

Slyde — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:00:25 -0000

Continuing on with our All Decade ballots, today we look at catcher. The Reds haven't had an All Star catcher since Bo Diaz in 1987, but they've still had what could be considered a solid crop of players at backstop since Johnny Bench retired. None of the guys listed below would likely be on most teams' All Decade squad, but that doesn't mean the Reds have had crap there over the last decade. They managed to get somewhat above average production out of the position a few years over the last 10, even if they weren't consistently good from year to year.

Now that we are into the hitters, let me explain what we'll be doing. For catchers, you will be selecting a starter and a backup, but you won't be doing that for any other position. After we get through all of the positions, I will have a day for selecting a left-handed and right-handed pinch hitter, and I will also take the the top vote-getter in the OF who is not a starter as the backup OF, and the top middle IF non-starting vote getter as the utility IF. That will give us a full 25-man roster for the decade.

So, if you are having a hard time deciding who should be the backup catcher, remember that the guy has a shot at being a pinch hitter, assuming he was used in that fashion frequently enough. Ballot is after the jump.

Other ballots: Starting Rotation | Bullpen

Click header to sort table by column
	Years	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	wOBA	WAR
Paul Bako	2008	99	338	299	30	65	11	2	6	35	34	90	.217	.299	.328	.626	64	.271	-0.6
Ryan Hanigan	2007-2009	126	402	346	34	92	9	1	5	22	48	42	.266	.363	.341	.704	86	.307	1.5
Ramon Hernandez	2009	81	331	287	25	74	13	1	5	37	33	34	.258	.336	.362	.699	84	.307	0.5
Jason LaRue	2000-2006	679	2441	2136	251	513	120	6	81	293	186	613	.240	.326	.416	.741	91	.314	6.2
Corky Miller	2001-2009	104	342	288	24	57	13	0	7	36	33	69	.198	.301	.316	.617	61	.276	0.0
Chad Moeller	2007	30	49	48	6	8	1	0	1	2	0	17	.167	.167	.250	.417	4	.175	-0.6
Dave Ross	2006-2008	254	817	692	86	157	34	1	41	104	99	203	.227	.324	.457	.780	96	.318	3.3
Benito Santiago	2000	89	277	252	22	66	11	1	8	45	19	45	.262	.310	.409	.719	79	.292	0.1
Kelly Stinnett	2001-2003	157	518	459	51	110	29	0	15	57	45	137	.240	.318	.401	.719	86	.306	-0.1
Eddie Taubensee	2000	81	291	266	29	71	12	0	6	24	21	44	.267	.324	.380	.704	76	.310	-1.3
Javier Valentin	2004-2008	441	1086	981	107	259	56	2	34	149	93	154	.264	.326	.429	.755	93	.322	1.0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/15/2009.

Making Your '00 Face: Catcher

KLSnow — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:00:16 -0000

With the '00's almost behind us, it's time to take a look back and work together to make a BCB All Decade team for the '00s. Each day, we'll tackle a new position, and we'll have our 25 man roster complete sometime around the 1st of the year.

The concept here is pretty simple. Each day, I'll give you a list of candidates: For position players, it's the full list of players who appeared in at least 100 games at the position during the '00s. Here are the players we've selected so far:

First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Third Base: Bill Hall
Outfield: Ryan Braun

Voting for center field opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we'll unveil the candidates at catcher:

Henry Blanco

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001
Slash line as a Brewer: .222/.303/.268
WAR as a Brewer: 0.6

Raul Casanova

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Slash line as a Brewer: .241/.311/.406
WAR as a Brewer: 0.1

Eddie Perez

Seasons as a Brewer: 1, 2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .271/.304/.420
WAR as a Brewer: -0.1

Chad Moeller

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2004-2006
Slash line as a Brewer: .204/.257/.319
WAR as a Brewer: -4

Damian Miller

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2005-2007
Slash line as a Brewer: .257/.324/.391
WAR as a Brewer: 1.2

Mike Rivera

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2006-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .260/.333/.423
WAR as a Brewer: 0.6

Johnny Estrada

Seasons as a Brewer: 1, 2007
Slash line as a Brewer: .278/.296/.403
WAR as a Brewer: -1

Jason Kendall

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2008-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .244/.329/.315
WAR as a Brewer: 2.1

Poll

Who should be the catcher on the BCB All Decade Team?

Raul Casanova

4 votes

Henry Blanco

11 votes

Eddie Perez

5 votes

Chad Moeller

9 votes

Damian Miller

392 votes

Mike Rivera

20 votes

Johnny Estrada

22 votes

Jason Kendall

70 votes

533 votes | Poll has closed

Saturday Bird Droppings

Stacey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:00:34 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Your Off-Season O of the Day: Alfredo Simon (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Browse more photos »

First, your hot stove news, including a few stories that were linked in the comments of yesterday's Open Thread. The Mariners and Chone Figgins have agreed on a 4 year, $36M contract and the Orioles have re-signed Chad Moeller for the 2010 season. Marco Scutaro is now a Red Sox, having agreed to a two year, $12.5M contract with an option for a third year, and Placido Polanco signed with the Philles for three years, $18M.

Throwing Strikes With Brad Bergesen
The Bowie Baysox caught up with Bergy to ask him a few questions about Thanksgiving, his leg, and his toughest opponent. -Stacey

WSBA-AM talking with Orioles
Don't fear, York County residents, the O's will be on the radio in 2010. -Stacey

Nets beat Bobcats to snap record 0-18 run
The O's 1988 record is safe for another year as the Nets defeated the Bobcats 97-91 for their first win of the year. -Stacey

Keys President Named Minor League Executive Of The Year
Ken Young, President of the Frederick Keys and owner of several other minor league teams, oversaw improvements to the Keys stadium and that, combined with the young prospects, led to the Keys leading the Carolina league in attendance in 2009. -Stacey

Jeff Fiorentino: 2010’s Ryan Langerhans?
FanGraphs thinks that Jeff Fiorentino could be a league average center fielder and that a team would be smart to sign him over Scott Podsednik or Rick Ankiel. -Stacey

Baltimore Orioles Top 20 Prospects for 2010 - Minor League Ball
John Sickels rates the top 20 prospects in the O's minor league system. A very fair assessment, I think, though my favorite comment is about Steve Johnson (ranked #12): "Might get overlooked because of his boring name." -Stacey

Jorge Says No! | Hypothetically Speaking: The Adam Jones Contract Extension
Even though we're only in December, Adam Jones has to be one of the offseason's biggest losers so far. Jones narrowly missed out on being arbitration eligible, losing the final "super two" spot to Mike Fontenot of the Cubs. ...This sets up the ideal scenario for Jones and the Orioles to come to terms on a contract extension. The Orioles can lock up Jones before his price tag becomes too large and Jones can get a raise in 2010 and a nice amount of guaranteed money for the future. (hat tip to Dempsey's Army for finding this) -zk

Holiday announcements from the Shorebirds All kinds of holiday goodness at Arthur W. Perdue stadium today from 10 a.m. to noon, including pictures with Santa AND Sherman the Shorebird. -Stacey

Old Mill rides backup running back to Class 4A state title
Ok, so it's not O's related. It doesn't have anything to do with baseball, even. But Old Mill Senior High, my alma mater, took home the its first state football championship last night at M&T Bank Stadium against Wise High School. Old Mill won 17-16 in a hard fought game that saw their star running back injured in the first quarter. Congrats to the Patriots! Go red, white, and blue! -Stacey

The Worst Brewers Seasons Hitting With RISP

TheJay — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:00:33 -0000

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Watching J.J. Hardy Hit

It may sound strange following a 1-5 homestand in which the team hit a measly .116 with runners in scoring position, but the Brewers actually haven't been that bad with RISP this year. In fact, they're a hair above average both in the NL and for all of MLB. Their performance with RISP mirrors their hitting overall: slightly above average at getting on base and a little more above average in power.

As with all team batting numbers, some players inflate the average and some bring it down. The usual suspects are atop the team leaderboard: Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee are cleaning up with RISP, while Felipe Lopez and Ryan Braun are close behind. Craig Counsell is sitting right at the team average. Jason Kendall is contributing at a rate slightly below his overall numbers, which is to say he isn't doing much at all. However, there is one Brewer struggling even more than Kendall with runners on second or third: J.J. Hardy.

Through yesterday's game, J.J. Hardy is hitting .190/.272/.241 in 137 plate appearances with RISP in 2009. His 137 PA is good for fourth-most on the team, behind Fielder, Braun, and Cameron. He is one of only ten major leaguers to bat 100 times with runners in scoring position this season and put up an OPS under .600. For the record: the others are Robinson Cano, Ivan Rodriguez, Dioner Navarro, Emilio Bonifacio, the aforementioned Kendall, Rick Ankiel, Vernon Wells, Rafael Furcal, and Mike Fontenot. This isn't new for Hardy, either. Last year he sputtered to a .609 OPS in 160 plate appearances. He has matched his 2008 RISP RBI total in 23 fewer tries, though, so it's not all bad in 2009.

Now, it's not with an eye to sullying Hardy's reputation even further that I'm posting all this. Consider, for example, that the past two seasons have totaled fewer than 400 plate appearances with RISP. That's about four months' worth of at bats. Certainly it's not enough to judge a player's ability. Consider also his work with RISP in his first three seasons: a robust .298/.393/.440 line. For whatever reason, the last two seasons have not been kind to Hardy with runners on second or third. Maybe the baseball gods don't like soap operas. Who knows.

Whatever the reason, it doesn't take away from the fact his season in 2009 has been historic. If he doesn't play another game this season, he would finish with the third-worst OPS with RISP in a season in team history, minimum 100 plate appearances.

Name	Year	PA	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Chad Moeller	2004	108	20	.146	.224	.219	.443
Rick Auerbach	1972	135	24	.193	.276	.210	.486
J.J. Hardy	2009	137	35	.190	.272	.241	.513
Brady Clark	2006	113	20	.202	.286	.234	.520
Mike Ferraro	1972	104	24	.239	.282	.250	.532
Gerald Williams	1997	144	28	.205	.248	.283	.532
Tim Johnson	1973	121	29	.241	.283	.250	.533
Gary Sheffield	1989	111	26	.219	.284	.260	.545
Jim Gantner	1986	137	31	.198	.284	.261	.545
Eric Young	2002	115	25	.189	.277	.274	.550

I guess we know now why the 1972 team was hard up for runs. I included RBI because I think it's interesting that Hardy has already beaten everyone on this list. The next-lowest OPS for someone with 35 or more RBI is Charlie Moore's .567 in 1982.

Tim Johnson's appearance brings up another interesting point. Baseball-reference has something called tOPS+ for each player's splits. It basically compares his OPS in the split to his overall OPS. Like OPS+, anything over 100 means he did better in that split than overall. Johnson actually had a 112 tOPS+ for that anemic 1973 performance with RISP. He was just an awful hitter. He also had a pretty strange ending to his managerial stint with Toronto.

You may suspect that Hardy shows up on a tOPS+ leaderboard as well. You would be correct. In fact, he shows up twice on the list of 10 worst seasons with RISP in terms of tOPS+. I guess a better way to say it would be that these guys suddenly lost their ability to hit when runners were on second or third.

Name	Year	PA	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	tOPS+
Johnny Briggs	1972	129	41	.193	.260	.339	.599	49
Brady Clark	2006	113	20	.202	.286	.234	.520	52
J.J. Hardy	2008	160	35	.221	.308	.301	.609	53
Eric Young	2002	115	25	.189	.277	.274	.550	56
Sixto Lezcano	1977	121	22	.194	.339	.306	.645	56
Chad Moeller	2004	108	20	.146	.224	.219	.443	57
J.J. Hardy	2009	137	35	.190	.272	.241	.513	59
Damian Miller	2005	129	29	.182	.344	.242	.586	60
Jim Gantner	1986	137	31	.198	.284	.261	.545	61
Dave Nilsson	1997	179	52	.238	.318	.325	.643	63

Hardy still has the better part of a month (albeit not starting consistently) to work his way off these lists. A brief hot streak should do the trick, though it's hard to see how he could reverse his recent futility that drastically. Then again, stranger things have happened. Since it seems obvious Hardy will not be back in Milwaukee in 2010, it will be interesting to see if a change of scenery and coaching staff brings his performance with runners in scoring position back in line with his overall totals.

The O's Win the Series! The O's Win the Series!: Baltimore 7, Texas 0

zknower — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:13:54 -0000

by Gail Burton - AP

3 months ago: Baltimore Orioles Melvin Mora is hit by pitch, pulling his shirt out, by Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland in the fourth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

View full size photo »

Taking another step towards .500 ball, the Orioles spanked the Rangers in convincing fashion today.

For a club that is fighting to go to the playoffs, the Rangers sure looked moribund (Google it, BSF), being shutout by the resurgent Jeremy Guthrie who pitched 7 strong innings and seems to have truly shaken his demons from earlier this season. Guthrie finished with 6Ks and only 1BB, and looked in the zone all afternoon, working quickly and clearly armed with his good stuff. Fat Albers and KAM! finished off the Rangers with a scoreless inning each. Texas had RISP a couple times, but every time they threatened to make a game of it, Guts would get the out of danger, either with a double play or with a K/ground ball combo (KAM did the same thing in the 9th). All in all, the Rangers left 9 men on base. Ouch.

Meanwhile, our offense showed up, and in some unlikely faces, too. "Screech" Fiorentino and Chad Moeller each had 2 hits and 2 RBI, as did Brian Roberts, who went back to leadoff, and from whom you might actually expect to see such numbers. I'll note that the Dipper was yammering on like a schoolboy in love regarding Fio throughout the telecast. Hwiggggginton was 3 for 4 with a run. Memlo got a hit and scored 2. Every starter got on base except Reimold, who contributed nonetheless with a sac fly RBI. There were no dingers hit in this game, which was refreshing for once.

The Birds took the lead for good in the second on a Memlo single, a Screech BB, and a two-run double by Moeller. They tacked on four more runs in the fourth: first, Mora was hit by a pitch that literally untucked his shirt, and Wigginton doubled him over to third on a gapper that should have been worth only one base but was bobbled in center-left. Screech then knocked in Memlo with his own single to left. Andino followed with a walk to load the bases, and Roberts stroked a sweet liner into left to plate two. Nolan Reimold made it 6-0 with a sacrifice to right. The seventh run came on clutch two-out single by Fio following a Markakis BB and a Hwigginton single that got Nicky around to third.

But the story of this game really has to be Guts (although you may never get another chance to vote Screech for MBP). Making his fourth straight quality start, he has now given up 4 runs in his past 27 IP. Not too shabby. Whatever was making the ship founder earlier this year, it seems to have been corrected: Guts is back to being the Guts of old.

The O's took only their second series since the All-Star break, and won consecutive games for only the third time over that same period; they split the season series with the Rangers 5-5. After a day off, the Birds will travel to Fenway for a twofer against the PHN. With onbly 25 more victories, they can avoid their 12th straight losing season.

Poll

Who's the MBP for Sunday, Sep 6, 2009?

Jeremy Guthrie (7IP, 0ER, 6K, 1BB, ERA now under 5.00!)

204 votes

Jeff "Screech" Fiorentino (2 for 3, BB, 2R, 2RBI, is loved by The Dipper)

32 votes

Chad Moeller (2 for 4, 2RBI)

0 votes

Memlo (1 for 3, HBP, 2R, did not try to bunt at any time)

2 votes

238 votes | Poll has closed

Farmers Only: Homer Bailey just may have AAA figured out

BK — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:00:29 -0000

Homey

Louisville beat Norfolk pretty handily 6-2 on another impressive start by Homer Bailey. Homer went 8 shutout innings and struck out 7 while walking only 1. In his 5 starts since coming back from Cincinnati, Bailey's given up 3 runs in 37 1/3 innings for an ERA of 0.72. He's also struck out 31 in that span while only walking 8. Daniel Dorn was 3-for-4 and Luis Bolivar had two hits to lead the offense. The Tides put together a rally in the 9th off of Camilo Vazquez, making his AAA debut, but it wasn't enough to take the lead, even with 2-for-4 days by former Reds Jolbert Cabrera and Chad Moeller. Up next: Justin Lehr takes on Norfolk at 7:05.
Carolina was rained out. They play a doubleheader in Tennessee starting at noon. Travis Wood and Zach Stewart take the hill. I like our chances.

Klinker

Matt Klinker had a very nice start coming off the DL as Sarasota won 3-1 against Clearwater. Klinker went 5 2/3 of shutout ball, striking out 7 hitters and walking nobody. Jake Kahaulelio and Denis Phipps had two hits each. Up next: Travis Webb takes on Clearwater at 7. Also, Joey Votto should be getting the start at 1B for the S-Reds, and our own Charlie Scrabbles is rumored to be attending this one.
J.C. Sulbaran got shelled as Dayton lost to Lansing 12-7. Kevyn Feiner was 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored to lead the offensive attack. Michael Konstanty hit his 2nd HR of the year, and David Sappelt, Andrew Means, and Kyle Day all had two hits each. Up next: Matt Fairel takes on West Michigan at 7.
Roster Moves: Chris Valaika is back from the DL, although he didn't play yesterday. Jordan Smith was placed on the DL in Carolina, as was Aguido Gonzalez in Dayton.

Lunchtime Prowl: Hart Rumors, Grandy Salutes Scott, Oswalt's No-Trade, and Porcello's Workload

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:00:18 -0000

Could the Tigers be interested in Brewers outfielder Corey Hart? According to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, Detroit is one of three teams that have either scouted or inquired about him.

So far this season, Hart is batting .256/.330/.415 with five homers and 19 RBIs. Milwaukee might be looking to deal him, as he's eligible for arbitration and might want to avoid paying him a pricey one-year deal or multi-year contract. And the Tigers arguably need a bat. But would Hart be the right one (especially with Wilkin Ramirez waiting in Toledo)?

(via Motown Sports)

In his latest post for Big League Stew, Curtis Granderson tips his cap to Luke Scott, who - as Rod Allen might say - beat Tigers pitching like they stole something this weekend. Grandy also joked with Aubrey Huff about the Tigers trying to get Scott in a trade and addresses those fans who thought throwing at the Tigers Killer might solve some problems.

Just how much has Edwin Jackson improved this season? Tiger Tales has all the pertinent numbers lined up for you in a handy chart, including Jackson's numbers with the Rays last year, and his career statistics before 2009.

Tom Gage asks his readers if Chad Moeller could be a possibility to replace Dane Sardinha as the Tigers' backup catcher. Moeller was designated for assignment by the Orioles when they called up Matt Wieters.

But with a .200/.259/.360 average before he was cut loose, is he enough of an upgrade over Sardinha. (Granted, those numbers almost look impressive next to The Pineapple's .083/.080/.125 average.)

For today's Freep, John Lowe points out that not only has Fernando Rodney gone 10-for-10 in save opportunities, but he's pitched in 20 games this season in which the Tigers had a lead and protected it each time. (Are we risking the jinx with this?)

Buster Olney thinks Placido Polanco is looking at getting a one-year deal at best in free agency after the season.

If you were concerned at all about rumblings that the White Sox might go after Roy Oswalt after losing out on Jake Peavy, have no fear. The Houston Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz reports that Oswalt would veto such a deal. Does that make strike two for Kenny Williams?

(via Baseball Musings)

Tracy Ringolsby highlights the Tigers' "Handle with Care" approach with Rick Porcello so far this season. They've been keeping his pitch counts low, and with Jeremy Bonderman likely close to returning, maybe we'll see a reduction in his innings by skipping a turn in the rotation here and there.

(via Scott Warheit)

In the FanPosts, Boney writes about his post-game confrontation with some Orioles fans after yesterday's Tigers win, and wonders why some fans feel the need to be nasty to supporters of the visiting team.

FantasyPros911.com has posted its list of the MLB Draft's Top 10 Worst #1 Overall Picks. You can probably guess where the Tigers connection lies (as well as an close call involving the Padres' selection in 2004.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:27:26 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

6 months ago: Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron and Corey Hart celebrate the Brewers 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds after their baseball game on Sunday, May 31, 2009, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

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Some things to read while rocking out to the Ultimate Warrior's theme. (h/t FanShot)

By completing a three-game sweep of the Reds yesterday, the 2009 Brewers won their 30th game, making them the quickest team to 30 wins in franchise history. They also won 18 games in May, meaning loge seats for the June 9-11 series against the Rockies are now just $10. Those tickets became available about half an hour ago.

Here are some tidbits on the Reds series:

Brandon Phillips still thinks the Reds are the better team.
Aaron Harang said he was having a hard time locating everything but his fastball on Saturday.
Friday's 3-2 win was the Brewers' third win this season when collecting three or fewer hits. No other team has more than one such win.

As it turns out, the Reds may have caught Yovani Gallardo at the worst possible time. Joe Posnanski noted that Gallardo has allowed just one earned run in four day starts this season, but posted a 5.26 ERA at night. Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases ranked Gallardo #9 on his list of 50 pitchers to build a team around. Gallardo was the only Brewer listed.

Dave Bush missed the cut, but you can help him make another one: He's an eight seed, up against Aaron Rodgers in the first round of Sconnie Sports' tournament to determine Wisconsin's most popular athlete.

There's plenty of credit to go around when you're winning:

The Wisconsin State Journal has a profile of Brewer third base coach and Madison resident Brad Fischer.
The JS has a profile of pitching coach Bill Castro.
And while Greg Giesen of the Racine Journal Times says the Brewers aren't playing enough small ball, Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal says Ken Macha has stats arguing against it.

Macha also ranked 13th in Nick Cafardo's rankings of all 30 managers. He came in behind Dusty Baker (10th), Lou Pinella (9th) and Tony LaRussa (1st), among others. (h/t Reid Laymance)

The Brewers open a series with the Marlins today. Here's something you may not have known about Trevor Hoffman: He's the only original Florida Marlin still active in the major leagues.

Hopefully Mike Cameron is getting hot again. Cameron has home runs in back-to-back games and leads the team in doubles (12) and slugging percentage (.550). Baseball Musings says the Brewers should be happy they held on to him this offseason.

Turns out, the Brewers are above average against above average teams. Baseball Reference says the Brewers went 20-29 against teams with winning percentages over .600 from 2004-2008, the eleventh best record in baseball.

In the minors:

Alcides Escobar's second base experiment appears to be over. Apparently the adjustment is more difficult than expected.
Joshua Butler, acquired when Gabe Gross was sent to the Rays, was 6-0 in Brevard County before getting called up to start for Nashville on Saturday, and allowing two earned runs in six innings of work. Maybe the Brewers will get something out of Butler after all.
If you'd like to go out and see a Timber Rattler game this week or next and sit in great (free) seats, you should check Rattler Radio's giveaways.

Just one draft note to pass along today: MLB Outsider has the Brewers drafting high school pitcher Matt Hobgood with their first round pick.

Around the league:

Astros: Roy Oswalt has reportedly informed the team that he will not accept a trade to the White Sox.
A's: Placed Travis Buck on the DL with an oblique strain.
Dodgers: Placed pitcher Eric Stults on the DL.
Indians: Placed Grady Sizemore (elbow) and Rafael Betancourt (groin) on the DL and designated David Dellucci for assignment.
Mets: Acquired OF Emil Brown from the Padres.
Orioles: Designated Chad Moeller for assignment.
Pirates: Placed reliever Donnie Veal on the DL with a groin pull.
Rangers: Placed starter Matt Harrison on the DL with a strained shoulder.
Rockies: Fired manager Clint Hurdle and replaced him with Jim Tracy.
Royals: Placed John Buck on the DL with a slight herniation in his back.
Twins: Placed Nick Punto on the DL with a strained groin.
White Sox: Placed Carlos Quentin on the DL with plantar fasciitis, acquired catcher Ramon Castro from the Mets and designated Corky Miller for assignment.

The Cardinals also placed Khalil Greene on the DL over the weekend with a social anxiety issue. No one seems certain on a course of action or a timeframe for his return but, for the first time, retirement has been brought up as a possibility.

Baseball is an incredible game sometimes. When last I mentioned Randy Choate, it was to point out that he had not retired a major league batter since 2006, despite appearing in games in 2007 and 2009. Now, he has two saves for the Rays.

Economic times remain tough for many, and the Pirates are cutting staff midseason on their business side. Today I also have reports that a deal to buy the AA Connecticut Defenders and move them to Richmond has fallen through and the Memphis Redbirds are in default with their stadium financing plan.

Finally, as noted in a FanShot over the weekend, Austin Wood, a reliever for the University of Texas, was allowed to throw 13 innings (169 pitches) in a marathon extra inning game over the weekend, despite the fact that he'd thrown 30 pitches the previous day. The Grand National Championship hopes prospective recruits were paying attention.

Oh, and throwing 13 innings in relief is pretty impressive, but it's nowhere near as hilarious as this rain delay dance off.

Drink up.

The Washington Nationals Find A New Way To Lose. 4-2 In Extras After O's Reliever Danys Baez's First Hit Keeps Inning Alive.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:04:03 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

7 months ago: Washington Nationals' starter Jordan Zimmermann pitches during the third inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, May 22, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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HEADLINES:

Jordan Zimmermann "Makes One Mistake"...

Throw a fastball to a fastball hitter, especially when it's a 3-1 count, and even when it's 93 mph and up high, at the major league level you're taking your chances. Nolan Reimold made Nationals' right-hander Jordan Zimmermann pay for starting the Orioles' slugger with three straight balls when the two met with two down in the second inning of tonight's Interleague showdown between the regional rivals at Nationals Park. Reimold blasted a solo shot to left that cleared the bullpen and the first 5 or six rows of the stands to give Baltimore and early 1-0 lead in Washington.

After recording the first two outs in the third, Zimmermann started Brian Roberts with a 93 mph fastball for a strike, then left a curve up inside to the O's left-handed hitting second baseman, who double to right and scored when O's CF Adam Jones lined a single to left on a first pitch slider from Zimmermann that broke right over the plate at the knees. 2-0 O's after three...

THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! (No Relation)...

Nick Johnson ripped a fastball to right to lead off the fourth, and give Ryan Zimme-- THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! Ryan Zimmerman takes a 1-2 fastball up and out over the plate just into the first row above the out-of-town scoreboard in right, opposite field to tie it with one swing. 2-2 game after four.

Jordan Zimmermann gave up a two-out single in the fifth, a two-out walk in the sixth, and a leadoff single in the seventh, which he quickly erased with a double play grounder and a swinging K from O's reliever Matt Albers, and Zimmermann ended his evening after 7.0 IP, 97 pitches, 65 strikes, 1 BB, 7 K's, 1 HR allowed and 2 ER on 6 hits.

After Zimmermann, Ron Vill0.00ne continued his scoreless inning streak with a quick eighth. Jason Bergmann threw a scoreless ninth, and came back out for the tenth only to be lifted after one batter when he issued a leadoff walk. Dirty Joe Beimel took over for Bergmann and got the Nationals through the 10th still tied. Kip Wells retired the Nationals in order in the eleventh and was called upon to come out again for the twelfth...

Fly ball to left from Ty Wigginton, a ground ball to short from Cesar Izturis, and the Orioles send their pinch hitter back to the dugout, and let Danys Baez bat, for the fourth time in his major league career...Baez sends a dribble to third, Kip Wells comes off the mound and races toward the spinning ball, but pulls up at the last second, too late for Ryan Zimmerman to get to it and they both watch as it refuses to roll foul, Baez safe with an infield single, his first MLB hit. Wells starts Brian Roberts with two balls, and then gives up a ground rule double on a 2-0 fastball, that puts runners on second and third with two down. Adam Jones...doubles to left, two runs score, 4-2 Orioles. That's how the first of three in DC ends...

They'll do it again tomorrow night...

Orioles win, 4-2 final.

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...Check Out Tonight's O's/Nationals Game Thread...

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

Nationals now 12-29.

Baltimore Orioles at Washington Nationals Game 41 of 162.

Washington’s rookie right-hander is up in the zone, but he gets control of the 3-1 fastball and gets a fly ball to right from Brian Roberts. Jordan Zimmerman throws a 93 mph fastball by Adam Jones for strike two, and gets him looking at strike three with 95 mph heat on the outside edge. Nick Markakis sends Justin Maxwell back a bit in center but it falls short of the track...Aubrey Huff doesn’t have to go far to collect the first out on a foul by Cristian Guzman. Nick Johnson looks like he regrets connecting on a weak groundout to second. Brian Roberts jumps to his right fields and throws a rainbow back to first to get Zimmerman and end the first. O’s starter Rich Hill matches Zimmermann’s scoreless frame.

Aubrey Huff shoots a grounder to third, and Ryan Zimmerman throws to first way ahead of the runner. Ronnie Belliard pumps and throws to first in time to get Melvin Mora. Nolan Reimold gets hold of a fastball that lands 5 rows back above the bullpen in left. 1-0 O’s. Chad Moeller can’t bring himself to swing at a tight slider that gets the outside corner...Adam Dunn pops up the first pitch he sees. Josh Willingham works a one-out walk out of Rich Hill. Ronnie Belliard pushes a jam shot off his fists and over Cesar Izturis. Two on for Josh Bard, who grounds to Itzuris to Roberts to Huff, double play.

Cesar Itzuris flies out to The Hammer in left. Rich Hill has no chance on an 0-2 slider that drops out of mid-air. Brian Roberts gets a bender without as much break and he lines it right for a two-out double. Adam Jones lines to right, Willingham comes up throwing but it’s too late to get Roberts, who scores to make it 2-0 O’s. Nick Markakis’ bat cracks as he hit a fastball out to left...Full count curve to Justin Maxwell for a backwards K. Rich Hill gets Zimmerman with a two-strike slider. Cristian Guzman gets another curve inside and low that drops out of sight, strike three swinging.

Ronnie Belliard’s back on the grass where he fields Aubrey Huff’s groundout. Melvin Mora takes a 94mph two-strike fastball inside. Reimold grounds back over the mound and Ronnie Belliard fields but doesn’t throw. Chad Moeller lines to Willingham, who makes the catch in front of his face...Nick Johnson smacks a single through second in front of Zimmerman. Ryan Zimmerm...THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! First row over the out-of-town scoreboard, 2-2 ballgame in Zim’s 11th. Adam Dunn flies out to Reimold in left. Josh Willingham doesn’t like what he sees from Hill, one-out walk. Josh Willingham gets picked by Rich Hill and thrown out at second. Ronnie Belliard doesn’t have the memo on the curve...

Cesar Izturis K’s swinging. Rich Hill chases Zimmerman’s two-strike slider. Brian Roberts singles up the middle for a two-out hit. Adam Jones flies to Justin Maxwell who ends up on the track where he closes his glove on the O’s fifth...Josh Bard just avoids a fastball way inside, and doesn’t like the curve he takes that’s called strike three. Justin Maxwell runs out a ground ball to second, but Roberts’ throw easily beats him. Jordan Zimmermann K’s to end the fifth.

Nick Markakis lifts an 0-2 slider to left. Aubrey Huff pops up foul of third. Melvin Mora draws a two-out walk to bring up Reimold. Reimold grounds to Guzman who takes the out at second to end the O’s sixth...Cristian Guzman grounds out to start the home half of the sixth. Nick Johnson has a Discerning Eye, and he uses it to draw a one-out walk. Ryan Zimmerman grounds weakly enough to short to avoid the DP. Adam Dunn draws a two-out walk, and Rich Hill is done. Josh Willingham will face Matt Albers. Josh Willingham swings at a low two-strike fastball but comes up empty.

Chad Moeller’s bloop pops off Cristian Guzman’s glove as he sprints out to left chasing it. Cesar Izturis erases the runner with a DP grounder. Albers stays out to hit, but comes up empty, Zimmermann holds it close through seven...Ronnie Belliard rolls the first out to Izturis at short. Josh Bard flies out to center. Justin Maxwell with two down, grounds back to the mound.

Brian Roberts chops one straight down, Bard’s up and throwing to first in time to get the first out. Adam Jones drills a single through short in front of Markakis. Villone gets a fly ball to right from Markakis to for the second out. Aubrey Huff rolls one out to second, Ron Vill0.00ne remains perfect...Willie Harris leads off the eighth against O’s reliever Jim Johnson, TAWH K’s. Cristian Guzman bounces one into Aubrey Huff’s chest, but can’t beat it out. NIck Johnson can’t lay off a sinking two-strike fastball outside. On to the ninth, tied at 2-2.

Melvin Mora sends a leadoff single screaming into left off Jason Bergmann. Nolan Reimold pops out to second. PInch hitter Ty Wiggington grounder to Bergmann, who turns and throws to second, to first, double play to end the top of the ninth...Ryan Zimmerman against Jim Johnson. Zimmerman hits one off the end of his bat, Jim Johnson tosses to first. Adam Dunn grounds into the dramatic shift. Josh Willingham reaches down for an 0-2 offering and lines it to center for a two-out single. Ronnie Belliard chops out to second...

Jason Bergmann comes back out for the tenth, and issues a leadoff walk to Cesar Itzturis. Bergmann out for Joe Beimel. Felix Pie gets the bunt down, Itzuris to second. Brian Roberts grounds to short, Zim looks the runner back and fires to first. Adam Jones gets the intentionals to bring up Markakis with two on. Two-strike fastball up high, Markakis K’s....Danys Baez gets a groundout from Bard. Justin Maxwell works a one-out walk. Austin Kearns comes on to pinch hit, and grounds into a double play.

Aubrey Huff grounds out to Ronnie Belliard in short right. Gregg Zaun skies one to center, Justin Maxwell glides over to make the grab. Nolan Reimold flies out to Willingham in left to end the top of the eleventh...Cristian Guzman rolls the first out to Roberts at second. Nick Johnson flies to deeep center, but not deeep enough, Adam Jones makes the grab. Ryan Zimmerman’s thrown out by Izturis at short.

Ty Wigginton vs Kip Wells. Wigginton flies out to Adam Dunn near the track in right field. Cristian Guzman fields a grounder behind second, spins and throws out Izturis at first. Danys Baez chops one straight down and reaches on the weak a$$ grounder. Brian Roberts goes the other way with a line drive on a fastball that bounces in fair and gets into the stands. Kip Wells hangs a slider to Adam Jones, double, two runs score, 4-2 Orioles. Nick Markakis flies out to Dunn in right to end the top of the frame...George Sherrill gets loose and heads out to face Adam Dunn. Dunn takes a two-strike fastball for a called strike three. Josh Willingham pops out to center, Adam Jones makes the grab. Ronnie Belliard lines to short and ends up with a bat handle in his hand. Orioles win, 4-2 final.

Nationals now 12-29.

Rangers 19, Orioles 6: Yes, Virginia, 19

SC — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:55:47 -0000

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They didn't make it to 30 this time, but it wasn't for a lack of trying, both from the Rangers' bats and the Orioles' pitchers.

Mark Hendrickson was officially charged with just two of the nine runs surrendered in his second start of the season (3.2 IP), but then came Radhames Liz, Brian Bass and Matt Albers.

Liz and Albers were called up to replaced the DL'd Alfredo Simon and Melvin Mora, and both were lit up, as was Bass. Check out these sexy lines, ladies and gentlemen:

Name	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	Season ERA
R Liz	1.0	5	4	4	1	1	36.00
B Bass	2.0	3	2	2	1	2	14.73
M Albers	1.1	4	4	4	1	2	11.25

Yee-haw! Woo!

For the Rangers: Ian Kinsler was 6-for-6, hitting for the cycle. He hit two doubles, a triple, a homer, and two singles, scored five times, and drove in four. Nelson Cruz had a grand slam and six total RBIs, going 2-for-5. Marlon Byrd was 5-for-6 with 3 RBIs. DH Andruw Jones had my favorite line, though: 1-for-3, 2 BBs, 4 runs scored.

For the Orioles: Erm, Chad Moeller hit a homer, and so did Adam Jones. We did have a 2-0 lead after the top half of the first inning. Jones also hit his sixth double and had three RBIs.

The team's pattern is to win the first two and then get completely embarrassed in the third game. This "well we won two!" thing is nice and all, but it completely ignores the probability that the team is a lot closer to their 11-3 and 19-6 losses than they are the 6-0 wins. At 6-3, they've been outscored by opponents 69-56. Continued success like that is unlikely; the '07 Diamondbacks did something similar, but it's very rare.

Pretty freaking ugly game, to say the least. Tomorrow we kick off a four-game series with the Red Sox at Fenway.

Katie, bar the door.

One more note: Alfredo Simon is expected to be out a while and the doctor he met with feels the condition in his elbow is degenerative. That's a real shame and could threaten his career. Albert Belle retired with a degenerative hip condition, and Troy Percival has battled through one for years now, and hasn't been close to the pitcher he was in his prime. Mora will probably be back soon.

Poll

Most Birdland Player (MBP) for today's game was:

Adam Jones (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2B, 2 R)

99 votes

Chad Moeller (1-for-4, HR, RBI)

2 votes

Robby Andino (1-for-1, R, BB)

2 votes

Jamie Walker (yesterday he gave Koji boots)

72 votes

175 votes | Poll has closed