SB Nation - Shawn Hill

Free Agent Starting Pitching: BCB Weighs In

roguejim — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:51:33 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

I am Carl Pavano --- no one gave up more earned runs last year in all of baseball last year than I. But I command you to look only at my peripherals! Look at them! Yesss...stare longingly at my sweet sweet peripherals. Love them! (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

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It just occurred to me that the Winter Meetings are coming up fast, and we haven't told Doug Melvin which two free agent pitchers we wanted. (Frankly, that's probably how the Hardy/Gomez trade went down: we didn't specifically tell DM for whom Hardy should be traded, and he went rogue and made the trade himself.) Assuming we can't (and shouldn't!) get into a bidding war on the services of John Lackey, which two of the free agent pitchers listed below should we try to sign, and why? Be sure to consider salary when choosing.

(Note 1: I'm not including the likes of Mulder and Halama, as you can't sign them and assume they'll win a spot.)

(Note 2: I haven't seen much written about Kelvim Escobar, who hasn't had an ERA north of 4 since 2003. The Red Sox are asking about him, the Brewers should too.)

(Note 3: Shawn Hill is cheap, a sinkerballer, often injured, and one of the few ex-Expos out there not yet 30. A perfect flier for the Brewers.)

Here's the list:

Aroldis Chapman, LHP who throws 100 MPH, albeit erratically
Randy Wolf
Rich Harden
Erik Bedard
John Smoltz
Andy Pettitte
Joel Pineiro
Jarrod Washburn
Ben Sheets
Brad Penny
Justin Duchscherer
Pedro Martinez. Vote for Pedro!
Doug Davis
Jason Marquis
Jon Garland
Vicente Padilla
Carl Pavano
Braden Looper
Randy Johnson
Mike Hampton
Hisanori Takahashi
Paul Byrd
Ugh...I'll opt for choosing only one free agent and trading Gamel for the other

Take the Braves out of the running for these free agents

gondeee — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:28:22 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Was it Divine intervention that prevented the Atlanta Braves from signing Rafael Furcal... or just his agents.

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Last off-season the Atlanta Braves announced they had come to terms with free agent Rafael Furcal on a three-year contract... but less than 24-hours later Furcal had signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the aftermath of that episode, Braves President John Schuerholtz stated that the Braves would never again do business with Furcal's agents, the Wasserman Group, headed by super-agent Arn Tellem.

As a side note to this, if we had signed Furcal, then we would have moved Kelly Johnson to left field, we never would have signed Garret Anderson, and Martin Prado may never have emerged as a bona fide major league starter at second base. And we might have traded Yunel Escobar somewhere. Things tend to work out for the best sometimes, as Furcal layed an egg in 2009.

Here are the free agents this off-season who are represented by the Wasserman Group, and are therefore off-limits to the Braves (courtesy of MLBTR):

Wilson Betemit
Aaron Boone
Nomar Garciaparra
Jason Giambi
John Grabow
Rich Harden
Shawn Hill
Reed Johnson
Jason Kendall
Hideki Matsui
Jason Michaels
Guillermo Mota
Vicente Padilla
Wily Mo Pena
Joel Pineiro
Matt Treanor
Randy Wolf
Omar Vizquel

I must say that there's no one I really want on that list, so for this year at least, no harm, no foul.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:51:47 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Remember that one time Jason Kendall hit a home run? And that other time? Miller Park Drunk does.

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Some things to read while feeling old.

There's not much out there in Brewer news today, which leaves us plenty of time to join Miller Park Drunk in looking ahead to the Journal Sentinal's grades for the 2009 Crew. I particularly enjoyed the notes on Jason Kendall, Felipe Lopez and Corey Hart.

Meanwhile, on the rumor front, the Tigers could be considering trading Curtis Granderson, and the Brewers are one team that could have some interest. Granderson has three years and $23.75 million left on his current deal, (plus an option for a fourth at $13 million or more) but those salaries are backloaded: he'll make just $5.5 million in 2010.

Granderson hit a career high 30 home runs in 2009, but his doubles, triples and all three numbers in his slash line declined. He posted a .913 OPS in 2007, but dropped to .858 last season and .790 this season, which was actually worse than Mike Cameron's .795. The Braves and Cubs also have possible interest.

In the minors:

Jonathan Lucroy (13th) was the only Brewer to appear in Baseball America's ranking of the top 20 prospects in the Southern League. Lucroy hit .267/.380/.418 for Huntsville, and set career highs in doubles and walks.
Wisconsin Sports Tap's website is down at the moment, but they've got a nice review of Brevard County's 2009 season and the successes and disappointments that came with it.

The Padres loaded up the transaction wire yesterday, releasing pitchers Cha Seung Baek and Shawn Hill and outfielder Cliff Floyd. All three spent most of the season on the disabled list. Baek is easily the most interesting name on that list: here's a scouting report Padres Assistant GM Paul DePodesta wrote about him back in May.

Meanwhile, the playoffs have created a grand stage on which Major League Baseball can show off the failings of some of its "elite" umpires. C.B. Bucknor's performance in last night's Angels-Red Sox game led to a poem, Jon Heyman speculating that C.B. may stand for "consistently bad," and an editing war that led to the locking of his Wikipedia page.

The playoffs also always seem to give us some strange conversations to look in on. For example, here's one on the clutchiness of Ronnie Belliard.

The TBS broadcasts this week have occasionally been difficult to watch, but in a couple of cases they've been downright impossible. TBS is blaming the angle of the sun for some technical difficulties that interrupted satellite feeds during the afternoon Wednesday. There were also some audio issues Wednesday, but they only interrupted Bob Brenly. That's an improvement, not a difficulty.

How much of a pitcher's value is tied to his hitting? Jeremy Greenhouse of The Hardball Times attempts to tackle that question by looking at value added or removed at the plate. Dan Haren was actually worth seven runs at the plate this season, which was roughly 15% of his overall value. This could be an important fact to consider when pondering the value of a pitcher like Ben Sheets, who pitches very well but likely costs himself runs both at the plate and in the field.

Happy birthday today to Randy Lerch, who won 15 games for the Brewers between 1981 and 1982 and turns 55 today, and to Bill Pulsipher, who spent parts of the 1998 and 1999 seasons as a Brewer and turns 36.

I know that's not much but it's all I have for you today, unless you're interested in a Dutch sausage.

Drink up.

Padres release Cliff Floyd, Shawn Hill

Eli Greenspan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:38:12 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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The Padres announced today that they have released outfielder Cliff Floyd and Shawn Hill, according to MLB.com. Floyd missed nearly the entire season with a shoulder injury, played just 90 games in the past two seasons.

Floyd will be 37 in December, but teams may stay away from the oft-injured outfielder until he can prove he is healthy. He likely falls under the DH category on the free agent market, which is rather deep this offseason.

Hill has also been on the disabled list for most of the season, appearing in three games in 2009. Hill showed promise early in his career, but has failed to stay healthy over the past few years.

He could be picked up on a minor league deal.

NL West Report: Divisional headway from Rockune, Peavy might be out for the year

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:00:12 -0000

The Rockies have been blasting through opponents like a Tornado (or a Tornadough?) the last 11 games, outscoring their foes 73-28 in that span. It's a bit unfortunate that none of those games were intradivisional, but if there's any way to guarantee you'll make up some ground, it's to win every game.

Here's the standings as of Monday morning, before San Francisco plays the Angels tonight at 8:15 MDT:

NL West Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Los Angeles	42	22	.656	0	Won 2
San Francisco	34	28	.548	7	Won 3
Colorado	31	32	.492	10.5	Won 11
San Diego	28	34	.451	13	Lost 3
Arizona	27	37	.421	15	Lost 2

(updated 6.15.2009 at 3:25 PM MDT)

We're still a ways back, but an 11-game streak will put a dent in any deficit. Here are the standings from June 3, immediately prior to the streak.

So in 11 games, we've made up the following on the divisional teams:

Los Angeles (5 games)
San Francisco (2.5 games)
San Diego (7 games)
Arizona (6.5 games)

If the teams continue as they have the last 11 games, even if we win another 11 straight, we'll still be in 3rd place. This is why April and May do matter. And that's why we have a 3.30% chance of winning the NL West. I'd talk about the Wild Card, but well, this is the divisional report.

NL West Report

Arizona (27-37, 5th, L2, 15 GB)

Last Week: 0-1 @ Padres, 1-2 vs Giants, 1-2 vs Astros. A bad week makes the bad season worse. Funny thing is, they're only 8 games off their Pythagorean pace for 2007.

This Week: 3 game road series @ Royals, 3 game road series @ Mariners

News: Chris Young is having a horrible Atkins-like season. AZSnakepit discusses what should be done with their CF.

Chris Young

#24 / Center Field / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-2

Weight: 200

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Sep 05, 1983

	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Chris Young	.189	.248	.354

Jon Morosi of FOXSports.com reported recently that the Diamondbacks are destined to be sellers at the trade deadline, with only Justin Upton, Max Scherzer and Dan Haren being untouchable.

Nick Piecoro of AZCentral.com, who is closer to the team, refuted that proclamation last night, stating that we should not expect a trade and that Josh Byrnes may even add a player at the deadline.

Scott Bordow at the East Valley Tribune believes it's time to trade Felipe Lopez, Jon Garland and Doug Davis, but Arizona may becontent to let them leave as free agents and just take the compensatory picks.

The D-Backs claimed relief pitcher Blaine Boyer off waivers from the Cardinals and optioned Daniel Schlereth to AA..

Mark Reynolds earned co-NL Player of the Week honors for last week, sharing it with our very own Huston Street.

Arizona had 7 picks in the top 64 in last week's draft, most in the majors. Check out their top picks. They bucked the trend and selected only 2 pitchers with their top 8 picks, the first coming at pick #45.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tom Gordon	hamstring	05/04/2009
Yusmeiro Petit	shoulder	05/09/2009
Conor Jackson	pneumonia	05/12/2009
Chad Tracy	oblique	05/30/2009
Tony Clark	other-excused	05/06/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

More on the rest of the division after the fold.

Los Angeles (42-22, 1st, W2)

Last Week: 1-1 vs Padres, 2-1 @ Rangers. In case you are wondering, the Dodgers have lost just two series since Manny Ramirez was suspended, and one of them was their first series following the announcement.

This Week: 3 game home series vs Athletics, 3 game road series @ Angels.

News: Everyone knows all about TIm Lincecum and Dan Haren, but maybe Chad Billingsley is the best ace in the West. Eric Stephen at TrueBlueLA looks at his stats over the last claendar year. They are elite.

Chad Billingsley

#58 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 245

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 29, 1984

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Chad Billingsley	9-3	2.72	1.23	93	39

Despite convincingly being the best team in MLB and having the 3rd best NL offense, the Dodgers have zero position players projected to start the All-Star Game via fan voting. Orlando Hudson is the only player even in the top 5 at his position; he's 2nd behind Chase Utley. East Coast bias apparently also means no love for LA.

Popular owner Frank McCourt wasn't so popular with Andruw Jones, even though McCourt okayed the ludicrous contract Jones signed with the Dodgers. Apparently, McCourt was the reason Jones wanted out.

Jayson Stark suggests the Dodgers may try to trade Juan Pierre when Manny Ramirez returns from is suspension. It's unclear how much of Pierre's contract LA might have to eat.

LA didn't pick until #36, two picks after the Rockies selected their third player. Their picks.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Eric Milton	back	06/06/2009
Will Ohman	shoulder	05/28/2009
Eric Stults	thumb	05/31/2009
Hong-Chih Kuo	elbow	04/30/2009
Jason Schmidt	shoulder	03/30/2009
Xavier Paul	knee	05/21/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Doug Mientkiewicz	shoulder	04/17/2009

San Diego (28-34, 4th, L3, 13 GB)

Last Week: 1-0 vs Diamondbacks, 1-1 @ Dodgers, 0-3 @ Angels. The Padres have failed to string together consecutive wins since May 27. They are 5-12 in that span.

This Week: 3 game home series vs Mariners, 3 game home series vs Athletics.

News: Hold your trade talk. Another NL West ace is hurt and probably won't be going anywhere at the deadline. Jake Peavy landed on the 15-day DL Friday due to an ankle injury and will be out a month, perhaps the rest of the season.

Jake Peavy

#44 / Pitcher / San Diego Padres

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 31, 1981

Hindsight being 20/20, CBSSports' Scott Miller says the Padres screwed up by not accepting the Braves' offer in November.

The Padres' front office is looking to add a "big-name" international player once the international signing period starts July 2.

San Diego released IF Chris Burke this week.

The Pads selected Donavan Tate with the third pick in the draft Tuesday. GM Kevin Towers talks about the draft. I'd give you a list of their picks, but I'll just say that GasLampBall doesn't have one instead.

San Diego Padres Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Nick Hundley	wrist	06/15/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jake Peavy	ankle	06/09/2009
Shawn Hill	elbow	04/26/2009
Scott Hairston	biceps	06/03/2009
Luis Perdomo	knee	06/08/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
Mark Worrell	elbow	03/27/2009
Everth Cabrera	hand	04/20/2009

San Francisco (34-28, 2nd, W3, 7 GB)

Last Week: 0-1 @ Marlins, 2-1 @ Diamondbacks, 3-0 vs Athletics. Bruce Bochy's staff allowed just 17 runs in the 7 games last week.

This Week: 3 game home series vs Angels, 3 game home series vs Rangers

News: Henry Schulman at SFGate states the most obvious headline of the year: The Giants need a power bat to contend.

Jonathan Sanchez

#57 / Pitcher / San Francisco Giants

Height: 6-2

Weight: 190

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Nov 19, 1982

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jonathan Sanchez	2-6	4.84	1.66	57	43

SI's Jon Heyman reports that Jonathan Sanchez is on the market, despite an apparent slip recently in his stuff. Tom Verducci suggests that the Giants try to use Sanchez to net that power bat. Maybe even Garrett Atkins.

Grant at McCoveyChronicles discusses the Giants' selection of Zach Wheeler over Tyler Matzek. Matzek was Grant's #1 choice, but the Giants passed on his top three to select Wheeler.

And just because, here's a big Pablo Sandoval home run.

San Francisco Giants Injuries

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Noah Lowry	ribs	03/27/2009
Joe Martinez	concussion	04/10/2009

Around the Mission: 6/11 Padres Links

jbox — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:26:35 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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Unofficial Draft Day 3 Open Thread - Gaslamp Ball
Somebody go keep Gaslamp Baller SD Steve company over there.
XX Sports Radio Interview: Grady Fuson (MP3) and Bob Scanlan (MP3)
Correia cruises on short rest for Friars | padres.com: News
Kevin Correia, pitching on three days' rest, was on his game for six innings as he retired the final 15 batters he faced and helped lead the Padres to a 3-1 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday.
Restless Correia gives Dodgers fits
"We're thrilled by the way Kevin pitched," said closer Heath Bell. "He can pitch like that every time out when he keeps it down the way he did tonight. He gave us six. That's all we in the bullpen ask. Give us six and the lead, we'll hold it."
PADRES: Correia making believers of teammates : North County Times - Californian 06-11-2009
"I think (Correia is) believing in his ability to pitch in the strike zone and get outs," Balsley said of Correia
X-rays are negative for Friars' Hundley | padres.com: News
Padres catcher Nick Hundley, who was hit on his left wrist while batting against Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley on Tuesday, received some good news Wednesday when X-rays came back negative.
Hundley unavailable behind the plate
Hundley talks about his wrist injury. Also Doctors still aren't sure what's wrong with Shawn Hill's arm "It's more when I'm done throwing, it'll start tightening up on me a little," said Hill
Drinking prevalent on Coaster train from Padres games : North County Times - Californian 06-10-2009
The Coaster may again propose a ban on alcohol. "The third car's upper level was a party zone, claimed almost exclusively by what looked like high school and college-age riders with plenty of beer. As the train pulled out from San Diego, a uniform "wooooooo," went up. When that died, a gruff male voice rose above the shouting and laughing." "You're all a bunch of (expletives). You're all a bunch of (expletives)..." the voice intoned. That voice was soon drowned out by chant about pot smoking that rose up from half the crowd.
It Might Be Dangerous... You Go First
DePodesta is blogging like a mad man about the Draft.
Black, Eckstein eager for Anaheim return | padres.com: News
Padres manager Bud Black will return to a familiar place on Friday when the Padres begin their three-game series with the Angels at Angel Stadium.
Black recalls Draft day 30 years ago | padres.com: News
Bob Harrison probably wasn't the first scout to become smitten with left-handed pitchers, though he certainly was proactive in finding and procuring southpaws in a time wasn't it nearly as chic as it is now.
Chrissy's Outfit of the Day - KSWB
"Ooh, lovely lady, girl you drive me crazy"
Twitter / Jenny Cavnar
Jenny is going on vacation again? WTF? Life is a vacation when you are Jenny Cavnar.
MLBlogosphere: Players-Only Tweeps Roster
Here's a comprehensive list of all verified authentic Major Leaguers on Twitter. No Padres on the list. Booo!!!

Poll

Should the Coaster ban alcohol?

Yes, it has become a Frat house

27 votes

No, "hey I was in a Fraternity, bro! Don't call it a Frat, you don't call your Country a ..."

52 votes

79 votes | Poll has closed

NL West Report: Randy Johnson wins 300, Dodgers Stadium gets its own zip code

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:09:01 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Randy Johnson holds his prized left arm high after recording his 300th career win

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Due to some comments from last week's KYF, I have decided to commandeer the front page by separating the weekly NL West Report to a separate article so it doesn't get lost in the series previews.

300

The biggest news of the week is undoubtedly Randy Johnson reaching 300 wins. He was slated to go Wednesday night at Washington, but weather pushed his start to Thursday, in the first game of a double header. Fueled by the event, Johnson retired the first 10 Nationals he faced on his way to allowing just 2 hits and an unearned run in 6 innings of work. Jeremy Affeldt, Brandon Medders and Brian Wilson brought the win home for the Big Unit. Win 300 was one of his finest on the season.

Johnson has allowed only two runs in his last three starts, but make no mistake, that golden arm is starting to lose its luster. Randy has allowed seven runs three times this year and still sports an ERA over 5.00. Still, a very enthusiastic salute to RJ. He is easily the most doinant pitcher I have seen growing up and in person.

Jim McClennan at AZ Snakepit shares his thoughts on the next to 300. So does Tracy Ringolsby. They may disagree on who may be next to 300, but both agree it will probably be accomplished.

Padres play long again

San Diego went deep into a ball game again, this time losing to Arizona 9-6 yesterday at Petco. Some weird facts from the game:

Shortstop Josh Wilson gave up the winning 3-run HR to Mark Reynolds in the 18th. It was Wilson's third career appearance as a pitcher despite playing in only 140 big league games. Maybe Arizona had a scouting report on him. After all, he pitched a hitless inning for them earlier this season.
Reynolds had struck out with the go ahead run on second and two outs his previous two ABs before the HR. Special K indeed.
Bud Black had burned his bullpen so much he actually used starter Chad Gaudin before Wilson.
Backup catcher and former Rockie Henry Blanco played third base for the 18th inning.
Arizona actually no hit San Diego for the final nine innings.
The Padres have played five longer games in franchise history, losing all but one.
David Eckstein hit a dramatic 3-run HR with 2 outs in the ninth to send it to extras. Twilight zone...
Eighteen pitchers were used by both clubs.

NL West Report

Arizona (25-32, 4th, W1, 13 GB)

Last Week: 1-2 @ Padres, 2-1 @ Padres.

This Week: Finish off another of the stupid Fri-Mon four game series today at 8:05 MDT. Also, 3 game home series vs Astros, 3 game home series vs Giants

News: Tim Dierkes at MLBTradeRumors interviewed Justin Upton. He hit .373 with 7 HR and 21 RBI in May. He injured his shoulder in yesterday's game and will sit tonight but doesn't figure to land on the DL.

Justin Upton

#10 / Right Field / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-2

Weight: 205

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 25, 1987

Arizona has 7 of the first 64 picks in this year's draft, which starts tomorrow at 4MDT. Their first two picks are at 16 and 17. For comparison the Mets have zero picks in the first 64. All of these high picks have led the FO to increase their draft budget, perhaps spending eight digits.

Reliever Jon Rauch has struggled mightily this season to the tune of a 5.26 ERA. Rauch and AJ Hinch had a closed door meeting regarding his ineffectiveness. The former Nationals' closer was being counted on to stabilize an weakly projected bullpen.

Arizona will honor Randy Johnson for reaching 300 wins.

The always good-for-a-laugh Kenny Mayne interviewed Dan Haren Friday.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tom Gordon	hamstring	05/04/2009
Yusmeiro Petit	shoulder	05/09/2009
Conor Jackson	pneumonia	05/12/2009
Chad Tracy	oblique	05/30/2009
Tony Clark	other-excused	05/06/2009
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Scott Schoeneweis	other-excused	05/29/2009
Justin Upton	shoulder	06/08/2009

More on Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco after the jump by noon.

Los Angeles (39-20, 1st, L1)

Last Week: 2-1 vs Diamondbacks, 2-2 @ Phillies

This Week: 2 game series vs Padres, 3 game series @ Rangers. Weird scheduling quirk again. After playing 17 consecutive days, Los Angeles gets two days off in a span of four days.

News: The headline is true. The United States Postal Service has awarded Dodgers Stadium and its associated properties its very own zip code. The area will be officially known as Dodgertown, California and has the zip code 90090.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Will Ohman	shoulder	05/28/2009
Eric Stults	thumb	05/31/2009
Hong-Chih Kuo	elbow	04/30/2009
Jason Schmidt	shoulder	03/30/2009
Xavier Paul	knee	05/21/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Doug Mientkiewicz	shoulder	04/17/2009
Claudio Vargas	elbow	04/05/2009

San Diego (26-30, 3rd, L1, 11.5 GB)

Last Week: 0-3 vs Phillies, 1-2 vs Diamondbacks. That's a really disappointing week for a team at home. Perhaps they are coming back to earth for real this time.

This Week: Finish off the series with the Diamondbacks tonight. 2 game series @ Dodgers, 3 game series @ Angels.

News:

San Diego Padres Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jake Peavy	infection	06/08/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Shawn Hill	elbow	04/26/2009
Scott Hairston	biceps	06/03/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
Mark Worrell	elbow	03/27/2009
Mike Adams	shoulder	03/27/2009
Everth Cabrera	hand	04/20/2009

San Francisco (25-24, 2nd, W1, 8.5 GB)

Last Week: 2-1 @ Nationals, 2-1@ Marlins. It's always impressive when you win consecutive road series. Except maybe when those teams are a combined 29 games under .500 and 15 games under .500 at home.

This Week: Finish the fourth game of the Marlins series tonight at 5:10 MDT. 3 game series @ Diamondbacks, 3 game series vs Athletics.

News:

San Francisco Giants Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Randy Johnson	shoulder	06/08/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Noah Lowry	ribs	03/27/2009
Joe Martinez	concussion	04/10/2009

Will a Padre series bring a merry conclusion to April?

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:33:54 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Adrian Gonzalez and those putrid uniforms are next on the docket for the Rockies.

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Rockies fans are feeling glum about the season so far, yesterday aside, and that is understandable. We are about to close out the first month of the season, and Colorado has only pulled out one series win, and that was three weeks ago. To all you whose mood reflects the gray weather, I say:

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
San Diego's coming to town

That probably seems silly, seeing as how the Padres are far enough ahead that we can't leapfrog them even with a sweep. But I assure you for this series, I know if they've been bad or good, and we'll be good for goodness sake.

San Diego Padres (10-8, L2, 2nd in NL West)

Monday-Wednesday : 3-game series at Colorado

The Padres were the surprise team in MLB to start the season, but their slide back to earth has already commenced. San Diego is losers of five of their last six with their only win being a one-run extra inning affair with the Pirates.

The most intriguing aspect of this series is complete opposite recipes for wins and losses for Colorado and San Diego.

	Games Decided by 2 or less	Games Decided by 3 or more
San Diego	6-2	4-6
Colorado	0-6	6-5

This not only suggests we need to beat them up early, it leads to an overall interesting conclusion: With a -10 run differential, the Padres have a worse Pythagorean expected win percentage than the Rockies. In fact, one would expect the Padres to be fourth in the NL West with the Rockies second.

So are the Pads lucky? A bit, but a lot of credit must go to Heath Bell, who is doing his best Brad Lidge impression by getting seven saves in seven chances and allowing just three hits and no runs in 7.2 IP.

Still, San Diego can't sustain a winning record, as their pitching overall is middle of the pack (14th) and their offense is 22nd. Add to that that 3/5 of their rotation is now on the DL (Shawn Hill, Cha Seung Baek and Walter Silva), and you have a recipe for a team to continue to settle towards the bottom.

San Diego is 4-4 on the road, with all four wins coming on a trip to Philadelphia and New York against teams that struggled out of the gate.

Probable Pitchers:

Today, 6:40pm MDT

Chris Young has been the brightest starter so far for San Diego. The Padres are 3-1 in his starts this season, with the only loss coming in his best start, when he allowed no runs on two hits in 7.0 IP at San Francisco. Garrett Atkins is 7-for-25 with 3 HR in his career against Young.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Chris Young	2-0	3.42	1.18	17	8

Jason Hammel will make his debut as a Rockies and NL starter tonight. After a nervous debut out of the pen, he has looked outstanding in allowing no runs on two hits in his last four innings. Jason Marquis' start yesterday afforded the bullpen rest, so should Hammel falter, a safety net is in place. Kevin Kouzmanoff is the only Padre to face Hammel, and he collected a double in three ABs.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Hammel	0-0	2.70	1.35	5	2

Tuesday, April 28, 6:40pm MDT

Josh Geer will be making his second start this season. His debut was a beauty against the World Champs April 19, but he faltered when he relieved injured Shawn Hill against Pittsburgh. Geer allowed just 3 runs in 10 innings in two appearanced vs Colorado in 2008.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Josh Geer	0-0	4.91	1.18	5	0

Jorge de la Rosa had a streak of nine straight scoreless innings break in his last start against Arizona, but he is nevertheless coming off of two strong outings despite not having his best stuff. He allowed 6 runs in 7.1 IP against the Padres last year, with both appearances at Coors Field.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	0-2	3.78	1.62	14	10

Wednesday, April 29, 1:10pm MDT

Kevin Correia has three starts and all of them very similar: 5-6 IP, 2-3 ER, 2-4 BB, and 3-5 K's on 95-98 pitches. His game scores have been between 48 and 51, so he has been the model of consistency and mediocrity. He is 2-1 with a 4.60 ERA since 2006 vs Colorado. Consistent, mediocre and boring.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Kevin Correia	0-1	4.50	1.44	13	10

We all know about Aaron Cook. The "Ace" has yet to achieve a game score as high as Correia's worst start despite having two "quality starts." Cook's "best" starts of the season have come at home, so we'll see.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Aaron Cook	0-1	8.35	2.13	10	10

Adrian Gonzalez was 8-for-22 with 2 HR last week to continue a strong start, while Scott Hairston is 5 for his last 12 with a double and a triple. Heath Bell pitched another scoreless inning (of course).

Jody Gerut was just 1-for-17 last week while Nick Hundley was 1-for-13. Kevin Correia, Eulogio de la Cruz, Luis Perdomo, Jake Peavy, Cla Meredith, Josh Geer, and Shawn Hill all had ERAs over 5.00 last week.

Cha Seung Baek, Shawn Hill and Walter Silva are all on the 15-day DL, while Everth Cabrera is out for two months with a broken left hand. SS Luis Rodriguez was admitted to the hospital with an allergic reaction Saturday, but he has been released and cleared to play.

NL West Report after the jump

NL West Report

Arizona (7-11, 4th, W1)

Last Week: 2-1 vs Rockies, 1-2 vs. Giants. After rebounding against the struggling Rockies, the D-Backs were nearly swept at home by San Fran before they eeked out a walkoff win in the 12th inning yesterday

This Week: 3 game home series vs. Cubs, 4 game road series at Brewers. The week's schedule isn't kind for Arizona, but they will have Dan Haren pitching twice, including today.

News: Terrible news came down Saturday for Diamondbacks fans, as ace Brandon Webb will be forced to miss an additional six weeks with a shoulder injury.

Brandon Webb

#17 / Pitcher / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-2

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 09, 1979

Missing Webb for well over a third of the season will be a difficult obstacle to overcome - since the start of 2007, Arizona is only 132-141 in games not started by Webb. Diamondbacks beat writer Nick Piecolo already suspects Arizona might be sellers at the trade deadline.

Shortstop Stephen Drew finally landed on the 15-day DL after the original injury eight days prior. Drew was completely ineffective in his attempts to return to the lineup Wednesday and Friday.

Arizona called up former Sky Sox IF Josh Wilson to take Drew's place and swapped Doug Slaten for Esmerling Vasquez.

Tom Gordon could also be activated today.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tom Gordon	elbow	04/27/2009
Stephen Drew	hamstring	04/25/2009
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

Los Angeles (13-6, 1st, L1)

Last Week: 1-2 at Astros, 2-1 at Rockies. Los Angeles failed to have a winning week for the first time this season. The red hot start was clearly cooled by hitting the road as evidenced by nearly getting swept by Houston and being outscored by four at Coors Field.

This Week: 3 game road series at Giants, 4 game home series vs Padres.

News: Another NL West Opening Day starter is having trouble in trying to get back to the mound. Hiroki Kuroda felt increased tightness in his oblique after a bullpen session.

Hiroki Kuroda

#18 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Feb 10, 1975

Kuroda wouldn't call it a setback, citing that it felt better the next day, but any lingering tightness could spell future doom. He is on the DL indefinitely, as he will need several rehab starts once he is finally cleared to start.

Kuroda's absence brightens the limelight on the back of the rotation, James McDonald specifically. As Eric Stephen points out, McDonald has been fantastic to start games but falls apart after a few innings. This in part led to speculation that McDonald could slide to the bullpen in favor of Ramon Troncoso, but for now, McDonald remains in the rotation.

This would seem to imply that the Dodgers could sign Pedro Martinez, but

Ned Colletti thinks the price is too high.

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 (10-8, 2nd, L2)

Last Week: 0-2 at Giants, 1-2 vs Pirates. Monday's game at the Phillies was postponed due to weather.

This Week: 3 game series at Rockies, 4 game series at Dodgers. The fall for grace is likely to complete this week after road series at the win-starved Rockies and division leading Dodgers, who are undefeated at Dodgers Stadium.

News: Everth Cabrera was hit by a pitch and broke a bone in his hand eight days ago. Cabrera will miss two months, so the Padres shook the foundations of the NL West by reacquiring Chris Burke.

Having three starting pitchers on the disabled list might make some GMs panic into acquiring a pitcher, but Kevin Towers will stick with internal options. Recently acquired Chad Gaudin will be brought up today, and he is a candidate to fill Thursday's opening in the rotation.

San Diego Padres Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Luis Rodriguez	other-excused	04/27/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Shawn Hill	elbow	04/26/2009
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
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
Everth Cabrera	hand	04/20/2009

San Francisco (8-9, 3rd, L1)

Last Week: 2-0 vs Padres, 2-1 vs Diamondbacks. The Giants are the NL West's hottest team, having won five of six.

This Week: 3 game home series vs Dodgers, 3 game home series vs Rockies. The Giants are in a good place, having allowed the third least runs in MLB, surprisingly behind Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Another good week in the division will go a long way in rebounding from their 2-7 start.

News: Chris Haft points out that the limit on walks have helped the pitching staff excel so far. He also features Fred Lewis as a potential All-Star. He has had a nice season, but seriously, don't pull out the comparison to Barry Bonds. That's just foolish.

Fred Lewis

#14 / Left Field / San Francisco Giants

Height: 6-2

Weight: 200

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Dec 09, 1980

There's a nice article about former Rockie Jeremy Affleldt being the first pro athlete to join Not For Sale, a foundation created to combat human trafficking.

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

You know the drill.

0 - Yep, the Rockies are bad enough to get swept at home by San Diego

1 votes

1 - I'm not predicting a series win until I see they are capable of doing it again

23 votes

2 - San Diego is just not that good. No sweep, but a series win to close out April for sure

27 votes

3 - The results don't show it yet but they will. We are just a better team.

27 votes

78 votes | Poll has closed

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:50:14 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Trevor Hoffman is back and ready to make his Brewer debut.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while rocking some yellow pants.

Trevor Hoffman is relieved to be back with the team after spending the first 17 games on the disabled list. He did not appear in yesterday's game but was available and presumably will be again today if the Brewers take a lead into the ninth.

Where does Hoffman rank among baseball's greatest pitchers? One voter at Dugout Central ranked him among their top five pitchers who have never won a Cy Young Award. Former Brewer Don Sutton also appeared on three ballots.

Entering play on Sunday, the Brewers had thrown out just two of 15 attempted base stealers this season, but is that a problem? The Wall Street Journal says controlling the running game may not necessarily lead to team success.

The Brewers open up a three game series with the ~~Diamondbacks~~ Pirates tonight, and project to send their three best 2009 starting pitchers to the mound: Braden Looper, Dave Bush and Yovani Gallardo. Dave Bush will be making his first appearance since throwing a near no-hitter last week. Cute Sports noted that all three of Bush's near no-hitters have been broken up by former Brewers. Beyond the Box Score has a look at the location of Yovani Gallardo's pitches from his complete game Friday night.

The Brewer minor leagues suffered a major blow over the weekend, as Lorenzo Cain suffered a torn MCL, likely ending his 2009 season. Cain could be the center fielder of the future but will have a lot to prove in 2010, as he'll enter the season having played about half a season over the last two years. (h/t FanShot)

With the Brewers on the road this weekend, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers borrowed Miller Park for a night, playing a Midwest League game against the Peoria Chiefs. If you'd like to see photos of the game from every possible angle, here's a FanPost, a FanShot and two posts from Cute Sports.

It's never too early to start updating your projections. On Saturday, Baseball Analysts updated the 2009 PECOTA projections to take the first three weeks of results into consideration. The Brewers were 7-9 at the time and projected for exactly 81 wins.

Around the league:

Angels: Designated reliever Daniel Davidson for assignment.
Astros: Catcher Humberto Quintero is on the DL with a strained shoulder following a collision with Mike Cameron on Friday.
Braves: Brian McCann has been placed on the DL with an eye infection, and Garret Anderson has also been DL'ed.
D-Backs: Brandon Webb will be out at least six more weeks after experiencing a setback in his rehab from shoulder bursitis. Also, Stephen Drew was placed on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Marlins: Designated reliever Logan Kensing for assignment.
Mets: Designated Casey Fossum for assignment. They also signed Nelson Figueroa and Mike Lamb to minor league deals.
Orioles: SP Alfredo Simon has been diagnosed with degenerative tissue in his elbow and will undergo season-ending surgery.
Padres: Placed Shawn Hill on the DL with elbow inflammation.
Pirates: Jack Wilson has been placed on the DL with a swollen finger on his glove hand.
Royals: Designated C Brayan Pena for assignment.
Tigers: Matt Treanor will require surgery to correct a sports hernia and will be out at least two months.
Yankees: Chien-Ming Wang has been placed on the DL with "weakness in his hips."

This isn't an injury note yet, but it could be soon: Astros pitcher Jose Valverde, who pitched in both Saturday and yesterday's games against the Brewers, is limping noticeably and has Astros.com beat reporter Alyson Footer concerned.

Oh, and if you're looking for something to do today, the Timber Rattlers are playing an 11 am doubleheader in Davenport after yesterday's game was postponed due to rain. The weather in Iowa isn't great today either, but they should be able to get the games in, and you can hear them here.

Drink up.

Phillies vs. Padres: April 17-20 (four game series)

Matt Swartz — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:37:13 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

Chase Headley and Adrian Gonzalez lead the San Diego Padres into Citizens Bank Park to face the Phillies this weekend, after taking 2 of 3 from the Mets. Will the Champs fare better? (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Browse more photos »

The Phillies take on the Padres for four games at CBP this weekend. The Padres have gotten off to a pretty solid start at 7-3. The Phillies are even at 4-4. In my previous series previews this year, I have linked to the report on the Phillies that I did before the World Series, but I have updated that to fit more with the format I've been using to plot out our opponents. So this time after the jump, I'll have comments and details about all 50 players on both rosters for this series.

The pitching matchups:

Friday 7:05: Cole Hamels vs. Chris Young

Saturday 7:05: Brett Myers vs Shawn Hill

Sunday 1:35: Chan Ho Park vs (unnamed-- possibly Josh Geer as Walter SIlva will miss this start)

Monday 7:05: Jamie Moyer vs Kevin Correia

I preview the individual players after the jump...

PADRES

LINE UP

The Padres lineup is pretty left-handed on top, and pretty weak at the bottom. They have one solid power hitter in Adrian Gonzalez in the four spot, but he struggles agaist LHP. Gerut and Giles are the 1st and 3rd hitters and are also lefties with large platoon splits. The Padres have very few hitters who are legitimate power threats, which is fine for playing in Petco but leaves them not likely to take advantage of CBP. The bottom of their lineup is pretty weak and should be exploited. The Padres do not steal much, and no one in their lineup seems all that likely to be a basestealing threat. Everth Cabrera did steal 73 bases in 89 tries in single-A last year. He's the backup shortstop.

1) CF Jody Gerut (L)

projection average (proj): .280/.345/.460
projected BB/PA (bb): 8.5%
projected K/AB (k): 15%
career gb% (gb): 45%
career infield flies/flyball (iff): 12%
career infield hits/groundball (ifh): 5%
batting average on balls in play tendencies (babip): average all around
swing/contact/zone facts (s/c/z): okay eye, doesn't swing much, makes pretty good contact
righty/lefty (r/l): .840/.639 ops-- k/bb ratios of 1.2 vs 2.2
home/away (h/a): somewhat better power on road but only marginally
pull/opposite (p/o): definite pull hitter
anything else (other): only 6 of 10 steals last year

2) 2B David Eckstein (R)

proj: .275/.340/.350
bb: 7%
k: 9%
gb: 47%
iff: 12%
ifh: 7%
babip: pretty good on groundballs but pretty low on line drives, high groundball rate helps-- about average overall
s/c/z: very good contact and sees a lot of pitches in zone. swings at below average number of strikes but average number of non-strikes.
r/l: .700/.741 ops; k/bb is 1.2 vs 0.8
h/a: .738/.687
p/o: slight pull hitter but spreads ball around pretty well
other: used to steal bases more frequently but only tried 3 times last year and was caught once. He hasn't tried to steal yet this year. In 2007, he cut back to 11 attempts.

3) RF Brian Giles (L)

proj: .280/.375/.420
bb: 13%
k: 12%
gb: 37%
iff: 11%
ifh: 4%
babip: average overall
s/c/z: excellent eye and excellent contact skill
r/l: .966/.788 ops; 0.6 vs 0.9 k/bb
h/a: about the same
p/o: pull hitter
other: none

4) 1B Adrian Gonzalez (L)

proj: .280/.355/.500
bb: 10%
k: 21%
gb: 41%
iff: 5%
ifh: 2%
babip: above average, around .315, rarely pops out, though doesn't get many infield hits. power indicates he should do well on linedrives
s/c/z: swings at average amount of balls, but lets fewer strikes pass than other players; somewhat below average contact
r/l: .886/.743 ops; 1.9 vs 3.0 k/bb
h/a: far more power on road (park effects) but slightly better k/bb at home (1.9 vs 2.4) and better babip at home (.328 vs .283)
p/o: somewhat of a pull hitter but spreads ball around pretty well for power hitter
other: far more success against finesse pitchers

5) LF Chase Headley (S)

proj: .265/.345/.430
bb: 10%
k: 27%
gb: 38%
iff: 2%
ifh: 4%
babip: projection systems have him high-- like .330s+, but it seems like it he should be around .310 or so, since even though he pops out rarely, he doesn't get many infield hits and his groundball rate was abnormally high last year. even then, given that his eye is nothing special and his contact skills aren't great, he's likely due for a drop-- i think his overall projections are probably high
s/c/z: not a great eye and prone to chase, poor contact skills
r/l: only 140 career PA as RHB so it's tough to know
h/a: not enough info, so far better away but mostly luck based stats
p/o: definite pull hitter both ways
other:

6) 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff (R)

proj: .275/.325/.455
bb: 5.5%
k: 20%
gb: 41%
iff: 6%
ifh: 4%
babip: average all around, low on groundballs and high on flyballs due to infield hit/fly rates
s/c/z: free swinger and chases a lot of pitches while at it, pitchers don't throw him that many pitches out of strike zone, despite that and somewhat low contact rate
r/l: typical
h/a: better on road, even at k/bb rates
p/o: pull hitter
other: struggles against power pitchers

7) C Nick Hundley (R)

proj: .235/.285/.400
bb: 7%
k: 23%
gb: 37%
iff: 12%
ifh: 7%
babip: projected to be poor and tough to tell from small mlb sample size
s/c/z: average all around so far, it seems
r/l: very small sample size but 5.0 vs 2.9 k/bb difference
h/a: 3.1 vs 5.3 k/bb
p/o: spreads ball around pretty well
other: none

8) SS Luiz Rodriguez (S)

proj: .265/.325/.345
bb: 8%
k: 10%
gb: 48%
iff: 6%
ifh: 4%
babip: somewhat low since doesn't have much power, maybe .285ish
s/c/z: excellent contact and doesn't swing much
r/l: so far hasn't shown power righty at all and has shown a tiny bit lefty
h/a: .724/.603 ops
p/o: pull hitter
other: none

BENCH

The Padres keep only four players on their bench. Scott Hairston is a valid right-handed hitting power threat on the bench but the other three hitters are unimposing. Everth Cabrera is probably a pinch-runner type, as he stole 73 bases in single-A last year.

C Henry Blanco (R)

proj: .240/.290/.350
bb: 6%
k: 19%
gb: 37%
iff: 13%
ifh: 6%
babip: not much power and tendency to pop up; below average
s/c/z: good eye, okay contact
r/l: a little more power right-handed
h/a: a little better k/bb at home but fewer extra base hits
p/o: pull hitter
other: none

IF Edgar Gonzalez (R)

proj: .270/.330/.400
bb: 8%
k: 22%
gb: 46%
iff: 2%
ifh: 4%
babip: definitely above average, rarely pops out and makes solid contact
s/c/z: great eye and good contact
r/l: k/bb of 4.7 vs 1.6; .685 vs .750 ops
h/a: typical given park effects
p/o: slight pull hitter
other: none

IF Everth Cabrera (S)

proj: .230/.300/.300
bb: 8%
k: 24%
gb: had groundball rates of about 60% in minors
iff: had infield fly rates of about 11% in minors
ifh: not clear in minor league data
babip: high in minors (around .350ish) but not really clear how that would translate especially with high infield fly rate; perhaps somewhat above average due to high groundball rate
s/c/z: not enough info
r/l: not really clear from minor leagues but seemingly better as lhb vs rhb based on k/bb numbers
h/a: not enough info
p/o: not enough info
other: stole 73 bases in 89 tries in single-A last year

OF Scott Hairston (R)

proj: .255/.325/.465
bb: 8.5%
k: 23%
gb: 36%
iff: 16%
ifh: 12%
babip: slightly below average, .290ish, since he pops out a lot, but good on groundball since he gets infield hits and decent on line drives as he has some power
s/c/z: slightly below average contact
r/l: 3.5 vs 2.5 k/bb; .712 vs .842 ops
h/a: a bit better at home in career but seemingly mostly luck so far
p/o: definite pull hitter
other: none

ROTATION

The Phillies will avoid Jake Peavy this weekend, which is quite fortunate for a four game series. They will have to face Chris Young on Friday, but as he is a flyball pitcher extreme, the Phillies will hope to turn those flyballs into homeruns in CBP. Young is less effective on the road. Shawn Hill is a groundball pitcher, but is pretty average overall. He doesn't rely on breaking stuff, so he shouldn't really be at a disadvantage facing the Phillies lefties. A third righty will face the Phillies Sunday, Walter Silva, who is not supposed to be very good according to the BP's projection, but maybe the scouts saw something in him. Kevin Correia pitches against the Phillies on Monday. He seems to be a pretty average pitcher in nearly every category, though he has pretty poor command against lefties thus far.

FRIDAY OPPONENT: Chris Young (R)

proj avg: 3.85 ERA, 3.85 BB/9, 8.0 K/9, 1.1 HR/9
gb: 28%
pitches: 75% fb, 18% sl, 5% ch, 2% cb
r/l: 2.6 vs 2.2 k/bb, .647 vs .674 ops
h/a: 2.8 vs 2.1 k/bb

SATURDAY OPPONENT: Shawn Hill (R)

proj avg: 4.50 ERA, 2.6 BB/9, 5.5 K/9, 0.7 HR/9
gb: 50%
pitches: 74% fb, 14% cb, 7% ch, 6% sl
r/l: similar k/bb but lefties do better on contact
h/a: .681/.869 ops but 2.0 vs 1.9 k/bb

SUNDAY OPPONENT: Not yet determined, Walter Silva has forearm strain
POSSIBLE SUNDAY OPPONENT: Josh Geer (R)

proj avg: 4.70 ERA, 2.8 BB/9, 5.0 K/9, 1.1 HR/9
gb: 35%
pitches: 64% fb, 22% ch, 14% sl

MONDAY OPPONENT: Kevin Correia (R)

proj avg: 4.40 ERA, 3.5 BB/9, 6.7 K/9, 1.0 HR/9
gb: 39%
pitches: 60% fb, 27% sl, 9% ch, 4% cb
r/l: 2.3 vs 1.2; .762 vs .819
h/a: similar

SKIPPING NEXT START ON SUNDAY: Walter Silva (R)

proj avg: 5.85 ERA, 5.0 BB/9, 6.0 K/9, 1.2 HR/9
gb: 42%
pitches: 39% fb, 38% sl, 16% cb, 7% ch
r/l: not enough info
h/a: not enough info

NOT FACING US THIS SERIES: Jake Peavy (R)

proj avg: 3.25 ERA, 2.9 BB/9, 9.0 K/9, 0.9 HR/9
gb: 42%
pitches: 57% fb, 18% sl, 17% ct, 7% cb, 6% ch
r/l: 3.8 vs 2.6 k/bb, .603 vs .740 ops
h/a: .614/.737 ops's, 3.7/2.5 k/bb's

BULLPEN

The Phillies will benefit from the Padres' lack of lefties in the bullpen. Heath Bell's recent attack on ESPN is much appreciated, but he will become an enemy this weekend again as the Phillies are forced to deal with his swing and miss stuff, and his ability to induce groundballs. Duaner Sanchez was picked up after being released by the Mets, so his projections look good but he may not be. Cla Meredith is excellent at inducing groundballs, but he is far more effective against righties than lefties. The rest of the Padres' bullpen seem to be young and right-handed, and the Phillies could do themselves a favor to knock out the starters early and feast on the unspectacular young righties.

CL Heath Bell (R)

proj avg: 3.30 ERA, 3.2 BB/9, 9.0 K/9, 0.7 HR/9
gb: 50%
pitches: 72% fb, 28% sl
r/l: 4.7 vs 2.2 k/bb but .687 vs .616 ops since more power surrendered to lhb
h/a: .573/.726 ops split but k/bb even

Duaner Sanchez (R)

proj avg: 4.10 ERA, 3.5 BB/9, 7.0 K/9, 1.0 HR/9
gb: 47%
pitches: 46% fb, 31% ch, 19% sl, 4% cb
r/l: 2.1 vs 1.4; .679 vs .773
h/a: 2.1 vs 1.5 k/bb, .709 vs .735 ops

Cla Meredith (R)

proj avg: 3.70 ERA, 2.6 BB/9, 6.7 K/9, 0.7 HR/9
gb: 69%
pitches: 79% fb (I think sinkers count as fastballs on fangraphs), 18% sl, 3% ch
r/l: 4.3 vs 1.4; .612 vs .794: major ROOGY
h/a: .637 vs .721 and 2.9 vs 2.7 k/bb

Edwin Moreno (R)

proj avg: unprojected (last year 4.53 FIP in AAA)
gb: slightly above average in minors
pitches: so far in majors 48% fb, 18% sl, 12% ct, 22% ch
r/l: no major splits in minors
h/a: not enough info

Luke Gregerson (R)

proj avg: unprojected
gb: very high groundball rates in minors
pitches: 55% fb, 33% sl, 9% ch, 3% cb in majors so far
r/l: much better against righties and walks a lot of lefties in minors
h/a: not enough info

Edward Mujica (R)

proj avg: 4.40 ERA, 2.8 BB/9, 7.0 K/9, 1.0 HR/9
gb: 28%
pitches: 67% fb, 9% sl, 6% cb, 2% ch, 17% sf
r/l: 8.0 k/bb vs righties, but mostly just no walks; 1.5 k/bb vs lefties in minimal experience
h/a: not enough info

Luis Perdomo (R)

proj avg: 4.90 ERA, 4.6 BB/9, 7.0 K/9, 1.2 HR/9
gb: 47% in AAA
pitches: ?
r/l: not enough info
h/a: not enough info

Eulogio De La Cruz (R)

proj avg: 4.80 ERA, 4.2 BB/9, 6.7 K/9, 1.0 HR/9
gb: 57%
pitches: 78% fb, 20% ch, 1% sl
r/l: 12 bb and 4k in 45 PA vs lefties
h/a: not enough info

PHILLIES

LINE UP

The heart of the Phillies lineup leans further to the left than Ralph Nader. The rest of the lineup is pretty well balanced, but with Utley hitting 3rd, Howard hitting 4th, and Ibanez hitting 6th, managers have an advantage to use lefties against the Phillies in key situations. The team is absolutely positioned to mash righties well, and fortunately that is who they'll face this weekend-- the Padres have no lefties on their staff at all. Both of the switch hitters atop the lineup hit lefties a little better than righties, and the bottom of the lineup has two righties. The Phillies' catcher Carlos Ruiz is on the disabled list now with a strained rib cage, so Chris Coste and Lou Marson will be splitting time. Lou Marson is a pretty highly touted catching prospect who had an extraordinary year in AA last year, though has yet to hit for much power.

1) SS Jimmy Rollins (S)

projection average (proj): .285/.350/.460
projected BB/PA (bb): 8%
projected K/AB (k): 11%
career gb% (gb): 42%
career infield flies/flyball (iff): 10%
career infield hits/groundball (ifh): 5%
batting average on balls in play tendencies (babip): about average overall, though a little bit high popup rate so slightly below average
swing/contact/zone facts (s/c/z): good eye, pretty selective, but very high contact rate so low walk rate
righty/lefty (r/l): 1.7 vs 1.3 k/bb, mostly because of higher k-rate as lhb. otherwise similar on contact
home/away (h/a): 1.5 vs 1.7 k/bb; .805 vs .739 ops
pull/opposite (p/o): definite pull hitter
anything else (other): stole 47 bases in 50 attempts last year.

2) CF Shane Victorino (S)

proj: .285/.345/.430
bb: 7.5%
k: 13%
gb: 46%
iff: 15%
ifh: 8%
babip: slightly above average due to high babip on groundballs-- partly because infield plays in for him and he spreads the ball around well; not that high due to high infield fly rate
s/c/z: pretety bad eye but high contact rate
r/l: much more power righthanded (1.6% to 3.8% HR rate), but much better k/bb as lefty: 1.65 vs 1.88; higher babip lefty also (.316 vs .286)
h/a: far fewer walks on road but nearly exactly the same strikeout rate, same power, same babip
p/o: pull hitter both ways
other: stole 36 of 47 bases last year

3) 2B Chase Utley (L)

proj: .295/.380/.525
bb: 9.5%
k: 18%
gb: 37%
iff: 10%
ifh: 6%
babip: distinctly above average historically and for projections too; seemingly strong power leads to high line drive babip rate and reasonably high groundball babip especially for pull hitting lefty; high on flyballs despite high infield fly rate since he hits deep flyballs
s/c/z: pretty good eye, somewhat selective, somewhat high contact rate
r/l: not significant-- only 1.7 vs 2.0 k/bb; .919 vs .865 ops
h/a: similar k/bb home & away; better hr at home-- probably park factors; higher babip at home too
p/o: pull hitter
other: much better against power pitchers relative to other hitters

4) 1B Ryan Howard (L)

proj: .275/.375/580
bb: 14%
k: 33%
gb: 40%
iff: 2%
ifh: 4%
babip: low on groundballs over time as he pulls the vast majority of them; very very high on flyballs because he almost never pops out in the infield at all and many of his flyballs are very deep. also since so few of his flyballs stay in the park (only 2/3 or so), a higher percentage of his balls in play are line drives-- which he does well on like many power hitters-- his low contact rate means he sometimes make poor contact though. probably above average overall
s/c/z: swings a lot especially for someone who doesn't see many strikes. however, he is pretty good at distinguishing pulls from strikes despite the consensus on him. he makes terrible contact overall though
r/l: 1.064 vs .786 ops: say it with me "that means he's good against righties, not bad against lefties!" in fact, he's the best hitter against righties in baseball right now probably. his k/bb vs lhp is 3.7 vs 1.6 vs rhp. he has a lot of power against lefties however, but a lower babip. i don't have split data on pull% vs lhp/rhp but observationally i'm pretty sure that's the difference in his babip: .338 vs .309.
h/a: much higher babip on road. very similar hr numbers. 2.0 vs 3.2 k/bb.
p/o: pull hitter, especially on groundballs-- hits more homeruns the opposite way though
other: struggles mightily against power pitchers and groundball pitchers, dominates flyball pitchers (since he almost never pops out, and has 10.3% hr rate against them) and smashes finesse pitchers (11.8% hr rate); he also does much better on babip with runners on base as defenders can't shift against him-- especially with runners in scoring position

5) RF Jayson Werth (R)

proj: .270/.360/.460
bb: 12.5%
k: 29%
gb: 38%
iff: 8%
ifh: 8%
babip: high on groundballs due to high infield hit rate, high on line drives due to power, and hits pretty deep flyballs too; has been historically probably higher than it should be since he's faced more lhp than normal rhb do; overall still seems to be very above average
s/c/z: very selective and pretty good eye; somewhat low contact rate
r/l: .762 vs .919 ops; 2.4 vs 2.0 k/bb; hr rate of 6.7% vs 2.9%
h/a: not much of a split at all
p/o: spreads ball around well for power hitter, but still a pull hitter
other: stole 20 bases in 21 attempts last year

6) LF Raul Ibanez (L)

proj: .285/.350/.480
bb: 9%
k: 17%
gb: 42%
iff: 11%
ifh: 5%
babip: above average, probably because he spreads the ball around pretty well for a power hitter; much better babip with men on-- probably hooks ball in hole well or maybe he was shifted against more so beforehand
s/c/z: definitely a good eye though it's getting worse, slightly above average contact
r/l: .850 vs .733; 1.5 vs 2.8 k/bb
h/a: better k/bb (1.6 vs 1.9) but worse power probably park factors, and probably likely to be better at home
p/o: slight pull hitter but not much for a power hitter
other: none

7) 3B Pedro Feliz (R)

proj: .250/.300/.420
bb: 6%
k: 15.5%
gb: 44%
iff: 15%
ifh: 5%
babip: very low-- pops up a lot, hits groundballs predictably to left side and is slow so they can play shaded over and deep; not all that much power so not terrific on line drives either, makes a lot of weak contact as he isn't good at making contact so he chops a lot of balls
s/c/z: high swing rate and not terribly good at distinguishing balls from strikes. swung significantly less in 2008, but it was as much of a decrease in balls as strikes, makes average contact
r/l: 3.3 vs 2.3 k/bb; .708 vs .755 ops, more babip and a little more power agaisnt lefties
h/a: much higher k rate on road, similar bb rate; more power on road, higher babip at home. likely not much difference (.725 vs .716 overall ops)
p/o: definite pull hitter
other: defensive numbers dipped last year, had offseason surgery for back, perhaps these are related

8) C Chris Coste (R)

proj: .265/.315/.405
bb: 5.5%
k: 17.5%
gb: 40%
iff: 10%
ifh: 6%
babip: slightly below average, seemingly due to poor eye and swinging and hitting bad pitches
s/c/z: high swing rate, pretty poor eye, average contact
r/l: .747 vs .855; same k/bb rate, much better babip against lhp, similar power but slightly more vs lhp
h/a: .886 vs .679; 5.4% vs 1.5% hr rate
p/o: pull hitter
other: struggles with power pitchers somewhat

BENCH

Like their lineup, the Phillies' bench is much better from the left side. Dobbs and Stairs are two solid lefthanded pinch hitters with power. Stairs is by far more patient and is much more successful against lefties than Dobbs. From the right side, the Phillies have superutility man Eric Bruntlett. Bruntlett struggles mightily against RHP, but actually has very solid numbers against LHP. Bruntlett can be used as a counterswitch when managers bring in lefties to face Dobbs or Stairs. The Phillies other RHB on the bench is Miguel Cairo. He is not a very good hitter, but is flexible and can play many positions.

IF/OF Eric Bruntlett (R)

proj: .240/.325/.335
bb: 10%
k: 18%
gb: 41%
iff: 14%
ifh: 5%
babip: high popup rate leads to low babip, but not that low; also doesn't do all that well on line drives due to lack of power
s/c/z: somewhat above average eye and doesn't swing much; makes very good contact, sees a lot of strikes
r/l: .592 vs .764 ops; 2.5 vs 1.2 k/bb; 5.7% vs 8.8% xbh/ab-- he's actually average if not above average against lhp; he just is terrible against rhb. he should be used as a counterswitch to loogy use against lefty pinch hitters
h/a: more power at home and more walks at home; similar strikeout rate and babip
p/o: opposite field hitter
other: none

IF Greg Dobbs (L)

proj: .285/.335/.445
bb: 7%
k: 17%
gb: 36%
iff: 13.5%
ifh: 3%
babip: has been high but probably should not be projected as high-- success derives from impossibly high line drive babip which doesn't typically happen for non-extreme power hitters. given his popup rate, he probably isn't a .320 babip guy and there isn't a .285 hitter
s/c/z: poor eye but very high swing rate; average contact rate
r/l: .761 vs .579 ops despite impossible .481 babip against lhp. in reality, he strikes out in 48% of at-bats against lhp. he should never see them. absolutely no power against lefties also.
h/a: virtually no split at all
p/o: pull hitter
other: much better against finesse pitchers

OF Matt Stairs (L)

proj: .255/.340/.440
bb: 11%
k: 22%
gb: 42%
iff: 11.5%
ifh: 5%
babip: average all around
s/c/z: very good eye and slightly below average contact
r/l: .862 vs .748; much more power against rhp; 1.4 vs 2.1 k/bb
h/a: not much of a split at all
p/o: slight pull hitter but not much for a power hitter
other: use stairs in case of emergency

IF/OF Miguel Cairo (R)

proj: .255/.315/.335
bb: 7%
k: 15%
gb: 45%
iff: 11%
ifh: 7%
babip: not much power so slightly below average
s/c/z: okay eye, maybe a little above average; makes good contact
r/l: 1.6 vs 2.0 k/bb; .647 vs .735 ops
h/a: virtually no split at all, somewhat better walk rate at home
p/o: slight pull hitter
other: none

C Lou Marson (R)

proj: .270/.345/.400
bb: 11%
k: 22%
gb: 59% in minors in 08
iff: 7% in minors in 08
ifh: ?
babip: very above average in minors, bizarrely high on flyballs and groundballs, and this seems to be without a significant reason
s/c/z: ?
r/l: better k/bb in minors vs rhp but tough to tell
h/a: 0.7 vs 1.5 k/bb; much higher infield fly rate on road (10.6% vs 3.5%)
p/o: ?
other: high walk rate in minors may be at risk in majors if he doesn't develop power

DISABLED LIST: Carlos Ruiz (R)

proj: .255/.335/.390
bb: 10%
k: 14%
gb: 50% (but rose in 2008 to 54% from 46%)
iff: 9.5%
ifh: 4%
babip: was extraordinarily low in 2008, but that seems to be rather flukey. his high groundball rate and solid contact rate and pitch selection indicate he should be a good babip guy, but he does very poorly on groundball as he chops the ball a lot
s/c/z: very good eye and excellent contact skill, extremely patient
r/l: bizarre reverse split despite 0.5 k/bb vs lhp and 1.2 vs rhp; impossibly low .204 babip against lhp, probably flukey and probably much better vs lhp in reality
h/a: similar k/bb, worse babip but higher power at home (park factors)
p/o: slight pull hitter
other: better against power pitchers, currently on DL with strained rib cage, probably longer than 15 days as originally thought

ROTATION

The Phillies rotation finally got its first quality start on Thursday, albeit in a loss. Ace Cole Hamels has struggled with velocity and location in the early going. He had elbow soreness in Spring Training, but the MRI came back fine. He still struggled as he worked his way back and had a very bad starter in Colorado for his first start. He added in an extra throw day between starts this past week, and hopes this can help him with both the velocity and the location. We will have a better picture of where he stands over his next couple starter. Enigmatic Brett Myers starts Saturday night's game for the Phillies. His main struggles consistently come early on. If he can mix in his curveball better, he should be more successful. On the heels of a fabulous Spring Training, Chan Ho Park beat out three younger competitors for the last spot in the Phillies rotation and he will go Sunday. Towards the end of the Spring, I admit to endorsing his use in the rotation only because of how much better he had been than before in the Spring. Despite a biased sample of lower quality hitters, the difference in his K and BB rates was statistically significant. Park did not make me look too smart in his first start in the rain in Colorado. His trouble has always been retiring lefties, so his success will depend on his ability to get some of the Padres tougher lefties out. On Monday, Jamie Moyer will pitch Monday evening's game. The 46-year old has struggled somewhat early on, but hopes to rebound Monday.

FRIDAY STARTER: Cole Hamels (L)

proj avg: 3.45 ERA, 2.3 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 1.1 HR/9
gb: 40%
pitches: 55% fb, 32% ch, 14% cb
r/l: .680 vs .748, but same 3.6 k/bb both ways; slightly more power vs lhb-- this is probably selection bias as managers withhold all but the best lefties against him (explaining 20% of hitters faced are lefties only)
h/a: 3.85 vs 3.4 k/bb; .676 vs .709 ops-- less of a difference due to higher HR rate at home
other: much higher k-rate at night: 25% vs 20%, which is statistically significant. ERA difference (4.71 vs 3.01 exaggerated by babip difference), as HR rate and XBH rate very similar. most likely he strikes out more at night.

SATURDAY STARTER: Brett Myers (R)

proj avg: 4.15 ERA, 3.1 BB/9, 8.0 K/9, 1.3 HR/9
gb: 47%
pitches: 48% fb, 23% cb, 18% sl, 9% ch, 1% ct, 0.2% sf
r/l: .788 vs .747 ops despite 3.1 vs 1.95 k/bb; main issue is much higher HR rate vs rhb, slightly higher babip vs them as well; does not seem to be selection bias
h/a: .738 vs .800 ops; 2.7 vs 2.15 k/bb; slightly higher HR rate at home, but that is probably park factors as he surrenders far more doubles on road
other: HR rate is bizarre-- very few pitchers have the HR/Flyball rate he does. My personal suspicion is that statistics that don't exhibit much persistence despite what common sense suggests only do not exhibit persistence specifically because players make adjustments. If you throw fastball after fastball on the outside corner on every 1-2 count, the hitters will respond by hitting singles to the opposite field over and over again and your BABIP will go up. However, pitchers learn to mix up their pitches and BABIP ends up lacking persistence due to the constant game theoretical reaction that pitchers and hitters take. For Myers, his bizarre refusal to use his curveball early in the game leaves him especially vulernable to RHB who know it isn't coming. A little game theoretical mixed strategy would probably allow him to finally live up to his peripherals which suggest a low HR rate and borderline ace stuff.

SUNDAY STARTER: Chan Ho Park (R)

proj avg: 4.50 ERA, 3.5 BB/9, 7.3 K/9, 1.2 HR/9
gb: 45%
pitches: 51% FB, 29% SL, 12% cb, 5% ch, 4% ct
r/l: .666 vs .820 ops; 2.6 vs 1.3 k/bb; .280 vs .301 babip; 2.6% vs 3.6% HR rate-- much better against righties
h/a: 2.0 vs 1.7 k/bb; .708 vs .780 ops

MONDAY STARTER: Jamie Moyer (L)

proj avg: 4.80 ERA, 2.8 BB/9, 5.5 K/9, 1.2 HR/9
gb: 39%
pitches: 41% fb, 30% ct, 24% ch, 6% cb
r/l: virtually no split but that seems to be selection as he sees 24% lefties only compared with 32% league average for lhp
h/a: 2.3 vs 1.9 k/bb; not much difference on contact; slightly better babip at home but not more so than the average starter gets

NOT PITCHING THIS SERIES: Joe Blanton (R)

proj avg: 4.25 ERA, 2.5 BB/9, 5.8 K/9, 0.9 HR/9
gb: 45%
pitches: 56% fb, 16% ch, 15% sl, 12% cb
r/l: 2.3 vs 1.8 k/bb; .750 vs .719 ops
h/a: 2.2 vs 2.0 k/bb; .698 vs .776 ops; much worse babip away (.313 vs .282), more power surrendered on road
other: extraordinarily good against leadoff hitters, especially the first hitter of games

BULLPEN

Lidge has been nowhere near as effective as the Phillies closer in the early going this year, but still has not blown a save despite letting two games come to within one run. His HR rate was the key to his improvement and he is likely due for some regression. However, that still leaves him as one of the best closers in baseball. Ryan Madson has stepped up to be an elite setup man recently, as his velocity improved mightily over the course of 2008 and has started strong in 2009. The Phillies will have to make do against LHB with J.C. Romero suspended through May. Scott Eyre, Jack Taschner, and J.A. Happ are the Phillies' lefties in the pen. Happ does not have especially difficult stuff against lefties, though, and will probably be the long man. Eyre and Taschner both should not face RHB, especially Taschner who exemplified that inability well against the Nationals on Thursday. Chad Durbin is somewhat streaky, but I've remained bearish on him for a while. He still is a reasonable middle reliever to use at times. Condrey is the other middle reliever, but he should not face lefties at all if possible. The Phillies' bullpen has been extraordinary since the beginning of 2008, and has kept them in games in 2009 thus far. It is due for some regression, but I suppose the rotation is due for some improvement as well.

CL Brad Lidge (R)

proj avg: 3.50 ERA, 4.1 BB?9, 11.0 K/9, 0.8 HR/9
gb: 41% (though this went up to 46% with increased slider use in 2008)
pitches: 56% sl, 43% fb, 0.4% ch in 2008 (historically 54% fb, 42% sl)
r/l: 3.6 vs 2.8 k/bb; .601 vs .686 ops (tough to tell if that tendency became more or less extreme in 2008 due to limited sample size)
h/a: 3.6 vs 2.9 k/bb; .666 vs .614 ops though due to higher babip away
other: HR/Flyball plummeted in 2008-- probably unsustainably low and his ERA should rise; still rumors of him tipping pitches explain the HR/Flyball spike in 2006 & 2007

Ryan Madson (R)

proj avg: 3.80 ERA, 2.9 BB/9, 7.2 K/9, 0.8 HR/9
gb: 48%
pitches: 58% fb, 24% ch, 15% ct, 4% cb
r/l: 3.65 vs 1.8 k/bb; .714 vs .786 ops
h/a: no major split at all

Scott Eyre (L)

proj avg: 4.20 ERA, 4.1 BB/9, 8.8 K/9, 0.9 HR/9
gb: 41%
pitches: 59% fb, 35% sl, 6% ch, 0.2% cb
r/l: 1.5 vs 1.9 k/bb; .815 vs .720 ops
h/a: not much of a split

Jack Taschner (L)

proj avg: 4.50 ERA, 4.1 BB/9, 8.0 K/9, 1.0 HR/9
gb: 35%
pitches: 57% fb, 30% sl, 13% ch
r/l: 1.45 vs 2.2 k/bb; .754 vs .747-- large selection bias where he faces only very good lefties and not very good righties
h/a: .698 vs .797 ops; 2.1 vs 1.5 k/bb

Chad Durbin (R)

proj avg: 4.10 ERA, 3.5 BB/9, 6.5 K/9, 1.0 HR/9
gb: 41%
pitches: 47% fb, 38% sl, 8% ch, 7% cb, 1% ct
r/l: virtually no split
h/a: somewhat of a reverse split but probably just noise

Clay Condrey (R)

proj avg: 4.50 ERA, 2.8 BB/9, 4.9 K/9, 0.8 HR/9
gb: 50%
pitches: 59% fb, 17% ct, 15% sl, 9% ch
r/l: 2.1 vs 1.3 k/bb; .761 vs .842 ops
h/a: .703 vs .898 ops; 2.2 vs 1.3 k/bb

J.A. Happ (L)

proj avg: 4.40 ERA, 3.8 BB/9, 7.7 K/9, 1.2 HR/9
gb: 29% in majors thus far; 42% in AAA in 2008
pitches: 64% fb, 18% ch, 14% sl, 2% ct, 2% cb
r/l: 1.7 vs 3.0 k/bb in majors thus far; 2.7 vs 3.5 k/bb in AAA in 2008
h/a: not enough info

SUSPENDED: J.C. Romero (L)

proj avg: 4.00 ERA, 5.5 BB?9, 7.5 K/9, 0.7 HR/9
gb: 55%
pitches: 58% fb, 25% sl, 17% ch, 0.1% cb
r/l: 1.2 vs 2.2 k/bb; .814 vs. 591 ops
h/a: 1.6 vs 1.3 k/bb; .697 vs .768 ops