SB Nation - Ryan Speier

Washington Nationals: Free Agent Chatter: Aroldis Chapman?

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:40:26 -0000

More photos » by Peter Morgan - AP

22-year-old Cuban-born left-hander Aroldis Chapman threw bullpen sessions for MLB scouts and even a few GM's today in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

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The Washington Nationals signed six free agents, or re-signed in three of six cases, but it was the fact that they simply "watched" an unsigned free agent that had some of the DC Faithful talking, and wondering if the Nationals could once again make the sort of splash in the international market that they did when they signed one Esmailyn "Smiley" Gonzalez back in 2006. At the same time the team was announcing, or in some cases confirming the signings of, "...right-handed pitchers Joel Peralta, Logan Kensing and Ryan Speier, catcher Jamie Burke, infielder Pete Orr and outfielder Jerry Owens to minor league contracts," in an official team press release, reports coming out of Houston, Texas identified the Washington Nationals as one of 15 teams in attendance at a bullpen session thrown by Cuban-born left-hander Aroldis Chapman for the sake of the scouts, and in two cases, GM's, of teams the international free agent hopes to sign with this Winter.

ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure, Jr., in an article entitled, "Scouts watch Cuban lefty throw", reports that DC GM Mike Rizzo was one of those there to see the 22-year-old, 6'4'' left-hander in action. According to Mr. Arangure, Chapman's working with a slider, change, and most impressive of all, a fastball that was, "...mostly in the 92-93 mph range and topp(ed) out at 96 mph," (though his heater has hit triple digits in international competition). In addition to the article Mr. Arangure, Jr. wrote, he was tweeting about the story as it broke, and twice tweeted about the Nationals' presence at the throwing session:

• "Had two sources confirm #Nationals GM Mike Rizzo attended Chapman's workout..."

• "Rizzo was the only out of town GM to attend the workout. Wade attended but obviously he lives in Houston."

Are the Nationals serious suitors for the most coveted free agent pitcher still on the market? (Sorry, Ben Sheets). Two problems: 1) The price tag - According to Mr. Arangure, Jr., "...the only team known to have made an offer for Chapman," is the Boston Red Sox, who have had a $15.5 million dollar deal on the table for some time, but Mr. Arangure Jr. also notes that Chapman's agent, "Randy Hendricks confirmed there are offers on the table for Chapman but did not disclose details," which leads us to problem No. 2) Hendricks? Randy Hendricks? The Hendricks Bros.? Hendricks Sports Management? Any of this ring a bell? That's right, Aroldis Chapman and Aaron Crow share agents. Luckily, it will be DC GM Mike Rizzo dealing with them this time if the Nationals are actually interested.

Six Free Agents Signed:

Logan Kensing, Jamie Burke and Pete Orr we already know, and the signings of Jerry Owens and Ryan Speier were already public knowledge, but the one new name among the six free agents the Washington Nationals signed today was Joel Peralta, a 33-year-old right-hander who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Athletics back in 1996, and has since pitched for 3 Major League teams, the LA Angels, Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies, posting a combined (4-11) record with a 4.61 ERA in 221 games and 273.1 IP over which he's allowed 140 runs, 43 HR's (1.1 HR/9) and 76 walks (2.5 BB/9), while recording 213 K's (8.0 K/9) in his 5 MLB seasons.

LINKS:

• Washington Nationals: Official Press Release - "Nationals sign six players to minor league contracts".

• Washington Post - Chico Harlan - "Rizzo in attendance to watch Chapman."

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:18:55 -0000

by Jim Prisching - AP

Craig Counsell is expected to re-sign today.

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Some things to read while John Tesh rocks the NBA on NBC theme (h/t Amy K. Nelson).

Randy Wolf is expected to undergo a physical this morning and once he does, expect his contract to become official sometime later today. That might not be today's only announcement, though: the Brewers are also expected to finalize a deal with Craig Counsell today. With Counsell, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Alcides Escobar, Mat Gamel and Casey McGehee all on the roster, the Brewers' Opening Day infield is probably set, barring injury or trade.

Meanwhile, Mike Rivera is surprised to be looking for work after being non-tendered over the weekend. He thought the decision not to retain Jason Kendall would give him an edge as the only returning catcher familiar with the Brewer pitching staff.

As of this writing, roughly 4% of voters in the poll on your right listed the decision to offer Dave bush a 2010 contract as the one Brewer move from this weekend they would change. That's not exactly a large chunk of the fanbase, but In-Between Hops is taking on that vocal minority, making the case that the Brewers made the right move by giving Bush another shot.

If you missed Morineko's Weekend Mug, follow the link over to it for full coverage of the Brewers' arbitration decisions, and a link to this list of all the non-tenders leaguewide.

Looking back at last week, Jon Heyman ranked the Brewers among the Winter Meeting winners. Meanwhile, Marc Hulet of The Baseball Analysts listed Rule 5 selection Chuck Lofgren in the "Why Bother?" category.

The more I think about it, the more I think Lofgren will have a tough task ahead of him if he's going to make the team out of spring training. With Trevor Hoffman, LaTroy Hawkins, Todd Coffey, Claudio Vargas and Mitch Stetter back, there's only two bullpen spots left that are potentially available (barring injury), and Chris Smith, John Axford, Chris Narveson, Zach Braddock and now Lofgren fighting for them. I like Lofgren's potential and hope the Brewers will get an opportunity to realize it, but right now he might be the third or fourth best lefty in the bullpen competition.

If you have a vague interest in Brewer baseball, but wish there was less analysis and more profanity on this site, then Miller Park Drunk's RUNNING series might be just the ticket for you. Follow these links for bad Prince Fielder jokes, some fan fiction involving Ryan Braun trying to rap, and a vague musical reference to Rickie Weeks.

In the minors: Baseball Intellect has video footage of some at bats featuring Cameron Garfield, Cutter Dykstra and Josh Prince from a Pioneer League game back in July. They're pay-only, but there are worse ways to spend $2.95.

If you were gone this weekend, you didn't miss the opportunity to help select a center fielder and catcher for the BCB All Decade Team. Voting closes at 4 pm today for center fielders and 4 pm tomorrow for catchers. We'll open the voting for the final starting outfield spot later today.

Around baseball:

Blue Jays: Signed catcher John Buck to a one-year deal worth $2 million, signed Joey Gathright to a minor league deal,
Braves: Signed Matt Diaz to a one year, $2.55 million deal, avoiding arbitration.
D-Backs: Re-signed infielder Augie Ojeda to a one year deal, and avoided arbitration with Blaine Boyer.
Dodgers: Signed pitcher Josh Towers to a minor league deal.
Giants: Signed shortstop-turned-pitcher Tony Pena Jr. to a minor league deal.
Indians: Re-signed pitchers Adam Miller and Anthony Reyes to minor league deals.
Marlins: Signed catcher Ronny Paulino to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration.
Nationals: Re-signed Scott Olsen to a one year deal. Also signed pitcher Ryan Speier to a minor league deal.
Padres: Signed pitcher Kevin Correia to a one year deal, avoiding arbitration.
Pirates: Signed Ronny Cedeno to a one year, $1.125 million deal, avoiding arbitration.
Rangers: Signed infielder Esteban German to a one year deal, avoiding arbitration.
Rays: Avoided arbitration with catcher Dioner Navarro and pitchers Grant Balfour, Rafael Soriano, Lance Cormier and Randy Choate.
Royals: Avoided arbitration with pitchers Brian Bannister and Kyle Davies. They also signed pitcher Bruce Chen and catcher Vance Wilson to minor league deals.
White Sox: Signed J.J. Putz to a one year deal.

Meanwhile, the market heated up immediately for Yankees non-tender Chien-Ming Wang, with Ken Rosenthal reporting that six teams have already expressed interest. He doesn't list the teams, but I wouldn't be surprised to discover the Brewers are one of them.

I promise, I'm not going to mention it every time someone says something new about Jason Kendall. In fact, I might try to go the rest of the week without mentioning him at all. With that said, I thought these three links about him were interesting:

Joe Posnanski has a look at the potential Opening Day lineup for the 2010 Royals, now including Kendall.
He also compares Kendall to a superball on the field at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
Reminding us all how far and how fast Kendall has fallen, Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? named Kendall the Pirate Catcher of the Decade.

Weeks ago I linked to a post from minor league veteran Garrett Broshuis, mentioning the challenges in finding quality, healthy food in minor league clubhouses. It looks like that problem may be on its way to being resolved: After discussing it at the Winter Meetings, several teams are making an effort to provide healthier options, and remove the constant flow of junk.

If you're a fan of sabermetrics, or just want to learn more about them, I've got two links for you today:

TangoTiger has a look at OPS+, and some minor adjustments that could be made to it to make it more useful than some other advanced metrics.
That post links to this one, Big League Stew's beginner's guide to wOBA. I learned a fair amount by reading that one.

Gorman Thomas celebrated a birthday over the weekend, and while this probably isn't what he had in mind for a gift, David Chalk of Seventh Inning 'Stache has inducted him into the MLB Mustache Hall of Fame.

On this day in 1998, the Brewers acquired Alex Ochoa from the Twins for a minor leaguer named Darrell Nicholas. Ochoa spent one season as a Brewer, hitting .300/.404/.466 before being traded to the Reds for Mark Sweeney after the season.

Happy birthday today to:

Former Seattle Pilot and 1970 Brewer Greg Goossen, who turns 64.
Dave Nilsson, who appeared in 837 games as a Brewer and turns 40.
Marcus Jensen, who appeared in 18 games over two tours as a Brewer and turns 37.

Sean Forman, founder of Baseball Reference, is also celebrating his birthday today. You can help him celebrate by sponsoring a page. I know someone around here will want this one.

Drink up.

Washington Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo On Pudge Rodriguez.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:37:14 -0000

More photos » by Kevin Wolf - AP

9 days ago: Washington Nationals new catcher Ivan Rodriguez looks on during news conference announcing his signing with the baseball team on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009 at Nationals Park in Washington. The 38-year-old catcher agreed this week to a $6 million, two-year contract (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

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Q: How did the deal come together? What does signing Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez mean to DC?

Mike Rizzo: "Going into the offseason we had a check list of things that we wanted to accomplish," DC GM Mike Rizzo responded when asked what Pudge Rodriguez signing in Washington meant for the Nationals, "to address the catching situation was certainly a priority for us, with the injury and the surgery to Jesus Flores, we thought that we needed a person that could be a significant contributor to the ball club, particulary in 2010, but in 2010 and beyond, and when we made our checklist and our evaluations, and it was very evident very quickly in the process, when we gathered all our evaluators together in one place, that we were no longer looking for "a" catcher to fill that role, we were looking for Ivan Rodriguez to fill that role."

Q: Why Pudge?

Mike Rizzo: "Not only his character, his leadership abilities, his track record and the aura that he brings to a clubhouse, but also for the fact that he threw out 38% of the would-be base stealers, which was fourth in all of baseball last year, has a potent bat and we think that there's a lot left in the tank with this particular player."

Q: The status of Jesus Flores?

(cont)...

Q: The status of Jesus Flores?

Mike Rizzo: "Jesus Flores is still rehabbing the shoulder surgery, it's been passed along to me in a meeting as early as yesterday, that he should be ready to go by the beginning of Spring Training, and we'll go to Spring Training with that in mind. But, we have, we certainly have in the past, specifically with arm surgeries, and labrum surgeries, specifically, we go into it cautiously optimistic."

Q: "The biggest catcher signing of the Winter Meetings, how did it come together?

Mike Rizzo: "It all began before the Winter Meetings with our discussions with our evaluators, and in the Winter Meetings, in the suite, we were putting together our hitlist, our check list, and how to improve the ballclub, and the catching situation, we thought, needed to be addressed, with the uncertainty of where we're at with Jesus Flores, we feel he's going to be healthy for Spring Training, but those injuries are kind of a...you never know. We felt that we had an opportunity to go out and fill the need with a major league catcher, and it wasn't so much as we were looking for "a" catcher, it came very apparent, very early in our room in Indianapolis, that we weren't looking for a catcher to help us, we were looking for Ivan Rodriguez to help us. The sense that I got in the room, it was a unanimous evaluation that this was the guy at this time in this place for this franchise."

Q: How much of a difference will Pudge make in attracting free agent pitchers?

Mike Rizzo: "If you think that didn't go into my thought process when we were talking to Ivan Rodriguez, you don't know me very well, but it certainly doesn't hurt when you talk to prospective free agent starting pitchers that they're going to be throwing to a legendary Hall of Fame catcher, and the 14 Gold Gloves does not go unnoticed by the guys you're trying to court to come to the Washington Nationals. So, we certainly will give them that information, when we talk to prospective pitchers, if they don't know that already, and it certainly is an asset to the ballclub in so many ways..."

What They're Saying:

• SI.com's Jon Heyman, in an article entitled, "Winners and losers from relatively uneventful winter meetings", put Ivan Rodriguez on his list of the Winter Meetings Winners, writing that the 38-year-old catcher, who was, "Thought to be nearing the end of his great career entering last winter...somehow finagled a two-year deal from the Nationals (with Scott Boras' help)."

• Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell notes, in an article entitled, "Nats act like they belong", that the Nationals started to address their needs this winter by bringing in a reliever (Brian Bruney) and a catcher (Pudge Rodriguez), which should help when the Nationals talk to free agent arms:

"What gives a pitcher a sense of security? Why, the catcher in front of him and the bullpen behind him. So, Rodríguez and Bruney came first."

• MLBTraderumors.com linked to an AP report by Howard Fendrich Friday night at SI.com entitled, "Kendall goes to Royals, Putz to White Sox", wherein Mr. Fendrich reports that the Washington Nationals signed free agent pitcher Ryan Speier. An undrafted free agent signed by the Colorado Rockies in 2001, the 30-year-old, right-handed Speier is (7-3) with a 3.99 career ERA in 90 games pitched for the Rockies in which walked more batters per 9 innings (4.8 BB/9) than he's struck out (3.2 K/9).

Some Interesting Minor League Free Agent Pitchers

R.J. Anderson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:13 -0000

Here's the thing about the minor league free agents list. You can spend literally an hour just checking out every name and tracing the prospect genesis of the ones you recognize and it never gets old. There's also a cognitive filter where any semi-interesting player gains a mention on the "Ooh I want!" list. Once promised pitchers will undoubtedly figure things out and hitters will either engage a girl with the last name Luck or invoke on a journey that begins with this:

Scene: Back alley of an abandoned warehouse

A man with a trench coat and extended black case raps on the door amidst the raspy coughing of a stray cat encountering a fur ball.

The warehouse door swings open with an abrupt thud and quickly the man scatters inside. Indoors, the case is handed to the new man while a stack of dollars is bagged and placed within the trench coat. The mystery man places the case on the table and undoes the latches, opening the case and removing shackles before revealing a fine wooden black baseball bat with an orange 25 engraved into the barrel.

Lifting the bat into the moonlight the new owner gasped ‘Gee willickers!" as he took an effortless practice cut or three and could feel the power surge through his veins. The trench coat man begins to make his way out of the door once again but stops at the door to administer a warning, "Look kid, this is the last one, make it last, okay?"

"Yes...yes sir. Good golly thanks a ton mister."

With that in mind, I've compiled a list of mildly intriguing relievers. The idea here is not to land a closer in his prime, but instead find an arm or two who can contribute when injuries and ineffective pitching hit the Rays pen. For this exercise I'm working with the assumption that these guys would take the standard minor league deal and would not require a 40 man roster spot.

Winston Abreu

Striking out nearly a third of the total batters you face indicates you do something well. Holding such a proportion when the sample size is closing in on 1,250 is remarkable. He throws hard. He seems to have a decent secondary offering. In 44 Major League innings Abreu's contact rate is superior (72.1%) to league average (around 81%) and his issues are rooted almost entirely in home runs allowed. That issue does not show up throughout his minor league career and 44 innings is a tiny sample size stretched over four seasons. He received some shine last season to the tune of 128 pitches and was horrendous but for someone who took fewer dollars to return to the system after being designated for assignment by Cleveland, you have to think he's a lock for next year. A spring training invite is hardly a pyrrhic victory for the Rays.

Wes Littleton

The meaningful statistics on Littleton: 102 innings pitched, 59.6% grounders, a strikeout rate essentially equal to the career of Lance Cormier, and a better walk rate to boot. Split last year between Boston and Milwaukee and saw wacky walk rates throughout. Whether that was due to an injury is unbeknownst to me. Was drafted by Texas in 2003 which, I believe, overlaps with Matt Arnold's time in Arlington. Sits in the upper-80s and uses a slider and change effectively against both hands. Worst case: a potential replacement for Chad Bradford's groundhog-thumping ways. Ehren Wasserman, Shane Loux, and Ryan Speier would also make sense in that role.

Scott Patterson

The second of the chichi minor league lifers whom fan infatuation arises naturally like grass. Pitching baseballs is like everything else in the sense that entertainment and enjoyment derived is quickly decreased once money becomes involved. Whether it's writing, telling jokes, or playing baseball, doing it just to make the next rent or car payment takes its toll. Back to Patterson. In the last few seasons he's split time between New York, San Diego, and Oakland. He holds a 10 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in Triple-A through nearly 115 innings and yet has a handful of appearances in the majors to show for it. His walk rate went berserk this year and his fastball doesn't make love to the radar guns.

Marcus McBeth

A former outfield prospect with the Athletics, McBeth spent last season with the Red Sox and saw timei n the majors with the Reds in 2007. He's a fastball pitcher with a decent fastball and supposedly good change. His whiff rates have been impressive throughout the minors.

Andrew Brown

Spent nearly 90 innings in the majors and wasn't poor but missed all of 2009 with a slight labrum tear and rotator cuff damage. Status for 2010: beats me.

That's enough from me, which names pique your interest?

Groundballs and the Bullpen: Do we need them?

RockiesMagicNumber — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:00:29 -0000

In the Rockpile today, Poseidon's Fist linked an article by Dave Cameron of Fangraphs discussing the Rockies' postseason rotation. He breaks it down to Ubaldo-Cook-DLR-Hammel, leaving Marquis off of the rotation. But it isn't just "lol marquis is teh awfuls," he raises a really good point:

Marquis would give the bullpen something it doesn't have right now - a guy to come in and get a ground ball in order to induce a DP or a play at the plate.

He raises a good point. The bullpen we have going into the postseason is very strikeout-heavy, pretty much bereft of groundballers. But is that such a bad thing?

Name	GB/FB	GB%	FB%	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP
Aaron Cook	2.30	56.7%	24.7%	4.44	2.68	1.66	1.08	.282	1.41
Jason Marquis	2.00	55.6%	27.8%	4.75	3.31	1.44	0.64	.260	1.36
Ubaldo Jimenez	1.85	52.3%	28.2%	7.98	3.44	2.32	0.55	.232	1.24
Juan Rincon	1.41	47.7%	33.8%	8.77	7.01	1.25	0.70	.199	1.48
Jason Hammel	1.51	46.3%	30.8%	6.75	2.16	3.12	0.88	.290	1.39
Jorge de la Rosa	1.32	44.7%	34.0%	9.35	4.10	2.28	0.99	.251	1.4
Joe Beimel	0.83	40.4%	48.9%	6.60	2.40	2.75	1.20	.287	1.4
Matt Belisle	1.03	40.4%	39.4%	6.23	1.48	4.20	1.78	.284	1.29
Randy Flores	1.08	40.0%	37.1%	10.03	1.54	6.50	1.54	.299	1.37
Jose Contreras	1.25	39.5%	31.6%	9.00	4.50	2.00	1.29	.288	1.64
Huston Street	0.92	39.1%	42.4%	10.29	1.94	5.31	1.04	.202	0.93
Matt Daley	0.59	32.8%	55.5%	9.77	2.84	3.44	0.89	.223	1.13
Rafael Betancourt	0.60	29.5%	49.2%	10.13	1.88	5.40	0.38	.201	0.92
Franklin Morales	0.54	27.1%	50.5%	9.30	4.76	1.95	0.91	.233	1.39
Joel Peralta	0.50	24.7%	49.3%	8.03	4.38	1.83	1.09	.280	1.58

It's interesting to note that the strikeouts and groundballs seem to be inversely correlated, but that's a different study entirely.

Contrast this bullpen with the guys in 2007, just based on GB%:

Name	GB/FB	GB%	FB%	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP
LaTroy Hawkins	3.03	63.3%	20.9%	4.72	2.6	1.81	0.98	0.25	1.23
Aaron Cook	2.46	57.9%	23.6%	3.31	2.39	1.39	0.81	0.275	1.34
Manny Corpas	2.03	57.4%	28.3%	6.69	2.31	2.9	0.69	0.223	1.06
Franklin Morales	2.07	54.9%	26.5%	5.95	3.2	1.86	0.46	0.235	1.22
Jeremy Affeldt	1.63	53.0%	32.5%	7.02	5.03	1.39	0.46	0.22	1.36
Matt Herges	1.22	46.5%	38.0%	5.55	2.77	2	0.74	0.199	1.01
Ubaldo Jimenez	1.26	46.4%	36.7%	7.46	4.06	1.84	1.1	0.232	1.3
Jeff Francis	1.19	44.4%	37.2%	6.9	2.63	2.62	1.04	0.278	1.38
Ryan Speier	1.38	41.5%	30.2%	6.5	4	1.63	0.5	0.283	1.56
Mark Redman	0.96	41.3%	42.9%	6.41	2.75	2.33	0.92	0.275	1.37
Josh Fogg	1.00	40.0%	40.0%	5.11	3.21	1.59	1.25	0.293	1.53
Brian Fuentes	0.83	35.9%	43.1%	8.22	3.38	2.43	0.88	0.21	1.13

Click past the jump and we'll break these numbers down.

In 2009, our 3 most extreme groundballers are all starting pitchers. Which makes sense, more or less, it helps mitigate damage via the double play and it keeps pitch counts down by getting more balls in play early in the count.

In 2007, however, 3.5 of our 5 most extreme groundballers were in the bullpen, and only Aaron Cook was in the rotation. Morales' role in the postseason was somewhat mixed, so that's why he gets the .5 for pen and .5 for rotation.

So in a casual sense, yes, we'd like a groundballer in the bullpen. But it seems, for the rationale listed above, that the groundballers are better suited to the rotation, as they are more prone to giving up hits (at least in terms of Marquis and Cook), and typically with bullpen duty, you want to get the outs as lock-downingly as possible, as to mitigate potential inherited damage.

So let's get a quick look at how 2007 and 2009 stack up in summation.

2007	GB%	K/9	tRA*
Rotation	45.71%	5.61	4.96
Bullpen	50.01%	6.46	4.44

2009	GB%	K/9	tRA*
Rotation	51.24%	6.69	4.33
Bullpen	38.48%	8.02	4.06

You could probably just look at that little chart and say "well, the Rockies just are a better pitching team this year" and I wouldn't argue with you at all. But it does seem that in sacrificing GB% for K/9, we made our pen better, and by further emphasizing GB% in the rotation, it made it better there as well.

The two pitchers I'd like to single out kind of embody the balance between the two measures presented: Ubaldo Jimenez and Manny Corpas.

I don't think I need to say much about Jimenez. 7.98 K/9 and 52.3% GB and he throws 700mph and he runs on clean burning biodiesel.

Corpas, however (and I'll keep this somewhat brief, I want to touch on his season more after we're all wrapped up with 2009), strikes out a decent amount, has excellent control of the strike zone (as in he never walks anyone), and still throws his slider very effectively. He also has a career GB% of 51.4%.

His sinker/2seamer/whatever we're calling it lost something this year, and there's a distinct chance we could chalk some of that up to a damaged elbow causing him to overthrow or something (this really isn't my area of expertise). He got hit a lot harder than we'd like to see, but I really think he'll rebound in 2010. He still gets a good number of ground balls, still doesn't give up many fly balls, and actually posted a lower FIP in 2009 than '08 or '07.

Frankly, and I know he was kind of awful this year, but I do think the pen missed having Corpas just for the different toolset he brought along. I mean, clearly we didn't miss him TOOOOOOOO much, but we had to rely on guys like Flores to come strike one LHB out (and he did do that pretty well: 11K to 1BB v LHB) when we had a jam to get out of. Season-long, yeah, Corpas was trouble, but situationally, he might still be a good tool to have around. But again, next season.

As for the original issue, having Marquis in the pen WOULD present us with a groundballing option, but I'm not 100% convinced I want to bring him into tight situations, especially with how wild his last start was in general. If you want a situational groundballer, you need a guy who can come in and paint corners with either a nasty changeup or a strong sinker, locating low and getting the big double play outs. I don't see Marquis being able to do that.

Mopup guy? Sure. 3 inning relief? Sure.

Situational groundballer? ehhhhhhh I wish we had Corpas still.

Thursday Pebble Report: On the menu - a double-digit inning, a grand slam, a pitcher home run, and an abused ace for the road

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:56:31 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

Perhaps you were covering your eyes too. If so, Russ Ortiz stunk it up again.

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It was a strange night on the farm. To wit: in the only organizational loss, the starting pitcher allowed no earned runs and hit a home run. Let's get to it.

AAA Colorado Springs, W 12-9 - (72-65, 1st)

In case you weren't convinced last time, Russ Ortiz showed last night why he should stay far far away from Coors Field. The former 21-game winner threw 92 pitches in 4.0 IP, barely half for strikes, on his way to allowing 6 runs on 7 hits, 7 walks and a wild pitch. Ryan Speier put out the fire with two scoreless innings for his second win.

The Sky Sox mutilated two former Padre starters, Cesar Ramos and Walter Silva, pounding out 12 runs on 18 hits. Six sox had multi-hit games and four had at least three led by Christian Colonel's 4-for-5, 3 RBI night.

The Beavers and SkySox close the series tonight at 6:05MDT at Security Service Field.

AA Tulsa, L 6-7 - (34-31, 2nd, 1.0 GB)

With just five games left this season, the Drillers lost to the Springfield Cardinals, falling back to second place for the first time in over a month. But don't blame Samuel Deduno. The recently awarded Texas League Pitcher of the Year did more than just that by helping Tulsa build a 3-run lead with his first professional home run. Deduno allowed just two hits in six innings, striking out seven while allowing no earned runs.

Unfortunately, he also committed a throwing error that led to four unearned runs, forcing him to leave the game on the hook for the loss. A bases clearing triple by Daniel Mayora gave the Drillers a two-run lead in the eighth, but Matt Reynolds gave it all back by permitting three runs in the bottom half.

Brandon Durden (7-3, 3.65 ERA) will face Trey Hearne (11-3, 3.01 ERA) in game 3 of the four-game set tonight at 6:10MDT.

High-A Modesto, W 6-5 - (33-32, 13.5 GB)

The penultimate WINNAR Joey Williamson (13-3, 3.34) improved his career record to 22-3 by giving up the go-ahead run in relief in the sixth inning. The Nuts took the lead for good in the seventh on a Hector Gomez pop single and Jeffrey Cunningham sac fly. Of particular concern was Christian Friedrich, who started but couldn't make it past the third inning, having allowed four runs on six hits, two walks and two wild pitches. It is the second time in four starts he failed to finish even the fourth inning.

Hector Gomez had a three hit game, extending his hitting streak to seven, of which six were multi-hit games. Matt Repec singled and hit his 11th homer, a grand slam that erased the deficit Friedrich created. What's Friedrich's problem? Sure, it could be fatigue, but he has thrown just 106.2 IP this season, almost 30 IP less than his 2008 total between EKU, Tri-City and Asheville.

The Nuts finish their series with the Lake Elsinore Storm tonight at 8:05 MDT before facing High Desert in the season's last series.

Write-ups for Asheville, Tri-City and Casper under the fold

Low-A Asheville, W 6-2 - (40-24, 1st)

Jimmy Cesario broke a 2-2 tie leading off the bottom of the eighth with his 11th home run, paving the way for a four-run inning also highlighted by a two-run triple from David Christensen. Scott Robinson and Thomas Field each had RBI singles, and Mike Zuanich doubled a man home. Carlos Luna allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 5.2 IP, then allowed Stephen Dodson and Adam Jorgenson to send the last ten hitters down in order.

Joe Mikulik will send out Juan Nicasio (8-3, 2.41) against the lefty David Duncan (4-3, 4.24) as the Tourists try to whittle their divisional magic number down from three with five games left.

SS A Tri-City, W 12-6 - (45-27, 1st)

Ten isn't really a crooked number, so I'll just say the Dust Devils put up a straight and pretty number in the fifth frame against the Yakima Bears (Diamondbacks). Here's how:

Joseph Sanders doubled. Jose Gonzalez popped out. One out.

Shane Lowe walked. Joey Wong walked. Tim Wheeler walked. RUN ONE.
Joseph Scott hit by pitch. RUN TWO.

Christopher Vasami singled. RUNS THREE AND FOUR.
Kevin Clark reached on force attempt, fielding error.  Kent Matthes reached on force attempt, missed catch error. RUN FIVE.
Joseph Sanders grounded out. RUN SIX. Two out.
Jose Gonzalez singled. RUNS SEVEN AND EIGHT.
Shane Lowe homered. RUNS NINE AND TEN
Joey Wong grounded out. Three outs.

Only Kevin Clark and Ben Paulsen failed to drive in a run, while Sanders and Matthes each had two hits. Wes Musick got the win for allowing three runs in five innings.

The Dust Devils have already clinched a championship series against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants) Monday-Friday but will have to finish the series with Yakima tonight at 8:15MDT before a weekend series in Boise to close out the regular season.

Rookie Casper, W 9-5 (13-16, 11 GB)

The Ghosts won their first game of the season's final ten, eight of which will come against Wednesday's victim, the Idaho Falls Chukars (Royals). Chandler Laurent hit his second home run and every starter got a hit except Jeffrey Squier, who K'd three times. After managing just one single in his last 17 ABs, Nolan Arenado was given the night off. Kyle Hancock pitched five innings, allowing two unearned runs for his third win.

The Ghosts will take on the Chukars again tonight at 7:15 MDT on the road.

Poll

Which do you wish you witnessed most in person?

Another page of Russ Ortiz' career downspiral, and offensive fireworks

11 votes

Samuel Deduno hitting a home run and allowing no earned runs in a Tulsa loss.

35 votes

Christian Friedrich being humbled, plus a grand slam

5 votes

A strong fundamental win all around for the Tourists

6 votes

A ten run inning

22 votes

A balanced offensive attack in Idaho

1 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed

Thursday Pebble Report: Sky Sox know how to get a RISP hit, Cole Garner still raking

Poseidon's Fist — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:00:18 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

This guy has fallen a long way from being the guy with the nice contract and hot wife. The Sky Sox torched him for 9 runs last night.

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AAA Colorado Springs, W 13-3 - (66-58, 1st)

Contrary to their parents last night, the Sky Sox had no trouble taking advantage of run-scoring opportunities, and they faced a pitcher with a far better MLB track record than the MLB club. The Springs was 7-for-17 with RISP against the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Rangers), pounding out 9 runs in the first three innings in devouring Kris Benson. And yes, THAT Kris Benson. Every hitter except Daniel Ortmeier got a hit and an RBI, highlighted by Matt Murton's 4-for-4 night and Kenny Perez' two-hit, 3 RBI effort. Mike McCoy and Eric Young Jr each doubled and singled.

Brandon Hynick (10-7, 3.59) got his tenth win despite failing to throw a quality start for the first time in his last seven tries. He allowed three runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings. Damian Moss, Scott Munter and Ryan Speier allowed just one baserunner in the last four innings.

The RedHawks and SkySox square off again tonight at 6:05MDT in OKC.

AA Tulsa, L 6-7 - (27-23, 1.5 GB)

Shane Lindsay and Matt Reynolds combined to give the game away agaisnt the Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers) in the last two innings. Lindsay allowed two runs on no hits by walking a batter, hitter another, throwing a wild pitch and giving up a sac fly. Reynolds then came on and allowed an RBI single. After an RBI single by Jeff Kindel to tie the game in the ninth, Frisco earned a walkoff win off of Reynolds with a walk, sac bunt and single.

Cole Garner was once again the offensive hero. By extended his hitting streak to 19 games, he's back up to hitting .300. He ripped his 16th HR, laced two doubles and walked. The 24-year-old was compared to Matt Holliday by Irv Moss before the season, and he's having a much better season than Holliday did in Tulsa at 23. Of course, that means nothing, as Holliday's season was uninspiring (.395 SLG) there.. But after two injury-plagued seasons, he has cut his K rate significantly, has a little speed and has a stout .206 IsoD. He's worth a solid look in your PuRPs list. He has fairly large home/road splits, though I honestly don't know how much to make of that. Rex Rundgren was 3-for-3, and Daniel Carte and Jeff Kindel each had two hits.

The two teams face off again tonight at 6:05MDT.

High-A Modesto, W 5-0 - (27-25, 10.0 GB)

Ethan Hollingsworth (2-2, 4.19) backed up his first Modesto win with another strong start, going 6.2 scoreless innings, striking out eight. He has now allowed just one run in his past 14.0 IP. Joey Williamson and Xavier Cedeno shut the door convincingly on the Stockton Ports (A's) for the shutout.

Three Nuts homered. Charlie Blackmon was a triple shy of the cycle, hitting his 7th HR and 24th double in the process. Brian Rike (11) drove in two with a dinger and Jeffrey Cunningham had a solo job (7). Lars Davis drove in the other run in the first with a single.

Tonight's rubber game is at 8:05 MDT in Stockton.

Low-A Asheville, W 9-2 - (31-19, 1st)

Behind Dan Houston (7-8, 3.88), the Tourists snapped a four game losing streak to wallop the West Virginia Power (Pirates) in a game featuring nine errors, four by Asheville, two belonging to SS Carlos Martinez). Houston allowed one run in six innings, striking out six. Kiel Roling hit his 17th home run, going Barmes/Gonzalez in homering in his third straight game. Jimmy Cesario and Tyler Massey tripled, Jordan Pacheco and Scott Robinson doubled, and David Christensen walked three times and stole two bases.

Both teams retangle tonight at 5:05MDT.

SS A Tri-City, Off Day - (34-24, 1st)

The Dust Devils had an off day to travel home from Vancouver. They open a series tonight at 8:15MDT vs the Spokane Indians (Rangers).

Rookie Casper, L 2-3 (6-8, 7.5 GB)

Th Ghosts failed to complete the sweep against the Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox) in Montana. Catcher Brandon Whitby had two singles but also two errors and two strikeouts. Nolan Arenado and Jared Clark, two new draftees and potential PuRPS, each had two singles and an RBI. Arenado, who is "duck-footed and lumbers" according to this, had the Ghosts only successful stolen base in four team tries. Ricardo Ferrer (2-6, 6.80) allowed 3 runs, 2 earned in five innings, walking five.

The Ghosts will play double headers the next two days to make up for three rainouts against Billings in Casper Aug. 15 and 16. Because these rules bend in the minors, the make-up games will be in Billings instead of Casper. The first game is set to start at 5:35MDT.

Saturday Rockpile: Who would you rather have - Ubaldo Jimenez or Johan Santana?

Poseidon's Fist — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:29:24 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

No, Ubaldo, we tip our cap to you.

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That isn't a hometown comparison. No, Ubaldo has really started capturing national attention. The article of the same name is from Fake Teams, the fantasy sports SBNation site. Ubaldo is even getting love from the readers. He is leading in the poll by nearly double, though given the site, votes are probably cast with knowledge of draft slot. But just for fun, let's look at our stud's stats against the former Cy Young winner.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez	10-9	24	24	1	0	0	0	158.1	133	63	61	8	63	140	3.47	1.24

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Johan Santana	13-8	23	23	0	0	0	0	153.0	138	60	51	18	45	138	3.00	1.20

Ubaldo has allowed less hits, far less home runs and has a comparable WHIP. He's just walked too many. Sabermetrically, Jimenez has the edge, achieving a tRA of 3.18 vs Johan's 3.59. Our ace also has a lower FIP, 3.31 to 3.71.

Then of course, there's that thing that the Mets are paying $20million for Santana's services and have $117.5million left on his contract through 2013. Jimenez is making just $750k and is owed $9.25million through 2012, with options through 2014. Jimenez wins from Fangraphs value as well, giving the Rockies $19.7million in value (4th in NL) while Santana is at $12.6million.

I'll admit readily that we're not comparing apples to apples here. Johan is a 30-year old 9-year veteran while Ubaldo is 25 and barely has two years of continual play on the MLB roster. Still, who would have thought three years ago that the Rockies would have a pitcher in the same conversation as the Mets lefty?

Rockies News and Links

Speaking of dominant starters, Josh Johnson was good last night. The kid set a career high in strikeouts and lost his no-hitter in the seventh inning. It should be no surprise though. The kid is 31-13 in his career, including a ridiculous 19-3 since coming off Tommy John surgery. His career ERA is 3.28, he's been the 5th most valuable starter in the NL, has as many strikeouts as Ubaldo Jimenez, and has the second fastest fastball, ranked 8th in NL in value. So it was a good pitcher that beat us last night. It sure would be nice if we could beat a good pitcher before we have to in a playoff series.

Mike Timlin was released yesterday. The Rockies told him there was no spot in the MLB bullpen, so he walked away to be with his family in Castle Rock. Ryan Speier was activated from the DL to take his place and promptly blew a save last night.

Baseball America came out with their best tools issue, ranking players all the way to Class A. Most notable is Todd Helton's ranking as MLB's 3rd best hitter, behind Pujols and Hanley Ramirez. Huston Street earned honors as the third best reliever (not a bad trade) and Troy Tulowitzki checks in as being the 2nd best fielder with the 2nd best arm. Also appearing are Brad Hawpe, Eric Young Jr, Jhoulys Chacin, Esmil Rogers, Mike McKenry, Craig Baker, Jordan Pacheco, and Hector Gomez.

Rox riding a hot Fowler in August heat | ColoradoRockies.com: News
When asked why he has started hitting well again, the Rox CF said "I have no clue." Jim Tracy knows though: six of the eight starts in his hitting streak have come against LHP, meaning he's making hay mostly from the right side still.

Eaton gets early call to pitch - The Denver Post
After seeing him allow two runs in three innings last night, Bob Apodaca called Adam Eaton "impressive."

Troy Tulowitzki has started every game Jim Tracy has managed. Trainers are suggesting Tulo is fatigued (this is a tired Tulo?) and needs a day off. Tracy suggests next Friday against the Giants. Why? Rest him in Washington...Tulo also "impressed" while visiting the Dolphins' training camp before the game, and Troy Renck echoed yesterday's murmurs on Purple Row by saying the Rockies seem to have a ceiling offer of $2million for Tyler Matzek and that it appears no deal is imminent.

If you've read this far, you're probably very bored or very interested. There's more links under the fold - Buster Olney sounding off on beanballs, and several sabermetric topics.

Beanballs

Buster Olney looks into hit batters in a couple ESPN Insider Articles. In one, he notes the teams that hit the most batters win more. Only ten teams have hit fewer batters than the Rockies, so Colorado bucks the trend a bit. The other article:

The players have a code, and it's about time the league wises up to it, writes Buster Olney. Olney claims that MLB "whiffed" on the Rick Porcello-Kevin Youkilis fued and that the league needs to wisen up to the "Code of Proper Retaliation."

Sabermetric Thoughts

BtB's latest Poor Man's Predicted Standings. The Rockies have made up two games on the Giants and three on the Dodgers since the last installment.

tRA has been added to Fangraphs and is currently listed under the batted ball section of a pitcher profile. The tRA numbers will be slightly different than those at StatCorner because they use a different source for batted ball data as well as implementing park factors.

Graham MacAree explains: What is tRA? For a more detailed explanation, check out RockiesMagicNumber's Counting Rocks article on tRA.

Delving more into the world of pitcher sabermetrics, Colin Wyers at The Hardball Times attacks the practice of subtracting ERA and FIP, saying it distorts the difference between the good and bad pitchers, especially at extremes. Fangraphs has a ranking of ERA-FIP numbers, of which Jason Hammel ranks 3rd in MLB.

Ever wonder how to project the statistics of a player? Wyers uses Joe Mauer as an example to explain.

That's it for today...have a wonderful Saturday, Rowbots.

Saturday Pebble Report: Tulsa's first grand slam propels team to victory

Russ Oates — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:00:23 -0000

Colorado Springs, L 2-3
Brandon Hynick allowed one run on a solo homer and struck out five over six innings. Ryan Speier gave up a run in the eighth inning to blow the save before Scott Munter saw the winning run cross home in the ninth.

Tulsa, W 8-4 in 12 innings
Darin Holcomb wanted to make things dramatic during extra innings. With two outs in the bottom of the twelfth, he stepped to the plate and launched a game-ending grand slam for the victory. It was the first grand slam by a Driller this season. Ryan Harvey his his 20th homer of the season for two runs in fourth inning, and Brad Corley had a solo shot in the fifth.

Chaz Roe allowed four runs in 5 2/3 inning (3-10 GO-FO), but the bullpen held things down after that. Shane Lindsay struck out two in his 1 1/3 innings of work.

Modesto, L 3-6 in 10 innings
Kenny Durst scattered nine hits over six innings and struck out six. Austin Chambliss allowed two runs, but Sean Jarrett was on the mound when they crossed the plate. Joey Williamson allowed three runs on a three-run homer in the top of the 10th.

Lars Davis knocked out two doubles, and Charlie Blackmon drove in a run and stole his 24th base.

Asheville, W 8-4
A five-run eighth inning sealed the victory for the Tourists last night. David Christensen started the scoring that inning with a three-run homer (15) and Delta Cleary hit a two-run double a little while later. He also stole his 29th base of the season. Mike Zuanich went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and three RBI. Scott Robinson stole his 39th base.

Dan Houston allowed four runs in 7 1/3 innings and struck out three. Stephen Dodson picked up his fourth win of the season by finishing the eighth inning.

Tri-City, L 2-1 in 13 innings
It was a pitcher's duel last night. Dan Perkins allowed a run in the first inning (but none in the next four) and struck out four. Brad McAtee walked four but allowed no runs over the next two innings. Rod Scurry also pitched two innings and struck out two while doing so.

Jeremiah Sammy had three hits, but did not score once. Matt Sanders drove in Kevin Clark (who stole his 17th base) on a double in the second inning. Then in the 13th inning, Ben Paulsen started off the inning with a single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a wild pitch. Charlie Ruiz ended the game with the bases loaded and striking out the batter for the third out.

Casper, W 7-3
Kyle Hancock pitched quite well in his first victory. He scattered four hits over five innings, walked two, and struck out four.

Six of the nine batters drove in an RBI, but none came off the bat of Eliezer Mesa, who had three hits (one was a triple). He did, however, score twice. Nolan Arendao, who drove in one, is the subject of this Casper Star-Tribune piece.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:08:35 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Jody Gerut drops a ball hit by Martin Prado during the eighth inning Sunday. He had two hits and was the Brewers' MVP at the plate, but this play is what sticks out in my mind.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while your voice comes in handy.

The trade winds could be blowing today, as the Brewers have yet to announce a starter for Tuesday, which happens to be the scheduled start day for Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn. Here's today's trade roundup in bullet points:

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times thinks a deal may be afoot involving Washburn, reliever Brandon Morrow and Alcides Escobar and J.J. Hardy. (Also noted in FanShot.)
U.S.S. Mariner says not to be surprised if Carlos Villanueva is involved in the deal.
Jonah Keri listed a Washburn/Brewers deal as one of nine trade deadline deals that need to happen.

I'm going to break into the bullet points here for a quick aside. Doug Melvin is normally very tight-lipped about moves he might be making, arguing that press coverage and speculation make it more difficult to get a deal done. Why, then, would the Brewers wait so long to name a starter for tomorrow? Assuming no deal is done, Tim Dillard will almost certainly get the start (although Tom H. says it could be Villanueva), so why not name a starter? If the Brewers somehow manage to make a deal today, Dillard could be scratched in favor of Washburn and no one would be harmed. Something doesn't smell right here.

Ok, here's the other rumor-related stuff:

CBS Sports reported over the weekend that the Brewers are done pursuing Roy Halladay, but Doug Melvin denied it.
Brewer Paradise Lost says the return required to acquire Halladay would turn the 2011 Brewers into the 2001 Brewers.
Two-Fisted Slopper wants the Brewers to hold steady, as do 45% of the 976 voters in our poll from Friday.
Brewed Sports doesn't want the Brewers to trade for any players who will be free agents after the season.

Another ugly loss for the Crew yesterday left them 1-12 in their last 13 day games, 4-12 on Sundays and 11-22 in day games overall. The Brewers are now 7-14 in their last 21 games, and haven't won either a series or back-to-back games since beating the Mets on June 29 and 30. View From Bernie's Chalet doesn't see the 2009 Brewers as a contending team anymore. Yet somehow, the Brewers managed to sell out all three games this weekend.

The entire conversation about tomorrow night's starter almost took a strange turn yesterday, as Tim Dillard was warming up in the bullpen following the first inning of yesterday's game, when Braden Looper was struggling with his command early. Dillard sat back down, though, and Looper bounced back with four solid innings before getting rocked in the sixth.

Dillard was added to the roster when Seth McClung was placed on the DL following Friday's game. He has reportedly undergone an MRI on his strained elbow, but no results have been reported. McClung underwent Tommy John surgery in 2003.

Whether Dillard, Villanueva or someone else makes the start Tuesday, they're likely to get an extended audition: After experiencing a setback in his rehab, Dave Bush will not return until mid-August at the earliest. As the Brewers continue to slide downward in the standings, getting 3-4 starts to take a long at long-term rotation options might not be the worst thing.

Manny Parra struggled over the weekend while pitching to Jason Kendall, after pitching well to Mike Rivera for two straight starts. Over in the FanPosts, Saberilliterate wonders if Kendall really does call a good game, and if he's partially responsible for Parra's struggles.

He's probably not a long-term rotation option, but the Brewers signed Jesus Colome to a minor league deal over the weekend and he debuted last night, striking out three in two scoreless innings for Nashville. With the Brewer bullpen overworked and largely ineffective at present, Colome could probably work his way to the big leagues pretty quickly if he performs well in AAA.

Elsewhere in the minors:

The Brewers signed supplemental pick Kyle Heckathorn over the weekend, agreeing to a $776,000 bonus and inviting him to major league spring training next spring (Also noted in FanShot). The Brewers had to overpay for Heckathorn a bit to convince him not to go back to college, but he sounds excited to get his career started, once he's done buying a new pickup truck.
Alex Periard got a late start to his season after being shut down in spring training, but I had forgotten that he's still pretty far ahead in his development: Project Prospect reports that Periard is the 40th youngest player in AA. Jeremy Jeffress was 27th before being demoted and suspended.
R.J. Seidel, who was expected to miss the entire season after slipping on a patch of ice while jogging over the winter, made his season debut over the weekend and Rattler Radio has a link to a nice story about him.

On Power Rankings and whatnot:

The Hardball Times' Dartboard has the Brewers at #19.
The Brewers actually moved up a spot from 18th to 17th in WhatifSports' Power Rankings.
As of Saturday, Beyond the Box Score had the Brewers' playoff chances at 14%.

Around baseball:

Astros: Designated reliever Chad Paronto for assignment.
Cubs: Placed Ted Lilly on the DL with shoulder inflammation. He'll also undergo arthroscopic knee surgery while he's out.
Indians: Acquired pitcher Jess Todd, the Cardinals' 2008 minor league pitcher of the year, as the PTBNL in the Mark DeRosa trade.
Mariners: Placed Erik Bedard on the DL with shoulder inflammation and designated outfielder Wladimir Balentien and reliever Roy Corcoran for assignment.
Mets: Placed Gary Sheffield on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Phillies: Placed reliever Clay Condrey on the DL with a strained muscle in his side.
Red Sox: Designated Mark Kotsay for assignment.
Reds: Placed reliever Jared Burton on the DL with shortness of breath.
Rockies: Designated reliever Ryan Speier for assignment.
Tigers: Designated outfielder Josh Anderson for assignment.

The Cardinals have made a lot of moves this season, but are they building their team in the Brewers' image? Dave Cameron of FanGraphs noticed a severe lack of left handed bats in the Cardinals lineup, and wonders if they'll suffer the same downfall the 2008 Brewers did in the playoffs.

It's a little late to be adding promotions, but tomorrow could be "Surgical Mask" day in Arlington, as Vicente Padilla, who is suffering from swine flu, is still expected to make his scheduled start.

What do you do with a slick fielding shortstop who can't hit .100 in the big leagues? The Royals are going to try to teach Tony Pena Jr. to pitch. I guess they're not out much if the experiment fails.

Here's a cool promotion idea: For $75, the Astros are allowing fans to stand on the field and take pictures while the team takes batting practice. The promotion is available for any home night game. At that price, I think there would be more than a few Brewer fans interested.

On this day in Brewer history: Tommy Harper went 3-for-9 with a double and a home run but it was not enough as the Red Sox defeated the Seattle Pilots 5-3 in 20 innings. Ten years later, Cecil Cooper hit three home runs, including a walkoff shot to lead the Crew to a 6-5 victory over the Yankees.

Oh, and I wasn't able to find any Brewer birthdays, today, but happy belated birthday to Mat Gamel, who turned 24 yesterday.

Drink up.