SB Nation - Eric Byrnes

Washington Nationals: Elijah Dukes/DWL Update.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:00:27 -0000

by John Bazemore - AP

Washington Nationals' Elijah Dukes (34) is supposed to return to the DWL's Tigres del Licey this week...(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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• Elijah Dukes: Lost in Translation?

I spent a little while last night feeding the following paragraph --(taken from a Licey.com article by Dionisio Soldevila entitled, "Captain America" arrives Thursday", about the Dominican Winter League's Tigres del Licey's announcement that they would immediately add MLB outfielder Eric Byrnes to their roster)-- into online translators (since I don't read/speak Spanish) to try to figure out exactly what the Tigres were saying about their plans for Washington Nationals' OF Elijah Dukes, who played four games for Licey before leaving the team in mid-November to be with his father who had fallen ill and eventually passed away:

"De igual manera, los Tigres desistieron de traer de vuelta al jardinero norteamericano Elijah Dukes, quien partió hacia los Estados Unidos por la muerte de su padre, pero dejó plantado al Licey en varias oportunidades.

"Ya al Licey no le interesa tener de vuelta a Elijah Dukes", informó Busto."

The last line is what caused the translators fits...

(cont.)...

Here's how it translates:

"Similarly, the Tigers desisted to bring of return to the American outfielder Elijah Dukes, who left toward the United States by the death of its father, but left planted to the Licey in several opportunities.

"Already to the Licey does not interest to have of return to Elijah Dukes", reported Bust."

"Licey does not interest to have of return to Elijah Dukes"? Dukes isn't interested in returning? Dukes' return is interesting for the team? Somebody want to help us out here? Is something lost in translation or is Licey saying that they're not interested in having Dukes return?

• Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin, in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Nationals notes: Dukes, L. Hernandez", reported that DC Skipper Jim Riggleman had traveled to Florida to visit with Dukes and his family after Dukes' father had passed away and Mr. Riggleman is quoted in the article stating:

"It hit him (Dukes) hard," Riggleman said, "because Elijah was really looking forward to his father seeing him play -- and then after a few weeks, he's gone."

Mr. Sheinin goes on to say that Dukes is, "...expected to return to his winter ball team this week," which is why the quote from the Licey.com article above is even more confusing...

I'll update in the comments section whenever further information is available...

This Week in AZ Baseball: winter meetings, drugs and Reno personnel

Jim McLennan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:00:20 -0000

I'd just like to say, gastroenteritis sucks. One second, you're feeling perfectly fine, the next you're calling for Ralph and Hughie on the big white telephone. Rinse. Repeat. I haven't been able to be more than 30 feet from a bathroom in two days now, except for the drive to and from work - and certainly makes for a nervous twenty minutes there, I can assure you. [Yes, I could call in sick, but I'm a firm believer that time off should only be taken when you are well enough to enjoy it. If I'm going to be miserable, I may as well get paid for it] Still, life goes on, and so does the ongoing work for the Diamondbacks' front-office, as they build towards 2010.

After the jump, we'll take a look at what the winter meetings may hold for Arizona - brief summary, nothing too startling, probably - discuss some unpleasantness down in Mobile, and look at what some of our guys are doing in the Central and South American leagues. I'll bring the saltine crackers.

The annual winter meetings take place next week in Indianapolis. Nick Piecoro doesn't expect much action over them, saying "The more drawn out the off-season, one team executive mused this week, the better it could be for the Diamondbacks, who might wind up bargain hunting for a pitcher deep into January." This makes some sense: outside of the very shallow top tier of starting pitchers available - which largely begins and ends with John Lackey - there isn't anyone who seems to deserve too much chasing. I wouldn't hold my breath expecting our rotation to be fleshed out until after the New Year.

Steve Gilbert reports that our overall priorities during the winter are "a fourth starter to replace free agent Doug Davis, whom the club is not interested in retaining, some depth in the bullpen and possibly a veteran hitter that could play multiple positions including first base." Again, if you're feeling masochistic, click through to the comments and read such sad drivel from the alleged "fans" as, "Given the overall performance of Max Scherzer last season, his stats, and tendoncies [sic] I would consider him a number 5 kind of starter." Really. If I wasn't already wanting to throw up before, I'm sure I would be on reading that. [Pause for DayQuil]

Speaking of pharmaceutiicals, two Diamondbacks have been suspended for 50 games for failing drug tests. Before your heart stops entirely, I should point out that, while still disappointing, they are minor-leaguers, Daniel Vasquez and Matt Tupman. Both were most recently with Double-A Mobile, though Tupman is now a free-agent. Vasquez tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, and Tupman had a second positive test for a "drug of abuse"- an interestingly-vague choice of words that picqued my interest.

Assuming it's the same in the minors, the Major League Baseball drug policy lists the following as "drugs of abuse:" cocaine, LSD, marijuana [are you listening, Timmy?], opiates, MDMA (Ecstasy), GHB and Phencyclidine (PCP). Or, as Amy Winehouse would refer to it, "a good start to the evening." Hey, I guess when you're a 30-year old player in Double-A, guees you need to make your own entertainment... Since Matt is a free-agent, the suspension will kick in whenever he signs with a team: this news will not exactly have improved the chances of that happening.

Larry Dobrow looks at the Diamondbacks. Not really too much new there - the impact of injuries, no need to panic, the young talent which has to develop - but his take on Eric Byrnes was... Well, here you go: "Speaking of giant sucking sounds, Eric Byrnes is a great guy to have around if you need color commentary during the potato-sack race at the team picnic. Unfortunately, that's more or less where his usefulness ends. His speed and kamikaze defense is as much a relic of 2007 as that one Justin Timberlake song. You know, the one with the little falsetto flutter." He concludes by saying, "The Diamondbacks will vault past the Rockies and Giants on their way to challenging for the wild card, if not the NL West title." I'll have what he's having.

Brett Butler will be back to manage the Reno Aces in 2010. He initially interviewed for the vacant third-base position with the Marlins - ironically, this was empty because previous incumbent, Bo Porter, left to take up the same spot with the Diamondbacks. Pitching coach Mike Parrott and hitting coach Rick Burleson will also return - the former was also looking elsewhere this winter, interviewing for a spot as minor league pitching coordinator in Seattle, but didn't get it either. It'll be Butler's fifth year as a manager in the Diamondbacks organization.

A quick run through the latest activities of the Diamondbacks in winter ball. Tony Abreu has managed exactly zero walks in the two weeks since we last updated things, though his last game for Aguilas appears to have been on November 28. Not been able to find any sources explaining why, or that I can even pass to Mrs. SnakePit for translation from the Spanish. Also in the Dominican is Pedro Ciriaco, who continue a 2009 tour which has already seen him play in Mobile and Scottsdale. In Venezuela, Rusty Ryal and Gerardo Parra are seeing action: the latter put together back-to-back three-hit outings, while Ryal appears to be collecting bruises, having been hit four times in only seven games.

Some of our relievers have also entered action. Esmerling Vasquez has thrown three hitless innings in the Dominican for Estrellas de Oriente, but Juan Gutierrez's first two appearances on behalf of Leones del Caracas in Venezuela have not gone so well. In two innings, the results have been five hits and three earned runs. Gutierrez ended up taking the loss in the second game, after coming in for the eleventh with the scores tied. And with, back on to the Gastic Flu Weight-loss Diet I go. Jenny Craig, eat your heart out! I'll never laugh at "flu-like symptoms" ever again, I swear...

NL West in Review: Left Fielders

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:00:41 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

A Rockies' draft pick was the most valuable LF in the NL West last season. It wasn't this guy though...

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Barry Bonds must have set a hex on the NL West.

In 2009, the Dodgers had easily the most talented left fielder in the division. When Manny received his infamous suspension, Juan Pierre made sure that Los Angeles didn't miss a beat.

Gerardo Parra appeared on the Rookie of the Year ballot.

The Rockies saw Seth Smith and Carlos Gonzalez emerge from the bench and minors to become their most dangerous left-handed bats in the lineup.

And yet, the Giants still finish atop the WAR rankings, even though I'm pretty sure every player the Giants played in left field received death threats from MCC. How did they do it? UZR, of course.


Teams	Players	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA*	WAR
1. San Francisco	5	.269	11	59	.328	.411	.340	4.66
2. Los Angeles	4	.302	18	86	.407	.469	.377	4.57
3. Colorado	5	.268	20	74	.332	.440	.346	3.94
4. Arizona	6	.265	13	82	.319	.310	.402	2.10
5. San Diego	8	.250	12	76	.325	.371	.320	0.24

With the positional RAR set at -7.5, here is your chart:

The actual player rankings hold some certain surprises for you:

This time, I have included the full rankings. I'm still messing with the format, so let me know if this blinds you:

This spot may be the most interesting to follow in the offseason. Jason Bay and Matt Holliday have been linked to the Giants, but it appears San Francisco will favor multiple smaller fish instead. The club's 2009 WAR in LF is pretty flukey, as multiple players hit better in LF than at other positions, and I don't quite trust that UZR. It would be a good place to improve. If no one is added, that Velez/Lewis/Torres/Schierholtz hodgepodge will continue.

Your 2010 Diamondbacks: The First Projections

Jim McLennan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:43:32 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

Eric Byrnes and Chris Young - will they float, or will they sink?

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After a crappy season like the one just endured by Arizona fans, it's comforting to turn towards 2010, even before the line is officially drawn under 2009 - the playoffs have largely become a buzzing sound in the background, with the best I can hope for, being that a team I don't hate wins the World Series. Bill James is clearly with me there: as has become tradition, the Bill James Handbook is the first of the projection systems to throw its hat into the ring for next year, and the publishers, Acta Sports, were kind enough to give us a look at the numbers for Arizona.

Think of this as an early Christmas present - it's as much designed to whet the appetite for the 'real' numbers to come next April, as anything else. That's especially the case for a generally young team like Arizona where, generally, we are looking for our players' stats to improve, simply through experience and maturity. After the jump, we'll take a look at the numbers projected for the 25 players currently most likely to be on the 2010 Diamondbacks roster, and see whether there is a shiny new truck or a lump of coal waiting for us under the tree.

Obviously, these are astonishingly early projections, not just in terms of the numbers, but the playing time for the individuals concerned. Even I would be rash to try and project, for example, how the playing time in the outfied will be split up next season: the one just finished should be warning enough there [who had 120 games in their Gerardo Parra office pool?]. Hence, for each hitter below, I've listed the number of games projected, which will influence expectations for HR and RBI in particular. I've also given their 2009 OPS, for comparison - those marked with a * are based on less than 150 PAs. I've chosen the 13 position players I think are most likely to be significant parts for next season, and for whom we have projections.

	Gms	HR	RBI	OPS	2009
Brandon Allen	122	19	60	.823	*.669
Eric Byrnes	74	7	28	.735	.663
Stephen Drew	151	17	71	.792	.748
Conor Jackson	135	12	69	.807	*.516
Miguel Montero	132	18	69	.801	.832
Gerardo Parra	132	8	64	.779	.729
Mark Reynolds	153	40	107	.907	.892
Ryan Roberts	125	11	47	.785	.783
Rusty Ryal	50	4	15	764	*.946
Chris Snyder	78	9	34	.761	.685
Justin Upton	148	28	90	.904	.899
Josh Whitesell	46	4	13	.802	*.633
Chris Young	151	25	73	.789	.711

The most obvious omission is Tony Abreu, who was not listed - I think he's more likely to be on the Opening Day roster than Rusty Ryal. I also note that the games played may make sense for individuals, but do not necessarily do so in total. adding up the totals for Byrnes, Parra, Upton and Young, you get 505 games: even allowing for PH appearances, this pretty much maxes the outfield, without any room for Conor Jackson. Unless he's playing first, but Brandon Allen has 122 games there too... You see the issue, which is why I'm not going to bother adding up these numbers to reach any kind of team total.

Still, such caveats aside, this makes for encouraging reading on an individual level, with most players expected to improve their performance, or at least stay around the same level. As noted, this is no surprise, given most of our players are on the upside of the aging curve. James is particularly impressed by Allen, whose OPS is projected to be behind only Reynolds and Upton. That seems optimistic, though I am prejudiced by his struggles in 2009. Somewhat of a bounceback for Byrnes and Young: the former goes from entirely-sucky to poor, while the latter goes from fairly-sucky to about CF average [I like the idea of 25 homers], and is projected to outperform Parra, slightly.

Montero is the only player with any real regression, and the gap in performance over Snyder is expected to be much smaller, only forty points of OPS. Roberts, Reynolds and, perhaps surprisingly, Upton are projected to be very close to 2009 production. I say that for J-Up, mostly because of his age: he's only 22 and, generally, players will improve significantly at that point, and so projecting no change feels conservative. If you discount the first two weeks of last season, Upton's OPS the rest of the way was .930,. and that may be a better starting point for his 2010 number. However, if you look at the ten 21-year olds whose OPS was closest to Upton's [a list that includes seven Hall of Famers!], their OPS at age 22 dropped fractionally, by eight points, so maybe we shouldn't expect too much.

Here are the projected pitching numbers. As with the hitters, I've selected a dozen for whom projections are available, who would seem to have a good shot at the roster. I did include Davis, even though I expect him to sign elsewhere; I certainly hope that whoever we do get as a replacement, provides around the same level of performance projected below.

	IP	W-L	ERA	2009
Blaine Boyer	57	3-4	4.74	4.12
Billy Buckner	94	4-6	4.98	6.40
Daniel Cabrera	42	2-3	5.14	6.00
Doug Davis	202	11-12	4.46	4.12
Juan Gutierrez	68	3-4	4.76	4.06
Dan Haren	221	16-9	3.38	3.14
Yusmeiro Petit	105	6-6	4.37	5.82
Chad Qualls	50	3-2	3.42	3.63
Leo Rosales	47	3-2	3.83	4.76
Max Scherzer	180	11-9	3.80	4.12
Esmerling Vasquez	54	3-3	4.67	4.42
Brandon Webb	180	13-7	3.40	N/A

As with the hitters, there are a couple of names who appear unfairly omitted. Clay Zavada appears to have a bullpen spot locked down, and is more likely to be a part of the team in 2010 than Cabrera. - maybe Daniel Schlereth too, though there were no numbers available for him Bit more of a variation here than on the hitting; generally, the trend seems to be an overall regression towards the mean, with the good pitchers getting worse and the bad ones getting better. I would, however, be prepared to bet that Yusmeiro Petit will not have an ERA better than Doug Davis next season.

One major comfort is the expectation that Brandon Webb will return almost to his normal level of productivity - James gives Webb thirty starts, and an ERA almost identical to that projected in 2008 (3.39) and 2009 (3.36), so appears to have no qualms about the surgery - though s hard to say how much such things play into these estimates. The numbers have him and Haren forming an impressive 1-2 punch for Arizona: worth nothing that less than a handful of NL pitchers are forecast to win over 15 games [Lincecum, Wainwright, Santana].It seems the W-L records are, as usual, conservative; makes sense, since these things depend heavily on the runs scored by a pitcher's team-mates.

I would project Buckner and Gutierrez to do better than the James numbers; on the other hand, Petit and Rosales will be doing very well if they can produce as expected. It's good to see James sees Scherzer as improving next year. If he joins Dan and Brandon at 3.80 or below, that would put us in very good shape, since only two teams in the majors had three such qualifying starters in 2009 (the Cubs and Cardinals), and few played in a hitter-friendly park like Chase. Finally, in case you're counting, adding up those W-L records gives us a total of 145 decisions and a team record of 78-67. I think we'd settle for that at the middle of September next year.

For the full projections, which are a lot more detailed than the numbers here, and for all the other goodies therein, you'll need to buy the book. It comes out on November 1st from Acta Sports and can be ordered through their website.

This Week in AZ Baseball: Brandon Webb option talk, TV ratings drop - and haircuts?

Jim McLennan — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:00:26 -0000

More photos » by Rick Scuteri - AP

Brandon Webb, Cy Young winner - but more importantly, is he well-groomed?

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The Angels and Yankees are under way in Game Two of the ALCS, the Diamondback-free post-season rumbling along the way it does. Is it just me, or does the schedule seem to be really stretched out this year? I know the likes of TBS want to milk the relative ratings bonanza for as long as possible, but if we're going to endure the doomsday scenario of a Yankees-Dodgers World Series, I'd far rather we get it over with as quickly as possible, and then really start looking forward to the 2010 season.

In the meantime, however, things have not been entirely quiet on the Arizona front, even if you discount the Arizona Fall League [which seems to be getting as much coverage in our Playoff Thread as the actual big boys] and the arrival of Stephen Strassburg, who'll be leading the Nationals to the promised land of the post-season this time next year. Er, or not... Anyway, after the break, we'll take a look at the latest word from Brandon Webb, and various other nuggets of potential interest.

Eric Byrnes wasn't the only Diamondbacks to have a meeting with the front-office this week. Brandon Webb also spoke to Josh Byrnes on Wednesday, and Nick Piecoro reports that it looks likely we'll simply be exercising the 2010 option, though Webb has not ruled out the possibility of extending here, once he's proven his fitness. Said Webb, "I told them, ‘If you pick up the option and we don’t do anything, let me pitch the half year and see how I’m doing and feeling and then maybe we can revisit it.’ I don’t want to sign a one-year deal. I want to sign a three- or four- or five-year deal. That’s kind of where it was. They were really good about it. They totally understood it, too."

That would seem to make sense for both sides. Webb doesn't want to give a "health discount" to Arizona, and allowing Webb to prove his fitness would allow the Diamondbacks to avoid the possibility of signing a long-term deal that ends up being a total lemon. Of course, it also removes the possibility of any discount signing of our ace. Webb [who'll be inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame on Friday] will be fully motivated to pitch as well as possible. and if he's as good as he was from 2005-2008, then we're probably right back to looking at a $20m per year free-agency deal, something which the team will probably find difficult to handle, for a variety of reasons.

The team's TV ratings took an even bigger hit than the Chase Field numbers this season. The Phoenix Business Journal says viewing figures were down 19% in 2009, the fourth-biggest drop in baseball. It was ahead only of the Reds, Indians and A's, and the last-named were in their first season on CSN. It also continues the trend from the previous season: in 2007, the average rating for Fox Sports Arizona games was 4.8; last season, it dipped to 4.1; this year, it's down to 3.32. Obviously, the team's downward-trending victory totals are a factor [What? Fairweather fans? In this state? Surely you jest...], but to lose 30% of viewers in two years must be worrying - more for the channel than the team, whose $250 million deal is locked in through 2015.

Former D-backs coach Bryan Price has found new, permanent employment: after walking away from the Diamondbacks, in support of his buddy Bob. He found temporary work in the minor-league organization of the Phillies, but has now climbed on board with Dusty Baker as the pitching coach of the Reds - they just fired the existing incumbent, the intriguingly-named Dick Pole. The Reds haven't made the post-season since 1995, though this year it was their offense that was the problem; the OPS+ of 84 was ahead only of the Giants. Also, two former Arizona managers - Bob Melvin and Al Pedrique - interviewed in Houston this week, among the ten candidates for the same spot with the Astros.

Next Friday sees the AFL's third annual Pat Tillman Foundation Beneft Night, at Scottsdale Stadium. Eric Byrnes, who played football against Tillman in high school, will be recognized for his fund-raising efforts on behalf of the Tillman Foundation and will be joined in pre-game ceremonies by several Tillman ASU Scholars and Tillman Military Scholars. There will be an extensive sports memorabilia auction, including autographed major-league jerseys of current and former players, before and during the game. All proceeds from the auction and one-half of the night's gate receipts will be donated to the Tillman Foundation. Gates open at 5:30pm, and the Scottsdale Scorpions take on the Peoria Javelinas at 6:35pm.

I'll close with a letter from today's Republic: who says the readers of that paper don't have a keen grasp of the game, and what's needed to get the team back on track?

My wife and I are Diamondbacks fans, so we have to pick other teams to root for in the playoffs. There's no telling when the D-Backs can make it back to the playoffs. We do notice that the New York Yankees are a well-groomed team of gentlemen. They apparently have a grooming/appearance regulation in their contracts. There apparently is no facial hair, and haircuts are short and well-trimmed. This is in sharp contrast to virtually all other major-league teams, including our hometown D-Backs.I think good grooming shows respect for the fans, and it gives a team a good feeling and a winning attitude.

Attitude is extremely important in any endeavor, especially when there is competition. I would like to see our Diamondbacks adopt a "good grooming" policy. No facial hair. No long, scruffy haircuts (no hair showing out the back of caps or helmets). I understand personal preference and liberty, but these men are being paid millions to represent their team and our state. The least they can do is comply with a simple rule, and they would also probably please their parents. Best of all maybe, just maybe, it would give them an attitude adjustment - and they might think of themselves as winners and at least win half their games.
- Bernie Dolberg, Scottsdale

Diamondbacks 5, Cubs 2: There never is any end to summer

soco — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:33:05 -0000

It's the end for the 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Well, it's a win.

Our Arizona Diamondbacks end the season by winning the final game and the series, but the Cubs never really put up much during the afternoon. It wasn't a game that was anything but an expression of pride, with neither team going to the playoffs, and everyone on the field seemed ready to be getting on with things.

It was a display of the Three True Outcomes, with the two squads combining for 22 strike outs and each scoring at least half their runs by the long ball. Some of the calls may have been questionable at the plate, but who can blame the umps for wanting to head home, too? Not that the players argued much; it's the last day before summer vacation, and no one cares what the teacher assigns.

The first couple innings were largely quiet, with the two teams trading scoreless innings. The Cubs were the first to get a base runner with Derrek Lee getting a single in the bottom of the first with two outs. Jake Fox promptly struck out on four pitches. He might have been inspired by the D’backs’ top of the first effort: both Stephen Drew and Justin Upton struck out, the latter on his way to four strike out day.

The second inning featured more of the same, with the Diamondbacks looking inept and the Cubs stranding a single from Jeff Baker. The third inning, however, the boys in Sedona Red would strike. Chad Tracy, in perhaps his last game with the Diamondbacks, doubled to fairly shallow left. So Taguchi appeared at first to have made the catch, and that was the way it was called. Perhaps it was luck, but he didn't attempt to pretend he caught the ball and rifled it to second, where Tracy had huffed his way. After a short deliberation, the call was reversed and Tracy had a double, if perhaps a slightly unorthodox one. It didn't seem that he would be advanced, however, with Augie Ojeda, also perhaps in his last game for Arizona, flying out to center and Doug Davis striking out on a pitiful bunt attempt. Stephen Drew, however, would not be denied, and scorched a ball to left. Tracy scored easily, and Taguchi’s errant throw allowed Drew to advance to second.

It looked like so much fun Gerardo Parra decided to join in, who fouled off a couple pitches before driving Drew in with a single to center. Upton would then add to his collection of strike outs for the afternoon, but the Diamondbacks were up 2-0.

To the third. Doug Davis, yet another player that might not be here next year and who had had up to that point a solid game, began to come unglued. Sam Fuld, perhaps the poster child for the disconnect between individual offensive production and the worth of RBIs, would take one strike before hustling to second for a double to lead off the inning. He was then subsequently moved to third by a sacrifice by Ryan Dempster, who was trying to help his own cause for the day. With one out, it seemed certain he would score, and Ryan Theriot tried his best. As a napkin lazily rolled across the infield, he would peck a ball to Davis’ right, who promptly picked it up and caught Fuld in a pickle between home and third. Theriot would sneak to second during the excitement, and although he would get advanced to third on a Davis wild pitch, there he would stay as Davis Houdini shed his shackles by forcing Lee into a grounder. The Diamondbacks were out of the jam.

Miguel Montero would start things off in the top of the fourth with a single, and then be quickly moved to third with a Mark Reynolds double. The stage was set for the suddenly resurgent Chris Young, who picked out a three wood and drove a shot to left center, which would effectively be all the Diamondbacks would need for the day to be triumphant.

At this point it was strike outs and a halfhearted attempt by the Cubs to salvage the last game of 2009. They would cut the lead to 5-1 with a solo home run by Fuld, who, as noted by Jim, who has dubious distinction of going the most career plate appearances without an RBI by a non-pitcher. He trails only Gene Good, who had 135 without an RBI for the 1906 Boston Beaneaters. The second RBI was considerably easier to come by as he sacrificed Reed Johnson in to score in the bottom of the seventh. 5-2 was the score, and 5-2 it would remain.

A few notes on the remaining three innings: the Diamondbacks had no trouble with the eighth, perhaps an attempt to deny there ever was a problem this season with that inning. Eric Byrnes, one of a half a dozen or more players to be looking at the search for a new team, popped out. In perhaps the most “fuzzy feeling” moment, however, came to end the Diamondbacks’ ninth inning. Upton came to the plate with two outs and Parra standing at second., batting average sitting at .300 square. An out would bring it down to .2998, technically a .300, and the record books might never notice the difference. Parra, however, was looking out for his outfield comrade. As Upton took a ball, he would take off for first, daring the catcher to throw him out. Geovany Soto obliged, and .300, true .300, non-qualified .300 was saved. AJ Hinch may have had the bitter beer face for the act, but Upton obviously appreciated it, giving Parra a hug as the game ended.

And really, it's this type of moment that reaffirms what's great about sports. Sure, who doesn't want to be a winner? But this human element, where a friend did a selfless act for a friend, transcends home runs or stolen bases. This completely unscripted moment is free of the framing that often makes equal scenes in fiction seem saccharine and hollow. It won't be recorded in books, or compiled in any highlight reel. Many of us might forget it as the years drive forward, or never pass it on. But it will remain.

So maybe 2009 wasn't a successful season. They often aren't. The Diamondbacks built something here today, this year. We, as fans, built something here. We won't know what it is, not until long after the winter comes. But the summer will keep rolling on, long green meadows with dusty infields where heroes hit long, long home runs, make diving catches, come back to the game after seeming to lose everything, and help each other to .300.

[Click to see full graph at fangraphs.com]

Master of his domain: Doug Davis +27.9

Also present: Gerardo Parra +10.7

Well, not everyone is Babe Ruth: Doug Davis (batting) -5.6

Mr. Golden Sombrero: Justin Upton -4.7

A fairly serene and talkative GDT, with 14 users generating 500 comments. Only one broke the century mark, and I hear he's pretty much the most awesome dude ever. Also present: Azreous, unnamedDBacksfan, snakecharmer, Fiona, hotclaws, Jim McLennan, pygalgia, kishi, NASCARbernet, Wailord, 4 Corners Fan, Giannaros, Wimb.

That's it for the Diamondbacks officially. From this point on we shoot without a script, make for uncharted territory, and yada yada yada. Stay tuned for lots of off-season coverage, ranging from analysis of players or team statistical subsets, to a report from the year 1860, investigative reporting about the new Spring Training site, a lament against the worship of amateur sport, and more! Until then, I'm your host, soco, saying goodnight.

Only 133 days until pitchers report.

Diamondbacks 12, Cubs 3: Can we play Chicago every day?

Jim McLennan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:41:20 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

Spookily, the number on the jersey of a Cubs outfielder and the sign in the Wrigley ivy combine to show the number of games the Cubs will play before their next World Series.

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Record: 69-91. Pace: 70-92. Change on last season: -11.

This was a game full of surprises. Not the least of which being that it was a Friday day-game, which therefore managed to get underway before any of us had noticed. I could grumble about the unnaturalness of it all, and how unfair it was for Arizona to have to play a day-game immediately after flying in from San Francisco, etc. But going by the results today, maybe we should do it more often. For the Diamondbacks' pounded out their highest number of runs on the road since June 18th, highlighted by - and you may want to sit down for this - four-hit games from Eric Byrnes (season OPS+ 57) and Chris Young (76). They combined for three homers and seventeen total bases.

Yeah, "surprising" may not quite cut it. Been a while since I've had to look that one up in the SnakePit thesaurus, but follow me after the jump for details of the arresting, distinguished, exceptional, extraordinary, impressive, noteworthy, noticeable, outstanding, phenomenal, preeminent, singular, smashing, solid, striking, super, uncommon, uncustomary, unusual, unwonted, weighty and wonderful victory.

Seems the Cubs are even keener than us for 2009 to end. The announced figure was the second-smallest crowd of the year at Wrigley - trailing only the game on Wednesday night -and BCB's Al estimated the actual number present as only 15,000. Though who can blame them, with a game-time temperature in the forties, and a firm breeze? [Yes, folks: now is the time when it's pleasant to live in our state. We finally get our reward for enduring the hell of the past four months] But it wasn't just the fans: if Arizona have mailed in performances of late, then as mentioned in the GDT, the Cubs today appeared to be using a network of bonfires, semaphore flags and galleys, having been outscored 24-5 over the past three games, all losses against the mighty powers of Arizona and Pittsburgh.

At one point, it looked like we might be on our way to the first double-digit shutout inflicted on the Cubs at Wrigley since May 2003. That wasn't to be - in part because of what can only be described as Zavada interference - but the nine runs by which we won was a margin not surpassed there since the Diamondbacks clubbed six homers during a 15-4 win in July 2006. We scored three runs before anyone even noticed - certainly, before I noticed there was a game on - thanks to a Stephen Drew single, Mark Reynolds sacrifice fly and Young solo homer. We then piled on four more in the third, Rusty Ryal unclogging the bases with a double, and scoring on a Byrnes hit.

As a general rule of thumb, I don't mind games where our Win Probability is north of 95% by the middle of the third inning, and it helped that Billy Buckner was delivering another solid outing. Through six innings, he had allowed three hits - all singles - and three walks, displaying probably the best form of the season. He tired in the seventh, giving up three straight hits including an unusual ground-rule double. While I didn't see it myself, it appears Clay Zavada was protecting a colleague as he warmed in the visitors' bullpen [which at Wrigley, is open to play, in foul territory]. A fair ball hit down the line headed towards them, and Zavada reflexively grabbed it. Two bases for everyone.

A walk to load the bases with one out signalled the end of Buckner, and it was still a quality start, even though his replacement Blaine Boyer gave up an RBI single and RBI groundout. Buckner's final line was a credible 6.1 innings of work, resulting in three earned runs on six hits and four walks, with five K's. Behind him, Boyer, Scott Schoeneweis and Zavada - pitching in front of a number of family and friends - retired the final eight batters they faced, throwing only 29 pitches. The Cubs players were clearly in no mood to hang around: hard to say which was chillier, the weather or the reception from their fans.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks had continued to add on. Byrnes homered in the sixth. Ryal had a sacrifice fly in the seventh and, later that same inning, Byrnes singled in another run, making the score 10-0 at that point. Finally, with two ours in the ninth, Young singled - he needed a triple for the cycle - and Byrnes completed the rout of Chicago with another home-run. It's been a long time since Eric has his last multihomer game: the best part of three seasons, in fact, since his last came on May 30th, 2007, against Philadelphia.

Chris Young continues to smack the ball about, with four hits and a walk today. In the past month, with over 100 PA's, his line is now .299/.382/.567, with seven home-runs. That's a good month by anyone's standards, and if the tail-end of the season has had any bright-spots, today was a showcase for them. We've seen the possible resurrection of Young, and the potential conversion of Buckner into a credible member of the 2010 rotation [if he can just stretch out his stamina a little further....] Drew, returned to the two-hole, responded with three hits, and lead-off man Ryan Roberts had a couple as well.

All told, a fine performance, even against a Cubs line-up missing most of its biggest stars for one reason or another e.g. Soriano and Lee. It's been a while since the Diamondbacks have managed such a convincing victory. Indeed, the last time we won by more than three runs was SnakePitFest, thirty games ago on August 29th! Even exclusing the 2007 post-season sweep, it runs Arizona's franchise record against the Cubs since 2004 to 22-13- the best we have against any NL side. We're also the only visiting NL team with a winning record at Wrigley, having gone 22-20 lifetime there.

[Click to enlarge, at fangraphs.com]
Master of his domain: Billy Buckner, +13.5%
Honorable mentions: Ryal, +12.1%; Young, +10.2%
God-emperor of suck: John Hester, -1.3%

Curiously, despite a four-hit, two-homer, five RBI day, Eric Byrnes' contribution was only worth 1.8% to our Win Probability. That's because he made an out his first time up - by the time he got a hit, we were already six runs up, and there was only about 5% of Win Probability left to be earned over the entire rest of the game. Seemed to be some technical difficulties in the GDT: it never auto-refreshed for me at all. This and the unexpectedly early start may help explain the low turnout: 177 comments, among 15 people. I pipped pygalgia, and we were the only people to pass twenty. Also present, however: kishi, snakecharmer, GuruB, piratedan7, older fart, Turambar, 4 Corners Fan, AJforAZ, hotclaws, soco, emilylovesthedbacks, asteroid and Wailord.

Think I just might watch the replay of this one tonight, and amaze Mrs. SnakePit with my astute predictions of good games for Byrnes and Young... Right up until she starts to wonder why it's still daylight in Chicago!

Cubs, Gorzelanny Lose Ugly To Diamondbacks, 12-3

Al — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:05:49 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

"Oh, brother," says Gorz, "I should have asked to start last night."

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If you missed the FanShot I posted, the Cubs announced this afternoon the policy for refunds for yesterday's rainout:

All paid tickets for the Oct. 1 game are eligible for a refund. Refunds are available by sending the tickets to the Wrigley Field Ticket Office at 1060 West Addison Street, Chicago, IL, 60613. All refunds must be requested before Dec. 31, 2009. Tickets will not be eligible for exchange for 2010 or any future seasons.

Refunds will be made by check. Please allow four weeks for delivery. The original purchaser of the ticket or tickets will receive a refund to his/her credit card instead of a check if that was the original method of payment.

Also, word around the ballpark today was that the reason the umpires waited so long to call last night's game was some sort of edict that had come to teams from the MLB offices that they wanted "all games" to be played this season if at all possible. Only a call directly from Bud Selig finally got the game to be cancelled.

That's about the only good news I can bring you from Wrigley Field today; certainly, the Cubs' depressing 12-3 loss to the Diamondbacks didn't have any. Tom Gorzelanny got hit, in fine Chicago fashion, early and often; Chris Young, who seems to have hit about half of his career homers against the Cubs (in reality, only five of 70), smashed a ball that the wind carried onto Waveland with two runners on in the first inning. By the time Rusty Ryal hit a three-run double off Gorzelanny in the fourth, it was 7-0 and if the umpires or the MLB offices had had any sympathy for the (approximately) 15,000 who showed up today (tickets sold: 33,786), they'd have called it after the fifth inning with the score still 7-0 and the Cubs with only three singles.

Instead, a parade of five Cub relievers gave the visitors from Arizona (who had some very chilly-looking fans wearing their garb walking around outside Wrigley this morning) five more runs. Only Justin Berg, who threw two very nice innings, and John Grabow, who struck out two in a scoreless frame of his own, pitched well. I can't imagine we'll see Jeff Stevens back next year -- he got hit hard -- nor should David Patton, a waste of a roster spot, return in 2010. Aaron Heilman, who had actually gotten his season ERA under 4 (3.97) before today's game, gave up a HR to Eric Byrnes, his second of the game, a two-run shot, and Heilman's (perhaps) farewell to Cubs fans shows him with a season ERA of 4.16. I like Berg, incidentally, a lot, and I think he will be a significant contributor to the 2010 bullpen in middle relief.

The Cubs managed three consolation runs off Billy Buckner and reliever Blaine Boyer in the seventh, but that was all on a day when some off-and-on showers that didn't even show up on radar screens dotted the ballpark. It seemed a fitting way to say farewell to a rainy season. Rain may dot the area tomorrow, so be prepared for another postponement. It'd somehow feel appropriate.

Diamondbacks 1, Giants 4: Penny For Your Naughts

Azreous — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:44:25 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

San Francisco Giants 1B Travis Ishikawa is unsure if his run counts, since it's against the Diamondbacks. The home plate umpire nodded his head sadly, and the game continued on.

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Record: 68-90. Pace. 69-93. Change on last season: -12.

For my final recap of the season, I had high hopes that the Diamondbacks would do something interesting that also qualified as "good." You know, scoring more than three runs, not having any baserunning gaffes, getting a dominating performance from the starting pitcher...that kind of stuff. Instead, I got another abysmal offensive performance, the pitcher caught in a rundown, and Kevin Mulvey on the mound. Thank you, baseball gods. Thanks a lot.

Meanwhile, a Diamondback from the days of yore (Brad Penny) licked his chops about the prospects of facing the mighty Arizona lineup, and the only positive that could be gleaned from this game was that its completion moved us one game closer to the end of the season. Good times.

Still, I hedged my bets that this game would be uninteresting and did something else on the side for the season finale. There's a trivia contest inside, although I'm unable to offer any prizes other than compliments about how smart you are. Maybe that'll take the edge off more than reading about another boring loss.

An actual recap, and details about the quiz, after the jump...

The Diamondbacks had opportunities in the early going, but wasted just about all of them. Stephen Drew singled on a deep grounder to start the game, but two outs quickly followed. Miguel Montero slapped a base hit opposite field to move Drew into scoring position, but Mark Reynolds struck out (take a drink!) and the inning was over.

The worst inning was probably the third. Mulvey actually helped his own cause with a base hit up the middle to lead things off. Drew followed with his second hit to put two on with nobody out, but things unraveled from there. Roberts grounded into a fielder's choice, but the Giants were unable to turn two on it. With runners on the corners and one out, Justin Upton struck out. Montero had a chance to deliver a timely hit, but after the first pitch, Mulvey was caught leaning too far off the bag at third, and was tagged out after a brief rundown. Nothing like pitchers killing offensive rallies to make you want to change the channel.

The exception was in the fourth, when Penny essentially ruined his own shutout. Reynolds hit a line drive to left for a base hit with one out, and Parra followed with a fielder's choice. With two outs, Eric Byrnes hit a comebacker that Penny threw away so badly, both runners were able to advance three bases -- Parra scored from first, and Byrnes ended up on third. Brandon Allen followed with a walk, but that brought up Kevin Mulvey, and unsurprisingly the inning ended shortly thereafter.

That was it for the Diamondbacks' offense. They went down in order four of the last five innings, the blip being a Byrnes single to lead off the seventh (which, of course, was entirely wasted). Penny faced just that one batter over the minimum on his way to a complete game. He needed just 109 pitches to go the distance, and ended with the following line: 9 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. There's a good chance that his fourth-inning error was the only thing between him and a shutout.

On the other side, Mulvey really didn't pitch that badly, but one disjointed inning ruined an otherwise decent line. After working around a leadoff single in the first, Mulvey gave up a three spot in the second, facing six batters in a row without a positive result (even the two outs were sacrifices). Two singles, a HBP, a two-run single, a sac bunt and a sac fly left Mulvey staring at a 3-0 deficit before he could finally get out of the inning. He also gave up a solo shot off the foul pole to Eli Whiteside in the fourth inning, but outside of the second frame, he gave up just two hits, a run and a walk in the other five. His final numbers aren't too bad -- 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 82 pitches -- but we're going to need something better than a 7.04 ERA from him if he's going to crack the rotation next season.

The bullpen gave us a couple innings of solid work in an otherwise meaningless cause. Boyer and Schlereth each pitched a scoreless frame; Boyer only surrendered a hit and worked through on an efficient 10 pitches, and Schlereth worked around a walk while striking out a pair. Moral victories don't mean much in September, but I guess it was nice to see.

Master of his Domain (I guess): Eric Byrnes, +11.1%
God-Emperor of Suck: Kevin Mulvey, -17.2%
Dishonorable Mention: Ryan Roberts, -15.1%; Justin Upton, -11.3%

Mulvey's hiccup inning pretty much reserved him a place as the GEoS. Roberts and Upton both put up 0-fers and were punished accordingly. Byrnes was one of only four players in the positive, although his involvement in that success is arguable, since Penny did most of the work.

For the Diamondbacks, Drew had a pair of hits and was the only Arizona player to reach twice. Montero's average dipped below .300 again, and Upton's bad day is bringing him perilously close as well (.304). The pitching has already been covered, so that's about all that's worth mentioning for the D-backs tonight. For the Giants, Pablo Sandoval had a pair of walks, but Whiteside did all the damage -- three hits in three at-bats, including the home run.

Quiet GameDay Thread tonight, which I'm sure Jim wishes he could trade for last night's chaos. Roll Call: Wailord, AJforAZ, katers, ol Pete, hotclaws, jazzbo13, kishi, pygalgia, piratedan7, Azreous, 4 Corners Fan, IHateSouthBend, venomfan, soco. Total Users: 14. Total Posts: 144.

The loss gives the Diamondbacks 90 on the season, and they've got just four games left to pick up a couple more victories and get to 70 in the win column. They'll conclude this series against the Giants tomorrow in a 12:45 start, with Dan Haren on the mound against Tim Lincecum -- but as documented before, the game doesn't have any local TV coverage, so good luck watching the two aces in action in their final starts.

Hey, enough downtrodden stuff. As an added bonus before the end of the "interesting" game recaps this season, I've put together a quiz to test your knowledge of the Arizona Diamondbacks this season. After all, you should be expected to get a test at the end of a term, right? Keep in mind, there's a reason you can't spell trivial without "trivia," as some of the questions will be more obscure than others. Sure, you could go to baseball-reference.com or Google or something and get 100 percent, but that's not really the point. If you're into this kind of stuff, hopefully you get a few minutes of enjoyment out of it. If not, you can pretend it never happened. Either way, here's the quiz. Good luck...

NL West Report: Dodgers and Rox aim for October, the rest looking to 2010

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:00:17 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

Arizona has a difficult decision to make regarding Brandon Webb's option.

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I don't envy Arizona's position.

Brandon Webb has been the best home-grown starting pitcher in franchise history, and it's not even close. He won the Cy Young Award in 2006 and came in second place the following two years. Yet after having shoulder surgery which indeed involved the labrum, a complete recovery for the 30-year-old is not guaranteed.

According to Will Carroll at Baseball Prospectus, the surgery was "both good and bad." Most of it involved just cleaning up the shoulder, but arthroscopic procedure did reveal damage to Webb's labrum. It was not torn, rather "frayed," hence the good-and-bad description. Such damage does not tend to preclude pitchers from a full recovery, but here's the problem:

The Diamondbacks have to decide just days after the conclusion of the World Series, well before anyone could possibly know how well Webb will recover. Chances are quite good that he'll recover eventually to be at the least an ace-type pitcher again, but there are no guarantees his recovery would lead to that status for next season.

Webb could resolve matters a bit, but he is not interested in restructuring his contract.

Buster Olney doesn't blame him.

After presumably losing Jon Garland and Doug Davis from their Opening Day rotation, losing Webb would significantly hurt their rotation, one big reason why Dan Haren really wants Arizona to pick up his option.

So it appears Arizona is left with three options.

Decline the option and pay the $2.0million buyout, cutting their ace loose. This presumes $8.5million is too much of a risk for a pitcher coming off a late-season surgery involving a labrum, albeit just a fraying.
Decline the option, pay the $2.0million buyout and hope to resign him to a more economical deal. This seems unlikely, given Webb is already disgruntled with Arizona for pulling a $54million extension off the table last season. The contract would not be long-term given Webb's desire to return to dominance before getting into a long-term deal.
Stomach the near-eight-figure option and hope he returns to normal.

I'm generally very averse to taking risks with money and injuries. Plus, any damage to the labrum scares me. However, the the $8.5 million risk Arizona would sign up for is actually less than what they will stomach just to get rid of Eric Byrnes. Declining the option would probably mean the end of Webb's career in Arizona, and that's a rather unfortunate way to lose a franchise pitcher. In addition, if he pitches as he did from 2006-08 for even for just one-third of the season, they would see the return on the investment in 2010. He exceeded $26.0million in Fangraphs value in all three seasons. If I'm Arizona, I take that risk.

NL West team capsules under the fold.

NL West Report

Arizona (68-88, 5th, W2, 25 GB)

Last Week: 3-3. 1-2 vs Giants. 2-1 vs Padres. Friday's loss found them 5.5 games below the Padres, but consecutive wins at Chase this weekend gives them an outside shot of climbing out of the cellar. They'll have to do it on the road, as Chase Field is closed for MLB ball until next April.

Pace: 71-91 (+1)

Divisional Change: No change.

This Week: 3 game road series @ Giants, 3 game road series @ Cubs. The only thing left to be decided for Arizona in their final week will be their draft slot next season. They can finish with no worse than the 4th worst record in MLB, "best" case scenario falling to 10th.

News: Chad Tracy has a $7M option in 2010, so Arizona is likely to drop him after the season. They started him in their home finale yesterday as a symbolic gesture, and the red-headed veteran came through with a home run in his final AB, just his eighth of the season.

Chad Tracy

#18 / First Base / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: May 22, 1980

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Chad Tracy	94	249	27	59	14	0	8	39	24	36	1	0	.237	.302	.390

60% of Arizona's Opening Day rotation could be gone by Opening Day next season, but Nick Piecoro also points out a veteran bullpen arm will be on the offseason shopping list.

Mike Axisa at MLBTradeRumors.com points out Arizona did not get the return they were hoping for from their bullpen investments:

Arizona's pen was supposed to be anchored by Chad Qualls, Scott Schoeneweis, Tony Pena and Jon Rauch, but Rauch and Pena were traded, Qualls battled injury, and Schoeneweis dealt with the unfortunate passing of his wife. The foursome combined for a 4.46 ERA in 163.1 IP for the D-Backs this season.

In what will likely bring a smug grin to the faces of some Rockies fans, the D-Backs could cut ties with Eric Byrnes this offseason, eating the $10MM+ he is due for the final year of the contract he signed after the 2007 season.

Tim Dierkes at MLBTradeRumors outlines Arizona's contractual obligations for 2010.

Mark Reynolds set the MLB strikeout record for the second consecutive year on Tuesday.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Conor Jackson is playing every day in an instructional league, but he will not return to the Diamondbacks' lineup this year.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

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

60 Day DL / Out for the season

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

Los Angeles (93-63, 1st, W2)

Last Week: 3-3. 2-1 @ Nationals. 1-2 @ Pirates. Anyone surprised by their two losses against Pittsburgh should remember the Pirates are nearly a .500 club at PNC Park.

Pace: 97-65. (No change)

Divisional Change: No change.

This Week: Last game of 4-game road series @ Pirates. 2 game road series @ Padres. 3 game home series vs. Rockies. The Dodgers can clinch the NL West title today, before the Rockies can even take the field Tuesday against Milwaukee.

News: The biggest bargain free agent pitcher from last season has to be Randy Wolf. Ned Colletti signed him for a one-year $5MM contract that reached $8MM in incentives, but he has given Los Angeles a value of $14.0MM this season. MLBTradeRumors posted a discussion yesterday about Wolf's value in the free agent market this offseason.

Randy Wolf

#43 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 5-10

Weight: 200

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Aug 22, 1976

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Randy Wolf	11-6	34	33	0	0	0	0	209.1	173	79	75	24	54	158	3.22	1.08

Ned Colletti has been the Dodgers' GM for four seasons and Los Angeles has made the playoffs in three, though he has made some boneheaded free agent acquisitions in that time in retrospect. MLBTraderumors hosted a discussion on whether Colletti should be retained by Los Angeles and if so, for how much. I mentioned this topic last week as well, but MLBTR had yet to host a discussion on it.

Talented, cheap talented can't be had cheap for long. With Andre Ethier, Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp, Hong-Chih Kuo, Jonathan Broxton, James Loney, George Sherrill and Russell Martin headed to arbitration this offseason, the Dodgers' payroll figures to increase by almost $20 million next year just from raises.

Los Angeles clinched a playoff berth Saturday, though Joe Torre demanded the champagne wait until they eliminated Colorado from NL West contention. The Dodgers could have done exactly that yesterday in Clayton Kershaw 's his first start since September 4. However, Jonathan Broxton coughed up four runs to the Pirates in the ninth.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: None.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

15-Day

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

60 Day DL / Out for the season

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

San Diego (72-85, 5th, L2, 21.5 GB)

Last Week: 4-3. 1-0 @ Pirates, 2-1 @ Rockies. 1-2 @ Diamondbacks. The Padres week started strong with four wins the first five days, but they dropped the last two matches at Chase Field. They still preserved their winning week, extending their non-losing streak to five weeks.

Pace: 74-88 (+1).

Divisonal change: Gained 1.0 game on LAD.

This Week: 2 game home series vs. Dodgers. 3 game home series vs. Giants. Bud Black has done an impressive job with this roster, as they are practically a lock now to avoid 90 losses.

News: The Cubs are done with Milton Bradley after suspending him for the rest of the year. He still has over $20million left on his contract through the 2011 season, so he will be most likely moved in a trade. After wearing out his welcome playing for his 7th team in nine years, you have to wonder who would take a flyer on this guy. Jerry Crasnick reports that Kevin Towers admits to being interested in Bradley.

Milton Bradley

#21 / Right Field / Chicago Cubs

Height: 6-0

Weight: 225

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Apr 15, 1978

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Milton Bradley	124	393	61	101	17	1	12	40	66	95	2	3	.257	.378	.397

We all remember his epic injury he sustained while with San Diego in 2007, but he actually was well regarded by the organization:

"We took a chance on him the first time we had him, and he actually played pretty well...our experience with him was a positive one. Not a negative one." -Towers, via Jerry Crasnick

Buster Olney and Jon Heyman individually suggested the reunion earlier this week as well.

Adrian Gonzalez hit his 40th home run yesterday, a dizzying accomplishment in present day considering half his games are played at PetCo.

Buster Olney and several Baseball Prospectus writers converged to discuss the Padres' season and their future. It's insider access only, so it's convenient that MLBTradeRumors pulled out these highlights.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Prior to the game Saturday, Kevin Kouzmanoff took batting and fielding practice. The third baseman is hoping to return to the lineup for some last cuts tomorrow against the Dodgers. Edgar Gonzalez dislocated his shoulder on Clint Barmes' inside-the-park home run last week but has not been put on the disabled list. He is listed as day-to-day and will try to return by the end of the week.

San Diego Padres Injuries

15-Day

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

60 Day DL / Out for the season

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

San Francisco (83-73, 3rd, W1, 10.0 GB in Div, 5.0 GB in WC)

Last Week: 3-4. 2-1 @ Diamondbacks. 1-3 vs Cubs. The Giants are all but out of the playoff race after choking away a home series against the Cubs. With six games left, they trail by five, meaning the Rockies' magic number to eliminating San Francisco is just three.

Pace: 86-76 (-1).

Divisional Change: Lost 0.5 games in NL West (LAD), Lost 0.5 games in WC (COL).

This Week: 3 game home series vs Diamondbacks, 3 game road series @ Padres. It easily could have been the Giants' soft schedule in the final week that would make Rockies' fans sweat. Thank you Bruce Bochy for mismanagement.

News: After effectively eliminating themselves from playoff contention from losing three to the Cubs, the organization has unofficially begun looking towards next year.

Regardless of their moves next year, they have almost clinched having a better trade deadline in 2010 as in 2009. Ryan Garko has only started six games in September, only slightly better than the 11 Freddy Sanchez started down the stretch. Now Sanchez will have season-ending knee surgery. So you can't see injuries coming? According to Andrew Baggarly, Sanchez knew he would need knee surgery after the season while still with Pittsburgh. The last link includes an extensive Q&A with Sanchez.

Freddy Sanchez

#21 / Second Base / San Francisco Giants

Height: 5-10

Weight: 190

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Dec 21, 1977

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Freddy Sanchez	25	102	11	29	1	0	1	7	2	16	0	0	.284	.295	.324

The Giants definitely want to bring Sanchez back. Their reported method of doing so involves turning down his $8.1million option in hopes of resigning him to a two year deal.

An interesting wild card in the Sanchez dealings is Juan Uribe. Henry Schulman at the San Francisco Chronicle says that keeping Uribe has become obvious. As Zach Links writes for MLBTR, Sanchez posted far inferior UZR numbers to Uribe this season, while Sanchez posted OPS numbers greater than Uribe has in his ABs this year only once in his career. Uribe gave the Giants $12.8 million in value this season, more than any Rockie hitter not named Todd or Troy, and a far cry from his $0.9mil in production for the White Sox last year.

Closer Brian Wilson has had another solid season, putting the closer in line for a nice raise.

Tim Lincecum is open to long-term deal. Well that's all but obvious. He enjoys San Francisco, where he is the ace of a strong starting staff on a team on the upswing. The only question is how much money he will be able to get. As a Super Two, he will be eligible for arbitration this offseason for the first time, increasing the chances the Giants intercept that path to offer a long-term deal.

Transactions: None.

Injuries: Bengie Molina has missed the last three games with a sore left hand. Edgar Renteria had season ending surgery Saturday to remove bone chips in his right elbow. Freddy Sanchez may be done for the year with a torn meniscus.

San Francisco Giants Injuries

60 Day DL / Out for the season

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

Poll

If you were Josh Byrnes, would you pick up Brandon Webb's $8.5million option without knowing how healthy he will be next season?

Absolutely. Buying him out would result in only a $6.5million gain by declining the option. The bigger risk would be effectively cutting ties with a franchise pitcher who could give them $8.5million in value in just half a season.

74 votes

Buy out the contract and hope Webb changes his mind and signs for a more economical short-term deal to prove his arm is healthy.

20 votes

Buy out the contract. The risk is too high that he couldn't pitch effectively next season. They have already committed to stomaching Eric Byrnes salary, and they can't just afford to pay a third of their payroll to players who aren't playing.

7 votes

Buy out the option year, sign him to 3-year, $18-million contract and trade him to Colorado for Omar Quintanilla and Juan Rincon.

32 votes

Something else. Tell me in the comments.

0 votes

133 votes | Poll has closed