SB Nation - Sidney Ponson

Worst New York Yankees of the Decade

Ed Valentine — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:00:17 -0000

We had some fun the other day debating the Pinstripe Alley Yankee Team of the Decade. Good points were raised on several controversial choices.

Along the way, some of you asked for the 'Worst Yankees of the Decade' team. I thought that would be fun, so I decided to take a shot at it.

Looking at the rosters over the years, though, I found it almost impossible to narrow it down to a single team. Instead, position-by-position, here are some of the most forgettable -- and regrettable -- Yankees of the past decade.

I am sure there are many other names that could or should be added to this list. But, this should get you started strolling down the wrong side of Yankee Memory Lane.

C -- Alberto Castillo, Chris Turner, Chris Widger, Todd Greene, Joe Oliver, Bobby Estelalla, Wil Nieves, Sal Fasano, Michel Hernandez,

1B -- Travis Lee (.105 in 7 games)

2B -- Tony Womack

SS -- Erick Almonte,

3B -- Wilson Betemit, Drew Henson,

INF -- Alex Arias, Felix Escalona (.000, 5 games in 2004), Mark Bellhorn (.118, 9 games, 2005), Cody Ransom, Angel Berroa, Morgan Ensberg

OF -- Kenny Lofton, Matt Lawton (.125, 21 games, 2005), Mike Vento, Justin Christian,

DH -- Jose Canseco

SP -- Kevin Brown, Tim Redding (54.00 ERA in 1 game, 2005), Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, Jaret Wright (Carl Pavano BEFORE Pavano), Christian Parker (one 2001 start, got hurt, never pitched again), Jeff Weaver, Darrell May, Sidney Ponson (multiple times),

RP -- Alex Graman (19.80 in 3 games, 2004) & 13.50 in 2 games, 2005), Colter Bean, Bret Prinz, Sean Henn, Gabe White, Billy Traber, Anthony Claggett (33.75 ERA in 2 games).

I am ashamed to admit so many guys like this have worn the pinstripes during the course of the last decade. Yuck!

Who Was Your Least Favorite Royal of 2009?

royalsreview — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:37:10 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

7 months ago: Kansas City Royals right fielder Jose Guillen can't catch the ball as Los Angeles Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick (47) hits an inside-the-park home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, May 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Lori Shepler)

Browse more photos »

Despite Zack Greinke's greatness, nobody really liked the 2009 Royals. Dayton made a number of bizarre signings during the off-season, then responded with even stranger ones in-season.

So who was your least favorite Royal of 2009?

The Nominees:

Kyle Farnsworth: A brilliant symbol of both Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman's weaknesses. Signed to a 2 year/$9 million dollar contract in the off-season that everyone hated. Was inexplicably named the setup-man/8th inning guy on Opening Day Eve by Hillman. Everyone thought this was insane. Farnsy gave up game-losing bomb the next day. Hey continued to fail until he was demoted, then he went on a long scoreless innings streak. Farnsworth ended up posting his lowest HR/9 numbers in ages, and still was below average.

Mike Jacobs: Jacobs didn't replicate his career year, another stroke of terrible luck to befall Dayton Moore. Gloriously managed a sub-.300 OBP. Could not handle the easiest position on the field. Frequently swung hard. Chewed gigantic amounts of tobacco while at the plate.

Jose Guillen: Ended the debate about his suckitude by achieving near perfect negative value. Hit .242/.314/.367 with absolutely horrific defense. Showed tremendous ability to turn fly ball outs into home runs for the other team. Has potential to unknowingly play a key role in the next game-fixing scandal. Hated by half the teams in the game. Contract is among worst in professional sports. Bonus status as the captain of Dayton's Awful Ex-Mariners Team.

Josh Anderson: Acquired by Dayton Moore in July for no apparent reason. Anderson had not hit before and he did not hit as a Royal, posting a .237/.268/.288. (Let's be fair, he has the ability to post a .280 OBP in full-time action.) Was a favorite late-game toy of Hillman. Does not appear to have blood.

Yuniesky Betancourt: Mysteriously picked up by Dayton Moore mid-season. Has no apparent strengths as a player. Has bizarre name. Costs much more than the minimum salary. Played key role in letting fans know that team is run by people who are ... ah, what's the point?

Willie Bloomquist: St. Willie turned in the greatest .265/.308/.355 season by a guy without a position in history. This was the Dayton Moore move that "worked" and .308 OBP, in Royalsville, is nothing to sneeze at.

Ryan Freel: Owning a .140/.275/.140 line with the Orioles & Cubs, Freel was acquired by Moore leading up to the trade deadline. Absolutely tore the cover off the ball as a Royal (.244/.306/.289) and told many fantastic stories about how he avoided the Vietnam War.

Jamey Wright: Could not sustain 0.00 ERA through first five minutes as a Royal, in more bad luck. Although quickly earning trusted status in Hillman's bullpen, posted a 4.90 ERA in next 57 games. Appeared in tie games constantly (13). Actually, he just appeared constantly.

Tony Pena Jr: Took epic failure of 2008 to a new level in 2009, posting an incredible .098/.132/.118 line. Played crucial role in delivering the Yuni-Bomb to Kansas City. Amazing shift to a pitching career, a move straight out of a message board if there ever was one, hurts his hate-ability however.

Sidney Ponson: Provided Royals with valuable depth in 2009: you can never have enough bad pitchers. Poison pill contract and fate led to him starting the 2009 Home Opener, the opening of the newly renovated K. Against the Yankees. Surprised fans with better than expected 7.36 ERA.

Horacio Ramirez: Ho-Ram's ex-Brave, ex-Mariner, ex-mildly surprising 2008 move that sorta worked out status, earned him another contract and $1.8 million from Dayton Moore. Sucked from the beginning and was gone by early June. He'll be back.

Starting Pitchers: Damaged Goods Available

Jesse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:33:46 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Browse more photos »

The Twins now have approximately $62 million committed to eight players who are under contract for 2010, and with J.J. Hardy's estimated arbitration salary likely somewhere around $6 million Minnesota will have approximately $17 million to shell out to their arb-eligible players. Even with a payroll which would open the year at over $80 million for the first time in frachise history the organization is still in a position to add some payroll. How much? Probably not too much. But with third base, second base and two rotation spots up for grabs there's no doubt the front office will continue on their quest to improve the team.

Minnesota has picked up a bit of a stigma as an organization that likes to rely on bargain-bin veterans to flesh out their roster, and there hasn't been a shortage of that philosophy applied to the starting rotation over the last few years. Do your ears still flush red when you think of Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson? Or maybe Livan Hernandez still has you a bit baffled? Those moves, at the time, were railroaded for the quality of the player rather than the organization's decision to bring in veteran help, although there was also a strong belief that a rotation centered around Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker would be just fine.

The front office agreed with us last winter, and they stayed fully in-house when constructing their rotation.

Things can change a lot in the span of a year. An area of strength going coming out of 2008 is a bit of a weakness, or at the very least not nearly as deep as we thought it would be, coming out of 2009. For a team that will always look to get the most value for their dollar, if they do choose to supplement the rotation in the free agent market, their highest reward scenarios might center around these guys. Read all about them after the break.

Rich Harden

#40 / Pitcher / Chicago Cubs

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Nov 30, 1981

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Rich Harden	9-9	27	26	0	0	0	0	141.0	122	74	64	23	67	171	4.09	1.34

26 starts in 2009 and 25 starts in 2008--not bad. Then there were the 13 starts in '06 and '07 combined, with 19 starts made in '05. In fact, in Harden's six-plus star-crossed seasons in the majors he has had exactly one full season: 2004.

A couple of back injuries, a strained left oblique and a rap sheet full of right-arm issues, Harden's inability to keep himself on the mound isn't exactly a secret. Which is why he's even on this list. Anyone who can strike out more than a man per inning while allowing less than a hit per inning, with that kind of fastball and that kind of stuff, is a guy who's makeup has "Ace" dripping out of every pore.

This past season Harden missed 19 games in May and June due to issues with his back, before coming back and eventually being shut down at the end of September because of his pitching arm. Again.

Obviously he's a risk, but that's why I wanted to talk about these guys. The oblique strains don't bother me--it's the problems (plural) that Harden has had with his rotator cuff and his UCL. His mechanics aren't exactly smooth and without constant training to strengthen and stabalize his cuff I'm worried he could have to resort to Tommy John surgery at any time. But I'm not a doctor.

Harden is likely to garner a lot of guarded interest this off-season, and in spite of his injuries and high pitch count innings could still receive multi-year offers that would be worth double-digit millions easy. Naturally I'm not opposed to the Twins chasing him and signing him to a deal as long as it's done right. While the Twins may not be able to guarantee more money than most of the other clubs out there, offering him a low base with a number of achieveable incentives for games started and innings pitched could make a deal at least tempting.

My offer: Two years with team option for year a third. 2010: $4 million base ($500K for 12, 17, 22, 27 and 32 starts; $500 K for 100, 125, 150, 175, 200 innings pitched; $9 million possible; $1 million buyout option if less than 100 innings pitched). 2011: $6 million base, same incentives. 2012: $10 million base, same incentives, $1 million buyout.

Ben Sheets

#15 / Pitcher / Milwaukee Brewers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 18, 1978

Sheets didn't pitch at all in 2009, and at two years older than Harden would be 32 in 2010. His rap sheet of injuries is even more varied than the Cubs ace, with long stretches of time missed for back injuries, finger injuries and, of course, right arm injuries. This last time around he's had flexor tendon surgery and, if you listen to his agent, would be ready for spring training.

He doesn't strike out quite as many guys as Harden but he still allows less than a hit per inning, has better control and is far more efficient with his pitches. Prior to this last surgery anyway. Like Harden his fastball is mid to upper-90's, and his breaking balls can break your knees. Prior to this last surgery anyway.

Sheets made 31 starts and pitched 198 innings in 2008 before missing all of '09, but from '05 to '07 he wasn't pitching full years either. From the ages of 23 to 25 though, which may be where some of these problems began for a guy who was at the time a younger pitcher, Sheets made 102 starts and threw more than 670 innings. You could argue he was over-worked, although by the time a guy hits his mid-20's he should be able to handle a full load. I tend to lean away from the over-worked arguement.

Where I see Harden landing with a more high-profile team who is willing to take a chance on him and spend a little more ching, Sheets is the option who already looks like he'll appeal to everybody. Second-tier teams (like the Twins) who still have a little wiggle room might run straight for the former Brewer to avoid getting drawn into a process with Harden.

My offer: One year with a team option for a second. 2010: $3 million base ($500 K for 11, 22 and 33 starts; $500 K for 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 innings; $7 million possible). 2011: $5 million base, same incentives, $500K buyout.

Erik Bedard

#45 / Pitcher / Seattle Mariners

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Mar 06, 1979

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Erik Bedard	5-3	15	15	0	0	0	0	83.0	65	29	26	8	34	90	2.82	1.19

Bedard had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder back in August, repairing what had been a spot of general disrepair. A torn labrum was the main issue, but the area apparently needed a good clearing. Apparently he'll be ready for the beginning of the season, but it's the second time in as many years where he made just 15 starts.

His stuff, just like the stuff of Harden and Sheets, qualifies him as an ace. He can be a dominant strikeout pitcher at times, although a little streaky even when healthy and not as efficient with his pitches as Sheets. What had been very low fly-ball numbers increased slightly in Seattle, but his plus fastball and plus breaking ball continued to be his best pitches and were seemingly unaffected.

The biggest issues with the former Mariner and Oriole enigma are his consistency and, just like the other two guys on this list, his inability to stay healthy for a whole season. His control tends to stray at times as well.

My offer: Identical to Sheets' offer.

Conclusions

Clearly there are more guys on the market than these three who could qualify as damaged goods. Mark Prior is attempting a comeback, Bartolo Colon is still floating (or sinking) around out there somewhere and even a guy like Noah Lowry has some appeal. But these three guys are the creme of the crop, because they all have the ability to be that elusive Ace pitcher.

Is there a safer option between the three? Which guy would you prefer, if any?

Poll

Which of these three pitchers do you prefer?

Rich Harden

364 votes

Ben Sheets

218 votes

Erik Bedard

161 votes

None of the above

89 votes

832 votes | Poll has closed

All Ex-Twins Team, 2009

Jesse — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:09:33 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

Browse more photos »

2008 Roster
2006 Roster

For the second year in a row I tried to put together a full 25-man roster, and while I made the cut this team has some pretty big holes. Generally it's old, which is surprising, and there's going to be some pretty bad defense in places, but if any of the three outfielders get hurt there's nobody to be a fourth outfielder. Luckily, none of the guys on this team have to play a single game.

Without further ado, your batting order:

Name	Pos	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	'09 Team	With Twins
Jason Bartlett	SS	.320	.389	.490	14	66	Rays	'04 - '07
Luis Castillo	2B	.302	.387	.346	1	40	Mets	'06 - '07
Garrett Jones	RF	.293	.372	.567	21	44	Pirates	2007
Torii Hunter	CF	.299	.366	.508	22	90	Angels	'97 - '07
Casey Blake	3B	.280	.363	.468	18	79	Dodgers	'00 - '02
Randy Ruiz	1B	.313	.385	.635	10	17	Blue Jays	2008
David Ortiz	DH	.238	.332	.462	28	99	Red Sox	'97 - '02
A.J. Pierzynski	C	.300	.331	.425	13	49	White Sox	'98 - '03
Craig Monroe	LF	.215	.287	.354	3	16	Pirates	2008

All in all that's not a bad offensive lineup. According to Baseball Musing's Lineup Analysis tool, this offense would blow last year's out of the water: 5.741 runs per game, or about 930 runs over the course of a full season. Even with Jones and Monroe being stone defenders in the outfield corners, those runs are going to make up the difference.

The tool also insists that all of the best lineups would have Monroe hitting 8th and Castillo 9th, while a vast majority of the best lineups still have Bartlett leading off, but they also have Ruiz batting cleanup with his massive OBP and SLG in limited time.

Your bench? Outfielder-less. Henry Blanco of the Pirates is your catcher, followed by a trio of infielders: Cristian Guzman (Nationals), Adam Everett (Tigers) and Juan Castro (Dodgers).

Next up? Your starting rotation:

Name	W-L	ERA	IP	K	BB	'09 Team	With Twins
Johan Santana	13-9	3.13	166.2	146	46	Mets	'00 - '07
Matt Garza	8-12	3.95	203.0	189	79	Rays	'06 - '07
Kyle Lohse	6-10	4.74	117.2	77	36	Cardinals	'01 - '06
Livan Hernandez	9-12	5.44	183.2	102	67	Mets/Nationals	2008
Sidney Ponson	1-7	7.36	58.2	32	25	Royals	2007

I want you to know that I seriously considered going with a three-man rotation, a three-man bench, and then having a nine-man bullpen, but the reality is that even the bullpen pickings get a little thin once you get six or seven deep. As far as other starters I could have considered, there aren't many guys out there right now. Carlos Silva? Absolutely not.

Last season saw Santana, Lohse and Garza as the top three in the rotation as well. Moving onto the bullpen, last year I had Balfour closing, but this season I'd probably tab Hawkins.

Name	W-L	ERA	IP	K	BB	'09 Team	With Twins
LaTroy Hawkins	1-4	2.13	63.1	45	16	Astros	'95 - '03
Craig Breslow	7-5	2.60	55.1	44	18	Athletics	'08 - '09
J.C. Romero	0-0	2.70	16.2	12	13	Phillies	'99 - '05
Joe Beimel	1-6	3.58	55.1	35	19	Nationals/Rockies	2004
Grant Balfour	5-4	4.81	67.1	69	33	Rays	'01 - '04
Eddie Guardado	1-2	4.46	38.1	20	15	Rangers	'93 - '03, '08

Even in limited time, Romero is still managing to escape at least the appearance of damage in spite of some unnerving peripherals. Like the bench and the back of the rotation, this one of this team's weaker spots.

If injuries weren't a factor, how would this team fare over a season? Would an offense like this be able to keep this team afloat with the help of a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation? Or would those unproven bats pair up with some older arms to bring the team's fortunes crashing to earth?

Guys who have made the team each of the three years: Pierzynski, Blake, Ortiz, Beimel, Romero and Hawkins.

Poll

How would this team fare?

They could compete for a division title

169 votes

Probably a .500 team

322 votes

Bottom dwellers, for sure

181 votes

672 votes | Poll has closed

Giants Sign Brad Penny

Grant — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:33:07 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

Wait, what?

Browse more photos »

Sez so right here. If you want to know if that's a move that makes sense, you'd probably get a better answer from this stats dork.

It's going to be really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really hard to root for Penny. Dude's kind of a putz. But he's almost certainly the best option for the Giants down the stretch.

Think of him like a Sidney Ponson who wouldn't need to start a playoff game or cost prospects.

Update: It's a done deal according to CNNSI. Yay?

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:31:31 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Trevor Hoffman still doesn't untuck, but it's nice to see him celebrating a Brewer victory anyway.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while getting your MST3K fix.

Today's biggest news is, without question, the health of Corey Hart. After complaining of abdominal pain during Saturday's game and again on Sunday, Hart left the clubhouse before yesterday's game and ended up having an appendectomy in San Diego last night. Hart will be placed on the DL and is expected to miss a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Michael Street of Baseball Digest Daily wonders if losing him might be the last straw for the Crew.

Hart will be replaced on the roster by Bill Hall, who returns to the team after just a few days in AAA. Hall was 4-for-8 in AAA entering play yesterday, but went 0-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts in a doubleheader last night. Hall and Frank Catalanotto are expected to platoon in right field while Hart is out.

At least one Brewer starting pitcher on the DL is getting closer to returning: Dave Bush threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday, and could head out on a rehab assignment as soon as the end of this week. Jeff Suppan, meanwhile, is complaining of "fatigue" in his strained oblique muscle when he throws. He's not expected to miss much more than 15 days, at any rate.

With Bush and Suppan still out, the Brewers made one minor move at the trading deadline, picking up Claudio Vargas from the Dodgers in exchange for Vinny Rottino. There's plenty of reaction from all over the web on that move:

Gordon Edes of Yahoo listed the Brewers as a trade deadline loser.
Right Field Bleachers notcied Tim Kurkijian's disappointment with the Brewers as well.
John Sickels of Minor League Ball says Vargas has more value than Rottino.
Rottino and the Brewers parted with no hard feelings. Rottino will be assigned to the Dodgers' AA team.
Tim Dillard was returned to AAA to make room for Vargas on the roster.
Over at The Hardball Times, Jeff says that, if Doug Melvin was going to acquire a stopgap fifth starter, he at least should have acquired one he hasn't had before.

Here's the first few paragraphs of Anthony Witrado's story on Vargas from this weekend:

The last time Claudio Vargas was in a Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse, he was packing his belongings and trying to figure out what had just happened to him.

That was during spring training last year right after Vargas, who wasn't pitching poorly, was released by the club because, get this, they had an abundance of starting pitching.

How times have changed.

Actually, after two slow-moving appearances where Vargas allowed four baserunners and two earned runs in 1.1 innings of work, maybe times haven't changed that much at all. It could always be worse, though: The Brewers could sign Sidney Ponson, who was recently designated for assignment by the Royals and surfaced in Speculationville.

The Brewers managed to win just one of three games over the weekend in San Diego, and are digging themselves a pretty deep hole in the NL Central:

Cool Standings gives the Brewers a 7.6% shot at making the playoffs.
Adam McCalvy noted that the Cardinals are on pace for 88 wins, and the Brewers would have to go 37-21 (36-21 following yesterday's win) down the stretch to reach that mark.
Vegas is giving the Brewers 50-1 odds of winning the World Series.

With that said, Tyler Maas has ten reasons to keep watching the Brewers down the stretch.

As the Brewers pitching continues to struggle, the calls continue to come for Bill Castro's head, but Drew Olson of OnMilwaukee.com says firing Castro would be the wrong decision.

Prince Fielder made some very impressive defensive plays over the weekend, but still came in 15th of 16 NL first basemen in Baseball Digest Daily's defensive rankings. The good news for the Brewers: Craig Counsell finished first among second basemen.

In the minors:

Alcides Escobar has missed a few games recently to attend to a family matter. I've heard his wife is giving birth to a child, but don't have a source to confirm it. He's expected to rejoin the Sounds tomorrow.
Escobar ranked eleventh on Jonathan Mayo's list of baseball's top 50 prospects. (h/t Larry Stone)
Mat Gamel ranked 13th and Alcides Escobar 24th in Project Prospect's Top 25.

With Friday's trade deadline, it's been a busy weekend on the transaction wire:

Blue Jays: Placed reliever Scott Downs on the DL with an injury to his left big toe.
Braves: Acquired Adam LaRoche from the Red Sox for Casey Kotchman.
Giants: Placed outfielder Andres Torres on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Indians: Designated relievers Winston Abreu and Mike Gosling for assignment.
Mariners: Designated first baseman Chris Shelton for assignment.
Marlins: Acquired Nick Johnson from the Nationals for a minor league pitcher and placed Burke Badenhop on the DL with a sore neck.
Mets: Designated Robinson Cancel for assignment.
Orioles: Placed pitcher Brad Bergesen on the DL with a bruised shin.
Padres: Released Mark Prior.
Rangers: Placed Ian Kinsler on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Rays: Signed reliever Jeff Bennett and added him to their 25-man roster.
Red Sox: Acquired Victor Martinez from the Indians for Justin Masterson and two minor league pitchers.
Reds: Acquired Scott Rolen from the Blue Jays for three minor leaguers and traded Jerry Hairston to the Yankees for a minor league catcher.
Rockies: Acquired Joe Beimel from the Nationals for two minor leaguers and placed reliever Juan Rincon on the DL with elbow stiffness.
Tigers: Acquired Jarrod Washburn from the Mariners for Luke French and a minor league pitcher.
Twins: Acquired Orlando Cabrera from the A's for a minor league shortstop.
White Sox: Acquired Jake Peavy from the Padres for Clayton Richard and three minor league pitchers.

Some parents pick their children's names out of baby books or name them after relatives. Not everyone does it that way, though: Here's the story of how the parents of Astros rookie Bud Norris got his name off a beer can.

On this day in 1997, Jeromy Burnitz hit a pinch hit home run for the second straight day. The Brewers lost both games to the Mariners.

Happy birthday today to Justin Lehr, who pitched in 39 games for the Brewers in 2005 and 2006 and turns 32 today.

Drink up.

David Price Delivers Seven Solid Innings In Rays Win; Ponson Cures Ailing Rays Offense

Tommy Rancel — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:45:08 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

Well done Velociraptor, well done.

Browse more photos »

After the Rays spent the morning and afternoon in silence on this deadline day, the play on the field and the subsequent concert after was heard loud and clear tonight. Sure, it was against the Kansas City Royals. And yes, Sidney Ponson was the opposing starter, but after all the negative we've had over the past few days I'm here to focus on all the good from tonight's game.

R.J. gave you the offensive monthly overview on Thursday, and if you follow the trend you'll see the Rays offense should get going in August. You've also heard us mention that Carlos Pena has a career OPS of over 1.000 in August. While we hope all these trends continue to happen through August and September, Pena and the Rays got a jumpstart on July 31st.

Pena has looked completely lost at times this month, but with two on and two out in the 1st inning, Pena blasted a three run shot off the left field pole. Three was a popular number for the Rays as three players had triples. Carl Crawford tripled for the 90th time in his career and Pat Burrell tripled for the first time as a Ray. Not to be out done, Ben Zobrist hit his sixth triple of the year, tying him with CC for the team lead.

Thanks to RBI base hits by Burrell, Jason Bartlett and Gabe Gross, the Rays chased Ponson after 4.1 ineffective innings. His counterpart on the night, the velocirator, David Price was extremely effective. Without striking out the world, Price was as effective and efficient as I've seen him this year.

More on Price's start after the jump

DP worked seven innings for just the second time in his career. Unlike the first start in which he gave up five earned runs and two homers, he gave up just one run today and that came on a fielders choice. He scattered five hits and walked just two. As mentioned above, he didn't strike out the world. He had just three punchouts and got just seven whiffs. The nice part was he induced 12 groundball outs by keeping the ball low (Flo Rida pun not intended). Nearly half his pitches came "below the belt" of the hitter in the normalized strike zone.

via brooksbaseball.net

Price pounded the whole strike zone 64% of the time using his fastball, slider and change up. On the night Price threw 62.5% fastballs, 28.8% sliders, and get this, 8.2% change ups. Coming into the game, he was averaging 69.0% fastballs, 23.9% sliders and just 5.6% change ups. More variety seemed to work very well for him tonight as Price used all three pitches in different counts keeping the opposition off balance.

via brooksbaseball.net

Price also used the entire plate which is something we haven't seen too often from him. It's been said that Price is very predictable in terms of pitch location. He works inside to right handers and outside to lefties. For some reason he has seemed to avoid the first base side of the plate. This was not the case tonight as he had almost even distribution to both sides as you can see in the charts above.

Sure it's only one start for Price and just one good offensive game for the Rays, but now that we know this is basically the team we are going to battle with in the second half. The sustained win streak and solid play that Joe Maddon has preached about has to start some where and I think tonight was a good night to start that. Of course, a loss tomorrow against Bruce Chen makes this last paragraph completely irrelevant so let's try and avoid that if possible.

Sherman on target in Yankee trade analysis

Ed Valentine — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:40:12 -0000

I am hardly a fan of Joel Sherman, or the New York Post. I have to give credit where it's due, though, because today Sherman has absolutely nailed the New York Yankees' situation as the trade deadline approaches.

The Yanks believe that economic reasons will move more pitchers through waivers than ever before so that August trades are more probable. But I doubt that would include a quality arm. As of this moment, the Yanks are showing no inclination to top feed by pursuing Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee. They simply remain an organization that does not believe it should give up both top prospects and a huge salary within one trade. I don't think Jarrod Washburn will get through waivers, and he actually might be traded before Friday's deadline anyway. That could have the Yanks picking through unappetizing possibilities like a reunion with Sidney Ponson. Don't laugh, if the Mets ever do release Tim Redding, the Yanks would probably try to stash him at Triple-A. GM Brian Cashman has a belief that when you have a shortage you try to throw as much dubious material at the wall and hope that one person from that collection jumps out to help.

But I do think the Yanks have to be tempted to find some level of protection. That is why I think you see them connected with good arm/bad result Ian Snell of the Pirates, who could be stashed at Triple-A until/if needed. I think that is why they are going to watch Oakland's Justin Duchscherer throw to see if he is over injury problems. It is why they probably think about pitchers such as Toronto's Brian Tallet or Philadelphia's Chan Ho Park, who can be long men in the pen and around in case emergency starts are needed. I am sure they also are thinking if they could actually get someone such as San Diego's Heath Bell to pitch the eighth inning as a way to make removing Hughes from the pen more tolerable.

I just think the Yanks have this vulnerability that could bite them if, say, Chamberlain's shoulder bothers him again or Pettitte's elbow or Burnett remembers that he is supposed to be the untrustworthy A.J. Burnett or the experiment with Mitre is a failure.

The Yankees have to add some depth to the pitching staff. The injuries to Wang and Ian Kennedy, and the use of Alfredo Aceves and Phil Hughes in the bullpen, leave them dangerously thin in the starting rotation.

Think about this. If Chamberlain hits his innings limit and the Yankees choose to protect him rather than push him, who is the fourth playoff starter? Assuming, of course, that the Yankees get there.

It sure can't be Sergio Mitre. And it can't be Aceves, unless the Yankees fortify the bullpen so that they feel comfortable moving him into the rotation.

So, yes, the Yankees really could use a quality arm to fortify a pitching staff that simply can't take many more hits.

[UPDATE: Here is a little tidbit from Pete Abe. The Yankees appear to be focusing in on relievers as the trade deadline approaches. By beefing up the bullpen, this would enable them to transition Alfredo Aceves to the rotation if the need arises.

Given that Sergio Mitre has allowed 17 hits over 10.2 innings, there’s a good chance that need will arise. Names that have come up: Scott Downs, Heath Bell and John Grabow, The Yankees are not involved in the Roy Halladay chase. But, of course, that could change.]

Erick Aybar Heatwave Roasts Royals in Rainout Makeup

Rev Halofan — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:11:54 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

J U L A Y B A R ! ! ! !

Browse more photos »

Final Score in Missouri: Angels 8, Royals 5

Shortstop Erick Aybar had three hits, scored three runs and was in the on-deck circle for a monster Mike Napoli homerun as the Angels took care of the Royals in the first game of Doubleheader Tuesday afternoon.

Ervin Santana did not pitch well, throwing heat with no movement and allowing 8 hits and 5 earned runs, but his 7 strikeouts helped his cause and a bullpen trio of Darren Oliver, Kevin Jepsen and Brian Fuentes shutout the Kansas City squad. Fuentesaurus notched his 29th save.

The Royals did not go gently into that good night, bashing Santana's straight heat, and the Angels did not put away KC Starter Sidney Ponson when they had the chance to. Leading 4-1, Gary Matthews Jr. grounded into a buzzkill double play to miss out on a chance to put away the Aruban Dark Knight for good.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Aybar

194 votes

Jepsen

15 votes

209 votes | Poll has closed

MONDAY ANGELS ROUNDUP: John Lackey Only Needs One, Figgy For MVP?

WiHaloFan — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:20:39 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Browse more photos »

Up next for Angels: Monday at Kansas City - Los Angeles Times
Sean O'Sullivan scheduled to start tonight against veteran Sidney Ponson of the Royals.

Angels-Royals Preview - FOX Sports on MSN
The surging Angels will try to send the sputtering Royals to their seventh consecutive loss Monday night as the teams begin a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

Abreu takes it out on the A's - Los Angeles Times
Gary Matthews Jr. wandered over to offer some encouragement to John Lackey: Keep battling, big guy. Hang in there. "No problem," Lackey told Matthews. "I only need one today."

Team Reports - MLB at CBSSports.com
Class AA RHP Jordan Walden has been placed on the DL for the second time this season with inflammation in his forearm near his pitching elbow. Walden missed time in April and May with a similar problem and was just 1-5 with a 5.25 ERA in eight starts this season. Walden, 21, is considered one of the Angels' top pitching prospects.

Vladimir Guerrero to be DH for the rest of the season - Los Angeles Times
The Angels plan to restrict Vladimir Guerrero to designated hitter for the rest of the season, raising the possibility that Angels fans have seen him play in right field for the last time.

rallymonkeys: O'Sullivan gets start in K.C.
Sean O'Sullivan, the big right-hander from the San Diego area, will get the start on Monday night in Kansas City. Shane Loux and Matt Palmer also were under consideration before Angels manager Mike Scioscia settled on O'Sullivan, who is 2-0 with a 3.80 ERA in four starts.

Offensive options abound for Angels - angelsbaseball.com
How deep and productive is the Angels' offense? Manager Mike Scioscia was able to sit a guy riding an 18-game hitting streak on Sunday.

Angels Bullpen: In-Speiering L.A. To Make a Move - Bleacher Report
Speier faced 13 batters over his last three outings and recorded just one out–a sacrifice bunt that moved a runner into scoring position. The other batters reached on a combination of seven hits and five walks, leading to five earned runs in an official one-third of an inning pitched.

Figgins making MVP waves - angelsbaseball.com
Angels manager Mike Scioscia looks at the total game of Chone Figgins -- hitting, running, fielding, clutch performances -- and this is what he sees: Most Valuable Player candidate.

How inclined are O's to trade closer Sherrill? - FOX Sports on MSN
The Marlins, Dodgers, Brewers and Angels are among the clubs pursuing Sherrill, major-league sources say.

John Heyman: Phillies Favored to Land Halladay - MLB Daily Dish
The Angels, an early favorite for Halladay, seem to be out of the picture. They apparently don't want to part with their prospects.

Spiral Staircase:

Poll

Who do you love more today than yesterday?

John Lackey

149 votes

Bobby Abreu

98 votes

Tony Reagins

12 votes

Roy Halladay

22 votes

Justin Speier

7 votes

288 votes | Poll has closed