SB Nation - Manny Parra

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:42:24 -0000

Yes, this is a picture of Trevor Hoffman with his dog from the Brewers' 2010 Pet Calendar, via Adam McCalvy. This might be the slowest news day ever.

View full size photo »

Some things to read while having it both ways.

If we're not hearing much from the Brewer front office this week, it's because they're in Arizona working on a plan for the offseason.

Here's proof that it's been a quiet week: The Brewers' Wives announced the release of their 2010 Pet Calendar, and it's one of today's top stories.

Keith Law chatted with fans again yesterday, and View From Bernie's Chalet has a roundup of all the Brewer-related notes. Today's topics include a terrible Ryan Braun trade proposal and Rickie Weeks.

The full article is Insider-only, but Jason Gray of ESPN has a look at Jonathan Lucroy, and the sudden shift that has led to him being considered the organization's top catching prospect.

Elsewhere in the minors:

I don't remember if I've seen/mentioned this previously, but Baseball America's Minor League Transaction Report noted that the Brewers re-signed former first round pick Mike Jones as a minor league free agent. Jones reached AAA for the first time in 2009.
The Timber Rattlers are asking for your help to pick a first baseman for their 15th anniversary team. Follow the link for bios on the candidates, then jump over to the front page to vote.

Around baseball:

Blue Jays: Claimed pitcher Sean Henn off waivers from the Orioles and designated Michael Barrett for assignment.
Mariners: Outrighted first baseman Bryan LaHair, and pitchers Randy Messenger, Cesar Jimenez and Marwin Vega to AAA. Vega is the only one who won't become a minor league free agent.
Orioles: Declined their option for 2010 on Melvin Mora.
Pirates: Claimed left handed pitcher Justin Thomas off waivers from the Mariners.

Do you have software development and/or engineering skills and the desire to find a job where you can spend the day talking sports? SB Nation is hiring for a couple of positions.

Oh, and speaking of open positions, you have until the end of the day today to express interest in the Weekend Editor position here at BCB. I'm planning on making a decision tonight or tomorrow.

Happy birthday today to Manny Parra, who turns 27. Hopefully Rick Peterson turns out to be an early birthday present for him.

Elsewhere, happy birthday to:

Laynce Nix, who turns 29.
Former Brewer farmhand Marco Scutaro, who turns 34.
Dave Valle, who played in 16 games for the 1994 Brewers and turns 49.
And a posthumous happy birthday to longtime Milwaukee Brave Joe Adcock, who would have turned 82.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:40:04 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

I'm hoping we'll have a picture of Rick Peterson without a Mets hat soon.

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Some things to read while earning your cat-holding privileges.

The Brewers made Rick Peterson's hiring official yesterday, and he immediately turned his sights to Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra.

Peterson also tweeted about his new gig, and was welcomed into the fold by Seth McClung (more on McClung later today). Miller Park Drunk also welcomed Peterson, and started him off with a cheat sheet on Brewer pitchers.

Now, perhaps the Brewers will get started on the task of acquiring some pitchers for Peterson to coach. Dave Cameron of USS Mariner has the Brewers trading J.J. Hardy to the M's for Brandon Morrow, and Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases has a hypothetical trade sending Prince Fielder to the Red Sox for Jacoby Ellsbury and Michael Bowden. Meanwhile, over in Speculationville, Roguejim wonders if J.J. Hardy might be a fit for the Pirates.

Could Jody Gerut end up as a bargaining chip in a trade? Amazin' Avenue lists him as a player who may be undervalued this winter due to a low BABIP in 2009. Gerut posted a .230/.279/.376 line last season, but hit a much more respectable .272/.341/.447 in August and September.

Wherever pitching help might come from, there doesn't appear to be much of it on the horizon in the minors. Baseball America has their final minor league pitching leaderboards up, and the only Brewer mentioned (Evan Frederickson) is among the leaders in a category you don't want to lead (walks allowed). Frederickson, a sandwich pick in the 2008 draft, walked 82 batters in 97.1 innings for Wisconsin this season, and has posted a 5.22 ERA in the minors.

Perhaps Josh Butler will be the exception, though: After playing all over the minors and in the majors this season, Butler is blogging from the AFL (FanShot) His first post covers his wild season, AFL teammates, food and weather.

We've covered the list of reasons why Felipe Lopez should be offered arbitration and the opportunity to return, but Miller Park Drunk has the counterpoint: the list of reasons why Lopez doesn't fit into the Brewers' plans and will almost certainly not be back.

Around baseball:

Braves: Pitchers Buddy Carlyle, Jorge Campillo and Vladimir Nunez have been removed from the 40-man roster and will become free agents. (h/t Rowland's Office)
Mets: Released reliever Ken Takahashi.
Pirates: Reliever Chris Bootcheck rejected an outright assignment and is now a free agent.

Because of the arbitrary nature of the cutoff line for Super 2 players, there's good news for the Diamondbacks and bad news for the Giants today. Slugger Mark Reynolds fell three days short of the service time required to be a Super 2, will not be arbitration eligible and will remain under team control for four more seasons. Tim Lincecum, on the other hand, was over the cutoff by about a week and will be arbitration eligible this offseason.

Three managerial vacancies remain, but at least one team has eliminated Ned Yost from contention: The Indians are believed to be conducting second interviews with four candidates, but Yost is not one of them. Manny Acta is the only finalist for the Indians' job that is also a candidate for the Astros' job.

Over the last few seasons, baseball has shifted heavily toward emphasizing young players and prospects, but here's a reminder on the importance of not looking too far ahead: Lookout Landing has a list of 44 players who appeared for the Mariners in 2008. Less than two full years later, only ten of them are still with the organization. Things can change pretty fast.

Livan Hernandez spent the end of the 2009 season with the Nationals, and despite the fact that he's long past the prime of his career, he'll likely be looking for work again this offseason, because he needs the paycheck. Hernandez reportedly has serious financial issues that could lead to the foreclosure of his home in Miami.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that the postseason has had some pretty exciting games and interesting storylines, the top story once again is terrible umpiring, and a call Big League Stew is calling "the worst call of all time." I keep hoping that maybe, someday, Major League Baseball will be shamed into action on this issue, and do something to either correct inept umpires or put effective umpires in their place. It's likely a pipe dream.

I've spent a fair amount of time lately discussing the Arizona Fall League, partly because there's not much baseball being played lately but also because I find it fascinating. If you're having a hard time getting into it, maybe you should check out Geoff Young's look back at the 2001 AFL, which featured a bunch of future productive major leaguers...and Bill Hall.

Speaking of prospects and development, Derrick Goold has a nice conversation starter about age as it relates to prospects, and when one becomes too old to be considered one (h/t BBTF). In last year's Community Prospect Rankings, we ranked a couple of older players (Brad Nelson and Tim Dillard), and I'm guessing Adam Heether might sneak into this year's list as well.

Finally, this link isn't really baseball related, but I'm dropping it in today because I think it's important, and if you or someone you know coaches youth or high school sports I hope you'll read it: Driveline Mechanics has a look at overtraining in high school sports and its consequences.

Happy birthday today to Gabe Gross, who posted a .797 OPS over 2+ seasons as a Brewer and turns 30 today, and to Franklin Stubbs, who was virtually worthless as a Brewer and turns 49.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:14:34 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

As it turns out, Jason Kendall may not be all that valuable defensively either.

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Some things to read with the hand-washing time you've saved.

Clearly, "calling a good game" is not weighted heavily in these rankings, but Driveline Mechanics ranked Jason Kendall 105th out of 114 catchers defensively in 2009, and Mike Rivera 28th. It's further proof that Kendall has outlived nearly all of his value...and somehow, I still expect Doug Melvin to find a reason to bring him back next season, and Ken Macha to play him 120 times.

Craig Counsell and Braden Looper's offseason surgeries were completed yesterday, and both were "routine," according to Dr. William Raasch, who is now off to shop for a new house with the money he's made off the Brewers this week (FanShot).

Here's some symmetry for you: Wisconsin Sports Tap has a list of the top ten Brewer moments from the 2009 season, and Miller Park Drunk has a list of ten things he won't miss about this season.

While glancing over Baseball Digest Daily's Asian MLB Awards, I noticed this completely unrelated tidbit: The Brewers, who scored the third most runs in the NL this season, got 14.3% of those runs from Ryan Braun. That's the fourth highest percentage in all of baseball.

In what might be an unprecedented event, the Brewers had two pitchers (Braden Looper and Manny Parra) among the top three in the "Good Luck Division" of The Hardball Times Awards' season finale. The two pitchers combined for 25 wins with a 5.70 ERA.

Speaking of awards, Jon Heyman left Prince Fielder off his NL MVP ballot. Moments like this are why it's so easy to blast the BBWAA.

The Arizona Fall League's Opening Day was yesterday, but it wasn't a great start for the Javelinas, who got pummeled by Surprise, 17-4. Lorenzo Cain led off with a double for Peoria in the first and scored the game's first run, but the Rafters responded with runs in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Omar Aguilar also pitched in the game, and allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Beyond the Box Score has the PitchF/X data on Aguilar's outing.

There's just one note for the transaction log today:

Padres: Infielder Luis Rodriguez and catcher Eliezer Alfonzo declined outright assignments to the minors and are now free agents.

Who knows if the Brewers might be interested, but one more name could be about to enter the starting pitching rumor mill: Ken Rosenthal is reporting Tim Hudson could decline his half of his mutual option with the Braves for next season. The option would pay Hudson $12 million in 2010, and it seems unlikely many teams will want to commit more than that to a guy who made just seven starts in 2009.

Every day it looks a little more likely that Ned Yost will be back in the big leagues next season. He's already being mentioned as a managerial candidate in Cleveland and Houston, and now you can add him to the list in Washington as well.

If a last place team in a terrible stadium switches over to a TV network much of their fan base doesn't get, do they make a sound? According to SportsBusiness Journal, only 20,000 households tuned in to watch an average A's game this season, the second lowest figure in all of baseball.

Some days I'm up perusing the internet before it's light, and I come back with lots of great baseball links. Some days, I just find lunch ideas. Such is the Way of the Mug.

Happy birthday today to Tommy Harper, who led the 1970 Brewers in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, walks, batting average, OBP and slugging, and turns 69 today.

That's all I've got for you today, but if you're looking for something else to do, you could consider Static Electricity Fun Time.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:39:55 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Curry - AP

Trevor Hoffman delivers a pitch during the ninth inning Sunday, in what won't be his final Brewer appearance after all.

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Some things to read while staking your claim.

If the Brewers keep up this pace, they'll have all of their offseason work done by Thanksgiving: One day into the offseason, the Brewers have one problem solved, as Trevor Hoffman signed a one year deal worth $8 million with a team option for 2011 (FanShot). Tom H. is reporting that both the option year and potential buyout contain escalators tied to games finished in 2010.

Here's some reaction around the web:

Evan Brunell of The Hardball Times thinks it was a logical move.
Jorge Says No! thinks the Brewers overspent and could have better used the money on other priorities.
Rob Neyer notes that Hoffman's BABIP has been very low over the course of his career, but that's also true of many other premier closers.
Dave Allen of FanGraphs notes that Hoffman has a lot of "rise" on his fastball, which leads to more infield flies and a lower BABIP.

While Trevor Hoffman was signing his new deal, the list of Brewers awaiting surgery continued to grow. On top of Casey McGehee (knee), Craig Counsell (knee) and Braden Looper (knee), it was announced yesterday that Manny Parra will have arthroscopic surgery to "clean up" the AC joint and "remove some friction" in his shoulder (FanShot). The issue didn't prevent Parra from making his final starts of the 2009 season, but that doesn't keep me from wondering if it should have.

Meanwhile, there was good news on the medical front for Corey Hart, who met with a hand specialist and received confirmation that his injured fingers were sprained, not fractured. He should be fine in a month's time.

BBWAA ballots for postseason awards are due in on the final day of the regular season (which, as it turns out, is now today), but it will still be several weeks before we find out where Prince Fielder stands in the race for NL MVP. Walkoff Walk compared Fielder's 2009 season to some of the best years at the plate in Brewer history, and ranked him third on their NL MVP ballot. Meanwhile, Quevedo at the Buffet makes a passionate case against trading Fielder this offseason.

Speaking of awards, Yovani Gallardo finished second in the balloting for NL Comeback Player of the Year, far behind Chris Carpenter.

With Trevor Hoffman back in the fold, the Brewers have one less opportunity to get compensation picks for free agents this offseason, but they still could cash in: The latest Elias rankings are out, and they have Felipe Lopez as a Type A free agent, along with Jason Kendall, Mike Cameron, Braden Looper and David Weathers as Type Bs. Kendall did not receive any bonus points for leading the majors in beer plunks.

MLB Trade Rumors also has a list of players who could be non-tendered this offseason, and Dave Bush, Seth McClung and Jody Gerut are on the list. The three of them would likely command around $8 million in arbitration for next season.

Seth McClung doesn't sound very optimistic about the possibility of coming back in 2010, but BCB has started a Facebook petition in an effort to convince the Brewers to bring him back. As of this morning, it had already climbed over 20 members. Let's push that number a little higher today.

Attendance at Miller Park was down about 1% this season, but that's better news than you'd think: According to the chart at that link, 19 major league teams saw a larger decline in attendance this season, with eleven teams losing more than 10% and four teams losing over 20%.

Alcides Escobar can probably be penciled in as the Opening Day starter at short for the 2010 Brewers, but does he have a brighter future than Washington's Ian Desmond? FakeTeams has the argument for both sides, and a poll.

In the minors:

BaseballHQ has scouting reports for the Arizona Fall League, and ranks Mark Rogers and Rob Wooten as the second and third best pitchers on the Peoria Javelinas. AFL play opens one week from today.
Jonathan Mayo is working on a formula to determine the minor league pitcher of the year, and Evan Anundsen checked in at #8 on his list. He posted a 2.69 ERA and struck out 118 in 130.1 innings in Brevard County this season.

As I just mentioned, the AFL starts soon with other winter leagues soon to follow, but if those aren't enough for you the Wisconsin Sports Tap has an offseason survival guide. Hopefully we'll start the countdown to spring training soon, but the report date for pitchers and catchers has yet to be determined.

Need a mental warmup this morning? It took me 30 seconds to name the seven ways a batter can safely reach first base. I got the hard ones first and spent 20 seconds with a brain cramp before remembering an obvious one.

Is anyone out there a member of SABR? After reading Wezen-ball's pitch this morning (and noting SABR's discounted membership for anyone under 30) I decided to give it a shot for a year.

How much does defense impact a mediocre pitcher? Fungoes uses Jeff Suppan as a teaching tool to answer that question. If you're making a list of proper uses for Suppan, "teaching tool" and "batting practice" should both appear above "starting pitcher."

And, from one bad contract to another: Dugout Central chronicles the life and times of Bill Hall.

Happy birthday today to Jerry Stephenson, who appeared in two games for the Seattle Pilots and turns 66, and Valerio de los Santos, who appeared in 183 games as a Brewer and turns 37.

Drink up.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:14:50 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Chris Smith holds a towel to his face after getting hit by a ground ball as head trainer Roger Caplinger guides him to the dugout in the eighth inning Thursday. Seth McClung said Smith will be ok.

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Some things to read while working on your Halloween costume.

I'll be honest here: When I woke up this morning, I was most excited about reading what Plunk Everyone had to say about Jason Kendall's 248th career HBP yesterday. Now that I know that yesterday's plunking was Kendall's first ever in October, I can continue my day.

I certainly wasn't excited about having to discuss another awful outing from Manny Parra. With that said, Parra did manage to strike out five batters in his brief outing, making him just the fourth pitcher ever to allow five hits, five walks and strike out five batters in less than three innings pitched. You're forgiven if you can't remember the careers of the other three: Jose Antonio Nunez did it in 2001, Chris Clemons did it in 1997, and Chris Short did it in 1961. Short later went on to win 20 games - the other two were out of the majors for good within a year.

Parra was in the clubhouse and turned off the TV instead of watching the Rockies celebrate clinching a postseason berth yesterday. Fielder stayed in the dugout to watch it.

No one else has said anything about it (that I've seen) at this point, but Seth McClung said Chris Smith had some soreness and a busted lip but was otherwise ok after taking a ground ball of his face in the eighth inning yesterday. Glad to hear he's ok after a scary moment.

Meanwhile, McClung's recent comments on Twitter have drawn the attention of Adam McCalvy and other members of the media, who asked him about them before yesterday's game. At least McClung finally got to pitch yesterday, and struck out all four batters he retired.

Corey Hart is still not expected to play this weekend after suffering compression fractures in his fingers on Tuesday. Looking back, Ken Macha wondered if the emphasis on Hart's plate discipline negatively impacted his power, but Evan Brunell of The Hardball Times disagrees with that notion.

Macha and the Brewers are in St. Louis today, where Macha is expected to meet with Doug Melvin to discuss his potential return for next season. I guess one can hope for an Eric Wedge-esque "he's finishing the season, but then we're moving on" announcement, but it seems more than likely he'll be retained.

If nothing else, the conversation about managerial decisions provided the seed for what might possibly be the worst column I've ever read. If you need an excuse to bang your head against your desk today, feel free to read this atrocity from Emmert Dose of the Racine Journal-Times, which recaps the 2008 season complete with use of all caps, devolves into "I told you so," and eventually leads to a call for the return of Ned Yost. More worthless words have never been written.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had a disappointing season on the field, but still finished with three of the Midwest League's top prospects, according to Baseball America. That link will take you to the non-subscriber version of the article, but Rattler Radio has the scouting reports from the full version.

In power rankings:

Yahoo dropped the Brewers one spot to 18th.
Beyond the Box Score moved the Brewers up one spot to 21st.

As the Cardinals prepare for the postseason, it's easy to pinpoint one thing that got them there: Chris Carpenter went 11-0 with a 1.58 ERA against the NL Central this season.

The Pirates might have caught a break yesterday, when their game with the Cubs was postponed. The game won't be made up, meaning the Pirates will only need one more win to avoid a 100 loss season.

We'll never know for sure what, if anything, Mike Maddux could have done to right the sinking ship that was the Brewer pitching staff this season. With that said, the Rangers are reaping the benefits of having Maddux around this season, and it's hard not to wonder what could have been. (FanShot)

Joe Mauer has gathered some attention this week based on the accusation that he may have been stealing signs against the Tigers this week. Mauer has since denied the allegation, but Babes Love Baseball has a video you should watch if you're wondering what sign stealing might look like.

It seems like every offseason there's talk about changing the dimensions of ballparks, moving the fences in here or out there to adjust the homer-friendliness of the park. Since a construction project of that magnitude would presumably be pretty expensive, I'm surprised this doesn't come up as an option more often: The Mets are being urged to consider moving home plate forward ten feet at Citi Field. I can honestly say I've never thought of that, though I feel like an idiot admitting it.

Happy birthday today to Bob Collucio, who appeared in 284 games as a Brewer between 1971 and 1973 and turns 58 today, Ernest Riles, who appeared in 385 games between 1985 and 1988 and turns 49, and Victor Santos, who posted a 4.78 ERA in 295.2 innings as a Brewer between 2004 and 2005 and turns 33.

Oh, and if you go out in public today, remember to turn down your iPod.

Drink up.

Rockies 9, Brewers 2

KLSnow — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:11:03 -0000

W: Aaron Cook (11-6)
L: Manny Parra (11-11)

HR: Ryan Braun (31), Brad Hawpe (22)

MVP: Prince Fielder (+.036)
LVP: Manny Parra (-.275)

Win Expectancy Graph
SBNation Coverage

Manny Parra...*sigh.*

This one was over early, as Manny Parra allowed five earned runs on six hits and five walks in just 2.2 innings, including walking Aaron Cook, the opposing pitcher, with the bases loaded, TWICE. (John Axford would later do it a third time.)

At the plate, the Brewers managed just five hits, one of them being a solo home run by Ryan Braun. Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron (who finished with two doubles) reached in the ninth to drive in a second run and become the only Brewers to reach base twice in the game as the Brewers managed just one walk and an HBP to go with those hits.

With the loss, the Brewers clinched a losing season and the Rockies clinched the NL Wild Card.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:33:13 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Casey McGehee follows the flight of his home run against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning Wednesday.

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Some things to read while searching for giant shoes.

Manny Parra will make his final 2009 start in a few hours before "trying to forget" the 2009 season and moving on. If the impending end of the baseball season and a Manny Parra start weren't enough to depress you today, the former Hackers passed along this note: Three of the worst five starters in Brewer history (by ERA) are in the rotation right now, and project to be again next season.

One of the three, though, is done for 2009: The Brewers have changed plans regarding Dave Bush, who is no longer expected to start on Saturday. With Bush out, Yovani Gallardo shut down, Josh Butler sent home and Mike Burns likely done for the season, Carlos Villanueva could be called upon to start a game this weekend.

Even if the Brewers are short a pitcher or two this weekend, don't expect to see Seth McClung, who has pitched just one inning (ten days ago) since returning from the DL. McClung says he can see the writing on the wall and wonders if he's being set up to fail.

We probably also won't be seeing Corey Hart, who's likely done for the year after suffering compression fractures in the fingers on his right hand while sliding in headfirst on a pickoff move Tuesday (FanShot). If Hart's season is over it'll be another forgettable one, but it's worth noting that he raised his OBP by 35 points this season, out of the "embarrassing" zone and into "could improve." Of course, his power numbers also fell and his OPS is actually down from last season.

Prince Fielder's 44th home run last night was his 100th run of the season, making him the first Brewer ever to reach 100 runs, 100 RBI and 100 walks in a season. The feat has been accomplished 179 times in baseball history, but Fielder and Albert Pujols will likely be the only ones to do it this season.

While all of the playoff races are nearly over and many postseason awards have already been locked up, the NL Rookie of the Year race remains wide open. Over at The Hardball Times, Jeff Sackmann handicaps the field of candidates, and ranks Casey McGehee third.

At least this is the last morning of 2009 where I'll wake up and have to write about another Jeff Suppan start. Suppan was Suppan again last night, but because he hit a batter, Plunk Everyone has an incredible note on him:

Seth Smith got hit by a Jeff Suppan pitch, making Smith the only left fielder batting left handed to score a run after reaching base on a plunk thrown by a right handed pitcher in the month of September this year.

Without the internet, we never would have known.

Are you ready to start looking ahead to the hot stove season? Charlie Marlow has a look at the Brewers' financial commitments for 2010, and some expected arbitration outcomes.

MLB FanHouse dropped the Brewers one spot to 19th in their power rankings.

Around baseball:

Indians: Announced that manager Eric Wedge and his coaching staff will not be retained for 2010.

Jorge Says No! continues to look at upcoming free agents and their likely salaries, and projects Randy Wolf to get three years, $31.5 million this offseason. He also downgraded his projection for Doug Davis to three years, $21 million.

Before the season, we talked about Detroit, Cleveland and a handful of other teams that could struggle economically this season, but the biggest decline may actually be happening in Toronto, where the Jays cut "several dozen jobs" from the business side of their front office following their final home game Sunday. The team also cut 33 jobs in December. There are several franchises in baseball that don't have a lot going for them, but the Blue Jays might have one of the bleaker futures.

In the weeks following the end of the regular season, we'll probably spend a fair amount of time discussing prospects before eventually re-evaluating our Community Prospect Rankings. When we do, I'm guessing this will come up: Baseball America has compiled the average stats for every minor league, to show which leagues are hitter and pitcher-friendly. The PCL was pretty hitter-friendly this season, while the FSL and Midwest Leagues favored pitchers and the Southern League was close to neutral.

Looking for a history lesson today? Wezen-ball has a look back at the expansion teams of 1969, the process that led to their creation and their successes and failures. This post also has an interesting look at how the NL franchises ended up in San Diego and Montreal.

If you have MLB.tv and you're looking for something else to watch this weekend, here's something: Former Brewer knuckleballer Steve Sparks will be filling in on FS Houston broadcasts this weekend.

That's all I have for you today, unless you need tips on smelling nice.

Drink up.

Dodgers Must Wait Yet Again To Clinch

Eric Stephen — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:00:17 -0000

Did I mention recently how the finish to the season didn't really matter in the playoffs?

The Dodger offense was nonexistant again tonight, getting all of one hit off Clayton Richard and pals, losing 5-0 to the Padres, and postponing their once seemingly inevitable clinching of the National League West by yet another day, at least.

Jon Garland couldn't get out of the fourth inning, allowing five runs on seven hits, including a three-run home run to Kevin Kouzmanoff in the third inning. However, having 1999 Pedro Martinez on the mound tonight for the Dodgers wouldn't have mattered since they couldn't get a runner past second base.

Andre Ethier finished the nine-game road trip with one hit in 29 at-bats. He did have six walks however, including one tonight.

The Rockies won again, 10-6 over Milwaukee, and now control their own destiny. If they win their remaining four games -- a tall task, to be sure -- the Rockies will win the division.

As if the four straight days of failing to clinch the division weren't bad enough, word also came tonight that Hiroki Kuroda would miss his scheduled start on Saturday with a stiff neck, per Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.

The Dodgers are off tomorrow, but can clinch the division if the Rockies and Aaron Cook lose to the Brewers and Manny Parra. If the Rockies win tomorrow, the Ubaldo Jimenez vs. Randy Wolf match-up on Friday is that much more intriguing.

WP - Clayton Richard (9-5): 7 IP, 1 hit, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts

LP - Jon Garland (11-13): 3.1 IP, 7 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Box Score

What should the Brewers do with Manny Parra?

KLSnow — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:13:14 -0000

Later this week, Manny Parra will make his last start of the 2009 season, giving him one last chance to maintain some momentum heading into the offseason and spring training of 2010. I don't think anyone got the season they were hoping for from Parra, who's spent part of 2009 in AAA due to ineffectiveness, part of it on the shelf with a stiff neck, and the remainder being either infuriatingly inconsistent or simply infuriating.

Nearly every projection for the 2010 Brewer roster includes Parra in the rotation, and certainly, if he can bounce back from a rough season, he would be one reason to predict a major improvement over 2009. The problem is, Manny Parra hasn't just had a bad season, he's had a historically bad season.. Among pitchers who have thrown at least 120 innings, Parra's 6.16 ERA is the third worst in franchise history:

Pitcher	Year	ERA
Glendon Rusch	2003	6.42
John Snyder	2000	6.17
Manny Parra	2009	6.16
Allen Levrault	2001	6.06
Gene Brabender	1970	6.02

He also has the worst WHIP:

Pitcher	Year	WHIP
Manny Parra	2009	1.784
John Snyder	2000	1.764
Glendon Rusch	2003	1.751
Jeff Suppan	2009	1.692
Jimmy Haynes	2000	1.645

And the third most hits per nine innings:

Pitcher	Year	H/9
Glendon Rusch	2003	12.48
Mike Caldwell	1984	11.43
Manny Parra	2009	11.34
Scott Karl	1999	11.20
Larry Sorensen	1980	11.13

There are a lot of names on those lists that no one should be proud to be listed next to. Even while playing for a franchise that's had more than it's share of terrible pitching in the past, Parra's 2009 season is arguably one of the worst in franchise history.

Obviously, Parra is still young, left handed, and has tremendous stuff when he's on. But it might be time to stop making excuses for him: He'll be 27 years old in October (he's only ten months younger than Chris Narveson), and if the Brewers are serious about contending in 2010, then they could be seriously hindered by a decision to keep trotting him out there and seeing if he can work through his troubles.

If I ran the Brewer front office, there are several courses of action I'd have to seriously consider taking with him. Follow the jump to read about them.

I'll start with the controversial one:

Urge him to play winter ball. After pitching 166 innings in 2008, Manny has thrown 162 this season (including 24.2 in AAA), and will likely finish 2009 with under 170. Without overextending himself too far, Parra could probably make somewhere in the range of 5-6 starts for a winter league team, and those additional starts would give him an opportunity to work things out and potentially build some momentum for 2010. If he can make a few good starts this winter, maybe he'll bring some confidence with him to camp. Even if he struggles in winter ball, he won't have much less momentum than he has now.

Get him a psychiatric evaluation. If you've watched Manny pitch more than one time this season, you've probably seen him pout his way through a rough outing at least once, or sit on the end of the bench and look like he's about to cry after getting pulled. Parra is routinely accused of having a lack of mental toughness, but maybe there's more to it than that.

It wasn't that long ago that Jorge de la Rosa was in a similar situation with the Brewers - great stuff, poor command, "mental toughness" issues. The Brewers eventually traded JDLR to the Royals for Tony Graffanino, and he struggled for parts of two seasons there before being dealt to the Rockies. He struggled there too until he started seeing a sports psychologist. Read through that article and tell me JDLR's problems don't sound a lot like Manny's problems. De la Rosa has made 31 starts for the Rockies this season and is right around league average.

Write him onto the 2010 roster in pencil, not ink. After the season he's had, Parra hasn't earned any favors and should have to earn his way onto the team and into the rotation next season. Even if no one else is brought in to compete for a spot, Parra should have to beat out the likes of Chris Narveson and Chase Wright to be a part of the rotation next spring.

As I mentioned above, Parra is left handed and has great stuff when he's on, but he's also been wildly inconsistent and he'll turn 27 before next season. It's time to stop treating him like a kid and hold him accountable if he's not capable of performing at the expected level.

The fizz has left the brew, but it can still kick your butt

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:00:18 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

There's no escaping the Brewers' disappointing season.

Browse more photos »

At the end of May, the Milwaukee Brewers were 30-20 and leading the NL Central. The Rockies' sweep in early June in Milwaukee (by a total of four runs) started the Brewers' slow down-turn away from contention. They haven't managed a winning month since May, and they currently sit below .500 both at home and on the road.

Their offense is fine - it's their pitching that has killed them. Only the Nationals have allowed more runs to score in the National League. That's not a recipe to return to the post-season.

Interestingly, they have only lost one of their past five series, defeating Arizona and Houston, splitting with Philadelphia and Chicago and losing a series to the Cubs. Despite their struggles this season, they respresent a formidable spoiler, especially if they get a random strong start from a starter.

The Rockies certainly are familiar with Milwaukee acting as a late season spoiler to an NL West team. Let's just hope the trend sticks with Trevor Hoffman blowing saves rather than karma evening out. Chat at Brew Crew Ball with cheeseheads.

Scoreboard Watch

Atlanta (2.0 GB):

vs Florida: Josh Johnson (15-5) vs Tim Hudson (2-1). Ricky Nolasco (12-9) vs. Javier Vazquez (15-9)

vs. Washington: Garrett Mock (3-10) vs. Tommy Hanson (11-4).

San Francisco (5 GB): Goodbye.

Florida (5.5 GB): Goodbye

Milwaukee Brewers (77-79, L1, 3rd, 13 GB)

Tuesday-Thursday : 3-game series at Coors Field

The Bats: B

Milwaukee's lineup has been quite stable this season, especially once adding Felipe Lopez. Rookie Alcides Escobar has been taking ABs from JJ Hardy, and Casey McGehee has taken over as the full time third baseman. The other five have been starters all year. The lineup exceptionally strong, coming in 3rd in the NL in both SLG and wOBA, 4th in OBP. Their average is 6th best, a pinch better than Colorado, but they strike out more than any team who plays Spring Training outside of Tucson. Milwaukee has also scored the fourth most runs in the National League this season.

LINEUP	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA	OPS+
Felipe Lopez - 2B	.310	9	55	.381	.431	.356	111
Corey Hart - RF	.260	12	48	.335	.419	.331	98
Ryan Braun - LF	.316	30	107	.383	.540	.399	141
Prince Fielder - 1B	.297	43	137	.406	.596	.415	161
Casey McGehee - 3B	.304	15	64	.364	.503	.369	126
Mike Cameron - CF	.249	23	68	.342	.451	.344	107
Alcides Escobar - SS	.301	1	11	.324	.379	.307	85
Jason Kendall - C	.240	1	34	.331	.296	.287	67

The Brew's lineup is somewhat similar to St. Louis' in that there are two truly elite hitters in the middle of the lineup (Fielder and Braun). Unlike St. Louis, it's not just The Big Two and the Averages. There are other above average hitters, including Lopez (who has been even better with Milwaukee than Arizona), McGehee and Cameron. Corey Hart is about league average, rookie Alcides Escobar is holding his own above replacement level, but Jason Kendall could be replaced offensively with Sal Fasano at no loss whatsoever.

The bench currently constitutes the sitting place for infielders JJ Hardy (.229, 11, 47), Craig Counsell (.280, 4, 37) and Mat Gamel (.236, 5, 19). Four outfielders tend to hang out in the dugout most of the game as well, including Frank Catalanotto (.278, 1, 9), Jason Bourgeois (.200, 1, 3), Corey Patterson (1-for-10) and Jody Gerut (.241, 5, 20). Milwaukee is the first team the Rockies have seen since rosters expanded to carry just one backup catcher: Mike Rivera (.227, 2, 14). Bill Hall was traded to Seattle for a minor league pitcher last week. That leaves a bench void of a real threat.

Follow the jump for scouting reports on the Brewers' arms, defense, as well as the pitching matchups, injuries and hot/cold players.

The Arms: F

Milwaukee has had only one full-time starting pitcher (Yovani Gallardo) manage to keep his ERA below 5.00, and he has been shut down for the season. That's an eye-opening statistic, especially given their very offensive neutral home ballpark. In fact, it is so bad that they rank as Fangraphs' worst MLB rotation and second worst pitching staff. Manny Corpas accrued more WAR this season than their third best starter, and even Gallardo's season would place him fifth on the Rockies roster. How many more ways can I say suck?

At least Trevor Hoffman has been solid. The veteran has posted three consecutive months with an ERA under 2.00, this in a season where he didn't allow his first run until June 14.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Trevor Hoffman	2-2	52	0	0	0	36	3	51.0	34	10	10	2	11	46	1.76	0.88

The right-handed relievers include John Axford (3.2 IP, 2.45 ERA), Mike Burns (73 ERA+), Todd Coffey (143), Seth McClung (83), Chris Smith (137), Claudio Vargas (102), Carlos Villanueva (80) and David Weathers (100). Mitch Stetter (114) is the only lefty in the pantry, but he's a good one. Yovani Gallardo is technically active, but he has been shut down for the season.

The D: C

The Brewers 92 errors are very middle-of-the-pack, and their UZR/150 is just a pinch better than average at 1.1. Their Fangraphs value is 10th in MLB, but their stress on offense in the latter part of the season hurts their defense. McGehee is a big defensive downgrade on Bill Hall, as is Escobar on JJ Hardy. Braun and Hart are both defensive liabilities, though the outfield is somewhat balanced by a flashy and effective Mike Cameron. Believe it or not, Prince Fielder managed to be an average defensive first baseman, and Felipe Lopez is solid.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 6:40 pm MDT

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Chris Narveson	2-0	19	3	0	0	0	0	37.2	37	16	16	7	12	37	3.82	1.30

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jason Marquis	15-12	36	31	2	1	0	0	206.0	204	98	91	15	74	111	3.98	1.35

Hardcore Rockies' fans know the name Chris Narveson. He was acquired from St. Louis as part of the Larry Walker trade, essentially also meaning he played a part in bringing Dexter Fowler to Colorado. The Colorado native was a second round pick by the Cards in 2000, but his homecoming was short. He didn't throw a single pitch in the minors for the Rockies before being traded with Charles Johnson for Byung-Hyun Kim in March 2005. Brew Crew Ball featured him two weeks ago. The 27-year-old lefty has pretty average stuff but has managed to allow just 4 runs in his three starts this season, so he's more formidable than, say, Pat Misch. He'll be a bit like Edward Mujica though, given he has been in the bullpen most of the year and hasn't stretched out past 5.0 innings or 86 pitchers. Marquis, if you want to start another playoff game in your career, you better win this game. Continued suckitude could result in his September benching in following years even if he's pitching well. Get it done, Jason. Favors: ROCKIES moderately

Wednesday, September 30, 6:40 pm MDT

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jeff Suppan	7-11	28	28	0	0	0	0	153.2	188	97	86	23	72	76	5.04	1.69

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jason Hammel	9-8	32	29	1	0	0	0	169.2	194	90	81	15	41	123	4.30	1.39

Jeff Suppan has been a giant disappointment for Milwaukee. Then again, that's what you get for putting so much stock in a couple playoff starts in deciding value for contract. His biggest issue with that abominable K/BB rate, his worst in 13 seasons. He also serves up plenty of home runs, only has one positive pitch (change-up) and he has the second-worst fastball of any NL pitcher with over 100 IP. He served up 12 hits and 7 ER in his last start. FIP and tRA suggest he has been very lucky this season to have an ERA as low as 5.04. We should crush this guy. Jason Hammel is quietly second on the Rockies in WAR among starters, and he has either pitched 6.0+ IP or allowed 3 or less runs in 10 of 11 starts. The Rockies lost his last start, only the second HomeHammel start Colorado has lost since May 14, and we all know this last one wasn't his fault. Favors: ROCKIES moderately

Thursday, October 1, 1:10 pm MDT

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Manny Parra	11-10	26	26	0	0	0	0	137.1	173	103	94	19	72	111	6.16	1.78

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Aaron Cook	10-6	27	26	1	1	0	0	150.0	171	75	72	18	46	76	4.32	1.45

Remember when I said Jeff Suppan had the NL's 2nd worst fastball according to Fangraphs? Well, Manny Parra has the worst, even though it comes in the low 90's from the left side. He returns for his second start after being sidelined with a neck injury - in his first, he held Philly to 1 run on 4 hits in 7 IP. In terms of the broad spectrum, he has slightly better peripherals than Suppan, and FIP and tRA suggest he's better than his ERA states. In addition, he's left-handed. Cue the thunder. Aaron Cook was fantastic in his last start Friday. This will be his last chance to prove he should be in the Rockies' playoff rotation, so let's see that sinker sink. Favors: ROCKIES moderately

Prince Fielder has at least one RBI in 7 of 9 games and has 7 dingers this month. Casey McGahee has four himself, part of 24 September RBIs. Ryan Braun and Felipe Lopez have hit over .300 this month, with Jody Gerut a hit away from the threshold. Trevor Hoffman has pitched seven consecutive scoreless appearances, allowing only one baserunner in that span. He accrued six saves and a win in those seven outings.

Mike Cameron is just 15-for-his-last-77, while Jason Kendall, Craig Counsell and JJ Hardy hover around the Mendoza line in the season's final month.

RHP David Riske missed the entire season with an elbow injury. RHP Mark DiFelice (shoulder - 9/14) and 2B Rickie Weeks (wrist - 5/18) are also on the 60-day disabled list.

Poll

Can Milwaukee help us?

Yeah...if by help us you mean blow the wild card lead by Friday by getting swept

17 votes

Not at all. The Rockies run cold against a couple lefties, the Brewers pound our pitchers and the Rox lose the series

18 votes

A bit. Winning the series keeps Colorado in the driver's seat, regardless of what Atlanta does

113 votes

Rockies fans that don't own Brewers T-shirts from 2007 rush to get them Friday after Milwaukee allows the Rox to sweep them.

74 votes

222 votes | Poll has closed