SB Nation - Jason Isringhausen

Holiday Filler: Carlos Beltran's Greatest Hits

James Kannengieser — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:00:18 -0000

by Henny Ray Abrams - AP

Here is a respite from the rumor mill, the top ten most valuable plate appearances of Carlos Beltran's Mets career, as ranked by WPA. There's some pleasant memories here:

10. 4/16/2005
Play: RBI single off Todd Jones in the 8th inning
WPA: .331
Game Result: Mets 4, Marlins 3

Beltran had a rocky first year with the Mets but was great in his first two weeks (.884 OPS). He tied the game with a single in the 8th and the Mets took the lead on a Mike Piazza single one batter later. Braden Looper blew the save in the 9th but earned a vulture win after Ramon Castro's walkoff base hit.

9. 5/31/2008
Play: Two-run homer off Jonathan Broxton in the 8th inning
WPA: .337
Game Result: Mets 3, Dodgers 2

Fernando Tatis put the Mets ahead three batters after Beltran tied it up. Mike Pelfrey pitched great and then went on his mid-summer hot streak.

8. 5/12/2009
Play: Bases loaded walk off Jeff Bennett in the 10th inning
WPA: .344
Game Result: Mets 4, Braves 3

Sadly, this was one of the better moments of the 2009 season. The walk happened on a 3-2 count and it's possible the pitch was really strike three. Just nine days until 2010.

7. 5/23/2006
Play: Solo homer off Ryan Madson in the 16th inning
WPA: .362
Game Result: Mets 9, Phillies 8

A sixteen inning, five-and-a-half hours long marathon ended about the best way possible: walkoff homer off Madson. The Mets bullpen gave up just two runs in eleven innings. Those were the days.

6. 9/25/2008
Play: RBI single off Kevin Hart in the 9th inning
WPA: .388
Game Result: Mets 7, Cubs 6

This was a must-win game, coming one night after the infamous David Wright vs. Bob Howry matchup. Micah Hoffpauir aided this walkoff single with some spotty glovework but not before going 5-5 with two home runs in a career night.

5. 4/10/2005
Play: Two-run homer off John Smoltz in the 8th inning
WPA: .415
Game Result: Mets 6, Braves 1

Pedro Martinez was spectacular in this one (9 IP, 1 R, 9 K) and a go-ahead two run bomb off Smoltz was all the Mets needed to win. Smoltz struck out fifteen in 7.1 IP.

4. 6/11/2008
Play: Two-run homer off Edgar Gonzalez in the 13th inning
WPA: .436
Game Result: Mets 5, Diamondbacks 3

Billy Wagner blew the save but Beltran picked his teammate up in extra innings. Willie Randolph would be unemployed just a week later.

3. 9/23/2005
Play: Three-run homer off Gary Majewski in the 10th inning
WPA: .454
Game Result: Mets 5, Nationals 2

Carlos Baerga tied the game with a two-run homer in the 9th off Roberto Hernandez but Beltran's three-run shot sealed it one inning later. Steve Trachsel tossed six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.

2. 8/29/2008
Play: Grand slam off Kevin Gregg in the 9th inning
WPA: .723
Game Result: Mets 5, Marlins 4

This put the Mets up three runs heading to the bottom of the 9th, which might as well have been one run given the bullpen at the time. Luis Ayala did what everyone expected him to do: allow two runs and give every Met fan a heart attack after allowing a mammoth foul ball home run which would have given the Marlins a win. Thanks for the memories Luis!

1. 8/22/2006
Play: Two-run homer off Jason Isringhausen in the 9th inning
WPA: .789
Game Result: Mets 8, Cardinals 7

Many fans call this their favorite regular season game ever and with good reason. I was in attendance and was treated to two tape measure shots from Carlos Delgado (one of which was #400 for his career), two homers from Albert Pujols and a Beltran come-from-behind walkoff.

My Maudlin' Career

the red baron — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:29:27 -0000

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I didn't really realise it last week, but just the other day it sort of hit me when I looked at the date: I just celebrated two years of writing for this wonderful site. My very first front page post was on Halloween of 2007, and seeing as how we are now in the glorious month of November in Year of Our Lord 2009, that's two damned years I've been cluttering up the interwebs with my peculiar ramblings. And so, seeing as how I am the sort of person who simply cannot resist nostalgia or making lists of things, I thought I would go back through all the things I've written here at VEB and pick out my favourites. It also doesn't hurt, of course, that very little is actually going on in Cardinal land at this particular moment.

So I started rolling back through all my past posts, and something began to become apparent as I did: I'm sort of a depressing dude. Most of my stuff I think is really pretty good tends to be of the wistful, sad, and slightly bitter emotive variety. Don't get me wrong; the idea I am a bit of a bummer is not exactly news to me, as people have been telling me that my whole life. However, it was a bit surprising to see the proof staring me so clearly in the face.

Regardless, I am proud to bring you my personal Best Of collection out of sheer arrogance and hubris. (And also maybe a little because I was interested to see if I've gotten any better at this, but mostly the gigantic ego thing.) In reverse chronological order (I think):

Reflection -- recent post about the end of our season
Talk Talk Talk-- the very first chat I tried
Drafting a Masterpiece-- reviewing the first day of the 2009 draft
Swingin', and Not Just Dick-- there is, in fact, a toaster involved in this post
Life Lenses-- in which I discuss the departure of Adam Kennedy
God Bless Us, Every One -- Christmas 2008
The Team Stripped Bare By Its Suitors, Even-- an interesting hypothetical, and my favourite title
Good Bye, Halcyon Days -- mourning for last summer, and my second favourite title
Not With a Bang, but a Whimper-- Jason Isringhausen
Saturday Morning Coming Down-- a discussion of Mark McGwire and me forgetting how to spell the word rhythm

And, just for funsies, my first main page story, and the very first diary I ever put up here.

Hopefully you don't find this too very self-indulgent, though I'm certain it probably is.

As for the current news of the day:

I am of the belief the Yankees' strategy of using only three pitchers and throwing them on short rest is going to backfire on them. We already saw A.J. Burnett get crushed pitching on three days' rest, and I'm honestly expecting something similar from Pettitte tonight. I still expect the Yankees to win in seven, because I do believe CC Sabathia will roll pretty much no matter what and Cole Hamels seems a bit lost in the wilderness to me, but I also think New York has made the series much tougher than it needed to be. Historically we can see pitchers tend to struggle on short rest, regardless of the era in question (relatively speaking, of course; if a pitcher is usually going on three days' rest, then two days' rest hurts hime), and I think Girardi has weakened his team's position unnecessarily. What do all of you think? I know this concept of only needing three starters in the playoffs has been Fritz' pet peeve for a while now; we now get to see just how viable such a strategy really is.

I don't much care for the Iwamura deal from the Pirates' side of things; it just seems like they're still treading water. Dave Cameron disagrees with me, for whatever it's worth.(I also forgot Jack Wilson got traded to the Mariners; the perils of writing in a hurry, you know.) I do wish like hell whoever it was who started stumping for Ben Zobrist a couple years ago had more pull with the front office; the guy could have been had for a song as recently as last season, now he has to be considered untouchable. Interestingly enough, VEB has been right in wanting to acquire both Jayson Werth and Zobrist at various points in time before they broke out. I know there were some here last year (myself included), who would have liked to see Johnny Mo try to pick up Huston Street on the cheap while he was struggling. I remember the advocacy of several posters (again, myself included), for a deal that would have brought Cliff Lee to the Cards after his disastrous 2007 campaign. (In fact, Lee was one of my personal crusades that offseason.) I believe the idea was to move Scott Rolen for Lee and possibly try to get Jhonny Peralta involved somehow with other inducements going from St. Louis to Cleveland. I was a big fan of Carlos Quentin, and I know jillsinmo (who seems to have largely disappeared, sadly), stumped for him for awhile as well. My point? If you happen to work in the Cardinals' front office and are reading this (and I know you guys are), you may want to take a good hard look at any buy-low guys we come up with this offseason. Our track record is remarkably good.

Of course, if you had listened to us last year, we might very well have signed Ben Sheets for a lost season, so at least make sure you look at the X-rays first.

My predicition, guaranteed to be right, for Game 6 tonight: Phillies 7, Yankees 3. Pedro goes 5 inning, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk. JA Happ relieves him and holds the Yankees down. Pettitte gets knocked around, failing to get out of the third inning and giving up 5 runs.

Have a lovely day, everyone.

The Baron's Playlist for the 4th of November, 2009

"Lovelier Girl" -- Beach House

"Jesus Walking on the Water" -- Violent Femmes

"Mr. Tough" -- Yo La Tengo

"Pale Blue Eyes" -- The Velvet Underground

"These Days" -- Nico

Why The Rays Should Target Kelvim Escobar

Tommy Rancel — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:01:03 -0000

by Duane Burleson - AP

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It's been beaten into our heads a million times already, but with limited payroll space, the Rays options for potential bullpen replacements is also limited. Over the past few weeks we've covered Joaquin Benoit and Kiko Calero as attractive free agents that fit the Rays profile. We've also identified that profile as some one who is effective, gets strikeouts, has a good contact rate, can get both left handers and right handers out, and most importantly is cheap. Of course asking for all that you are going to get candidates with flaws, but the hope is those flaws won't manifest at least in 2010. Until we get more candidates after the December non-tender deadline, here are two final candidates that I've identified as being targets as soon as free agency starts next month.

Before we look at the difference in each individual's case, here are some similarities: Brendan Donnelly and Kelvim Escobar are former teammates playing on the same Los Angeles Angels team from 2004-2006.This also means that both are former players of Rays manager Joe Maddon from his time with the Angels. The final similarity comes in the form of injury. Both players have battled injuries in the past which is no different from most MLB pitchers as well as the other relievers we've looked at.

We'll finish up with Donnelly in another post, but now more on Escobar...

Kelvim Escobar was a well above average starting pitcher for the Angels from 2004-2007. He finished with an average FIP of 3.4 in those seasons. However, he would miss the entire 2008 Major League season with an injured shoulder, undergoing laburm surgery in July 2008. He started out 2009 on the DL and made three rehab starts in the minors before making his season debut on 6/6/09 pitching five innings of two run ball for the Halos. Unfortunately, a "pinch" in his shoulder landed him back on the DL. The Angels thought it was a temporary setback, but Escobar did not throw a major league pitch for the rest of the season.

It's hard to project the numbers on Escobar because he's split his MLB career as a reliever and a starter. He has made 411 appearances with 209 of them in relief and 202 coming as a starter. He worked as a closer for the Blue Jays in 2002 and then posted 200 innings as a starter for Los Angeles in 2004. Regardless of his role, Escobar has been effective. Here are some of his career numbers...

	Games	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	FIP
Starter	202	7.4	2.11	0.77	3.83
Reliever	209	9.98	2.27	1.05	3.98

	BA	OBP	SLG	BABIP
Starter	0.256	0.329	0.389	0.304
Reliever	0.243	0.329	0.385	0.307

	BA	OBP	SLG
vs. RHB	0.255	0.321	0.378
vs. LHB	0.253	0.336	0.399

As you can see, he's just a good pitcher. As a starter he allows less home runs and slightly less walks, but as a reliever he strikes out over two and a half more batters per nine. Looking at the second set of statistics, it's amazing to me how similar they are given the two completely different roles. Batters get on-base exactly the same whether he's a starter or a reliever and the slugging is almost identical. The BABIP is almost also similar meaning there isn't much "luck" involved. Of course there's over 1,000 innings difference between the two, but still pretty amazing. Equally impressive is his ability get out hitters regardless of their handedness.

Stuff wise, he throws up to six pitches as a starter: fastball, slider, cutter, curveball, change-up, split finger. However, as a reliever for the Jays in 2002 and 2003, he threw mostly fastballs, curveballs and split fingers with a few change-ups mixed in. It's hard to say what he will throw these days and how hard since he hasn't really thrown in over two seasons. The injury concerns are huge. And Escobar's injury history also includes past elbow problems, but given his past success in either the starter or relievers role and his history with Joe Maddon, he's definitely worth a flier.

Why High Priced Non-Elite Relievers Aren't Worth the Money

Tommy Rancel — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

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We've heard plenty of times this year about how the Rays need to add a veteran pitcher with closing experience. After Troy Percival's back, arm, and legs gave out along with Jason Isringhausen's arm blowing up, the Rays were left with a rag tag group of pitchers. No current member has held the Rays closer except for Dan Wheeler, who held it ever so briefly in Houston. Not only has the Rays pen not sunk without a true anchor, they've actually been really good. Coming as Thursday afternoon, the Rays were second in bullpen ERA (3.48) and fourth in FIP (3.89). The group also boasts the third best K/BB and fourth best HR/9. Not bad for a group with no names.

Here are the monthly breakdowns...

	IP	ERA	FIP	K/BB
April	63.1	3.84	4.1	1.81
May	101	4.19	4.6	1.84
June	70	1.67	2.61	3.1
July	66.1	4.21	4.08	2.5
August	14.2	2.45	3.28	2.75

The Rays pen was really never as bad as we thought. Sure, May was not pretty, but it was a far cry from Rays bullpens of the past. The Rays May bullpen also included veteran closer, Troy Percival, who allowed six earned runs in six innings and had a 9.00 ERA/7.57 FIP on the month. Since then, J.P. Howell and Co. have shut down teams more often than not. Every bullpen has a few hiccups along the way, but the Rays have a solid nucleus of guys with no defined titles. " As Dan Wheeler said the Rays don't need defined roles, but everyone has a job and understand that job. "Most of us just kind of understand when we're going to pitch." said Wheeler.

Could the Rays use another one of those non-descript arms like Jason Frasor or Michael Wuertz? Definitely, but the days of paying a veteran reliever a lot of money are likely over for the Rays. Just look at the production they've gotten from the collective group of Jason Isringhausen, Troy Percival, Chad Bradford, Joe Nelson and Brian Shouse aka the Rays relievers who are 34 years or older.

	IP	ERA	FIP	Salary
Percival	11.1	6.35	6.86	$4.45
Bradford	4.1	2.08	1.69	$3.50
Isringhausen	8	2.25	4.2	$0.75
Shouse	16.1	5.51	5.95	$1.35
Nelson	40.1	4.02	5.62	$1.30
	79.4	4.042	4.864	$11.35

Thats over $11 million dollars for what equates to be around league average production. If you take away Nelson, who is currently in Durham, the Rays will pay over $10 million dollars in salary to four relievers who have pitched less than 40 innings combined. Percival and Izzy are done for the season. Bradford is on the DL for the second time with no time table of returning (although I'd expect September at the latest) and Shouse is just returning from his injury. Percival's production was just awful even if it was just a small sample size. I think we all know that had he continued it would've only gotten worse. Isringhausen was ok, but was too small of a sample. Bradford and Shouse are still effective when used properly, but we have guys like Lance Cormier and Randy Choate, who have sub 4 FIPs and will make just a little over a million dollars combined.

The signings of Nelson and Shouse were not bad signings because of their length. Both essentially are on one year deals even though the Rays hold Nelson's rights for future seasons and a club option on Shouse for 2010. I'm not saying avoid all veteran relief pitchers, but signing non elite level veteran relievers to anything more than a one year deal is volitle. I'm not telling any of you guys anything new . Getting less production with a greater injury risk for more money just doesn't make sense for any team let alone the Rays. Most "experts" will continue to say the Rays need a closer, and I'm sure on all the offseason "wish lists" there will be "closer" in the box next to the Rays, but it's not necessary.

The Rays almost certainly will once again pass on the big name who have the closer title attached to them inflating their price. Instead, the team should seriously consider locking up J.P. Howell, who is one of the games true young elite relievers, as well as continue to bargain shop for the next Howell, Grant Balfour or Lance Cormier.

Toxic sting of Rays' bats the first real challenge to the Rox rotation in weeks

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

Who's the most valuable hitter in Major League Baseball? Hint: he plays for the Rays, but his name is not Evan, Carlos or Carl.

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Rollin', rollin', rollin'. Though the Rays are golden. Keep those Rockies rollin'....

Are you scared of the Tampa Bay Rays?

You probably ought to be. Yeah, yeah I know. They got off to a tough start - just 9-14 in April in fact. But no team has underachieved like the reigning AL Champions, yet here they are, three games over .500 in easily the most difficult division in MLB. They have a five game winning streak - yes, three came against the Nationals, but they still deserve credit for actually winning the games.

They have been victims of an inordinate number of 1-run games, losing 13 of their 31 games alone by a single run. Moreover, that 8-13 barely squeaked past the Rockies' own abysmal one-run record this weekend when they took two one run games from the Nationals.

Any time a team has a poor one-run showing, it's interesting to see their run differential. And Tampa's is telling. They are 2nd in MLB, ahead of the mighty Red Sox Nation and trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by just 12 runs. This team is scary. As you'll soon see, their offense is astonishingly impressive while the arms that helped carry them to the ALCS have yet to pitch to their potential. Despite their record and the tough division, Baseball Prospectus gives them the best chance in the AL to make the playoffs outside of the Red Sox.

Also, check out DRaysBay, Tampa's SBNation site and home of RJ Anderson, who writes for Fangraphs as well. Here is their series preview. Go be nice to them.

Tampa Bay Rays (34-31, W5, t-3rd)

Tuesday-Thursday : 3-game series at Coors Field

The Bats: A+

This is where we can really evaluate the Rockies staff. We haven't allowed more than 4 runs in the eleven game streak, but of our last three opponents, there were really only five hitters to be afraid of - Ichiro, Russell Branyan, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Albert Pujols. Those were three pretty poor offenses as a whole. Tampa Bay is completely different.

You have Evan Longoria near the top of the AL in RBIs and the 2nd most valuable hitter in the majors via Fangraphs. Then there Carlos Pena, who leads the AL in HRs with 20. How about Jason Bartlett, who is coming off the DL today yet ranks as a top 20 most valuable hitter in MLB despite missing over three weeks? The dude has an wOBA of .460 and would lead MLB with his .373 average if he qualified - how's that for getting tossed in the Matt Garza/Delmon Young deal?

Then of course, there's this guy that leads MLB in Fangraphs value despite not even having enough qualifying at-bats. You need to know Ben Zobrist. He has played every position except 1B, C and P and is a legit 30/30 threat. That means the top two most valuable hitters in MLB play in Tampa, and Bartlett was #4 when he got injured.

Oh right, then there's Pat Burrell, playoff hero BJ Upton, who has not regained that magic - and Carl Crawford, who is by far and away MLB's best base-stealer. Are you surprised they rank #1 in runs scored and are second in wOBA? That's probably first with park adjustments. They are also #1 in speed and 4th in HR.

LINEUP	Avg	HR	RBI
B.J. Upton - CF	.218	3	15
Carl Crawford - LF	.316	5	29
Evan Longoria - 3B	.305	14	58
Carlos Pena - 1B	.240	20	48
Ben Zobrist - RF	.309	13	38
Jason Bartlett- SS	.373	7	30
Willy Aybar - 2B	.274	5	20
Dioner Navarro - C	.205	4	19

That lineup is very much a guess. But in that lineup, there are three players that are ridiculously elite by wOBA standards (Bartlett, Zobrist and Longoria), two that are solid All-Stars talents (Crawford and Pena) and one comfortably above average (Aybar). Navarro and Upton fall in the below average category. I'll admit some of these players are playing over their heads, but I'm just reporting the facts. These guys have been very good this season.

Joe Maddon will need to get Pat Burrell (.241, 1 HR, 17 RBI) into games (maybe 1B against DLR tonight?) as well as the hot-hitting Gabe Kapler (.202, 3, 11). Gabe Gross (.272, 4, 22) has started in RF frequently and prospect Matt Joyce earned his callup a couple weeks ago ~~and is on the bench as well~~ and was sent down to bring Pat Burrell off the DL. Michel Hernandez is the backup catcher.

The Arms: C+

Joe Maddon has some very talented arms at his disposal, but they haven't been getting the desired results. You might be surprised to know that Jason Hammel, the Ray castoff, has not only been performing better the man who beat him out, tonight's starter Jeff Niemann, but he's been better than every Tampa starter if you go by tRA. In fact, the Rockies have five starters with better tRA's than Tampa's best starter James Shields. Only Cook fails to match Shields. By this method, the Rockies have the pitching advantage in each game of the series.

For a less sabermetric angle: they are ranked 16th in ERA (rotation 20th, bullpen 9th), 21st in runs allowed, 19th in FIP and 22nd in HR/9. They should get better, but right now, they are a below average staff. Prominent names in the bullpen are J.P. Howell, Grant Balfour, Joe Nelson, and Dan Wheeler.

The D: C+

The Rays have made 44 errors, tied for 6th most in MLB, which has led to 24 unearned runs; however, they are a very athletic team that can make a lot of plays, as evidenced by their 5th ranking in UZR/150.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 6:40 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jeff Niemann	5-4	4.12	1.45	42	27

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	2-6	5.08	1.41	72	32

Wednesday, June 17, 6:40 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - David Price	1-0	2.37	1.63	26	18

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Aaron Cook	5-3	4.26	1.39	39	27

Thursday, June 18, 1:10 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Matt Garza	4-4	3.63	1.19	73	34

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez	5-6	3.92	1.38	69	35

Gabe Kapler has a home run in each of his last three games. Carlos Pena (9-for-23, 3 HR) has started to heat up the last seven days after cooling off a bit in May while Ben Zobrist (9-for-23, 2 HR) and Gabe Gross (7-for-20, 1 HR) are hot as well.

Evan Longoria (4-for-23, 1 HR) is actually not hitting well for what seems like the first time in his career, and B.J. Upton has managed just six singles in his past 30 ABs.

Akinori Iwamura (knee) went on the 60-day DL last month, and Jason Isringhausen just lost his season and possibly career due to Tommy John surgery. Chad Bradford (elbow), Shawn Riggans (shoulder), Scott Kazmir (quad), Troy Percival (shoulder) and Brian Shouse (elbow) are all on the 15-day DL.

Poll

How much Rays can the Rockies handle in June?

None. We'll completely melt down, season's hopes flooded with losing a series sweep

20 votes

Some - The Rays will expose our staff, but we'll still get one game

30 votes

Most of it - We probably can't sweep them, but we're too hot to lose a series, especially against a team with only 2 road series wins

60 votes

All of it - Bring on the Pirates in a quest for 17!

20 votes

130 votes | Poll has closed

Joe Maddon is Using J.P. Howell Correctly

R.J. Anderson — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:00:20 -0000

I've beaten the tar out of J.P. Howell being used in the highest leveraged situations and Joe Maddon is really doing a brilliant job of doing just that since Troy Percival finally broke. Howell has appeared in 15 games the last 30 days, which dates back to when Percival was still pitching, and his average leverage index is 2.14; Percival's in those two games was 2.52. Howell's average pLI with Percival around was 1.21, and without is 2.18. Let's take a look at when Maddon is using Howell:

@ FLA entered bottom 7^th, ---, 0 out, ahead two, 2.91 aLI

@ FLA entered bottom 9^th, ---, 0 out, tied, 1.89 aLI

@ CLE entered bottom 7^th, ---, 0 out, down one, 0.53 aLI

MIN  entered top 8^th, --3, 0 out, ahead three, 2.35 aLI

MIN entered top 9^th, 1-3, 1 out, down one, 1.71 aLI

KCR entered top 9, ---, 0 out, ahead four, 0.21 aLI

KCR entered top 9^th, ---, 0 out, ahead one, 2.22 aLI

@ NYY entered bottom 8^th, 1--, 1 out, ahead one, 4.62 aLI

@ NYY entered bottom 8^th, 123, 1 out, ahead two, 3.88 aLI

LAA top 9^th, ---, 0 out, down one, 0.66 aLI

WSN entered top 8^th, --3, 2 outs, tied, 2.74 aLI

WSN entered top 9^th, ---, 0 out, ahead one,2.38 aLI

That's 15 appearances, two save chances, a 1.73 FIP, and the highest leverage on the team during that time. Maddon's not using Howell as a closer at all, he's using him as a relief ace, a fireman, the iceman, whatever you want to label him, Maddon is using him perfectly. Seriously. He could've easily said he was giving the set closers job to Jason Isringhausen or Dan Wheeler and most people would've bought into it, instead Maddon has done something far, far savvier and the Rays are a better team because of it.

Fantastic job, Joe.

Jason Isringhausen To Have Tommy John Surgery; Season (career?) over

Tommy Rancel — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:52:43 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jason Isringhausen could be done after tearing his UCL. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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Jason Isringhausen knew something was wrong immediately after he threw what might be his last pitch. Results of an MRI confirmed the worst today as his right elbow "strain" became a torn UCL. He will undergo Tommy John surgery. It is not known when he will have the surgery, but his 2009 season is over. If he attempts another comeback, 2010 would also be questionable.

If it is the end of the road for Jason Isringhausen he will finish as a two time all-star. After starting his career as a starting pitcher for the Mets, The former member of "Generation K", found a niche as a closer for the Oakland A's. However, he really made a name for himself as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. His best stretch came in a Cards uniform from 2002-2005. Over the four year period he averaged an ERA/FIP of 2.65/2.46 and 35 saves. He currently owns a career record of 45-50 with a ERA/FIP of 3.60/3.88 and 293 saves.

Best of luck Izzy.

Jason Isringhausen Placed on 60 Day DL; Winston Abreu Added To 40 Man

Tommy Rancel — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:17:35 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

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Not good news, but it appears that Jason Isringhausen may have indeed thrown his last major league pitch; at least for the season. While the Rays haven't disclosed the injury to Isrignhausen's right elbow, they felt the injury was signifcant enough to not only place him on the DL, but the 60 Day DL. The move cleared the necessary spot for Winston Abreu on the 40-man roster. Isringhausen is scheduled to go for an MRI tomorrow, but it doesn't sound like he will get much good news.

Good luck to Jason and welcome Winston. Finally the name "Abreu" will appear on the back of a Rays jersey.

Winston Abreu: Freed

R.J. Anderson — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:02:39 -0000

Per Joe Smith of the Heater, Jason Isringhausen has been placed on the DL and Winston Abreu has been promoted to the majors. Hate to see it come this way, but the guy has earned his shot. To recap check out this and this.

Basically, Abreu throws hard, has seemingly decent-to-good breaking stuff in his slider, is striking out the International League like nobody's business, and has a long track record of success in Triple-A without much major league time to speak of. Absolute worst case: he turns in an awful performance and we DFA him in a month. Best case: he turns into a ~3-3.5 RA reliever in a pen that could use a high leverage reliever with that type of success.

Congrats Winston, you've earned it. Now please, please stick.

Will The Washington Nationals' 44th Loss Be Manny Acta's Last? Will The Washington Nationals Fire Manny Acta?

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 02:39:06 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

7 months ago: Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta looks on during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, May 18, 2009, in Washington. The Pirates won the game 12-7 to deal the Nationals their fifth straight loss. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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By the time the Washington Nationals' outfielder Corey Patterson struck out to end the Nationals' 44th loss tonight in Tampa Bay, the whispers about DC Manager Manny Acta's imminent firing had grown so loud that Nationals' team President Stan Kasten felt the need to address them directly. Washington Post writer Chico Harlan writes, in an Nationals Journal post entitled, "Kasten Won't Confirm or Deny Acta Firing Rumor", that when Mr. Kasten was asked, "...directly if the organization supports Acta", Mr. Kasten responded:

"'We always support everyone here and always will. But, you know, we're all just together trying to win every day, trying to turn it around. And we're going to continue to try until we figure it out. We know the future is bright but we're not waiting for the future to get here. We're going to do everything we can to speed it up.'"

FLASHBACK...

February 23, 2009. Washington Post writer Chico Harlan asks Nationals' team Presiden Stan Kasten, in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Bowden Denies Wrongdoing", "...directly about support for his general manager", Jim Bowden, who would leave the team a week later, and Mr. Kasten replies:

"'Listen, I support everyone who works for the Washington Nationals all the time, period. But we're not going to talk about things that are going on away from here that I have no control or involvement in. I've told you, I am gonna allow the process to play out. We'll allow the chips to fall where they may, and we're going to look at things honestly and deal with them as is appropriate.'"

(ed. note - "It's Not Manny's FAULT!!!")

The Rumors -

MLB - FOX Sports on MSN - Ken Rosenthal "Sources: Acta out ss Nats' skip soon, Riggleman in".

FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal citing "major league sources" who say Manny Acta is done as the Nationals' Manager.

Washington Nationals to fire Manny Acta as manager - MLB - SI.com's Jon Heyman

Manny Acta is likely to be fired soon, perhaps as early as Monday, a "National League source" confirmed.

Acta speculation surfaces on FOX | nationals.com: News- MLB.com's Bill Ladson

Citing Major League sources, FOXSports.com reported that the Nationals will dismiss Manny Acta as manager and replace him with bench coach Jim Riggleman. However, two team sources said the report is premature and that Riggleman has not been told he would take over as the club's skipper and, further, that Acta is not out.

Miss Tonight's Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching, in Brisbane, Australia, in Neptune, NJ, Capitol Hill in DC, up in Syracuse, and down south...

Rays win, 8-3 final.

HEADLINES - (For Tomorrow's GameThread)

E:60

Bergmann vs Tampa? Not A Good Idea In '06 Or Now...

Zimmermann Racks Up K's At Least...

For The Completists, Full Game Report (currently unedited) After The Game...

DWDT - 5

Nationals now 16-44.

Washington Nationals At Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Game 60 or 61 of 162.

Cristian Guzman grounds out to first to give Andy Sonnanstine his first out of the evening. Nick Johnson grounds back to the mound for out no.2. Ryan Zimmerma...THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! 1-0 Nationals early. Adam Dunn K’s to end the top of the first....Nick Johnson just plain misses another grounder which might be #60 on the year for DC. B.J. Upton on and running, stolen base of WIl Nieves. Jordan Zimmermann walks Carl Crawford. Evan Longoria gets a two-strike slider from Zimmermann and K’s chasing. Carlos Pena K’s swinging. Ben Zobrist goes down the same way, Zimmerman’s third K.

Andy Sonnanstine pops up Elijah Dukes and gets a grounder from Willie Harris before giving up a single to Austin Kearns. Wil Nieves grounds out to third, Evan Longoria’s throw ends the DC second...Pat Burrell singles to center to leadoff the home half. Gabe Gross works the count full, and K’s swinging for Zimmermann’s fourth K. Miche Hernandez grounds to Hernandez to Guzman to Johnson, double play to end the second.

Anderson Hernandez bunts his way on in the third. Cristian Guzman singles on a line drive to right in front of Nick Johnson. Nick Johnson has a Discerning Eye, and he uses it to draw a walk to load the bases. Ryan Zimmerman grounds into a force at second, but Reid Brignac bobbles and settles for one out. Adam Dunn K’s swinging through a fastball and Elijah Dukes flies outto end the threat...Reid Brignac doubles to left, barely beating out Dukes’ throw. B.J. Upton doesn’t want to sac, but he bunts in front of the plate, and Wil Nieves makes the play at first. Ryan Zimmerman fields Carl Crawford’s grounder and throws him out at first. Evan Longoria K’s chasing a full-count change.

Willie Harris is thrown out by Reid Brignac. Austin Kearns flies ot right. WIl Nieves K’s and it’s 2-0 DC in the fourth...Make that 2-1, Carlos Pena takes Jordan Zimmermann shockingly deep for his 20th HR. Ben Zobrist K’s looking for Zimmermann’s 6th K. Pat Burrell flies out to the Amazing Willie Harris in center. Gabe Gross works a two-out walk out of Zimmermann. Rays’ backstop Michel Hernandez grounds to Anderson Hernandez, no relation.

Anderson Hernandez grounds back to the mound to start the fifth. Cristian Guzman grounds out to Longoria at third. Nick Johnson flies out to Carl Crawford, Sonnanstine holds the Rays close through the top of the fifth...Cristian Guzman leaps and reaches, but can’t get to a leadoff single from Reid Brignac. B.J. Upton grounds into a force at second, but Brignac breaks up the DP opp. Wil Nieves’ throw is there, but Cristian Guzman drops the throw to second on a succesful SB attempt by Upton. Zimmermann’s had enough of Upton, and he picks him off second, nailed!! Anderson Hernandez throws out Carl Crawford to end the inning.

Ryan Zimmerman K’s chasing junk from Sonnanstine. Adam Dunn flies out to the warning track in left center where Carl Crawford makes the grab. Elijah Dukes flies out to center...Jason Bergmann takes over for Jordan Zimmermann, and promptly surrenders a line drive single to left center. Carl Crawford embarrasses the dramatic shift with a bunt toward third, and Ben Zobrist makes it all worse with a 3-run HR off Bergmann, 4-2 Rays. Bergmann walks Bergmann walks Pat Burrell. Full-count sinking fastball that’s up at the belt and Gabe Gross belts it, two-run blast, 6-2 Rays. Jesus Colome gives up a single to Michel Hernandez. Brignac flies out to Willie Harris in center field. Ryan Zimmerman knocks down a hotshot from B.J. Upton, but it bounces away leaving everyone safe. Carl Crawford flies out to Dukes in left, Longoria’s up for the second time this inning, and he does it again, two-run double off of Jesus Colome, who hangs a slider, and has it bounced off the wall in left, Dukes misses. 8-2 Rays. Carlos Pena grounds to Johnson at first to mercifully end the inning.

Willie Harris pops a high fastball to left. Austin Kearns tries to hit one out of the deepest part of the park, but it falls short of the wall in center and B.J. Upton has it...Jesus Colome gets a ground ball from Ben Zobrist to start the Rays’ 7th. Gabe Gross fliesout to end the seventh...Anderson Hernandez lifts a double over B.J. Upton’s head in center. Cristian Guzman swings a foot over a two-strike bender for the first out of the eighth. Nick Johnson hits a trademark single to right, Hernandez to third, NJ™, and the throw in from Gabe Gross gets by the Rays’ catcher, Anderson Hernandez scores, 8-3 Rays. Ryan Zimmerman grounds to third, Evan Longoria’s looking around instead of fielding, and he drops the ball. Sonnanstine’s out. Randy Choate will face Adam Dunn. Dunn grounds into the inning-ender...Julian Tavarez is on in the eighth. Michel Hernandez grounds into Zimmerman’s turf, Zim throws to first in front of the catcher. Reid Brignac hits a one-out single to right. Tavarez ties Upton up with a sinker inside. Carl Crawford flies out to Kearns in right.

Jason Isringhausen vs Elijah Dukes. Dukes singles to center. Willie Harris explodes on a fastball but gets it only as far as short right. Corey Patterson K’s swining against two pitchers, after Isringhausen leaves game with apparent injury. Nationals lose. Rays win, 8-3 final.

Nationals now 16-44.

Poll

Should The Washington Nationals Fire Manny Acta?

16-44? Do You Have To Ask? Fire Manny Acta!

243 votes

This Is Not Acta's Fault!! Don't Fire Manny Acta!!

304 votes

547 votes | Poll has closed