SB Nation - Sammy Sosa

The Baltimore Orioles All-Awful Lineup: 2000-2009

Stacey — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:51:31 -0000

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

He has the WS ring and perhaps the last laugh, but he is still the worst 2B the O's had in the 2000s. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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I've encountered a number of articles around the web regarding the top 10 best things about this decade, be it movies, baseball players, or one-hit wonders. It's fair to say that I'm not above stealing someone else's idea, but given the that Orioles have spent the last decade in the toilet, it seems more appropriate to name the worst players of the decade, not the best. If there is one thing this Orioles fan likes to do, it's revel in failure. But if you're looking for a silver lining to the All-Awfuls, here it is: None of them came from the 2009 team and none of them will be on the team in 2010.

Catcher: Brook Fordyce

The candidates: Charles Johnson (2000), Brook Fordyce (2000-2003), Geronimo Gil (2002), Javy Lopez (2004-2006), Ramon Hernandez (2006-2008), Matt Wieters (2009)

Fordyce came to the Orioles in 2000, traded from the White Sox along with a handful of scrubs for Charles Johnson and Harold Baines. In 312 games from 2000-2003, Fordyce hit .257/.306/.379 (OPS+ 81). 2001 was especially awful for Fordyce as he hit just .209/.268/.322 in 95 games. Whatever the Orioles had in mind for Fordyce. it didn't work out. He was a complete failure as both offensively and defensively as he only managed to catch 58 base stealers out of 307 (18.8%) as an Oriole.

First Base: Rafael Palmeiro

The candidates: Will Clark (2000), Jeff Conine (2000-2003), Rafael Palmeiro (2004-2005), Kevin Millar (2006-2008), Aubrey Huff (2007-2009)

The numbers on the field may not back this up, but the only possible answer is Rafael Palmeiro. His positive steroid test in 2005, the subsequent denials and throwing of a fellow player under the bus, the ear plugs to drown out the boos, and his quiet departure from the team all help make the decision easy. Straight numbers-wise, the award probably goes to Aubrey Huff. He wasn't good in 2009 and league average in 2007 while splitting time at first with Kevin Millar. Although honestly, none of them was great shakes, so Palmeiro wins for emotional abuse of the fans.

Second Base: Jerry Hairston

The candidates: Delino DeShields (2000), Jerry Hairston (2001-2004), Brian Roberts (2003-2009)

This award has to go to Jerry Hairston. We all know the value of Brian Roberts, and Delino DeShields had a very solid 2000 at 2B. Hairston could never quite take advantage of his chances. He went from getting the majority of the playing time at 2B in 2001 and 2002 to losing time to Brian Roberts to being used as a utility man to being traded for Sammy Sosa. Overall he played 474 games for the Orioles in this decade with an OPS+ of 89.

Third Base: Cal Ripken

Candidates: Cal Ripken (2000-2001), Tony Batista (2002-2003), Melvin Mora (2004-2009)

Ok so here's the thing. Both Cal Ripken and Tony Batista were pretty lousy in their two year spans. I want to give the Awful Award to Tony Batista, I really do. But I don't think that I can. Cal Ripken was straight up bad in 2000 and 2001. As bad as Batista was, Cal was worse. From 2000-2001, he hit .246/.290/.347 with 29 HR and 32 2B. Batista hit .239/.290/.425 with 57 HR and 56 2B. The power is really the only difference, but it's enough to give Cal the edge in the awards voting. Argue with me if you like, but know that I feel bad enough about it already.

Shortstop: The Five Headed Monster

Candidates: Mike Bordick (2000-2002), Deivi Cruz (2003), Miguel Tejada (2004-2007), Brandon Fahey/Juan Castro/Alex Cintron/Luis Hernandez/Freddie Bynum (2008), Cesar Izturis (2009)

Deivi Cruz had this award all but locked up until 2008 rolled around. In 152 games in 2003 he hit a lousy .250/.269/.378 with 14 HR and 13 BB, a dark spot at SS between Bordick and Tejada. But after the trade of Tejada, the Five Headed Monster set out to prove that no matter how bad one player can play a position, five guys can play even worse. In 2008 they hit a combined .217/.257/.277 with 3 HR and 18 2B. Well done, guys, you put together one of the worse offensive seasons at SS in history.

Outfield: Jay Payton, Luis Matos, and Sammy Sosa

Candidates: Brady Anderson (2000-2001), Jeff Conine (2000-2003, 2006), B.J. Surhoff (2000, 2003-2005), Albert Belle (2000), Chris Richard (2000), Melvin Mora (2001-2003), Chris Singleton (2002), Gary Matthews Jr. (2002-2003), Jay Gibbons (2001-2007), Luis Matos (2001-2006), Larry Bigbie (2001-2005), David Newhan (2004-2006), Sammy Sosa (2005), Nick Markakis (2006-2009), Corey Patterson (2006-2007), Jay Payton (2007-2008), Adam Jones (2008-2009), Luke Scott (2008-2009), Nolan Reimold (2009), Felix Pie (2009)

The Orioles outfield has pretty much been a hot mess this entire decade. If I ever get the urge in 2010 to complain about Reimold, Jones, Markakis, or Pie, someone please direct me to this list. I mean, look at some of those names. Minus the oldest names and the newest names, it's basically a list of players I can't stand. I immediately wanted to crown Jay Gibbons the winner , but honestly he wasn't the worst, not by a long shot. That honor goes to the other Jay, Jay Payton. From 2007-2008, Jay Payton played in 258 games for the Orioles in the outfield, second only to Nick Markakis' 318 games. Over the two year span he hit .250/.292/.363 with an OPS+ of 72. That combined with his chronic whining and the time he picked a fight with Melvin Mora in the dugout give him the title of worst Oriole outfielder of the 2000s. Congrats, Jay Pay!

Much like his BFF Cal, Brady Anderson's last two years as an Oriole were nothing be proud of. Unlike Cal, there have been enough lousy outfielders since then that Brady escaped this list. Luis Matos and Sammy Sosa, come on down! From 2000-2006 the injury prone Matos played in 494 games for the Orioles with a robust line of .256/.313/.375. One decent season afforded him 2.5 more years of horridness before the Orioles finally got rid of him. Sosa only spent one year (and not even really that) as an Oriole, but it was one of the more pathetic seasons I can recall. Anyone wondering why he was obtained for the bargain price of Jerry Hairston and Mike Fontenot found out why after seeing him play. He missed a number of games due to injury, the games he played were awful, and by all accounts he stirred up quite a bit of strife in the clubhouse with Miguel Tejada. Sosa was MIA for about the last month of the season, and one of my favorite stories from the Baltimore Sun of the whole year was about how the Orioles couldn't find Sammy Sosa.

Hell of a lineup. We Orioles fans have had it rough this decade. I think we're finally due for some happiness, don't you?

(Note: I tried to include pitching in this but it was just too daunting of a task. Perhaps some other time.)

Evan Longoria and The 500 Home Run Club

Tommy Rancel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:45:16 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

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As 2010 projections start to be released, we will take a look at some of the more important ones from time to time. Projections are what they are, but they are still fun to look at. All in all, I would say the ZiPs projections are a bit more realistic than the Bill James projections because ZiPs tends to be a bit conservative. Aside from the single season projections, you may have noticed that the ZiPs projections include an extrapolated career projection; most namely the projection of Evan Longoria.

In case you missed it, according to ZiPs, Longoria will finish his career with a line of .263/.349/.501 and 526 home runs in 2535 career games. Remember that we take the yearly projections with a grain of salt, so this roughly ~16 year projection should be taken even more lightly. Nonetheless, there isn't much going and it's nice to dream of Longoria hitting that 526^th home run as a member of the Rays.

Currently, there are 25 members of the 500 home run club with more to be added over the next decade. By the time Longoria is projected to be approaching such a milestone the membership could be close to double.

Here is the list as it stands today...

	HR	AB
Barry Bonds	762	9847
Hank Aaron	755	12364
Babe Ruth	714	8398
Willie Mays	660	10881
Ken Griffey Jr.	630	9703
Sammy Sosa	609	8813
Frank Robinson	586	10006
Mark McGwire	583	6187
Alex Rodriguez	583	8304
Harmon Killebrew	573	8147
Rafael Palmeiro	569	10472
Jim Thome	564	7706
Reggie Jackson	563	9864
Mike Schmidt	548	8352
Manny Ramirez	546	7962
Mickey Mantle	536	8102
Jimmie Foxx	534	8134
Ted Williams	521	7706
Willie McCovey	521	8197
Frank Thomas	521	8199
Eddie Matthews	512	8537
Ernie Banks	512	9421
Mel Ott	511	9456
Gary Sheffield	509	9217
Eddie Murray	504	11336

Obviously, longevity is a must. Even Mark McGwire, who has the least about of at-bats of any member, needed over 6,100 at-bats. McGwire by far has the best HR/AB ratio hitting a "dinger' nearly every 10.6 at-bats or a full AB better than second place Babe Ruth, who averaged a home run every 11.7 at-bats. Longoria is no where near that kind of pace, but he is still ahead of six players in the club

	HR Per AB
Mark McGwire	10.61235
Babe Ruth	11.7619
Barry Bonds	12.92257
Jim Thome	13.66312
Harmon Killebrew	14.21815
Alex Rodriguez	14.24357
Sammy Sosa	14.47126
Manny Ramirez	14.58242
Ted Williams	14.79079
Mickey Mantle	15.11567
Jimmie Foxx	15.23221
Mike Schmidt	15.24088
Ken Griffey Jr	15.40159
Willie McCovey	15.73321
Frank Thomas	15.73704
Hank Aaron	16.37616
Willie Mays	16.48636
Eddie Matthews	16.67383
Frank Robinson	17.07509
Evan Longoria	17.2
Reggie Jackson	17.52043
Gary Sheffield	18.10806
Ernie Banks	18.40039
Rafael Palmeiro	18.40422
Mel Ott	18.50489
Eddie Murray	22.49206

A few other things to note...

In 2008, Longo's HR/AB was 16.59, but dropped to 17.6 in 2009. Injuries seem to have slowed him down at bit last year, but a 17.2 average is pretty good in its own right.
Right now Longoria's rate is closest to Frank Robinson. It took Robinson nearly 8,500 at-bats to get to 500. If Longoria stays on his current pace of 17.2, it would take 8,600 to get to 500. That means Longo would need to keep his same HR rate and amass 600 at-bats each year for the next 14+ seasons.
Aside from the 526 homers, the projection has Longoria hitting 628 doubles. Only Hank Aaron (624) and Barry Bonds (601) have hit 500+ home runs and 600+ doubles.
Longoria currently hits a double every 13.76 ABs. That pace is better than any member of the 500 home run club with Ted Williams' 14.76 coming as second best.
The last statistic I looked at was walks. Longoria ranks in the bottom third in terms of walk rates amongst the list, but at age 24 he has plenty of time to practice his patience at the plate.

Odds are Longoria won't play long enough to actually hit 500 home runs, and the odds are even longer that if he does it will be as a member of the Rays. He would need to play for another 14 or 15 years at a high level and avoid a major injury. While the quest for 500 may fall short, the fact that we have a player so talented that 500 home runs doesn't seem that crazy is pretty good.

Why Omar Minaya Failed And What It Means For The Future

Sam Page — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:22 -0000

On July 27, 2002, Omar Minaya, then General Manager of the Montreal Expos, traded Lee Steven, Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore, and Cliff Lee to Mark Shapiro's Indians for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.

In 2002, Major League Baseball owned the Expos. The offseason before, the Expos had narrowly avoided contraction, because the Twins, the other team in line for contraction, had another year on their lease of the Metrodome. In a month the league would agree to a new collective bargaining agreement that barred contraction, but at the time it still seemed a possibility. So MLB's proxy GM, Minaya, looked for a player to maybe help the Expos win a Wild Card berth, a parting gift for Montreal.

One of the many front-office personnel the Expos shed under their reorganization by MLB was Tony LaCava, their farm director. He jumped to the Indians as a cross-checker. When Omar Minaya called Mark Shapiro about Bartolo Colon, Tony LaCava handpicked the prospects the Indians would receive. When the trade was announced, Shapiro, like Bill Smith would be six years later, was denounced as a young GM over his head. It also marked the first time, Minaya got "his guy" in a trade.

I recall this point in baseball history because it has much to do with why both of these men are currently employed as general managers. Both of these general managers are also coming off 90-loss seasons in the wake of playoff aspirations. Omar Minaya and Mark Shapiro, however, couldn't be more different.

Omar Minaya is a former pro-baseball player, drafted out of high school. Early in Minaya's tenure with the Mets, his success was championed as an exemplar of old-fashioned roster construction. Before Minaya lost "his guys," the process entailed conference call between his scouts, Sandy Johnson and Tony Bernazard, and his paperwork guy, John Ricco. This franchise doesn't just contrast the careful calculation of other front offices, it advertises the fact: "Paperwork, that's false hustle. It takes away creativity. People who are into paperwork are into covering their asses, so if things go wrong they can point to all the work they did."

No team evidences false hustle better than the Indians. Mark Shapiro graduated from Princeton and has a reputation as one of the smartest GM's in baseball. Like Minaya, Shapiro surrounded himself with men of similar background--his sidekick Chris Antonetti is a Georgetown man. The Indians under Shapiro have developed a process, which involves a lot of "paperwork," most famously, the proprietary DiamondView system, supposed to quantify a players' holistic value. As Antonetti described the goal of DiamondView: "There's still this level of variability, but we've reduced it to the smallest level we can." The Indians, the front office, are the progressive group many Mets fans clamor for, but the Indians, the team, are the 90-game losers Mets fans are sick of watching.

Therein is an interesting point of comparison: how did these two seemingly polar-opposite executives, who launched each other's career with the most lopsided trade of the decade, end up at a similar point? Of course, there's no easy answer--'They both forgot to hit the win button!'--and the two situations are, to an extent, unique. Still, one would expect the American League's smartest GM and the National League's highest payroll to battle for the playoffs, not the sixth pick in the first-year player draft.

A recent post at Let's Go Tribe entitled "Fire Everyone! - Mark Shapiro" came up with an answer, thought not a completely comfortable one. The article was the last in a series of posts on why, obviously, everyone should be fired, so there's a sense the author is playing devil's advocate. Still, he raises an interesting point about the nature of the GM's job, and this article is largely an addendum to it, so give it a read too. The crux of his argument and the cliff notes version of the post is neatly summarized here:

For all that, however, the brilliant executive can't necessarily tell you whether it's better to overspend on Raul Ibañez or Kerry Wood. He can't necessarily devise a process to tell you that, and he can't necessarily hire the right person to tell you that, either. Nor can he devise a process to hire the right person to tell you that. It doesn't always come down to objective analysis or having a good process. Sometimes it comes down to talent: the talent to play, the talent to evaluate talent, the talent to develop talent, and the judgment to make decisions about talent.

Jay argues that evaluating talent, if not innate, is at least a skill in and of itself. The Colon-trade was Shapiro's signature move, but LaCava, the scout, handpicked the players he would receive. The laundry list of players Shapiro has acquired from horse-trading is impressive, but none match up to Lee-Sizemore-Phillips. In fact, with Huntington and LaCava long gone, is it coincidence that the returns on Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez were so underwhelming?

Maybe, but I am more interested in the way this situation runs counter to the assessment I constantly hear, and occasionally have given, of Omar Minaya: "He's a great scout and evaluator of talent, but is too sloppy with resources. The Mets would be better suited with a more statistically-inclined GM." Is this Shapiro/Minaya comparison a two parts to whole situation, where one lacks the scouting acumen, the other a supercomputer called DiamondView?

First, consider Minaya's scouting reputation. Starting out as an international scout with the Rangers, he signed Sammy Sosa. That's the kind of signing you can hang your hat on, and Minaya has, as the other players he signed include non-entities: Chris Colon, Ruben Mateo, Jorge Toca, and Timo Perez(!). He also signed Fernando Tatis and Joaquin Benoit, who became pretty good players. Still, including my performance-enhanced namesake, not exactly the greatest list in the world, but a good one.

This reputation comes equally from his supposed ability to "identify players who can help the Mets" and get them, irrespective of costs. It sounds basic, but seemingly describes whatever Shapiro lacked when deciding "whether it's better to overspend on Raul Ibañez or Kerry Wood," as Jay says. Call them Minaya's guys, as in "Omar got his guy" or Minaya's favorite synonym for person.

It started with his two biggest free-agent pick-ups: Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. Pedro's talent was obvious, but the contract was a minor disaster as he was injured through most of it. Minaya claimed that Pedro "made the brand," i.e. made the Mets more attractive to international free agents, but the jury is still out on that one. His other big signing, Carlos Beltran, will undoubtedly go down as the biggest success of his tenure. Beltran, one of the few true five-tool players left in baseball, has been worth significantly more than his $18M/year. It's unclear to what extent Minaya predicted, or even knows, that to be true, as he likely just sought to get Beltran for the best price he could, without any precise estimation of his value. In fact, Beltran was supposedly someone Minaya didn't get the green light to sign in Texas. Carlos had been Minaya's guy for a while.

When the Mets were at their best, in 2006, his guys were nearly always coming through. In a 2006 article, Dave Studeman identified ten players that Minaya picked up on the cheap and became integral parts of the great '06 squad: Chad Bradford, Darren Oliver, Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano, Jose Valentin, John Maine, Endy Chavez, Roberto Hernandez, Guillermo Mota, and Oliver Perez. Players like Jose Valentin, a guy no one else would expect to be a starting-caliber second baseman, were making Minaya look like a genius, like he had that something Mark Shapiro lacked. Those were ten moves that get you on the cover of Sports Illustrated, that made people pay attention when you started talking about "false hustle," as if it were secret knowledge.

In the conclusion to that piece, Studeman writes, "It may be luck, it may be skill. It may be the result of a team with money taking good calculated risks." Here's a hint: six of those players were relievers, the most luck-dependent players in baseball. Ultimately, though, time revealed the truth: it was luck. Even from that original list, of the seven he retained, five fizzled out, either from injuries or ineffectiveness. Regarding the other two, Endy Chavez was replaced by the awful Jeremy Reed and Pedro Feliciano became the last man standing in several subsequent bullpen failures.

Then, Minaya started to display some bad tendencies. He became too loyal to his guys: if a reliever with poor skills floundered in the first-half, Minaya would trust him to right the ship. Similarly, as if to underscore that he had done something right, Minaya would pay ridiculously over-market contracts to previous buy-low pick-ups, like Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, negating the value that made the moves good in the first place. He proved unable to manage injury risks, entrusting Moises Alou and John Maine with serious duties while keeping no reliable back-ups on hand. Minaya's front office overreacted to small sample sizes, see: Omir Santos, Marlon Anderson, and Daniel Murphy. He gave away Heath Bell, Brian Bannister, and Darren O'Day.

Yet, none of these miscues sticks out as a particularly strong indictment of his ability's as a scout, just as a talent evaluator. Moises Alou was a great player, when he played. He was a horrible pick-up for a team that needed a reliable, everyday left-fielder. On the major league level, talent evaluation involves using the most accurate objective measures to evaluate a player's track record, something observation can't do reliably, in any sport or field. These past few years, the Mets would have been better suited with a Mark Shapiro-type, with no particular scouting expertise, but an ability to objectively evaluate major-league talent and make sound business decisions. With a large payroll and the established core of Wright/Reyes, it seems the Mets badly needed some false hustle, some paperwork, some stability, not a huge gamble at 15 of the the 25 roster spots every season.

But maybe it is too late for that. As fielding stats get more widely accepted, it seems a glorified Moneyball scenario, where a few teams with superior objective analysis carry an edge, is becoming less likely. As more players, are signing long-term deals with the teams that drafted them, and fewer are hitting free agency, the statistical analysis the Mets have been so neglectful of becomes just the baseline. Indeed, as Jay wrote about some of the most successful teams around the league: "it's noteworthy that other organizations that have gone with the 'Ivy League whiz kid' GM model tend to have a 'wise old baseball man' figure hanging close by, advising the gifted non-scout executive. The Red Sox had Bill Lajoie attached to Theo Epstein; Allard Baird is in that role now, while Lajoie is now advising Huntington in Pittsburgh. The Rays put Gerry Hunsicker with Andrew Friedman, and down in Texas, Jon Daniels has access to no less than John Hart and Nolan Ryan." With that pattern in mind, I was encouraged to read that the Wilpons convinced Sandy Johnson to stay out of retirement, allegedly in preparation for a non-Minaya centric front office.

For similar reasons, these forces will also probably push forward the mythical symbiosis of scouting and statistics that everyone pays lip-service to but isn't quite sure what they're referring to. More than just pitchf/x and hitf/x, the observation of both amateur and professional talent will come down to hyper-specific scouting reports that use data and observation to spot trends of growth or deterioration in a player's skills. And maybe, even then, it will take some "wise old baseball man," with a special eye for talent, to build the best franchise.

On December 10, 2008, the Mets, Indians, and Mariners completed a three-way trade, in which the Mariners received Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, Jason Vargas, Mike Carp, Ezequiel Carrera, Maikel Cleto, and Franklin Gutierrez. The Mets received J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed, and Sean Green, while the Indians received Joe Smith and Luis Valbuena.

This trade, for me, perfectly encapsulates two failed models for a front office and the future of a what it means to a successful one. Omar Minaya acquired a talented player with serious injury concerns, and severely downgraded two known major-league entities, presumably not knowing he did. Shapiro acquired a minor league infielder with good stats, but a "bad body" and mixed scouting reports. While there is plenty of time for him to improve, Valbuena was merely replacement level this season. Meanwhile, Jack Zduriencik, the long-time scouting director who understands and embraces statistical analysis, brought in a 6-WAR centerfielder and a boatload of interesting prospects.

The Mets under Minaya were famed for embracing multiple perspectives, both of the scout and the statistician. Sadly, they failed to understand how those roles fit into a functioning front office. First, they need a reliable process for evaluating and valuing major league talent, a la the Indians. Then, they can get their "guys."

ALCS Umpires Strike Zone Analysis, Game Calling Abilities

Rev Halofan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:48:42 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Crew Chief Tim McClelland feels sorry for Sweet Lou. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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The Umpiring crew for the Angels-Yankees series has been named. I spent some time this afternoon examining the ALCS umpires on some sports sites that cater to clients who bet on the games, as these sites can be found to be delving deep into umpiring statistics beyond what basebball nerds have compiled. I added in a 2007 report from Baseball Prospectus on the accuracy of some of these umpires umps.

Crew Chief Tim McClelland: 2007 BP Ump Rating: 93% Strikezone accuracy (2nd best), strike zone is most generous in middle innings, no home team bias. A steady pace. Career Highlights: Made the infamous George Brett Pine Tar call that was reversed (at the time it was a partisan call for the Yankees at home), called David Wells perfect game at Yankee Stadium (ugh), busted Sammy Sosa for a corked bat in 2003 and called Matt Holliday safe at the plate in the 2007 NL West 1-Game playoff that sent the Padres home for the Winter.

Fieldin Culbreth: Big time homer. Squeezes at the beginning of the game and at the end as well. Speeds things up with a fat zone in the middle innings. Not active enough in 2007 for the BP K-Zone survey, he nonetheless has all the traits of a guy who bows to the pressure of the crowd and assists the momentum of a dominant pitcher. Career Highlight: Called Game 3 of last year's World Series, a walk-off win for the home Phillies.

Laz Diaz: Unaffected by the home crowd, he races through the game with a fat strike zone for both sides, but makes the relievers hit a smaller mark, especially in high drama situations. Career Highlights: A former minor leaguer he is one of the replacement ump crop of 1999. He has umpired 3 ALDS series.

Jerry Layne: Generous zone to starters, squeezes relievers, mild home team bias within margin of error. He is more prone to favor a home team in a split-second, high-leverage decision (historically). Career HIghlight: Was the home plate umpire for Fernando Valenzuela's 1990 no-hitter.

Bill Miller: A consistent strike zone maintained throughout the game, in 2007 BP gave him a 90% accuracy rating for his strike zone, but when he calls one wrong for your team, he will call it wrong for the other team, thus making it "right"... right? Career Highlights: A few ALDS and an All Star Game.

Dale Scott: 2007 BP Ump Rating: 91% Strikezone accuracy, strike zone tightens up to the size of a silver dollar in the late innings. This is the guy you want behind the plate calling a complete game or a blowout. Career Highlights: He is known as the Time Warp Umpire, because after a strike three call he takes a jump to the left and gestures as he takes a step to the right.

Adam Dunn = 40/100?

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:00:16 -0000

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Ever since Adam Dunn signed with DC, the fans of the Washington Nationals have been told, "40/100!" Yeah, he strikes out and he's a defensive liability in left, but, "40/100". Sure he's getting $10M a year on a team with a $60M+ payroll, but the team needs a big middle of the order bat...40/100! Q: But why have a 40 HR guy with 100 RBI's on a 100-loss team...A: 40/100. Dunn's just 1 RBI away from 100, but he's 3 HR's away from 40 dingers with 17 games left to play, and if he reaches 40 HR's he'll be one of only 4 people to have hit 40 or more in six-straight seasons, and if he does it again in 2010, he'll be one of only two, just Adam Troy "Big Donkey" (DCMD) Dunn and George Herman "Babe" Ruth, with 40 HR's in seven-straight...Here's how and when Dunn hit #40 in each of the last 5 seasons...

August 30, 2004: Houston Astros' right-hander Peter Munro gives up a two-run HR to Felipe Lopez after a Ryan Freel double opens the fifth inning, making it 3-2 Astros, and one out later it's 3-3 when Adam Dunn hits his 40th HR off the season, a solo shot in the 130th game of 2004. Dunn would go on to hit 6 more in September for his career high total of 46 HR's...

October 2, 2005: Game 162. Cincinnati at St. Louis. Adam Dunn hits a solo HR in the third inning of the last game on the Reds' schedule against the first-place Cardinals, who would end up losing the '05 NLCS to Houston in 6 games. Cards' right-hander Matt Morris surrenders his 22nd HR of '05, and Dunn, has two straight 40 HR seasons.

September 8, 2006: In the 141st game of the Cincinnati Reds' '06 season, Adam Dunn takes Pirates' right-hander Brian Rogers deep to right field in Great American Ballpark in the seventh inning of a 9-1 Reds' win. It's the second of only two HR's Dunn hits in September and the last he hits that year...

September 19, 2007: Adam Dunn needed 4 HR's in September 2007 to hit 40 and he got the fourth in Wrigley Field off Cubs' lefty Ted Lilly, who gave up the solo shot to right to give Adam Dunn four-straight seasons of 40 or more. Dunn's solo shot was good for one of the two runs the Reds scored that day in a 3-2 loss to the Cubs. It was the last HR Dunn hit that year in the 152nd game of the season.

September 27th, 2008: In the next-to-last game of the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2008 season, Adam Dunn, who had been acquired by the D-Backs from the Reds on August 11th, hits hit 8th HR for Arizona and his 40th HR of 2008, a solo shot off Colorado left-hander Glendon Rusch in a 6-4 Arizona win over the Rockies. It's Dunn's 4th HR in 14 games to get him up to 40 for the fifth-straight season...

?'s For The DC Faithful...

• Will Adam Dunn reach 40 HR's for the sixth-straight season to tie Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa?

• Will it mean anything to you if he breaks the record next year as a National?

• Do you think he'll be traded before he hits #40 next season?

All The Adam Dunn That's Fit To Print...Washington Nationals' Slugger In The New York Times.

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:54:04 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

4 months ago: Washington Nationals' Adam Dunn hits a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 28, 2009, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Two-thirds of the Sunday New York Times' sports column written by Benjamin Hoffman, which is entitled, "Dunn Keeps Swinging Despite Detractors", is dedicated to Washington Nationals' first baseman Adam Dunn and his attempt to hit 40 HR's for the sixth consecutive season, which would tie him with A-Rod and Sammy Sosa behind only Babe Ruth whose seven-straight 40 HR seasons from 1926 - 1932 are still the industry standard. Mr. Hoffman seems somewhat surprised to find that Dunn, who has 37 HR's with 19 games left on the schedule, has not only reached base more than Ichiro in '09, but has also, thus far, posted the highest AVG (.282 through Sunday) and OBP (.410 in 142 G) of the 6'6'', 240lb+, left-handed hitting 29-year-old's 9-year career...

Who said something about an extension? When's Chris Marrero going to be ready?

More on Adam Dunn and the NY Times' feature after the JUMP...

Asked by Mr. Hoffman what he thought about approaching a record that places him second behind only Babe Ruth and tied with "legendary" hitters like A-Rod and Sosa, Dunn says that he thinks, "That kind of stuff is probably a lot more meaningful when you look back on your career." What Adam Dunn is concerned with now, according to Mr. Hoffman, is, "...making a winner out of the struggling Nationals."

Mr. Hoffman's also sure to make mention of the two requisite Adam Dunn-isms that have come to be included in every article about the big slugger over the years, the gaudy strikeout totals (a team-leading 162 in 142 '09 games) and the accusations of laziness which began with Toronto Blue Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi, who claimed on a radio show, as recounted in an article by National Post.com writer John Lott entitled, "Ricciardi trashes Dunn on radio show", that Dunn "lacked passion" for the game and went on to tell the a caller to the show that the Jays had looked into Dunn:

""Do you know the guy doesn’t really like baseball that much?...Do you know the guy doesn’t have a passion to play the game that much? How much do you know about the player?...There’s a reason why you’re attracted to some players and there’s a reason why you’re not attracted to some players. I don’t think you’d be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here…We’ve done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there’s a reason why we don’t want Adam Dunn. I don’t want to get into specifics.'"

Of course, in a story that got much less press than the first, apparently baseless accusations, Mr. Ricciardi was later forced to admit, in his own words, "I don't even know Adam Dunn," but much like the story of Dunn's involvement with the "Natinals" jerseys this year, the follow-up piece rarely receives as much attention, so even this last offseason, the rumors of Dunn's alleged lack of passion were cited when he found himself with far fewer offers than he imagined on the free agent market.

Will Dunn remember that the Nationals did step up with an offer when he had few others when his contract is up next year? Will the Nationals seek an extension beforehand? With Dunn due to make $12M in 2010, what would the Nationals have to offer to convince "The Big Opposite Field" to stay in DC? Can Adam Dunn, Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg become the nucleus of the mythical "First Great Nationals"? Or will he turn his hard work hitting HR's while the Nationals' stayed in the cellar into the kind of deal Alfonso Soriano left town with?

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:29:45 -0000

by Morry Gash - AP

Craig Counsell is clearly upset about not being mentioned in today's Mug.

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Some things to read while keeping your screen clean.

With the day off yesterday, both Anthony Witrado and Adam McCalvy took an opportunity to look ahead to the offseason, with Witrado even breaking out some statistical analysis in what might be his best story as a Brewer beat writer. In his story, McCalvy notes that the Brewers appear to be leaning towards starting Casey McGehee at third base next season, and will likely have to make a decision after the season regarding Ken Macha.

You can add Miller Park Drunk and Quevedo at the Buffet to the list of blogs calling for Macha's head. This is the first managerial season of Macha's career where he's not involved in a pennant race. It may also turn out to be his last managerial season.

Could Javier Vazquez become an option for the Brewers once again? Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is speculating that the Braves may have too much money invested in pitching, and could look to move Vazquez this winter. MLB Daily Dish thinks Kenshin Kawakami may make more sense for the Crew.

In the minors:

Brewer farmhands Brett Lawrie (1-for-5 with a run scored), Adam Stern (2-for-4 with a walk and a run), Nick Bucci (five scoreless innings) and Jim Henderson (picked up the win, faced four batters, struck them all out) made their first appearances for Team Canada in their 9-1 win over South Korea in the first round of the Baseball World Cup yesterday. Stern and Lawrie batted #1 and 2 in the Canadian lineup.
Chris Capuano is expected to start tonight for Helena in their season finale. Cappy did not allow an earned run in his previous two Helena starts, each of which lasted two innings.

On Power Rankings:

The Brewers held steady at #22 at Beyond the Box Score.
Yahoo dropped the Brewers one spot to 19th.

Just one transaction note to pass along today:

Nationals: Claimed pitcher Jesse English off waivers from the Giants and designated catcher Luke Montz for assignment.

There's definitely something to be said for busting out of a slump emphatically. Matt Stairs, who had been 0-for-30 since the All Star break, came up in the ninth inning for the Phillies last night and hit a grand slam. And if you thought the occasional intentional walk to Jason Kendall was bad, here's something worse: On September 5th, nearly two months removed from his last hit, Stairs was intentionally walked by the Astros.

Raul Ibanez also hit his 29th and 30th home runs last night, giving the Phillies four hitters with at least 30. That seems great on the surface, but Walkoff Walk reports that none of the eleven previous teams to accomplish that feat won the World Series.

On this day in 1987, Teddy Higuera allowed a fifth inning home run to Tigers third baseman Tom Brookens, ending his franchise record 32-inning scoreless streak. The Brewers won anyway, 5-2. On this day in 1998, the Brewers won a wild one in Chicago, 13-11 over the Cubs. Sammy Sosa hit his 59th home run in that game: Of the 66 he hit that season, 12 were against the Brewers. No other team allowed more than six.

I wasn't able to find any Brewer birthdays again today, so you'll have to settle for wishing a happy birthday to Ellis Burks, who turns 45.

It's a slow news day and a short Mug today, so you should use the extra time to go check out the new SBNation.com.

Drink up.

Baseball Stadiums And You

Eric Stephen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:06:54 -0000

Watching the Dodgers at another stadium is fun, especially when they win.

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Yesterday, Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts took his first trip to AT&T Park in San Francisco, and what followed from that in the comments was a nice discussion of various ballparks people have attended. It made me do some digging and reminiscing about the stadiums I have been to. What better way is there to spend the off day today than to look back at all the stadiums you have been to? Feel free to give us your ballpark memories in the comments.

Outside of Dodger Stadium, here is my list:

Angels Stadium

I have been here on numerous occasions, but the few that stick out for me are these:

July 18, 1991: This game was one of the reasons I almost never leave early. I was 15, attending the game with both of my older brothers, and thus not exactly in full control of the transportation opportunities. Once Albert Belle broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the ninth off Bryan Harvey, my brothers started to get up and leave. Stunned, and without a ride home if I stayed, I had to leave too. By the time we got to the car, it was 4-1 Indians, which had justified the decision by my brothers...until, that is, the Angels stormed back for four runs off four Indians pitchers (including former and future Old Friends Shawn Hillegas, Jesse Orosco, and Jeff Shaw) to win, 5-4.

August 8, 2000: Sitting one deck up behind home plate, I got to see the tremendous movement on the pitches from Pedro Martinez at his peak, which was a treat. The Angels somehow scratched together two runs to beat Pedro that night.

October 16, 2005: The White Sox won the pennant by taking Game 5 of the ALCS, as Jose Contreras pitched the fourth straight complete game of the series for Chicago. The final out of the series was an unassisted groundout to Old Friend Paul Konerko. The highlight of the game for me was seeing a family friend -- a huge Notre Dame fan -- at the stadium and showing him my USC shirt one day after the Leinart Sneak / Bush Push game.

Petco Park & Qualcomm Stadium

I lived in San Diego for the better part of 14 years, and saw numerous games here. The Dodgers never seem to do well with me in attendance in San Diego, as they are 7-19 lifetime (they did win on July 3 this year though, so I'm on a hot streak). Two games that stood out:

June 11, 1993: The very first game I went to in San Diego. Kevin Gross pitched eight scoreless innings, but the Dodgers -- including rookie Pedro Martinez -- blew a 4-0 lead in the ninth, and the Padres won 5-4.

September 30, 1995: This was the first time I saw the Dodgers clinch anything, as they won 7-2 behind Hideo Nomo to clinch the NL West over the Rockies (who would win the Wild Card). There were quite a few Dodger fans at the park that night.

Coors Field

July 27, 2000: I have only been to one game in Denver, and it was during a family reunion in Colorado. My cousins and I got picked up at the airport and went straight to the stadium. This game was nearly four hours long, yet only nine innings. The Dodgers won 16-11, behind the greatest game of Alex Cora's life. Cora had two home runs, and a double that hit high off the wall.

Chase Field (Bank One Ballpark)

I have been to three games here, only one of which was against the Dodgers.

July 24, 1999: I made the unwise decision to drive to Phoenix from San Diego and back in one day, and was rewarded with Brian Anderson outdueling Darren Dreifort. The D-Backs rode home runs by Steve Finley and Bernard Gilkey to a 3-0 win.

August 22, 2003: The only no-hitter I ever saw, only it wasn't a no-hitter. Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs allowed no hits into the eighth inning, then with two outs future Old Friend Shea Hillenbrand was awarded an infield single even though it was painfully clear from my nosebleed seats that he was out at first base. Zambrano got the next three batters out, so he has a no-hitter in my mind.

AT&T Park

September 30, 2006: I took a detour on my way home from a business conference to see my first two games in San Francisco. The first game was the next-to-last day of the season, and Greg Maddux beat the Giants to clinch a playoff spot for the Dodgers (they would end up as the Wild Card, although at this point that was undetermined). Thanks to Stub Hub, I was sitting in the same row as many of the Dodger family section, including Mia Hamm, Russell Martin's dad, and Carolyn Hughes (who is stunning in person, by the way).

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

August 23, 1996: I have been to a total of four games at Camden Yards, and truthfully none of them really stand out as memorable games, but the park is awesome. This game was a 2-0 Angel win, behind home runs from Chili Davis and Jim Edmonds, but I mostly picked this game because I forgot David Wells was once an Oriole.

Network Associates Coliseum

May 12, 2000: This is a late-inning Matt Stairs home run of which I actually have fond memories, and the only reason was that there are few things better than calling the guy who has a closer who just blew a save in your fantasy league -- in this case Kaz Sasaki of the Mariners -- and letting the crowd noise do the talking.

Safeco Field

October 1, 2004: This game was memorable because Ichiro Suzuki broke the single-season record for hits in a season with his 258th hit, in the first inning. Ichiro, who broke George Sisler's xx-year old record, added two more hits in this Friday night game, and went on to collect two more over the season's final weekend to settle the record at 262 hits.

Wrigley Field

June 4, 2003: My only trip to Wrigley was for a night game, but it was still a great experience. There are really only a few lights there, so it has a surreal effect of having the stands dark and basically only the field lit up. Its almost like watching an outdoor play. This game was the day after Sammy Sosa got ejected for having a corked bat, and the Cubs' faithful, including Jesse Jackson, gave Sosa a rousing ovation before his first at-bat. Five future Old Friends started this game: Julio Lugo, Marlon Anderson, and Toby Hall for Tampa Bay; Hee Seop Choi and Paul Bako for Chicago.

That's my list. A total of 10 stadiums (including Dodger Stadium, and counting both San Diego parks as one). What's yours?

The Home Run Derby, or, Take Good Care of My Hombre

DanUpBaby — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:19:46 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Be careful, Albert! Be careful!

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I can't say I'm not nervous about Albert Pujols participating in the Home Run Derby. I'm nervous when I watch Albert Pujols do anything. My hypothetical sports car probably isn't going to get dinged when I pull through into the perfect spot at Wal-Mart, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to get that creeping-horror look in my eyes every time I look through the sliding doors and stare at it. Pujols is so irreplaceably, one-of-a-kind good at baseball that it's terrifying to watch him play baseball.

But even speaking as someone who had to watch Jim Edmonds's beautiful first half numbers get dulled by an ugly post-Derby 2003, I've convinced myself that I don't need to be any more worried than usual when I watch Albert Pujols tonight. Here's how I'm rationalizing it; I hope my tools for serenity now are useful to everybody else who watches Albert Pujols with wide, nervous-twitching eyes.

I'm going to offer these like religious proofs—the goal isn't that you buy all of them at once, but that at least one of them offers some comfort and allows you some method of wrapping your mind around the existential prospect of Albert Pujols hurting himself in something that doesn't even this-time-it-counts.

1. It's just batting practice. This is my go-to reassurance. Albert Pujols comes out to the field every afternoon and is greeted by a few thousand screaming fans who want nothing more than to see him crank home run after home run into Big Mac Land, maybe even spell their name with the remaining working letters. Back in the Bad Old Days (I liked them, but sportswriters have since informed me that there was something Tragic and Wrong about how much I loved the 1998 season) Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, among other traitors to the game of baseball, had even more fans out there. They took batting practice with the express purpose of giving the fans a show, and they usually did. But as many ways as Big Mac managed to get injured, he didn't have to pull himself out of a BP session or the HRD. He had back problems, but never back-back-back problems.

Pujols is a real-and-true baseball player, and he probably doesn't go quite so directly for the personal-home-run-derby definition of batting practice. But nobody can resist putting on a show when they audience is already sitting there.

2. Lots of those slumps are really just regression to the mean. In-season they seem like slumps; why, Bobby Abreu hit 41 home runs in a single night and then only hit one in all of July! But he only hit one in April, too. If I gave you a list of derby champs with the years removed—better yet, someone less likely to be able to rearrange them in the correct order anyway—it would be extremely difficult to pick the year that each player hurt his swing by going a-derbying out from the rest of his career. The older players decline afterward, the guys in their prime keep on going... it's pretty typical.

Month-to-month slumps happen, even to Albert Pujols. If you've popped enough home runs to qualify for the derby, that slump probably hasn't happened yet, which means there's a pretty good chance it will happen later. Note: In spite of this, somebody is going to upbraid Brandon Inge for ruining his swing and not ending up with 40 home runs this year. I don't know why, but I do know.

3. Albert Pujols takes upwards of one million swings every day. This is one of those cognitive biases, I don't know which one—the one that says a watched pot will always boil over and scald you. Attribution bias, maybe? Anyway, Albert Pujols swings the bat at full speed all the time. He does this in tunnels, before the game, after the game, in MVP Baseball 2004 commercials. He rarely injures himself, and his slumps are rarely anything that Deidre Pujols can't coach him through. If he gets into a bad habit, he's usually able to perceive it.

One home run derby, one night of unchecked fence-swinging, is not going to be any more detrimental to his swing than any particularly successful session with Hal McRae. He's the most famous baseball player—sorry, the player most famous for playing baseball—in the world. He knows what it's like to receive curtain calls. It won't get to his head or his body to get a few more.

These are my reassurances, and I will be clinging to them. I hope they've helped you, too.

We were in the process of sitting down in our Futures Game seats when the grounds crew hopped over and took the—the pre-tarp(?) off of the real tarp. Welcome to the All Star game! (And this, on momup's birthday.) It was, nevertheless, an enjoyable experience, once we were able to experience it. There's not much scouting to be done at a game as contrived as this, an exhibition attended by few, spread out over several hours and a number of minor league levels, but I will say this: Brett Wallace looks notably less walrus-like than he did in our hurried Google Image Searches all these years ago. Summarizing that faint praise, I'll say that Brett Walrus: Third Base is no longer absurd on its face. He looks like a guy who plays third. (Also, he drew multiple walks. He learned his whole Futures Game skill-set from Joe Thurston.)

I got to see the legends and celebrities game, too. momup's pictures aren't yet off the camera but I will say that important figures in my first and fourth favorite sitcoms of all time clashed momentarily at first base. Also, Ozzie Smith still looks like he could play shortstop at a major league level.

All of this means that I'm watching the second game of the doubleheader now, so I'm low on insight, but it's a good time to say this: Ryan Ludwick is finally second on this team in OPS. Just in time for the break, like it was never a problem all along.

A Full Day And Night Of Baseball: Cubs vs. Cardinals Day-Night Doubleheader Preview, Sunday 7/12, 12:05 & 7:05 CT

Al — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:00:12 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

More scenes like this today and tonight, please.

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Believe it or not, split doubleheaders aren't a newfangled thing at Wrigley Field. During the 1920's, the Cubs would occasionally do so by having a morning game, then a midafternoon game. This could be done easily even without lights because games in those days were almost always less than two hours, and often 90 minutes. One famous such DH was played on May 30, 1922; between the morning and afternoon games the Cubs and Cardinals made a trade. The Cubs sent Max Flack to St. Louis for Cliff Heathcote. The players switched clubhouses and played for their new team in the second game. (It was a good deal for the Cubs; Flack was out of baseball after 1925, while Heathcote had several decent Cub years and was a useful bench player for the 1929 pennant winners.)

The practice of split DH's ended after 1931; it took 71 years for the next split doubleheader to be played at Wrigley, and the first in the lights era, on August 31, 2002 vs. the Cardinals. That awful Cubs team lost the day game and the night game of that twinbill en route to a 95-loss season.

It was a far different story the following year, with yet another day/night doubleheader vs. the Cardinals -- and that DH, played in the heat of a pennant race on September 2, 2003, saw the Cubs split, winning the first game 4-2 on a Sammy Sosa walkoff HR in the 15th inning, and losing the second game 2-0, the only game they lost in that five-game series which is widely credited for giving the Cubs the impetus for the great September (19-8) they had that year on their way to the playoffs.

And the last doubleheader of any kind at Wrigley Field was on August 3, 2006, a regular DH makeup of the previous night's rainout vs. Arizona; that also resulted in a split, a first-game loss followed by a second-game win.

Enough of the history lesson. This is the biggest day of the year so far in many ways, and a sweep would put the Cubs in great position for the second half. Here's how it's going to go at BCB today: this thread will be the only preview thread posted. Overflow threads and first pitch threads will be up at the normal times -- see below the fold for details. There won't be a recap or "inter-game" thread posted after game one since I will be out all day and who knows when game one will end? (The first game of the 2003 DH went 4:47. Here's hoping today's games are way shorter than that!) A recap of BOTH games will post on Monday morning as usual, as we enter the All-Star break.

Game One Starting Pitchers


Carlos Zambrano Cubs	vs.	Kyle Lohse Cardinals

4-4	W-L	4-4
3.47	ERA	3.99
75	SO	39
41	BB	16
7	HR	6
vs. StL	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Carlos Zambrano	4-4	21	15	0	0	0	0	96.0	85	40	37	7	41	75	3.47	1.31

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Kyle Lohse	4-4	10	10	0	0	0	0	56.1	53	28	25	6	16	39	3.99	1.22

Game Two Starting Pitchers


Randy Wells Cubs	vs.	Adam Wainwright Cardinals

4-3	W-L	9-5
2.48	ERA	3.09
49	SO	110
14	BB	45
5	HR	12
vs. StL	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Randy Wells	4-3	11	11	0	0	0	0	69.0	61	20	19	5	14	49	2.48	1.09

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Adam Wainwright	9-5	22	18	0	0	0	0	122.1	114	47	42	12	45	110	3.09	1.30

First game:

Kyle Lohse has been on the DL since June 4 with forearm problems. He has made several good starts this year but got hit pretty hard by the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 18. This would be a real good day for some Cubs who have hit Lohse hard in the past to do it again: Alfonso Soriano (14-for-37, .378, 3 doubles, 2 HR); Ryan Theriot (10-for-19, .526, 2 triples), and Aramis Ramirez (7-for-13, 3 doubles, a HR). Players on the current Cub roster are hitting .381 vs. Lohse (59-for-155).

Z gave up a ton of runs to the Cardinals at Wrigley Field on April 17, but the Cubs won that game in extra innings. Albert Pujols has hit five HR in 56 AB vs. Z, but only averages .250 against him. Skip Schumaker, of all people, hits Z the best of those who are likely to play today -- 8-for-22 (.364, 2 doubles, a triple, a HR).

Second game:

Adam Wainwright has already started three times vs. the Cubs this year; St. Louis won all three games and Wainwright is 2-0, 2.49 in 21.2 innings. The only game of the three in which the Cubs hit Wainwright well was April 16 at Wrigley Field, a game won by the Cardinals, but the Cubs got six hits, four walks and four runs off Wainwright that day. Aramis Ramirez -- who has started to hit the ball hard, and the power, I think, is coming -- is 10-for-25 (.400) vs. Wainwright with four doubles and a HR.

Randy Wells made one relief appearance vs. the Cardinals last September 21, the day after the Cubs clinched the NL Central. This will be his first start against our division rivals. For the record, he did face Pujols and got him to hit into a double play.

Today's first game is on WGN; today's second game is on ESPN. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday for the day game

MLB.com Gameday for the night game

Baseball-reference.com game preview for the day game

Baseball-reference.com game preview for the night game

SB Nation game preview for the day game

SB Nation game preview for the night game

Overflow comment threads will post today at the following times: for the day game at 1 pm, 2 pm and 2:45 pm CDT; for the night game at 8 pm, 9 pm and 9:45 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.