SB Nation User Blog: andromache

Baseball America ranks 2 Reds prospects in the International League Top20

andromache — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:19:15 -0000

Baseball America ranks 2 Reds prospects in the International League Top20

Drew Stubbs comes in at #14, and Chris Heisey rounds out the list at #20. The top three (Wieters, Hanson, McCutchen, A) are pretty much major leaguers by now

The list of 20 represents prospects for only 9 teams (of the 14 represented in the IL) The Indians top the list with 4, but the Rays and Orioles have three apiece (each in the top 11)

"Definitely a web gem"

andromache — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:20:53 -0000

"Definitely a web gem"

I think Elijah Dukes has an alter ego here at red reporter.

Definitely a good hypothesis.

Demetri Martin in the Moneyball movie.

andromache — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:39:19 -0000

Demetri Martin in the Moneyball movie.

This is a little weird for multiple reasons.

A. What is this Earned Run Value that the article talks about? Was that in the book? Because I missed that, evidently.

B. Demetri Martin is way too cute to play Paul dePodesta.

I'm really not looking forward to this movie at all.

World Baseball Classic Championship Game.

andromache — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:05:11 -0000

Oh Boy! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Ok, so this is a little anticlimactic. I have the greatest respect for Japan and Korea's baseball organizations, and applaud their players for their hardwork. But seriously? This game? AGAIN? What are we going to see that we didn't see last game? Or the game before that. Or the three before that. Or the three from the last WBC.

Well, at least we know the teams are fairly matched. The four previous games were split evenly between the two teams, and in 2006, Korea beat Japan twice, before losing to their rival in the semi-finals.

Game Time: 9:00 PM ET

Probable Pitchers: Hisashi Iwakuma and Jung-Keun Bong. Iwakuma pitched very well in the Pool A seeding game against Korea, but took a 1-0 loss, in part because Korea's pitching, with Bong starting, was marginally better. Bong was fantastic again against Japan in their first Round 2 matchup, giving up 1 run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Yu Darvish threw fewer than 30 pitches last night, so he is available to enter the game in relief, and I would expect to see him if Iwakuma gets in trouble, or to close out the game like he did against the US. Suk-Min Yoon and Daisuke Matsuzaka, the semifinal starters, are unavailable for this game, and so is Takahiro Mahara - who threw exactly 30 pitches last night (Were the Japanese rule cards ALSO improperly translated? Jesus christ, WBC people. Get with it.)

Other: Although I mocked Jorge Cantu for calling Korea and Japan the same team, it's true that they have very similar strengths - pitching and defense. (Even Shin-Shoo Choo admits it). I'm sure this game will be very slap-hitty and fundamental-y. With Japan missing Shuichi Murata, I think Korea definitely has the advantage in power potential, but whether it'll show up or not against premium pitching (You'll notice that high-score against Venezuela came against Carlos Silva and Enrique Gonzalez on the mound,) is very much up in the air. I think Japan has the more reliable offense, but as we know, I am real crappy at predicting how games are going to turn out. (Baseball IS a little unpredictable...)

I'm still advocating the 'triple whale' play. I think it could revolutionize the game.

WBC Semifinal 2: United States v. Japan.

andromache — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:02:01 -0000

It sounds like a vaguely familar matchup, especially when you consider that both teams are competing for the right to ~~invade korea~~, that is, meet them in the final game.

Game Time: 8:00 PM ET

Probable Pitchers: Daisuke Matsuzaka v. Roy Oswalt.

More after the cut.

Notes: You know, I have to agree with the couple of posts on here that have mentioned how nonchalant the US team seems to be about this whole thing. I'll add this to the mix - Chipper Jones complaining about how the city of Toronto is "not exactly Las Vegas." I'm sorry, Chipper, that Toronto doesn't boast the slot machines or call girls of the biggest waste of water ever, but there are lots of great things about Toronto. Granted, there's no Cher or Wayne Newton, but there's plenty of attractions. Plus, a Tim Horton's on every corner. Basically, what I'm getting at, is that maybe instead of whining about the lack of Wolfgang Puck, Chipper could've been conditioning a little more on his offdays, and not hurt himself.

But he's gone. Still, Team USA's choices for this game area bit strange. I can understand Oswalt over Peavy, as favoring the hot hand, so to speak, but Johnson is AGAIN putting Jeter at shortstop and designated hitting Jimmy Rollins. He's not starting Adam Dunn at first again, but has gone with Mark DeRosa instead, who has a played just less than 70 innings at first in the majors (and none in the minors). Of course, this isn't really Johnson's fault. DeRosa's less than 70 innings at first are the most on the roster (other than Adam Dunn) by about less than 70 innings. Defaulting to position players with greater defensive prowess in roster selection is not unwise, exactly - but as DeRosa himself points out, you necessarily end up with a guy at first who is not all that prepared to receive pick offs. I imagine the Japanese will take advantage of this and take some pretty adventurous leads off first tonight. Japan is tied with Korea for most stolen bases in the classic (9).

Japan, on the other hand, is missing Shuichi Murata, whose 2 HR, 7 RBI and .379 OBP were instrumental in getting Japan as far as its got.

Some pitcher v. batter (as a bonus: in poorly formatted tables!). Not enough PA to really matter, but a couple of US batters have had some success against Matsuzaka, in any case. And Ichiro fares well against Oswalt.

Daisuke Matsuzaka v. US players (career) (from bb-ref)

	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG
Brian Roberts	15	.500	.600	.667
Derek Jeter	14	.333	.429	.833
Curtis Granderson	10	.444	.500	.889
Ryan Braun	4	.500	.500	.500
Evan Longoria	4	.500	.750	.500
Brian McCann	2	.000	.000	.000

Roy Oswalt v. Japan players (career) (from bb-ref)

	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG
Ichiro Suzuki	7	.571	.571	.571
Akinori Iwamura	4	.250	.250	.250
Kenji Johjima	3	.000	.000	.000

WBC Tonight: Korea v. Venezuela

andromache — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:46:18 -0000

Game time: 9:00 PM ET

Probable Pitchers: Suk-Min Yoon (Korea) and Carlos Silva (Venezuela)

While Korea's pitching has been superb against many of its Classic foes, we've also seen it collapse against Japan in the first round. Venezuela's lineup is far more fearsome that Japan's, and sports an impressive amount of power. I suspect that if things start to go downhill, they'll fall apart quickly for Korea's young starter. Korea's strength's have always been touted as pitching and defense, so I think that if Yoon can keep it in the park, he could keep the score low. On the other side, Carlos Silva has been good in the classic, but against such hard hitting foes as Italy and the Netherlands. No offense to those squads, but I don't think it would take much for the Koreans to eke out a few runs here and there - a single here, a stolen base there.

Realistically though, I doubt small ball will be enough against Venezuela. I think Venezuela'll keep on hitting, and move on to the final game.

Thursday's Game:

Pool 1 - Japan 6 Korea 2

Japan really hit Korea on Thursday to take the top seed in Pool 1, with 15 hits scoring their 6 runs. Korea wasn't helped by uncharacteristically sloppy defense, allowing two unearned runs, and committing three errors - 2 of them by first baseman Tae-Kyun Kim. In any case, I'd kind of like to not see these two teams in the final game - I'm a little sick of this matchup. Then again, I'm also sort of tired of US v. Venezuela. Any other permutations are fine with me.

World Baseball Classic Thread: 3/19

andromache — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:02:00 -0000

Not a big day for the WBC, today, with only one seeding game, and most Americans focused on some big college sports event for whatever reason.

Today's Game: Korea v. Japan, 9:00 PM

Ok, so this is the fourth game between Korea and Japan this classic. As it's fairly meaningless, does anyone care anymore? The loser has to play the mighty Venezuelans, but the winner gets an easy berth to the final game against the weak US? Maybe not so much. In any case, the Japanese will have Matsuzaka ready for their semi-final game and instead start Tetsuya Utsumi, against Korea's Won-Sam Jang. Utsumi pitches for the Yomiuri Giants, and has been one of the top pitchers in the Central League of NPB for the last three years. Jang was the KBO's ROY runner-up in 2006, and his overall record in the 2008 Olympics was 12 1/3 innings, 0 ER, 11 K - to be fair, most of that was a complete game shut out against the Netherlands. In any case, while pride is on the line, neither team wants to overkill with the finals coming up. Also, evidently the Koreans claimed PETCO's pitchers moung by planting a flag on it. ..so it's theirs now, right?

Yesterday's Games:

Pool 1: Japan 5 Cuba 0

Japan shuts Cuba out again, and Cuba exits the classic uncharacteristically early. Last night, Cuba still just couldn't put anything together offensively, with only two extra-base hits, and five total. However, after three scoreless innings, Japan capitalized on a Cespedes error to score two runs, slowly adding some insurance in later innings. Norichika Aoki was really the player who 'got things done' for the Japanese, with four hits and 2 RBI. Ichiro looked more like himself last night after a pretty lackluster performance, hitting 2-5 with a triple. Hirashi Iwakuma pitched six full innings, and was still only at 69 pitches at the end of them. But Toshiya Sugiushi came in for three perfect innings to end the game, with four strike outs. Pretty damn impressive.

Pool 2: Venezuela 10 USA 6

This time, the defensive scapegoat (and rightfully so) is Adam Dunn, who was not good at first base, and made an error in the second inning which opened the door for Venezuela to score six runs in that frame. I foretell trying times in the nation's capital this spring. Jeremy Guthrie did not go six innings last night, and, although Dunn's error was responsible for four of the six runs allowed by Guthrie, he certainly wasn't pitching strongly, and exited after 1 2/3 innings. The USA battled back, and looked to make it a close game in the top of the sixth, but the Venezuelans came back in the bottom of that inning and scored three runs off LaTroy Hawkins. The Venzuelans did a great job offensively - six of their 9 starting batters had multiple hits. The best hitter for the day on the US side was Mark DeRosa, who had three hits, one of them a home run. The Venezuelans brought K-Rod in to close, again, though only for one inning, and if I were the mets, I would be slightly displeased.

World Baseball Classic Thread: 3/18

andromache — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:38:35 -0000

The USA and Korea both earned semifinal berths with a win yesterday. Puerto Rico goes home, and Japan is relegated to the loser's bracket to face Cuba today.

via www.newsday.com

Yesterday

Pool 1: Korea 4 Japan 1

Korea definitely got a little lucky - scoring four runs despite hitting only 4 singles in the game (to Japan's seven). Although Darvish got into trouble right away in the first, he still pitched five innings, striking out seven, and all three of his runs came after a fielding error, 1 was unearned. Bong was certainly not as flashy, but allowed only one run to the Japanese, though he walked three - that run came in the fifth when Ichiro Suzuki grounded into a force out that scored Fukudome. Korea's most notable performance offensively came from Jin-Young Lee, who batted in two on a single in the first inning and walked twice later in the game.

Pool 2: USA 6 Puerto Rico 5

In an close came that ended in an exciting comeback, I have to say that Davey Johnson's brilliant managing really saved the day, as Derek Jeter's veteran fielding excellence...oh...wait...no, actually he was terrible. David Wright was the hero last night, hitting a walk-off single in the ninth that scored two runs. Not a pantheon of pitching excellence, on either side, but after the starters left, both bullpens did alright. Man, Nelson Figueroa has been really good. I'm a little sad Puerto Rico is out, they played a really good classic.

Today

Pool 1: 11:00 PM Japan v. Cuba

The 2006 champion and runner up face each other again, and this time for elimination. Japan will throw Hirashi Iwakuma on the mound, as the remaining member of their rotation, and Cuba will turn to veteran Yunieski Maya. Well. Cuba is fresher, but Japan may be stirred up after losing to Korea. I don't really know. I feel like in late innings, the Cubans could hit the Japanese bullpen hard, but they certainly didn't have anything going last time they met, when Japan beat them 6-0. It sort of feels a shame that either of these teams will be left out of the final round.

Pool 2: 7:00 PM Venezuela v. USA

Venezuela's manager has already that he'll be sitting Hernandez, Mora, and K-Rod for tonight's game. As a seeding match, I can't imagine either team is all that motivated, especially since who knows what the results of Pool 1 will be. The US, I think, though will be a little less rested, and a little more preoccupied with injury concerns, as so many on the roster have gone down already. Jeremy Guthrie is starting, and Davey Johnson has joked that he'll be going six innings, because there's no one left in the bullpen. isn't that comforting, Jeremy? I can't find Venezuela's starter (less than three hours before the game, thanks mlb.com) Id think they'd toss Enrique Gonzalez or Victor Zambrano up there (and save Carlos Silva for long relief in the finals).

World Baseball Classic Thread: 3/17

andromache — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:05:22 -0000

What does Yu Darvish have that Jung-Keun Bong doesn't?

Well, for one thing, his own persian rose perfume.

via www.darvish-gallery.com

More hotness to come.

Yesterday:

Pool 1: Cuba 7 Mexico 4

Man, what would Cuba do without Frederich Cepeda? He's the Classic's leader in hits, RBI, and HR. Last night was no exception, as the Cuban left fielder hit 3-4, including a 3 run double in the fifth inning that put Cuba in the lead, and Yoennis Cespedes hit a triple in Cuba's 2 run 7th that put the game solidly in their hands. Mexico made efforts to come back with solo home runs from Cantu and Presichi in the 8th and 9th. Norge Vera had a nice start, splitting the game almost evenly with Pedro Luis Lazo (who is a starter in Cuba but nearly always pitches in relief in international play). Which was a nice way to make up for the absence of Gonzalez and Maya, both of whom threw exactly 30 pitches on Sunday - because the Cubans were given a badly translated rule card which said more than 30 pitches, when the rule is 30 or more. Props to the Cubans for handlying it very gracefully. I mean, probably they should've known the proper rules anyway, but that kind of sucked. No harm for now, as Mexico is eliminated and Cuba will face the winner of Korea/Japan today.

Pool 2: Venezuela 2 Puerto Rico 0

You don't need me to tell you that Venezuela's pitching staff did an enormous job yesterday. Seattle's Felix Hernandez was a bit wild, walking four, but also struck out seven and kept the Puerto Ricans scoreless in his 4 2/3 innings. Ramon Ramirez started the 8th inning, pitching until K-Rod came in for the last 1 1/3 innings to wrap things up. Ian Snell also had a nice start for Puerto Rico - allowing only 1 run in his four innings, but even that one run would have been too much, as his teammates bats were simply not up to it - their best performance of the night was Carlos Beltran's 3 walks and a double. Venezuela wasn't honestly a lot better, but their two runs were enough to win the game. One of them came on a controversial solo home run by new Red Ramon Hernandez, originally scored a triple. The umpires are now saying that it wasn't actually instant replay - they couldn't get the video - and that it ended up just being called by consensus. So Venezuela will automatically get into the semifinals and Puerto Rico plays the US for elimination today.

Today:

Pool 1: 11:00 PM ET Korea v. Japan

My "Be the Reds" shirt is on. My first ever batch of kimchi is fermenting as I type. I am so ready for this game. Beautiful-and-all-around-fantastic-person Yu Darvish is starting for the Japanese.

via blog.roodo.com

Previously, Darvish started against China, throwing 4 hitless innings (...but against China). He also threw an inning in the second Korea v. Japan, striking out three, but allowing a hit and a walk. Bong Jung-Keun is pitching for Korea - he started in that second Korea/Japan game, pitching excellently - 5 1/3 innings allowing only 3 hits and no walks. But the Japanese batters may not have so much trouble with him this time around. Whoever wins will have a guaranteed final four spot, and the loser faces Cuba tomorrow.

Pool 2: 7:00 PM ET Puerto Rico v. US

Tonight, the six gets cut down to five, and either the US or Puerto Rico are out. the US, plagued with injuries, will be led on the mound by Ted Lilly. Um, also, Derek Jeter will be playing shortstop, with Jimmy Rollins as the designated hitter. Uh...did Jimmy Rollins BREAK HIS LEG OR SOMETHING? I mean, whatever. Puerto Rico will be starting the Giants' Jonathan Sanchez who was fantastic in his one other WBC start, going four innings, allowing no runs and only 2 hits. The Puerto Rican bullpen has still allowed only 1 run in relief. It's a little crazy. (The US bullpen has allowed 18). So, while the talent side may still lie with the US, this game could be really interesting.

World Baseball Classic Thread: 3/16

andromache — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:28:09 -0000

The US team survives, but is bogged down with more injuries, Venzuela and Puerto Rico play for a guaranteed semifinal spot, and Cuba and Mexico try to stave off elimination against each other.

via i2.cdn.turner.com

More after the cut.

Yesterday:

Pool 1: Japan 6 Cuba 0

Daisuke Matsuzaka did indeed deliver, striking out 8 in his six shutout innings against the Cuban team. He didn't walk anyone, but it took him 86 pitches to do it. (One pitch over the limit). Aroldis Chapman did not have a good game for Cuba, by any means, allowing 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings, but he did hit 100 according to gameday. Japan's offense was unsurprising, scoring 6 runs on 12 hits (11 singles and 1 double) - Ichiro scored and drove in a run, despite being 0-5. The Cubans did manage 8 hits, but couldn't string them together, and their power was strangely absent. A bit off topic, since he didn't pitch yesterday - who else loves Watanabe and his great submarine pitching?

Pool 1: Korea 8 Mexico 2

Although Mexico struck first, scoring 2 runs in the top of the second, the Korean side tied it in that same inning, and afterwards managed to eke out a small lead, and pulling away in the seventh. Korea used a little havoc to great advantage, with a stolen base allowing them to score the tying run in the second on an error, and a double steal in the seventh that helped them put it away for good. Their three home runs probably didn't hurt any either. Oliver Perez allowed all three home runs, and left in the 5th innings to be relieved by Elmer Dessens. Korea's starter Ryu Hyun-Jin didn't have a great start, leaving the game after 2 2/3, after allowing 2 runs. More uncomfortable, the Kim In-Sik, the Korean manager later put in Kim Kwang-hyun and Yoon Suk-Min, 2 of Korea's other three starters. While neither threw enough pitches to keep them out of games, it still seems to show a certain lack of confidence in the bullpen.

Pool 2: USA 9 Netherlands 3

The USA really made their point early in the game, and although the Netherlands tried to make it interesting in late innings, they couldn't muster enough offense to really come within striking distance. Jimmy Rollins was great, hitting a triple and a two-run homer. Jeter was unclutch, hitting 0-3, and still hitless in round 2. Braves catcher Brian McCann replaced Ryan Braun (when Braun was mildly injured), playing left field and hitting a double. Adam Dunn hit his third home run of the classic (with the bases empty and after the US was well in the lead, so therefore unclutch). The other two members of the 2009 WBC 3 HR club are Frederich Cepeda of Cuba and Mexico's Karim Garcia. (Dunn did it in fewer AB's but only because he has six walks) Chipper Jones is out for the duration - because he played in the first game, he can't be replaced until the next round, but if the USA makes it to the semis, it has been speculated that Evan Longoria will be asked to participate. Matt Lindstrom is also out with injury, which might just be as well. There was a little awkwardness between Lindstrom and the Dutch, which Tom Verducci of SI covered.

Today:

Pool 1: 11:00 PM ET - Cuba v. Mexico

Both of these teams are a little sapped pitchingwise. In yesterday's game against Japan, Cuba brought out Ismel Jimenez, Yulieski Gonzalez, and Yunieski Maya for 30 pitches or more, making them unavailable to pitch today (along with yesterday's starter), while Mexico will miss only Oliver Perez. (But Mexico's pitching is a little more pathetic to begin with). Cuba will start Norge Luis Vera, who was great for Cuba in Round 1, but against South Africa. Mexico's starter is Jorge Campillo, who has so far given up only 1 run in 4 2/3 innings of work. Of course, Cuba trounced Mexico very recently, winning when the game ended on the mercy rule as Cuba put up nine runs in the bottom of the seventh. But, that time, Cuba relied on Gonzalez and Maya for a combined four innings. If Mexico can chase Vera early, I think they can send Cuba home tonight. On the other hand, if Cuba's sluggers like Gourriel and Despaigne can wake up against weak Mexican pitching, Cuba could win in seven again.

Pool 2: 8:00 PM ET - Venezuela v. Puerto Rico

While neither of these teams is facing the threat of elimination, they are playing for a nice prize - an automatic seat in the semifinals. I'm sure both teams would like to avoid rematching with the US for elimination tomorrow. Although not the initially best looking pitching corps in the tournament, the PR boasts the best team ERA of any team left in the classic - in 34 innings so far, they've only allowed 2 runs. 2! Venezuela has allowed 20. Tonight, PR will send Ian Snell to the mound, who went four innings in his previous WBC start, allowing one run. Against him, Venezuela will look to Feliz Hernandez, who is five years old. This will be his first start of the classic, although he pitched 4 innings in relief of Carlos Silva, allowing only 1 run. Of course, both teams have great hitters on their squads; I think the real question will be which pitching staff falters first.