Off-Night Open Thread

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 28, 2008 4:00 PM CDT in Game Threads Comment 41 comments

As usual on a Monday, there's a reduced baseball schedule. But there is plenty of action in the Central--every team but the Brewers and Cubs are playing. At 7:15, the Reds and Cardinals play, with Bronson Arroyo and Todd Wellemeyer going head to head. Here's the MLB.com scoreboard.

Nashville plays tonight against the Rockies Triple-A club with Mike Mark DiFelice on the mound (I think), while Huntsville played this afternoon. Brevard County starts at 6 CT against a rehabbing Al Reyes, and West Virginia has the night off.

Also in minor league news, Claudio Vargas made his debut for the Mets in high-A. He allowed one earned run in six innings, and the time of game was 4:22. (I kid, I kid.)

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Vargas

I was wondering when he would make it into a minor league game. It would have been weird to see Jeff Weaver at AAA before him.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Apr 28, 2008 4:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

FWIW

The MiLB scoreboard has Richie Gardner as the probable Sounds starter. Are he and DiFelice sharing a rotation slot, low-minors style? He pitched the final three innings in DiFelice’s last start.

by Zeyes on Apr 28, 2008 4:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

oh, and...

I think you mean Mike DiFelice. :)

by Zeyes on Apr 28, 2008 4:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

D'oh, I'm an idiot.

Just duplicated your typo…that’s supposed to be Mark DiFelice.

by Zeyes on Apr 28, 2008 4:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

you are correct

all these minor leaguers are the same to me :).

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 28, 2008 4:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

memory aid

Now we finally now the real reason you’re keeping that database of yours!

by Zeyes on Apr 28, 2008 4:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

actually, the database has the opposite effect

in order to track a couple thousand minor leaguers (or 20,000 college players), i have to write programs that move up a level or two in abstraction. My knowledge of specific players has actually gone down quite a bit since I started that site. Outside of the Brewers and last year’s draft picks, I don’t know if I could name 50 prospects right now.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 28, 2008 4:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Richie Gardner did indeed start the game

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 7:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

more minors stuff

Huntsville has taken both player and pitcher of the week honours in the Southern League, or more specifically Mat Gamel and Sam Narron have.

by Zeyes on Apr 28, 2008 4:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

ESPN

Yankees and Indians tonight. Good grief.

by ol Pete on Apr 28, 2008 6:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I like watching the Indians

The Yankees are the meat grinder, though.

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 6:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Linebrink just gave up the go-ahead homer in the 11th

To Ramon Hernandez, of all people. I’d like to see Joe Thatcher, Will Inman, or Steve Garrison provide that kind of value!

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 6:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

and he was pitching the 12th

hope nobody boos him.

by ol Pete on Apr 28, 2008 6:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

They're making fun of the 14 pitchers thing on ESPN right now

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 6:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i'm tempted to write my next THT column

defending the 14 pitchers. Not that I’m behind it or would recommend it in the future, but it’s not as bad as all that.

Basically, we had 13 pitchers and were playing with a 24-man roster.

Or, Ned was reserving the right to bury Turnbow and we were playing 12 pitchers and a 23-man roster. Any team should be able to play with a 23-man roster (though preferable 12 position and 11 pitchers, not the other way around.)

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 28, 2008 7:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fantasy poll:

Would you give up Beckett to get Fielder?

"My thing is that you guys eat meat all day and you can't hit a ball. That's my thing." - P. Fielder

by SRB on Apr 28, 2008 7:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

As in real life, it would completely depend on who else is on your team

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 7:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

My pitching is solid, even without Beckett

but I already have James Loney at 1B and he’s supposed to have a lot of potential.

"My thing is that you guys eat meat all day and you can't hit a ball. That's my thing." - P. Fielder

by SRB on Apr 28, 2008 7:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Loney has Mark Grace-type power at first

He’s a .315, 40 doubles kinda guy. If your pitching can take the hit (and Beckett is hardly a sure thing, especially health-wise), I say do it. Fielder is a difference-maker in fantasy.

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

(as in real life)

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

Forget about Loney. Package him in your deal for prince and get another pitcher in return. Unless you have Utility spots, Prince is much more valuable than Beckett. Beckett gets hurt all of the time and he pitches in a hitter friendly division.

If you are in a Yahoo! league, keep the trade posted but suggest I trade like I suggested. Leave both trades up and see what the trade partner does. If he rejects your offer, than accept the original.

by brewfan2 on Apr 28, 2008 7:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I must have a fever.

Thanks for the help, not sure why I even hesitated. It’s a straight points league with Wins essentially negligible, so Beckett loses most of his value right away. And I still have Bedard and Harang in a fifteen-team league.

With Fielder on board my offense is suddenly a lot less ugly!

"My thing is that you guys eat meat all day and you can't hit a ball. That's my thing." - P. Fielder

by SRB on Apr 28, 2008 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ivan Rodriguez

Pudge II once walked five times in one game, in 2003. In 2007, he walked nine times all year. Dude.

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 7:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Fights

if anyone is interested in a good hockey fight check out Versus channel over the next 45 minutes. The Flyers are up 3-0 going into the 3rd and if history is an indicator there are going to be some gloves dropped before the final horn.

Good time for Prince's fifth homer

by molitorfan on Apr 28, 2008 7:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

packers blogs

Has anyone else out there been scouring the Packers blogs looking for draft analysis? I wanted to find out which undrafted players they had signed. I couldn’t help seeing some of the comments sections in the blogs, and man they make the Cubbies bloggers look like MENSA candidates. Typos, misspelled words, inappropriate language and punctuation, they sounded like booger-eaters (to use a Colin Cowherd-ism). Is it just that the average BB fan is smarter than the average football fan, or do the sabermetric blogs attract a more intellectual crowd?

by balldeagle on Apr 28, 2008 7:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

We're not a sabermetrics blog;

We’re a sabermetric-friendly, perhaps -slanted, Brewers blog. It’s an important distinction because I don’t want it to be exclusive. If anyone is uncomfortable with the numbers and acronyms we throw around, don’t be shy, just make a post, and I’m sure five of us will fall all over each other trying to sound smart.

As for the difference between football blogs and baseball blogs, I don’t think you can’t necessarily draw meaningful conclusions about a person’s intelligence from his or her posts on the internet (at least, I don’t think that poor spelling and swearing necessarily mean a person is stupid), but I’ve never really had a desire to blog about the Packers or read others who do so, so I can’t really comment.

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 8:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

watching gameday of reds/cards

Arroyo has bases loaded with Glaus at the plate and it shows strike calls on pitches crossing the batters box. And he still manages to walk in a run.

Jerry Layne is the ump.

by ol Pete on Apr 28, 2008 8:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Zito

does this make San Fran’s pen more expensive than ours?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3372794

Good time for Prince's fifth homer

by molitorfan on Apr 28, 2008 9:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Based

on the opening day salary totals that were in an earlier fan post, and Zito’s $18 million/year, ours is still more expensive. Which is more than a little depressing.

"My thing is that you guys eat meat all day and you can't hit a ball. That's my thing." - P. Fielder

by SRB on Apr 28, 2008 9:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Credit to TheJay, btw

For the excellent list:
http://www.brewcrewball.com/2008/4/1/388645/2008-opening-day-bullpens

"My thing is that you guys eat meat all day and you can't hit a ball. That's my thing." - P. Fielder

by SRB on Apr 28, 2008 9:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's mostly just funny

it’s interesting how the Giants have done so many stupid things, like the Rowand and Zito contract, plus keeping the likes of Roberts and Durham around in what should be a rebuilding phase, but have put together a decent bullpen on the cheap.

That said, if they didn’t have the arms in their system, you have to suspect that Sabean would’ve outbid us for Riske or something.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 28, 2008 10:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

They have a nice rotation

Lincecum/Cain/Sanchez is a nice starting point.

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 10:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's a good start

but don’t you kind of get the feeling it’s an accident?

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 28, 2008 10:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

With Sabean

Everything that goes right seems like an accident

by Jordan M on Apr 28, 2008 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

sig-worthy

"He just needs to eat some bananas." - Lou Piniella

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Apr 29, 2008 8:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha

Well, to whomever’s credit, there was a lot of doubt surrounding Lincecum when he was in the draft because of his stature, control, and past workload. He wasn’t a gimme. I have no idea who calls the shots for the Giants draft-time though. But yes, Sabes, over the last half decade or so, has general-managed as if he had a lobotomy.

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 10:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm

I have to ask: What’s worse, having an $18 million/year pitcher who can’t pitch effectively, or a $14-15 million/year pitcher who hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2005 (but is almost back, again)?

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Apr 28, 2008 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually

Zito’s been below replacement level so far, so I guess I’d rather have Hampton.

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Apr 28, 2008 11:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jayson Stark

Did a chat yesterday on which contract was worse. It’s Insider but his timing was great. Maybe Sabean was reading the chat when he got the bullpen idea.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=20399

Good time for Prince's fifth homer

by molitorfan on Apr 29, 2008 6:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jayson

Relative of the Nixes?

by Jordan M on Apr 29, 2008 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just love the phrasing the headline uses

“After 0-6 start, Giants move ace Zito to bullpen.”

Uh-huh.

by Zeyes on Apr 29, 2008 2:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

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NL Central Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
St. Louis Viva El Birdos	44	38	.536	0	Won 3
Milwaukee Brew Crew Ball	43	38	.530	0.5	Won 1
Chicago Bleed Cubbie Blue	39	39	.500	3	Lost 1
Cincinnati Red Reporter	39	39	.500	3	Lost 1
Houston The Crawfish Boxes	38	40	.487	4	Lost 1
Pittsburgh Bucs Dugout	37	43	.462	6	Won 1