Some things to read while wondering if the apocalypse would be that bad.
A day later, Yovani Gallardo's performance from yesterday is still drawing notice all over the place. Some highlights:
- Chone Smith was reminded of a Steve Carlton performance from nearly three decades ago, and reminds us all that this performance wouldn't be possible in the AL.
- Babes Love Baseball has a comment from Ken Macha after the game.
- Chuckie Hacks wondered about Gallardo's ceiling and noted that he now has as many total bases (10) as Jason Kendall.
- View From Bernie's Chalet says Gallardo's starts are becoming must-see.
- Gallardo's performance inspired Tyler Maas of Bugs & Cranks to include him on the list of the 10 best active hitting pitchers.
- Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases thinks Gallardo could win a Cy Young Award sometime in the next few years.
- Charlie from Bucs Dugout tipped his cap to Gallardo.
- Sully Baseball asks if eleven strikeouts weren't enough.
- Baseball Musings says it's the first 1-0 game won by a pitcher's home run since 2002 when Odalis Perez did it, and just the eighth in the last 50 years.
- The Bucky Channel is having a hard time coming up with words to describe the performance.
After the game yesterday the Brewers made a roster move, placing Mike Rivera on the DL with an ankle sprain and calling up Carlos Corporan to take his place. The Brewers had one empty spot on their 40-man roster, so no one had to be removed to make room for him. Corporan is seen as a good defensive catcher, but more or less anyone who knows how to put on the equipment and warm pitchers up in the bullpen can do what the Brewers are asking for from a backup catcher.
So, put yourself in the shoes of a Pirates fan for a moment. You've just seen your team swept at Miller Park, your fifteenth consecutive loss to the Brewers, and your lineup was dominated by Yovani Gallardo yesterday. What do you do now? I guess you could keep complaining about Ryan Braun, like Raise the Jolly Roger is doing.
After one month of baseball, Dan Szymborski of Baseball Think Factory has updated his 2009 ZiPS projections, and now projects Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder to finish second and third in baseball with 45 and 41 home runs, respectively. He also projects Braun to finish tied for second with 133 RBI.
Meanwhile, Dave Bush is leading the league in a less prestigious stat. Bush became the first pitcher in the major leagues to hit three batters in one game Tuesday night, and now leads the league with 5 hit batsmen.
Also via Plunk Everyone, Rickie Weeks needs six more HBP to take over the all-time lead at Miller Park. Geoff Jenkins is the current leader.
Dave Bush's three hit batsmen Tuesday weren't nearly as rare as Corey Hart's three walks, a new career high. The last time Hart walked three times in the same game was in a 24 inning contest in AAA.
Jorge Julio, on the other hand, has demonstrated the capacity to rack up walks at a much faster pace. Anthony Witrado has a story on Julio's relationship with Bill Castro, and what they've been working on since Julio's disastrous appearance in Philadelphia. The early results are good.
Maybe the Brewers will be underrated all season. Despite having won 7 of 8 games, getting back over .500 and moving into a tie for second place, MLB FanHouse moved the Brewers down from 24th to 25th in their power rankings. What a joke.
On the subject of jokes, Right Field Bleachers posted the audio of Bob Uecker's discussion of Twitter during yesterday's game. Good stuff. If you Twitter and you're not yet, you should be following BCB.
Here's a promotion the Brewers should use: Choose your Bobblehead night. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are letting the fans vote to pick the bobblehead given away on September 3. Rattler Radio lists the candidates, which include some classic Rattlers as well as Brett Lawrie and Cutter Dykstra.
Around the league:
Cardinals: Are expected to place infielder Brendan Ryan on the DL today with a hamstring strain.
Indians: Placed Travis Hafner on the DL with a sore shoulder.
Nationals: Acquired reliever Logan Kensing from the Marlins for a low-level pitching prospect.
Orioles: Ryan Freel, acquired from the Reds this spring, is unhappy with his role with the team and would like to leave.
Rockies: Placed infielder Jeff Baker on the DL with a sprained hand.
White Sox: Released reliever Mike MacDougal.
When I unveiled my NL Central predictions a month ago, I was called out for underrating the Cubs, who (at least in some eyes) could not possibly be considered anything less than a lock to dominate the NL Central. Obviously the season isn't over, but as the Cubs close April in fifth place and View From The Bleachers is calling for changes, I feel pretty good about my assessment.
Oh, and now that Joe Torre has batted his pitcher eighth, can we go back to calling it a good idea?
Drink up.