Wednesday, April 13, 2011

SweetSpot Roundup 4/13

This morning's roundup has some struggling pitchers, some rolling pitchers, some curious managerial decisions, dissension in the ranks, and a Yankee blogger with a nice Hall of Fame argument on behalf of a Red Sox legend.



Austin's Astros 290 Blog: Mills Stands By Figgy
Brad Mills has a strange attachment to Nelson Figueroa.  Probably because he's lived, really lived, man.  You dig?

Capitol Avenue Club (Braves): Braves 5, Marlins 0
Is Tommy Hanson back?  The results are encouraging.

The View From the Bleachers (Cubs): Nothing like a quick start
Buddy recaps the Cubs win over the Astros.

Dodger Thoughts: Dodgers Recall DeJesus
Yes, Ivan DeJesus Jr. is coming up, but more importantly, Bill Buckner is going to be on Curb Your Enthusiasm!

Bay City Ball (Giants): Lincecum's Slider is a Dream, Nightmare
The excellent Rory Paar with an ode to Timmy's incredible slide piece.

Mets Today: What Would Wally Do?
Wally Backman would have an epic meltdown, that's what he'd do.  And here he does.  Can you imagine this guy coexisting with Sandy Alderson?

Nationals Baseball: An Eeeeeeeeearly Look at Danny Espinosa
Harper sees some offensive growth and room for optimism in the Nationals' young middle infielder.

Ducksnorts (Padres): Nice Backstop
This is just a link to Geoff's article at Baseball Prospectus, but it's a fine opportunity to congratulate him on the new part-time gig.

Crashburn Alley (Phillies): Charlie Being Charlie
Baseball's most lovable uncle has some strange ideas about pinch hitter usage.

Redleg Nation: Reds Season Ticket Base Still Below Par
Sometimes attendance takes a while to come back, lagging even a whole season behind.

Baseballin' on a Budget (Athletics): (10) Athletics 2, White Sox 1: That's Why They Play All Nine
Tonight they actually played all 10, and the result wasn't quite as good for the A's (or for my poor cold ears and fingers). But Monday's was an equally exciting and much more cleanly played game, and Dan has the summary for you.

Ghostrunner on First (Blue Jays): Strikeouts Are Good
And Brett Cecil has been bad, largely because he isn't getting many of those. Drew ties it all back to his changeup.

Pro Ball NW (Mariners): That's Why You Never Leave! (3-7)
I love this one. Jon had this whole post written up about how Monday night's M's game was this terrible and depressing loss, and then they went and came all the way back and won the game...so Jon just left in all the depressing notes (understandably, I think) and added the good stuff afterward. Fun read.

Weaver's Tantrum (Orioles): On Deck -- The New York Yankees
Dave's preview of the Orioles-Yankees series that will now begin tonight thanks to Tuesday's rainout.

Baseball Time in Arlington (Rangers): Alexi Ogando, Rangers Ace
"A synopsis of the situation as it currently stands: In his first two major league starts (and only his fourth and fifth starts as a professional ballplayer, which is doubly mindblowing), Ogando has posted 13 innings of zero-run, four-hit baseball, with eight strikeouts stacked against just three walks yielded to the Mariners' and Tigers' lineups."


The Ray Area: 16 Reasons to Disagree with Dave
Our fearless leader David Schoenfield basically wrote the Rays' obituary on the SweetSpot blog the other day. Mark has some reasons to think the situation isn't quite that dire.


Fire Brand of the AL (Red Sox): Bizarro Dice-K
Troy wonders if there might be some troubling physical problems underlying Monday night's disaster start by Matsuzaka.

Royals Authority: Vin Mazzaro or Sean O'Sullivan: The Decision
Speaking of disastrous pitching outings, Mazzaro sure had one in Omaha the other day, resulting in O'Sullivan taking over as the Royals' fifth starter. Nick's got your analysis.

Nick's Twins Blog: Three-Bagger: Grounders, Injuries & Plouffe
Mauer can't seem to get the ball in the air; even more about Hardy, Nishioka and injuries; and perpetual farmhand Trevor Plouffe's hot start.

It's About the Money, Stupid (Yankees): Manny Ramirez Should Be In The Hall of Fame
Hell yes, he should. Preach it, Brien.

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