Wednesday, April 27, 2011

SweetSpot Roundup 4/27

In today's roundup, Randy Wolf takes a step forward and Colby Lewis takes a step back.  Derek Jeter hangs A-Rod out to dry while Rick Ankiel has no one to blame but himself.  And coffee is for closers (so the Phillies don't get any).



Austin's Astros 290 Blog: Good reading on run differentials
Austin links to a really importnat post by Christina Kahrl that may have missed your attention.

Disciples of Uecker (Brewers): Wolf in Wolf's Clothing
"Over his last three starts, Wolf has thrown 20.2 innings, striking out 19 batters, walking five, and allowing only one solo home run, the only run he’s allowed in this stretch.What’s different?"

Fungoes (Cardinals): What were the Cardinals doing with weekend hit-and-runs?
"In the weekend series against the Reds, the Cardinals attempted a hit-and-run three times. None succeeded." What went wrong?

Bay City Ball (Giants): I Want to Believe in Gary Brown
Chris Quick digs deep to see what the future holds for a Giants prospect.

Nationals Baseball: Ankiel, Straight to the Bench
"As others have said before me, "The Rick Ankiel Story" would make a good movie....  Too bad the original story has spurned on some terrible sequels."  This is actually a terrific little article and a great hook.

Ducksnorts (Padres): Quick Hits, Checking In On the Prospects
Good news, Padres fans, there might be some hitting help on the way.

Crashburn Alley (Phillies): Glengarry Greg Gross
You know what it takes to hit in this league? Brass balls.  Also, no one gets coffee on the Phillies, since coffee is for closers.

Redleg Nation: Checking the Patient's Pulse
An overview of the first 14% of the 2011 season. Wow, going fast, isn't it?

Ghostrunner on First (Blue Jays): Fire When Ready (Which Is Always)
Yunel Escobar swings at first pitches kind of a lot, but that's not really a bad thing.

Baseball Time in Arlington (Rangers): Colby Lewis, The Meltdown, And My Crisis Of Understanding
"If there actually is something not right physically with Colby (and it won't shock me if that proves to be the case), where do you turn for your No. 6 starter until Tommy Hunter returns perhaps 10-14 days from now? For that matter, how does this modify your thinking about the Rangers' chances of succeeding in the playoffs -- and their thought process at the trade deadline -- if Colby ends up not being right for a long period of time and nobody can quite figure out why?"


Fire Brand of the AL (Red Sox): Top 5 Reasons Clay Buchholz Can Recover
Basically everything has gone wrong for Buchholz so far (until today, when he just got BABIP'ed to death), but the good news that comes with that is that basically everything is destined to get better.


Royals Authority: The Glove Versus The Bat
Alcides Escobar, who can't hit, vs. Chris Getz, who can't field. Who should play?

It's About the Money, Stupid (Yankees): Jeter should have had A-Rod's back.
"Whether Jeter “accepted” A-Rod or notas the nominal captain of the Yankees, a fan favorite, and a teammate of Alex Rodriguez, Jeter should have stuck up for A-Rod at some point. Whether he liked him or not, sticking up for a teammate is just part of being a professional. Especially when there’s supposedly so much value stemming from your leadership qualities."

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