Tuesday, May 10, 2011

SweetSpot Roundup 5/10

In today's roundup Jesse Litsch gets a new fan, Milton Bradley gets his walking papers, Joe Mauer gets moved, and Brooklyn Dodgers fans get scolded.

Baseballin' on a Budget (A's): Are the Starting Pitchers Going Too Deep Into Games?
"I worry though that the more teams see a pitcher on a given night, the more likely he is to give up runs.  Pitchers that throw strikes will need less pitches to get through innings and could pitch more innings, but do we want them to?"

Ghostrunner on First (Blue Jays): Effusive Praise for Jesse Litsch
 "He pitched like an animal. A wide-eyed Tiger killing machine. It was great."

It's Pronounced "Lajaway" (Indians): I'll See Your Rally-Monkey, and Raise You Two Cows
Rally Cows?  I'm down with it.

Pro Ball NW (Mariners): On Milton Bradley's Departure
"I can’t really describe Milton in prose.  He’s a complicated guy with a complicated career, and sometimes an analytical post just doesn’t do a baseball player justice.  What follows is my ode to Milton."

Baseball Time in Arlington (Rangers): The Malaise of the Rangers
"I'd like to be able to talk about or point to something that really stands out as a beacon of positivity in a baseball environment that's currently awash in bad vibes. I'd like to be able to write something deeply profound or meaningful about the psychological mindset of the Rangers as they coast forward into this next three-game set against the Athletics....I'm not sure any of these are realistic goals to aim for.

The Ray Area: Revisiting Garza
With great defense and pitching, the Rays are tied for the AL East lead.  But would they be even better with Garza still.

Fire Brand of the American League (Red Sox): Contact and Strikeouts Becoming an Issue
Troy Patterson thinks that whiffs are holding the Sox back in 2011.  Frankly, you'd think he'd talk to his brother Corey about that too.

Royals Authority: The Line Between This Year and Next
"If the question is do you try to contend in 2011 or 2012, then my answer is you contend when you have a chance."

Nick's Twins Blog: Till It Drops
I agree: "I fully understand how closely Mauer's value is tied to being behind the plate, which is why I've always maintained that the Twins should keep him there until it's no longer reasonable to do so.  I believe we've reached that point."

It's About the Money, Stupid (Yankees): The Dodgers Do Not Belong To Brooklyn
"I hate Brooklyn Dodgers fans."  Geez, Brien, don't pull any punches.


He listed four of them last week, and after a frustrating game on Sunday, Austin has #5: fire Brad Mills.

Capitol Avenue Club (Braves)Detailing Jurrjens' New Approach
"This year, his new numbers have come with a completely different approach.  In the new days of pitch f/x and sabermetrics, scrutiny of pitchers is stronger than ever and thanks to this revolutionary change, the evidence behind Jurrjens’ success is clear-cut: his two-seam fastball."

Disciples of Uecker (Brewers)Yovani Gallardo Dominates with Grounders
Jack thought (as I would have) that Gallardo would need to bring his strikeout rate back up to escape his early-season funk, but on Saturday, he switched things up and had success by getting the Cards to repeatedly drive the ball into the ground.

Fungoes (Cardinals)Cardinals-Cubs series preview
Pip gives a quick state-of-the-Cardinals sort of capsule preview as they get ready to take on their rivals in Wrigley.

View from the Bleachers (Cubs)Game 32 & 33 -- A Lost Weekend
I don't get how it's a lost weekend (they did win one of two), but Joe has a wrap.

"My purpose is not to talk about Bradley, who has been discussed here at great length, but just point out how rare it has been that Colletti has ever tried to repeat the method of this trade — exchanging a veteran in his 20s, at or near his peak value, for prospects that could contribute down the road."

Bay City Ball (Giants)Outfielder Sudoku
Otis tries to untangle the web of mostly-similar-value outfielders on the Giants roster.

Roland wonders. But...no, he wouldn't.

Nationals BaseballLong Road getting shorter
The Nats are in the middle of a stretch of 32 games in 33 days, and it's actually going pretty well.

Ducksnorts (Padres)Home, Bittersweet Home
"The Padres are playing poorly at home. This is nothing new."

Bill has a long, thorough, well-reasoned response to the silly "maybe the Braves are better than the Phillies!" thing.

Travis Wood pitches a short shutout and hits a three-run homer, and Chris has no complaints.

Those B's, the reason they've dropped 12 of their last 19? Batting and the bullpen.

1 comment:

William J. Tasker said...

I love these recaps and links. But I have one suggestion: Can you make the links open in a new tab so I don't have to find my way back to your place? I understand that I can right click the link and select "Open in new tab." But I always forget.

Other than that, love the post.