Tuesday, May 31, 2011

SweetSpot Roundup 5/31

In today's roundup, the Astros are selling, the Brewers are running, Lizzie is leaving, Bartolo Colon is dealing, Jose Bautista is kvetching.  Also, take a moment to remember Paul Splitorff, RIP.


Austin's Astros 290 Blog: Trading Cards
Acknowledging that his Astros are out of it, Trace wonders what can be sold that isn't nailed down.

Capitol Avenue Club (Braves): Pitch F/X: Dan Uggla likes to swing at balls
You know what, interpret that however you want.  I'm outta here.

Disciples of Uecker (Brewers): Presented Without Comment-Brewers Advanced Baserunning Numbers
I'll comment.  "Casey McGehee?  Hahahahahahahahaha!"  Seriously, you should read this.

View From the Bleachers (Cubs): A GirlieView Farewell
Sadly, Lizzie's leaving the boys.  They never cleaned up after themselves around the blog, and kept trying to hit on her sister whenever she'd come to visit.  It won't be the same without her.

Dodger Thoughts: Here's a Little-Known Fact...
A weird thing about the NL West being so wide open this year is the Dodgers have only played one game so far against the first place team in their division.

Bay City Ball (Giants): Why the Giants Shouldn't Acquire Ivan Rodriguez
But they will.  You know they will.  This makes too much sense to Sabean, even if the rest of us understand how dumb this is.

Mets Today: Mets get life preserver
On David Einhorn: "What does this mean for Mets fans? Not much, yet. All we know is that the bills are likely to be paid through the end of the year. A new chapter in Mets history is just beginning."

Nationals Baseball: Maybe they should all use Kooky Katchers
Harper weighs in on the catchers blocking the plate controversy.

Ducksnorts (Padres): Thoughts from Tucson, Part 1
Geoff took a field trip to see the Padres' farmhands at AAA Tucson and has the lowdown.

Crashburn Alley (Phillies): Phillies Catchers Need Defensive Improvement
Bill needs the team's backstops to start stepping up.

Redleg Nation: I don't want to go off on a rant here...
Chad, on the nature of being a team blogger and on staying positive.

Blake Street Bulletin (Rockies): Tulo and Rockies battling through ill-fated season
"Troy Tulowtizki has had an awful month.  He’s hitting .198 since May 1st.  However, it’s been one of the most unlucky slumps of his career."

Baseballin' on a Budget (A's): Athletics 6, Orioles 4: Runs in Droves! and Welcome Back, Andrew!
Recap of Sunday's win over the Orioles, in which former and presumably future closer Andrew Bailey made his season debut.

Ghostrunner on First (Blue Jays): Don't Make Me Do This
Jose Bautista had a weird selfish obnoxious moment, and Drew just really doesn't want him to turn out to be as shameful as Kevin Youkilis.

It's Pronounced "Lajaway" (Indians): You make me feel like a kid again
"For years, the Indians were expected to lose. My brother and I would watch the games religiously, and every win was a cause for celebration because there weren’t that many of them.  I think some of the incredulity surrounding  their tremendous start this year is that few people believed that the Indians–the Indians?–could be so dominant. But they can be. They have been."


Pro Ball NW (Mariners): The Doug Fister of Today
Fister's performance on Monday gives Rick an occasion to daydream a little about what might be.

Camden Depot (Orioles): Predicted Wins and Playoff Probability: Week 9
Jon checks in on where the projection systems see the Orioles finishing this season, complete with tidy graph.

Baseball Time in Arlington (Rangers): Memorial Day Open Thread: Five Questions
Some questions for you to ponder about the pitching, Rangers TV, your personal baseball experiences, and -- oh yeah -- requesting some help with a project you'll be reading about here sometime soon.

Fire Brand of the AL (Red Sox): Hill's Modified Approach
A few years ago, Rich Hill was the key pitcher on my fantasy team. That was the year he pitched in five games, walking almost one guy an inning, and then spent the rest of the year in the minors. Well, he's made some changes in an effort to fit in in Boston's bullpen, and Troy takes a look.

Royals Authority: Splitt
This is a few days old now, but a must-read: Clark reminisces about pitcher Paul Splittorff, who died last night at age 64.

The Daily Fungo (Tigers): Friday Fungoes: Mad Max, Old Men and Edwin Nunez
Lots and lots of Tigers-related notes, including Max Scherzer and Brandon Inge being really bad and Jhonny Peralta being really good.

Nick's Twins Blog: Three-Bagger: Posey, Home Cooking and Killer
Nick sees the Posey injury as "another tally against the logic of keeping Mauer at catcher." I see it as an argument for enforcing the rulebook and doing away with catchers blocking the plate and exposing themselves to ridiculously dangerous situations. Also thoughts about the Twins' struggles at home and the Killebrew memorial (which was marvelous).

It's About the Money, Stupid (Yankees): Colon has proven doubters wrong
"No matter how optimistic you are, no matter what the chances Colon could contribute to the 2011 Yankees, he’s already out-performed your wildest dreams."

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