MLB - 2009 Regular Season Thread!!

[DanS]

What an outstanding catch to preserve a perfect game.

[-Jrabbit]

Pretty amazing game. Buehrle's not a strikeout pitcher, and was working with one of the worst defenses in MLB behind him. Wise's catch in the 9th was really the only defensive gem needed; kudos to Ozzie for getting him in there.

Sox defense today --
Castro catching -- backup
Josh Fields 1B -- backup, playing out of position
Stan Getz 2B -- rookie, limited range
Alexei Ramirez SS -- quality defender but a history of errors on routine plays
Gordon Beckham 3B -- rookie, playing out of position
Carlos Quentin LF -- adequaqte but playing on one leg
Scott Podsednik CF -- can go get it but has lost a step
Jermaine Dye RF -- fundamentally OK but very limited range

Considering the defensive alignment and the fact that it was against a pretty respectable offense in Tampa, this was possibly the best-pitched game I've ever watched. Pretty damn cool.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Wise is so getting a Rolex from Buehrle .

[-Jrabbit]

Beckham made a couple of nice plays too. Not Brooks-like, but handling in-between hops like he's been playing 3B for more than 6 weeks. This kid is going to be good.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Seems like Holliday to the Cards for some high level prospects (Wallace and Mortenson) is a go. This will make Albert very happy, I'm sure.

[-Jrabbit]

Pujols, the revived Ludwick, plus Holliday, with DeRosa at 3B -- suddenly lookiing very potent. Cubs better kick it up a notch and solve their Marmol/Gregg issue or they could be toast.

[Ben Kenobi]

Edit, read that wrong. Good to see Doc Halliday is still with the Jays.

[ColdWizard]

Wise is so getting a Rolex from Buehrle .

He should get a car.

[Arrian]

El Perfecto Wise's catch was amazing!

I like Buehrle. I forget he exists, but when I remember he's there, I really like him. Why? Besides being pretty good, he gets the ball and throws the damn thing. No messing around. I love that.

Bad news for the Yanks, though I'm not surprised Chien-Ming Wang's shoulder is probably FUBAR. Consultation with Dr. James Andrews to follow. I wasn't expecting anything useful out of him this year at this point, but it's sounding increasingly ominous. The rotation, which really should have been a strength, is looking problematic. CC & Burnett are basically fine. Joba has been up and down, and is going to run into (or through?) an innings cap. Pettitte is ok, but he really doesn't fool anybody with his stuff anymore. If he's your #5, great. If he's your #4, fine. If he's your #3... I am Jack's cold sweat. Sergio Mitre is the current 5th starter. Yikes. The nominal 6th and 7th starters are excelling in the bullpen (Aceves and Hughes) and the team seems loathe to move them. The 8th starter is rehabbing from an aneurism (Ian Kennedy). Hence Sergio Mitre (9th starter), trying to reprise the role formerly played by Aaron Small. Depth, which looked pretty good at the start of the year, is now a real problem.

Part of me really wants Hughes back in the rotation pronto, but then again he's thriving in his current role, he's 23, yo-yoing him back and forth between starting and relieving may be an injury risk. So maybe leave him there and put Aceves in Mitre's spot. Or suck it up and live with Mitre (more like die with Mitre).

-Arrian

p.s. Speaking of cold sweat: I fear Jarrod Washburn. Flyball pitcher. Had a bad OF defense behind him last year. Result: bad year. This year, he's had one of the best if not THE best OF defense in the game behind him. Oh, look, he's good! "He's added a new pitch." "He's in the best shape of his life." Whatever. Bring him over to Yankee Stadium II and put him in front of Damon-Gardner-Swisher, and it will get ugly (Gardner is really very good in CF, but Damon's having a BAD year in LF, and Swisher is basically average while managing to look terrible).

[Imran Siddiqui]

Pujols, the revived Ludwick, plus Holliday, with DeRosa at 3B -- suddenly lookiing very potent. Cubs better kick it up a notch and solve their Marmol/Gregg issue or they could be toast.

Of course, the question is whether Holliday's recent surge will continue (and if they can get him to a long term deal), because Wallace will be a very good hitter and Mortenson could be a good pitcher.

[-Jrabbit]

It's a win-now scenario.

I'm not even convinced they care whether they keep Holliday long-term. They have a pretty decent young core in the outfield (although it looks like Ankiel has plateaued).

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well it isn't like the Cards are a small-income team. They are one of the squads that could pay Holliday the big bucks. And I'm sure that's part of what is going through their minds here.

[-Jrabbit]

Yeah, if he's the old Holliday, that would be a really nice lineup for the next few years.

[Imran Siddiqui]

If you look at the numbers, he's been really good this season aside from April/May. Seems like a hiccup and not indicative. And now he's back in the NL, where he knows the pitchers better.

[rah]

This weekend was great in Chicago.
On friday after the perfect game the big story was, "SOXs going to Detriot tied for first place"
But come Monday, the reality is "CUBS in FIRST PLACE" and the SOXs eek out a win to avoid a sweep. Yeah baby.