Archive for the ‘baseball’ Category
Brewers Lose Three of Three to Phillies; K-Rod Implodes Again
The 2012 Milwaukee Brewers are having a dreadful year. Early on, injuries derailed the team; now, it’s the bullpen, the starting pitching, the lack of hitting, or again, the bullpen that tends to make the Brewers lose games. So what’s the culprit with regards to these latest three losses to the Philadelphia Phillies? I’ll give you one word: pitching.
You know your season is going bad when your team can’t even win one game out of three against a team with a losing record. This is where the Brewers are right now; they lost all three against the Phillies by the score of 7-6 (today’s loss being in ten innings; the other two were regulation nine inning games). These three losses show that the 2012 Brewers do not have what it takes to be a contending ball club.
And that’s sad, because as I said earlier this week, there are still some very good players on this team. Corey Hart. Ryan Braun. Yovani Gallardo. John Axford. Jonathan Lucroy, once he comes back from his rehab stint in the minors. And Aramis Ramirez, after a horrible start, has been playing much better lately.
After that, we start getting into good players (all pitchers) who won’t be with the team through 2013 — Zack Greinke, soon to be traded to a team near you. Shaun Marcum’s contract is up at the end of the year. Randy Wolf’s been treated so shabbily by the Brewers bullpen that there’s probably no amount of money that could possibly induce him to come back to the Brewers.
And then, we start to get to players who, while good at something, are bad at something else. For example, Norichika Aoki hits well, but his defense is suspect, and he makes way too many mental errors. Carlos Gomez is electric on the basepaths, has a bit of power, and plays good defense when his head’s in the game, but has a poor OBP and his average is never going to be above .240 unless he starts learning how to take a walk. Nyjer Morgan, while he can still be a sparkplug and plays good defense, just hasn’t hit very well this season.
And then, of course, there’s Rickie Weeks’s lost season, which is in a class all by itself. Weeks has tons of potential and should have a much higher batting average than .190 (his average at the start of Wednesday afternoon’s game). Weeks has been a liability at the plate, striking out way too much, and giving Hart almost no help as Weeks, in general, bats right behind Hart.
And what on Earth can be said about Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod), who blew yet another save today — his sixth blown save in nine chances — snuffing out the Brewers chance to salvage one game from the Phillies by giving up two runs in the bottom of the tenth inning? (While I’m sure K-Rod isn’t trying to blow saves, he just doesn’t seem to have it right now.)
But it’s not just K-Rod who’s fallen apart lately. In each of the last three games, someone — or many someones — in the Brewers bullpen didn’t have it. This happens sometimes to every team, but it’s been more prominent with the 2012 Brewers because the bullpen was expected to be a source of strength, not a weakness.
And what’s sad today is the fact that three relief pitchers did have it after starter Marco Estrada had a forgettable day (giving up 5 runs, all earned, in four innings of work) — John Axford pitched two scoreless innings. Livan Hernandez, the “forgotten man” in the bullpen, pitched two scoreless also. And rookie Tyler Thornburg did his job, pitching one inning of scoreless relief. Those three pitchers did their jobs, which allowed the Brewers to come back from a 5-1 early deficit and take the lead in the top of the tenth, 6-5.
But then came K-Rod. And there went the Brewers chances.
Look. While I’m frustrated with most of the Brewers relievers right now (excepting Axford, Hernandez, and Thornburg), I think part of their problem is that they’re tired. I am also starting to wonder as to why Brewers manager Ron Roenicke would bring in Manny Parra twice in two games (games 1 and 2 against the Phillies), when in both games Parra managed to load the bases due to walks; I wonder why Roenicke insisted on bringing in K-Rod again, when Axford’s been great in the set-up role since he was put into it about a week ago and K-Rod’s been terrible as a closer; I wonder if a few of these guys just need a different pitching coach, and/or a change of scenery, in order to get things straightened back out again.
So, what would I do differently with these players than Roenicke and his staff?
First, I’d try to see if any of the pitchers — the relief pitchers in particular — need to go to grief counseling due to the death of their friend (the long-time bullpen assistant). Perhaps going and talking about this would be beneficial — and if it’s not been done already out of humanitarian and compassionate reasons, it should be done for a performance-based one.
Second, I’d give guys like Parra and Loe a physical. Parra has had many back issues in the past, and if he’s having even minor back trouble now, that might be just enough to cause him major trouble throwing the ball, which would explain why he can’t seem to throw strikes. And Loe was so good in both 2009 and 2010 that I find it hard to believe that he’d have as much trouble as he’s had lately getting his sinker to work without some sort of nagging injury.
Mind you, if injuries were found, no matter how minor, I’d have the player (or players) in question go on the disabled list for 15 days in order to get some rest.
And for that matter, I’d bring in someone to look at everyone’s pitching mechanics, but most especially to look at K-Rod’s. While he had 18 holds in the set-up role, by far the most among the Brewers pitchers, K-Rod hasn’t looked quite right all year long. This might have something to do with why he’s not been effective — or even acceptable — as a closer despite his past success.
Bringing in a specialist isn’t a bad thing, because even the best pitching coach can miss things over time, especially if there have been gradual changes. And if nothing’s found, great! (But I’m betting there’s something there to be found — if not with K-Rod, perhaps with Loe, Parra, or one of the others.)
Third, I’d definitely bring in the best possible medical specialists to figure out why Marcum is not improving. He wasn’t supposed to be on the DL this long, so what’s going on there?
Fourth, I’d have a heart-to-heart with Randy Wolf. I’d tell Wolf that I know he’s done a good job for the Brewers — really, he has, as he should have at least seven and as many as eleven wins right now had the bullpen just done its job (his ERA is misleading, as I’ve said before). And I’d thank him for bearing up under an extremely tough set of circumstances; Wolf’s a very good pitcher who’s done his best, and has deserved a whole lot better than what he’s had thus far in 2012.
Fifth, I’d sit down with Rickie Weeks and ask him if he thinks anyone or anything could help him right now. (Granted, he did get four hits today. But Weeks’s defense also hasn’t been up to par; surely there’s someone out there who could give Weeks some pointers?) Weeks has the lowest batting average of any everyday player in the major leagues, yet he has tons of talent. I’d get to the bottom of whatever is going on with him, whether it’s with a sports psychologist, needing a new mentor (Willie Randolph helped Weeks greatly when he was here a few years ago), or whatever it is, in order to help him succeed again at the major league level.
Finally, I’d sit down with Hart, Braun, Lucroy, Gallardo, Ramirez, and Axford. I’d tell these men that I greatly appreciate what they’ve done. That while they’ve all had ups and downs — Braun’s had nagging injuries, Ramirez’s first month-and-a-half was Godawful, Hart’s had to re-learn how to play first base at the major league level after a several-year absence, Lucroy’s been on the DL, Gallardo’s been good but not lights-out, and of course Axford getting removed from the closer’s role only to shine as a set-up man — they are still valuable members of the Brewers. And that the Brewers will do whatever it takes to build a team around them; assure them that they aren’t going anywhere, and that owner Mark Attanasio is committed to putting a winning team on the field in 2013.
But since I don’t have that power and am not a member of the Brewers coaching staff, all I can do boils down to two things: hope for the best. And wait until next year.
———–
Note: Last evening, I was so frustrated with Parra walking the bases loaded twice in two days that I actually said I thought he should be designated for assignment (DFA’d) if he wasn’t injured in some way. I still think Parra would be better off with another team, where expectations might not be so high — he pitched a perfect game in the minors for the Brewers organization, which is why the expectations have been up there — but after a day to think about it, I’d rather have someone from outside the team give him a physical (if he’ll stand for it) and then have him visit a specialist in pitching mechanics to see if there’s anything that can be done.
Parra, overall, hasn’t been the problem this year. But walking the bases loaded two days straight was symptomatic of how snakebit the Brewers pitching staff seems to be this year. That’s why I’d do everything in my power, were I somehow transported to become a member of the Brewers coaching staff for even one day, to see if Parra’s back and knees were OK (I trust Parra to know if his arm’s OK, or if something major is wrong, but a very small problem might not be noticeable), and to check his mechanics.
I like Parra very much as a pitcher. But my hunch is that he’ll find himself successful in a different team’s uniform, much in the same way former Brewer pitcher Jorge de la Rosa found success in Colorado.
Milwaukee Brewers Lose in 9th to Phillies After K-Rod Implodes; 2012 Season Hopes in Jeopardy
The Milwaukee Brewers lost a very tough game Monday night to the Philadelphia Phillies; the final score was 7-6. The Brewers should not have lost this game, not after starting pitcher Randy Wolf pitched six strong innings, leaving the game with a 6-2 lead; that the bullpen (mostly reliever John Axford) was able to do well until the ninth, before closer Francisco Rodriguez came in and stunk up the joint, just makes this loss all the more heartbreaking.
Pity poor Randy Wolf. Wolf’s season stats look terrible — a 3-6 record, a 5.60 ERA starting Monday’s game — but they are misleading in the extreme. Wolf’s left eight other games when the Brewers have been ahead aside from his three wins — count ’em, eight. Yet he’s won only three times.
Why is this? Because the Brewers bullpen has been abysmal, blowing saves eight different times in games Wolf’s started and left with a lead. This is completely unacceptable.
Tonight, unfortunately, was no different, results-wise, than most of the rest of the season. But perhaps looking at what specifically happened can shed some light on this particularly painful loss.
In the bottom of the seventh, Manny Parra came on in relief of Wolf. Parra threw 27 pitches, but couldn’t get three outs; he walked three, struck out two, and while he didn’t give up any hits, did surrender one run.
With the game at 6-3, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke brought on former closer John Axford, who fortunately shut the Phillies right down again. Axford also pitched a scoreless eighth, recording his first official hold for the season.
Then it’s the bottom of the ninth. The Brewers were still ahead, 6-3. They knew that the Philadelphia Phillies, coming into Monday’s game, were a woeful 0-42 when behind after eight innings, so the Brewers had to feel fairly confident.
Yet the Brewers ended up losing again because Rodriguez (nicknamed K-Rod) didn’t have it. K-Rod was only able to get one out before getting into major trouble, but Roenicke didn’t have another reliever warming up in the bullpen. While Rodriguez eventually got the second out by inducing a fly ball, the Phillies ended up scoring the winning run off that fly ball. (A Pyrrhic victory at best.) This was Rodriguez’s fifth blown save out of eight chances; his record is 2-5.
The Brewers are now seven games under .500. They are in fourth place, eleven and a half games behind the front-running Cincinnati Reds, and have shown absolutely no signs of the major run they’d need in order to get to postseason play. Which makes me think, as a Brewers fan, that any hopes that remain for the 2012 season are just that — hopes.
And what’s sad about this is that there’s some real offensive talent on this team. Ryan Braun is having a great year, batting .309 at the start of Monday’s game, with 65 RBI and 26 HRs. Corey Hart, who’s played a good deal of first base this year (a position he’s not played much since the low minors), was hitting .258 at the start of Monday’s game, with 45 RBI and 17 HRs. Aramis Ramirez, who had a terrible first month and a half, was hitting .277 at the start of Monday’s game, with 55 RBI and 10 HRs. And normally light-hitting catcher Martin Maldonado, who was hitting under .200 at AAA ball, has been doing so well at the major league level (.280 BA, 18 RBI and 5 HRs, again as of the start of Monday’s game) that he might be considered legitimate “trade-bait.”
As for the pitchers — Yovani Gallardo has been up and down, but has been acceptable, going 8-7 with a 3.72 ERA in 121 innings pitched. Wolf has had a hard-luck year, no question about it. (The Brewers defense has been atrocious, but you’d never know it due to the fact that the Brewers have the kindest official scorer in the majors. But even if our official scorer were kinder to the pitcher by calling more errors on the Brewers defense (as he should), the fact is that the bullpen has not done its job, most particularly in Wolf’s games.) Zack Greinke, who’s likely to be traded as soon as tomorrow evening, has pitched reasonably well — his record’s 9-3, he has a 3.57 ERA in 116 innings pitched — but I’d be astonished if he were with the team much longer. Then, of course, the other two starting pitchers at the beginning of the year were Chris Narveson — out for the year — and Shaun Marcum, who’s been on the DL since June 15.
So what’s been the bright spot, if there is one, with regards to the Brewers rotation? A guy by the name of Michael Fiers. Fiers wasn’t expected to do anything this year for the big-league club, yet he’s pitched extremely well. While his record is a deceptive 3-4, his ERA is a terrific 1.96 in 59 2/3 innings pitched. Fiers is a guy who reminds me of Ben Sheets (currently on the comeback trail with the Atlanta Braves); he’s a tough-minded competitor, and he gives the Brewers an excellent chance to win every time he picks up the ball.
The main reason the Brewers’ season hasn’t gone well is because of the many injuries they’ve suffered (to Alex Gonzales, Mat Gamel, Narveson, Marcum, Travis Ishikawa, Cesar Izturis, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy). I accept that, as injuries are a fact of life.
However, the players who are still there must produce. Some of them aren’t, most particularly Rickie Weeks, who as of the start of Monday’s game was hitting a dreadful .195, with 33 RBI and 9 HRs, and while Nyjer Morgan continues to have value due to his stellar defense and good baserunning skills, he’s not doing that well hitting-wise either, batting only .229 at the start of Monday’s game with 5 RBI and 2 HR in 80 games.
While it’s not General Manager Doug Melvin’s fault that so many players came up injured this season (or just aren’t as good as they should be — witness Weeks), it is his fault for trading away two good, solid shortstops — Alcides Escobar and J.J. Hardy — in previous years. It is his fault for giving Roenicke an extension, when last year’s National League Championship Series showed how dogmatic Roenicke could be when it came to pulling — or not pulling — pitchers. (I will never understand why Marcum, who had absolutely nothing left in the tank, got two starts in the NLCS.) It is Melvin’s fault for not trading for a few more relievers, as most of ours are played out — and it is Melvin’s fault for believing that this team, without Prince Fielder, and with three starting pitchers all having contracts expiring at the same time (Wolf, Greinke, and Marcum), would be a contender this year.
I’m sorry to say it, folks, but unless Melvin can pull a rabbit out of his hat, the Brewers look like they’re right where they should be this year. In fourth place. Way out of playoff contention.
And that’s sad.
Ben Sheets’s Comeback Continues: Sheets Wins Again
Today, July 21, 2012, was the day for Ben Sheets’s second major league start for the Atlanta Braves against the Washington Nationals. And once again, Sheets pitched like the ace he once was (and apparently is again), giving up no runs, five hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. Sheets also extended his scoreless innings streak to twelve; his record is now 2-0.
Here’s a link to a very good story from Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Sheets that was written prior to today’s game; this is a story you really want to read if you care about baseball at all, as it references exactly what happened to Sheets and why it is so remarkable that he’s been able to come back at all — much less pitch at an astonishingly high level.
Here’s a quote from that story:
Understand, this isn’t a simple comeback. Before surgery in 2010, Sheets’ right elbow looked like the after-shot of Kabul. The guy is relatively bionic. In 2010, doctors knew surgery was needed to fix a torn flexor tendon for the second time in two years. But when Dr. Keith Meister opened up the right arm, two other problems were confirmed: 1) a torn ulnar collateral ligament, requiring Tommy John surgery; 2) damage to his pronator tendon.
You don’t need to have a Ph.D or even excel in the “Operation” game to know that if a 32-year-old pitcher is having a ligament and two tendons in his throwing elbow stitched, tied and duct-taped, his next career decision likely would involve either starting a tractor or coaching youth baseball (he opted for the latter).
And here’s a quote from today’s story at Yahoo Sports regarding Sheets’s start against the Nationals, starring Braves catcher Brian McCann:
”It’s been a huge pickup for us,” McCann said of adding Sheets to Braves rotation. ”To come out here for his two starts and pitch the way he has. Hasn’t given up a run, he’s pounding the zone and the more you’re around him the more you know why he’s so successful. He’s a competitor, he knows what he’s doing.”
When a team’s catcher is happy with a pitcher — much less this happy — you usually have a happy team. And considering how well Sheets has pitched since his return, I’d be astonished if the Braves weren’t absolutely ecstatic about his contribution to their ballclub.
Second Blog-i-versary . . . Some Quick Hits
Folks, my second “blog-i-versary” passed on July 10, 2012, without comment, mostly because the weather in Wisconsin has been extremely hot. While I’ve continued to blog here and there, certainly this hot and humid weather we’ve had — which has destroyed crops, damaged lives, and caused all sorts of financial problems, as our 2012 summer is being compared to other, difficult summers like the summer of 1988 and worse, the “Dust Bowl” summer of 1936 — has gotten in the way.
That said, I’m very pleased that my blog is still here, two years after I started it (two years and a week, to be precise). I hadn’t anticipated this, but I suppose this blog still being in existence shows a good side to the Law of Unintended Consequences after all.
Here’s a few quick hits as to what’s going on right now in Wisconsin, aside from our dreadful weather:
Last night, the Milwaukee Brewers dropped a heartbreaker, 3-2, to their arch-rivals the St. Louis Cardinals. Particularly troubling in this loss is the fact that the Brewers led, 2-0, in the top of the ninth; closer John Axford got the first two outs (though both were long fly balls caught close to the fence, meaning both hitters nearly hit the ball out of the park rather than made these long, loud outs), then loaded the bases. Eventually, three runs scored, and Axford was removed from the game; Kameron Loe got the last out.
So, what happened to the Brewers in the bottom of the ninth? The hitters put too much pressure on themselves, that’s what. Corey Hart, who’d hit his 17th HR of the year earlier in the game, went to a 3-2 count before striking out. The next hitter, Rickie Weeks, took a few pitches, but also ended up striking out. And Martin Maldonado — well, he didn’t do anything, either. So the Cardinals closer, Jason Motte, got the three outs he needed, while the Brewers closer, Axford, was wild in and out of the strike zone and didn’t pitch effectively. Now, it looks like Axford may have been removed from his job as Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) has 19 holds and 1 save, and has looked far better than “Ax,” and no one can blame Brewers manager Ron Roenicke for wishing to try someone else at this point.
Oh, yes — the guy who started the game, rookie pitcher Mike Fiers, pitched extremely well (again), but didn’t get the win due to Axford’s meltdown. (I like Axford a great deal, and believe part of his troubles with command of his fastball and breaking ball come down to the usual problems relief pitchers have from time to time. But I have to call ’em as I see ’em.)
Otherwise, I’m continuing to work on AN ELFY ABROAD, and have some reviews planned this week at Shiny Book Review for Stephanie Osborn’s third book in her “Displaced Detective” series, and for Rosemary Edghill’s VENGEANCE OF MASKS . . . I may even review another book on economics, to keep my hand in the game. So stay tuned.
Finally, I played a concert with the Racine Concert Band last Sunday; for the record, I played second alto saxophone, and didn’t have any solos, though I did have a few good parts. I was glad I was able to play the concert despite the heat and humidity; the crowd at the concert (which was free, as it always is) was a bit diminished, possibly due to the heat, but we still had a couple of hundred people there and that’s encouraging. This was my fourth service for the band this year; I have a few more planned later this month and into August, though I hope to be playing clarinet at that time (I say “hope” because originally I’d been scheduled to play my clarinet on the last concert).
But whether I’m playing in the group or not, if you live in Southeastern Wisconsin and love free, live music, you owe it to yourselves to get out to the Racine Zoo and take in the Racine Concert Band. Concerts are at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays in July, and are at 7:00 p.m. on Sundays in August through August 19. There’s a wide variety of music, including marches, show tunes, light operas/operettas, and more — and best of all, it’s free.
Now back to our regularly scheduled sweltering, already in progress.
Ben Sheets On the Comeback Trail; Wins First Start Since 2010
Today, Ben Sheets won his first start since 2010 — his first start since returning from the most extensive arm surgery in the history of major league baseball in mid-2010 — as he led the Atlanta Braves to a 6-1 win over the New York Mets. Sheets pitched six scoreless innings, threw 88 pitches (57 for strikes), gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out five.
As Atlanta SB Nation.com put it, “Ben Sheets probably couldn’t have imagined a better debut.”
Carroll Rodgers, writing for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said this about Sheets’s debut start:
Sheets threw a 91 mph strike to Ruben Tejada to start his day, setting up his first strikeout, and finished it with a 91 mph fastball to strike out David Wright for his fifth. Sheets allowed only two hits in between, while walking one, and threw 57 of his 88 pitches for strikes. He outdueled Johan Santana to win his first game since July 10, 2010 with Oakland against the Angels.
Rodgers also mentioned this toward the end of his blog post:
Sheets, who hadn’t pitched since July 19, 2010 for the Athletics, showed what the Braves have been raving about in his work on the side and in the minors. His fastball velocity was back to 90-92 mph, and he reached back and found 93 mph a few times, which he used to retire Wright. He also mixed in a sharp curveball that he was known for on those days like the one when he struck out 18 Braves in 2004.
Rodgers also had quotes from Sheets in this article, also from the AJC:
“It was pretty incredible,” Sheets said afterward. “Honestly in my mind, two years ago I was done, which was fine. I gave myself ‘coach of the year’ award in youth ball. Somebody asked me ‘Who gives that?’ I said ‘I give it to myself.’”
(Note that Sheets has never been known for his humility, which is why this quote made me laugh out loud.)
Another quote from Sheets, also from Rodgers’s second article at the AJC:
“I feel like myself,” said Sheets, who out-dueled Johan Santana for his first win since July 10, 2010 with the Athletics. “That’s one thing I can say I never felt like in Oakland.”
And here’s a quote from long-time Braves star (and likely Hall of Famer) Chipper Jones:
“We are ecstatic,” Jones said. “We get contributions like that from him, I see us winning a lot of games here in the second half.”
See, the Braves see Sheets as what he is: an ace. Sheets also is the type of guy who would not have come back unless he felt he could pitch extremely well — it’s either all or nothing with Sheets, and it’s always been that way. So the Braves, who apparently kept a close eye on Sheets once Sheets’s agent Casey Close started putting out feelers earlier this year regarding a potential comeback, has shown itself to be extremely prescient in signing Sheets.
As far as the Milwaukee Brewers go (Sheets’ old team), they won today, too. Yovani Gallardo had 14 strikeouts in a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gallardo is one of two aces on the Brewers current staff; his record raised to 8-6.
But the day belonged to Sheets, all the way along . . . and this Brewers fan couldn’t be happier. Way to go, Ben!
Ben Sheets Signed by Atlanta Braves to Minor League Deal
Folks, Ben Sheets’ comeback is official, as he’s been signed by the Atlanta Braves to a minor league deal as of last evening (Sunday, July 1, 2012). Here’s a quote from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, which is here:
“We’re getting a guy who is a four-time All-Star and there is nothing wrong with his arm,” Wren said. “You have a quality major league pitcher prior to the deadline without having to give up any talent. It really is the best of all worlds.”
Sheets is scheduled to make at least two starts in Double-A Mississippi, largely because it’s only 90 minutes from his home in Louisiana. He’ll go five innings or 75 pitches on Wednesday, then six innings or 90 pitches in a start after that. If all goes well, the Braves think he could be ready shortly after the All-Star break.
This all bodes well for Sheets, as the Braves’ team philosophy is one Sheets can get behind. Plus, the Braves obviously haven’t forgotten the fact that Sheets once struck out eighteen of them on May 17, 2004 and seem to want Sheets on their side if he can indeed make a comeback a la former Milwaukee Brewers teammate (and pitcher) Chris Capuano.
Best of luck, Ben, with your comeback efforts.
Vinny Rottino Claimed Off Waivers by Cleveland
Folks, remember what I said yesterday about IF-OF-C Vinny Rottino? And, for that matter, everything I’ve said about him — his drive, his persistence, and his love for baseball? And how frustrating it was to see that he’d been placed on waivers?
Well, after the New York Mets designated Rottino for assignment (the so-called “nice” name for being put on waivers), the Cleveland Indians picked Rottino up by claiming Rottino off waivers. Rottino’s been added to their 40-man roster, but will most likely be sent to AAA ball rather than join the Indians.
Here’s a link to Rottino’s page at Yahoo Sports (the “news and notes” section):
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7852/news;_ylt=Akf2muXHFae0WkWddPyam5.FCLcF
And here’s an article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2012/06/cleveland_indians_claim_vinnie.html
Note that the comments section is particularly brutal with regards to the Rottino claim; the Indians fans are upset because year after year, their team doesn’t seem to do much of anything. Rottino’s only hitting .182 in the big leagues (though he was hitting .307 at AAA Buffalo, when he was able to play more often), which obviously doesn’t look too impressive to those Indians’ fans. But they don’t realize that Rottino’s main ability is that he plays many positions well and can reliably hit lefthanders (despite being a righthanded hitter). Plus, he hustles, doesn’t make mistakes on the base paths, is a smart player . . . really, if these Indians fans just give Rottino a chance (providing the Indians bring him up to the big league club at some point), they might well learn to like him.
But is Rottino an answer to their immediate prayers? No, he is not . . . which I suppose is why those commentators are being so vicious. (That does not excuse them, but it does perhaps explain them.)
That being said, it’s very, very good that the Indians see Rottino’s potential (or at least see a need for him) and have claimed him off waivers. That gives me hope — and it should give Rottino hope, too.
Good luck, Vinny, with the Indians organization.
Vinny Rottino Designated for Assignment by New York Mets
Baseball can sometimes be a cold, cruel business. It is performance-based, and because of that, players are often kept around based off one calculation: “What have you done for me lately?”
But when you know a baseball player, or even follow his career like I do with OF-IF-C Vinny Rottino, that calculation takes a flying leap (as it should, because these players are still human beings). I’ve written extensively about Rottino’s struggle to make the major leagues to stay, and I had truly hoped that with his second stint this year with the Mets that he’d “stick” — but they needed another pitcher, so they called up lefthander Justin Hampson from Buffalo. Rottino was the odd man out, and ended up getting designated for assignment.
Here’s a link from Amazin’ Avenue discussing the move:
http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/6/25/3115578/mets-vinny-rottino-justin-hampson-transaction
Now it’s up to the rest of major league baseball as to what they want to do, if anything, as Rottino can be claimed off waivers by any team. If Rottino is not claimed, the Mets may send Rottino back to their AAA affiliate, Buffalo — or they may give him his outright release.
The fact that this fate can happen to anyone (including recent Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Juan Perez, who accepted another stint at AAA Nashville, and former Brewer IF-OF Brooks Conrad, who was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays) doesn’t make it sound, or feel, any better to the particular player in question. And Rottino’s tried so hard — he’s done everything anyone’s ever asked of him, and he loves baseball so much — that this doesn’t seem fair or right.
Yet baseball is results-oriented, which is why it’s imperative for every baseball fan to realize that these player names mean something — someone’s career. Someone’s blood, sweat and toil — someone’s persistence.
As always, I’ll keep you posted as to wherever Rottino ends up next.
Brewers Win, 3-2, over Dodgers; Lucroy to DL
These days, even when the Milwaukee Brewers win a tough baseball game, they still manage to lose out. Take today’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, for example; the Brewers played a good game in all aspects (especially defensively) and won, 3-2. Shaun Marcum pitched well; so far this year, he’s been the Brewers’ most consistent pitcher. John Axford picked up his 8th save, while catcher George Kottaras, never known for his defense, played exceptionally well behind the plate despite being hobbled by a hamstring injury. Shortstop Cody Ransom, a recent addition to the Brewers (claimed off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks), third baseman Aramis Ramirez, and first baseman Corey Hart all had good defensive games as well.
But despite tonight’s win, yet another player must go to the disabled list (DL). This time, it’s starting catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who broke a bone in his right hand by a freak off-the-field injury (his wife dropped a suitcase on his hand); the Brewers will officially place Lucroy on the DL tomorrow. Lucroy is expected to be out four to six weeks. This is particularly damaging to the Brewers because Lucroy has been hitting a ton thus far (.345 batting average with 30 RBI), and has also been steady behind the plate.
According to Fox Sports Wisconsin’s “Brewers Live” program, the Brewers will call up catcher Martin Maldonado from AAA Nashville along with pitcher Mike Fiers. Both Maldonado and Fiers will start on Tuesday despite the fact that if the Brewers were not so badly injured, neither one of them would’ve seen a whiff of the majors. (Fiers, while not terrible, has a 1-3 record with a 4.41 ERA; here’s the rest of his minor league stats.)
Here’s Maldonado’s current minor league offensive stats; as you can see, Maldonado isn’t hitting very well at only .198. But the Brewers don’t have any other options; had Lucroy not injured himself, Kottaras was probably headed to the DL. Now, Kottaras is going to have to be like several other Brewers who are playing through injuries — Ramirez (hit on the elbow last Friday by the D-backs), Ryan Braun (injured his Achilles a few weeks ago, hasn’t been able to rest it long enough for it to heal), Carlos Gomez (isn’t running well since he’s come off the DL due to a hamstring strain), and Kameron Loe (elbow tightness) — because the Brewers just can’t put any of these guys on the DL even if they normally would go there because the team is just too banged up.
This is why Hart is playing first base despite preferring right field. This is why Ransom is even on the team (the two shortstops the Brewers had on the roster to start the year were Alex Gonzalez, out for the year with a torn ACL, and Izturis, who’s on the DL with a hamstring strain). And this is one of the main reasons why Rickie Weeks, who’s hitting in the .150s (you read that right), hasn’t been sat down, either — he seems healthy, so he’s still playing even though he’s not been hitting well all season long. And that doesn’t even get into first baseman-outfielder Travis Ishikawa’s problem, who was put on the DL yesterday with an oblique strain!
Right now, the Brewers have seven guys on the DL (once Lucroy is added), and have three more who probably should be there (Kottaras, Braun, and Gomez) or should’ve been left on the DL longer (in the case of Gomez). The Brewers have fewer than six position players who aren’t playing with some sort of issue, and of those six, one isn’t hitting (Weeks) and one is playing out of position (Hart).
Despite that, the Brewers won a tough game today over the Dodgers. But as a Brewers fan, I can’t help but wonder which domino (that is, which player) is going to fall next?
Vinny Rottino hits 1st HR in Majors, NY Mets win, 9-0
The old saying is, “You never forget your first” anything. And in this case, after all the time, energy, and “sweat equity” Vinny Rottino’s put into making the major leagues — his persistence — I’m certain that Rottino will never forget May 26, 2012.
Why? Because this was the day that Rottino hit his first-ever major league home run as a member of the New York Mets. Rottino’s homer was part of a four-run first inning that helped stoke Mets starter Johann Santana to a lead he would never relinquish. Ultimately, the Mets won, 9-0, over the Padres; Rottino went 2 for 3 with a HR, two runs scored, a walk, and a strikeout.
Despite Santana’s nine-inning four-hit shutout, the day belonged to Rottino. This is because he’s a 32-year-old rookie who’s played parts of six major league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins, and, of course, the Mets. Trying so hard for so long — playing ten seasons of professional baseball in the minor leagues — is noteworthy, as I’ve said many times.
Finally, others are noticing Rottino’s persistence and talent, too. As Ethan Asofsky of MLB.com put it:
Vinny Rottino got a lesson in supply and demand after the Mets’ 9-0 win over the Padres on Saturday.
After hitting his first Major League home run, having spent 10 seasons in the Minor Leagues, the Mets outfielder had to bargain with the fan that caught the ball to get it back. The fan received a signed bat and ball from Rottino in exchange for the most valuable commodity a 32-year-old rookie can have — his first home run ball.
You might be wondering what Rottino had to give the Mets’ fan in return; from Asofsky’s above-mentioned story, here’s what happened next:
“I was running out of bats, so I actually gave him a bat that I haven’t used in a while,” Rottino said. “It turns out it was a Florida Marlins bat. That’s what it said on it. I realized that after the fact.”
Rottino’s home run came on a 2-1 fastball, capping a four-run first inning that allowed Mets starter Johan Santana — who tossed a four-hit shutout — to pitch with the lead for the rest of the game. Rottino said he didn’t feel the contact when the ball met his bat on the home run. He was numb.
“I was just happy to help the team and contribute to the win,” Rottino said. “But I was floating around the bases a little bit. I had a little bit of goose bumps running around the bases. It was a cool feeling.”
Asofsky then points out this is the first time Rottino’s had a chance to play meaningful baseball — in May, no less. And then, of course, Asofsky points out how long Rottino’s been trying to make it in the big leagues (as I have done, blog after blog), and then ended his article this way:
Rottino said he never stopped believing he’d have the opportunity to round the bases after his first home run in the Major Leagues. Mets manager Terry Collins said Rottino’s work ethic is a result of how much he loves the game.
“I talk about it all the time with my teammates down in Triple-A, you just have to keep grinding and believing,” Rottino said. “You just never know what can happen. I’ll continue to do so.”
And lest you think Ethan Asofsky was the only one to figure out this was a really big deal, Justin Tasch and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News also wrote an article that discussed Rottino’s HR. Here’s what they had to say:
Vinny Rottino, the Mets’ 32-year-old utility man, smashed his first major league homer to cap a four-run first inning Saturday, helping the Mets topple to Padres, 9-0.Rottino, who made his debut in the minors in 2003, has played in 32 games in the majors his (sic) spanning six years. His daydreams of trotting around the bases finally became a reality when he connected on a 2-1 pitch from lefty Clayton Richard.
(Quoted verbatim from May 26, 2012, NY Daily News article; sic was added by Barb Caffrey due to the unnecessary word that somehow escaped the Daily News‘ copyeditors.)
Notice the pitch count, which was described in both articles. Rottino’s batting eye must have been sharp, as he’d taken two balls and a strike from Padres pitcher Clayton Richard. This meant he was on a “hitter’s count.” He then got a favorable pitch to hit (a fast ball), and drove it out of the ballpark in deep left-center field according to the box score.
What a great day for Vinny Rottino!
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