: All Rob Neyer Posts

White Sox' Chris Sale Nears Franchise Record With 15 K's

Rob Neyer — Mon, 28 May 2012 21:32:55 -0000

Sunday afternoon in St. Petersburg, White Sox left-hander Chris Sale struck out 15 Tampa Bay Rays.*

* He actually struck out eight different Rays, some of them more than once. But that's just how we say it.

Chris Sale was a starting pitcher in college.

He was a relief pitcher in the minors, then again in the majors.

Then he was a starting pitcher in the majors. Then a relief pitcher. Then a starter again.

All this happened in the span of less than two full years. Just a few weeks ago, Sale was yanked from the rotation after experience a twinge in his elbow; maybe (we were told) he just couldn't handle the strain of pitching six or seven innings every five or six days.

But then his elbow felt better and he went back into the rotation and Monday afternoon Sale fell just one short of tying the White Sox' franchise record for strikeouts in one game. Throwing mostly mid-90s fastballs and sweeping sliders, Sale held the Rays to just one run over 7⅓ innings, striking out 15 while issuing only two walks.

Sale's opposite number, rookie left-hander Matt Moore, also pitched impressively, racking up 10 strikeouts with just one walk. But Adam Dunn continued his fantastic comeback with a two-run homer off Moore in the sixth inning, which was all the White Sox needed thanks to Sale, reliever Jesse Crain and rookie closer Addison Reed, who pitched a perfect ninth to earn his fifth save.

Sale had his 15 strikeouts after seven innings and 110 pitches, and came out for the bottom of the eighth to tie and perhaps break the franchise record for most K's in one game, with the record of 16 set by lefty Jack Harshman all the way back on July 25, 1954 against the Red Sox.

Harshman, like Sale, was something of a conversion project. But a different sort of conversion, as Harshman actually reached the majors as a first baseman, didn't hit much, and finally turned to pitching four years later. He enjoyed some pretty good seasons, but wasn't much of a strikeout pitcher. Well, actually he was, relatively speaking. In 1954, he finished second in the American League with 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings ... which today, of course, wouldn't raise even a single eyebrow among the cognoscenti. It was a different game then.

Anyway, Sale had a shot at Harshman. But the first batter in the bottom of the eighth, left fielder Rich Thompson, grounded to second base. That made 115 pitches for Sale, and manager Robin Ventura pulled him.

Still, it was a big game for Sale and for the White Sox, who pulled into a virtual tie atop the American League Central standings, pending the Indians' game later against the Royals.

Marlins' Juan Oviedo Officially Suspended Through July 22

Rob Neyer — Mon, 28 May 2012 20:08:05 -0000

Press release from Major League Baseball:

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Miami Marlins pitcher Juan Carlos Oviedo has received a suspension of eight weeks for engaging in age and identity fraud.

The suspension of Oviedo, which is effective beginning today, shall be served through Sunday, July 22^nd. Oviedo is eligible to participate in extended Spring Training during the period of his suspension. In addition, during the period of the suspension, Oviedo will be eligible for one rehabilitation assignment to a Minor League affiliate not to exceed 16 days.

This just makes the unofficial, official, as it's been previously reported that Oviedo would draw a two-month suspension. Of course, he used to be Leo Nuñez, the Marlins' closer from 2009 through '11. Oviedo/Nuñez has never been great but he's usually been good, and might ultimately be a closing option for Ozzie Guillen if Heath Bell continues his consistent inconsistency in that role.

Jack Hannahan Injury: Calf Lands Tribe 3B On DL

Rob Neyer — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:52:49 -0000

The grand return of John Joseph Hannahan IV didn't last long.

Over the first five weeks of the season, Jack Hannahan's performance ranked as one of the top reasons for the Cleveland Indians' strong start. Through the 11th of May, the Tribe's starting third baseman was hitting 305/380/463 and playing Gold Glove-quality defense. And the hitting was essentially a bonus, as Hannahan beat out young Lonnie Chisenhall for the every-day job at third base largely on the strength of his defense.

But Hannahan didn't get a hit on the 12th, or on the 13th. And then he just didn't play ... and didn't play, and didn't play. Eleven straight games Hannahan missed, but was never placed on the Disabled List because his back injury was supposedly of the "day-to-day" variety.

Finally, Hannahan was back in the lineup on Saturday against the White Sox ... and went 0 for 4 with a couple of strikeouts. And now he's finally been DL'd ... though oddly enough, not because of his back; this time, it's a strained calf.

Chisenhall's been recalled from the minors, where he was hitting .324 with a bunch of doubles. It's not clear that he'll take over for Hannahan, though. Saturday, Chisenhall's in the DH slot, and José López has been getting the

Should Rockies Give Up On Jamie Moyer?

Rob Neyer — Mon, 28 May 2012 05:59:43 -0000

Jamie Moyer's been pounded in his last two starts, and his 5.70 ERA this season leads to some uncomfortable questions about the ancient southpaw.

Let's get one thing out of the way: Jamie Moyer's 5.70 ERA isn't the worst in the National League. There are three qualifiers with higher ERA's, and one of them is named Tim Lincecum. Nobody's releasing Tim Lincecum. Nobody's releasing Mike Minor or Randy Wolf, either. Those guys have ERA's higher than Jamie Moyer's, too.*

* Actually, a fair number of fantasy owners are probably releasing Minor and Wolf. But we're keeping it real.

Still, 5.70's pretty terrible. And Moyer's looking particularly bad at the moment, having given up four home runs to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon. Afterward, ESPN.com's Matt Meyers suggested that perhaps Moyer's time has finally come. He gave it the old college try, and no 49-year-old pitcher has ever done remotely what he's done. But according to Meyers, now the Rockies are sending the wrong message:

After their loss on Sunday, the Rockies are now 14.5 games out in the National League West, and it looks like the 2012 season is a lost cause, so keeping Moyer on the team won't really make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. But think about the message this sends to the players in your organization. Players are led to believe that baseball is a meritocracy, and if you perform, you will get your chance. But right now, there is no reason that Moyer should be on the team based on merit. Imagine you are Carlos Torres, who is a 29-year-old right-hander for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate. He's not a big prospect by any means and will likely never amount to anything in the majors. But he's striking out nearly a batter per inning at Triple-A while putting up a 2.45 ERA. What does Moyer's spot on the team say to a guy like Torres, a minor league lifer just looking for a chance?

Well, I suspect that Carlos Torres is pretty happy just to be employed and on the 40-man roster -- he actually got into a few games with the Rockies earlier this month, as a reliever -- especially considering that he's nobody's idea of a hot prospect and hardly pitched professionally last year at all (six games in Japan).

And while the Rockies are practically dead in the National League West, decorum dictates they at least fantasize about the Wild Card, and they're only eight games out in that competition. Granted, eight games is a lot of games and there are 10 teams ahead of them. But spring is for dreaming, and if you're the Rockies (or one of their fans) you can still dream about the postseason. And I suspect they dream more than most, considering their history of making up big deficits down the stretch.

So the Rockies are still at the point of doing what's best for their record. Rather than worrying about what roster decisions say, they still have to consider what roster decisions do. So the question is simply this: Would the Colorado Rockies win more games without Jamie Moyer than with him?

The jury, I think, is still out. If just barely.

Yes, Moyer's got a 5.70 ERA. That's damning evidence. He's also got a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is perfectly acceptable. His problem, of course, is that he's given up 37 home runs already.

Well, not 37. I just like writing 37. It's actually 11 -- including four Sunday in Cincinnati -- but 11 in 54 innings is too many for a pitcher who strikes out three or four batters per start. And as Meyers does point out, while it's perfectly amazing that Moyer's in the majors at 49, he was a borderline major leaguer at 46 and 47, with a 4.90 ERA and a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio but (stop me if you've heard this one before) too many home runs allowed.

In other words, Jamie Moyer's basically the same pitcher that he was, but a little worse. Which is exactly what you would expect, but it's not clear that "a little worse" is "good enough to pitch for a team that's trying".

And it's not like the Rockies don't have options. Jeremy Guthrie's been terrible, but he's supposed to be the ace of the staff so he's going to pitch. Young Juan Nicasio's looked good, and so have rookies Alex White and Christian Friedrich.

That's five. The moment Chacin's healthy or No. 1 prospect Drew Pomeranz rediscovers his lost delivery or Jorge De La Rosa finds his control in the minors, Moyer's going to be the first candidate for demotion. Or release. Because even without Carlos Torres, if everything lines up right, Moyer will be something like No. 8 or 9 on the depth chart. And something tells me he's not going down to Colorado Springs to learn how to pitch.

Here's a tip, my baseball friends: If you have the chance to watch Jamie Moyer this week, do it. Because you might not get another.

Officially, Heath Bell Still Marlins' Closer

Rob Neyer — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:18:21 -0000

According to Ozzie Guillen, Heath Bell's still the Marlins' closer. But after two mid-inning pitching changes over the weekend, one might wonder if Bell is due for another demotion.

The good news is that Heath Bell picked up a couple of holds over the weekend.

The bad news is that Bell was actually going for a couple of saves, but was removed from both games because he was making things worse. You don't call them blown saves because the lead never quite disappeared, but Bell hardly performed the chore he'd been assigned.

Which meant Ozzie Guillen had to answer new/old questions about Bell's role with the Marlins. From Clark Spencer (via The Miami Herald):

"This is a very touchy, sensitive point," Guillen said. "I keep saying, and I told him a couple of minutes ago, it’s going to be hard for us to win if Heath Bell is not our closer. It’s easier for everyone if this kid comes out and does what he’s done in the past. We’ve got to get him back on track."

Guillen understands that fans might second-guess the decision.

"But I’m the manager, and I’m not going to kick the guy when he’s down," he said. "I think my job is to continue to believe in him. I will take full responsibility if we fail in that department.

"He’s not hurt. He still throws pretty good. I wish he’d throw more strikes. So does he. But I will bite the bullet from the fans, from the front office, from everybody."

We went through this whole thing once, already. And it's still May!

Just a bit over three weeks ago, Ozzie Guillen yanked Bell from the closer's role.

You couldn't really blame Guillen. Bell sported an 11.42 ERA. He'd issued seven walks in his last five outings, and on the season he'd blown more save opportunities (4) than he'd converted.

Guillen didn't let Bell pitch at all for a few days. He didn't let Bell into a save situation for a few days more. But when Bell finally got his old job back, he converted four straight save opportunities with nary a hitch. There was also (almost) nary a strikeout, but since there was also nary a walk, nobody minded so much.

Until this weekend.

Friday night, Bell came in for the save, gave up three hits and recorded just one out; the Marlins won 7-6.

Saturday, Bell came in for the save, gave up two walks and a hit while recording just one out; the Marlins won 5-3.

Which is why everyone's asking Guillen if Bell's still his closer. Guillen says Bell is still his closer, for reasons that do seem specious ... But of course, Bell's not really still the closer. Managers don't yank real closers in the middle of an inning, with the lead still in hand. Managers, for better or worse, sit on their hands and let their real closers blow leads.

Guillen's not doing that. He figures, for better or worse, that Bell's still probably the same pitcher as last year; after all, he's still throwing just as hard, getting just as many ground balls as last year. He's just not hitting his spots, and so has more walks than strikeouts. If he's really "not hurt" he'll probably find his spots, eventually. Of course, managers always say pitchers aren't hurt; otherwise they can't really justify pitching them. Often, when a pitcher's statistics are so wildly out of line with what they've done before, they really are hurt and just haven't told anyone.

Bell's pitched so few innings this season, though, that just about any sort of statistical fluke is perfectly possible. I happen to think Guillen might be right about this one: It's too early to give up on Heath Bell, if he really is healthy; but until he starts controlling the strike zone, he should be on a short leash.

The good news is that Guillen's got three more perfectly good right-handed relief pitchers at his disposal. The bad news is that the Marlins probably will lose an extra game or two if Bell's really not right.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/28/2820457/miami-marlins-manager-guillen.html#storylink=cpy

Nats Rotation Shakeup: Detwiler Out, Wang In

Rob Neyer — Sun, 27 May 2012 22:27:48 -0000

Heading into spring training, Ross Detwiler was probably No. 7 on the Washington Nationals' depth chart, when it came to starting pitchers. He was behind Chien-Ming Wang, and probably behind John Lannan, too.

But Wang got hurt during spring training, and Detwiler surprised everyone by beating out Lannan for the No. 5 slot in the Nationals' rotation.

Which has gone well for everyone, as Detwiler's got a 3.88 ERA in nine starts, plus a solid (2.40) strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Just not well enough for Detwiler to keep his job. With Wang recently up from the minors and not physically equipped for role in the bullpen -- according to manager Davey Johnson, anyway -- Detwiler's being replaced in the rotation by Wang, and sent to the bullpen. From Adam Kilgore (via The Washington Post):

"It’s a tough decision, but I think it’s best for the whole ball club," Johnson said.

Detwiler (3-3, 3.88 ERA) has allowed 16 earned runs over 20 1/3 innings over his past four starts, including a laborious, 4 1/3-inning outing Friday night in a 7-4 Nationals win. Wang made his season debut in relief of Detwiler, hitting 94 mph with his sinker in three strong innings.

It should be noted that Wang didn't pitch all that well in the minors this spring, and this move might be viewed as something of a tryout.

Halla-who?

Rob Neyer — Sun, 27 May 2012 04:03:24 -0000

Philadelphia starters have thrown two shutouts this season.

Neither of them were thrown by Roy Halladay. Or Cliff Lee. Or Cole Hamels.

A few weeks ago, Joe Blanton threw his first shutout since 2007. And Saturday night in St. Louis, Kyle Kendrick threw his first shutout since Little League.

Well, probably not since Little League. But Kendrick's seven-hitter against the Cardinals was his first whitewash in the majors, and it came in his 104th start.

Brandon League Out As M's Closer

Rob Neyer — Sun, 27 May 2012 00:33:03 -0000

Almost exactly one year ago, Mariners ~~closer~~ reliefer Brandon League went through the horriblest of stretches: beginning on the 8th of May, League took losses in four straight appearances, his ERA jumping from 2.08 to 7.31.

After just a few games in a lesser role -- and actually just one appearance -- League got right back in the closing saddle and pitched brilliantly the rest of the way, earning an All-Star berth along the way.

The M's are hoping he can do that again. The Seattle Times:

We're going to pull him back, give him some opportunities outside of that closing role and work to get him on track," manager Eric Wedge said before Saturday's M's-Angels game. "Very similar to what we did last year."

League (0-4, 4.43 ERA) has blown four saves this year, including three of his last five opportunities. His latest came Friday night in a 6-4 loss to the Angels.

League's biggest issue has been command, as he's walked nearly as many hitters (12) as he's struck out (13). He's still throwing hard, and you really can't glean a great deal from 20-odd innings. He probably won't pitch in the All-Star Game this summer, but h probably will turn things around.

May 26: When Omar Vizquel Became Relevant Again

Rob Neyer — Sat, 26 May 2012 23:34:47 -0000

It wasn't at all clear why Omar Vizquel remained a rostered Major League Baseball player.

Until Saturday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.

Before Saturday, the 45-year-old Vizquel had played in only 15 games, collecting a couple of singles. Scored one run, driving home none.

Saturday, though, Vizquel started at second base for the Jays, went 3 for 6, and broke a 5-5 tie in the 13th inning with a clean RBI single up the middle.

(Of course, Josh Hamilton later mooted Vizquel's antics).

Joe Maddon, Bobby Valentine Trade Public Jabs

Rob Neyer — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:55:40 -0000

Over the last dozen or so years, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays have yelled at each other more than all the other teams have yelled at all the other teams put together.

Or maybe it just seems like that.

Those clubs' childish/boorish/mannish proclivities began anew Friday night. With the Red Sox down 7-4 in the ninth, Boston relief pitcher Franklin Morales drilled Luke Scott in the leg. To which Scott took exception, and it didn't take long for the dugouts to empty, the bullpens to unfill, the heart rates to explode.

Afterward, Rays manager Joe Maddon took to the interWeb:

Very proud of our effort 2nite. What occurred in the 9th reeked of intent. Was ridiculous, absurd, idiotic, incompetent, cowardly behavior.
— Joe Maddon (@RaysJoeMaddon) May 26, 2012

Before Saturday night's game, reporters got Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine to open up. Just a little:

"I thought their coaches were really aggressive, as a matter of fact I took offense to the aggressiveness of their coaches,'' Valentine said, referring to the way things escalated when both benches cleared and engaged in a shouting and shoving match near home plate with two outs in the top of the ninth inning of Friday night's 7-4 loss vs. the Rays. "I thought it was really unprofessional."

--snip--

"They seemed very immature and out of control,'' Valentine said. "Coaches are supposed to stop those things from happening and their coaches were agitating, aggravating, and instigating the situation.''

(source: Boston.com)

You never wanna see anyone get hurt, but you sorta wanna see a little bit of extracurricular activity during the rest of this series, as the Rays try to inspire their fans and the Red Sox try to escape last place.