cubs.com: Piniella, Sinatro take a wrong turn on the way to Cincinnati

Their explanation doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

“Matty was driving,” Piniella said, “but we actually ‘Googled’ the trip, and we were ‘Googled’ to East Liverpool, Pa. Who in the heck knows? On the sheet we had, it was ‘Cincinnati to Liverpool.’ I was thinking, I was in Cincinnati three years, and I didn’t remember a ‘Liverpool’ around the area.”

Sounds like they may have been victims of that dirty, no-good, robbin’ Maggie May.

AL East race: September 6, 2008

MLB.com: Percival, Rays drop series vs. Jays

Greg Zaun hit a walk-off grand slam in the 13th inning to hand the Rays a 7-4 loss at Rogers Centre on Saturday. With the loss, Tampa Bay (85-55) has now dropped four out of its last five games.

Rays closer Troy Percival entered the game in the 13th inning looking to earn a save. However, he could not do so after loading the bases and allowing the slam to Zaun.

Red Sox/Rangers 8:05 EDT

…

TBR 85-55
BOS 83-57 (2 GB)

NL West race: September 6, 2008

MLB.com: D-backs lose hold on first place

The D-backs fell out of first place in the National League West for the first time since April 5 as they fell, 7-2, to the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The loss was the second straight for the D-backs, who have gone from being 4 1/2 games up just one week ago, to a half-game behind the Dodgers.

Arizona ace Brandon Webb (19-7) lost for the third straight start. The right-hander allowed seven runs on five hits while walking a career-high six in 5 2/3 innings.
...
[Manny Ramirez] smacked a three-run homer in the fifth and drove in two more in the sixth when Justin Upton misplayed his fly ball to right into a ground-rule double.

LAD 72-70
ARI 71-70 (0.5 GB)
COL 67-75 (5 GB)

Seamheads: Joseph: Webb’s Elusive 20th Win

Para-futzing Joe Morgan last week..."Webb isn’t pitching well because the pressure of winning 20 games is getting to him.”

By the time you read this, my weekly entry to the Seamheads readers might be a moot point.  Brandon Webb takes the hill against the Arizona Diamondbacks with two failed attempts to pick up his 20th win.  Stuck at 19, if Webb fails to pick up his 20th win, he will join 23 other pitchers since 1956 to have multiple attempts at 20 wins but fail.

Unlike the difference between 14 and 15 wins, the difference between 19 and 20 wins is huge.  Since 1956, 104 players have fallen short of the magic number of 20 by just one win but only 23 have tried and failed more than once including a handful that had some shots in relief to pick up their 20th victory.

Nine players — Billy O’Dell (Giants, ‘62), Gary Peters (White Sox, ‘63), Jim Bunning (Phillies, ‘66), Joe Horlen (White Sox, ‘67), Dock Ellis (Pirates, ‘71), Steve Blass (Pirates, ‘72), Ed Figueroa (Yankees, ‘76), Len Barker (Indians, ‘80) and Rick Langford (Athletics, ‘80) — failed to notch a win in two starts after picking up their 19th win and O’Dell received an additional shot in relief.

FOX Sports: Perry: In Big Apple, Reyes has passed Jeter by

From the handstakingly hilaripus comments section..."I can’t believe someone pays you to trash him!!!! Again, your a knob!!”

And then there’s defense. Jeter, despite constant hosannas from the mainstream media, undeserved Gold Gloves, and the comically partisan objections of Yankee fans, simply isn’t an adequate defender. And he never has been. He’s a great player, and that in part is why people have such a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea that Jeter can’t field his position. So let’s put this another way: in his prime, Jeter was great at every aspect of the game — hitting, running the bases, being a leader, tracking fly balls, showing arm strength, making routine plays — except demonstrating range on ground balls. On this point, the numbers are in total and unflinching agreement. Don’t believe the chorus of statistics? Then use your eyes and watch Jeter, particularly when he’s moving to his left. What you’ll see is a player who has no business manning shortstop. (There’s a reason that his derisive nickname in some quarters is Derek “Past a Diving” Jeter.)

...As for Reyes, he’s much better in the field. He’s not a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop, but he’s above average and figures to remain so for some time. And unlike Jeter, he’s got a first step that allows him to get to an acceptable percentage of ground balls hit into his zone. Now let’s put it all together ...

TSN: Jones: Why I’m admiring and rooting for Francisco Rodriguez

Even when Todd Jones is at work...he finds time to watch where he’s not going.

Players watch (like hawks) how other players act, and I can tell you that over-the-top antics are not forgotten. As a rule of thumb, whatever you might do is accepted as long as you do it every time. Sammy Sosa’s homer hop, for example. Well, every time K-Rod gets a save, he points to the heavens and blows a kiss. The key there is that he does it every time. What once was perceived as a guy saying, “Look at me and how good I am,” no longer was construed as any kind of attempt to show anyone up.

When you look at K-Rod, you should look at him as a guy who’s having a dream season as far as the save opportunities he is getting and how he is converting them. He is doing a remarkable job and remains on pace to blow away Bobby Thigpen’s record for saves in a season (57).

The Pilot: White: Language Rule a Bad Idea

In any language...Ol’ Gordo is loopy.

If Major League Baseball required its players to speak English well, imagine the many past and present Hall of Fame players and other greats who would have never made it into MLB. Most notable among current MLB all-stars with mediocre English skills is Ichiro Suzuki, the 35-year-old Japanese outfielder, who is in his eighth season with the Seattle Mariners. One of the most proficient hitters in MLB history, Ichiro is in a class with Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Pete Rose and Rod Carew.

Ichiro spoke nary a word of English when he came to MLB in 2001.

Think of all the excellent Latin-American players who would have been barred from MLB if they had been required to speak English before playing in the big leagues.

High-tech Matt Tuiasosopo makes M’s debut

If I’m not mistaken..."High-Tech Tuiasosopo” was a conga growling outtake from the Fela Ransome-Kuti and The Africa ‘70 Live ! (with Ginger Baker) sessions.

Some computer savvy and ingenuity helped Matt Tuiasosopo prepare for his family’s latest foray into Seattle sports lore.

...With no video footage of Pettitte to watch on the team’s off day, he pulled out his laptop and downloaded some YouTube files of some of the lefty’s more impressive moments.

“He looked pretty nasty in those videos,” Tuiasosopo said. “He was striking everyone out.”

But Tuiasosopo did come away with some useful information.

“Tendencies that he might fall into,” he said. “Pitches he might throw in counts. Movement on his balls.”

Bradford: Why I Would Take Pedroia Over A-Rod

Yea...and I would take Olive Brasno over Alix Talton.

“Insanity Grips Bradford Files” is being printed up in 100-point type on some intraweb concoction right now, I’m sure. But, as we sit here, I believe the player you want down the stretch is Pedroia, not the highest-paid baseball player in the history of historic history.

One baseball executive was asked to what player Pedroia would be equivalent if he was 6-foot-4. The answer: “Alex Rodiguez.” I’m saying save the extra nine inches for savings, Pedroia is doing more to fill the quota for baseball-playing importance than his much taller Yankee counterpart.

...That said it all right there — Pedroia likes coming to the park, likes playing baseball, likes being a teammate, and, above all, likes winning. I’m not around ARod, but that’s not the vibe I get from him. Sure, he wants to win, play well, and all that other gobblygook. But does he HAVE to have baseball every day, like Pedroia? I don’t think so. And that is the reason for one the biggest differences between the two — pure baseball instincts.

This is my thing with ARod. I just have always believed that his biggest roadblock is that his baseball instincts are just a bit off. The flaw is just big enough that it has become a serious divider between a great talent and what could be great achievements.

Dugout Central: Ehrke: Another 30-game Winner Just Isn’t Possible

Shhh...Don’t tell that to Chuck Seelbach. (brought up from the Htrae Facefolders...Seelbach won 30 games in my old Strat-O league!)

No one today pitches 28 complete game victories. Starters are too dependent on their bullpens to win 30 games. Let’s “go Pythagorean” one more time. Let’s assume our possible 30 game winner averages seven innings per start – 245 innings, a real workhorse by today’s standard. This means he needs his bullpen to pick up the other two innings. The average major league bullpen has an ERA of 4.03. Allowing 7% more unearned runs, they surrender about 4.31 runs per nine or 0.958 runs in their two innings of work. Remember, to win 30 games for a typical team the pitcher must keep his runs allowed below 1.89 per nine. The bullpen just surrendered 0.958 of those 1.89 runs. The starter can only allow 0.932 runs in his seven innings of work. That means that after making adjustments for unearned runs the starter must maintain an ERA of 1.11 or less to win 30 times.

No one’s going to record a 1.11 ERA.

Rosenthal: You want politics? Just look at NL MVP race

Using his dynamite Trekker SRF04 Ultrasonic Scanner...Robothal looks into the MVP race.

Factor in the animosity between the various constituencies — sabermetricians, bloggers, fanboys and mainstream baseball writers — and the potential exists for a nastier debate than anything Obama and McCain will deliver.

We all have our own definition of MVP. Many sabermetric types hate the subjective aspect, the seemingly ever-changing standards of the voting baseball writers. I love the ambiguity, the arguments, the angst. If the award were for highest OPS or highest VORP, the process would not be nearly as fun.

The longshots

Ryan Howard, Phillies. Not all that he appears. Howard leads the league with 39 homers and 119 RBIs, but his .236 batting average would be by far the lowest ever by an MVP, “beating” Marty Marion, who batted .267 in 1944. Howard’s .325 OBP and .502 SLG also would be among the lowest ever by a 40-homer man, and he’s no Pujols at first base.

David Wright, Mets. Difficult to compare with Reyes, who is an entirely different type, but Wright falls short when compared to Braun, a more similar player. Braun has a higher OPS and is far better with runners in scoring position; Wright is batting only .238 in those situations. Wright is a better defender at third than Braun is in left, but Braun fares well in the Bill James Online plus-minus ratings, ranking eighth among qualifiers at his position.

Sabernomics: Bradbury: A Response to My Critique of the Mitchell Report Study

Jumpin’ Kilgo Trout Mask Replicas everybody...good luck!

I have received a response to my critique of Did Steroid Use Enhance the Performance of the Mitchell Batters? The Effect of Alleged Performance Enhancing Drug Use on Offensive Performance from 1995 to 2007 by Brian J. Schmotzer, Jeff Switchenko, and Patrick D. Kilgo.

What follows is the authors’ response. I will comment on this response within the next few days. I thank the authors for responding to me.

To sum up, we feel that many of the issues you have raised as “obvious factual errors” should more fairly be described as differences of opinion. Our methodology, while not perfect, is defensible and leads to the best estimate of the steroids effect that has yet been published. Furthermore, the essential conclusion of our study does not change even when incorporating your suggested changes, which shows just how robust the result is. Based on the information that is out there in the Mitchell Report, we don’t see how you can come to any conclusion except that there is a substantial positive effect on offensive performance due to steroids.

Cincinnati Enquirer: Erardi: Dickerson’s stats superior in majors

But, but the two-headed Brennamanster said he’s the real deal!

There’s a forecasting system called “Marcel,” which projects players’ big-league numbers based upon their numbers now. Here is Dickerson’s “Marcel” for this season: .287 batting average, .367 on-base percentage, .507 slugging percentage.

That’s impressive.

But “Marcel” doesn’t use minor-league numbers, so one would think that even at his best, Dickerson won’t quite live up to such a forecast.

And consider this name from the Reds’ past: Duane Walker. As a 27-year-old in 1984 - after having had a couple of 225 at-bat seasons - Walker appeared to have a breakout year: .292 batting average, .391 on-base percentage, .528 slugging percentage.

He never again hit above .200 at the big-league level.

So, is Dickerson closer to Walker ... or closer to Marcel? Figuring that one out is why Reds general manager Walt Jocketty gets paid the big bucks.

MLB: Scully will return for 60th season

Maybe by then he’ll be able to tell the difference between a fastball and a splitter…

Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully said Friday he will return to the Dodgers for a 60th season at the microphone in 2009.

Scully, whose current three-year contract runs through 2008, said he decided to return after receiving clearance from his wife, Sandra.

“When you’re on the road as much as we are, it’s the loneliness of your wife that you consider,” Scully, 80, said. “But she said, ‘It’s been such a part of my life for so long, you might as well do it if you want to do it.’ And I still enjoy it. I still feel like I’m happy to be here, I still get goosebumps with an exciting play. So, I told Frank [McCourt, club chairman] that I’ll try it for another year.”

Scully said he will continue with the same broadcasting workload—calling virtually all home games, plus road games as far east as Colorado. He said he made no commitment beyond 2009.

MVN: Matschulat: Texas Rangers Shouldn’t Turn Blind Eye To Defense

The Rangers don’t have a good defense or a league-average defense. They don’t even have a mediocre defense. I’m not quite sure what the right word is.

Reprehensible, perhaps?

...Chris Dial’s handcrafted metric of choice, Defensive Runs Saved, converts zone rating data into a tangible measure of runs saved above-average defensively at any given position. The way Dial went about summing up each player’s defensive contributions at all positions played and then attributing that number to each player’s primary defensive position likely distorted the individual positional totals, but the team defensive totals remain devastatingly accurate.

In the Rangers’ case, -49.7 runs accurate. That’s not a typo, unfortunately; the Texas defense has performed roughly 50 runs below league-average this season, representing the second-worst team defense in Major League Baseball behind only the New York Yankees (-50.2 runs). The Rangers have fared no better where team defensive efficiency is concerned, converting just 68.1 percent of batted balls (not including homers) into outs - the third-worst mark in the majors.

Thanks to Dick Such and Such.

SF Chronicle: Earthquake rattles SF Bay area during Giants’ game

It certainly wasn’t caused by the Giants’ offense.

A light earthquake has rattled the San Francisco Bay area and was felt during the Giants’ game with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Many felt the temblor — with a preliminary report as a 4.0-magnitude from the U.S. Geological Survey — at the Giants’ waterfront ballpark. There was no interruption of the game.
...
The quake hit just after 9 p.m. and could be felt throughout the region. The temblor’s epicenter was near Alamo, about 28 miles east of San Francisco.

NL West race: September 5, 2008

MLB.com: Ethier, Lowe carry Dodgers

Andre Ethier homered and drove in a career-high five runs and Derek Lowe pitched eight scoreless innings as the Dodgers pulled to within a half-game of first place with a 7-0 rout of over Arizona on Friday night… Ethier finished with five hits for the Dodgers, who won their sixth consecutive game.

Lowe allowed two hits, only one leaving the infield, while raising his record to 12-11.

MLB.com: [Ubaldo] Jimenez rebounds to down Astros

ARI 71-69
LAD 71-70 (0.5 GB)
COL 67-75 (5 GB)

MLB.com: Morrow flirts with no-no, wins first start

The last pitch he threw on Friday night cost right-hander Brandon Morrow a possible no-hitter, but not his first Major League win as a starter, as the Mariners beat the Yankees, 3-1, at Safeco Field.

Morrow, making his first career start following two seasons as a reliever, held the Yankees hitless for 7 2/3 innings before pinch-hitter Wilson Betemit doubled over right fielder Ichiro Suzuki’s head in right-center.

The hit came on Morrow’s 106th pitch of the game, about 10 more than he was supposed to throw.

Morrissey: Quentin has only himself to blame

Maladjusted, maladjusted…

The fact that this happened in September, in the late stages of a pennant race, makes Quentin’s actions egregious. His aggressiveness wasn’t being used in a positive way. It was being used to express his anger publicly over not hitting a Lee pitch.

A hitter can’t afford to be reckless with his hands. And with this guy’s long history of injuries? Insanity.

In a twisted way, there’s something almost right about it, or at least inevitable. The Sox have talked with Quentin about his excessive levels of intensity, trying to get him to open up a little bit, especially with the media.

...While the White Sox set Quentin up with doctors, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to get him together with a sports psychologist. Considering the best hitters fail seven out of every 10 at-bats, it would do him a world of good to get it inside his head that he’s not going to be perfect every time.

AL Central race: September 5, 2008

MLB.com: Power continues behind Uribe, Konerko

Led by two home runs and four RBIs from Juan Uribe, the White Sox cruised to a 10-2 victory over the American League West-leading Angels. Paul Konerko also went deep as part of his three-hit night, finishing a triple short of the cycle.

MLB.com: Morneau’s grand slam lifts Twins to win

Justin Morneau made the Twins’ homecoming a happy one on Friday night. The first baseman hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to help Minnesota capture a 10-2 victory over Detroit at the Metrodome.

CHW 79-61
MIN 78-63 (1.5 GB)

NL Central race: September 5, 2008

MLB.com: Skid hits six as Lilly, Lieber hit hard

Lilly lasted two innings Friday in his shortest outing of the season as the Reds roughed up the Cubs, 10-2, to hand them their sixth straight loss. It’s Chicago’s longest skid since dropping six in a row May 27-June 2, 2007.

Lilly (13-9) was charged with five runs on four hits and three walks over two innings.

MLB.com: Hardy’s heroics end Brewers’ skid

Eric Gagne surrendered an eighth-inning home run that cost southpaw CC Sabathia his 10th Brewers win, but Hardy’s 11th-inning single gave Milwaukee a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres at Miller Park on Friday that snapped a four-game losing streak.

CHC 85-56
MIL 81-60 (4 GB; lead wildcard by 4 games)

AL East race: September 5, 2008

MLB.com: Rays drop series opener in Toronto

The Rays dropped a 6-4 affair to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday night. With the loss, Tampa Bay fell to 85-54.

Toronto (74-66) starter Roy Halladay was able to stifle the Rays’ hitters over seven innings, allowing three runs—only one of which was earned.

MLB.com: Fresh off DL, Beckett, Lowell lead Sox

Making his first start since Aug. 17, Josh Beckett pitched five shutout innings as the Red Sox trounced the Rangers, 8-1, on Friday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

TBR 85-54
BOS 83-57 (2.5 GB)

NL East race: September 5, 2008

MLB.com: Phils blank Mets, shrink gap in East

Behind another dominating performance by Brett Myers, the Phillies accomplished that goal and pulled within two games of the Mets with a 3-0 win at Shea Stadium. There wasn’t much offense—Shane Victorino singled in the first and scored on a groundout by Chase Utley.

Greg Dobbs helped with a two-run homer off Mets starter Mike Pelfrey, but Myers didn’t need the assistance. The right-hander pitched around first- and second-inning doubles and retired 11 in a row at one point.

NYM 79-62
PHI 77-64 (2 GB)

WSJ: Talking With: Dennis Lehane

We bury our sins, we wash them clean...unless it involves Typhoid Mary and Babe Ruth.

WSJ: The legendary baseball player Babe Ruth is one of the real-life characters who appears in the book. What was it about him that led you to include him?

Dennis Lehane: Originally I wanted to start with something that never gets in the book: That for all intents and purposes, the Typhoid Mary of the great influenza epidemic was a soldier who was probably at the fifth game of the World Series. The reason that this Spanish influenza blew up first in Boston and Chicago, and nobody had ever figured out why—it didn’t seem to make sense, it should have gone down the train lines—was because soldiers who were carrying it were at that fifth game of the World Series. They gave it to people from Chicago, who then hopped on trains, got sick and spread it. That was where I wanted to start the book. But I could never get that story out. Then I thought, I’ll just start and have Babe Ruth in there. In a way, I was looking at the end of an era. When I saw that I could play around in the last year that Ruth played for the Red Sox, I knew that I had come across something. After the beginning, I felt that Ruth was then supposed to leave the book, but he became my bridge. Anytime I had to have a time leap, I’d get to go through Ruth. If I needed to cover three or four months, I would do it in a Ruth chapter. He just became a balance.

Newsday: Davidoff: Mike Schmidt’s message to the Phillies

Heard Michael Jack say this about David Wright last week..."Wright is a really good player, but what’s he in...his second or third year?”

Before the Phillies took pre-game batting practice this afternoon, they could help themselves to an interesting message from Phillies legendary Mike Schmidt. It surely will interest the Mets, as well.

The Hall of Famer e-mailed this note, which was posted on the inside of the door that leads to the playing field:

One pitch, one at bat, one play, one situation, think “small” and “big” things result, tough at-bats, lots of walks, stay up the middle with men on base, whatever it takes to “keep the line moving” on offense, 27 outs on defense. The Mets know you’re better than they are. They remember last year. You guys are never out of a game. Welcome the challenge that confronts you this weekend. You are the best. Good luck. #20.

My Newsday teammate David Lennon is working as I type, seeing if the Mets have any reaction to Schmidt’s assertion of their state of mind.

Blocko lettering by me.

Crain’s: Baseball rivalry fails to sell out Shea

HA!...You ever been to Shea in September?

The Mets-Phillies rivalry this weekend is leading off with weaker ticket sales than the last time the teams faced off at Shea Stadium.

Only 47,000 tickets have been sold in advance of Friday night’s game with an average of about 51,000 sold for the total three-game series. That number is surprisingly low compared to July’s series between the rival New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies when 55,000 tickets were sold for the first game by opening night. Ticket sales for that entire series averaged 53,000, a number driven by the Mets’ 10-game winning streak.

...“The numbers for Friday’s game are certainly lower than one might expect, but there’s also less disposable income for average fans right now,” said Wayne McDonnell, an assistant professor of sports management at New York University. “The start of the NFL season has a lot of New York sports fans excited this year, and others are probably waiting to see about post-season tickets and what they might have to save for October if the Mets make it [to the playoffs]. You also have to consider the state of the economy with lower to middle-income families sending their kids back to school.”

Joe Posnanski Blog: Miscellaneous

mis·cel·la·ne·ous: Having a variety of characteristics, abilities, and bowl-headed Pete Rose appearances ripping Derek Jeter.

One more Jeter thought. When I talked with Pete Rose (Did I mention I’m writing a book about the 1975 Reds … come on, you knew I couldn’t make it through a sprawling blog post like this without mentioning it), I asked him if he thought Jeter had any chance to catch him on the hit list.

I wish I’d had a camera at that moment because the look of pure disgust on Pete’s face was beyond priceless, it was worth more words than every blog post I’ve ever written. He said, “Come on.”

I said, “Well, he has about as many hits as you had at his age.” And if anything Pete’s look became MORE disgusted, and he smirked and he said what might be my favorite quote of the year, and one that (sadly) I probably won’t be able to get into the book so I give it to you now:

He said: “You tell Derek that the first 3,000 are easy.”

Ask 14: Jim Rice: Varitek’s Future

I guess during most of Varitek’s career...Jim Rice was busy making BBWAA members fear him.

Jason Varitek’s numbers are down this year, but he has never really been a significant offensive producer during his career in Boston.  He had the potential to be a great hitter from both sides of the plate, but never really put it all together.  He is an excellent defensive catcher but he is pretty one dimensional at this point in his career.Because of this, I don’t think it’s vital to re-sign Varitek during the off-season.  The problem is losing a catcher sets back the pitching staff about a year while you reprogram your the staff to work with a new receiver.  A major issue is that in the minor leagues we don’t have anyone to fill in and the there isn’t a lot of quality catching around the league, which puts Tek in a better position when he approaches the negotiating table this winter.

Thanks to the fearless, yet oddly glass-jawed, Art Martone. 

Trembley to return as Orioles manager

The Orioles announced Friday that they’ve excercised their option for the 2009 season in manager Dave Trembley’s contract, and they also added a team option for 2010. Trembley, who took over the team last June, has compiled a 103-129 record during his tenure.

Hard to really argue with this. Trembley was able to make the most out of nothing this year and exceed expectations (okay, so the expectation was “lose 100 games"). Plus, he actually has the team do infield more then once a year.

And it’s not like anyone else is going to take the job.

AL home run leader Carlos Quentin has broken wrist

Sans Quentin...all lethal injections on the left!

American League home run leader Carlos Quentin has a broken wrist, and the Chicago White Sox said the left fielder will have surgery next week.

Quentin was removed from the lineup before Tuesday’s game because of what the White Sox described then as a sore right forearm, and he hasn’t played since. The team said Friday that he was hurt during Monday’s game at Cleveland.

A screw will be inserted into the wrist, and he will be re-evaluated in two-to-three-weeks. Quentin is batting .288 with 36 homers and 100 RBIs.