Week 2:

[UK1679666180]

West Division:

 

The Eyes of Texas (1-0) at Quakers (1-0)

 

Saber Metrics (0-1) at Lynx (1-0)

 

Fuzzy Logistics (0-1) at Alamo Stealth (1-0)

 

Northside Baseball (0-1) at Severe Tooterstorms (0-1)

 

East Division:

 

Tootielicious (1-0) at Raw Dawgs (0-1)

 

Valenzuela's Screwballs (0-1) at NC Cubs (0-1)

 

Galesburg Hand Sanitizers (1-0) at Tampa Bay Rays (1-0)

 

Harrys Budcrew (0-1) at The Fighting Manginos (1-0)

[tadowdaddy]

I have to choose between 13 starts this week. A bad choice or two could easily lead to a loss. We'll see how good my managing skills are this week.

[Guest]

I wish I played Fuzzy last week.

[UK1679666180]

I have my starters against Adam set with Greinke and Jimenez going twice.

[abuck1220]

I have my starters against Adam set with Greinke and Jimenez going twice.

 

yeah, my matchups suck.

 

it'd be nice if jimmy rollins would quit being shitty at baseball.

[UK1679666180]

I don't have much to complain with as far as week 1, but I would like Helton to do better.

 

I have a feeling Oliver Perez is going to hurt me bad this week with a -20 type of start.

[tadowdaddy]

I think both Litsch and Perkins stay sitting on the bench this week, and I think I sit either Garza or AJB in their game against each other and sit Floyd at TB later this week. Just haven't decided which to sit in the NYY/TB game (Garza is typically good at home).

 

That leaves me with:

 

Floyd - at Detroit today

AJB or Garza (NYY at TB) Tuesday

Volstad at Atlanta Tuesday

Halladay at Minnesota - Thursday

Burnett vs Cleveland - Sunday

Volstad at Washington - Sunday

Garza vs Chi Sox - Sunday

 

Would anyone do anything different?

[Guest]

I wish I played Fuzzy last week.

 

I wish I played me last week.

[tadowdaddy]

Gavin Floyd off to a hnot so hot start. Hope he can turn it around in the middle innings.

[UK1679666180]

1. Will one pitch be enough for Pelfrey?

Mets starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey is a big man with a live arm, and one glaring weakness: his off-speed stuff rarely finds the strike zone. The 6-foot-7 inch right-hander, now in his fourth big league season, finished last year with the league’s lowest non-fastball strike percentage (44 percent).

 

2008 Strike Percentage

Pitch Type Pelfrey League Avg. Pelfrey Rank

Slider 44.8 63.5 Last

Changeup 42.1 63.0 3rd to last

 

Without command of a secondary pitch, Pelfrey has relied very heavily on his fastball. He used the heater 81 percent of the time last season, the second-highest fastball usage in the NL behind sinkerballer Aaron Cook.

 

Opposing hitters were able to sit fastball against Pelfrey, and that showed in the performance against the pitch in the middle innings, when they slugged over one hundred points higher and struck out less frequently on fastballs compared to the early innings:

 

Pelfrey's fastball in 2008

Inning SLG Strikeout Pct. PA

1-3 .341 14.8% 338

4-6 .454 9.0% 312

 

Just a slight improvement in off-speed command could benefit the Mets right-hander. Last season Pelfrey threw at least half of his non-fastballs for strikes in just 8 of his 32 starts. But the overall results of those outings (2.96 ERA) were far better than the 24 starts in which he failed to get half of his secondary pitches over for strikes (4.11 ERA).

 

Pelfrey continued to exhibit poor command of his off-speed stuff in his first start of the year in Cincinnati. He matched his league-low 44 percent off-speed strikes from a year ago in that outing while giving up 4 earned runs in 5 innings of work. He’ll need to mix in something other than a fastball tonight against Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez, whose .572 slugging percentage was best last year among current Padres regulars. Gonzalez took Pelfrey’s heater deep in a game last August.

 

2. Kazmir regains outside command

Rays left-hander Scott Kazmir recorded a 3.48 ERA in 2007, and then missed last April with a strained elbow. He started strong with a sparkling 2.28 ERA in his first 11 starts of 2008, but managed just a 4.43 ERA in 16 outings from July to September as opponents made solid contact on his fastballs and sliders:

 

Hitting trend vs. Kazmir's fastball and slider

2007 May-June 2008 July-September 2008

Slugging percentage .382 .296 .451

Well-hit average .197 .189 .247

 

In his first 2009 start last Wednesday, Kazmir allowed only one run on five hits in six innings against the Red Sox. He commanded both pitches for strikes on the outside corner, something he struggled to do during the second half of last season:

 

Kazmir's strike percentage on outside corner

2007 July-September 2008 April 8, 2009

Fastball 63.7 58.0 63.0

Slider 63.0 52.0 72.7

 

On Wednesday he threw strikes on 65 percent of his fastballs and sliders away. That’s encouraging news for the Rays as Kazmir prepares to face the Yankees on Monday. Last season, he had a 2.80 ERA in games when he threw those pitches for strikes at least 63 percent of the time, compared to a 3.87 ERA in other starts.

 

3. Royals could make things rougher for Carmona

Fausto Carmona turned in one of the best seasons of any pitcher in 2007 after a mediocre rookie campaign in 2006, and helped the Indians achieve an ALCS berth for the first time in nine years. But after sailing along with an ERA in the low two’s through mid-May last season, Carmona injured his hip, missed the next two months and struggled to regain his top form. He ended with a disappointing 5.45 ERA on the year.

 

Carmona’s first start this season looked more like his second half outings of 2008 than his stellar performances of a year prior. He allowed 6 runs in five innings of work in suffering the loss against the Rangers. Today, he’ll face a Royals lineup that is not generally as potent, but has mashed his trademark sinker in the past. Current Royals hitters have compiled 111 plate appearances ending on a Carmona fastball since 2007, with impressive results:

 

Vs. Carmona's fastball since 2007

Current Team BAVG SLG OPS

Royals .414 .586 1.063

All others .254 .357 .708

 

Seven different Royals regulars are hitting .400 or better against Carmona’s sinker over the past three seasons.

 

Current Royals batters vs. Carmona's fastball since 2007

Hitter BAVG H AB

Miguel Olivo .750 3 4

Alex Gordon .667 8 12

Mike Aviles .500 2 4

Mark Teahen .500 6 12

Jose Guillen .500 3 6

David DeJesus .467 7 15

Coco Crisp .400 2 5

 

See if Carmona can get past Monday’s challenge with the Royals and get himself back on track.

[tadowdaddy]

Gavin Floyd Blows!

[Guest]

Gavin Floyd Blows!

 

This is not exactly earthshattering news. :hello:

[UK1679666180]

Thank you Lou for putting in the crap line-up today vs. Jimenez.

 

Hopefully this one gets in.

 

Hill, Miles, Johnson vs. a RH'er, and Lilly in the order.

[abuck1220]

yeah, i'm pulling for a rainout now. jeez.

[bukie]

Juan's offense is currently 7-7 with 2 2Bs, 3 HRs, 5 Rs, 8 RBIs and a BB.

[UK1679666180]

Lou with the hit and run, always a good move with the stuff of Jimenez and poor field/running conditions.

[Guest]

Juan's offense is currently 7-7 with 2 2Bs, 3 HRs, 5 Rs, 8 RBIs and a BB.

 

 

yea, konerko and quentin are having good days!

[bukie]

Juan's offense is currently 7-7 with 2 2Bs, 3 HRs, 5 Rs, 8 RBIs and a BB.

 

 

yea, konerko and quentin are having good days!

Konerko and Quentin are having a good week, today.

[UK1679666180]

Jimemez looks like crap today, but has only given up 1 thru 3.

[bukie]

Jimemez looks like crap today, but has only given up 1 thru 3.

He's certainly pitched his way into and out of some jams already.

[UK1679666180]

If I can get 10-15 from him today and a good start later this week, I'll be happy.

[UK1679666180]

BB'ing a pitcher that wants to bunt.... :x

[abuck1220]

If I can get 10-15 from him today and a good start later this week, I'll be happy.

 

worst [expletive] eight point start ever. jeez, don't even take a bat up there for crying out loud.

[bukie]

That's amazing. Jimenez is going to be over 100 pitches before the 4th inning is over.

[UK1679666180]

Despite that outing, I'm hoping to be up by 20 after today with Grienke going.