Friday, July 17, 2009
By Roz Juarbe
There is a whirlwind of information surrounding baseball right now. Pennant races are in full swing and the trade deadline is fast approaching. Teams will have very different looks in a few weeks, dumping star players to rebuild, or acquiring talented pieces for the stretch run. This can change the chemistry of a team, the everyday lineup, as well as the attitude. Some teams are excited when management adds an important piece (like when the Brewers added C.C. Sabathia a year ago), while others can get down, feeling the organization is giving up on the season.
One team that appears to be feeling good about itself is the Angels. After enduring an awful April and May with injuries (and tragedy) the Angels are slowly getting healthy and playing well. This week, Ervin Santana got back on the mound against Oakland. He did not have his old fastball back, but relied heavily on his slider in the early innings, retiring 11 consecutive batters at one point. He carried a one-hitter into the sixth inning. That is good news, but make not of the fact that he relied on his slider a lot with his fastball slower than normal. If he faces team that can hit sliders, such as left-handed heavy lineups, or powerful offensive teams, he could struggle again.
Boston has an abundance of pitching and is one of the few teams content with their rotation and bullpen depth, the best pen in the game. Keep an eye on how young Clay Buchholz performs against Toronto Friday night. In the season's first half with Pawtucket, Buchholz went 7-2 with a 2.36 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched), second best in the International League. He struggled badly in the majors a year ago, but has worked on a lot of things and appears confident. If he pitches well, they will have to put him somewhere.
The defending AL East champion Rays have got their act together, playing great. However, they are in such a tough division. Note that the Rays have actually lost a half-game in the standings during the past six weeks despite going 25-14 (.641).
The pressure is also on the Cubs to live up to their high payroll. Several Cubs are looking to rebound from poor first halves, including starter Rich Harden. He allowed one unearned run on three hits, struck out seven and walked no one in his first start of the second half, but it was a 6-2 win over the hapless Nationals. It counts, sure, but with an asterix attached for serious sports bettors. Harden is 5-1 at night with a 2.41 earned-run average and 4-1 on the road with a 2.16 ERA.
The Cubs still are waiting on Aramis Ramirez to heat up. Ramirez was 0-for-3 and is 6-for-27 (.222) with no RBIs since his return from a dislocated left shoulder. "We need for our team in general, offensively, to pick it up," said manager Lou Piniella. "We are not going to win anything if we're 15th in the league in runs scored." That has been a boon to totals players, as the Cubs are on an 11-5 run under the total!
By Roz Juarbe
There is a whirlwind of information surrounding baseball right now. Pennant races are in full swing and the trade deadline is fast approaching. Teams will have very different looks in a few weeks, dumping star players to rebuild, or acquiring talented pieces for the stretch run. This can change the chemistry of a team, the everyday lineup, as well as the attitude. Some teams are excited when management adds an important piece (like when the Brewers added C.C. Sabathia a year ago), while others can get down, feeling the organization is giving up on the season.
One team that appears to be feeling good about itself is the Angels. After enduring an awful April and May with injuries (and tragedy) the Angels are slowly getting healthy and playing well. This week, Ervin Santana got back on the mound against Oakland. He did not have his old fastball back, but relied heavily on his slider in the early innings, retiring 11 consecutive batters at one point. He carried a one-hitter into the sixth inning. That is good news, but make not of the fact that he relied on his slider a lot with his fastball slower than normal. If he faces team that can hit sliders, such as left-handed heavy lineups, or powerful offensive teams, he could struggle again.
Boston has an abundance of pitching and is one of the few teams content with their rotation and bullpen depth, the best pen in the game. Keep an eye on how young Clay Buchholz performs against Toronto Friday night. In the season's first half with Pawtucket, Buchholz went 7-2 with a 2.36 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched), second best in the International League. He struggled badly in the majors a year ago, but has worked on a lot of things and appears confident. If he pitches well, they will have to put him somewhere.
The defending AL East champion Rays have got their act together, playing great. However, they are in such a tough division. Note that the Rays have actually lost a half-game in the standings during the past six weeks despite going 25-14 (.641).
The pressure is also on the Cubs to live up to their high payroll. Several Cubs are looking to rebound from poor first halves, including starter Rich Harden. He allowed one unearned run on three hits, struck out seven and walked no one in his first start of the second half, but it was a 6-2 win over the hapless Nationals. It counts, sure, but with an asterix attached for serious sports bettors. Harden is 5-1 at night with a 2.41 earned-run average and 4-1 on the road with a 2.16 ERA.
The Cubs still are waiting on Aramis Ramirez to heat up. Ramirez was 0-for-3 and is 6-for-27 (.222) with no RBIs since his return from a dislocated left shoulder. "We need for our team in general, offensively, to pick it up," said manager Lou Piniella. "We are not going to win anything if we're 15th in the league in runs scored." That has been a boon to totals players, as the Cubs are on an 11-5 run under the total!
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