Quick Thoughts

This would be pretty awesome.  Means nothing, but would be cool nonetheless.

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Also, I’m picking Tampa Bay in 7.  Just a hunch – I think the Phils will take a couple behind Hamels and maybe win a high scoring game 4 (Blanton vs Sonnanstine in Citizen’s Bank Bandbox).  Tampa’s homefield advantage and overall higher talent level will prevail.

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Wyatt Watch.  Probably ought to be a Dauthan Watch, too.

Enjoy the series.

Postlude to a facebook Message

Wyatt’s reply:

Just be glad you’re being broken in “slowly.” If you were watching this game on the World’s Greatest Network, Hawk would be informing you of all types of information you would be surprised to learn.

Georgy Handsome always wins.

He is the straw that stirs this blog’s drink.

The More Things Change

…you know the rest of the phrase.  Anyway, Surprise!  Ed Wade and Jim Bowden made separate but silly trades.  Jim Bowden sent away a very nice, young, back of the bullpen reliever for Emilio Bonifacio who, um, dreams of being Luis Castillo?  Oh, did I mention that he’s under team control for less than $5 million in ‘09 and ‘10?  It made some sense for Rauch to be on the block before this trade, because teams semi-regularly overpay for relievers this time of year, and a good-to-great closer is a luxury that a team as far off the playoff chase as the Nationals are doesn’t have much use for.  If you can get back an All-Star caliber starting pitcher or everyday player for a guy like Rauch, you do it, but a below average regular?  Bowden seems to have jumped at the the first deal that came to him.  Good on the D’backs to pick up yet another underrated reliever for a Quad-A second baseman.  He keeps getting mentioned as the potential replacement for Orlando Hudson had O Dog bolted in free agency, but the Diamondbacks can do better than that, even internally.

Ed Wade’s illusion of grandeur continues unabated in Houston!  He sends 25 year old Chris Reineke, one of the ‘Stros top 10 prospects (faint praise, but still), for the 31 year old shell of Randy Wolf.  Wolf isn’t awful, but Petco has masked some of his slip towards mediocrity.  Yeah, this deal makes very, very little sense to me, especially given that Ed Wade wants to re-sign Wolf, based on his comments.  Huh?  I don’t even think I would want to offer him arbitration, even if he was a Type B free agent, which seems likely, let alone give him a multi-year extension.  Heck, the only good reason a team as D-U-N done as the Astros should trade for a guy like Wolf is if the potential draft picks gained if/when the player signs elsewhere rather than accepting arbitration outweighs what you trade away.  In this case, it’s probably a toss up, but if Wade wants to re-sign Wolf, well, that tells you all you need to know about his refusal to accept the reality that the Astros are about as far from contention in the short and medium term as any NL team save probably Bowden’s Nats.

The Wyatt Watch marches on!!

Odds, Ends, etc.

“Electric Feel” by MGMT is a big time kind of jam.  Wyatt gets some credit there, he was loving it before me.  It’s the best disco song that no one who lived through the disco era has ever heard.  Just thought you oughta know.

Wyatt and I caught the Sunday afternoon Mets/Reds game in the ‘Nati.  Thoughts from that:

• I have never, ever been to a hotter baseball game.  It was just blazing.
• Skyline Chili dogs are hard to beat.
• Your typical Reds fan will find any opportunity to boo Adam Dunn.  In the middle innings of Sunday’s game, a line drive fell in front of him for a single, and the fans booed heartily.  The next inning, he smashed a Mike Pelfry offering down the line to cheers.  Thankfully, some loudmouth behind us pointed out everyone’s hypocrisy.
• Your typical Reds fan will find any opportunity to cheer Ken Griffey, Jr.  Sure, Wyatt and I both loved him as much as anybody during the late 90s, but he’s not that player anymore.  He hasn’t even been that player since he came to the Reds.  Sure, he seems to be an appreciative, gregarious guy, but at this point, Dunn is the better player at the plate and in the field.  Griffey has first basemen’s speed and seems to take exceptionally adventurous routes to balls.  If a fan’s issue with Dunn is a low batting average, then they should take issue with Griffey, too; they’re both hitting under .250, and Dunn’s secondary skills are way ahead.
• Jose Reyes is really, really fast.
• David Wright is really, really good.  There’s nothing he can’t do.
• Edwin Encarnacion just seems like a guy who would end up in Dusty Baker’s doghouse all the time (spotty defense, doesn’t scream “scrappiness”), but he’s avoided it all season, to the benefit of the team.
• The Reds should have some really nice teams over the next few years, with a core of Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Encarnacion, Edison Volquez, and Jonny Cueto.  They can certainly compete for some playoff spots in the next 5 years or so if Walt Jocketty can support that.
• The next few years for the Mets will go in the opposite direction unless Omar Minaya can supplement their core with healthier (or just plain better) secondary players.

Also, it’s free preview week at Baseball Prospectus.  You should absolutely check that out for yourself.

Lastly, it’s probably time to start using the Wyatt Watch tag again.

Introducing Lance Manly

Call off the search, I’m here and I brought with me Lance Manly. With the all-star festivities starting tonight, we thought it would be a good time to unveil the Lance Manly NL all-stars. Keep in mind when reading this that these are not necessarily the players with the best stats, but the people who best personify manliness, just as the great Lance Manly himself.

NL Lance Manly All-Stars:

SP- Edinson Volquez, 2.29 ERA, 126 Ks.

C-Brian McCann, 18 HRs, .940 OPS.

1B-Lance Berkman, 22 HRs, 1.096 OPS. A tough decision between Pujols and Lance Berkman, but a nickname like “the Big Puma” puts Berkman over the top.

2B-Dan Uggla, 23 HRs, .978 OPS. Another close call but Lance favors Ugly Uggla over Utley.

3B-Chipper Jones, 18 HRs, 1.086 OPS. Russell Branyan didn’t play enough games to qualify, otherwise it would’ve been close.

SS-Hanley Ramirez, 23 HRs, .957 OPS. “El niño” is manly enough for Lance.

OF-Adam Dunn, 26 HRs, .918 OPS. We at Charging the Mound are very confused as to why no one seems to like Dunn right now.

OF-Ryan Ludwick, 21 HRs, .962 OPS. Do we expect to find Ludwick receiving any postseason awards? No, but you have to give credit where credit is due.

OF-Pat Burrell, 21 HRs, .979 OPS.

Check back in tomorrow for the AL Lance Manly’s.

A Quick Thought

Actually, I’ve been thinking this for awhile, and it doesn’t seem ground breaking to me, but no one else has been bringing it up.  Something is wrong with Carlos Marmol, basically since June began.  His ERA for the first two months of the season, April and May, was well under 2.00 each month.  In June, it jumped up over 7, and for July, it’s over 11.  He still looks unhittable, but he can’t seem to get the ball over the plate.

Here’s my thought:  I think he’s hurt.  I’m no injury expert; I haven’t really seen anything in his mechanics to indicate this, but after posting an insane, under 2.00 ERA for all of last season and the first two months of this one, it seems odd that his numbers would jump that much unless:

A.  He’s hurt, or

B.  He’s tipping his pitches.

I’m not ruling out the latter, BUT I think the Cubs’ staff would have noticed that and attempted to change it.  The injury seems more likely – if it isn’t obvious, it might come down to whether or not Marmol is just trying to pitch through it rather than going to the training staff.  Hopefully the All-Star break gives him some rest (although he is an All-Star now, replacing Kerry Wood).  His ERA is up over 4.00 now, but his peripherals are still solid, so he might settle in.

Wyatt Watch: Still no blog posts from my intrepid brother and partner.  However, in breaking news, he has an extra special first post coming up.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know…

Today’s two big questions (in my mind):

• Will Wyatt ever blog?
• How will Rich Harden’s first start as a Cub go?

With regards to the first question: yes, I just don’t know when.

With regards to the second question, some wild speculation: 7 IP, 7 K, 2 BB, 2 H, (Edit: ) 1 R (earned), 94 pitches, W.

Edit: I didn’t realize this until after I wrote it, but that line is eerily similar to the one put up by Sean Gallagher, who the Cubs traded to Oakland in the Harden deal. Last night, Gallagher made his Oakland debut with a line of 7 IP, 7 K, 3 BB, 2 H 2 R (both earned), 96 pitches, W. Wow.