With the NFL still in lockout mode and the NBA and NHL draft occurring at the end of the week, Major League Baseball slipped into the background of the national scene. Sure, some fraction of the populace monitored Wimbledon and others watched The Gold Cup finale from Los Angeles, but the old “winners and losers” talk dominated sports radio talk.
Of course, there was one baseball story that broke through and captivated sports radio, television talk shows and the blogosphere. That, of course, was the abrupt resignation of Jim Riggleman from his managerial duties in Washington. The Nationals claimed the spotlight and spawned myriad arguments, particularly once the return of Davey Johnson to the dugout was announced.
On my FOX Sports Radio show Sunday morning, I spoke of the Riggleman decision and asked our nationwide audience to relay the memories of their worst jobs. That is to say, Riggleman walked away because he felt disrespected and couldn’t stay in Washington. I wanted to know what jobs our listeners held that prompted an “8 Mile” walk-off shot. Send yours to swollendomepr@gmail.com. (PS – Mine was corn detasseling in Iowa.)
Now that I’ve got you thanking your lucky stars (for the moment, anyway) for that “Office Space”-like environment that you call home every day, I turn back to the diamond to examine some of the great and mind-numbing recent performances.
Between the White Lines
I’ve run out of superlatives to describe Justin Verlander’s dominance in the 2011 season. Verlander pitched eight shutout innings against the Diamondbacks and struck out a career-high 14 batters. He earned his eighth win in 10 starts (two no-decisions) and logged a double-digit strikeout total for the third time in four starts. Verlander has struck out 73 batters against 10 walks during this 10-game period with a 1.56 ERA.
Baltimore shortstop J.J. Hardy went 0-for-4 on Saturday to end his recent tear. Hardy entered the game with a seven-game hitting streak in which he’d produced six consecutive two-hit efforts. He hit three home runs and three doubles during the streak with seven RBI. Overall, Hardy has recorded a .304 batting average with 13 doubles, 10 home runs and 29 RBI.
Evan Longoria saw something he liked in the backdrop of Minute Maid Park. Longoria ripped eight hits in 14 at-bats during the weekend series with three home runs, three doubles and 10 RBI. He’d generated six home runs and 23 RBI in his first 47 games of the 2011 season.
Teammate James Shields continued his recent run of ridiculous production by hurling his third consecutive complete game. Shields has allowed one earned run in 27 innings with 24 strikeouts against four walks. He’s struck out 4.18 batters per walk with a scintillating 0.96 WHIP. Shields pitched to a 5.18 ERA with an accompanying 1.46 WHIP in 2010. What a difference one offseason makes!
Roy Halladay earned his 10th win of the season with a complete game effort against the light-hitting A’s. Halladay scattered eight hits and struck out four batters while allowing one earned run. He last absorbed a loss on May 15th, a span of eight starts (five wins).
Veteran utility man Ty Wigginton is in the midst of a power surge during the Rockies’ current road trip. Entering Monday’s game against Chicago, Wigginton had hit safely in five of six games (8-for-20) with five home runs and eight RBI.
Jason Heyward of the Braves hasn’t rediscovered his power stroke as of yet, but at least he’s in the lineup. Heyward batted .304 (7-for-23) this past week with one RBI and seven strikeouts.
Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz has hit safely in eight of his past nine games with three home runs, six doubles and eight RBI. Cruz is batting .342 (13-for-38) during this period and has raised his batting average 15 points to .240.
Teammate Michael Young has also rediscovered his power stroke of late. In the past seven days, the former 200-hit hero has batted .481 (13-for-27) with three doubles, four home runs and nine RBI. Young has produced 100 hits in 77 games this season with 22 doubles, seven home runs, 53 RBI and a robust .323 batting average.
Speedster Michael Bourn posted another productive week for fantasy owners in multiple categories. Bourn successfully swiped four bases while batting .320 (8-for-25). He’s generated a solid .282 batting average overall with 50 runs scored and 26 RBI to complement his total of 33 stolen bases.
The Dodgers received another high-quality effort from Clayton Kershaw on Sunday night. Kershaw posted his third straight fantastic outing with a complete game against the Angels. He allowed two earned runs on six hits and struck out 11 batters against zero walks. Kershaw has pitched to a tremendous 1.08 ERA with 26 strikeouts and three walks during this period.
There’s one thing to consider with Kershaw going forward. Kershaw has pitched to a 2.09 home ERA with a dominant 0.87 WHIP. He’s produced a pedestrian 4.36 ERA in seven road starts.
And, of course, Adam Dunn’s bats are still MIA. Dunn batted .091 (2-for-22) this past week with 14 strikeouts. Dunn has homered twice since May 24th, and his batting average has now dipped to .176. Dunn has struck out 96 times in 227 at-bats.
Fantasy Infirmary
The biggest on-field story of the weekend was Roy Oswalt’s departure from Friday’s start and his subsequent sullen comments to the media. Oswalt was placed on the disabled list because of lower back inflammation. He’d pitched through pain in his past few starts, and his season ERA rose by a full run during his past four turns in the rotation. Twenty-three year old righty Vance Worley pitched six shutout innings against the A’s on Friday and will remain in the rotation indefinitely. Oswalt will not return to the Phillies until August at the earliest, and his post-game comments opened the door to a permanent vacation. Oswalt will need back surgery eventually. It’s just a function of how soon a procedure is required.
The Braves announced that starter Tommy Hanson will return from the disabled list to start Tuesday’s game against the Mariners. Hanson has been sidelined since June 13th because of right shoulder tendinitis.
Pittsburgh outfielder Jose Tabata legged out an infield hit on Sunday and sustained what appeared to be a serious left quadriceps injury. Tabata needed to be carted out on a stretcher and will be reevaluated on Sunday. The team immediately recalled Alex Presley, who I recently reviewed in my “Minor League Report,” to take Tabata’s place on the roster. Presley was hitting at a .336 clip with eight home runs, 36 RBI and 18 stolen bases at the time of his call-up.
John Danks of the White Sox finally found his stride in recent starts as the White Sox crept back toward .500. Danks left Saturday’s game with a strained right oblique muscle and was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career. The White Sox had used a six-man rotation when Jake Peavy was available earlier this season. Peavy pitched four strong shutout innings in relief with seven strikeouts against zero walks.
Here’s one to watch for the second half. Carlos Guillen of the Tigers begins a rehabilitation assignment at the team’s spring training facility. He’s been recovering from microfracture surgery since July of 2010.
Oft-injured former closer Bobby Jenks of the Red Sox will return from his latest stint on the disabled list on Tuesday. Jenks has been sidelined since early June because of a strained back.
Aroldis Chapman returned to the Cincinnati bullpen over the weekend against the Orioles. Chapman struck out five batters in his two innings pitched and surrendered one hit, a home run to Luke Scott.
I was shocked to see that Delmon Young’s right ankle injury was categorized as a “sprain” after watching countless replays of him crumpling to the ground. Young was carted off on a stretcher after awkwardly jamming his foot at the base of the wall. He joins an ever-expanding list of disabled players in Minnesota.
“The Quest to 3,000” will resume soon. Derek Jeter of the Yankees worked in the batting cages over the weekend and is expected to begin a running program early this week. Jeter was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 14th because of a strained right calf. He celebrated his 37th birthday on Sunday.
Struggling Cleveland outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was placed on the disabled list this weekend after sustaining a broken left thumb when he was hit by a Jonathan Sanchez pitch. Choo will undergo surgery to repair his thumb early this week. The former hot prospect Travis Buck (he’s now 27 years old) was
recalled to Cleveland in his place. Buck owns a .225 batting average with nine RBI in 102 at-bats for the Indians this season.
Choo was disabled by a Jonathan Sanchez pitch. Sanchez was then placed on the disabled list because of tendinitis in his left biceps. He’d seemingly improved his control issues over seasons past, but Sanchez talked of experiencing soreness through the month, and it’s shown on the mound (25 walks in 25 2/3 innings pitched).
The Phillies lost another reliever this weekend when 40-year old Jose Contreras returned to the disabled list because of a strained right forearm. Ryan Madson has been experiencing soreness in his right hand and last appeared in a game on June 18th. Of course, Contreras and Madson have been the primary replacements for Brad Lidge, who has been on the disabled list all season because of elbow and shoulder woes. Lidge is starting to throw bullpen sessions, but it appears that the Phillies will be in the market for a reliever in short order.
Following a strong run in the minor leagues, Barry Zito was activated by the Giants on Saturday. Zito made three April starts before being placed on the disabled list because of a strained right foot. He’s slated to start the first game of a double-header on Tuesday against the Cubs.
Minnesota slugger and former AL MVP Justin Morneau has been on the disabled list since June 10th because of a left wrist injury. Morneau is now expected to undergo surgery this week to remove a herniated disk from his neck. The 30-year old first baseman has experienced weakness and numbness in his left arm virtually all season. Morneau told reporters in Minnesota that he anticipates returning for the stretch run in August.
