Opening Day Thoughts
Forget all those things you read about the players in spring training, the regular season is a totally different kettle of fish.
Javier Vazquez pitched some nice games during the exhibition season, yesterday he didn’t make it out of the second inning.
If you are an Arizona fan you have to wonder if the NY experience has scarred him for life.
Click below for more!.Bobby Crosby left the game with bruised ribs and or an oblique type injury. Neither diagnosis is good for the A’s who now will keep Marco Scutaro on the roster.
Huston Street, hope you enjoyed your day in the big leagues.
Rich Harden will skip his turn tomorrow because of a blister on his pitching hand. Kirk Saarloos gets the start instead. Saarloos was lights out in spring training. Will it transfer to the regular season? Facing the revamped Orioles lineup isn’t the same as throwing to the AAA players from the Cactus League, the bull pen better be ready.
Mark Buehrle is the real deal. He threw six perfect innings in Arizona, then a two hitter for eight innings yesterday.
Jake Westbrook had his sinker working, he was an all star in 2004 and yesterday’s game showed he knows how to pitch.
The Phillies bull pen will be used in every win for two to three innings. Encouraging to see Jimmy Rollins steal some bags right away.
Who are these guys in Colorado? A bunch of players you never heard of, but if they hit in Coors Field they can chew up a pitching staff very quickly.
Carlos Zambrano has to grow up. Being taken out of the game after 106 pitches in the fifth ining with a 9-3 lead isn’t the way to start the year. Plus the umpire tossed him on his way out.
Aramis Ramirez swings the bat.
How about Richie Sexson? So much for everyone who said he couldn’t reach the fences in Safeco.
No spring traing for Eddie Guardado, then he throws 13 pitches strikes out two and finishes the game for Seattle.
Tampa Bay’s offense looks anemic. Good days ahead for the A’s this weekend.
Dimitri Young can swing the bat. Three homers on opening day, who does he think he is, Tuffy Rhodes?
Let’s see if the Dodgers play defense behind ground ball pitcher Derek Lowe. I think the Giants win easily today especially with Jason Schmidt on the hill. Schmidt didn’t have a particularly good spring, but this should be different today.
Same old Mets. They find ways to lose although Koo had a nice eighth inning in a set up role.
Mets showed more offense. Playing in Shea requires some pitching and with kris Benson now on the shelf you have to wonder how their rotation will do at home.
Brad Radke made two bad pitches to Richie Sexson other than that he pitched a nice game.
Bartolo Colon and Ryan Drese. I see runs tonight in Anaheim.
Good first day.
0 comments
Zito’s curveball wasn’t working yesterday. Maybe cause of the weather and wind? Better be or I see Zito having a mediocore season like last year and a terrible season for the A’s.
-Mike E.
Didn’t see the game, but remember that this is a team that always starts slow. Everyone is panicing about Zito already. I will be interested to see who steps up immediately to spark them. Two years ago it was Byrnes, last year Marco. My bet is Eric Chavez. This is his year.
And I look for Danny Haren to step up and have an awesome season. It will be a fun season, but definitely like a roller coaster ride with these young kids.
Are you serious? Do you really believe that the AL West is the AL’s best division? You are such a homer. You are not even close. The East is far and away the best division in the AL. Just because every team in the West could win it, does not mean that they are that good. If you put the Orioles in the West, they could win it. If you put the Blue Jays in the west, they could win it. If you put the Devil Rays in the West, they could come in Third. Put any team from the West in the East and they are no higher then third, if not fourth. You have an upcoming team in the Orioles, and the are already written out by every major baseball analyst because of the Yankees and Redsox. Open your eyes, America doesn’t end once you past the Arch in St. Louis.
-Nick
Nick thanks for the e mail. Don’t underestimate the strength of Texas and Seattle, they both look like solid hitting teams. Orioles could be a threat in the West especially if Sidney Ponson turns into a 20 game winner. Toronto looks better especially with Halladay back. David Bush, Josh Towers, and Ted Lilly might win in double figures. Tampa is still quite a work in progress, their pitching and offense took a step back. Maybe Nomo will come back strong. I’ve always liked Doug Waechter, if he makes the rotation I see 8-9 wins for sure.
Write me any time,
Marty
Marty, thanks for the response. I dont see Sidney Ponson being a key to the orioles success. I think the real key will be how Eric Bedard and Daniel Cabrerra throw this season. Cabrerra was throwing 97 in spring, and needs to improve off his fall from grace in the second half last year. Bedard has great stuff and needs to stop loosing hitters when he gets up 1-2, and 0-2 in the count. If both win 10-15 games, it could get interesting. If Ponson stays out of jail and wins more then 10 games then it is a plus. Remember he is the fourth starter, if he pitches like a 2nd or 3rd ithen this year is a win for him. The hitting should keep them in most games especially if palmerio can rebound off last years first half… if their young pitchers do anything, then they could break 85-90 wins. That being said, I think 90-95 would take the West, whereas it is going to take 95-100 to take the East. I am not underestimating either Texas or Seattle. Texas has come a long way, but still lack the pitching to hold up after aug. Seattle is an good young team, and Richie Sexson will help. Hargrove is a good coach, and got a raw deal in Baltimore and should help. And I will never understimate a Billy Bean team, especially with the young arms you have. I think a darkhorse in your pitching staff could be Juan Cruz. I watched him warmup yesterday and he looked very good. Remember when he was touted as the next big thing in Chicago? Anyway, it would take a superd season by anyteam in the West to even come close in the East, whereas the Top Three in the East could easily take the west, and with a good season Toronto could take it. Good luck out there, and I hope harden lives up to his potential, it would sure help my fantasy team!
I think the idea that 90-95 wins might be enough to take the AL west is not necessarily an indication that it’s not a tourgh division. On the contrary, I think it indicates that those teams will beat up on each other quite a bit, and also be end up fairly close to each other in the W/L column.
this is nick from above. Beating up on each other is a myth. Look at the Red Sox from last year:
vs NY 11-8
vs Bal 9-10
thats a 20-18 record, yet they still won 98 games. Look at the Yankees:
vs Bos 8-11
vs Tor 12-7
thats a 20-18 record, yet they won 101 games. When the top 3-4 teams can beat up on each other and still have the top two teams win 95+ games, that is a strong division. That was last year, this year the records should be closer. These teams won 95+ games because they beat the teams they were supposed to and played well against the good teams. Your argument stands to reason that you have a bunch of above average teams in the West that will beat up on each other, and end up with somewhere between 80-90 wins. In the East, you have three good teams, an average team, and a below average team. The three good teams will beat up on each other and still all win more then the top team in the west.
the difference is, ANY team in the west could win it because they are all slightly above average (exception: angels), whereas in the east 2 teams dominate the other 3 (boston’s record vs baltimore notwithstanding), and that can’t happen in the west because they are too evenly matched (and all play solid baseball, it’s not like the NL west where without bonds on the giants, you have five average-at-best teams). Also there’s no way Baltimore, Toronto or TB could beat out Texas or Anaheim.
Marty – As an A’s fan, I’m scared of the three other offenses in the west. . . killer lineups (theirs) + questionable pitching (ours) = 75 wins if we’re lucky
Seattle and (especially) Texas also have big question marks with their rotations. Even the Angels have some questions. So I still think all four teams will be fairly close in the W/L columns. while I pick the Angels to win the division, if the injury bug bites them they may be vulnerable to someone else overtaking them. And I think Oakland has as good a shot as their fellow teams to do that.
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