*The Astros returned to Houston yesterday and will play at Minute Maid Park for the first time in 2017 tonight against the Cubs. 7:10pm.
*This Spring Training was very boring, which means it went pretty well.
*The top of the order will look something like this: Springer, Bregman, Altuve, Correa, Beltran, Reddick. Hinch, on Bregman:
I think hitting in front of Altuve is one of the better places to hit in our order.
*David Paulino will join Collin McHugh in staying at West Palm Beach as he recovers from a bone bruise. McTaggart also notes that the decision on Gustave v. Hoyt hasn't been made yet.
*Cuban LHP Cionel Perez will stay in WPB until his arm is ready to join an affiliate.
*Dan Straily is a part of why the Astros are so intent on keeping Brad Peacock.
*Baseball America has a best-case/worst-case scenario for each AL West team
*Over 50 "experts" from MLB.com and the MLB Network weighed in on favorites for key races. They think
a) Correa will be in the AL MVP race
b) Hinch will make noise in the Manager of the Year race
*Check out the renovated center field.
*Lance McCullers hung out with an 8-year old cancer survivor.
*My old local paper talked to Jeff Bagwell about how much his family hated the Red Sox trade. BoSox Injection took a look to see if Bagwell-for-Andersen is the worst trade in franchise history.
*There's a weird feud going on between Kyle Kendrick and Brett Myers about a nine-year old prank.
*Here's Mike Petriello talking about the rise of home runs last year.
*Mariners pitcher Drew Smyly has a "soggy" arm.
*Former Astros Great Paul Clemens signed a minor-league deal with the Twins.
*Will Leitch predicted a 3-2 Red Sox ALDS win over the Astros and I am irrationally angry about it.
*Peter Gammons also thinks the Astros win the AL West, lose in the first round.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Paul Clemens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Clemens. Show all posts
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
*Jeff Blogwell Zapruder'd that God-awful Minute Maid commercial.
*The Batguy went down an Astros Twitter Tuesday rabbit hole.
*Lima Time Time: Episode 15 is available.
*The Astros beat the Angels 7-1 last night/early this morning. The Rangers obviously beat the Yankees because they are a machine built to run on the sins of humanity. The Mariners beat the Pirates, the A's beat the Giants. The division stays the same (Astros -10) with only the Angels dropping to 19.5 GB.
*In Wild Card news, the Blue Jays and Red Sox won but the Royals lost. So the Astros are tied with the Royals at a half-game out of the Blue Jays' 2nd Wild Card spot, and 1.5 back of the Red Sox for the 1st Wild Card.
*FanGraphs postseason odds: 15.4% to win the division, 52.3% to make the playoffs
FiveThirtyEight's playoff odds: 12% to win the division, 44% to make the playoffs
Astros County's playoff odds: 100% to win the division, 100% to make the playoffs.
*Scott Feldman threw a very efficient 5IP (65 pitches) in his spot start. Feldman:
That was something me and A.J. talked about when he took me out, was at the beginning of the day if you would have told us that we'd go five and we'd have the lead it was probably a pretty good day...Really just can't say enough about the job (Castro) does behind the dish every night. He makes it a lot easier on us pitchers.
*Hinch likes the vibe around the Astros right now:
We've got to go out and produce and do some things and prepare, but we do have a nice little vibe about us, a little swagger. We've got our confidence back and the way we show up and (are) performing right now, it's a fun atmosphere.
*McCullers (blister) is on track to make his next start on Monday.
*A.J. Hinch gave A.J. Reed the night off after seeing how frustrated he was.
*Jose Altuve was 2x4 with his 19th and 20th stolen bases of the season. His 4.1 fWAR is tied for 2nd in all of baseball, behind Mike Trout and tied with Josh Donaldson. Since May 1 Altuve is hitting .370/.439/.536, 18K:27BB with an 85% SB rate.
*Carlos Correa hit a 3-run homer in the first inning and went 3x4 with a walk and 4RBI. Since the beginning of the Baltimore series (May 24), Correa is hitting .283/.383/.558
*Alex Bregman and Joe Musgrove will represent the Astros in the Futures Game. Bregman, meanwhile, was 2x3 with a 2-run homer in the Texas League All-Star Game last night, and is set to join Fresno later this week.
*From a couple of days ago, FanGraphs projected A.J. Reed.
*2014 17th Round pick Ben Smith has overcome A LOT to be pitching in Tri-City right now.
*2016 17th Round pick Brian Howard will return to TCU for his senior season.
*Ramgers GM Jon Daniels, on their ten-game lead:
We're aware of where we are, but I try not to look at things that way. We're very cognizant of what can happen quickly.
*Jeff Passan on the Angels and irrelevance.
*The Ringer: Tim Lincecum's second act.
*Jeff Zimmerman offers a new way to look at college baseball stats.
*Hey Paul Clemens was claimed off waivers by the Padres.
*The Batguy went down an Astros Twitter Tuesday rabbit hole.
*Lima Time Time: Episode 15 is available.
*The Astros beat the Angels 7-1 last night/early this morning. The Rangers obviously beat the Yankees because they are a machine built to run on the sins of humanity. The Mariners beat the Pirates, the A's beat the Giants. The division stays the same (Astros -10) with only the Angels dropping to 19.5 GB.
*In Wild Card news, the Blue Jays and Red Sox won but the Royals lost. So the Astros are tied with the Royals at a half-game out of the Blue Jays' 2nd Wild Card spot, and 1.5 back of the Red Sox for the 1st Wild Card.
*FanGraphs postseason odds: 15.4% to win the division, 52.3% to make the playoffs
FiveThirtyEight's playoff odds: 12% to win the division, 44% to make the playoffs
Astros County's playoff odds: 100% to win the division, 100% to make the playoffs.
*Scott Feldman threw a very efficient 5IP (65 pitches) in his spot start. Feldman:
That was something me and A.J. talked about when he took me out, was at the beginning of the day if you would have told us that we'd go five and we'd have the lead it was probably a pretty good day...Really just can't say enough about the job (Castro) does behind the dish every night. He makes it a lot easier on us pitchers.
*Hinch likes the vibe around the Astros right now:
We've got to go out and produce and do some things and prepare, but we do have a nice little vibe about us, a little swagger. We've got our confidence back and the way we show up and (are) performing right now, it's a fun atmosphere.
*McCullers (blister) is on track to make his next start on Monday.
*A.J. Hinch gave A.J. Reed the night off after seeing how frustrated he was.
*Jose Altuve was 2x4 with his 19th and 20th stolen bases of the season. His 4.1 fWAR is tied for 2nd in all of baseball, behind Mike Trout and tied with Josh Donaldson. Since May 1 Altuve is hitting .370/.439/.536, 18K:27BB with an 85% SB rate.
*Carlos Correa hit a 3-run homer in the first inning and went 3x4 with a walk and 4RBI. Since the beginning of the Baltimore series (May 24), Correa is hitting .283/.383/.558
*Alex Bregman and Joe Musgrove will represent the Astros in the Futures Game. Bregman, meanwhile, was 2x3 with a 2-run homer in the Texas League All-Star Game last night, and is set to join Fresno later this week.
*From a couple of days ago, FanGraphs projected A.J. Reed.
*2014 17th Round pick Ben Smith has overcome A LOT to be pitching in Tri-City right now.
*2016 17th Round pick Brian Howard will return to TCU for his senior season.
*Ramgers GM Jon Daniels, on their ten-game lead:
We're aware of where we are, but I try not to look at things that way. We're very cognizant of what can happen quickly.
*Jeff Passan on the Angels and irrelevance.
*The Ringer: Tim Lincecum's second act.
*Jeff Zimmerman offers a new way to look at college baseball stats.
*Hey Paul Clemens was claimed off waivers by the Padres.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Jed's Back II (or: Revisiting the Worst Baseball Article of 2014)
(Not Hank) was was quick to report the news back on December 15, so this article isn't really focussed on Jed's return to the fold. Rather, this article revisits the histrionics around the Jed Lowrie-Paul Clemens early-season "beanings", mostly because some of the trash written at the time was kind of priceless (and only accumulated in value with the passage of time). Reflecting upon it lends itself to the idea that progress has been made, and will continue going forward.
We should start by briefly revisiting the Clemens-Lowrie incident in general terms, which this video does quite well. The Astros were in the midst of a miserable start to 2014, having lost six of seven games during one stretch and six in a row in an entirely separate stretch. On April 19, the Astros were well down early after Jarred Cosart lasted only one-third of an inning. Jed Lowrie was up for the second time in the first inning with the A's up 7-0 when he unsuccessfully bunted against the shift for an attempt at a base-hit. In Lowrie's next at-bat, Paul Clemens appeared to throw at him, but missed, with the ball going between Lowrie's legs. Lowrie flew out to end that at-bat, then stood near first base and asked Jose Altuve whether the attempted leg-beaning was, in fact, an attempted beaning. Bo Porter... uh... "intervened" and politely "asked" him to stop talking to the Astro players, and "respectfully suggested" that he grab his glove and cap and return to his position on the other side of the second base bag.
The events of April 19 received some attention, but the incident was mostly forgotten after the Astros headed north to Seattle and took the road series there (partly because of the first of a number of strong pitching performances from Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh). They darn near swept Seattle, but for Josh Fields giving up a go ahead jack to Corey Seager in the midst of a horror early-season stretch. The Astros then returned to Houston for a return series against the A's. Scott Kazmir hit George Springer in the first inning (with a two-run lead and two on) which kind of made no sense, all while Brett Oberholtzer was struggling - eventually allowing 6 earned runs in three-and-one-third of an innings. Paul Clemens relieved, and in the seventh inning, hit Jed Lowrie square on the rump. Clemens was the victim of a quick ejection, and after the game Bo Porter largely refused to comment further. The hitting-of-batters continued on to the next day, when Jason Castro wore one from ex-battery-mate Fernando Abad, who subsequently stayed in the game, which also made no sense. We are deliberately ignoring the Brandon Moss HBP's here, because everyone knows that a significant proportion of Moss' body mass spends most of his at-bat in the strike zone. To say he sets up near the plate is being kind.
Lots of opinionated rubbish was written, leading to a trio of defensive articles published on this site revisiting the whole incident. And, importantly, remember that at the time the Astros were miserable (on pace for 119 losses, donchaknow!!). This led to fans experiencing flashbacks to 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Which leads us to the article which I consider the Worst Baseball Article of 2014, written by Will Leitch, and published on Sports on Earth. Please check it out.
So here are the points made in Leitch's article, in a nutshell:
1. The Astros are currently bad.
2. They hired bloggers, just like Will Leitch, so they might be cool!
3. But they bottomed out on purpose, presumably to get high draft picks. Emphasis not mine. That ain't baseball.
4. Their manager is upsetting the applecart and ruining all the positive blogger-related stories, mostly because he looks like a "reactionary, delusional idiot".
5. After all, Bo Porter broke a rule on substitutions in 2013!
6. Matt Dominguez made a baserunning error that led to Bo Porter looking angry and staying quiet during a press conference. Perhaps he is losing his grip on sanity.
7. Jed Lowrie then broke one of baseball's unwritten rules, which is really not breaking a rule at all, because he was trying to help his team to score runs.
8. Bo Porter started screaming at Lowrie. Hey, someone from the Diamondbacks got angry when the Dodgers went for a swim, too! A parallel, involving another struggling organisation!!
10. Porter then made Paul Clemens throw at Lowrie later.
(Note is made, at this point, that the order of the events is blatantly factually incorrect. Leitch's account is: Lowrie bunted, Bo screamed, Clemens attempted to bean a couple of innings later presumably at the behest of Porter, whereas the actual order is Lowrie bunted, Clemens unsuccessfully beaned. Bo screamed at the end of the attempted-beaning at-bat after Lowrie apparently questioned the intent. Never let the facts - or the order of the facts - get in the way of a good diatribe. After all, if one were to promote the argument that Porter was losing it, having him order Clemens to bean him after earlier yelling at him makes for a better story, doesn't it??)
11. A few days later, the Astros were down big again (they are useless, donchaknow), when Clemens hit Lowrie on the butt
12. Clemens said me made a mistake, and that it wasn't intentional. Just tryin' to pitch inside!
13. Bo made cryptic remarks about "baseball taking care of itself"...
14. Which clearly indicates that this beaning was intentional the whole time
15. Throw in a couple of reactionary Lowrie quotes that reflect badly on the Astros. The victim in the matter, after all, is bound to acknowledge his part in all of this, and view it all objectively. He won't be at all defensive.
16. Porter is dangerous, people. Like a toddler with a gun. (Which is, of course, no laughing matter)
17. Perhaps all the losing has changed Porter's personality, or driven him insane.
18. Random Hitler reference!
Of course, the title of the article indicates that Bo Porter's priorities are merely misplaced. He is more occupied with enforcing the unwritten rules of baseball, rather than addressing all the losing that the Astros are doing. And if he straightened out his priorities and just concentrated on winning, things would be ok. After all, that is how you wind up in a 7-0 hole in the first - by not concentrating on winning!!
Leitch is an interesting character, and this is also worthy of some comment here. He is arguably most famous for his Deadspin days, where he positioned himself - and the blog - as an outsiders' sports humorist. He gained some notoriety by attacking the Rick Reilly's and Buzz Bissinger's of the sports-writing world, exposing lazy sports writing to the cynical masses, all while making the odd interesting sports scoop. Throw in a little off-colour humour, and you have Deadspin.
The irony of this article lies in the degree of lazy hack-ery that Leitch uses here - something he used to eviscerate Rick Reilly for. The narratives that are drawn upon, the series of events that was inaccurately portrayed, and odd reference that inevitably encourages the reader to draw an unconscious psychological link between Porter to Hitler are all examples of hack-ery in it's finest form. The irony!
That said would hate to have to write for a living. For a start, I would be very poor and hungry, such is the quality of my writing. I imagine deadlines would be easy to meet when you write about an event - such as a game between the Astros and the A's - but opinion pieces would be much, much harder, and would not lend themselves comfortably to deadlines. Sports on Earth is not about recapping games, but more about providing opinion. So perhaps some slack needs to be cut here. Writing for a living would be hard, and the more you write, the greater the chance of a clunker such as this being published.
And as an aside, Sports on Earth was always an oddly out-of-place button which always seemed to reside on various official MLB sites. At the time that Leitch's article was written, it was part owned by USA Today and MLB Advanced Media. However, USA Today pulled the pin in August due to a corporate restructure, and as a result, most of the writers were let go. It is now run solely by MLBAM, and seems to act as a link between baseball websites and other sports in the offseason, while providing an... uh... offbeat commentary during the season. Adding more to the irony, SoE was (at its launch) described as a intelligent addition to the MLB writing crew. There isn't anything intelligent about this article, though - personally, I would prefer to read anything by McTaggart or Justice. SoE continues to exist, albeit in a different form - and thank goodness, because without it we would never get "Gems" like this (which Leitch advanced as one of the examples of great creative sports-related writing on the site).
The sense of irony is only multiplied with the benefit of hindsight. Firstly, it seems that Bo Porter was battling for his job, and his ability to communicate with his players seemed to be part of the reason why he had been put on notice. I recall that some of the articles from around this time date the origin of the difficulties back to the off-season and early season, so perhaps Bo was under the pump when this incident occurred. Note is made that this incident showed that he had no difficulty communicating effectively with the players on the other team.
Secondly, the Astros finished April at 9-19, sat at 12-27 on May 12, and was 17-32 on May 23. From those three dates, the Astros recorded a 61-73, 58-65 and 53-60 record, respectively. Nothing to write home about, but after this incident, numerous good on-field stories emerged, including Keuchel and McHugh's continued good work, Springer carrying the team for much of late-May and early-June, Carter's summer of power, Fields' change-up which he broke out mid-season, Altuve's batting title, and a solid late-season gut-check road trip against three contenders - Anaheim, Seattle and Oakland. And it's not like everything went their way from May onward - they missed Springer and Fowler for extended periods, Crain and Albers either never arrived or were done, and large offensive black holes existed at first, third and left.
Third, and most telling, was that Lowrie returned to Houston as a free-agent in the offseason. On a team-friendly deal. As the leading middle infielder on the free agent market. With multiple wealthy teams in need of solid middle infield bats. With another Oakland A in tow (actually, following another Oakland A, but, as we have already established, never let the facts get in the way of a good diatribe).
So we get to end 2014 by looking at possibly the low point of the Astros season, at least on the field. After a miserable April, they got much better despite missing a bunch of key players for extended periods of time, having awful production from key positions. The post-April team was much more compelling and watchable, and the results of positive regression in a couple of areas, an improved 'pen, and some high-ceiling players on the farm arriving in the bigs will make the 2015 Astros even more watchable. Which is great, because Texas / 5-state natives may actually be able to watch now.
Happy New Years, everyone. With the arrival of 2015, we are now in the same calendar year as the 2015 baseball season!!
Celebrate safely, and my regards to both the readers, and the other AC staff.
We should start by briefly revisiting the Clemens-Lowrie incident in general terms, which this video does quite well. The Astros were in the midst of a miserable start to 2014, having lost six of seven games during one stretch and six in a row in an entirely separate stretch. On April 19, the Astros were well down early after Jarred Cosart lasted only one-third of an inning. Jed Lowrie was up for the second time in the first inning with the A's up 7-0 when he unsuccessfully bunted against the shift for an attempt at a base-hit. In Lowrie's next at-bat, Paul Clemens appeared to throw at him, but missed, with the ball going between Lowrie's legs. Lowrie flew out to end that at-bat, then stood near first base and asked Jose Altuve whether the attempted leg-beaning was, in fact, an attempted beaning. Bo Porter... uh... "intervened" and politely "asked" him to stop talking to the Astro players, and "respectfully suggested" that he grab his glove and cap and return to his position on the other side of the second base bag.
The events of April 19 received some attention, but the incident was mostly forgotten after the Astros headed north to Seattle and took the road series there (partly because of the first of a number of strong pitching performances from Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh). They darn near swept Seattle, but for Josh Fields giving up a go ahead jack to Corey Seager in the midst of a horror early-season stretch. The Astros then returned to Houston for a return series against the A's. Scott Kazmir hit George Springer in the first inning (with a two-run lead and two on) which kind of made no sense, all while Brett Oberholtzer was struggling - eventually allowing 6 earned runs in three-and-one-third of an innings. Paul Clemens relieved, and in the seventh inning, hit Jed Lowrie square on the rump. Clemens was the victim of a quick ejection, and after the game Bo Porter largely refused to comment further. The hitting-of-batters continued on to the next day, when Jason Castro wore one from ex-battery-mate Fernando Abad, who subsequently stayed in the game, which also made no sense. We are deliberately ignoring the Brandon Moss HBP's here, because everyone knows that a significant proportion of Moss' body mass spends most of his at-bat in the strike zone. To say he sets up near the plate is being kind.
Lots of opinionated rubbish was written, leading to a trio of defensive articles published on this site revisiting the whole incident. And, importantly, remember that at the time the Astros were miserable (on pace for 119 losses, donchaknow!!). This led to fans experiencing flashbacks to 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Which leads us to the article which I consider the Worst Baseball Article of 2014, written by Will Leitch, and published on Sports on Earth. Please check it out.
So here are the points made in Leitch's article, in a nutshell:
1. The Astros are currently bad.
2. They hired bloggers, just like Will Leitch, so they might be cool!
3. But they bottomed out on purpose, presumably to get high draft picks. Emphasis not mine. That ain't baseball.
4. Their manager is upsetting the applecart and ruining all the positive blogger-related stories, mostly because he looks like a "reactionary, delusional idiot".
5. After all, Bo Porter broke a rule on substitutions in 2013!
6. Matt Dominguez made a baserunning error that led to Bo Porter looking angry and staying quiet during a press conference. Perhaps he is losing his grip on sanity.
7. Jed Lowrie then broke one of baseball's unwritten rules, which is really not breaking a rule at all, because he was trying to help his team to score runs.
8. Bo Porter started screaming at Lowrie. Hey, someone from the Diamondbacks got angry when the Dodgers went for a swim, too! A parallel, involving another struggling organisation!!
10. Porter then made Paul Clemens throw at Lowrie later.
(Note is made, at this point, that the order of the events is blatantly factually incorrect. Leitch's account is: Lowrie bunted, Bo screamed, Clemens attempted to bean a couple of innings later presumably at the behest of Porter, whereas the actual order is Lowrie bunted, Clemens unsuccessfully beaned. Bo screamed at the end of the attempted-beaning at-bat after Lowrie apparently questioned the intent. Never let the facts - or the order of the facts - get in the way of a good diatribe. After all, if one were to promote the argument that Porter was losing it, having him order Clemens to bean him after earlier yelling at him makes for a better story, doesn't it??)
11. A few days later, the Astros were down big again (they are useless, donchaknow), when Clemens hit Lowrie on the butt
12. Clemens said me made a mistake, and that it wasn't intentional. Just tryin' to pitch inside!
13. Bo made cryptic remarks about "baseball taking care of itself"...
14. Which clearly indicates that this beaning was intentional the whole time
15. Throw in a couple of reactionary Lowrie quotes that reflect badly on the Astros. The victim in the matter, after all, is bound to acknowledge his part in all of this, and view it all objectively. He won't be at all defensive.
16. Porter is dangerous, people. Like a toddler with a gun. (Which is, of course, no laughing matter)
17. Perhaps all the losing has changed Porter's personality, or driven him insane.
18. Random Hitler reference!
Of course, the title of the article indicates that Bo Porter's priorities are merely misplaced. He is more occupied with enforcing the unwritten rules of baseball, rather than addressing all the losing that the Astros are doing. And if he straightened out his priorities and just concentrated on winning, things would be ok. After all, that is how you wind up in a 7-0 hole in the first - by not concentrating on winning!!
Leitch is an interesting character, and this is also worthy of some comment here. He is arguably most famous for his Deadspin days, where he positioned himself - and the blog - as an outsiders' sports humorist. He gained some notoriety by attacking the Rick Reilly's and Buzz Bissinger's of the sports-writing world, exposing lazy sports writing to the cynical masses, all while making the odd interesting sports scoop. Throw in a little off-colour humour, and you have Deadspin.
The irony of this article lies in the degree of lazy hack-ery that Leitch uses here - something he used to eviscerate Rick Reilly for. The narratives that are drawn upon, the series of events that was inaccurately portrayed, and odd reference that inevitably encourages the reader to draw an unconscious psychological link between Porter to Hitler are all examples of hack-ery in it's finest form. The irony!
That said would hate to have to write for a living. For a start, I would be very poor and hungry, such is the quality of my writing. I imagine deadlines would be easy to meet when you write about an event - such as a game between the Astros and the A's - but opinion pieces would be much, much harder, and would not lend themselves comfortably to deadlines. Sports on Earth is not about recapping games, but more about providing opinion. So perhaps some slack needs to be cut here. Writing for a living would be hard, and the more you write, the greater the chance of a clunker such as this being published.
And as an aside, Sports on Earth was always an oddly out-of-place button which always seemed to reside on various official MLB sites. At the time that Leitch's article was written, it was part owned by USA Today and MLB Advanced Media. However, USA Today pulled the pin in August due to a corporate restructure, and as a result, most of the writers were let go. It is now run solely by MLBAM, and seems to act as a link between baseball websites and other sports in the offseason, while providing an... uh... offbeat commentary during the season. Adding more to the irony, SoE was (at its launch) described as a intelligent addition to the MLB writing crew. There isn't anything intelligent about this article, though - personally, I would prefer to read anything by McTaggart or Justice. SoE continues to exist, albeit in a different form - and thank goodness, because without it we would never get "Gems" like this (which Leitch advanced as one of the examples of great creative sports-related writing on the site).
The sense of irony is only multiplied with the benefit of hindsight. Firstly, it seems that Bo Porter was battling for his job, and his ability to communicate with his players seemed to be part of the reason why he had been put on notice. I recall that some of the articles from around this time date the origin of the difficulties back to the off-season and early season, so perhaps Bo was under the pump when this incident occurred. Note is made that this incident showed that he had no difficulty communicating effectively with the players on the other team.
Secondly, the Astros finished April at 9-19, sat at 12-27 on May 12, and was 17-32 on May 23. From those three dates, the Astros recorded a 61-73, 58-65 and 53-60 record, respectively. Nothing to write home about, but after this incident, numerous good on-field stories emerged, including Keuchel and McHugh's continued good work, Springer carrying the team for much of late-May and early-June, Carter's summer of power, Fields' change-up which he broke out mid-season, Altuve's batting title, and a solid late-season gut-check road trip against three contenders - Anaheim, Seattle and Oakland. And it's not like everything went their way from May onward - they missed Springer and Fowler for extended periods, Crain and Albers either never arrived or were done, and large offensive black holes existed at first, third and left.
Third, and most telling, was that Lowrie returned to Houston as a free-agent in the offseason. On a team-friendly deal. As the leading middle infielder on the free agent market. With multiple wealthy teams in need of solid middle infield bats. With another Oakland A in tow (actually, following another Oakland A, but, as we have already established, never let the facts get in the way of a good diatribe).
So we get to end 2014 by looking at possibly the low point of the Astros season, at least on the field. After a miserable April, they got much better despite missing a bunch of key players for extended periods of time, having awful production from key positions. The post-April team was much more compelling and watchable, and the results of positive regression in a couple of areas, an improved 'pen, and some high-ceiling players on the farm arriving in the bigs will make the 2015 Astros even more watchable. Which is great, because Texas / 5-state natives may actually be able to watch now.
Happy New Years, everyone. With the arrival of 2015, we are now in the same calendar year as the 2015 baseball season!!
Celebrate safely, and my regards to both the readers, and the other AC staff.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Astros sign Kyle Farnsworth
The Astros "bolstered" their "bullpen" by signing "Kyle Farnsworth" today, who will join the club in Houston, with Paul Clemens making his way to Nashville to join OKC.
Farnsworth, 38, joins the Astros after being released by the Mets. Thus far in 2014 Farnsworth has thrown 17IP, allowing 18H/6ER, 10K:6BB.
Why get rid of a guy like that? Because by releasing him on Wednesday the Mets save themselves about $750,000 by getting rid of him prior to his 45th day on the roster. Farnsworth isn't happy.
While Farnsworth won't achieve his dream of finding "a team to play this team," I mean, until the 2014 Astros/Mets World Series, of course, he does have that whole White Guy Rage thing going for him, which is worth at least an extra 2mph in velocity.
Farnsworth's FIP (4.49) and xFIP (4.34) are considerably worse than his ERA (3.18), but even those numbers are an upgrade for this bullpen. In 9.2IP this season, RHBs are hitting .200/.263/.353, and away from CitiField, opponents have a .623 OPS.
Say he looks like a nice fella:
Hm.
I like him already.
Farnsworth, 38, joins the Astros after being released by the Mets. Thus far in 2014 Farnsworth has thrown 17IP, allowing 18H/6ER, 10K:6BB.
Why get rid of a guy like that? Because by releasing him on Wednesday the Mets save themselves about $750,000 by getting rid of him prior to his 45th day on the roster. Farnsworth isn't happy.
While Farnsworth won't achieve his dream of finding "a team to play this team," I mean, until the 2014 Astros/Mets World Series, of course, he does have that whole White Guy Rage thing going for him, which is worth at least an extra 2mph in velocity.
Farnsworth's FIP (4.49) and xFIP (4.34) are considerably worse than his ERA (3.18), but even those numbers are an upgrade for this bullpen. In 9.2IP this season, RHBs are hitting .200/.263/.353, and away from CitiField, opponents have a .623 OPS.
Say he looks like a nice fella:
Hm.
I like him already.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
The GoatPen in one image
Want to know why the bullpen is the worst in baseball? Here are the four relievers with the most innings pitched so far this year:
Friday, May 2, 2014
Sipp officially added, Clemens down, Crain transferred
Alright so some official moves today.
*Tony Sipp has officially been added to the 40-Man and the 25-Man Active roster.
*In order to make room for Sipp, Paul Clemens was optioned to Oklahoma City.
*Jesse Crain was transferred to the 60-Day DL.
With Crain's transferring, the Astros now have 39 men on the 40-Man roster. He would be eligible to come off the DL at the end of May, so that's what the Astros are targeting.
Drellich tells us that the Astros didn't just promote Kevin Chapman or Darin Downs because the cost difference (Sipp could make up to $700K) isn't all that much. Sipp, if he gets tendered at the end of this season, is also under team control through the 2015 season.
*Tony Sipp has officially been added to the 40-Man and the 25-Man Active roster.
*In order to make room for Sipp, Paul Clemens was optioned to Oklahoma City.
*Jesse Crain was transferred to the 60-Day DL.
With Crain's transferring, the Astros now have 39 men on the 40-Man roster. He would be eligible to come off the DL at the end of May, so that's what the Astros are targeting.
Drellich tells us that the Astros didn't just promote Kevin Chapman or Darin Downs because the cost difference (Sipp could make up to $700K) isn't all that much. Sipp, if he gets tendered at the end of this season, is also under team control through the 2015 season.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
On Bo and Beanings.
I was going to write only about Bo today. Not about actually what he is doing at the moment, but how he seems to have changed compared to last year. I always thought that Bo was the perfect manager for a rebuilding ball-club. He seemed supportive, firm and fair, but was careful to ensure that whatever happened (hypothetically like, say, 110+ losses) there were lessons to be learnt. Not only learnt, but internalised. Lessons to be understood, but with the aim of improvement and upskilling.
This year, it has been a little different. The 18 second pause (or 17 seconds, depending on whose articles you read) attracted a lot of press. Then, in quick succession, #Buntgate (enough already!), a frustrating blown save (Qualls), a brief reprieve because the stories were positive about the Astros for two days, then another horrible blown save. And now, #Beangate (actually, #Buttgate may be a better descriptor). And the press is again overwhelmingly negative.
The first two games of the series have been brutal. Brutal in the kind of eviscerating, frustrating and confidence-shattering way. Losses that would be best described as a beat-down by someone much faster, stronger and more skilled then you. But then, you claw your way back, and... it happens all over again. Back to the pit of despair for you!
If this was 2013's version of Bo, I imagine that the lessons to be understood would be along the lines of the idea that baseball is nothing but a series of events, and a reminder to be in the best, most positive and relaxed frame-of-mind for each and every play. Doesn't matter if you are down by 5. Doesn't matter if you are winning by 1. Treat it all as a bunch of individual plays all rolled together, do your best at each one, and remember that failure most of the time is often part of the game. Zen-master Bo.
2014 Bo seems different. He has an edge this year. In 2013, Bo was thrown out of his first game on August 8. In a brutal season - with offensive ineptitude, blown saves, entire series' where the team was not even close to winning, and culminating in a 111-loss season. 2013 was as bad as it is going to get, and Bo seemingly maintained a positive, upbeat and supportive stance.
This year, Bo has shown a lot more emotion. He was thrown out tonight, most likely asking very reasonable questions of the home plate ump, the impressively tall Jordan Baker. I think Ghandi would have been thrown out after Fernando Abad was not tossed for his contribution to #Buttgate. It was an odd and un-understandable umpiring call, especially given the quick hook that Paul Clemens had been given the day prior. Perhaps the umpires had dinner reservations, and didn't want another pitcher having to warm up.
Briefly, back to Bo before we head to the analysis of #Buttgate. I don't know what is going on with Bo. The only time I get to see Bo is on the rare occasions that I get to watch entire games on TV. Most of my watching is highlight packages, and they (rightly) don't tend to concentrate on the managers. I listen to him during interviews on the radio broadcasts, and he strikes me as focussed, supportive and articulate - articulate in a way that many baseball guys simply aren't. Bo seems more than capable of making a subtle point through verbal communication, rather than 18 second press-conference pauses.
So, I don't know what is going on with Bo. I think it is kind of like spotting an iceberg on a satellite image (like, for example the crowdsourcing attempts at finding MH370) and guessing the shape and weight of the whole iceberg. You see a one dimensional image of the iceberg, only the tip is visible, and the conclusions that you draw must therefore be limited. I see very little of Bo. Goodness knows what is going on behind the scenes. But I will say this: if he is under-pressure with his job, and gets fired, given this talent to work with, it would be an incredible shame.
In many ways, the 2014 Astros are worse than the 2013 Astros - at least the 2013 edition had some Veteran Goodness like Rick Ankiel and Carlos Pena to add some maturity and experience. These guys have Dexter Fowler, Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, Jose Altuve, Scott Feldman and Jason Castro, and the latter two been injured most the the time. Only the pitchers have even reached free-agency. Most of the rest of the team are either practically or actually rookies. This remains a seriously offensively-challenged unit, and given how fluctuant bullpens are, this years' more expensive and more experienced bullpen may be just as bad. But that is a topic for another day.
Bo, hang in there.
These two games between the Astros and the A's have been significant for butt-beanings. Nothing up around the head, thankfully. The highest threatening pitch was the first HBP of Brandon Moss, which caught him on the jersey around his bicep. Thank goodness no head-shots - that would be really losing perspective.
The series started with George Springer being hit in the first inning by Scott Kazmir. In isolation, this is the worst - the most obvious beaning of the lot. Except, a beaning would have made no sense. Runners on first and third, one out, first inning, up 2 runs, 0-2 count. Kazmir had been having control problems... but goodness me. Catcher set up low and outside, and Kazmir must have missed his spot by three feet. Right in the knee. If you were going to send a message by moving the feet or hitting the hotshot rookie, that pitch would have been perfect execution. At least, on an 0-0 count, no runners on, up by 5, bottom of the 8th or something. Who knows, I am not inside Kazmir's head, but I can't see a scenario where that is a deliberate beaning. But if it was, it was brilliant.
The next inning, Brandon Moss was hit by an overthrown curveball on the upper arm from Brett Oberholtzer. Again, Obie had some trouble with control early, and this wasn't deliberate. Plus, the whole off-speed thing was a serious giveaway.
You would have seen or heard about Clemens' beaning of Lowrie if you are reading this article. This was the next incident. Many factors of this butt-bean would encourage one to think that it was likely to have been deliberate - the past animosity between the two, the count, the stage of the game, etc, etc. But I imagine that Porter would have been pissed that the beaning occurred, unless he suggested it. He would have been upset because: 6th inning, taxed bullpen, 5th starter (for all intents and purposes) going the next day, no Matt Albers for the last 2 days, Josh Fields also unlikely to throw because he has gone three days in a row.... plus the beaning pretty much ensures one, if not two, extra pitchers are needed. That puts the Astros in a worse position, and possibly forces Albers on to the DL to get a fresh arm for the rest of the series.
Today's beanings started with Brandon Moss in the 9th. Hit twice in one inning - I believe that this has only happened once before in the AL - Brady Anderson hit by Mike Morgan in May 1999. But goodness me... have a look where Moss sets up his back foot. If he ever led off a game, and the batters box was not a scuffed up mess, I swear that his back foot would be over the line by inches. He is clearly trying to pull the ball, and pretty much daring the pitcher to throw inside. This may be some karma from the Craig Biggio Era coming back to bite the Astros. But both times the catcher set up inside, and both times the pitcher missed in and a little up. Even the A's commentary team made a point of saying neither was intentional.
But then it got silly. Abad clearly butt-beaned Castro second hitter of the next inning. Look, for the sake of comparison, where Castro's back foot is set up. No one on. 0-0 count. Castro jawed to the bench afterward. And somehow, Abad was not thrown out. Wow.
The A's also managed to cede any moral high ground that they had before. Prior to this beaning, this was clearly an Astros-Lawrie thing, as evidenced by the apparent lack of support shown to Lowrie by the A's broadcast team and teammates. Now, by butt-beaning Castro, you are picking out the best player and throwing at him clearly and deliberately. Now it becomes an Astros-A's thing. If this goes on, that is the reason.
Obviously, there has been a lot written on this situation, in both the media and the blogosphere. Many of these centre around "the Unwritten Rules of Baseball", and how stupid they are. Many cite such bulletproof arguments as "isn't it a crime for grown men to try and injure each other by throwing things??" and so on and so forth. My take on it is this: The Unwritten Rules of Baseball are there for the players to manage their own behaviour. They aren't for the fans, for the TV audience or anyone else. It is a way that the players can stop douch-ery amongst their own kind.
That, to me, is the beauty of baseball. It is, essentially, a series of confrontations with a limited number of outcomes inside a zero-sum environment. Luck plays a big part. Tiny, tiny things can make the biggest difference - a matter of millimetres when the ball contacts the bat, the kick off an uneven bit of turf on the infield, the effect that a breeze has on a fly ball. So baseball isn't always fair. And these confrontations are repeated over and over again inside a game. And the games are repeated over and over again. And sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. But you won't win them all, and you won't lose them all, and when someone wins, someone else loses. There is no game without an opponent, and therefore opponents are worthy of respect. And just because you win today, doesn't mean you win tomorrow. So you manage each victory and loss with dignity and sportsmanship. And respect the opposition, at all times, because everyone is only a freak injury or accident off never playing again, or never playing to the same level again. (I loved Carlos Hernandez).
And when someone steps outside that, the baseball fraternity frowns.
And when non-players, and poorly informed people comment on the Unwritten Rules, that annoys me. The rules may be stupid and illogical, but they are there. And they are there for a reason, have developed for a reason, and are maintained for a reason. You see, commentators are all pretty much outside the game (with very few exceptions). We are satellites over the game, seeing the tips of icebergs. We see very little of what is actually going on. We know nothing about how far below the surface the iceberg extends. Only those in the game really know the full context.
I am a doctor, working in a small area of medicine. I know most people who work near me - very well. I know who is good, and who is less good. I know who is frikking dangerous. I have a mental list of doctors that I would allow family members to go to. And it isn't a long list. I know my profession.
The players know their profession. They know who the guys are the play hard and fair, and who oversteps the mark. They know the classy players, and they know the self-obsessed players. They know who rubs the opposition's nose in it, and who doesn't. Who knows what is going on behind the scenes, or what other events may lie behind this incident.
So when Bo said "I think the game of baseball takes care of itself", then pointed out that George Springer's HBP preceded Lowrie's, this is what I think he was meaning. He wasn't, as some have suggested, going crazy, or blowing a fuse. At least I hope not, because that would be a tragedy. There isn't an easily painted hero and villain here and suggesting otherwise is lazy. This is a complex and fluid situation between two teams that play each other another 14 times.
And baseball will take care of itself. As it has always done.
This year, it has been a little different. The 18 second pause (or 17 seconds, depending on whose articles you read) attracted a lot of press. Then, in quick succession, #Buntgate (enough already!), a frustrating blown save (Qualls), a brief reprieve because the stories were positive about the Astros for two days, then another horrible blown save. And now, #Beangate (actually, #Buttgate may be a better descriptor). And the press is again overwhelmingly negative.
The first two games of the series have been brutal. Brutal in the kind of eviscerating, frustrating and confidence-shattering way. Losses that would be best described as a beat-down by someone much faster, stronger and more skilled then you. But then, you claw your way back, and... it happens all over again. Back to the pit of despair for you!
If this was 2013's version of Bo, I imagine that the lessons to be understood would be along the lines of the idea that baseball is nothing but a series of events, and a reminder to be in the best, most positive and relaxed frame-of-mind for each and every play. Doesn't matter if you are down by 5. Doesn't matter if you are winning by 1. Treat it all as a bunch of individual plays all rolled together, do your best at each one, and remember that failure most of the time is often part of the game. Zen-master Bo.
2014 Bo seems different. He has an edge this year. In 2013, Bo was thrown out of his first game on August 8. In a brutal season - with offensive ineptitude, blown saves, entire series' where the team was not even close to winning, and culminating in a 111-loss season. 2013 was as bad as it is going to get, and Bo seemingly maintained a positive, upbeat and supportive stance.
This year, Bo has shown a lot more emotion. He was thrown out tonight, most likely asking very reasonable questions of the home plate ump, the impressively tall Jordan Baker. I think Ghandi would have been thrown out after Fernando Abad was not tossed for his contribution to #Buttgate. It was an odd and un-understandable umpiring call, especially given the quick hook that Paul Clemens had been given the day prior. Perhaps the umpires had dinner reservations, and didn't want another pitcher having to warm up.
Briefly, back to Bo before we head to the analysis of #Buttgate. I don't know what is going on with Bo. The only time I get to see Bo is on the rare occasions that I get to watch entire games on TV. Most of my watching is highlight packages, and they (rightly) don't tend to concentrate on the managers. I listen to him during interviews on the radio broadcasts, and he strikes me as focussed, supportive and articulate - articulate in a way that many baseball guys simply aren't. Bo seems more than capable of making a subtle point through verbal communication, rather than 18 second press-conference pauses.
So, I don't know what is going on with Bo. I think it is kind of like spotting an iceberg on a satellite image (like, for example the crowdsourcing attempts at finding MH370) and guessing the shape and weight of the whole iceberg. You see a one dimensional image of the iceberg, only the tip is visible, and the conclusions that you draw must therefore be limited. I see very little of Bo. Goodness knows what is going on behind the scenes. But I will say this: if he is under-pressure with his job, and gets fired, given this talent to work with, it would be an incredible shame.
In many ways, the 2014 Astros are worse than the 2013 Astros - at least the 2013 edition had some Veteran Goodness like Rick Ankiel and Carlos Pena to add some maturity and experience. These guys have Dexter Fowler, Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, Jose Altuve, Scott Feldman and Jason Castro, and the latter two been injured most the the time. Only the pitchers have even reached free-agency. Most of the rest of the team are either practically or actually rookies. This remains a seriously offensively-challenged unit, and given how fluctuant bullpens are, this years' more expensive and more experienced bullpen may be just as bad. But that is a topic for another day.
Bo, hang in there.
These two games between the Astros and the A's have been significant for butt-beanings. Nothing up around the head, thankfully. The highest threatening pitch was the first HBP of Brandon Moss, which caught him on the jersey around his bicep. Thank goodness no head-shots - that would be really losing perspective.
The series started with George Springer being hit in the first inning by Scott Kazmir. In isolation, this is the worst - the most obvious beaning of the lot. Except, a beaning would have made no sense. Runners on first and third, one out, first inning, up 2 runs, 0-2 count. Kazmir had been having control problems... but goodness me. Catcher set up low and outside, and Kazmir must have missed his spot by three feet. Right in the knee. If you were going to send a message by moving the feet or hitting the hotshot rookie, that pitch would have been perfect execution. At least, on an 0-0 count, no runners on, up by 5, bottom of the 8th or something. Who knows, I am not inside Kazmir's head, but I can't see a scenario where that is a deliberate beaning. But if it was, it was brilliant.
The next inning, Brandon Moss was hit by an overthrown curveball on the upper arm from Brett Oberholtzer. Again, Obie had some trouble with control early, and this wasn't deliberate. Plus, the whole off-speed thing was a serious giveaway.
You would have seen or heard about Clemens' beaning of Lowrie if you are reading this article. This was the next incident. Many factors of this butt-bean would encourage one to think that it was likely to have been deliberate - the past animosity between the two, the count, the stage of the game, etc, etc. But I imagine that Porter would have been pissed that the beaning occurred, unless he suggested it. He would have been upset because: 6th inning, taxed bullpen, 5th starter (for all intents and purposes) going the next day, no Matt Albers for the last 2 days, Josh Fields also unlikely to throw because he has gone three days in a row.... plus the beaning pretty much ensures one, if not two, extra pitchers are needed. That puts the Astros in a worse position, and possibly forces Albers on to the DL to get a fresh arm for the rest of the series.
Today's beanings started with Brandon Moss in the 9th. Hit twice in one inning - I believe that this has only happened once before in the AL - Brady Anderson hit by Mike Morgan in May 1999. But goodness me... have a look where Moss sets up his back foot. If he ever led off a game, and the batters box was not a scuffed up mess, I swear that his back foot would be over the line by inches. He is clearly trying to pull the ball, and pretty much daring the pitcher to throw inside. This may be some karma from the Craig Biggio Era coming back to bite the Astros. But both times the catcher set up inside, and both times the pitcher missed in and a little up. Even the A's commentary team made a point of saying neither was intentional.
But then it got silly. Abad clearly butt-beaned Castro second hitter of the next inning. Look, for the sake of comparison, where Castro's back foot is set up. No one on. 0-0 count. Castro jawed to the bench afterward. And somehow, Abad was not thrown out. Wow.
The A's also managed to cede any moral high ground that they had before. Prior to this beaning, this was clearly an Astros-Lawrie thing, as evidenced by the apparent lack of support shown to Lowrie by the A's broadcast team and teammates. Now, by butt-beaning Castro, you are picking out the best player and throwing at him clearly and deliberately. Now it becomes an Astros-A's thing. If this goes on, that is the reason.
Obviously, there has been a lot written on this situation, in both the media and the blogosphere. Many of these centre around "the Unwritten Rules of Baseball", and how stupid they are. Many cite such bulletproof arguments as "isn't it a crime for grown men to try and injure each other by throwing things??" and so on and so forth. My take on it is this: The Unwritten Rules of Baseball are there for the players to manage their own behaviour. They aren't for the fans, for the TV audience or anyone else. It is a way that the players can stop douch-ery amongst their own kind.
That, to me, is the beauty of baseball. It is, essentially, a series of confrontations with a limited number of outcomes inside a zero-sum environment. Luck plays a big part. Tiny, tiny things can make the biggest difference - a matter of millimetres when the ball contacts the bat, the kick off an uneven bit of turf on the infield, the effect that a breeze has on a fly ball. So baseball isn't always fair. And these confrontations are repeated over and over again inside a game. And the games are repeated over and over again. And sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. But you won't win them all, and you won't lose them all, and when someone wins, someone else loses. There is no game without an opponent, and therefore opponents are worthy of respect. And just because you win today, doesn't mean you win tomorrow. So you manage each victory and loss with dignity and sportsmanship. And respect the opposition, at all times, because everyone is only a freak injury or accident off never playing again, or never playing to the same level again. (I loved Carlos Hernandez).
And when someone steps outside that, the baseball fraternity frowns.
And when non-players, and poorly informed people comment on the Unwritten Rules, that annoys me. The rules may be stupid and illogical, but they are there. And they are there for a reason, have developed for a reason, and are maintained for a reason. You see, commentators are all pretty much outside the game (with very few exceptions). We are satellites over the game, seeing the tips of icebergs. We see very little of what is actually going on. We know nothing about how far below the surface the iceberg extends. Only those in the game really know the full context.
I am a doctor, working in a small area of medicine. I know most people who work near me - very well. I know who is good, and who is less good. I know who is frikking dangerous. I have a mental list of doctors that I would allow family members to go to. And it isn't a long list. I know my profession.
The players know their profession. They know who the guys are the play hard and fair, and who oversteps the mark. They know the classy players, and they know the self-obsessed players. They know who rubs the opposition's nose in it, and who doesn't. Who knows what is going on behind the scenes, or what other events may lie behind this incident.
So when Bo said "I think the game of baseball takes care of itself", then pointed out that George Springer's HBP preceded Lowrie's, this is what I think he was meaning. He wasn't, as some have suggested, going crazy, or blowing a fuse. At least I hope not, because that would be a tragedy. There isn't an easily painted hero and villain here and suggesting otherwise is lazy. This is a complex and fluid situation between two teams that play each other another 14 times.
And baseball will take care of itself. As it has always done.
Friday, April 25, 2014
On retribution and the Astros
...If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison
us, do we not die, and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge?
-Shylock, The Merchant of Venice
Those wars are unjust which are undertaken without provocation. For only a war waged for revenge or defense can be just.
-Marcus Tullius Cicero
Revenge is not always sweet, once it is consummated we feel inferior to our victim.
-Emil Cioran
---
I have been wrestling with the actions of the Bo Porter, Jed Lowrie, and Paul Clemens over the past seven days and I do not know what to think. A week ago today (Friday), Jarred Cosart managed to get one out before being pulled with the Astros already down 7-0. As you are already well aware, Jed Lowrie tried to lay down a drag bunt in an effort to beat the shift. It didn't work, he was thrown out. Two innings later, Paul Clemens threw a wicked googly between Lowrie's legs before Lowrie flied out. As he was on his way back to the dugout, Lowrie and Altuve started talking. Lowrie swears he was asking why Clemens threw the ball between his legs. But still tempers flared. Bo Porter came out of the dugout to yell at Lowrie who, innocent as a cherub, had no idea what in the world was the matter.
Lowrie, after the game:
I just don't understand why he came out in such a rage. ... I just don't get it. I don't know what it shows, but not a lot of confidence in his own team. Point blank.
Lowrie said, basically, if the Astros can shift down 7-0, he can bunt to beat the shift. This is a decent point.
Remember the week Porter had. Dominguez running into an out by 30 feet at 2nd base. The 17-second stare. Cosart's disaster start which led to the Goatpen getting to pitch 8.2IP, and BuntGate (as no one calls it). Then Qualls gave up the walk-off homer on Saturday, the Astros had nothing on Sunday. And those four games take place in the space of four days.
Fast forward six days. The Astros won a series in Seattle, but missed a sweep because Josh Fields allowed a walk-off homer to Kyle Seager. That afternoon/evening the team flies to Houston for a four-game series with the A's, who have owned the Astros since the beginning of last season. And then the A's do what the A's do to the Astros: beat the hell out of them.
Down 8-1 in the 7th, Paul Clemens has thrown 2.2IP, replacing Brett Oberholtzer, who was down 2-0 by the 3rd batter of the game. Jed Lowrie, who is already 3x4 with two doubles, gets plunked. The details are sketchy. Porter and Clemens have spent the day getting slammed. Lowrie has presumably spent the day at a Starbucks talking to anybody and everybody who will listen about how he has been wronged and he does not understand.
Porter won't discuss specifics. While Chris Singleton has apparently confirmed through a source that Clemens was acting on his own, Bo Porter won't confirm or deny it.
If Clemens acted on his own, Porter isn't going to be the guy that throws him under the bus. I'm not saying that Porter threw Dominguez under the bus in the 17-second stare, but he didn't shy away from his disappointment/anger/murderous rage. Was Porter trying to avoid the same thing with Clemens?
I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying I agree with Porter's actions this week. While I agree with everyone who happens to be an Astros fan that maybe Lowrie should just shut up and wear it and realize that he's helping his team while perhaps causing his opponent to completely lose the plot and unravel, I can sympathize with Porter's position.
Do you watch the Barclay's Premier League? I do. My grandfather played soccer professionally in England, so I have an affinity. I also have an affinity a team who has suffered one of the greatest collapses of the last 15 years - Leeds United (sound familiar?). Because of my affinity for the BPL, I see a lot of Chelsea, because they're basically the Yankees of the Premier League. Their manager, Jose Mourinho, has a wonderful knack for making such a scene of himself that it takes the attention off of how Fernando Torres has been a complete disaster and can't score a goal to save his life. Does that sound familiar?
The Astros have had one day off so far this season. Tonight's game against the A's is the 24th Astros game in 25 days. Hell, I'm mad, and I don't have anything beyond a rooting interest. My job isn't on the line. I don't have to go into the clubhouse and keep myself from physically assaulting (insert Astro here). What I'm saying is that I can understand that maybe Porter is a little on edge, maybe he feels bad for destroying Matt Dominguez in a press conference and has decided to get out in front of Clemens here.
There are so many variables here that it's hard to figure out a middle position where I don't sell out a manager whom I respect on a personal and professional level or sound like a complete homer. Because our options for Bo Porter's actions are that the losing of the past 187 games have sharpened his intensity to where he's at his breaking point, or he is a calculated genius deflecting attention to himself for just how bad the current team is performing.
Everybody in this situation is a human being. Jed Lowrie, while I've spent most of my free time today casting him as a titty-baby, has suffered through some pretty serious fluke injuries who finds himself getting plunked at an alarming rate over the last week. Paul Clemens is a fringe pitcher at best who perhaps is searching for a role as an enforcer on a team that has no identity. Bo Porter is trying to be the rare manager who doesn't lose a clubhouse that loses approximately 65% of its games and still manages to keep his job into the Good Times.
Ultimately Jed Lowrie needs to shut up. Paul Clemens needs to stop. Bo Porter needs to distance himself from whatever beef there is between the two.
If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison
us, do we not die, and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge?
-Shylock, The Merchant of Venice
Those wars are unjust which are undertaken without provocation. For only a war waged for revenge or defense can be just.
-Marcus Tullius Cicero
Revenge is not always sweet, once it is consummated we feel inferior to our victim.
-Emil Cioran
---
I have been wrestling with the actions of the Bo Porter, Jed Lowrie, and Paul Clemens over the past seven days and I do not know what to think. A week ago today (Friday), Jarred Cosart managed to get one out before being pulled with the Astros already down 7-0. As you are already well aware, Jed Lowrie tried to lay down a drag bunt in an effort to beat the shift. It didn't work, he was thrown out. Two innings later, Paul Clemens threw a wicked googly between Lowrie's legs before Lowrie flied out. As he was on his way back to the dugout, Lowrie and Altuve started talking. Lowrie swears he was asking why Clemens threw the ball between his legs. But still tempers flared. Bo Porter came out of the dugout to yell at Lowrie who, innocent as a cherub, had no idea what in the world was the matter.
Lowrie, after the game:
I just don't understand why he came out in such a rage. ... I just don't get it. I don't know what it shows, but not a lot of confidence in his own team. Point blank.
Lowrie said, basically, if the Astros can shift down 7-0, he can bunt to beat the shift. This is a decent point.
Remember the week Porter had. Dominguez running into an out by 30 feet at 2nd base. The 17-second stare. Cosart's disaster start which led to the Goatpen getting to pitch 8.2IP, and BuntGate (as no one calls it). Then Qualls gave up the walk-off homer on Saturday, the Astros had nothing on Sunday. And those four games take place in the space of four days.
Fast forward six days. The Astros won a series in Seattle, but missed a sweep because Josh Fields allowed a walk-off homer to Kyle Seager. That afternoon/evening the team flies to Houston for a four-game series with the A's, who have owned the Astros since the beginning of last season. And then the A's do what the A's do to the Astros: beat the hell out of them.
Down 8-1 in the 7th, Paul Clemens has thrown 2.2IP, replacing Brett Oberholtzer, who was down 2-0 by the 3rd batter of the game. Jed Lowrie, who is already 3x4 with two doubles, gets plunked. The details are sketchy. Porter and Clemens have spent the day getting slammed. Lowrie has presumably spent the day at a Starbucks talking to anybody and everybody who will listen about how he has been wronged and he does not understand.
Porter won't discuss specifics. While Chris Singleton has apparently confirmed through a source that Clemens was acting on his own, Bo Porter won't confirm or deny it.
If Clemens acted on his own, Porter isn't going to be the guy that throws him under the bus. I'm not saying that Porter threw Dominguez under the bus in the 17-second stare, but he didn't shy away from his disappointment/anger/murderous rage. Was Porter trying to avoid the same thing with Clemens?
I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying I agree with Porter's actions this week. While I agree with everyone who happens to be an Astros fan that maybe Lowrie should just shut up and wear it and realize that he's helping his team while perhaps causing his opponent to completely lose the plot and unravel, I can sympathize with Porter's position.
Do you watch the Barclay's Premier League? I do. My grandfather played soccer professionally in England, so I have an affinity. I also have an affinity a team who has suffered one of the greatest collapses of the last 15 years - Leeds United (sound familiar?). Because of my affinity for the BPL, I see a lot of Chelsea, because they're basically the Yankees of the Premier League. Their manager, Jose Mourinho, has a wonderful knack for making such a scene of himself that it takes the attention off of how Fernando Torres has been a complete disaster and can't score a goal to save his life. Does that sound familiar?
The Astros have had one day off so far this season. Tonight's game against the A's is the 24th Astros game in 25 days. Hell, I'm mad, and I don't have anything beyond a rooting interest. My job isn't on the line. I don't have to go into the clubhouse and keep myself from physically assaulting (insert Astro here). What I'm saying is that I can understand that maybe Porter is a little on edge, maybe he feels bad for destroying Matt Dominguez in a press conference and has decided to get out in front of Clemens here.
There are so many variables here that it's hard to figure out a middle position where I don't sell out a manager whom I respect on a personal and professional level or sound like a complete homer. Because our options for Bo Porter's actions are that the losing of the past 187 games have sharpened his intensity to where he's at his breaking point, or he is a calculated genius deflecting attention to himself for just how bad the current team is performing.
Everybody in this situation is a human being. Jed Lowrie, while I've spent most of my free time today casting him as a titty-baby, has suffered through some pretty serious fluke injuries who finds himself getting plunked at an alarming rate over the last week. Paul Clemens is a fringe pitcher at best who perhaps is searching for a role as an enforcer on a team that has no identity. Bo Porter is trying to be the rare manager who doesn't lose a clubhouse that loses approximately 65% of its games and still manages to keep his job into the Good Times.
Ultimately Jed Lowrie needs to shut up. Paul Clemens needs to stop. Bo Porter needs to distance himself from whatever beef there is between the two.
Astros throw at Lowrie, again
Look, I didn't see the game. I got home when the A's were up 8-1, and I wasn't really interested in spending the remainder of my evening watching it. As we said - repeatedly - last year, "Being a fan doesn't mean you have to be a martyr."
But from what I understand, George Springer was hit by a pitch. Jed Lowrie was doing Jed Lowrie Things (getting hits). Paul Clemens hit him and was ejected. Then the narrative diverges.
Clemens: There was no carryover on my end. What happened in Oakland was squashed in Oakland. Bad pitch there. It just so happened I cut a fastball. We wanted to go inside on him. The guy's been hot, swinging a good bat. He can play the game of baseball. He's made a very good living hitting the baseball. We really wanted to get in on him and let him (know) I'm not afraid to come inside. That happens sometimes, so be it.
Porter: I think the game of baseball takes care of itself. George Springer got hit tonight, and it's part of the game.
Corporan: We were just trying to throw inside. If you see me I was set inside. (Lowrie) has been killing us. What do you want me to throw? Another fastball away? When hitters are hot, you have to do something. You have to move his feet or something. Too bad it was him. So what. In this game the umpire was to quick to eject (Clemens). There was no warning.
So the Astros aren't exactly sorry that Lowrie got hit.
Lowrie: It's flat out embarrassing. There's no other way to say it from every perspective. That kind of conduct shouldn't be condoned.
It's also pretty clear that Lowrie holds Porter responsible for the events of the last week, and would like to see some suspensions for the Astros: At the end of the day the buck stops with him so if you look at it that way, yes, he's the one that's responsible for player's conduct.
And, as you can expect, it's not going over so well. Reactions:
Hardball Talk's Matthew Pouliot: It's one thing to play bad baseball. The Astros have had plenty of practice at that. They've just never done it with so little class before...Hopefully, Houston's front office takes a stand after this one and tells Porter to cut it out. Even if Clemens was completely on his own here, Porter certainly could have done better with his postgame comments. His tough guy act is wearing thin.
Craig Calcaterra: Just clown shoes from the Astros...You know, my original defense of Jed Lowrie bunting with a big lead in that first game was "hey, the A's should stop trying only when the Astros say they've stopped trying." But really, I don't think that's applicable anymore because the Astros are acting like they're not even playing baseball these days.
AthleticsNation: Oh, also, Paul Clemens kind of sucks. Like, as a person. He insisted on throwing at Lowrie yet again for #buntgate, which rightfully got him thrown from the game...These past few series have made me really dislike the Astros...
Will Leitch: ...It's probably time for the manager to get with the program. Because all this new school innovation that's making them so likable is being completely undone by a manager who is starting to look like a reactionary, delusional idiot.
I'm sure there will be more reaction to this as the National Writers wake up and put on their Capes of Morality. But, basically, my thought is this: Yeah, Lowrie has been killing the Astros. Yeah, there's now Beef between Clemens and Lowrie - just another example of Gulf Coast-versus-West Coast feud. Clemens and Porter should be smart enough to realize that it's not going to look like a coincidence (if it was a coincidence in the first place). So this is either: (a) An unwillingness to apologize for a bad pitch or (b) A mic-dropping "Sorry I'm not sorry," or (c) the Astros escalating a turf war with Jed Lowrie.
I'm sure this will come up again before the game today, and we'll update accordingly.
UPDATE:
But from what I understand, George Springer was hit by a pitch. Jed Lowrie was doing Jed Lowrie Things (getting hits). Paul Clemens hit him and was ejected. Then the narrative diverges.
Clemens: There was no carryover on my end. What happened in Oakland was squashed in Oakland. Bad pitch there. It just so happened I cut a fastball. We wanted to go inside on him. The guy's been hot, swinging a good bat. He can play the game of baseball. He's made a very good living hitting the baseball. We really wanted to get in on him and let him (know) I'm not afraid to come inside. That happens sometimes, so be it.
Porter: I think the game of baseball takes care of itself. George Springer got hit tonight, and it's part of the game.
Corporan: We were just trying to throw inside. If you see me I was set inside. (Lowrie) has been killing us. What do you want me to throw? Another fastball away? When hitters are hot, you have to do something. You have to move his feet or something. Too bad it was him. So what. In this game the umpire was to quick to eject (Clemens). There was no warning.
So the Astros aren't exactly sorry that Lowrie got hit.
Lowrie: It's flat out embarrassing. There's no other way to say it from every perspective. That kind of conduct shouldn't be condoned.
It's also pretty clear that Lowrie holds Porter responsible for the events of the last week, and would like to see some suspensions for the Astros: At the end of the day the buck stops with him so if you look at it that way, yes, he's the one that's responsible for player's conduct.
And, as you can expect, it's not going over so well. Reactions:
Hardball Talk's Matthew Pouliot: It's one thing to play bad baseball. The Astros have had plenty of practice at that. They've just never done it with so little class before...Hopefully, Houston's front office takes a stand after this one and tells Porter to cut it out. Even if Clemens was completely on his own here, Porter certainly could have done better with his postgame comments. His tough guy act is wearing thin.
Craig Calcaterra: Just clown shoes from the Astros...You know, my original defense of Jed Lowrie bunting with a big lead in that first game was "hey, the A's should stop trying only when the Astros say they've stopped trying." But really, I don't think that's applicable anymore because the Astros are acting like they're not even playing baseball these days.
AthleticsNation: Oh, also, Paul Clemens kind of sucks. Like, as a person. He insisted on throwing at Lowrie yet again for #buntgate, which rightfully got him thrown from the game...These past few series have made me really dislike the Astros...
Will Leitch: ...It's probably time for the manager to get with the program. Because all this new school innovation that's making them so likable is being completely undone by a manager who is starting to look like a reactionary, delusional idiot.
I'm sure there will be more reaction to this as the National Writers wake up and put on their Capes of Morality. But, basically, my thought is this: Yeah, Lowrie has been killing the Astros. Yeah, there's now Beef between Clemens and Lowrie - just another example of Gulf Coast-versus-West Coast feud. Clemens and Porter should be smart enough to realize that it's not going to look like a coincidence (if it was a coincidence in the first place). So this is either: (a) An unwillingness to apologize for a bad pitch or (b) A mic-dropping "Sorry I'm not sorry," or (c) the Astros escalating a turf war with Jed Lowrie.
I'm sure this will come up again before the game today, and we'll update accordingly.
UPDATE:
Source close to #Astros told me Clemens acted on his own in hitting Lowrie Thurs. Bush league move. Yall missed him last week so move on.
— Chris Singleton (@c_singleton) April 25, 2014
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Exit Music (For A Player): Paul Clemens
We're taking a look at the Astros who are still on the 40-Man Roster as part of our off-season Exit Music (For A Player) recap of 2013. Read the archive here. Today we take on Paul Clemens.
Acquired: Via trade on July 31, 2011 with Atlanta, along with Brett Oberholtzer, Jordan Schafer, and Juan Abreu for Michael Bourn.
Summary:
35 appearances / five starts - 73.1IP.
ERA: 5.40; FIP: 5.69; xFIP: 5.07
1.47 WHIP. 75 ERA+
Baseball-Reference WAR: -0.5; FanGraphs WAR: -1.0
K/9: 6.0; BB/9: 3.2
2013 Salary: $2.13/hour + tips
Name a more erratic, wheels-off player on the 2013 team than Paul Clemens, and I'll patiently wait until you tell me that you cannot complete said task. In his ML debut, he allowed five runs on six hits - three of which were home runs and a double tacked on for good measure - and still got the win. Six days later he replaced a worthless Erik Bedard, who gave up six runs on two hits and four walks to the A's and recording one single solitary out, except this time he threw 5.1 shutout innings, allowing one hit. Pitching primarily in long relief (20 of his 30 relief appearances were four outs or longer), opponents hit .277/.332/.553, and he got sent back to OKC after giving up 4H/6ER in 0.1IP at Toronto on July 26.
And then he came back and made five starts. And in those five starts, the Astros were 0-5, though two of his starts were Quality Starts, and his ERA as a starter was 3.71 (albeit with a 1.50 WHIP - higher than the 1.46 WHIP he posted as a reliever). In 46.2IP as a reliever, Clemens walked 16 batters. In 26.2IP as a starter, he walked 10 batters. You just have no idea what to expect from Clemens.
High-Water Mark:
September 15 vs. Los Angeles. Clemens threw 7IP, 6H/2ER, 2K:1BB in 88 pitches. Of course, the Astros lost the game 2-1.
What Went Well:
*April and May. Factor out the jitters of the Major League debut, and in the next 16 appearances in April and May, Clemens allowed 23H/11ER, 24K:10BB in 29.1IP - for a 3.38 ERA/1.13 WHIP.
*When pitching ahead in the count, Clemens allowed just a .560 OPS.
*With runners in scoring position, opponents hit .259/.392/.310. The flip side of that is that he walked 14 of 79 batters w/RISP, but that's just never mind.
What Didn't:
*June and July. Sure, Clemens made 12 appearances in June and July, and didn't allow a run in six of them. But those other six? Six Earned Runs, Four Earned Runs, Three Earned Runs, Two Earned Runs, and One Earned Run (twice). He posted an 11.48 ERA/2.10 WHIP.
*Not being ahead in the count. When the batter was ahead in the count, they would post a 1.061 OPS. With an even count, the batter would post a .900 OPS. That's...not good. So I don't know if Clemens was trying to locate a strike to get back in it, and missing, or if he was trying to induce a groundball and missing, or...
*The fastball. Going by FanGraphs' pitch values, Clemens' fastball was 14.8 runs below average (Pitch F/X called it 15.0 runs below average). Among 206 ML pitchers who threw at least 70 innings, Clemens' fastball was 190th in terms of pitch value (Foreshadowing: Jordan Lyles was 199th and Lucas Harrell was 205th).
Did You Know:
*Against teams with a winning record, Clemens allowed a .743 OPS. Against teams with a losing record, opponent OPS was 1.014.
*Clemens broke Javier Lopez's Robinson Secondary School (VA) high school record for strikeouts in a game, with 16.
2014 Contract: Pre-Arbitration
2014 Outlook: Like Cisnero, I just don't know. He was far more "impressive" as a starter, if "impressive" means "totally unexpectedly decent." As a reliever, admittedly a role he hadn't had since 2010, he wasn't great. Clemens could be an Upgrade Casualty in that, if the Astros can bring in/promote enough pitchers, he may find himself out of a roster spot. If 2013 was his Prove It year, it may not bode well for his 2014.
Acquired: Via trade on July 31, 2011 with Atlanta, along with Brett Oberholtzer, Jordan Schafer, and Juan Abreu for Michael Bourn.
Summary:
35 appearances / five starts - 73.1IP.
ERA: 5.40; FIP: 5.69; xFIP: 5.07
1.47 WHIP. 75 ERA+
Baseball-Reference WAR: -0.5; FanGraphs WAR: -1.0
K/9: 6.0; BB/9: 3.2
2013 Salary: $2.13/hour + tips
Name a more erratic, wheels-off player on the 2013 team than Paul Clemens, and I'll patiently wait until you tell me that you cannot complete said task. In his ML debut, he allowed five runs on six hits - three of which were home runs and a double tacked on for good measure - and still got the win. Six days later he replaced a worthless Erik Bedard, who gave up six runs on two hits and four walks to the A's and recording one single solitary out, except this time he threw 5.1 shutout innings, allowing one hit. Pitching primarily in long relief (20 of his 30 relief appearances were four outs or longer), opponents hit .277/.332/.553, and he got sent back to OKC after giving up 4H/6ER in 0.1IP at Toronto on July 26.
And then he came back and made five starts. And in those five starts, the Astros were 0-5, though two of his starts were Quality Starts, and his ERA as a starter was 3.71 (albeit with a 1.50 WHIP - higher than the 1.46 WHIP he posted as a reliever). In 46.2IP as a reliever, Clemens walked 16 batters. In 26.2IP as a starter, he walked 10 batters. You just have no idea what to expect from Clemens.
High-Water Mark:
September 15 vs. Los Angeles. Clemens threw 7IP, 6H/2ER, 2K:1BB in 88 pitches. Of course, the Astros lost the game 2-1.
What Went Well:
*April and May. Factor out the jitters of the Major League debut, and in the next 16 appearances in April and May, Clemens allowed 23H/11ER, 24K:10BB in 29.1IP - for a 3.38 ERA/1.13 WHIP.
*When pitching ahead in the count, Clemens allowed just a .560 OPS.
*With runners in scoring position, opponents hit .259/.392/.310. The flip side of that is that he walked 14 of 79 batters w/RISP, but that's just never mind.
What Didn't:
*June and July. Sure, Clemens made 12 appearances in June and July, and didn't allow a run in six of them. But those other six? Six Earned Runs, Four Earned Runs, Three Earned Runs, Two Earned Runs, and One Earned Run (twice). He posted an 11.48 ERA/2.10 WHIP.
*Not being ahead in the count. When the batter was ahead in the count, they would post a 1.061 OPS. With an even count, the batter would post a .900 OPS. That's...not good. So I don't know if Clemens was trying to locate a strike to get back in it, and missing, or if he was trying to induce a groundball and missing, or...
*The fastball. Going by FanGraphs' pitch values, Clemens' fastball was 14.8 runs below average (Pitch F/X called it 15.0 runs below average). Among 206 ML pitchers who threw at least 70 innings, Clemens' fastball was 190th in terms of pitch value (Foreshadowing: Jordan Lyles was 199th and Lucas Harrell was 205th).
Did You Know:
*Against teams with a winning record, Clemens allowed a .743 OPS. Against teams with a losing record, opponent OPS was 1.014.
*Clemens broke Javier Lopez's Robinson Secondary School (VA) high school record for strikeouts in a game, with 16.
2014 Contract: Pre-Arbitration
2014 Outlook: Like Cisnero, I just don't know. He was far more "impressive" as a starter, if "impressive" means "totally unexpectedly decent." As a reliever, admittedly a role he hadn't had since 2010, he wasn't great. Clemens could be an Upgrade Casualty in that, if the Astros can bring in/promote enough pitchers, he may find himself out of a roster spot. If 2013 was his Prove It year, it may not bode well for his 2014.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Why Are Astros Fans Afraid of the Bullpen? Because 7 8 9.
Astros fans around the globe (I know there’s at least one Astros fan outside of the US) let out a collective groan every time we see Bo Porter trot to the mound. We see Porter pat the ass of the starting pitcher and send him to the dugout and we want to cry. If the team’s ahead, we’re confident that won’t last long and if the team’s behind we feel as if all hope is lost.
Can you imagine how the starting pitchers must feel? The young arms of the future have done a pretty amazing job in the starting role the second half of the season. If we just look at Lyles, Kuechel, Oberholtzer, Cosart and Clemens, collectively their ERA is 3.96 in 307 innings. Kuechel and Lyles, of course have pitched significantly more starts than the other three so if we factor out the two of them? The three rookie starters have put up an impressive 1.92 ERA.
Yes, it's a small sample size as we're talking about a total of 89 innings pitched between the three. Still, with the late season starting pitchers doing so well, you'd expect a few more wins in July and August. We all know that's not happening and we all know why.
The bullpen.
I'm not saying they're the ONLY reason the Astros aren't winning more games, but that bullpen is a pretty darn big contributor. So let's look at how the pitching has panned out this season inning by inning.
ERA by Inning - Houston Astros 2013
The third inning is showoff time for Astros pitching. In fact, the team has the 3rd best ERA in the AL in the third inning and the 9th best in all of baseball. If only that were the only inning of the game. You'll notice that Astros' pitchers struggle in the 1st inning pretty mightily. I'm not completely sure what that's about and it's a conversation for another day certainly, but it's not what I want to focus on now. (*** Editing to add that I do realize that pitchers face really good hitters in the first inning, but the Astros 1st inning ERA ranks 14th in the AL and 29th in MLB, so they are comparatively struggling in the 1st.)
The 7th and 8th innings are killing this team. In case you'd like to see how far down the rankings this team has fallen in relief pitching, in the 7th inning the Astros ERA (5.93) is dead last in baseball. For the 8th inning as well, and if you look at the next closest ERA in the AL, it's the Cleveland Indians with a 4.36 ERA in the 8th. That's a HUGE differential.
There's no way to determine how many of the games lost to those bullpen ERAs the Astros could have won if there was a seasoned or effective bullpen pitcher on staff, but the Astros are 2-11 in save situations as a team. The record for pitchers as relievers is 12 -35. If half of those lost games had been won, the Astros would be 61-71, that's a .462 winning percentage. How happy would fans be then?
It's not as if this is news to anyone, but putting numbers to the problem was pretty darn eye-opening for me. The childhood joke, "Why is six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine," is a pretty plain and simple way of looking at the Astros 2013 season. Why are Astros fans afraid of the bullpen? Because 7,8,9.
Can you imagine how the starting pitchers must feel? The young arms of the future have done a pretty amazing job in the starting role the second half of the season. If we just look at Lyles, Kuechel, Oberholtzer, Cosart and Clemens, collectively their ERA is 3.96 in 307 innings. Kuechel and Lyles, of course have pitched significantly more starts than the other three so if we factor out the two of them? The three rookie starters have put up an impressive 1.92 ERA.
Yes, it's a small sample size as we're talking about a total of 89 innings pitched between the three. Still, with the late season starting pitchers doing so well, you'd expect a few more wins in July and August. We all know that's not happening and we all know why.
 |
| I doubt looking back on this bullpen will EVER make me laugh. |
The bullpen.
I'm not saying they're the ONLY reason the Astros aren't winning more games, but that bullpen is a pretty darn big contributor. So let's look at how the pitching has panned out this season inning by inning.
ERA by Inning - Houston Astros 2013
The third inning is showoff time for Astros pitching. In fact, the team has the 3rd best ERA in the AL in the third inning and the 9th best in all of baseball. If only that were the only inning of the game. You'll notice that Astros' pitchers struggle in the 1st inning pretty mightily. I'm not completely sure what that's about and it's a conversation for another day certainly, but it's not what I want to focus on now. (*** Editing to add that I do realize that pitchers face really good hitters in the first inning, but the Astros 1st inning ERA ranks 14th in the AL and 29th in MLB, so they are comparatively struggling in the 1st.)
The 7th and 8th innings are killing this team. In case you'd like to see how far down the rankings this team has fallen in relief pitching, in the 7th inning the Astros ERA (5.93) is dead last in baseball. For the 8th inning as well, and if you look at the next closest ERA in the AL, it's the Cleveland Indians with a 4.36 ERA in the 8th. That's a HUGE differential.
There's no way to determine how many of the games lost to those bullpen ERAs the Astros could have won if there was a seasoned or effective bullpen pitcher on staff, but the Astros are 2-11 in save situations as a team. The record for pitchers as relievers is 12 -35. If half of those lost games had been won, the Astros would be 61-71, that's a .462 winning percentage. How happy would fans be then?
It's not as if this is news to anyone, but putting numbers to the problem was pretty darn eye-opening for me. The childhood joke, "Why is six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine," is a pretty plain and simple way of looking at the Astros 2013 season. Why are Astros fans afraid of the bullpen? Because 7,8,9.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Projected Super-Two cutoff date
Thanks to MLBTrade Rumors, we find that the projected cut-off date for Super Two status (in which a player who is promoted for the first time before a certain date gets an extra year of arbitration) is June 3.
So this means Paul Clemens, Brett Oberholtzer, Jose Cisnero, and Robbie Grossman will all qualify for Super-Two status, should that day come. It also means you can probably pencil that date in as the absolute earliest you'll see Jarred Cosart or Jon Singleton (who is eligible to come off the suspended list in late May).
So this means Paul Clemens, Brett Oberholtzer, Jose Cisnero, and Robbie Grossman will all qualify for Super-Two status, should that day come. It also means you can probably pencil that date in as the absolute earliest you'll see Jarred Cosart or Jon Singleton (who is eligible to come off the suspended list in late May).
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Bullpen Power Rankings
The bullpen is awful. Awful. Awful. 5.31 ERA/1.56 WHIP awful - and that includes Bedard's, Clemens', and Keuchel's solid multi-inning relief outings. in 50.2IP, they've collectively allowed 59H/31ER, 23K:20BB, 2 HBP, 6 HR. So let's break down the Bullpen Power Rankings, shall we?
1. Dallas Keuchel
If either Keuchel or Clemens, next on the list, were given opportunities to start, I'd be totally fine with it. But Keuchel leads us off, because in his three appearances in relief, he's thrown 3IP twice and 2IP once, maintaining a 1.13 ERA, and allowed eight baserunners total in his 8IP. Yes, he allowed one of Peacock's runners to score, but that's because it was a liner to right and Peacock is a ninnymuggins for that guy getting to third in the first place. 69 of his 104 pitches have been thrown for strikes, and he's generated two GIDPs.
2. Paul Clemens
If I factored likeability into the Power Rankings, Clemens would have jumped Keuchel (and I really like Keuchel). I'm willing to write off his 4IP, 6H/5ER, 0K:1BB, 3HR performance on April 9 (the 16-9 win over Seattle) because it was his Major-League debut. His performance two nights ago, in which he threw 5.1IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:2BB is enough for me, because Bedard nutted his start so badly and Clemens shut it down. The Astros only scored one run in those 5.1IP, but that's not what we're talking about right now. Basically, he's the last guy on this list in whom I'm actually okay with coming into the game.
3. Wesley Wright
Wesley Wright, the elder statesman on the club, has been okay in his seven appearances - bookended by rough outings. On April 2 (the Yu Darvish game), he allowed a hit, a walk, and both ended up scoring. Then he put together five outings that were fair: 3.2IP, 2H/0ER, 1K:0BB. Problem is, those two hits came against Oakland in G5 when he inherited two runners that both scored, and put the Astros from a tie situation to a Down 2 situation. In G13, at Oakland, the Astros were down seven runs, but he still allowed three baserunners and threw 12 of his 23 pitches for strikes. Two of those runners scored.
4. Hector Ambriz
In his season opener, Ambriz came into the game with the Astros down one run to the Rangers in G3. By the time he left, the Astros were down four runs. In his next outing, nobody scored, but he gave up three hits. Then a clean outing, and another 3H/4R (1ER) performance. In his last three appearances, though (3IP), he's allowed 4H/0ER and 28 of his 39 pitches have been for strikes.
5. Jose Veras
Veras, the $1.85m man, has appeared in five games and the Astros have been worse off when he left in three of them. Every other outing he gets tagged up - 2ER in G2, 3H/1ER in G6, and then he blew the save against the Angels on Saturday night that would have won the road series by allowing 2H/2ER, 1K:1BB. It was a high-leverage situation, but one more out and the Astros be 4-4 on the road trip, instead of 3-5.
6. Rhiner Cruz
Ugh. Rhiner Cruz. Throws it hard, but has no idea where it's headed. In his last three outings, the Astros have been worse off when he left than when he came in. In fact, in his last three outings (2.2IP), he has allowed 5H/4ER, 1K:2BB and 29 of his 52 pitches have been for strikes. In those three games, his ERA has gone from 1.50 to 5.19. Whenever Cruz comes in the game, that's when I take the dog out for a walk.
7. Xavier Cedeno
Cedeno, easily the 3rd-best lefty in the bullpen (out of three) has a 17.18 ERA and has allowed 14 baserunners on the way to getting eleven outs (1K:5BB). And while his ERA is inflated, FanGraphs puts his FIP at 7.72 with a 9.23 xFIP. So it's not as though he's suffering from terrible defense. He did throw 2.2IP in G6 when the Astros were already down eight runs to the A's, and allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB, but he has allowed earned runs in three of his four appearances.
1. Dallas Keuchel
If either Keuchel or Clemens, next on the list, were given opportunities to start, I'd be totally fine with it. But Keuchel leads us off, because in his three appearances in relief, he's thrown 3IP twice and 2IP once, maintaining a 1.13 ERA, and allowed eight baserunners total in his 8IP. Yes, he allowed one of Peacock's runners to score, but that's because it was a liner to right and Peacock is a ninnymuggins for that guy getting to third in the first place. 69 of his 104 pitches have been thrown for strikes, and he's generated two GIDPs.
2. Paul Clemens
If I factored likeability into the Power Rankings, Clemens would have jumped Keuchel (and I really like Keuchel). I'm willing to write off his 4IP, 6H/5ER, 0K:1BB, 3HR performance on April 9 (the 16-9 win over Seattle) because it was his Major-League debut. His performance two nights ago, in which he threw 5.1IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:2BB is enough for me, because Bedard nutted his start so badly and Clemens shut it down. The Astros only scored one run in those 5.1IP, but that's not what we're talking about right now. Basically, he's the last guy on this list in whom I'm actually okay with coming into the game.
3. Wesley Wright
Wesley Wright, the elder statesman on the club, has been okay in his seven appearances - bookended by rough outings. On April 2 (the Yu Darvish game), he allowed a hit, a walk, and both ended up scoring. Then he put together five outings that were fair: 3.2IP, 2H/0ER, 1K:0BB. Problem is, those two hits came against Oakland in G5 when he inherited two runners that both scored, and put the Astros from a tie situation to a Down 2 situation. In G13, at Oakland, the Astros were down seven runs, but he still allowed three baserunners and threw 12 of his 23 pitches for strikes. Two of those runners scored.
4. Hector Ambriz
In his season opener, Ambriz came into the game with the Astros down one run to the Rangers in G3. By the time he left, the Astros were down four runs. In his next outing, nobody scored, but he gave up three hits. Then a clean outing, and another 3H/4R (1ER) performance. In his last three appearances, though (3IP), he's allowed 4H/0ER and 28 of his 39 pitches have been for strikes.
5. Jose Veras
Veras, the $1.85m man, has appeared in five games and the Astros have been worse off when he left in three of them. Every other outing he gets tagged up - 2ER in G2, 3H/1ER in G6, and then he blew the save against the Angels on Saturday night that would have won the road series by allowing 2H/2ER, 1K:1BB. It was a high-leverage situation, but one more out and the Astros be 4-4 on the road trip, instead of 3-5.
6. Rhiner Cruz
Ugh. Rhiner Cruz. Throws it hard, but has no idea where it's headed. In his last three outings, the Astros have been worse off when he left than when he came in. In fact, in his last three outings (2.2IP), he has allowed 5H/4ER, 1K:2BB and 29 of his 52 pitches have been for strikes. In those three games, his ERA has gone from 1.50 to 5.19. Whenever Cruz comes in the game, that's when I take the dog out for a walk.
7. Xavier Cedeno
Cedeno, easily the 3rd-best lefty in the bullpen (out of three) has a 17.18 ERA and has allowed 14 baserunners on the way to getting eleven outs (1K:5BB). And while his ERA is inflated, FanGraphs puts his FIP at 7.72 with a 9.23 xFIP. So it's not as though he's suffering from terrible defense. He did throw 2.2IP in G6 when the Astros were already down eight runs to the A's, and allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB, but he has allowed earned runs in three of his four appearances.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Paul Clemens is making a run at being My Favorite Astro
Not only did he jump for a chopper that was easily ten feet over his head, pitch through a dislocated pinky, and yell at an umpire over what he thought should have been a called third strike - but Paul Clemens also apologized to the umpiring crew for doing so.
Clemens, after the game:
“Let me take a second to apologize to him and his whole crew. I apologize. It was just my competitive nature. … I took the Lord’s name in vain and I apologized.”
Clemens, after the game:
“Let me take a second to apologize to him and his whole crew. I apologize. It was just my competitive nature. … I took the Lord’s name in vain and I apologized.”
Monday, April 8, 2013
All sorts of roster moves
So another day, another injury as Rule 5 pick Josh Fields goes on the DL with a right forearm strain. Here's how the dominoes fall...
*Paul Clemens has been called up from Oklahoma City, and will be in uniform tonight in Seattle.
*Ross Seaton has gone from Corpus to Oklahoma City, and Carlos Quevedo is in Corpus from Lancaster.
Clemens came to the organization in the Michael Bourn trade, and will be the 2nd of that group of four players to wear an Astros uni (the immortal Jordan Schafer being the 1st). In 2012, he was an overall 11-10 with a 5.78 ERA/1.60 WHIP, with most of the damage coming at Oklahoma City (8-8, but with a 6.73 ERA/1.74 WHIP - 145 hits and 32 walks in 101.2IP).
Fields' injury seems to be more precautionary than anything horrific (Two Full Weilands on the Scale of Arm Injuries).
So why Clemens and not, say, Jordan Lyles? Luhnow is the aforelinked...um, link that Clemens' ability to come out of the bullpen played a role (Clemens fared well out of the bullpen in Spring Training).
UPDATE: As mentioned in the comments, I am stupid. Juan Abreu already debuted for the Astros in addition to Schafer. So Brett Oberholtzer is the only player in that trade to not make it to Houston yet.
*Paul Clemens has been called up from Oklahoma City, and will be in uniform tonight in Seattle.
*Ross Seaton has gone from Corpus to Oklahoma City, and Carlos Quevedo is in Corpus from Lancaster.
Clemens came to the organization in the Michael Bourn trade, and will be the 2nd of that group of four players to wear an Astros uni (the immortal Jordan Schafer being the 1st). In 2012, he was an overall 11-10 with a 5.78 ERA/1.60 WHIP, with most of the damage coming at Oklahoma City (8-8, but with a 6.73 ERA/1.74 WHIP - 145 hits and 32 walks in 101.2IP).
Fields' injury seems to be more precautionary than anything horrific (Two Full Weilands on the Scale of Arm Injuries).
So why Clemens and not, say, Jordan Lyles? Luhnow is the aforelinked...um, link that Clemens' ability to come out of the bullpen played a role (Clemens fared well out of the bullpen in Spring Training).
UPDATE: As mentioned in the comments, I am stupid. Juan Abreu already debuted for the Astros in addition to Schafer. So Brett Oberholtzer is the only player in that trade to not make it to Houston yet.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Pre Stros Morning Report April 5th
AAA - OKC Redhawks (0-1)
Game 1:
The Redhawks lost their first game of a doubleheader to the Redbirds (1-0) 9-0. Jordan Lyles was on the mound for the opener and retired 9 out of 10 hitters after allowing a run in the first inning. However in the 4th Lyles exited after loading the bases. The Redhawks couldn't get a runner across the plate and they were shut out 9-0 in 7 innings. Jimmy Paredes was 1 for 2 with a 2B and a BB, the only Redhawk with an XBH. Jonathan Villar and Marc Krauss went hitless.
Jordan Lyles 4.1 IP 3H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 2 SO.
Keving Chapman 0.0 IP 1H, 2R, 2ER. 1BB
C.J. Fick .2 IP, 2H, 3 ER, 2BB
Josh Zeid 1 IP, 0H, 0ER, 1BB, 3SO.
Man of the match: Josh Zeid. Stuck out the side and did not allow a hit.
Game 2:
The Redhawks (1-1) took the second game of the double header with Memphis (1-1) by a score of 8-7 in 7 innings. The Redhawks found themselves down 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd but would put up 3 runs via RBI's from Trevor Crowe and Robbie Grossman and a 2 run HR from Brandon Laird. The 3 would drive in a run each the following inning to put up the Redhawks 8-2. Brandon Laird (HR), Jimmy Paredes (2B), and Cody Clark (2B) each had an XBH, with Laird (4), Crowe(2), and Grossman (2) accounting for the RBI totals. Jonathan Villar went hitless.
Paul Clemens got the W. 5 IP, 7H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0BB, 3K.
Wes Musick 1.2 IP 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB
Jose Valdez got the 1 out save. 1H, 1BB.
Man of the match: Brandon Laird. 4RBI including a 2 run homer.
AA - Corpus Christi Hooks (1-1)
Corpus got 1 hit in their second game with the Sprinfield Cardinals (1-1). Austin Wates logged the only hit for the Hooks, an infield single to lead off the game. Nick Tropeano (Nitro) got his first start at AA tonight and went 5 innings, allowed 3 hits, 1 ER (HR) and struck out 5. Bobby Doran threw 3 innings allowing the other earned runs of the evening, walking 1 and striking out 2. Andrew Robinson pitched a scoreless inning for the Hooks.
George Springer, Domingo Santana, Jonathan Meyer, and Eric Castro each struck out 3 times.
Domingo Santan threw out a runner at the plate for an outfield assist.
Man of the match: Nick Tropeano 5k's in 5 IP with 1 BB for his first start at AA.
A - Lancaster Jethawks (1-1)
Lancaster fell 7-3 to High Desert (1-1) tonight. Preston Tucker hit a two run homer in the 3rd to put the Jethawks up 3-1 but it would not be enough. Rafael Valenzuela had a 2B to go with Tuckers' homer for the only XBH's for the evening. Tucker and Brandon Meredith each had 2 hits, DDJ and Nolan Fontana each had a single.
Brady Rodgers got the L. Pitched 3.2 innings allowing 4 ER (HR), walking 3, and striking out 5.
Theron Geith allowed 2 earned runs in 1.1 IP.
Chris Devenski pitch 3 IP allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run.
Jonas Dukes pitched a scoreless 9th walking one and striking out one.
Man of the match: Preston Tucker
Low A - Quad Cities Bandits (2-0)
Lance McCullers Jr got his first start of the season and it was a good one. McCullers pitched 5 innings and struck out 5 and left the game in the position to earn his first W of the season. Daniel Minor allowed the tying run to cross the plate in the 7th inning, earning a blown save. Minor would be awarded the win after the QC Bandits rallied in the 8th. A BB, sac fly, and another walk put runners on 2nd (Sclafani) and first (Correa). Sclafani came home on a fielding error by Kane County (0-2) 2nd baseman Wes Darvill. Rio Ruiz would follow with a double that scored two and put the Bandits up 4-1.
Carlos Correa went hitless but walked and scored a run. Rio Ruiz, Ariel Ovando, and Roberto Pena each had a double. Ruiz had 2 hits and 2 RBI on the day.
Men of the match: Lance McCullers and Rio Ruiz.
Game 1:
The Redhawks lost their first game of a doubleheader to the Redbirds (1-0) 9-0. Jordan Lyles was on the mound for the opener and retired 9 out of 10 hitters after allowing a run in the first inning. However in the 4th Lyles exited after loading the bases. The Redhawks couldn't get a runner across the plate and they were shut out 9-0 in 7 innings. Jimmy Paredes was 1 for 2 with a 2B and a BB, the only Redhawk with an XBH. Jonathan Villar and Marc Krauss went hitless.
Jordan Lyles 4.1 IP 3H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 2 SO.
Keving Chapman 0.0 IP 1H, 2R, 2ER. 1BB
C.J. Fick .2 IP, 2H, 3 ER, 2BB
Josh Zeid 1 IP, 0H, 0ER, 1BB, 3SO.
Man of the match: Josh Zeid. Stuck out the side and did not allow a hit.
Game 2:
The Redhawks (1-1) took the second game of the double header with Memphis (1-1) by a score of 8-7 in 7 innings. The Redhawks found themselves down 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd but would put up 3 runs via RBI's from Trevor Crowe and Robbie Grossman and a 2 run HR from Brandon Laird. The 3 would drive in a run each the following inning to put up the Redhawks 8-2. Brandon Laird (HR), Jimmy Paredes (2B), and Cody Clark (2B) each had an XBH, with Laird (4), Crowe(2), and Grossman (2) accounting for the RBI totals. Jonathan Villar went hitless.
Paul Clemens got the W. 5 IP, 7H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0BB, 3K.
Wes Musick 1.2 IP 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB
Jose Valdez got the 1 out save. 1H, 1BB.
Man of the match: Brandon Laird. 4RBI including a 2 run homer.
AA - Corpus Christi Hooks (1-1)
Corpus got 1 hit in their second game with the Sprinfield Cardinals (1-1). Austin Wates logged the only hit for the Hooks, an infield single to lead off the game. Nick Tropeano (Nitro) got his first start at AA tonight and went 5 innings, allowed 3 hits, 1 ER (HR) and struck out 5. Bobby Doran threw 3 innings allowing the other earned runs of the evening, walking 1 and striking out 2. Andrew Robinson pitched a scoreless inning for the Hooks.
George Springer, Domingo Santana, Jonathan Meyer, and Eric Castro each struck out 3 times.
Domingo Santan threw out a runner at the plate for an outfield assist.
Man of the match: Nick Tropeano 5k's in 5 IP with 1 BB for his first start at AA.
A - Lancaster Jethawks (1-1)
Lancaster fell 7-3 to High Desert (1-1) tonight. Preston Tucker hit a two run homer in the 3rd to put the Jethawks up 3-1 but it would not be enough. Rafael Valenzuela had a 2B to go with Tuckers' homer for the only XBH's for the evening. Tucker and Brandon Meredith each had 2 hits, DDJ and Nolan Fontana each had a single.
Brady Rodgers got the L. Pitched 3.2 innings allowing 4 ER (HR), walking 3, and striking out 5.
Theron Geith allowed 2 earned runs in 1.1 IP.
Chris Devenski pitch 3 IP allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run.
Jonas Dukes pitched a scoreless 9th walking one and striking out one.
Man of the match: Preston Tucker
Low A - Quad Cities Bandits (2-0)
Lance McCullers Jr got his first start of the season and it was a good one. McCullers pitched 5 innings and struck out 5 and left the game in the position to earn his first W of the season. Daniel Minor allowed the tying run to cross the plate in the 7th inning, earning a blown save. Minor would be awarded the win after the QC Bandits rallied in the 8th. A BB, sac fly, and another walk put runners on 2nd (Sclafani) and first (Correa). Sclafani came home on a fielding error by Kane County (0-2) 2nd baseman Wes Darvill. Rio Ruiz would follow with a double that scored two and put the Bandits up 4-1.
Carlos Correa went hitless but walked and scored a run. Rio Ruiz, Ariel Ovando, and Roberto Pena each had a double. Ruiz had 2 hits and 2 RBI on the day.
Men of the match: Lance McCullers and Rio Ruiz.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Paul Clemens hurts knee
From a variety of tweets, it looks as though pitcher Paul Clemens has hurt his knee. He apparently slipped off the mound trying to cover first base and "went down hard" according to Brian Smith. He did walk off the field without assistance, but we'll keep an eye on it.
Let's just stop and mention how utterly ridiculous it is that, in a Spring Training where there is an extra week of games, they're even playing this game in the rain. It's one thing to get injured in a freak Spring Training accident (see Castro, Jason), where there's really nothing anybody could have done differently. But to be playing a Spring Training game in the rain? Dumb.
Update: Bo Porter says Clemens is "fine."
Let's just stop and mention how utterly ridiculous it is that, in a Spring Training where there is an extra week of games, they're even playing this game in the rain. It's one thing to get injured in a freak Spring Training accident (see Castro, Jason), where there's really nothing anybody could have done differently. But to be playing a Spring Training game in the rain? Dumb.
Update: Bo Porter says Clemens is "fine."
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Playoff Preview - G1: Hooks vs. Roughriders
Oh hellz yes. The Hooks return to the playoffs tonight at Frisco beginning at 7pm tonight. Frisco is the Rangers' Double-A affiliate so, you know, Strike 1. Also, they're the RoughRiders. A "RoughRider" is what you get for 75 cents in an Exxon bathroom.
Season Series: Hooks lead 15-13, (7-9 at Frisco)
Hooks starter: Paul Clemens
Clemens - who came to the organization in July 2011 as part of the Bourn trade - began 2012 at OKC, but had a rough go of it. In 20 starts Clemens was 8-8, but with a 6.73 ERA/1.74 WHIP, and 68K:32BB in 101.2IP. So he got sent back to Corpus, where he fared much better against lower-level competition, going 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA/1.25 WHIP, and 37K:11BB in 41.2IP.
His last start of the season actually came against Frisco, where on August 31 he threw 5IP, allowing 6H/2ER, 4K:0BB. In his last five starts for Corpus (he was presumably pouting in his first two Corpus starts), Clemens racked up 30IP, 27H/6ER, 20K:8BB.
Roughriders starter: Barret Loux
Perhaps you remember Barret Loux. First of all, he's from Stratford. But he was the 6th overall pick by the Diamondbacks in 2010, and agreed to a $2m signing bonus. But Arizona was quite surprised to find out that Loux failed his physical thanks to a torn labrum and elbow damage. So they didn't offer him a contract, instead taking the 7th overall pick in the 2011 draft. MLB made the somewhat-unprecedented move of declaring him a free agent. Ed Wade doofused around and figured the Astros didn't need any minor-league pitching, so they didn't pursue him. And then the Rangers signed him for $312,000. Now pre-draft physicals are required for the Top 200 prospects. No one calls it the Loux Rule, but that may as well be what it is.
Loux has been a stud for Frisco this season. He's 14-1 in 25 starts, with a 3.47 ERA/1.27 WHIP, 100K:41BB, and 10HR allowed in 127IP. In six starts against Corpus this season, He has thrown 26.1IP, allowing 28H/18ER, 27K:10BB. This includes his worst start of the season, on June 22 at home vs. Corpus, when the Hooks clapped him up for 8H/8ER, 4K:1BB in 3IP.
Season Series: Hooks lead 15-13, (7-9 at Frisco)
Hooks starter: Paul Clemens
Clemens - who came to the organization in July 2011 as part of the Bourn trade - began 2012 at OKC, but had a rough go of it. In 20 starts Clemens was 8-8, but with a 6.73 ERA/1.74 WHIP, and 68K:32BB in 101.2IP. So he got sent back to Corpus, where he fared much better against lower-level competition, going 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA/1.25 WHIP, and 37K:11BB in 41.2IP.
His last start of the season actually came against Frisco, where on August 31 he threw 5IP, allowing 6H/2ER, 4K:0BB. In his last five starts for Corpus (he was presumably pouting in his first two Corpus starts), Clemens racked up 30IP, 27H/6ER, 20K:8BB.
Roughriders starter: Barret Loux
Perhaps you remember Barret Loux. First of all, he's from Stratford. But he was the 6th overall pick by the Diamondbacks in 2010, and agreed to a $2m signing bonus. But Arizona was quite surprised to find out that Loux failed his physical thanks to a torn labrum and elbow damage. So they didn't offer him a contract, instead taking the 7th overall pick in the 2011 draft. MLB made the somewhat-unprecedented move of declaring him a free agent. Ed Wade doofused around and figured the Astros didn't need any minor-league pitching, so they didn't pursue him. And then the Rangers signed him for $312,000. Now pre-draft physicals are required for the Top 200 prospects. No one calls it the Loux Rule, but that may as well be what it is.
Loux has been a stud for Frisco this season. He's 14-1 in 25 starts, with a 3.47 ERA/1.27 WHIP, 100K:41BB, and 10HR allowed in 127IP. In six starts against Corpus this season, He has thrown 26.1IP, allowing 28H/18ER, 27K:10BB. This includes his worst start of the season, on June 22 at home vs. Corpus, when the Hooks clapped him up for 8H/8ER, 4K:1BB in 3IP.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
PreStros Farm Report: August 8
PreStros: August 8
The RedHawks continued their slump and have now lost 10 of their last 11 games after losing to Sacramento (LAA) 8-7 in 10 innings.
Fernando Abad threw 3.2 innings and gave up 3 R on 5 H and 1 BB
with 3 K. Brian Sanches pitched .1 innings and allowed 2 R on 3 H. Mark
Hamburger went .2 innings, allowing 2 H and 1 BB with 1 K. Garrett Mock threw
1.1 innings, giving up 2 R on 3 H with 2 K. Hector Ambriz threw 2 innings and
allowed 1 H and 1 BB with 2 K. Jose Valdez pitched 1.1 innings, allowing 1
unearned R on 2 H and 1 BB with 1 K.
C-Jason Castro was 1x3 with 1 BB and 1 HR. 3B-Matt Dominguez was
4x4 with 1 2B, 3 R, and 1 RBI. 2B-Angel Sanchez was 2x4 with 1 BB and 1 R.
Man of the Match: Matt Dominguez
*Notes: Angel Sanchez is hitting .452 over his last eight games. Brian
Bixler is hitting just .091 since returning to OKC. The RedHawks have given up
at least five runs in 20 of the last 25 games and their team ERA of 5.35 is the
worst in the minors.
The Hooks were shutout by Arkansas (LAA) 4-0.
Paul Clemens threw 6 innings and gave up 1 R on 3 H and 3 BB with
5 K. Arcenio Leon
SS-Andrew Simunic was 2x4.
Man of the Match: Paul Clemens
*Notes: The Hooks had the league’s best record in June (18-8) and
July (20-10).
The JetHawks gave up four runs in the eighth to lose to High Desert (SEA) 8-6.
Blair Walters threw 5 innings and gave up 4 R on 6 H with 6 K. Jorge
De Leon
SS-Alex Todd was 2x4 with 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR, and 2 RBI. 1B-Erik Castro
was 1x5 with 1 HR and 4 K. 3B-Jonathan Meyer was 3x4 with 1 HR and 2 R. C-Carlos
Perez went 2x4 with 1 2B and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Alex Todd
*Notes: The JetHawks batters take up three of the top five spots
on the leaderboard for most strikeouts. Telvin Nash leads the league with 151,
George Springer is tied for third with 131, and Erik Castro is fifth with 127.
Luis Cruz went 6 innings, giving up 3 R on 7 H and 1 BB with 5 K. Evan
Grills threw 2 scoreless innings with 1 BB. Dayan Diaz pitched 1 scoreless
inning for this 18th save.
2B-Delino DeShields was 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 SB, and 2 R. DH-Brandon
Meredith was 2x4 with 1 2B and 3 RBI.
Man of the Match: Brandon Meredith
*Notes: Brandon Meredith has quietly moved up to 12th in
the South Atlantic League in OPS (.906).
Tri-City (36-14)
The ValleyCats lost a heartbreaker after going into the bottom of the ninth with a 2-0 lead before falling 3-2 to Aberdeen (BAL).
The ValleyCats lost a heartbreaker after going into the bottom of the ninth with a 2-0 lead before falling 3-2 to Aberdeen (BAL).
Aaron West threw 7 scoreless innings with 6 H and 8 K. Juan Minaya
threw .1 innings with 2 BB. Jamaine Cotton pitched .2 innings with 1 H. Blake
Ford took the loss in .1 innings, allowing 3 R (2 earned) on 2 H and 1 BB.
1B-Jesse Wierzbicki was 2x4 with 1 2B and 1 R. DH-Jobduan Morales
was 2x3.
Man of the Match: Aaron West
*Notes: The ValleyCats have seven players named to the NYPL
All-Star team. Andrew Aplin and Tyler Heineman were named as starters. Austin
Elkins, Jobduan Morales, Aaron West, Brian Holmes, and Blake Ford also made the
team. Morales will be competing in the Home Run Derby with Aplin as an
alternate.
Greeneville (26-23)
The Astros brought out the whoopin’ sticks to beat Pulaski (SEA) 9-4.
The Astros brought out the whoopin’ sticks to beat Pulaski (SEA) 9-4.
Francis Ramirez threw 5 innings and gave up 2 R on 5 H and 2 BB
with 4 K. Brad Propst pitched 1 inning, allowing 1 R on 1 H and 1 BB. Jordan
Jankowski threw 1 scoreless inning with 1 K. Andrew Walter pitched 2 innings
and gave up 1 R on 3 H and 1 BB with 3 K.
3B-Angel Ibanez was 2x5 with 1 2B, 2 R and 1 RBI. 2B-Brian Blasik
was 4x4 with 1 BB and 3 R. SS-Jean Batista went 2x4 with 1 2B, 2 R, and 4 RBI. RF-Ariel
Ovando was 2x5 with 2 RBI. DH-Terrell Joyce was 2x5 with 1 2B and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Jean Batista
*Notes:
GCL Astros (21-23)
The Astros held off a late charge by the Cardinals to win 6-5.
The Astros held off a late charge by the Cardinals to win 6-5.
Raul Rivera went 5 innings, allowing 1 R on 5 H and 1 BB with 2 K.
Ricardo Batista threw 1 scoreless inning. Gera Sanchez pitched 1 inning, allowing
2 R on 5 H. Erick Gonzalez pitched 2 innings and gave up 2 R on 3 H and 1 BB
with 3 K.
SS-Carlos Correa was 3x5 with 1 3B, 2 R, and 2 RBI. DH-Rio Ruiz
was 3x5 with 1 SB (of home!), 1 R, and 2 RBI. 3B-Darwin Rivera was 2x5. C-Alfredo
Gonzalez was 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 R, and 1 RBI.
Man of the Match: Carlos Correa
*Notes:
DSL Astros (17-39)
Postponed
Postponed
*Notes:
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tranzactionz
Courtesy of Greg Rajan, we find that:
Jake Buchanan, Jose Cisnero and Jarred Cosart have been promoted from Corpus to OKC.
Paul Clemens has been reassigned to Corpus from OKC.
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