Frayed Knot

AG/DC wrote: Looks like no. Hopefully the flu hasn't disabled Endy. I'm just not sure I'd want to pull Alou so early in a 1-run game. HIs bat may come in handy more than Endy's glove. Plus we're short on the bench (Castillo). Now seeing as how we made it (barely) through the 8th unscathed I'd go to Endy in top-9

AG/DC wrote: Moises still in left in a one-run game in the eighth. Probably won't bat in the 8th, but could very well be needed in the 9th.

Self-editing, it's a beautiful thing.

This IGT may set a record for the most off-topic discussions contained within. Meanwhile Willie opts for Duaner over Heilman and is rewarded with a leadoff walk. Arrggh!

KC wrote: Forgot about this, it's on now and I'm pissed I didn't record it from the beginning but ESPN2 stuff is on more than once I hope. I'm going to go out on a limb and say yes ... like 10 or 12 times.

Reyes seems like he's in one of those modes again where he decides beforehand whether he's going to swing at the pitch or not. As a result, he's letting a lot of hitters' pitches go by on counts where he should be agressive and, instead, swinging at the pitcher's pitch too often. That's the '06 and prior Jose.

Predicting that a team will NOT pull off a 20 or 25 (or such similar streak) is not exactly going out on a limb. We now return you to your regular game already in progress.

Particularly not as long as LeBron & Kobe still walk the earth.

"Because I'd get flammed for being too pessimistic" When talking about the suggestion that this (or any) team could benefit from a 20 of 25 streak I don't think "pessimistic" is the phrase you're looking for. Seems to me that "absurdly obvious" works better.

Maine plunks first batter with first pitch. Payback for last night cheerleading session no doubt.

]Though they'd wish Delgado would just pull a Mike Schmidt and retire NOW! Which would be great because we've got so many other 1st base options just sitting around.

FWIW, Carlos himself is saying just the opposite.

I was about to post today that I've had enough of waiting for Sosa and hoping he'd come around to the good pitcher he's only been briefly during several spots in his career (including early last year). If we lose him trying to send him down then we lose him, we'll live. Probably one or both of Sosa/Figueroa survive in order to straighten themselves out. I have no opinion on the Vargas vs Bostick deal and don't know why they chose the one over the other. Wise needed to be called eventually and it's good that they did so without sending down Smith. I don't Bazooka Joe is as valuable as some fans seem to think but he's been good this season. Tatis is what he is, but at least he's a threat for a long-ball off the bench that Pagan doesn't give us.

Figueroa & Sosa designated for assignment, Pagan to the DL Claudio Vargas called up to start Wednesday's game. Also Matt Wise and Fernando Tatis called up.

Santana - 2.4 Beltran - 2.6 Delgado - 1.8 Schneider - 1.1 Wright - 1.0 Alou - 0.8 Sosa - 0.3

Pelfrey - 2.5 Reyes - 0.75 Beltran - 0.75 Heilman - 0.5 Wright - 0.75

="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]Milledge was in the middle of it, the Snooze reports ... Seemed to be Elijah Dukes mostly. The first time the TV picked it up it was while Milledge was at bat; Here we go Milli, here we go - and Dukes was playing the role of head cheerleader. Assuming it was Dukes, it certainly won't score them any sportsmanship points since he's unlikely to get the benefit of anyone's doubt.

Not usually a good idea but would depend on the batter, inning, score, lineup, etc.

Easley - 1.2 Wright - 1.0 Alou - 1.0 Reyes - 0.5 Beltran - 0.7 Sanchez - 0.2 Smith - 0.2 Wagner - 0.2

Good Lord!, 9 Mets had a higher pct of singles than Felix Millan?!?!? Bud Harrelson

Low = Millan High = Strawberry

Doesn't mean Tyner can't be a useful fill-in here and there, just that his type of "narrow" skills have a very small margin for error in order to justify them as a full time player much less a 1st round draft pick. What Tyner essentially needed was a good OBP to make it as a full-time player since he had little else to fall back on - and when a one-trick pony has his one trick fall short (see also the caution about drafting slugging 1st basemen in the 'Draft' thread) he goes from somewhat valuable to easily replacable in short order. The Mets ran into the same problem - only at the opposite end of the spectrum from Tyner - with 1st rounder Robert Stratton.

Tyner's other problem (aside from the total lack of power) is that he never really was (or became) the ball-hawking CFer you'd want that kind of hitter to be. Brett Butler could get away with singles & walks because he could play the position so well - but it's tough to endure that kind of production from a corner spot or even from just a so-so CFer. Maury Wills, btw, is the guy with the largest pct of his hits as singles in ML history (~88% or a .050 BA/Slg diff) - but of course he falls short of being a HoF-er.

For those who want to pick up a 1st basemen, BA takes looks at those near the top of this 1B-heavy draft: ... this year's crop of first basemen is exceptional. Though teams prefer players who offer more well-rounded skills than first basemen usually do, six guys who project to play that position in the majors have a chance to go in the first round: * American Heritage High's (Cooper City, Fla.) Eric Hosmer, * South Carolina's Justin Smoak, * Miami's Yonder Alonso, * Arizona State's Brett Wallace and Ike Davis, * California's David Cooper. Also, Wake Forest's Allan Dykstra (no, not THAT Dykstra) could crack the sandwich round. All of these players owe their draft status to what they can do at the plate, but it's an interesting idea to look at them from the defensive angle. - Smoak isn't an exceptional athlete, but he's a smooth fielder whom scouts hail as a potential Gold Glover. - Both Hosmer and Davis have very strong arms for first basemen—they both pitch in the 90s with their fastballs—and have enough athleticism to possibly warrant a look in the outfield. - Alonso is an average defender at first base. - Wallace and Dykstra both have played third base this spring, and the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Wallace has exceeded expectations at the hot corner. He's still going to be a first baseman, however, and is the fifth-best defender in this group. - Cooper and Dykstra are adequate at best with a first baseman's mitt. - Alonso is the third-best prospect, behind Hosmer and Smoak, but I think he can beat them both to the major leagues [as] Hosmer is a high school player (who may wind up attending Arizona State), and Alonso is more of a polished hitter than Smoak.

It still would be two DHs in a week and three in two weeks. I'm guessing any makeup will be pushed out until the next visit.