2009 Baseball Season/Off-Season Discussion

[sandman]

yeah, game 3 could be decided by the bullpens. i could see both starters giving up about 3 runs and getting pulled in the 6th. but neither of the games have gone as i pictured.

anyone know the yankees plans for SP the rest of the way? i know CC for game 4....will burnett pitch on short rest in game 5? will they have to use a 4th starter for game 6?

i'm not sure what the phils plans are. i think lee could be a possibility for game 4.

the interesting thing is that the weather is looking like a wash out for game 3. which would mean game 4 is played monday night with Lee and CC both available on regular rest.

Yanks pitch Andy, CC, and then ??.

I think it depends on what happens in the next two games.  If they're up 3-1, I think they pitch Chad G.  Down 3-1, I think you see Burnett.  2-2?? I have no idea.  I'd GUESS Chad G, just so Burnett can go on regular rest back at home in game 6 and you'd have CC AGAIN in game 7 (with Andy available in the pen) or maybe vice versa...but I don't know for sure.  Girardi hasn't said.

I'd be SHOCKED to see Lee in game 4 on 3 days rest after throwing a complete game and 122 pitches.  Maybe, but by bringing him out to pitch the 9th, up 6-0..I suspect that was Charlie saying "regular rest".  I think he's your game 5 starter.

I thought the rain was supposed to be just light showers?  Weather.com shows 30% to 50% of "a few showers" blowing through.

Heck, the should just play a 1 PM game on Saturday....but Fox would never go for it.

saturday afternoon would be freakin great. damn TV networks.

one of the local weathermen was on the radio today saying expect periods of steady rain beginning at 6 or 7pm (he suggested everyone take their kids out trick or treating by 5 or 6). he said the models aren't clear on exactly what time it will start, or if there will be breaks in the rain. i was surprised myself when i checked weather.com and saw what you mentioned. hopefully they are correct and they get it in with no delays.   

[Falcon]

I bet Albert would trade the following for a run at the World Series..

ST. LOUIS ? Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols continued his annual award spree by winning the Players Choice Player of the Year award, which is given each year after a vote of the members of the players? union.

The award was announced this morning on ESPN Radio, which has been given exclusive rights by the Major League Baseball Players Association to reveal the awards. Pujols joined the show for a second consecutive day and talked mostly about the World Series.

Other candidates for the Player of the Year award were Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer, who won a batting title and is a favorite for the AL MVP, and Hanley Ramirez, who won the NL batting title. Mauer, the Twins affable and dynamic catcher, has won three batting titles in his career and had a claim to the award and figured to challenge Pujols. Mauer arguably had the better season with a .365 average, 28 home runs and 96 RBIs while also playing Gold Glove defense at the game?s most demanding position.

This is the second consecutive season that Pujols has swept the Players Choice awards, winning both the NL Outstanding Player and the Player of the Year awards. Each award comes with a cash prize that the player then designates for a charity. Pujols told Mike and Mike in the Morning that he has not selected a charity for either of his prizes.

The NL MVP will be announced Nov. 24.

[Falcon]

I'd be SHOCKED to see Lee in game 4 on 3 days rest..

Really??

For me, it's a no brainer (remember, I said Pedro was a bad choice for Game 2 .

Cliff goes Game 4 regardless.

Throw out all the short rest data and run him out there, it's the World Series and he's the Phils thoroughbred.

Same goes for CC.

Those 2 on a short tank are better than any alternative running full.

Just an opinion..

[pilferk]

Charlie Manuel just announced, in the press conference:

Blanton in game 4.

Lee in game 5.

We'll see if Girardi adjusts his rotation based on that...but I don't think he will. 

[tim_m]

Charlie Manuel just announced, in the press conference:

Blanton in game 4.

Lee in game 5.

We'll see if Girardi adjusts his rotation based on that...but I don't think he will. 

I don't know Blanton's numbers but if you're  the yankees you gotta feel good with Pettitte/Hamels and Sabathia/Blanton

[Falcon]

Charlie Manuel just announced, in the press conference:

Blanton in game 4.

Lee in game 5.

We'll see if Girardi adjusts his rotation based on that...but I don't think he will. 

Tough to argue with Charlie although I still think it's a huge gamble..

I don't expect Joe to adjust based on Manuel's rotation either...

[faldor]

yeah, game 3 could be decided by the bullpens. i could see both starters giving up about 3 runs and getting pulled in the 6th. but neither of the games have gone as i pictured.

anyone know the yankees plans for SP the rest of the way? i know CC for game 4....will burnett pitch on short rest in game 5? will they have to use a 4th starter for game 6?

i'm not sure what the phils plans are. i think lee could be a possibility for game 4.

the interesting thing is that the weather is looking like a wash out for game 3. which would mean game 4 is played monday night with Lee and CC both available on regular rest.

Yanks pitch Andy, CC, and then ??.

I think it depends on what happens in the next two games.  If they're up 3-1, I think they pitch Chad G.  Down 3-1, I think you see Burnett.  2-2?? I have no idea.  I'd GUESS Chad G, just so Burnett can go on regular rest back at home in game 6 and you'd have CC AGAIN in game 7 (with Andy available in the pen) or maybe vice versa...but I don't know for sure.  Girardi hasn't said.

I'd be SHOCKED to see Lee in game 4 on 3 days rest after throwing a complete game and 122 pitches.  Maybe, but by bringing him out to pitch the 9th, up 6-0..I suspect that was Charlie saying "regular rest".  I think he's your game 5 starter.

I thought the rain was supposed to be just light showers?  Weather.com shows 30% to 50% of "a few showers" blowing through.

Heck, the should just play a 1 PM game on Saturday....but Fox would never go for it.

The only thing I agree with you on pilferk is that neither of us are gonna change are minds.

How does the bullpen implosion in game 1 not support my point?  Not to mention how good Burnett was last night.  Maybe Girardi believed that he was a better option than what he had in the bullpen, which he apparently has lost a lot of faith in outside of Mariano and with good reason. 

The Red Sox bullpen was flawless in 2003, yet Grady still left Pedro in when it was apparent he had nothing left.  Not sure why this doesn't prove my point but I get it, you're not gonna see my rationale.  I'm not gonna see yours.  We could argue this forever, we're not accomplishing anything.  Good luck to your Yankees!  Hope they don't get beat too badly. 

Go Phils!

[faldor]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/10/phillies_go_to.html

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 30, 2009 02:56 PM

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel just announced that Joe Blanton will start Game 4 on Sunday. The alternative would have been bringing Cliff Lee back on three days' rest for the first time in his career.

So that means the Yankees will have to deal with Lee only twice and not in Game 7.

Some people will think this is crazy. But everybody thought Jack McKeon was crazy to bring Josh Beckett back on short rest in Game 6 in 2003 and that worked out pretty well. I tend to believe that managers knows their teams and players better than we all do.

[tim_m]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/10/phillies_go_to.html

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff October 30, 2009 02:56 PM

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel just announced that Joe Blanton will start Game 4 on Sunday. The alternative would have been bringing Cliff Lee back on three days' rest for the first time in his career.

So that means the Yankees will have to deal with Lee only twice and not in Game 7.

Some people will think this is crazy. But everybody thought Jack McKeon was crazy to bring Josh Beckett back on short rest in Game 6 in 2003 and that worked out pretty well. I tend to believe that managers knows their teams and players better than we all do.

Well you would at least hope they know their teams and players better then we do. If fans knew the teams and players better they'd have the wrong guy for manager. 

[pilferk]

The OTHER effect of this is that we will NOT see Lee start game 7 (if there is one).  He's not starting on 2 days rest.  I'm sure "all hands on deck", and all that..but he won't start.

CC, on the other hand, will be available on 3 days rest if he goes on 3 days in game 5....he'd go on 3 days rest in game 7.  Even if he didn't start (Andy could do that on full rest), CC'd be "fresher" and ready to go out of the pen.

I think it works to the Yanks benefit...but all that would depend on the Yanks stringing together some wins over the next few days.

[pilferk]

Charlie Manuel just announced, in the press conference:

Blanton in game 4.

Lee in game 5.

We'll see if Girardi adjusts his rotation based on that...but I don't think he will. 

I don't know Blanton's numbers but if you're  the yankees you gotta feel good with Pettitte/Hamels and Sabathia/Blanton

Before Lee came on board, Blanton was arguably the Phillies best pitcher.  However, his numbers this season were solid, not spectacular.  He's no slouch, by a long shot.  BUT, he's also not Lee.

[faldor]

Charlie Manuel just announced, in the press conference:

Blanton in game 4.

Lee in game 5.

We'll see if Girardi adjusts his rotation based on that...but I don't think he will. 

I don't know Blanton's numbers but if you're  the yankees you gotta feel good with Pettitte/Hamels and Sabathia/Blanton

Before Lee came on board, Blanton was arguably the Phillies best pitcher.  However, his numbers this season were solid, not spectacular.  He's no slouch, by a long shot.  BUT, he's also not Lee.

Sorry about that, I didn't realize Pilferk had posted the Blanton information before.

There aren't many pitchers that thrive on pitching on 3 days rest.  Sabathia is a rare breed and has proven he can do it with regularity.  Since Lee has never pitched on short rest in his career it'd be a risky move that Manuel is apparently not willing to take.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AuzNi10MFGYNWKiqFPA0iiYRvLYF?slug=ap-worldseries-notebook&prov=ap&type=lgns

Blanton is 0-3 with an 8.18 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees, but hasn?t faced them since June 2008. He has allowed 22 hits, including five homers, and 12 walks in 22 innings.

Eric Hinske(notes), 4 for 18 (.222) with two doubles and two homers against Blanton, could play right field for New York in Game 4 over slumping Nick Swisher(notes) (1 for 3 against Blanton).

Mark Teixeira(notes) is 9 for 27 with three homers off Blanton, and Alex Rodriguez(notes) is 4 for 7 with two homers.

[tim_m]

Charlie Manuel just announced, in the press conference:

Blanton in game 4.

Lee in game 5.

We'll see if Girardi adjusts his rotation based on that...but I don't think he will. 

I don't know Blanton's numbers but if you're  the yankees you gotta feel good with Pettitte/Hamels and Sabathia/Blanton

Before Lee came on board, Blanton was arguably the Phillies best pitcher.  However, his numbers this season were solid, not spectacular.  He's no slouch, by a long shot.  BUT, he's also not Lee.

Sorry about that, I didn't realize Pilferk had posted the Blanton information before.

There aren't many pitchers that thrive on pitching on 3 days rest.  Sabathia is a rare breed and has proven he can do it with regularity.  I don't know Lee's history pitching on short rest, but I assume it's not very extensive.  It'd be a risky move that Manuel is apparently not willing to take.

Lee has never pitched on short rest. It says so on espn.com

[tim_m]

Charlie Manuel just announced, in the press conference:

Blanton in game 4.

Lee in game 5.

We'll see if Girardi adjusts his rotation based on that...but I don't think he will. 

I don't know Blanton's numbers but if you're  the yankees you gotta feel good with Pettitte/Hamels and Sabathia/Blanton

Before Lee came on board, Blanton was arguably the Phillies best pitcher.  However, his numbers this season were solid, not spectacular.  He's no slouch, by a long shot.  BUT, he's also not Lee.

Not being Lee is a good thing to me. That guy is seriously lights out. If we can win the next two games i really like our chances.

[tim_m]

Charlie Manuel just announced, in the press conference:

Blanton in game 4.

Lee in game 5.

We'll see if Girardi adjusts his rotation based on that...but I don't think he will. 

I don't know Blanton's numbers but if you're  the yankees you gotta feel good with Pettitte/Hamels and Sabathia/Blanton

Before Lee came on board, Blanton was arguably the Phillies best pitcher.  However, his numbers this season were solid, not spectacular.  He's no slouch, by a long shot.  BUT, he's also not Lee.

Sorry about that, I didn't realize Pilferk had posted the Blanton information before.

There aren't many pitchers that thrive on pitching on 3 days rest.  Sabathia is a rare breed and has proven he can do it with regularity.  Since Lee has never pitched on short rest in his career it'd be a risky move that Manuel is apparently not willing to take.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AuzNi10MFGYNWKiqFPA0iiYRvLYF?slug=ap-worldseries-notebook&prov=ap&type=lgns

Blanton is 0-3 with an 8.18 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees, but hasn?t faced them since June 2008. He has allowed 22 hits, including five homers, and 12 walks in 22 innings.

Eric Hinske(notes), 4 for 18 (.222) with two doubles and two homers against Blanton, could play right field for New York in Game 4 over slumping Nick Swisher(notes) (1 for 3 against Blanton).

Mark Teixeira(notes) is 9 for 27 with three homers off Blanton, and Alex Rodriguez(notes) is 4 for 7 with two homers.

Well if those numbers hold true it could be a break out game for Teixeira and A-Rod.

[faldor]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=axRowNmCr0VE

World Series Game 2 Has Biggest TV Ratings Gain in 19 Years 
By Mason Levinson

Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The New York Yankees? Game 2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies and pitcher Pedro Martinez gave News Corp.?s Fox Sports unit the biggest year-to-year ratings gain for a World Series game in 19 years, the network said.

Last night?s matchup at Yankee Stadium in New York was seen in an average of 11.7 percent of U.S. homes in the top 50 television markets, Fox said in a news release, citing Nielsen Media Research. The 11.7 rating was 44 percent higher than last year?s Game 2 between the Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays.

Some 18.9 million viewers watched New York defeat the Phillies 3-1 to tie the series at one game apiece. It was the highest-rated and most-watched matchup since Game 2 of the 2004 series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

The year-over-year increase in the rating was the biggest since Game 4 of the 1990 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics, which had a gain of 46 percent compared with the previous year when the San Francisco Giants played the Athletics.

New York?s A.J. Burnett held the Phillies to one run over seven innings to beat the Phillies? Martinez, who surrendered three runs in six-plus innings of work. Martinez used to play for the Yankees? prime rivals, the Red Sox and New York Mets.

The first two games have averaged an 11.8 rating, a 37 percent gain over last year?s rating, and 19.2 million viewers.

Games 3 is scheduled for tomorrow at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The Phillies will also host Games 4 and 5, with the series returning to New York for the final two games if necessary.

[pilferk]

Looking more and more likely we might see a wash out tonight.

Which will do "bad" things for the Yanks rotation plans....CC would not be able to throw games 4 and 7 because there would be no off day on Monday.

I REALLY was psyched for a game tonight.....guess if we get a washout, I'll have to content myself with scary movies and whatever leftover Halloween candy we have after the kids come through.

Unrelated note:  How much candy do you guys go through in  your areas?  We typically buy about 5 pounds (a little over 500 pieces, I think) and have...maybe....50 pieces left.

Of course, since we have 3 kids...I actually think we end up with more candy in the house than we give out...

[tim_m]

Looking more and more likely we might see a wash out tonight.

Which will do "bad" things for the Yanks rotation plans....CC would not be able to throw games 4 and 7 because there would be no off day on Monday.

I REALLY was psyched for a game tonight.....guess if we get a washout, I'll have to content myself with scary movies and whatever leftover Halloween candy we have after the kids come through.

Unrelated note:  How much candy do you guys go through in  your areas?  We typically buy about 5 pounds (a little over 500 pieces, I think) and have...maybe....50 pieces left.

Of course, since we have 3 kids...I actually think we end up with more candy in the house than we give out...

The off day is Tuesday  If it gets rained out tonight. Girardi could pitch Sabathia Sunday, Pettitte Monday, Burnett Tuesday and come back with Sabathia on 3 days rest Thursday. I think a rainout might actually give us the advantage. I'm trying to think what the Phils might do if its rained out. Obviously they stay with Hamels for game 3. They could bring Lee back on regular rest for game 4. In game 5 they could either go to Pedro or Blanton. Most likely Pedro. Then Blanton game 6 at the stadium and game 7 they'd have no choice but to pitch Hamels or Lee on 3 days rest at the stadium against CC. I like that matchup. I know Lee has never pitched on 3 days rest so you don't know what you'd get with him. I don't know if Hamels has but i feel confident with how inconsistent he's been. We would likely have Chad G vs Blanton at the stadium and that could be a tossup.

[tim_m]

HUGE HUGE win for the yanks tonight.

[pilferk]

The off day is Tuesday  If it gets rained out tonight. Girardi could pitch Sabathia Sunday, Pettitte Monday, Burnett Tuesday and come back with Sabathia on 3 days rest Thursday. I think a rainout might actually give us the advantage. I'm trying to think what the Phils might do if its rained out. Obviously they stay with Hamels for game 3. They could bring Lee back on regular rest for game 4. In game 5 they could either go to Pedro or Blanton. Most likely Pedro. Then Blanton game 6 at the stadium and game 7 they'd have no choice but to pitch Hamels or Lee on 3 days rest at the stadium against CC. I like that matchup. I know Lee has never pitched on 3 days rest so you don't know what you'd get with him. I don't know if Hamels has but i feel confident with how inconsistent he's been. We would likely have Chad G vs Blanton at the stadium and that could be a tossup.

Yeah, I spaced.  Counting to 3 was a little tough for me.

Still, he wouldn't have been available for game 7.  They would have nixed the Tuesday off-day and Pettite would still have pitched Sunday (that's what Girardi said, anyway).  So CC would have gone on MONDAY (still game 4).

Luckily, it all worked out. CC tonight going for the 3-1 series lead against Blanton.  I like that situation, as a Yanks fan...now let's just see if it actually works out to our favor.

Good game last night.  No bad calls, good play all the way around, and you never felt like ANY of the leads (Phillies or Yanks) were "safe".