Jays are 6-3 now after losing one in extra innings. Just couldn't get anything going in the extra innings and the Twins did a great job with timely hitting. Romero looked really good though, so hopefully that keeps up. Excellent game to watch, but I'm really hoping there's some news about a new starter acquired soon.

I dunno. They have decent starting pitching- that always helps. Anaheim has taken a step back, Oakland still has suspect starting pitching, ditto Texas. Certainly no guarantees but M's can compete in that division.

SI

If the starting pitching holds up

I know. Felix has to stay healthy. Bedard can't develop a hangnail or bruised ego or lazy syndrome or pansy-itis or... Silva is, well, he's a league average starter at best. And Washburn is a little above. You could do a lot worse, tho.

SI

Rock on. Royals win 3rd in a row and are in first. Hey, I know it's April but at least we can enjoy it for now :)

SI

Royals look like they have the starting pitching to stay in games and I love their closer. If Gordon takes a big step forward ala Longoria they can give teams tips.

dola- the nice thing also for the Royals is they start at the top of their rotation again on Friday against the Rangers so they can put together a nice streak.

My Tribe are 1-7. Nice.

Only thing better would be an 0-8 White Sox.

Baltimore vs. Texas was a great game tonight... and Florida is rolling on!

This time last year, nobody would have been suprised if they'd been off to a good start. They didn't lose a ton off last year's team. You have to figure their luck will be a bit better this year....it can't be worse.

:cool:

Don't count on it.

You're a Tigers fan?

I think it's going to be a long summer :(

I wonder what the over/under is for games it will take for Wedge to get the axe??

It's still too early for Wedge to be fired. It isn't his fault. The pitching has been horrendous, as bad as it could possibly be, but Wedge is only dealing with the cards he's been dealt. There's no way this team is really that bad over the course of the entire season, especially in the AL Central. Still, almost everything that could've gone wrong with the pitching staff has gone wrong.

Wedge has been the manager for the past 6 years - this is his 7th. Only making the playoffs once in his career here managing. I don't think Wedge is the problem but I still think he'll be gone if they have a "under .500 season". And the AL Central may not be the toughest division in the AL but it will be a very competitive division + add KC in the mix (With there pitching I think they could be for real this year)

Problem: Royals only have 3 starters to "stay in games". I'll take the Zack/Gil combo against most in the league. Davies looks like he's turned the corner and is a good #3 (last night, he didn't have good stuff but still battled and had them in a position to win; last week, he was unhittable).

This afternoon, we get the excitement of Sir Sidney again. Someone on Royals Review posted something to the effect of "we'd better keep going 5-1 with the top 3 in our rotation because that will help offset the 0-2 we'll put up from Sidracio Ramson every week". Our best #4 starter is sitting in Omaha right now and he should be up within the month. That still only puts us 4 deep but that's better than right now. We need that considering how anemic our lineup is.

Oh, and the bullpen shapes up nicely. Soria is a beast. Cruz is a great setup guy. Farnsworth is... Farnsworth, but hopefully exiled to the 6th and 7th as a righty specialist. Mahay is a good loogy. Tejeda is showing a lot and could work into that 7th/8th spot (7K, 3BB in 3 IP after 41/19 3.20 ERA in 39.1 last year)

SI

Mahay's not really a LOOGY. I think the problem is he may be the only lefty in the Royals' bullpen. But since 2005, he's only had 1 year (2007) where his OPS against is lower against lefties than righties.

Sort of. We were talking about this on Opening Day with regards to Farnsworth facing Thome. Mahay doesn't really have big R/L splits. However, Thome does, as most batters do. So, even if you put in a pitcher who doesn't have big splits, he's only half of the equation.

SI

I may not have the logic of this down...but doesn't a pitcher's splits already include the batter's splits against him? We know Lefties aren't going to be as good against Mahay. So if Mahay doesn't have a big split, doesn't that mean he's independently (his half of the equation) better against righties?

I know it's early in the season, but the Reds are drawing almost four walks a game. That has to make Dusty furious. You can't create havoc if the bases are always clogged up.

Clearly, Mahay should face someone like Thome. However, that doesn't make Mahay a LOOGY. If Mahay had come in to face Thome, his numbers suggest that he has been effective enough that he could have faced a RH hitter after Thome (absent some individual numbers that suggested otherwise). When classifying someone as a LOOGY, it is entirely from the perspective of a pitcher. A LOOGY would be removed at almost all costs rather than face a righty. So that really wasn't the point of the Thome problem.

The amount of true LOOGYs is actually pretty low. Guys that you think of end up with not an enormous disparity between the amount of lefties vs righties faced.

Looks like Xavier Nady has a torn ligament in his elbow. Will need surgery and possibly out for the year.

That sucks. Swisher is clearly better. Too bad they didn't deal Swisher and keep Nady.

huh?

wouldn't you have wanted them to keep Swisher now that Nady is out?

He hates the Yankees, so no.

Being a Brewers fan right now is painful. How hard is it to throw a freakin' strike????? 2-6, but it's early. Jeff Suppan blows.

Exactly.

Per Rotoworld:


* Cardinals placed RHP Chris Carpenter on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left rib cage.

* There's no official word on when Carpenter might return, but manager Tony La Russa told MLB.com that "it looks like he is going to be out for a while."


Consider me shocked.

Once again, Galarraga comes up aces for the Tigers. Destroying the White Sox today.

Makes me glad I plucked him off the free agent wire. At least somebody on my fantasy team is doing well.

Word on the Nats message board I read is that Ryan Zimmerman signed a new contract. This is very good news if true.

Dare I comment on a certain Red Sox pitcher's performance right now?

No you may not.

I'll stop this Wakefield talk by mentioning the Royals fell in a frustrating game today, 5-4 to the Indians, dropping them to 5-4. Bases loaded twice and only one run. Teahen with a really rare baserunning error, trying to stretch a single to a double in the 8th and ran into the first out of the inning, a minute before Jacobs hit a 440' bomb :(

SI

Suzuki singled to center with one out in the 8th.

I don't like the #42 tribute. I am all for doing something to celebrate Jackie Robinson, but this looks stupid and is confusing to watch.

When I first tuned into the Yankee game on MLB.tv, I was not paying much attention until I thought I saw Mo pitching left handed....

They've been doing it for years. (edit: I shouldn't speak too broadly...the Mets definitely have and other teams have as well).

No, in the past they allowed players to wear #42 if they wanted to. This year, MLB made it mandatory for all players.

It's one game out of the season. Big whoop.

Can we fcking play Ludwig EVERY DAY?????????

Braves getting shellacked, Lowe walked 5 and gave up four runs in 5 innings. Then the gasoline squad came on, a run off Moylan in 0.2 IP (ERA now 20.25), four runs off Boyer in 0.1 IP (ERA now 40.50).

And Brittle, I mean Chipper, Jones out of the lineup again tonight (bruised thumb). Didn't miss much, Infante fills in & goes 1/3 with 2 RBI's hitting second in the order.

Well, holy crap.

Ian Kinsler became the 115th player in MLB history to hit for the cycle in a regulation game, 138th overall.

He became the 24th player to go 6-6 in regulation, the 33rd player overall.

He is the 2nd player, behind Rondell White, ever to go 6-6 in hitting for the cycle, and he is the FIRST player in MLB history to do so in a regulation game.

Damn, boys.

Trivia: Both Kinsler and Hudson are on my fantasy baseball team. Smoke it.

It always amazes me when a pitcher throws a no no it is a monster deal but when a guy hits for the cycle it's meh.

If it bothers you that much, Lathum, don't worry. Kinsler will get a chance to replicate the feat Friday, this time against major league pitching. Well, Quad-A, at least.

Think its because most people consider a triple to be a flukey play, and in some respects it is.

Carlos Go-Oh For Four-mez belongs in AA ball. :(