Lee Richmond Richmond was pitching in his first full season in the big leagues after appearing in one game in 1879. He was apparently also considered a good hitter, as he batted second in the lineup and got one of the three Worcester hits that day. Richmond's perfect game featured an unusual 9-3 putout, with Worcester right fielder Lon Knight throwing out Cleveland's Bill Phillips at first.Knight's assist came on one of three balls Cleveland hit out of the infield that day.According to some accounts, Richmond hurled his historic perfecto after staying up all night following a pregraduation dinner at Brown University, pitching in an early morning class game, and taking a train to Worcester just in time to perform his professional duties. Richmond pitched full-time for only three seasons. A monument marks the site of the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds where Richmond threw his perfect game, now part of the campus of Becker College. The Chicago Tribune recognized the feat as unusual, calling it "the most wonderful game on record
John Montgomery Ward Monte Ward threw his perfect game at the Grays' park in Providence, but Buffalo, by virtue of a coin toss, which was the custom under the rules at that time, was officially the "home" team, batting in the bottom of each inning. At the age of 20 years, 105 days, Ward is the youngest pitcher ever to throw a perfect game. Ward batted sixth in the lineup and got one of the Grays' thirteen hits. Beginning in 1881, the year after his perfect game, Ward spent more time as a position player than a pitcher; in 1885, following an arm injury, he became a full-time shortstop. Ward played the last ten years of his career at shortstop and second base, compiling 2,104 career hits.
Cy Young Young's perfect game was part of a hitless innings streak (24 or 25 1/3 straight innings without a hit—depending on whether or not partial innings at either end of the streak are included—which, in either calculation, is still a record) and a scoreless innings streak (45 straight innings without a run, which was then a record)
Addie Joss Joss's was the most pressure-packed of any regular-season perfect game. With just four games left on their schedule, the Naps were locked in a tight three-way pennant race with the Tigers and the White Sox, that day's opponents. Joss's counterpart, the great Ed Walsh, struck out 15 and gave up just four scattered singles. The lone, unearned run scored as a result of a botched pickoff play and a wild pitch. The Naps ended the day tied with the Tigers for first, with the White Sox two games back; the Tigers would ultimately win the league by a half game over the Naps. Joss would throw a second no-hitter against the White Sox in 1910, making him the only major league pitcher ever to throw two no-hitters against the same team.
Charlie Robertson
Robertson's perfect game was only his fifth appearance, and fourth start, in the big leagues. He finished his career with the fewest wins and lowest winning percentage (49–80, .380) of any perfect-game pitcher. The Tigers, led by player-manager Ty Cobb, accused Robertson of illegally doctoring the ball with oil or grease.In terms of the opposing team's ability to get on base, this is statistically the most unlikely of perfectos: the 1922 Tigers had an OBP of .369.
Don LarsenOctober 8, 1956 Larsen didn't know he would pitch in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series until a few hours before gametime. Larsen pitched in an unusual style during his perfect game, working without a windup. Just one Dodgers batter—Pee Wee Reese, in the first inning—worked a three-ball count.[20] The Dodgers had the highest season winning percentage of any team ever to surrender a perfect game: .604. The 34 years between Robertson and Larsen are the longest amount of time between perfect games.
Jim Bunning Bunning's game was the first perfect game in the National League since Ward's 84 years before. Contrary to the baseball superstition that holds one should not talk about a no-hitter in progress, Bunning did just that, talking to his teammates about the perfect game in progress to loosen them up and relieve the pressure.
Sandy Koufax Sandy Koufax's perfect game was the first one pitched at night. It was nearly a double no-hitter: Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley gave up only one hit, a bloop double to left-fielder Lou Johnson in the seventh inning that did not figure in the scoring. The Dodgers scored their only run in the fifth inning: Lou Johnson reached first on a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, attempted a steal of third, and scored when Cubs catcher Chris Krug overthrew third base. The total number of base runners in the game—2—is the fewest in major league history.
Catfish Hunter Hunter, a talented batter, was also the hitting star of his perfect game. He went 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBIs, including a bunt single that drove home the first and thus winning run in the seventh inning—easily the best offensive performance ever by a perfect game hurler. This was the first no-hitter of the Athletics' Oakland tenure, which was only 25 games old.
Len Barker Barker's perfect game was the first one in which designated hitters were used. He didn't reach a three-ball count in the entire game. Toronto shortstop Alfredo Griffin, who played for the losing team in this game, went on to play for the losers in the perfect games of Browning and Martínez. All 11 of Barker's strikeouts were swinging.
Mike Witt Witt's perfect game came on the last day of the 1984 season. After transitioning to the bullpen, Witt combined with starting pitcher Mark Langston to throw a no-hitter for the California Angels on April 11, 1990.
Tom Browning Browning's perfect game came against the team that eventually won that year's World Series, the only time that has happened. A two-hour, twenty-seven-minute rain delaycaused the game to start at approximately 10 PM. Right fielder Paul O'Neill, who played for the winning side in this game, also played for the winning side in the perfect games of Wells and Cone.
Dennis Martínez Martínez, born in Granada, Nicaragua, is the only major league pitcher born outside of the United States to throw a perfect game. Martínez faced only one three-ball count. Opposing pitcher Mike Morgan was perfect through five full innings, the latest the opposing starter in a perfect game has remained perfect. Two days earlier, Expos pitcher Mark Gardner no-hit the Dodgers through nine innings but lost the no-hitter in the 10th, meaning the Expos narrowly missed throwing a no-hitter and a perfect game in the same series. Martínez's catcher, Ron Hassey, also caught Len Barker's perfect game. This was the third perfect game pitched against the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, joining those of Larsen and Browning; the only other team to lose more than one perfect game is the Twins (Hunter and Wells).
Kenny Rogers Rogers benefited from centerfielder Rusty Greer's fantastic diving catch of a line drive hit by Rex Hudler, leading off the ninth inning. Rogers's performance against the Angels came 10 seasons after Witt's perfect game against the Rangers. The Angels and Rangers are the only major league teams to record perfect games against each other.
David Wells Wells attended the same high school as Don Larsen: Point Loma High School, San Diego, California. They also both enjoyed the night life. Casey Stengel once said of Larsen, "The only thing he fears is sleep." Wells has claimed to have been "half-drunk" and suffering from a "raging, skull-rattling hangover" during his perfect game.Wells's perfect game comprised the core of a streak, running from May 12, 1998, to May 23, 1998, of 38 consecutive retired batters, an American League record he held until 2007.
David Cone Cone's perfect game was held on Yogi Berra Day. Don Larsen threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Berra, who had been his catcher during the 1956 World Series perfect game. Not a single Expo worked even a three-ball count.Cone's perfect game, to date the only one in regular-season interleague play, was interrupted by a 33-minute rain delay. This game came 1 year, 2 months, 1 day after Wells's, the shortest period between modern-day perfect games. This also represents the only time two successive perfect games have been thrown by the same team. This was the third perfect game in Yankee history; the Indians (Joss and Barker) and White Sox (Robertson and Buehrle) are the only other teams to have more than one perfect game.
Randy Johnson Johnson threw his perfect game at the age of 40 years, 256 days, becoming, by more than three-and-a-half years, the oldest pitcher to achieve the feat. The former holder of the mark, Cy Young, threw his at the age of 37 years, 37 days. Of the 18 teams to have a perfect game thrown against them, the 2004 Braves had the second-highest OBP (.343) and second-highest winning percentage (.593). In contrast, the Diamondbacks had by far the worst season winning percentage (.315) of any team to benefit from a perfect game.
Mark Buehrle Buehrle was assisted by a dramatic ninth-inning wall-climbing catch by center fielder DeWayne Wise to rob Gabe Kapler of a home run. This was the first major league perfect game in which the pitcher and catcher were battery-mates for the first time; Ramón Castro had been acquired by the White Sox less than two months before. This was also the first perfect game to feature a grand slam, by Josh Fields in the bottom of the second inning. Umpire Eric Cooper, who called the game, was behind the plate for Buehrle's previous no-hitter, as well.On July 28, Buehrle followed up with another 5 2/3 innings of perfection to set the major league record for consecutive batters retired at 45 (including the final batter he faced in his last appearance before the perfect game).
quote: Adrian Gonzalez told WEEI.com's Alex Speier that winning matters most of all to him. Gonzalez is one of the players Speier looks at as potential fits in Boston, along with Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez.
quote: The Red Sox have "some interest" in Scott Rolen, according to Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail. Mike Lowell should be able to return to Boston's lineup soon, but his health remains a concern for the Red Sox. Blair points out that Terry Francona, who managed Rolen from 1997-2000 in Philadelphia, remains a big fan of the third baseman.
2009 National League - Standings EAST Philadelphia 30 20 .600 Raul "all he does is hit" Ibanez has created some MVP talk early in the season. He leads the Phils in HR, RBI, Runs and OPS which would be great if the other Phillies MVP caliber players were keeping up. Which they aren't. Granted Chase Utley has been solid but Jimmy Rollins continues to suck (.229ba/.272obp/.339slg) and Ryan Howard is better (.265/15hr/43rbi) than he has shown thus far. The Phils return to first coincided with an injury run for the Mets. I don't think the Phils have enough pitching to stay in first especially with the problems they are facing with Hamels being in and out. They definitely don't have enough pitching to overcome Brad Lidge's return to Earth as the closer.
NY Mets 28 23 .549 2.5 back
Top IF prospect Fernando Martinez hurt his pinkie subbing for Reyes, Delgado (hip) is out indefinitely, Reyes (calf) should be back Friday, Beltran (shits) has had the shits since Saturday, Sheff's (knee) knee hurts because he did steroids and now he is falling apart, Angel Pagan (sprained dick) is on the DL and the Mets hope to get Ryan Church (pulled taint) back this week as well. The injuries are so bad right now, the Mets are about to sign Rafael Santana to a 10 day contract to play SS. Putz had another 8th inning meltdown, Tim Redding needs to get hurt so he can stop pitching for the Mets, but pitching doesn't seem to be a major concern for the Mets right now. Getting the everyday lineup healthy so they can score some runs is most important.
At least somebody figured out that the Mets song 8th inning song is Meet the Mets and to continue using Sweet Caroline at the new Citi Field when even *** Reds fans like reddman know that is the Red Sox gay and pink hat wearing fans national anthem so it had to go.
Atlanta 26 25 .510 4.5 back
226 RS, 229 RSA is a recipe for a .500 ballclub. What does it say for your offense when SS Yunel Escobar leads the team with 27 RBI and Chipper Jones leads the team with 5HR on June 2nd. Frankly it is amazing to me that the Braves have won 26 games with the offense they keep rolling out. Strong pitching from DLowe (6wins), Jurrjens (2.59 ERA) and Javy Vasquez (1.15 whip/86SO) have kept the Braves competitive. This team desperately needs to make a move for a run producing stick in the middle of their lineup or they are staring at 75-80 wins. A guy like Matt Holliday on a summer rental with a purchase option might be a good move for the Braves. Is McCann the first guy you have ever heard of to have a negative effect from laser eye surgery? he is for me.
Florida 25 28 .472 6.5 back
The early season potent Marlins offense has slowed down (248RS), the mediocre Marlins defense has remained constant (275RSA) and all of those young arms the Marlins were counting on have shown their inexperience in the worst possible situations. Johnson and Volstad have been solid but there isn't much else behind them. Lindstrom has been solid (10/12 SVO) and Badenhop has 4 wins in relief. The Marlins are a team experiencing growing pains right now and having guys like Uggla and Bonifacio and a gimpy HanRam struggling at the plate don't help matters.
I can't help but think that Marlins are being built for the recent past era of baseball. That their big hitters/bad defense/power pitching philosophy is probably not the best course of action for their future. They have very little team speed, they aren't built for rally killing team defense and the MLB's shift back to the good defense/running game so prevalent in the 80s seems perfect for the small market teams like the Marlins.
Washington 14 36 .280 16 back
a -64 RS vs RSA differential means this team is way out in front in the Strasburg/Boras shite Sandwich sweepstakes. Would they pay $50mm for a college pitcher to sign? Would they then be dumb enough to rush him to the MLB just to sell some tickets?
They have a big bopper (Dunn), a guy that could be a batting title contender (Zimmerman), a solid contact guy (Nick Johnson) but very little else to work with. Strasburg may be destined for individual greatness but what a shitty team to get stuck on.
On a side note, it makes one wonder with the increased testing on PEDs how much the absence of greenies (uppers) and HGH has hurt ball clubs. So much has been made of the crackdown on steroids but clearly some of the lifeless play and injury bug has got to be related to the League's efforts to clean up the game.
Sometimes it's hard to tell after just one month whether a team is for real or not. Is that surprising April just one hot month or is the result of a team that has finally arrived? Sometimes it's hard to tell.
Sometimes it's not. Let me go way out on a limb on this one and state categorically: the Blue Jays are not winning the AL East. They are playing so far above their heads right now that the Toronto fire department has brought out safety nets for the inevitable fall back to earth.
OPS+ is a nifty little stat. It's not perfect, but it gives you a quick and dirty view of a hitter's quality. 100 is exactly league average. Any point in either direction is a percentage point above or below average. Take a look at the Blue Jays lineup, listed by their OPS+. The number in parenthesis is the same player's career OPS+.
150 Aaron Hill (99) 142 Adam Lind (101) 135 Rod Barajas (79) 131 Lyle Overbay (110) 130 Marco Scutaro (88) 114 Vernon Wells (109) 103 Scott Rolen (124) 87 Alexis Rios (105) 85 Travis Snider (99)
Four of the top five hitters are outhitting their career averages by an absurd degree. OK, maybe Aaron Hill has developed into a star, but I doubt he's suddenly become THIS good. And there is no earthly way Barajas and Scutaro continue to hit like All-Stars.
The Blue Jays have scored 159 runs, which leads the AL by 17. They have a team OPS+ of 118, which also leads the league. There is simply no way this kind of offensive explosion is supportable.
I'm happy for the Blue Jays. Well, except for Cito Gaston, who I unreasonably hate for Oriole-related reasons, but I do like the city of Toronto. Their fans should enjoy the ride while it lasts. This start has given them a headstart on the toughest division in baseball. And they should savor every moment of this.
So... one month in, and the Astros are sitting a 9-13. Normally I'd be thinking, "well, only 4 games below .500, so we're probably ahead of at least the Pirates and Cincinnati." but alas, not the case currently.
So why is that? I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't expecting a playoff season, but last place? Nah, I figured the Astros would be better than that. Is it the pitching? Well, it turns out no. The Astros have the 6th best team ERA in the National League at 4.13. Oswalt has been acceptable with a 3.94 ERA, Hampton has been good (and healthy!) with a 3.86 ERA, and apparently Wandy has been bringing his wife on the road because he's pitching like he's always at home. Through 32 innings pitched (tied for the team lead) he's sporting a fancy 1.69 ERA. In addition, Felipe Paulino has been stellar as a rotation fill in for whoever that was that really sucked and managed to give up 5 runs in 2.1 innings in his second start and LOWER his ERA to a 27.00. That's quality batting practice there.
Anyway, throw in some good relief work from Sampson, Byrdak, and Hawkins, and you have a surprisingly effective mound crew through one month.
So maybe the defense sucks ass? Hmmmm... how about no. Only the Phillies have fewer errors and a higher fielding percentage than the Astros. Now, that doesn't tell the whole story, because I'm not sure Tejada or Carlos Lee could outrun Michael Crabtree on crutches, but the fact is, the Astros have only given up two unearned runs in 22 games this season. That's not bad. Not bad at all.
[Quick aside... the Phillies have only THREE errors so far this season. frick. That's either ridiculous or some serious hometown scoring.]
So, how about the bats? The Astros are tied with the Reds for the second least runs scored in the NL so far. Ouch. The Astros are tied with Florida for the third lowest team batting average in the NL so far. frick. The Astros are 15th out of 16 in slugging, ahead of only those commie frickstains from the Queen City. Not good at all. So it turns out the Astros' offense is below average across the board... and the biggest reason so far is the Big Puma. Is a .162 batting average good? No, not even for a pitcher? Well frick. You know it's bad when the manager is benching Berkman in Cincinnati against a right-handed pitcher, but there you go. Throw in sub-par averages from Carlos Lee, Kaz Matsui and Pudge, and you have an offense struggling to score. So what's going well for the bats? For one, Michael Bourn is doing much better so far than he did last season. It's sad that a .261/.354/.377 line is an improvement, but it is. Pence, Tejada, and Blum are all hitting well so far, and Keppinger is making the most of his opportunities. But, the Astros are hitting only .216 with runners in scoring position on the season. And that's the reason why the runs aren't crossing the plate.
So... what to expect as we move on to the month of May? I'm thinking a bit of a role reversal. The offense is going to get better, especially Berkman... but the pitching is going to regress, especially Wandy Rodriguez. What does that really mean? Well, I'm betting the Astros do marginally better than 4 games below .500 in May, but it's going to come down to those last two series against the Reds and Pirates. My prediction, a 13-15 month, and up to 5th place in the division, ahead of the Pirates who are about to come back to Earth.
2009 National League East - Standings EAST W L PCT GB
Florida 13 8 .619 -
HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
5-4 8-4 104 103 +1 Won 2 3-7
Florida Marlins - "you mean if we lose HanRam, hit .244 as a team, play horrendous defense and make dumb base running mistakes then we might lose games no matter how good our young pitchers are?" Yeah you can lose 7 games in a row to be exact.
Hanley Ramirez (DTD with a hand) is expected back today, clearly he is the backbone of the Marlins offense and they can't afford to lose his at bats. Cantu carried the Fish while HanRam was ailing, but he isn't enough and the rest of the lineup is woefully inconsistent. Unless they are playing the Mets, then they trot out 8 HofF candidates.
next up a 3 game series with the curiously mediocre Chicago Cubs (10-10)
Philadelphia 11 9 .550 1.5
HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
5-7 6-2 119 112 +7 Lost 1 7-3
The Phillies had the best recent 10 game stretch in the NL East but Hamels' ankle and Lidge's knee are problematic. The Phillies are already pitching poor and they had an amazing injury-free run last season, but it always seems that teams that got lucky with injuries in one season get riddled by injuries in the next season. If 57yr/o Jamie Moyer is leading your staff with 3 wins with a 5.09 ERA then the future may not be so bright. Chad Durbin may be a nice find for the Phillies bullpen, which means Charlie Manuel will use him until his arm falls off.
Offensively it is Chase Utley leading the team with "All he does is hit" Raul Ibanez right there with him. Does anyone know if Jimmy Rollins is still in the League? cause we haven't seen him in a while on Sportscenter. Phillies are hitting a respectable .270 as a team but their lack of pitching is going to fail them
next up a 3 game series with the underachieving (9-12) Mets
Atlanta 10 11 .476 3
HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
4-5 6-6 85 90 -5 Lost 1 5-5
piss poor offense, once "can't miss" prospects that can't seem to get their act together and an ancient pitching staff littered with dead bodies means the Braves are slowly marching towards the "see you next year" point in their season. Francouer has cut down on his SOs (7) but of his 23 hits only 6 of them have been for extra bases. Chipper leads the team in BAVG at .322 but Kelly Johnson is the team leader in HR with 3. With 85 RS vs 90 RA, it is a wonder how this team has 10 wins and if not for the addition of RHP Derek Lowe, they would be battling the Nationals for last place.
next up a 3 game set with the Asstros
NY Mets 9 12 .429 4
HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
6-6 3-6 96 97 -1 Lost 2 3-7
What does it say for your team when your manager calls for a PH for your catcher (who was 2/4 with two singles) with 2 on, 2 outs in the 9th inning and the PH is not only another catcher, but he is the fricking bullpen catcher and they have to hold up the game almost 6 mins for him to get his equipment off and run in to the dugout to get his bat. Not exactly the ideal mental situation for a guy coming into the batter's box with the game on the line. Of course we can complete the story with a weak pop out to SS and another loss for the listless Mets. Ladies and gents your 2009 New York Mets!
Delgado and Schnieder are hurt, Castillo will be hurt as long as he wears a Mets uniform, Wright is watching 98mph Lindstrom fastballs (with no movement) right down the heart of the plate for called strike 3 with 2 RISP and 1 out in the 9th, Reyes has an OBP of only .364 in the leadoff spot and the bullpen is all set to be murdered by Johan Santana once again with 4 QS and 3 wins to show for it. Putz has been up and down, BelowAverageWhip-Rod is 4/4 in SVO with a nice 1.04 Whip. Santana has been money, but Perez and Pelfrey have been shaky at best.
The questions surrounding decisions Jerry Manuel makes are starting to get a little louder and a little more pointed. So it leads one to wonder if this collection of Mets with their passionless attitude about the game are Manager Killers. I would love to see a trade for a guy on the bench that plays with some passion, maybe causes a brawl, or does something to wake this team up. Where the frick is Rex Hudler when you need him?
next up 3 game set with the Phillies
Washington 5 15 .250 7.5
HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
3-5 2-10 90 115 -25 Won 1 4-6
wow this is an astoundingly bad team, outside of Dunn and Zimmerman I can't name another player on this Nationals team and I don't want to look any of them up. Is it safe to say that 7.5 games down after one month and the Nats are already eliminated? I think it is safe to say that.
If they draft SDSU RHP Stephen Strasburg can they even sign him? Would Boras allow what some consider the best RHP prospect ever to play for a shitty team like the Nationals? Does the Nats ownership group have the stones to draft that kid and take the chance that they can't sign him?
quote: N.com's Peter Gammons heard from some club officials that top amateur pitcher Stephen Strasburg and his agent, Scott Boras, could demand $50MM over six years if he's selected first overall by the Nationals in the June draft. If the Nationals pick Strasburg and seem unwilling to pay him as much as he wants, Boras could threaten to send the prospect to pitch in Japan for a year. If the Nats are scared off, the Mariners and Padres are next in line for Strasburg. So how could an amateur player get away with these lofty demands? Strasburg has struck out 74 and walked only seven in the 34.1 innings he's pitched for San Diego State and scouts rave about his stuff.
Japan??? The dude throws 102mph, has four legit out pitches, has very little wear on his arm and from all reports has pinpoint control and excellent mechanics. So $50mm, pass on him or draft him and he may go to Japan. What a shite sandwich that whole situation could be for a team with literally nothing but a nice ballpark going for it.
next up getting swept in 3 games by the surging Cardinals
OK, I've been offline for a long time so I've been unable to make any contributions here. That's about to change, but I wanted to put up a quick not on Jackie Robinson since yesterday was his day and all. Here's my controversial Jackie Robinson statement:
Jackie Robinson is actually underrated as a ballplayer.
OK, I know he's about the most famous baseball player ever. And he gets his own day. But he doesn't get those honors for being really good, he gets it for breaking the games color line (and as a side note - wouldn't it be cool if the AL teams has a Larry Doby Day instead?). Robinson is not remember so much as a player but as an icon.
I know this is hard, but try to imagine Robinson if he was not the guy who broke the color line. If he was one of the guys who came in whoever broke the line's wake. I'm talking about Jackie Robinosn 100% as a ballplayer: he was friggin' awesome. In fact, you could make a case for him as the greatest 2nd baseman ever. His counting stats are a little weak, but that's mainly because he didn't start his Major League career until he was 27 because of segregation.
He was an almost perfect combination of power and speed. He has a lifetime stat line of 311/409/474. That's right, he had a career batting average above 300 and an OBP above 400. With power. And he could steal bases and play top tier defense. Bill James' Win Share system rates him as the sixth best defensive 2nd baseman ever.
This was literally a guy who could do everything on the field. Well, except pitch. He's remembered as an icon, as a statesman, and as a guy who broke down barriers with dignity and class. And all of those things are true and he should be remembered for those things. It's strange though, that the fact he was a great, great player almost gets lost in that.
I'm not one to jump to quick conclusions, especially when it comes to the future of a major league baseball team that has played 1 game, but I'm going to come out and say it. The Reds lineup is not going to score enough runs to make them a contender in 2009.
Sure, the Reds were going up against Johan Santana on Opening Day. Sure, the weather was less than ideal. Sure, the Reds were without the services of Willy Taveras, who is recovering from the flu. However, mustering just three hits was a continuation of what this offense showed us throughout spring training. It lacks pop. It lacks consistency. It lacks discipline.
A perfect example of the issues concerning this lineup occurred in the bottom of the 5th inning. With the Reds trailing 1-0, Dusty Baker pinch hit for Aaron Harang with.....Micah Owings. Yes, #5 starter Micah Owings. In a one run game, the Reds best right-handed option (and maybe best overall option) was a starting pitcher. Now, we all know that Owings can hit. He's proven that. But the first option off the bench? Ugh. Owings struck out.
I found it very suprising that Baker opted to keep Darnell McDonald, a former top prospect (1997 1st round pick by Baltimore) who has bounced around from team to team. He has a career average of .143, and showed yesterday that his defense is less than ideal. He made the team over Jonny Gomes, who while lacking plate discipline, has the ability to hit the ball out of the park. Gomes led the Reds in spring training HR's, and was 2nd in RBI. Somehow, that wasn't enough to make this club. McDonald actually got the start in CF yesterday in place of the ill Taveras. Yep, the opening day starter in CF is a .143 career hitter. Awesome.
If the troubles at the plate weren't enough to convince you that this team is headed for its 9th consecutive losing season, the pitiful display of baserunning skills should do the trick. Baserunners were picked off of first base countless times in the spring games, and there's no reason why Edwin Encarnacion should have been that far off of first base when Ryan Church made a great diving play. It's the same tired crap we saw last year from this group.
What's really sad is that the Reds have 6 quality starting pitchers on their team now, as opposed to 2, yet they have no sign of support from the offense. You'd think guys like Votto, Phillips, Bruce and Encarnacion would be able to provide enough offense to win a few games here and there. Nothing they've shown me since Adam Dunn left this team supports that argument.
