Friday, April 22, 2005
Boy, I'm Just a Tease
Two columns ago, I finished with a warning that K-Rod may actually have a chink in his armor that was going unnoticed. I promised you I'd fill you in on that last time--and then proceeded to forget all about it. In my defense, until the past 2-gamer with the Tribe, he hadn't had much work to assess. Now, with 7 IP, 11 K, 0 BB, 3 saves, and a win, it seems foolish to try and poke holes in what he's doing--because it's obviously working. I will say this though--the chink I mentioned was that his slider, at least early on in the year (and in the spring), had lost 4-6 MPH of velocity, which is cause for concern because that's his best pitch. However, it's still breaking like someone in the first base dugout has it on a string--in a word, megafilthy. So, watch it, but K-Rod's fine.
The Season Premiere of "Mending Wings"
In the first episode of the season, Kelvim Escobar completes his minor-league rehab stint and is all set to make his season debut on Sunday Night Baseball against the Elephant Men. Oakland's O has been pretty anemic so far, scoring the fewest runs in the AL, but this is Kelvim's first start, so he's likely to be at least a little rusty. The good news is that he's had enough rehab work to not worry about a pitch count. Also, Adam Kennedy is prepping to start his minor league rehab as well. He'll do that at AAA Salt Lake and according to the team site, Scioscia mentioned that May 6 was the target date for his return. Figgins owners shouldn't worry--AK's return only makes the Halos deeper. Lastly, Bengie Molina is still shooting to return on May 3 when he's eligible.
The Little Man Cometh…Quietly
Chone Figgins is hitting .237. His OBP is .277. His walked only 4 times versus 13 whiffs. Does anyone smell something? Maybe, but Figgs is still getting it done. He's hit safely in 11 of 16 games this year, scored 10 times already and hit 2 HRs with 8 RBI. He's also swiped 4 bags, which puts him on pace for 40--most of this out of the 9 hole. I mentioned in a previous column that his .297 AVG from '04 might be a bit above his head, but he's .308 over the last week. Before that, though, he was hitting .256. Expect something around .270 for '05, but know that even though it's quiet and also from the bottom of the order, Chone shouldn't have any trouble passing 30-33 SBs and scoring 70-75 runs. Don't expect him to move from the 9 hole--it seems Cabrera is now the 2nd option there.
DH Controversy? Should There Be?
Jeff DaVanon is hitting a crowd-pleasing .175 right now, which creates a gaping hole in the 2 spot. Granted, he's had bad luck (21% hit rate), but even his normal H% would only produce a .250 AVG. Juan Rivera has 12 less ABs but a .250 AVG. Neither guy's performance screams, "Play Me!", but Rivera can hit for a better AVG. He makes better contact and even hits righties better than DaVanon, who is getting the ABs against RHP. DaVanon, however, has a lot more speed, will walk more, and probably has a little more power as well. Who plays? Maybe go with a different sort of platoon--play Rivera against the better pitchers and DaVanon against the 4 and 5 guys. Rivera's faced the Unit, Clemens, and Pettite each 1 game and gotten hits off all three. He's 4-7 vs. Carl Pavano.
Around the Rotation
One year ago today, Bartolo Colon got his 3rd win to go to 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA. After that, he went in the tank, only winning 2 more through June and hitting the break with a 6.38 ERA. Don't expect that to happen again. He's pitching way better this time around although some of his numbers are eerily similar (3-1, 2.60). He was absolutely dealing to the Tribe Wednesday night. It was very pretty. It will be hard to get your hands on him, but BC would be an excellent pitcher to target for an early season trade. Find an owner that remembers last year. Jarrod Washburn is officially annoying. Here's how's his 4 starts have gone: good, crap, great, crap. He did K 5 in his latest, which isn't bad, and he's shown early that he can give you a great start, but who knows when that will be?
The LA Times reported Scioscia and pitching coach Bud Black had a little private powwow with John Lackey Monday due to his, er, subpar performance of late. Scioscia expressed confidence in JL, but mentioned, "when he hits a bump in the road, his frustration level rises." I would agree that a large part of Lackey's problems are in his head, but it's hard to ignore the 4 walks in each of his first 2 starts. It was also hard to ignore his third start, when he didn't walk anyone, but every mistake pitch he threw ended up right in the middle of the plate, begging to be crushed. Ten hits and 7 ER later, he was headed to the showers again. I'd bench Lackey for now if you have that luxury, but I'm going to stand by my previous higher hopes for him. This head game is one he can win.
D-Mac is Back…And a New E-Mail!
Dallas McPherson got the call up when Bengie Molina hit the DL, but it appears he may not have had enough time at Salt Lake to sort things out after his back injury. He was in a bit of a hot streak there, but since returning to the Halos, he's 1-10 with 6 K. Yikes. Exercise patience with McPherson. He's obviously quite rusty. Finally, in preparation for taking the Nestea plunge of marriage in just 29 days now (tick, tick, tick), I'm setting up a new e-mail address for you. We go from "InsidetheHalo" to just ITH@insightbb.com. You can reach me there now. Response time could be just a hair slower because while I've moved my computer in with my bride-to-be, I won't follow until after the nuptials. Rest assured, though, I'll answer ASAP. For the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
The Season Premiere of "Mending Wings"
In the first episode of the season, Kelvim Escobar completes his minor-league rehab stint and is all set to make his season debut on Sunday Night Baseball against the Elephant Men. Oakland's O has been pretty anemic so far, scoring the fewest runs in the AL, but this is Kelvim's first start, so he's likely to be at least a little rusty. The good news is that he's had enough rehab work to not worry about a pitch count. Also, Adam Kennedy is prepping to start his minor league rehab as well. He'll do that at AAA Salt Lake and according to the team site, Scioscia mentioned that May 6 was the target date for his return. Figgins owners shouldn't worry--AK's return only makes the Halos deeper. Lastly, Bengie Molina is still shooting to return on May 3 when he's eligible.
The Little Man Cometh…Quietly
Chone Figgins is hitting .237. His OBP is .277. His walked only 4 times versus 13 whiffs. Does anyone smell something? Maybe, but Figgs is still getting it done. He's hit safely in 11 of 16 games this year, scored 10 times already and hit 2 HRs with 8 RBI. He's also swiped 4 bags, which puts him on pace for 40--most of this out of the 9 hole. I mentioned in a previous column that his .297 AVG from '04 might be a bit above his head, but he's .308 over the last week. Before that, though, he was hitting .256. Expect something around .270 for '05, but know that even though it's quiet and also from the bottom of the order, Chone shouldn't have any trouble passing 30-33 SBs and scoring 70-75 runs. Don't expect him to move from the 9 hole--it seems Cabrera is now the 2nd option there.
DH Controversy? Should There Be?
Jeff DaVanon is hitting a crowd-pleasing .175 right now, which creates a gaping hole in the 2 spot. Granted, he's had bad luck (21% hit rate), but even his normal H% would only produce a .250 AVG. Juan Rivera has 12 less ABs but a .250 AVG. Neither guy's performance screams, "Play Me!", but Rivera can hit for a better AVG. He makes better contact and even hits righties better than DaVanon, who is getting the ABs against RHP. DaVanon, however, has a lot more speed, will walk more, and probably has a little more power as well. Who plays? Maybe go with a different sort of platoon--play Rivera against the better pitchers and DaVanon against the 4 and 5 guys. Rivera's faced the Unit, Clemens, and Pettite each 1 game and gotten hits off all three. He's 4-7 vs. Carl Pavano.
Around the Rotation
One year ago today, Bartolo Colon got his 3rd win to go to 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA. After that, he went in the tank, only winning 2 more through June and hitting the break with a 6.38 ERA. Don't expect that to happen again. He's pitching way better this time around although some of his numbers are eerily similar (3-1, 2.60). He was absolutely dealing to the Tribe Wednesday night. It was very pretty. It will be hard to get your hands on him, but BC would be an excellent pitcher to target for an early season trade. Find an owner that remembers last year. Jarrod Washburn is officially annoying. Here's how's his 4 starts have gone: good, crap, great, crap. He did K 5 in his latest, which isn't bad, and he's shown early that he can give you a great start, but who knows when that will be?
The LA Times reported Scioscia and pitching coach Bud Black had a little private powwow with John Lackey Monday due to his, er, subpar performance of late. Scioscia expressed confidence in JL, but mentioned, "when he hits a bump in the road, his frustration level rises." I would agree that a large part of Lackey's problems are in his head, but it's hard to ignore the 4 walks in each of his first 2 starts. It was also hard to ignore his third start, when he didn't walk anyone, but every mistake pitch he threw ended up right in the middle of the plate, begging to be crushed. Ten hits and 7 ER later, he was headed to the showers again. I'd bench Lackey for now if you have that luxury, but I'm going to stand by my previous higher hopes for him. This head game is one he can win.
D-Mac is Back…And a New E-Mail!
Dallas McPherson got the call up when Bengie Molina hit the DL, but it appears he may not have had enough time at Salt Lake to sort things out after his back injury. He was in a bit of a hot streak there, but since returning to the Halos, he's 1-10 with 6 K. Yikes. Exercise patience with McPherson. He's obviously quite rusty. Finally, in preparation for taking the Nestea plunge of marriage in just 29 days now (tick, tick, tick), I'm setting up a new e-mail address for you. We go from "InsidetheHalo" to just ITH@insightbb.com. You can reach me there now. Response time could be just a hair slower because while I've moved my computer in with my bride-to-be, I won't follow until after the nuptials. Rest assured, though, I'll answer ASAP. For the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
