with Chris from Atlanta
League 17
Week #6
My first job was with Little Caesars Pizza. They started me off flattening the dough into the pans. From there, I moved up to actually making the pizza and putting it into the oven. Once I had proven myself there, it was onto the landing station. There, I had to pull the pie out of the oven, box it, and match it to the correct order. Then, I had to rack it so the person working the register can give it to the customer after they pay.
The reason I am rambling on about my days slinging pizza is because it is the closest analogy I have to moving up through the minors in baseball. I started in Single A, putting the dough into the pans, moved up to Double A, making the pies, and then onto Triple A at the landing station. The best employees were put onto the register, which was “The Show” for us back then. You made it to the register, you made it to the Big Leagues. I made it to the Bigs with Little Caesars. My good friend, Dave, did not. He crashed and burned at the register and was sent back down to the minors … never to return.
Cubs send Rich Hill to minors - What happens when your manager decides to skip your turn in the rotation because of control problems, and then you go out and walk four of the first (and only) six batters you face? You get a bus ticket to Iowa.
Chicago sent the struggling pitcher down to AAA Iowa on Saturday, May 3rd. Lou Piniella has reassured Hill that he will get his spot back in the rotation when he gets “straightened out.” In his first AAA start, he allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out five. His 5:1 K/BB ratio is encouraging. Let’s hope that his issues are mental, rather than physical. A few more starts like this and he should be back up with the Cubs in a few weeks.
If you own Hill, hang on to him if you can. If you drop him, you can bet that someone will pick him up as soon as the Cubs announce that they are bringing him back up. Hill’s replacement in the rotation, John Lieber, was worked over by the Reds lineup to the tune of five earned runs on five hits (four of which were homeruns) and no walks in two innings. Look elsewhere for someone to fill Hill’s spot on your roster.
Kennedy and Hughes not helping Yankees - After bursting onto the scene in 2007, Kennedy came back to Earth with a thud in 2008. In six games, he posted an 8.37 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP.
If you are in some bizarre-world fantasy league, those stats would be good. Any normal league and you are in trouble. The Yankees are hoping a trip down to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will help him regain his confidence. In his first start at AAA, he had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning and ended up allowing one hit and no walks while striking out eight.
If you can afford to stash Kennedy on your bench, it might be worth it later. Darrell Rasner was brought up to take Kennedy’s place. Rasner was abusing his AAA opponents to the tune of a microscopic 0.87 ERA and 0.774 WHIP in five starts. In his first start for the Yanks, he allowed two runs, one hit and no walks in six innings to get the win against Seattle. With Kennedy’s struggles, and Phil Hughes on the DL, Rasner could be a very serviceable starter on anyone’s roster.
Speaking of Hughes, he was put on the disabled list on April 30th with a strained right oblique that was later revealed to be a stress fracture in one of his ribs. Word is that he will be out until the All-Star break. The injury may be a blessing in disguise. Before going on the DL, P-Hugh posted a robust 9.00 ERA and a hefty 2.136 WHIP in six starts.
While injured, Hughes has started wearing glasses to correct his vision. Time will tell if poor vision was the culprit for those ugly numbers. Don’t be afraid to drop Hughes if you have no room on your DL. Even in a keeper league, it is time to cut bait on this disappointing “phenom.”
The immortal Kei Igawa has been called up to take his spot as “the struggling Yank that doesn’t belong in the Major Leagues”. In 2007, Igawa threw up a 6.25 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in fourteen games. In his first game back on Friday he lasted only three innings, giving up six runs on eleven hits. Needless to say, Yankee fans aren’t excited to see him back. Stay very far away from Igawa. You have been warned.
Kazmir returns to the Rays Rotation - Kazmir said he felt fine after his return from the DL on Sunday, May 4th. He went four innings against Boston giving up three runs on six hits and three walks. He did display some of his talent by striking out five.
He worked on his mechanics, which he claimed were a little off, in a bullpen session during the week. With the Angels and Yankees in his next two scheduled starts, it may take a little time to get fully back into the groove. The good news is that he is healthy, and you can put him back in your lineup.
There was much talk of who would lose their spot to Kazmir when he returned. It looks like the threat of demotion lit a fire under Matt Garza and Andy Sonnastine. In his last two starts, Garza has allowed three runs, nine hits and five walks in 12.7 innings.
Not to be outdone, Sonnanstine allowed eight runs, 22 hits and five walks in 20.1 innings over his last three games. The odd man out turned out to be Jason Hammel and the 4.88 ERA and 1.48 WHIP he had in the month of April. What little value Hammel had before the move is now gone.
Washington catchers on DL - The Nationals put both Johnny Estrada and Paul Lo Duca on the disabled list prior to Friday’s game. Estrada has been battling a sore elbow since spring training. “I’m throwing changeups to second base,” said Estrada. He has appeared in 17 games in 2008, hitting .179 with three RBIs.
Lo Duca fractured the fourth metacarpal bone in his right hand and will be out 4-6 weeks. In 17 games, he was hitting .200 with 4 RBIs. If that wasn’t bad enough, Lo Duca was 0-10 throwing out base runners this season. Neither Lo Duca nor Estrada has hit a homerun this season. Will Nieves and Jesus Flores will fill-in for the hobbled catchers.
Nieves is batting .353 in fourteen games with one homer and eight RBIs. Flores was called up from AAA Columbus where he was batting .153 with one homer and seven RBIs in 17 games. In four games earlier this year he hit .364 with one homer and three RBI for the Nats.
The Washington Post is saying that Flores will get the bulk of the work behind the plate. I think it is safe to say that you don’t want to rely on either Nieves or Flores as your everyday catcher. But, if you want to do a little “catch and release” for a Monday or Thursday start, if you can nail down who is starting they might be worth a shot. As for Lo Duca and Estrada, there is no need to waste a DL spot on either one.
The other player called up was the infamous Elijah Dukes. Dukes had been rehabbing a sore hamstring in Columbus. In seven AAA games he was 5-for-21 with four RBIs, a double, a triple and two stolen bases. He struck out six times and walked three times.
Washington will use him as a fourth outfielder or in a platoon role (most likely with Wily Mo Pena). Regardless of how they use him, you have no need for him at this point in the season.
Figgins + Kendrick = one set of good hamstrings - On Saturday, May 3rd, Chone Figgins strained his right hamstring sliding into home. He has not returned to the starting lineup since.
As I am writing this, news is coming out that he is not quite ready yet and may or may not play this weekend. Figgins’ teammate, Howie Kendrick, has been rehabbing a sore hamstring down in High-A Rancho Cucamonga. The good news: he went 3-for-3 with two homeruns and a single in Tuesday’s game. The bad news: he left in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game when he felt soreness in the hamstring. He will not be joining the team for this weekend’s series in Tampa. He will be re-evaluated over the weekend and may join the team next week back in Los Angeles.
Stash Figgins and Kendrick on your bench until they are back in the starting lineup. Don’t bother picking up their replacements as it sounds like one (or both) will be back in the lineup next week. Brandon Wood and Sean Rodriguez have gone a combined 6-for-30 with two homeruns and three RBIs since Sunday. Unfortunately, finding a decent MI on the waiver wire is like trying to find Roger Clemons’ integrity these days. If it was ever there, it is long gone now.