The Importance of CC Sabathia No no-hitter No
matter.

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 11 April 2010 10:11:54 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

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The Importance of CC Sabathia: No no-hitter No
problem.

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 11 April 2010 10:11:54 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

[...]

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Minor League Report – 4/11/10

post from LADodgerTalk.com - Get Your Daily Dodger Juice, Dodger News and Dodger Rumors on 11 April 2010 10:06:00 PM. © LADodgerTalk.com - Get Your Daily Dodger Juice, Dodger News and Dodger Rumors

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Roc-Rocki-Rock-Rockies Review: The season is
underway, domination is not (yet)

post from Purple Row on 11 April 2010 10:04:43 PM. © Purple Row

More photos » Ed Andrieski - AP

Jim Tracy explains to Tim Timmons exactly how bad that call on Stewart was.

Browse more photos »

A little bit like this Review, the Rockies are having some trouble getting started. After winning the opener in Milwaukee, they dropped the next two, came home and beat the tar juice out of the Padres (far preferable to losing to the Dbacks, as has happened the last two years) then lost a bruiser in extra innings before winning today, completing their first week of play with a 3-3 record. Obviously, .500 is nothing to sneeze at, considering how we've gotten going in the past few years, but it's clear that there's plenty of rust that needs to be scraped off. On the flip side, there have been just as many encouraging signs, chief of which is the pwnage of Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Stewart and the double-headed hydra of Jorge Deala Rosa and Ubaldo Jimenez (is this the year we vanquish Bad Jorge for good, or are we all far, far too optimistic about one start at home against a light-hitting club?)

I tackle this question, and others, in the first edition of the Review to actually count. Join me after the jump.

The chief conclusion we can draw from our small sample size thus far: Ubaldo Jimenez and Jorge de la Rosa just may be very, very good. While they won't be mentioned in the same breath as Carpenter/Wainwright, Sabathia/Burnett, Lincecum/Cain and so on, this is entirely due to the LOLCOORZ effect, which I still don't understand: if our hitters get an asterisk by their name due to playing here and always "have to prove they can produce outside Colorado," how come our pitchers don't get more credit? To be fair, MLB.com did recognize that our "ace was dealing in Denver" today, and it's a bit ungrateful of us to complain about not receiving national attention, as this was the year that the mainstream sports media actually discovered we exist. While Jimenez is being generally recognized as taking that step up, only time will tell if De La Rosa is going to likewise establish himself. If that does happen, look out. A righty who throws 100 mph and has a cartoon slider, and a lefty who throws 95 mph and has a cartoon changeup. I could live with that. If that happens, JDLR will also probably pitch himself out of our price range, which leaves Dan O'Dowd and the Brothers Monfort with a difficult decision at year end. Do you sign him to a long-term deal, or do you let him go on the assumption of opening up a roster spot for Christian Friedrich and/or Tyler Matzek?

Currently, however, the Rockies need to work out how to win games not started by pitchers named Ubaldo or Jorge. Greg Smith, Aaron Cook, and Jason Hammel all gave up 4+ runs in their starts, all of which the Rockies lost, and it seems to me as if there have already been too many one-run defeats, usually by a score of 5-4. To their credit, the guys haven't once looked like they're giving up, and they seem to be playing hard every time they're out there (with the possible exception of last night, when they were blown away for 8 innings by the Padres bullpen). However, an L is an L, no matter if it's by 10 runs or 1, and moral victories don't count in the box score. They should have won the Milwaukee series, and very feasibly could have had a sweep of the Padres, but both times, one bad inning did them in. If we could figure out how to eliminate those, we could then go 162-0 and make a lot of money, so you just have to take it as part and parcel of opening week and getting your feet under you. However, as Tulo himself admits, the team isn't where it needs to be, offensively or defensively.

There have also been those who have come blazing out of the gate, Carlos Gonzalez particularly. He was removed from the game early today due to hamstring tightness, and the off-day tomorrow may give him a chance to avoid missing any time. It would be a blow to the Rockies if he did. If you saw the guy batting sub-Mendoza last year and then compared him to this havoc-wreaking force, you wouldn't believe they were the same person. CarGo has done nothing but hit since the season started, and while it's unrealistic to expect he'll keep up that shiny .393 mark he's sporting right now, it isn't out of the realm of possibility to imagine he could be accompanying Uball and/or Tulo and/or Stewart to Anaheim this July. While hitting him in the number 2 hole could make more use of his power, he's fulfilling the job of the leadoff guy and then some: getting on base. Anyone miss Willy T? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Stewart, for that matter, is looking like a new man himself. After retooling his mechanics after a season in which a strikeout was almost a foregone conclusion at least once a game, Stewart has come out like a gangbuster as well, currently possessing a .391 average himself. (I love spring stats). Noted whipping boy Brad Hawpe also has a pair of homers, as does DINGERZ Miguel Olivo. The latter has acquitted himself very nicely behind the plate thus far, throwing out runners and pouncing on bunts.

And then there's Tulo. .231 thus far doesn't mean the sky is falling by any means, and it was his contribution today (a 2-run single) that enabled the Rockies to win the game. Nonetheless, as we've seen countless times before, as Tulo goes, doth go the Rockies' offense. The sooner Tulo settles into his groove, the faster the entire team will look better. Plus, 2 errors already, Tulo? What's up with that? Who do you think you are, Angel Berroa? Just goes to show you how spoiled we've been with his June/July/August self. If anyone here is in a position to hypnotize our shortstop and make him think that two months have already elapsed, we would be very obliged.

There's also the bullpen. While they've done a lot of bending, they've managed not to break. (Of course, if Daley doesn't get McGehee, or if Tulo doesn't catch that line drive from Fielder, or if Flores doesn't get A-Gone today, it's a whole different story.) They've been weebling and wobbling plenty, which disguises the fact that they have, as Andrew pointed out in the game wrap today, a 2.23 ERA as a gang. Rafael Betancourt and Matt Daley have looked great, however, and Franklin decided to be Good Frankie today, whipping through a 10-pitch inning to polish off the Padres. Still, I imagine everyone will be happy to see Huston come back.

Oh, and one more thing. Note to Jim Tracy: STOP WITH THE LINEUP MONKEYING ALREADY. JEEZ.

Catch your breath tomorrow, then join us on Tuesday when the Mets roll into town for three games. It's the Mets, guys. I think you know what to do.

Go Rockies!

P.S. Let's hope the Dodgers continue to be as terrible at home as they've been thus far on the road. I am enjoying it greatly.

Poll

The Rockies finished Week 1 at .500. To ensure that this is the last of it they see of it all season, the first thing they need to fix is:

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Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 4/11

post from Talking Chop on 11 April 2010 10:04:41 PM. © Talking Chop

Charlotte 8, Gwinnett 2

F. Freeman 2-4 2B, RBI
B. Clevlen 2-4 2 2B, K
C. Gearrin 1IP 3H 3R 1BB 0K

I am glad that Freddie Freeman is starting to show some signs of life. He got his first XBH today though he still hasn't walked any this season. Cory Gearrin got hit harder than I ever remember him getting hit. I am sure he has given up 3 runs in an appearance before but it doesn't happen often. Gwinnett is off to a 2-2 start.

Tennessee 4, Mississippi 1

W. Cabrera 1-4 K
E. Duncan 1-2 RBI, BB, K
E. Cordier 4IP 2H 3R 4BB 2K
L. Hyde 2IP 2H 0R 0BB 2K

Mississippi is off to a rough start at 0-4. Their offense has been pretty weak in the early going. Eric Cordier made his first career start above A ball and he struggled with his control. Last season he walked 78 batters in 121 innings. We can chalk up that to his coming off arm surgery, but at some point he needs to get his his pitches over the plate and AA is the place that needs to happen. He does generate a lot of groundballs, however so when he has a good defense behind him he could be effective, barring previously mentioned control issues. Cody Johnson did make a pinch hitting appearance today and he struck out.

Wilmington 8, Myrtle Beach 3

Y. Campusano 2-3 2B, BB
A. Zazueta 2-3 2B, RBI
JJ Hoover 4IP 3H 0R 1BB 3K

JJ Hoover picked up right where he left off last season where he struck out more than a batter an inning and was Rome's most consistent starter. His bullpen however did not back him up as they surrendered 8 runs in 4.1 innings. Yeliar Castro was apparently not ready for the praise I heaped upon him and promptly gave up 4 runs in just 0.1 of an inning. Milligan and Rodriguez both chipped in a hit and an RBI as well.

Rome 10, Kannapolis 4

K. Rose 4-6 RBI, K, CS(3)
J. Kreke 2-6 2B, RBI, 3K
RSF 1-3 2B, 2 BB, K
C. Bethancourt 4-4 2 RBI
A. Vizcaino 5IP 8H 4R 2BB 5K

Kyle Rose continues to rake baseballs all over the field with another multi-hit performance though he now has one less CS this year than all of last year to go along with 25 less SB. The Sally league isn't quite as forgiving as the Appy league was, though Miguel Gonzalez is a pretty good catch and throw guy. Christian Bethancourt has been hitting the ball well in the early going and has yet to strike out this season. Arodys Vizcaino's season debut wasn't quite as spectacular as Teheran's but Vizcaino hadn't pitched above short season before today and Teheran had a few starts in Rome last year. Rome is 4-0 on the season.

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Weekly Leauge Leaders

post from The Grand Slam on 11 April 2010 09:22:00 PM. © The Grand Slam

After the first week of baseball, we are starting to see who will be key contributors to their teams this season!

Click here for this weeks league leaders

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Weekly League Leaders

post from The Grand Slam on 11 April 2010 09:22:00 PM. © The Grand Slam

After the first week of baseball, we are starting to see who will be key contributors to their teams this season!

Click here for this weeks league leaders

Read The Full Article:
http://www.thegrandslam4.com/2010/04/weekly-leauge-leaders.html

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Daily MLB Wrap-Up: April 11th

A fantastic day around baseball!

Click here for all the boxscores

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Preparing For Tuesday

(Bill Kostroun of the AP)

Nothing better than Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, especially one that will include a ring ceremony. Coming home 4-2 after six in Boston and Tampa doesn't hurt either.

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Open Thread 4/11 - Braves at Giants #2

I can't believe we're getting this one in today. BMac started us off with a 2-run HR. Marteeen Prado is a man on a mission. And the Dragon Slayer looks good so far.

2-0 Braves, top of the 3rd.

Discuss.

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