Wilkin Ramirez Rant

Last week it was Ed Lucas. This week it?s Wilkin Ramirez. Both players have quickly captured the attention of a fan base that appears desperate to debate the fifth bench role rather than more important battles between Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy for the final spot in the rotation or the handful of guys competing [...]

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The Bullpen Gospels Major League Dreams of a
Minor League Veteran by Dirk Hayhurst - Book Club Part 1

Well, it is time to start this month's book.  I have tried to get a question on each Chapter, but feel free to add in any story or information you feel will add to the discussion. The book is more about life lesson then baseball, so many of the discussion topics may delve a little deeper.  I have decided to start by asking questions on the Prologue and the first nine chapters.  This will make it 5 posts to get the book done.

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Rockies 3, Reds 2: Jose Lopez Leads Rockies to
Walk-off Victory

The Rockies' merciless and murderous swath through the Cactus League slowed for just one day.  Behind Jhoulys Chacin, Jordan Pacheco and Jose Lopez, Colorado moved to 12-6 with a walk-off win over Joey Votto, Aroldis Chapman and the Cincinnati Reds.

Tied at 2 in the ninth (after Sean White surrended a run in the top half), the stage was set for a walk-off victory at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.  Matt Macri worked a professional at-bat, fouling off multiple soft screwballs from Danny Herrera before punching the ball into right field for a leadoff single.  After a Willy Taveras sac bunt (of course), Jose Lopez drove a Herrera pitch deep into the right center field gap for the classic walk-off extra base "single."

Jhoulys Chacin, Colorado's starter, finished the day with an impressive line -  5.0 IP, 4 H (all singles), 2 BB, 1 ER - but the Machine was far from at his best on this day.  The run scored after a hit batter, walk, hard hit ground out and deep fly ball for a sacrifice fly.  The hard contact was a running theme on the day for Chacin, who allowed seven air outs, two at the warning track.  Scott Rolen and Jonny Gomes in particular barreled Jhoulys, though most of their efforts resulted in would-be home runs falling foul.

At the end of the day though, the 23-year-old stood with a strong line against a near Opening Day quality line-up from Dusty Baker.  The fact that Chacin was able to grind his way to success without having his best stuff is a bit fortunate (some of those fly-balls just were home run quality fly balls), but it's also a testament to his uncommon resolve.  If this is Chacin when he struggles, we are in good shape.

Jordan Pacheco hit the ball well again after a brief lull following the press parade for him last week.  After a standard 6-3 groundout in the first, the young catcher jump-started the scoring by pulling a ball down the left field line well past Scott Rolen's reach for a double.  Dexter Fowler, who had singled soundly a batter earlier, scored easily from first.  Pacheco then scored on a solid ground ball single up the middle off Bill Bray by Seth Smith, another good sign this spring of Smith taking a sound approach vs. major league lefty pitching.  Pacheco also roped a single to left later in the game.

The score would remain 2-1 Rockies until the ninth inning.  In between, a trio of impressive lefty relievers treated the crowd at Salt River Fields.  Franklin Morales worked another scoreless inning - he has now faced 13 batters, allowed one hit, one walk and no runs in Spring Training.  Later, the flame-throwing Aroldis Chapman took the mound, teasing the Rockies with change-ups before breaking bats with his famous fastball.   Nary one Rockie managed a hit of Chapman in two innings.

But the most impressive lefty on the day was Rex Brothers.  Colorado's 2009 draft choice was completely locked in for his inning, throwing both his powerful fastball and nasty slider in a clean inning.  Chris Valaika went down in a hurry, seemingly shocked at the fastball the small-statured Brothers possessed.  Next came reigning NL-MVP Joey Votto.  The umpire understandably gave Votto a small strike zone against Brothers, but Rex was always around the plate with both pitches while building a full count.  Votto never got a good swing off and eventually went back to the dugout the same as Valaika, way late on a fastball.  Brothers induced a weak ground ball from Juan Francisco for the last out.

With Matt Reynolds struggling yet again over in the "B" game against the Angels today, Brothers has to be considered for a very early call-up in 2011.  Upon being drafted, he was expected to move up quickly, with fastball command really being the only demon left to exorcise.  If his command remains as it was today, he is the most talented left-handed reliever in the organization.

Over in the "B" game, the Rockies got to Scott Kazmir, who had poor stuff, and won 4-2.  Ian Stewart went 2-for-4 with a walk and an opposite field single in his first game action since injuring his knee on the spring's first day play.  John Maine worked 3.1 mostly effective innings, getting roughed up for two runs in the second inning.

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Astros LHP Rodriguez out with tendinitis (AP)

Houston Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles after being diagnosed with mild tendinitis in his right shoulder. Astros manager Brad Mills said the Astros would shut Rodriguez down “for a few days.” Rodriguez has allowed nine earned runs, six in his first start, over 8 2-3 [...]

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As closer Bailey to see Dr. Andrews (AP)

The Oakland Athletics can only hope that All-Star closer Andrew Bailey isn’t seriously hurt. Bailey left with discomfort in his pitching elbow after facing three batters Monday in a 9-8 loss to the Cleveland Indians. The right-hander had elbow surgery Sept. 24 to remove bone chips and bone spurs. He had Tommy John surgery in [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/03/15/as-closer-bailey-to-see-dr-andrews-ap/

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Giants make first round of spring cuts

According to John Shea (SF Chronicle), the San Francisco Giants made their first round of spring training cuts today, 21 players in all and no surprises, really. That still leaves 18 more cuts to go by Opening Day.

Today's group includes nine pitchers: Alex Hinshaw, Waldis Joaquin, Clayton Tanner, Jose Casilla, Wilmin Rodriguez, Henry Sosa, Jason Stoffel, Ryan Verdugo and Matt Yourkin;

Two catchers: Hector Sanchez and Tommy Joseph;

Five infielders: Brandon Crawford, Conor Gillaspie, Nick Noonan, Ehire Adrianza, and Charlie Culberson;

And five outfielders: Thomas Neal, Francisco Peguero, Terry Evans, Gary Brown, and Juan Perez.

The Giants will need to pare down the list with even more cuts before Opening Day and in case you're wondering who's still on the bubble, the following players (who are not on the 40-man roster) could be next.....

Pitchers:
Marc Kroon, Casey Daigle, Shane Loux, Guillermo Mota, Felix Romero, Jeff Suppan, Ryan Vogelsong

Catchers:
Chris Stewart, Jackson Williams

Infielders:
Brandon Belt, Brad Eldred

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Players on the 40-man roster who are also potential candidates for the minors (or somewhere else) include:

Pitchers:
Steve Edlefsen, Dan Runzler

Catchers:
Eli Whiteside (unlikely, but could start the season on the DL)

Infielders:
Emmanuel Burriss, Ryan Rohlinger, Travis Ishikawa (unlikely unless Giants trade him or waive him outright)

Outfielders:
Darren Ford, Nate Schierholtz (unlikely unless Giants trade him or waive him outright)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here's my first unofficial guess at the 2011 Giants' 25-man Opening Day roster.....

Pitchers:
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Jonathan Sanchez
3. Matt Cain
4. Barry Zito
5. Madison Bumgarner
6. Brian Wilson
7. Sergio Romo
8. Jeremy Affeldt
9. Javier Lopez
10. Santiago Casilla
11. Ramon Ramirez

Catchers:
1. Buster Posey
2. Eli Whiteside

Infielders:
1. Aubrey Huff
2. Freddy Sanchez
3. Pablo Sandoval
4. Miguel Tejada
5. Mike Fontenot
6. Travis Ishikawa

Outfielders:
1. Cody Ross
2. Andres Torres
3. Pat Burrell
4. Aaron Rowand
5. Mark DeRosa
6. Nate Schierholtz

As you can see, there's no room for a long reliever or "6th starter" type. Barring any injuries to any of the above 25 players, it's safe to say that Jeff Suppan won't make the cut (especially after today's performance) and neither will Dan Runzler, who the Giants are thinking about using as a starter (what better way to have him build his stamina than to have him start the season at Triple-A Fresno?). Ryan Vogelsong's only chance to make the Opening Day roster will be if there's an injury to another player. I'd pick him over Runzler and Suppan.

Also missing from my projected Opening Day roster is Emmanuel Burriss, whose time has come and gone in San Francisco. With Sanchez, DeRosa, and Fontenot on the roster, there's simply no way Burriss makes the cut. Ishikawa will survive the cut, if only because he adds insurance at first base in case Huff goes down or is needed in the outfield for some reason. Plus he is out of minor league options. Belt needs more seasoning. That has been apparent this spring.

What do you think? Tell me where I'm right and where I'm wrong.

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Brewers pound Suppan; Cain looks good

And...exhale.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain gave fans a big sigh of relief by throwing three strong innings in his return from elbow inflammation -- one of the only bright spots on a day that the Giants lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 12-8 in a Cactus League match-up on Monday at Scottsdale Stadium.

Cain allowed just three singles in three scoreless innings. He struck out one and did not walk a batter. Two weeks ago, the Giants' work horse was told to shut it down after feeling pain in his throwing arm. But the club's coaches and trainers have apparently nursed him back to health (I'm very being cautious here, folks). Barring any setbacks -- and based on how his arm recovers from today's heat -- he will resume his spot in the rotation and should be ready to throw again next week.

Jeff Suppan did not do much to improve his chances of making the club out of spring training. The 35-year old right-hander who was signed to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training got rocked in the fourth inning against his former team. In his one-plus inning of work, Suppan walked two and gave up four hits, while getting blasted for six runs. He did not make an out in the fifth inning when the Brewers scored five runs.

Offensively, the Giants did pretty well. Aubrey Huff snapped a 5-game hitless skid going 3-for-3. He connected for his second home run of the spring, a two-run shot, in the fifth inning. Pablo Sandoval blasted his team-leading third home run an inning later.

Along with the two homers, the Giants had four doubles and a triple Monday, but it went for naught as the Brewers lit up the scorecard in front of a capacity crowd of 11,686.

Luis Cruz led the way for Milwaukee, going 3-for-5 with four runs batted in. The Brewers got home runs from Brandon Boggs and Jeremy Reed.
Other notes:

• Outfielder Andres Torres got the nod as the DH today, significant if only because the switch-hitter (who has been facing right-handed pitching only due to a sore oblique muscle) got to face a lefty today at The Stick.
• Giants lefty Barry Zito got his work in today also, pitching in a minor league intrasquad game. He threw 82 pitches, allowing eight hits and five earned runs in about five innings.
• Sandoval was involved in a nasty collision with Brewers outfielder Chris Dickerson at third base today. Dickerson was trying to advance to third on a grounder to Sandoval when he flattened the Panda. The worst part of all? Dickerson, who had reached after getting hit by a pitch, was called out for runner's interference. Both players were slow to get up. Only Sandoval remained in the game. Dickerson was replaced by Reed, who homered in his first at bat after coming into the game.
• With today's loss, the Giants' 5-game winning streak was snapped.
• The Giants made 21 cuts today to trim their roster.

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Cain pitches 3 hitless innings in return (AP)

Matt Cain has put a premium on his durability during his major-league pitching career, and he isn’t about to stop now. The right-hander had started San Francisco’s spring opener on Feb. 27, but missed two starts due to inflammation in his right elbow. He insisted he was fine all along, but the Giants wanted to [...]

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Giants On Top in Cactus League Standings

The Giants have started 2011 a lot like they finished off 2010, as they sit atop the Cactus League with a 14-4 record heading into Monday's game. Granted, it's only exhibition season, the Giants look like they're completely on track with the season opener a little over 2 weeks away.

Matt Cain made just his second appearance of the Cactus League Monday, and looked very good vs. the Brewers, a team he's notoriously struggled against. Cain threw 3 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits while striking out one batter. I didn't watch any of his pitches, but from everything I've heard and read, it sounds like he had his good velocity and was right in the zone. It's good to see the zero in the walk column for Matty. A lot has been said about Cain this offseason, with the spotlight on the Giants, and about his ability to defy some of the logic in sabremetrics. People are just waiting for him to implode and his era to rise, but I just don't see it happening. Cain has always sported a rather high WHIP and allows a lot of balls to be put in play, but his career era is rock solid and he's considered one of the better pitchers in the National League. Now with him back in tow, the Giants rotation is at full strength with plenty of time to spare before their opener in LA. Not only is everybody healthy, but they're all throwing ridiculously well. I pointed it out in the last post but focused more on Madison Bumgarner, Barry Zito and Jeff Suppan. Those guys have all been nails as has Jonathan Sanchez and ace Tim Lincecum. The rotation is already set, but Suppan could, and if he keeps this up, should make the team as a long reliever (just gave up 6 runs to Brewers which will not help his cause).

The bats aren't looking too shabby either. We talked a lot about Pablo Sandoval on Friday, and he continues to make headlines, hitting his team-leading 3rd home run and driving in his team-high 9th RBI on Monday. Aubrey Huff went deep as well, for the second time this spring, and went 3-3 with 2 runs and 3 RBI. It looks like Bochy is going to roll with the same front-4 to the lineup that won him the Series' last fall, with Torres-Sanchez-Huff-Posey making up the first half of the lineup. It's still not fully clear how the lineup will fall into place after that, but we know who will be there. If Pablo keeps hitting like this all the way up to opening day, I think Bochy needs to seriously consider re-inserting him into the middle of the lineup, and that would mean placing him in the 5th spot. If not Sandoval, It'll probably be Pat Burrell, but Boch looks for as many ways to get the R-L-R-L combo into the lineup that he can. As for the guy who everybody is watching this spring, Brandon Belt, I think it's safe to say he'll be starting the year in Fresno. He hasn't been bad by any stretch, but he hasn't stood out like he'd have to in order to make this team as a regular. As of Monday, he's hitting .263 with a homer and 8 RBI. Certainly producing, just not quite where the Giants want him yet.

The only disappointing thing so far this spring that I can think of is that there hasn't been a young player who's stood out or separated himself from the rest of the pack. Brandon Belt has, but he's been played like a regular this spring. Brandon Crawford, Thomas Neal and Darren Ford are the bigger name prospects in camp, and none of them have done much of anything (outside of Ford's 7 stolen bases).

Read The Full Article:
http://giantsbaseballblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/giants-on-top-in-cactus-league.htm
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Peavy loses but is encouraged by start (AP)

It wasn’t Jake Peavy’s most dominant start of the spring. It may have been his most encouraging. The right-hander took the loss against his former team Monday, as the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago White Sox 7-6. Peavy gave up three runs on six hits over four innings of work. He threw 67 pitches, [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/03/14/peavy-loses-but-is-encouraged-by-start-ap/

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