Open Thread and Ichthyomancy: Rockies at Marlins
(4/23)

post from Fish Stripes on 23 April 2011 07:01:54 PM. © Fish Stripes

Next Game

Colorado Rockies
@ Florida Marlins

Saturday, Apr 23, 2011, 7:10 PM EDT
Sun Life Stadium

Jason Hammel vs Javier Vazquez

Clear. Winds blowing in from right field at 15-20 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

Complete Coverage >

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2011 - Javier Vazquez1-133000013.119141121167.422.25

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2011 - Jason Hammel1-133000017.01911935104.761.41

The Marlins are going for the series win tonight. I need to research this during the game but I think if the Marlins win, it will be the best start to a season in franchise history.

Steady yourself because this next part is going to be a shocker: The Game is on Television! Woo Hoo! And who says miracles never happen.

Javier Vazquez is on the mound for the Marlins. In Javier's last start the Marlins coaches saw something they didn't like in his delivery and with the off-day were able to push his start back to work on his mechanics. The initial announced goal was to increase his velocity by getting him to drive more with his legs. If he can get more velocity along with control without him making the conscious effort to ramp it up, then great. But if he is out there trying to throw as hard as he can, then it won't work. We will see how much the extra work has helped. Hopefully it will pay dividends.

Jason Hammel gets the ball for the Rockies. In his last start, he threw a definitional quality start but took the loss when the Rockies failed to lend him any run support. He, for his career, has pitched better on the road than at home. However, the confines of JRS haven't been kind to him in the past. His career ERA at JRS is 6.75. Hammel is a fastball (92-93 mph), slider, curve and change pitcher. His change has been his most effective pitch this season but normally it's his slider and curve that are the best. Like most pitchers, he is still trying to get a feel for his breaking stuff.

Ooh, I know, let's go with a new lineup:

Coghlan, CF

Infante, 2B

Ramirez, SS

Gaby, 1B

Dobbs, 3B

Stanton, RF

Buck, C

Bonifacio, LF

Vazquez, P

In one sense, the Marlins are like a little league team, in that, everyone gets to play.

Ichthyomancy is ready for Super Saturday.

Best of Luck to You!

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http://www.fishstripes.com/2011/4/23/2129298/open-thread-and-ichthyomancy-rockies
-at-marlins-4-23

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Game #17: Yankees at Orioles

post from Zell's Pinstripe Blog on 23 April 2011 06:58:34 PM. © Zell's Pinstripe Blog

Yankees (10-6) vs. Orioles (8-10) Pitching Matchup: LHP CC Sabathia (0-1, 2.52) vs RHP Brad Bergesen (0-2, 3.38) Yankees Lineup Jeter SS Granderson CF Teixeira 1B Rodriguez 3B Cano 2B Swisher RF Posada DH Martin C Gardner LF The game will take place at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. It?s scheduled to start at 7:05p.m. [...]

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http://zellspinstripeblog.com/2011/04/23/game-1-yankees-at-orioles/

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Bay homers, Mets 3-0 since his return (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 23 April 2011 06:33:16 PM. © MLB News Blog

Things are finally getting back to normal for Jason Bay. The New York Mets’ slugger is over that stubborn concussion that wiped out half of last season, and that strained ribcage that put him on the DL again this season. He’s back to hitting home runs, and the Mets are back to winning. Bay homered [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/23/bay-homers-mets-3-0-since-his-return-ap/

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3 in a row!

post from My Mets Journal on 23 April 2011 06:04:28 PM. © My Mets Journal

Sorry scanner is down. I will try and post tomorrow. Damn technology!
Lets go Mets!

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MyNyMetsJournalBlog/~3/0XozJVeogo0/3-in-row.html

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BPro's "Tater Trot Tracker"

post from Fish Stripes on 23 April 2011 06:02:01 PM. © Fish Stripes

Over at Baseball Prospectus they are doing a new feature this season where they measure the time it takes to round the bases after knocking the ball out of the park. Why? You might ask. I have no idea. But it is fun to watch home runs and while doing so, nothing wrong with breaking out the stopwatch just to see who is the fastest vs. who is the slowest.

Well on April 21, a Marlin made the list.

Quickest Trot: Mike Stanton, Florida Marlins - 19.33 seconds [video]
Mike Stanton's teammate Scott Cousins may have had the home run of the game - a grand slam for Cousins' first career home run - but Stanton's blast wasn't too bad itself. Stanton joined David Wright and Kelly Johnson as the only three sub-twenty second trots of the day.

While Stanton's jog around the bases was a very quick time and was a fully worthy way to celebrate his first home run of the season, which got out of the park in a hurry since it was a line drive that I don't think ever got above 20 feet. Still, I think the time falls way short of Matt Treanor's team record for a trip around the bases.

Now, did I go back and measure the time it took for Treanor to sprint around the bases? Well, no. That would've taken time and made this article more through.Though perhaps I will one day, but as for now, I'm still sitting in shock that I have been writing on this blog for six years. GameFish may have to put me on suicide watch.

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http://www.fishstripes.com/2011/4/23/2129213/bpros-tater-trot-tracker

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Brewers Weeks out with sprained finger (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 23 April 2011 05:41:17 PM. © MLB News Blog

Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks is out of Saturday’s lineup against the Houston Astros after spraining his left pinkie finger sliding into second base on a steal Friday. Weeks was hurt in the sixth. He scored later in the inning, but did not return to the field in the seventh and was replaced by veteran [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/23/brewers-weeks-out-with-sprained-finger-ap/

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Davis, Bay homer as Mets get by Arizona (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 23 April 2011 05:39:30 PM. © MLB News Blog

Jason Bay homered and drove in three runs, Ike Davis went deep for the third straight game and the peppy New York Mets held off the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 on Saturday for their third straight win. Dillon Gee (2-0) went six innings and allowed two earned runs, an RBI triple by Stephen Drew and a [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/23/davis-bay-homer-as-mets-get-by-arizona-ap/

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Is Kyle Davies Really That Bad

Is Kyle Davies really as bad as some Royals fans seem to think? Judging by the comments I see, Kyle Davies is the worst pitcher in the American League, a gas can allowing runs everywhere he appears. (About five seconds after posting this, I saw that Royals Authority has a post up arguing Davies is the worst starter in MLB history. Wow.) Is that really the case? Is Davies terrible and awful or just blah?

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2011 - Kyle Davies1-144000020.030161618167.201.90

This year Davies's strikeouts have been up (7.20 K/9) while his walks have been down (3.60 BB/9). That's a very nice combination. His K/BB rate is 2.0. The problem for Davies this year is that he's allowed a zillion hits thanks to an insane .420 BABIP. Somehow, I don't think that's going to last, unless there's some Ted Williams or George Brett cloning program going on that I'm not aware of.

Kyle's Fangraphs FIP this season is 3.42. His xFIP is 4.45. Those aren't great numbers and well, they're advanced stats that not everyone likes. Yes, Davies has a 7.20 ERA (known as The WGN) and yes, he's Kyle Davies, a pitcher that many Royals fans are simply tired of watching. I'm just not so certain he's terrible. My sense, is that most fans are just worn out by Davies and his slightly above replacement level starts, which we've been watching for years now.

Davies faces a tough test tonight in Arlington. The scary thing is that he's actually been lucky/fortunate when it comes to not allowing HRs, despite the barrage of hits he's allowed. Well, all we can do is hope for the best.

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http://www.royalsreview.com/2011/4/23/2129056/kansas-city-royals-kyle-davies

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Cubs rough up Lilly in wild 10-8 victory (AP)

Jeff Baker hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning and the Chicago Cubs got a banner day from the top of their lineup in a wild 10-8 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. Starlin Castro, Darwin Barney and Marlon Byrd combined for nine hits, six RBIs and four runs as Chicago [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/23/cubs-rough-up-lilly-in-wild-10-8-victory-ap
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Rangers closer Feliz goes on DL (AP)

Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz has been put on the 15-day disabled list because of right shoulder inflammation. The move was made before the Rangers played Kansas City on Saturday. The move is retroactive to Thursday, the day after the right-hander last pitched. Texas purchased the contract of right-hander Cody Eppley from Triple-A Round Rock.

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/23/rangers-closer-feliz-goes-on-dl-ap/

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