Mets 6, Rockies 5: Late Heroics Not Enough for
Rox to Overcome Pitching Woes

post from Purple Row on 29 April 2012 08:02:32 PM. © Purple Row

DENVER, CO - APRIL 29: Todd Helton #17 of the Colorado Rockies is welcomed home by Ramon Hernandez #55 of the Colorado Rockies after his pinch hit grand slam home run off of relief pitcher Tim Byrdak #40 of the New York Mets to tie the score 4-4 with two out in the eighth inning at Coors Field on April 29, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Well, that was a fun one.

I do mean it; while the end result is somewhat agonizing to think about, the Rockies scratched, clawed, and gritted their way back into a game that seemed out of reach for the first two-thirds of it. After being shut down for six innings by a rejuvenated Johan Santana and his downright nasty changeup, Colorado fought back in the eighth inning and loaded the bases on reliever Jon Rauch. After Mets manager Terry Collins decided to lift Rauch for Tim Byrdak for a left-on-left matchup against Todd Helton, the Toddfather made him pay by launching a 2-2 slider off the second deck facade in right field to tie the game.

Unfortunately, Todd's blast was what finally got the Rockies on the board, as they were only able to come up with two hits through the first seven innings, compared to the Mets' 13. Jamie Moyer, as we all have expected, finally got hit around like a pitcher of his type should at Coors Field, as the ageless one surrendered four runs on 11 hits in five innings. Oddly enough, Moyer was able to rack up seven strikeouts, and several Mets were caught swinging out of their shoes on some Moyer changeups and BP fastballs.

Because Moyer was only able to go five innings, the Rox had to dip into their bullpen early once again. It didn't come back to bite them until the tenth inning, when Matt Belisle gave up consecutive hits to Russ' childhood friend Mike Baxter and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, the latter a run-scoring double that was sort of BABIP'd into the left field corner. The Rockies had a possible shot at getting Baxter at the plate, but Troy Tulowitzki eliminated it by bobbling the relay throw from Carlos Gonzalez.

The Rockies had a little bit of magic left in them in their half of the tenth, as with one out, Gonzalez hit an absolute laser off of Frank Francisco just over the out-of-town scoreboard for another game-tying homer. After Tulowitzki reached via an infield single and Helton walked, Michael Cuddyer struck out in a rather rough-looking at-bat for the second out. Ramon Hernandez was left with the opportunity to drive in the winning run, but he hit an infield pop-up instead.

Trying to gut himself through another inning, Belisle instead allowed consecutive singles to David Wright and Lucas Duda to start the eleventh. After retiring Scott F***ing Hairston, Belisle induced a groundball off the bat of Ike Davis. However, instead of going into somebody's glove for a possible inning-ending double play, it trickled into left field, scoring Wright and giving the Mets the lead once again. In torturing fashion, Belisle got the next batter, Josh Thole, to hit into the inning-ending GIDP.

In the bottom of the inning, Chris Nelson went down easily via strikeout before the real trauma took place. Wilin Rosario pinch-hit for Belisle and hit a deep fly ball to center field, but Nieuwenhuis caught it a couple of feet in front of the wall. Marco Scutaro stepped to the plate next, and he launched one into left field. Unfortunately, Hairston saw the ball into his glove about three feet in front of the wall. Ugh...THAT close. It was a cruel, cruel game which saw the Mets rack up EIGHTEEN hits compared to the Rockies six, even though a lot of times their contact wasn't much better. These ones will happen.

10 - 11

Games Back: 5.5

Streak: Lost 2

Games Left: 142

Source: FanGraphs

The Rockies welcome the Dodgers to town tomorrow for a 3-game set. Hopefully Matt Kemp very temporarily forgets how to hit, or the Rockies' starters remember how to pitch, or it could be a long series for the hometown nine.

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Game #21 Overflow Thread

post from Purple Row on 29 April 2012 08:02:32 PM. © Purple Row

DENVER, CO - APRIL 29: Todd Helton #17 of the Colorado Rockies watches his pinch hit grand slam home run, along with catcher Josh Thole #30 of the New York Mets, off of relief pitcher Tim Byrdak #40 of the New York Mets to tie the score 4-4 with two out in the eighth inning at Coors Field on April 29, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Mid-inning overflow worked last Sunday, so I'm banking on this week too. Let's finish these guys off, Rockies.

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The History of the Miami Marlins' Uniforms

post from Fish Stripes on 29 April 2012 08:02:31 PM. © Fish Stripes

The Miami Marlins are establishing a new identity for the franchise in 2012. Gone are the "Florida" moniker and friendly confines of Sun Life Stadium as they have been replaced with the title of "Miami" and Marlins Park built on the hallowed grounds of the Orange Bowl. The Fish make it seem like all is new but this is not entirely true. Whether "Miami" or "Florida" the Marlins name has been synonymous with baseball in South Florida since 1956. What intrigues me however are the aesthetic features of the teams like logos and uniforms. Uniforms can make or break the identity of a team in the eyes of regional and opposing fans. Some teams make iconic looks through greatness like the New York Yankees, other teams through longevity like the Chicago Cubs, and some teams are a rotating door of looks like the Houston Astros. The Marlins have not been as radical however and I'd like to take a journey through the past to document the look of the Fighting Fish!

I would like to start with the original Miami Marlins of the International League. This team was relocated from Syracuse as the Chiefs and were a AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies and later the Baltimore Orioles. They played from 1956-1960 at Miami Stadium (now The Miami Stadium Apartments) with some games played at the Orange Bowl. The team colors were Orange, Blue, and White. The team home uniforms were white with a cursive "Marlins" script across the chest, blue piping around the neck cut and down the front parallel to the buttons, blue stripe near the botton of both sleeves, and a Marlin carrying a bat and wearing a cap on the left sleeve. The cap featured a block letter "M" in orange, blue base, and a version with an orange bill and one with blue.

The road uniform was gray. It had a "MIAMI" script in block letters and featured the same characteristics of the home uniform save for the stripes on the sleeve which were orange.

This team featured the likes of Satchel Paige for a couple of seasons but were not very successful and drew in some decent crowds at first but waned. Finally the franchise was moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1961.

Miami however would not go for long without minor league baseball as a new Miami Marlins franchise was created in 1962 with the reactivation of the Single A-Advanced Florida State League team, Miami Hustlers. The team was relatively unchanged as they kept the same name, colors, stadium, logos, and uniforms. This version of the Marlins saw success as they won the FSL Championship in 1969 and 1970. The team once again was the affiliate of the Phillies and then a few years later the Orioles. In 1971 the Marlins name was renamed the Orioles to mimic the big league club. The Miami Marlins name would lay dormant until 1982 when the Orioles ended their affiliation with the Miami franchise.

The resurgent Miami Marlins changed their look slightly from their early counterparts. The colors remained the same but the home whites were given block lettering for the "MARLINS" script. The road gray uniforms changed the "MIAMI" script into a "MARLINS" one much like the home version. For both jerseys the team removed the blue piping from the neck and front along with the Marlins logo on the sleeves. The sleeve stripes were changed to an orange-blue-orange striping at the end of the sleeves. The caps were kept the same. The Miami Marlins name's minor-league run would last until 1989 when the team changed the name to the Miracle and would relocate to Fort Myers in 1992 at the advent of the new MLB franchise coming to Miami.

Since I have no photos of the 1980s Marlins we'll have to settle for the 2002 Florida Marlins who wore the uniforms to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the previous Marlins incarnation.

So now the new MLB franchise in 1993 became the Florida Marlins. The Florida name was chosen as the team was the state's first and only MLB franchise at the time. The colors changed as well, as the team went with teal, black, silver, white, and orange sparingly. Miami Stadium was not suitable for big league baseball in terms of capacity and it was an ancient facility in comparison to the then six year-old Joe Robbie Stadium.

The home uniform was white with teal pinstripes and 'MARLINS" script in teal with black outline. The player number was black and placed on the right below the script. The left sleeve featured the Marlins logo. The home white also came in a sleeveless version with teal undershirt (later changed to black). The road uniform was gray with "FLORIDA" in a different font and featuring a Marlins wrapped around the "F". The left sleeve featured the Marlins logo and both sleeves ends had black-teal-white stripes. The caps came in complete teal, teal with black bill, and complete black with a block silver and black "F" wrapped by a Marlin.

In this original stage the team won the World Series in 1997. However the team was broken up and wallowed in the MLB basement while under three different ownership groups. In 2002 Jeffrey Loria became the owner of the team and the team celebrated their tenth anniversary with slight changes to their uniforms. The home whites used black pinstripes, replaced the Marlins logo with the "F" cap logo, and made the script black with teal and silver outline. The road unis saw the same changes as the home with the big difference from the previous jersey being the "FLORIDA" script removing the Marlin and using the font of the home script (the script would later become "Marlins"). The Marlins also replaced the sleeveless alternate with a new black alternate that followed the style of the new home and road jerseys except with silver "Marlins" script outlined in teal and black.

The Florida Marlins would do much celebrating in the first year of their new look as they defeated the Yankees to win the second World Series Championship. The team would remain competitive despite payroll restrictions over the course of the Florida Marlins identity though no more playoff appearances came about. Over the 19 year period the Marlins wore special uniforms to commemorate special events.

In 1999 the Marlins wore "Turn the Clock Ahead" uniforms to celebrate the upcoming new millenium. The uniform featured futuristic short sleeved uniforms in black with a giant Marlins "F" cap logo tilted across the whole front. The team also wore special black caps with a silver bill to go along with the look.

As said before the team wore "Turn back the clock" uniforms to honor the 1980s Miami Marlins in 2002.

In 2004 the Marlins celebrated their 2nd championship by introducing a new home alternate for one season. This one replicated the Yankees style uniform replacing the famous "NY" logo for the Marlins cap logo.

In 2007 the Marlins turned back the clock once more to celebrate their 1997 World Series title's 10th anniversary. They wore the sleeveless version the team wore when they won it against the Cleveland Indians. To rub it in to Cleveland's face more, the team did the event against the Indians.

In the 2009 and 2010 seasons the Marlins wore latino jerseys for every Friday home game and a home series in San Juan, Puerto Rico. These logos followed their home designs with the addition of "Los" script above the "Marlins" script.

In 2012 the Marlins embraced their new identity as the Miami Marlins and massive changes were made. Not only was there a new push to spend money but their was a new ballpark built on the site of the Orange Bowl. Things have come full circle for the Marlins. Orange was returned to prominence in a red-orange shade in addition to black, silver, blue, white, and yellow. The changes were radical in use of colors and the set of new logos. The Fish uniforms were still standard fare for baseball uniforms though save for the new color scheme and logos. Pinstripes were removed from the home uniform. And a new all red-orange cap was introduced.

The Miam / Florida Marlins have made a lot of changes over the years, though the changes were only radical when entering new eras. The minor league Marlins stayed pretty much the same, the Florida Marlins made changes to the scheme but remained very much the same save for swapping colors around. The new Miami Marlins identity has brought a look that no other team has tried since the Astros "rainbow guts" uniforms. What will the future hold for the Marlins look? Will they "turn back the clock" to the 1950s, 1980s, 1990s, or early 2000s? The Marlins will continue to push the boundaries of what an MLB team looks like.

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Marlins Option Coghlan and Dunn, Promote Dan
Jennings and Bryan Petersen

post from Fish Stripes on 29 April 2012 08:02:31 PM. © Fish Stripes

Apr 25, 2012; Flushing, NY,USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Mike Dunn (40) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Dunn and Chris Coghlan have been optioned to Triple-A New Orleans. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

As reported by multiple sources but first mentioned by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro:

@JoeFrisaro
Joe Frisaro #Marlins option Coghlan and Petersen to triple A, call up Petersen, Jennings
Apr 29 via txt Favorite Retweet Reply

The Marlins are sending down Chris Coghlan and Michael Dunn, both of whom have disappointed to start the season, and are bringing up two fresh faces in lefty reliever Dan Jennings and outfielder Bryan Petersen. Coghlan had been struggling to start the year, batting just .121/.147/.152 in 35 PA to start the year. Dunn has similarly struggled in the small sample that is the 2012 season, allowing a 5.40 ERA despite decent peripherals in five innings pitched before today.

It is difficult to put much blame on either Coghlan or Dunn, though Dunn's struggles with batting average on balls in play (.468 before today's game) certainly did not help. When you look at his numbers, his strikeouts have jumped out, and his walks are not all that disappointing, especially since two of the four before today were unintentional. Of course, Dunn participated in being one of the four pitchers to walk four consecutive batters, so he has some infamy behind his walks, but his play overall has just been mired by a combination of likely bad luck and some poor pitch placement. Now, having said that, those could also be due to poor pitch location, as Dunn has only put 43 percent of pitches thrown into the zone, so it does not hurt to send him for a tune-up in the minors.

As for Coghlan, it seemed like the right call to have him start in the minor leagues from the start of the season. Coghlan has missed a significant amount of playing time with injury and has been shifted around to learn multiple new positions. What he may benefit most from is simply more reps, and no matter how Guillen balanced his playing time, Coghlan was certain to lose time at the plate and on the field. This way, he can get a lot of playing time and try and rebuild his career to some degree after the last two years have ended in disappointment.

Dan Jennings is the reliever the Marlins have coming up, and like Dunn, he is a lefty. However, the similarities pretty much end there. Jennings is a low-90's thrower with a fastball and slider combination that induces a lot of strikeouts from lefties but misses the plate a good deal as well. If batters do get the ball in play, they tend to hit it on the ground; he has posted ground ball rates over 50 percent at each stop since 2009. In that respect, he is more closely associated with lefty specialist Randy Choate rather than Dunn, but Jennings does have some tools to face right-handers, so he may be taking a seventh-inning lefty role opposite Steve Cishek's righty role.

Bryan Petersen hit .265/.357/.387 in 241 PA last year after Coghlan was demoted and later placed on the disabled list. This made it extremely interesting that the Marlins decided not to continue with Petersen as their backup outfielder, especially given his decent reputation defensively. The Marlins will have Petersen back up all three outfield positions with his patient, walk-heavy, power-light approach. At this point, this sort of approach would be better than using Coghlan's worse plate discipline and similar weak power.

Neither of these two moves will improve the Marlins significantly, but it does not mean that they are not correct moves. Both players in the big leagues were struggling, and they were expendable pieces given the presence of similar options. Dunn can work on his locations and Coghlan on his defensive reps in the low-pressure minor league situation, while the Fish gain a little more defense and do not lose anything significant on the pitching side.

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-dunn-promote-dan-jennings-and-bryan

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Davis RBI single gets Mets past Rockies 6-5 in 11
(Yahoo! Sports)

post from MLB News Blog on 29 April 2012 08:00:41 PM. © MLB News Blog

DENVER (AP) Ike Davis singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning and the New York Mets overcame two tying homers allowed by their bullpen to beat the Colorado Rockies 6-5 Sunday.

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April 8, 2012 Washington Nationals VS Chicago
Cubs Commemorative Ticket Featuring Andre Dawson

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 29 April 2012 07:29:23 PM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

April 8, 2012 Washington Nationals VS Chicago Cubs Commemorative Ticket Featuring Andre Dawson Roughly two weeks ago I found this item on Ebay. And the same day, I received an email from one of my favorite bloggers, Hackenbush who also … Continue reading →

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Capuano, Loney, lead Dodgers to 2-0 win over Nats
(Yahoo! Sports)

post from MLB News Blog on 29 April 2012 07:11:28 PM. © MLB News Blog

LOS ANGELES (AP) Chris Capuano struck out nine while combining with two relievers on a four-hitter, James Loney drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single and the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals with a 2-0 victory on Sunday.

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Bumgarner, Sandoval lead Giants past Padres 4-1
(Yahoo! Sports)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Pablo Sandoval homered to back Madison Bumgarner’s fourth straight victory, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Padres 4-1 on Sunday to deny San Diego its first series win of the season.

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Reader Interview with Adam Conley

This was originally posted by Brett the 49er, but I wanted to repost it and bring up interest in it again. A couple weeks back, Sam Evans did a piece of Adam Conley, and Brett has an interview with him. Check it out!

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http://www.fishstripes.com/2012/4/29/2987246/reader-interview-with-adam-conley

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AP source: 3B Brandon Inge is signing with As
(Yahoo! Sports)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) A person with knowledge of the negotiations says third baseman Brandon Inge has agreed to sign with the Oakland Athletics.

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