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The Flip Side of Surprise Is Disappointment

Andrew JohnsonPosted Aug 30th 2008 8:20PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
Filed under: Braves, Indians, Mariners, Padres, Rockies, Tigers, Yankees


If you're a baseball fan who likes surprises, then the 2008 season has been a special treat. The Rays are the most notable team that has exceeded expectations, but the Twins, White Sox and Marlins are also surprise contenders.

Of course, those pleasant surprises have come at the expense of several clubs expected to be much better this season. Whether because of a big free-agent signing last winter, a deep October run last season or the (hint, hint) crushing burden of a massive payroll, the baseball landscape is littered with flops as August comes to a close.

The following is a countdown of the seven most disappointing teams this season.

7. Padres: Mired in last place in the abysmal NL West, it's easy to forget that this team won 89 games last year and was a (phantom?) Matt Holliday slide away from a playoff spot. Even when they were winning division titles, the Padres operated on a thin margin. Injuries and underperformance are at the root of their struggles.

Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles are the only offensive regulars who have played more than 100 games. Ace Jake Peavy spent a month on the disabled list, while No. 2 starter Chris Young has made only 13 starts. Veteran closer Trevor Hoffman has also been extremely shaky.
Continue Reading The Flip Side of Surprise Is Disappointment

Injury Bug Takes Big Bite Out of Northeast

Andrew JohnsonPosted Aug 5th 2008 9:24PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
Filed under: Mets, Red Sox, Yankees, AL East, MLB Injuries



It wouldn't be the dog days of summer without a good old fashioned panic attack in the Northeast, where baseball fans live and die with the outcome of each night's game. In almost perfect symmetry, the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets all got bad news on the injury front Wednesday.

Considering where the big three sit in the standings, fans in New York and Boston have plenty to be concerned about. Let's look at each team's situation and try to assess how bad things are right now and how bleak they could get.

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has already missed almost two months this season with a torn tendon sheath in his wrist. Now the slugger is reporting that he's hearing a "clicking" sound in the wrist he injured back on May 31 in Baltimore. The good news for Boston fans is that, on its own, the clicking sound isn't a concern. Indeed, Ortiz was back in the lineup for Wednesday night's game against the Royals.

However, as injury guru Will Carroll points out, the problem could be more mental than anything. If Ortiz's swing gets less violent and vicious because he is afraid of getting injured, it could hurt his productivity -- a frightening proposition for Boston in the wake of the Manny Ramirez trade.
Continue Reading Injury Bug Takes Big Bite Out of Northeast

Rumor Mill Roundup: July 23

Andrew JohnsonPosted Jul 23rd 2008 9:00PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
Filed under: Athletics, Padres, Pirates, Red Sox, Reds, Rockies, Yankees, MLB Rumors

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- So what are those pesky Yankees up to anyway? First things first: they are absolutely in the AL East race, just three games behind the Red Sox and 3 1/2 behind division-leading Tampa Bay. They've also got clear needs -- namely pitching depth and offensive help, either at catcher, now that Jorge Posada's season is in doubt, or at one of the corners.


New York's top brass will meet tomorrow in Tampa to discuss what, if any, moves they should make before the deadline, but indications are that the team is willing to deal prospects and make a run. The name with the most heat is Mariners left-hander Jarrod Washburn, who wouldn't be a flashy pickup, but would give the Yankees a reliable innings-eater to put at the back of their rotation. He'd certainly be an upgrade over Darrell Rasner or Sidney Ponson. Seattle is not impressed with center fielder Melky Cabrera, but has been scouting New York's Double-A affiliate Trenton. That's where the Yankees' top hitting prospect, Austin Jackson, has been playing all year.

- Concerns about Huston Street's performance and stuff don't seem to be scaring off teams. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Reds have shown some interest in the Oakland closer. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty certainly can't consider his team a contender, but there is reason to think it can make a run as soon as next season, and Street isn't eligible to be a free agent for another three years. He also has two players with uncertain futures -- Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. Dunn is the type of player you'd figure A's GM Billy Beane would covet, but he might have to send more than Street to land the slugger.
Continue Reading Rumor Mill Roundup: July 23

The Large, Old, Injured, Ill-Tempered, and Unknown: State of the Yankee Rotation

Matt SnyderPosted Jun 26th 2008 12:30PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Filed under: Injury Report, Fantasy MLB, MLB Waiver Wire

I'm sure this is the way Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman drew it up coming into the season. The last turn through the Yankees rotation went like this: Mike Mussina, Dan Giese, Andy Pettitte, Darrell Rasner, and Joba Chamberlain.

Ok, so Mussina and Pettitte: check. Joba? Wasn't he supposed to be setting up? Instead Yanks fans get treated to a rousing rendition of Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th ... woo hoo! Rasner was an uninspiring injury replacement last year, and who the heck is Dan Giese? Sidney Ponson is next to the party. You remember him, right? He's the fat dude pictured here who got kicked off the Rangers for being a royal pain in the arse and enjoys driving after a few pops.

Injuries got them here.

The major issue is Chien Ming-Wang's foot injury -- because the NL hasn't grown up.

Ian Kennedy is on his way back from injury and threw impressively -- seven K in three shutout innings -- in a rehab start last Monday.

Finally, Carl Pavano is apparently closer to a MLB return than Phil Hughes.

Whaddaya say we fantasy spin it up for each dude after the jump ...
Continue Reading The Large, Old, Injured, Ill-Tempered, and Unknown: State of the Yankee Rotation

On Deck: Joba's Getting Comfortable

Tom FornelliPosted Jun 19th 2008 12:55PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
Filed under: Orioles, Yankees, Royals, Astros, Cardinals, Padres



On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

New York Yankees (39-33) vs. San Diego Padres (31-42) - 1:05PM Est.

When Hank Steinbrenner came out earlier this season and basically demanded that Joba Chamberlain stopped being used out of the bullpen, and placed into the starting rotation, his general manager and manager kind of just ignored him. Hank was just doing anything in his power to try to be like his dad, and after dealing with George for all those years, Brian Cashman had become pretty adept at tuning his boss out.

Besides, the Yankees starters were just off to a rough start to the 2008 season, and things would turn around soon enough. Only they never did, as Phil Hughes struggled, Ian Kennedy got sent down, and Mike Mussina looked like a shell of a shell of his former self. So eventually Cashman and Joe Girardi had to cave, and move Joba into the starting rotation (and now that Chien-Ming Wang is out they're lucky they did).

His first start didn't go very well, but in the two starts since, Joba has improved each time out. This afternoon he'll be making his fourth start of the season, but will he finally pick up his first victory as a starter?
Continue Reading On Deck: Joba's Getting Comfortable

On Deck: Joba Mania!

Tom FornelliPosted Jun 3rd 2008 3:00PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
Filed under: Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Mets, Giants



On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

New York Yankees (28-29) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (31-28) - 7:05PM Est.

Today is the day that Yankees fans have been waiting for all season. After deciding against making a trade for Johan Santana this off-season, and instead choosing to go with youngsters Phillip Hughes and Ian Kennedy, the Yankees find themselves just trying to get back to .500.

You see, even though the merits of the decision to not go after Santana are still up for debate, there's no question that Hughes and Kennedy have sucked (the duo has combined to go 0-7 with a 7.99 ERA in 14 starts). The magnitude of their suck has been so great that it would take a very large man with a blazing fastball to counteract it.

That's where Joba Chamberlain comes in, as the starter turned set-up man turned starter again makes his first start as a member of the New York Yankees tonight at Yankee Stadium.
Continue Reading On Deck: Joba Mania!

Joba May Replace Injured Kennedy

Matt WatsonPosted May 28th 2008 5:35PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
Filed under: New York, Yankees, AL East, MLB Injuries

Ian KennedyIan Kennedy's disappointing season hit another speed bump on Tuesday when he was forced out of his start with a strained lat. Peter Abraham reported on his LoHud Yankees Blog that Kennedy was sent for an MRI and headed to the disabled list. Who will replace him in the rotation? It hasn't been officially decided, but Joba Chamberlain might get the nod. Says Abraham:
Joba Chamberlain is scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches in Wednesday's game. If he doesn't get to that many in the game, he'll finish his work in the bullpen.

His next appearance would be for 65-70 pitches. The Yankees could simply plug him into Kennedy's spot in the rotation and pitch him against Minnesota on Monday. [...] Joe Girardi said after the game that he needed to talk it over with Brian Cashman.
My guess is that the Yankees replace Kennedy on the roster with another starter from the minors but allow Chamberlain to make get the start. He probably won't pitch more than five innings or so until he's completely stretched out, but there's no point in making him open the game in the bullpen if the plan is for him to throw 60-70 pitches.

Also, check out this stat, also courtesy of Abraham, which is sure to depress those Yankees fans who were convinced Johan Santana was the answer: the Yankees are 3-12 (.200) in games started this year by Kennedy and Phil Hughes, and 22-15 (.594) in the rest. In other words, their mini youth movement is the difference between being stuck in the AL East's basement and posting one of the best records in the league. Ugh.

'Stupid' Yanks Bringing I-Ken Back

Yankees ChickPosted May 12th 2008 7:15PM by Yankees Chick (author feed)
Filed under: New York, Yankees, AL East

The Yankees gave Ian Kennedy the boot a little over a week ago, sending him to AAA to let him take a break from the pressures of New York (and to give themselves a break from his apparent inability to get batters out), but he's been working hard to prove he doesn't belong in Scranton -- he wants back in New York as soon as possible. After just two appearances with Scranton he can declare mission accomplished (the exact opposite of Bush's definition of the phrase): he'll be starting the game against the Rays on Thursday.

Before his first game with Scranton last week, I-Ken told his wife that he was going to go out there and "make them look stupid," presumably implying that he was going to prove to the Yanks that he does indeed still possess all the talent scouts insisted he had. During that game he went 7.1 innings, gave up one hit, struck out eight and didn't issue any walks; even better, he only needed 90 pitches to make it happen. He made his second appearance today, where he pitched one inning (it was a short appearance so that he'll be ready to go on Thursday) and gave up a hit and no runs. Those outings, combined with Kei Igawa's disastrous pitching (why did any of us bother to hope for a better outcome?) last week was all the Yanks needed to see.

I always feel a little bad for players -- especially those that that play hard -- when they're sent down to AAA, but in this case there was no need for pity. Ian Kennedy took full advantage of the little reprieve and hopefully regained both focus and confidence.

There's Still Hope: I-Ken Starts His AAA Trip Off With a Bang

Yankees ChickPosted May 6th 2008 10:55PM by Yankees Chick (author feed)
Filed under: New York, Yankees

Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes have put the Yanks (not to mention us fans) through a lot of heartaches and headaches this year, leading many to question all those scouting reports that made them out to be can't-miss stars. Hughes recused himself by fracturing a rib, thus avoiding both the ever-increasing pressure and/or embarrassing and confidence-shattering move to the bullpen or AAA. The latter turned out to be I-Ken's fate after a miserable season start.

Being demoted is surely a blow to one's self-esteem, but in this case it might be just what Kennedy needs to BOOST his confidence. He made his first start with Scranton today, and he didn't waste any time showing the Yanks that he's still got the talent we all saw last year. In his Scranton debut today he went 7.1 innings, gave up just one hit (he had a no-hitter going through 5 2/3), struck out eight and didn't walk a soul (although he did hit a dude) and threw 90 pitches. Rather than sinking into a depression or beating himself up about being sent down, IPK is using his time wisely to show the Yanks that he can and will turn things around when he is recalled.

Today's outing is definitely a positive sign, and he'll have at least one more chance to impress the Yankees, as he can't be called back up until at least ten days have passed since he was sent down. It'll be none other than our old pal (and by "pal" I mean "source of much frustration") Kei Igawa taking I-Ken's start on Friday.

Earlier this year I implored everyone not to jump to bad conclusions about Kennedy or Hughes and to maintain a smidgen of patience. If I-Ken can remember to bring those skilllzz back to New York when he leaves Scranton. we'll be glad we did.

Yankees Send Ian Kennedy to Minors

Josh AlperPosted May 4th 2008 12:50PM by Josh Alper (author feed)
Filed under: New York, Yankees, AL East

The youth movement that was supposed to sweep through the New York Yankee rotation this season hit a major snag this week. First Phil Hughes finished a brutal April by getting bombed by the Tigers on Tuesday. Injury was added to insult when Hughes was placed on the disabled list with a fractured rib the next day. It got worse when Ian Kennedy was plastered by Detroit two nights later, leaving him with an 8.37 ERA through six starts and, mercifully, ended this morning when Kennedy was optioned to Scranton.

The move was the only thing the Yankees could do. Kennedy is clearly not pitching with confidence, showing too much fear of the middle of the plate, and the team can't let him try to figure it out on a major league mound. There hasn't been a marked improvement in his outings so there's nothing to build on and if his confidence takes another hit, the long-term ramifications could be disastrous.

At 2-10 in games started by the two youngsters, and 14-6 otherwise, the Yankees can't keep taking hits while hoping a light turns on. Better to let Kennedy find what's missing in the minors during a month that sees the Yankees need a fifth starter only rarely. If Darrell Rasner, Hughes's replacement, can give them reliably average outings every fifth day the team will be better positioned for the return of the two kids down the road.
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