Posts tagged ZackGreinke at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

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?

Prerequisite: BlackDraft™ Part 1

The ESPN ticker for the mock Negro Leagues draft as it stands:

Round 1

1. New York Yankees - Cool Papa Bell (CF)
2. Washington Nationals - a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, which are pretty much the worst kind of Dorito
3. Chicago White Sox - Buck O'Neil (1B)
4. Boston Red Sox - David Ortiz (DH)
5. New York Yankees - Manny Ramirez (LF)

Upcoming picks

6. Cincinnati Reds
7. Detroit Tigers
8. Kansas City Royals
9. New York Yankees
10. New York Yankees again

Round 1 continues, after the jump.

The growing trend in baseball is for teams to sign their young players to contract extensions in hopes of locking them up before they become too expensive. While it's a smart financial move for all teams, it's generally a real good move for teams with lower payrolls. The Indians started it with Grady Sizemore a few years ago, then the Rockies followed suit with Troy Tulowitzki. This season it's been Evan Longoria and Hanley Ramirez reaping the rewards of baseball's new trend.

One smaller market team that is yet to adapt to this new philosophy is the Kansas City Royals, but that doesn't mean they don't have some young, talented players who wouldn't mind an extension.

"It's just kind of a feel thing," general manager Dayton Moore said. "Obviously, there has to be a willingness on both sides. We talk about a lot of things, but we're still very early in the process."

The Royals are loaded with young players who project as key players for years to come. Of those, the closest to free-agency are pitcher Zack Greinke and catcher John Buck. Both are on track to enter the market after the 2010 season.

Neither has been contacted by club officials about possible extensions.

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

Milwaukee Brewers (15-12) at Chicago Cubs (17-10) - 2:20 PM ET

So I'm flipping around my MLB extra innings package late last night and I see that they're still playing baseball in Chicago ... and I have to squint because the number on the screen can't be right: 19 runs? Really? The Cubs put up 19 against the Brewers? Alas, it was true. It shouldn't be that surprising. The Cubs were 13th in baseball in batting average last season and 18th in runs. This season, thanks in part to the acquisition of Kosuke Fukudome, and in part to the Cubs dedication to taking more pitches, they were second in both categories before last night's 19 run shenanigans.

The Brewers haven't been hitting as well this season, but they did win the first game of this series in Wrigley 10-7. So who better to calm down all this offense than Yovani Gallardo, who was injured to start the season but has a 0.64 ERA in his first two starts this season, and Carlos Zambrano, who's 4-1 so far with a 2.21 ERA? Maybe the wind will blow in too.

The Kansas City Royals have gotten off to a decent start this season, going 9-10 in their first 19 games, but any success they've had on the young season should be solely credited to their pitching staff. It's guys like Brian Bannister and Zack Greinke who have been solid as starters, and Joakim Soria, Jimmy Gobble, and Leo Nunez who've yet to give up a run working out of the pen (a combined 18.1 innings between them) that's responsible for any wins the team has gotten.

It damn sure hasn't been the offense, which has managed to score a Major League worst 63 runs (they're actually tied with the Giants) this season, and hasn't managed to score more than 6 runs in a single game. So obviously, the Royals could use some help on offense, and there are a few options out there. So why not go after Frank Thomas?

Sure, Frank has some pretty enticing offers from other teams at the moment, but the Royals could be a nice fit for him as well. Since he's still going to be getting paid by the Blue Jays this season, he'd probably be willing to accept a deal in line with the $500,000 the Athletics paid him in 2006. Which would work well within the Royals limited budget. I'm not sure the same could be said if the Royals tried to go after Barry Bonds, not to mention the headache that accompanies Barry where ever he goes.

The only drawback I could see to the Royals signing Thomas would be the fact that Billy Butler would have to move to first base, but even though Billy Boy isn't exactly a defensive standout, he couldn't do that much damage at first. This would also allow Ross Gload to return to more of the utility role he's better suited for.

If I were Dayton Moore, I'd probably be giving the Big Hurt a call in the next few days.

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

Kansas City Royals (5-2) vs. New York Yankees (4-4) - 8:10PM Est.

The first week and a half of the baseball season has been somewhat odd. The Tigers are 0-7, the Orioles are 6-1, and even the Royals have gotten off to a 5-2 start to the season. Which one of those three teams is more likely to maintain it's current pace? I'd have to say the Royals. The Tigers are in a bit of trouble, but there's still plenty of time for the team to rebound and get back in the AL Central race, and I'm just not convinced that the Orioles have enough talent to stay ahead of the Yankees and Red Sox for six more months. The Royals, on the other hand, have a lot of good young talent and a pitching staff that's pretty underrated. Are they going to stay atop the AL Central all season? I don't know, but they aren't going to go away quietly either. Zack Greinke will be getting the start for Kansas City tonight, and he'll look to continue the performance he gave against the Tigers last week. Greinke went 7 innings and allowed only one run in the victory over Detroit, and tonight he'll be facing a Yankees lineup that's missing both Derek Jeter and now Jorge Posada. Of course, Zack is 1-2 with an 8.22 ERA lifetime against the Bombers. The Yanks will counter with Ian Kennedy, who got bombed in his first start. Kennedy allowed 6 runs in only 2 innings against Tampa last week. He's made one start against the Royals in his career, allowing two runs and five hits, but didn't pick up the decision in the Yankees victory.

We're five full days deep in baseball and there's been a lot of action. In order to make the proper roster moves and know what to look for when you begin trade negotiations, it helps to understand the perceived value shifts that happen each week. So that's when we bust out the complex algorithms and determine who's up and who's down.

Ben Sheets -- Sheets looked great against the Cubs, engaging in a pitcher's duel against Carlos Zambrano, and even pitching post-rain delay; actually looking sharper. Sheets has a legitimate shot at the Cy Young and is a number one fantasy ace if he can avoid the injuries that have plagued him in the past.

Or, alternately: blahblahblahblah If he can stay healthy blahblahblahblah. I actually love Sheets but objectively he has to be considered a sell high, especially if he pieces together a few more of these starts. And considering Ned Yost seems unconcerned about his injury history.
Rich Harden -- See above.
Brian Bannister -- He absolutely shut down the Tigers. He won't overpower anyone but he's smart as hell and will get wins with nice ratios this season.

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

Detroit Tigers (0-2) vs. Kansas City Royals (2-0) - 1:05PM Est.

This isn't exactly how it's supposed to be going down, is it? The Tigers are supposed to win the AL Central this year, and the Royals are supposed to be improved, but at the bottom of the division. Nobody told this to the Royals, as with a win today they'll have completed a season opening sweep of the Tigers. What is supposed to be one of MLB's most fearsome lineups has managed only 4 runs in 20 innings so far this season. On Wednesday it was Brian Bannister who shut the Tigers big bats down, allowing only two singles and no runs in seven innings of work. This afternoon, Kansas City will give the ball to Zack Greinke. The Tigers will be looking to Jeremy Bonderman to get the team's first win of the season. Bonderman struggled to finish the 2007 season, as he came up with the loss in eight of his final nine decisions of the season. The good news for Detroit is that his lone win in that span came against the Royals. In fact, in three starts against Kansas City last season, Bondo went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA.

The original plan in Kansas City was to have Octavio Dotel close out ball games for the Royals. Well, Dotel has only pitched 1.1 innings this season since he's spent the first two months on the disabled list. It turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise, as the Royals soon became acquainted with Joakim Soria.

Soria took over Dotel's role, and didn't look back. Notching 10 saves in the first two months with a solid 3.57 ERA. Considering how few chances Soria gets, 10 saves is a pretty good total.

Unfortunately, Soria will now be replacing Dotel on the disabled list.

Rookie closer Joakim Soria was placed on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation before Saturday's game against the Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. The injury is retroactive back to May 23.

"The last couple days he had been getting some soreness but nothing to get alarmed about," manager Buddy Bell said. "But today when he got up, he felt sore rather than stiff. It's stiff, but sore along with stiff."

The Royals don't think that the injury is anything serious, and that a few weeks rest should do the trick. Soria says he had the same problem last season in Mexico, and a week off healed it completely.

Taking over for Soria in the pen will be a mix of Dotel and Zack Greinke. Greinke struggled this season as a starter, but has pitched very well out of the bullpen, and even mentioned the possibility of becoming a closer last week.

Previously at The Fanhouse:
Dotel Will Be Out Even Longer
Royals Place Dotel On The DL
Seattle Proves To Be A Pain In Meche's Butt

As we told you here on the Fanhouse yesterday, Torii Hunter is having a bad week. It all came to a head, or his head actually, on Thursday when he received a Zack Greinke fastball to his face. Hunter said after the game that Grienke apologized and is a nice guy, but that's not the reason he didn't charge the mound.

"It was a tough week for me," Hunter said. "I've been in the champagne scandal, the Jackie Robinson comments. And I thought about all of that and said, 'Man I can't give anybody else something to talk about.' So I just shut it down."

Well, sorry Torii, but now we're talking about how you didn't charge the mound.

Now I don't condone violence, I just enjoy watching it. So I'm happy that Torii didn't charge the mound, but at the same time I do love seeing an old fashioned basebrawl, and I'm not the only one.

I'm also pretty sure another contributing factor in Hunter's decision was the fact he just got hit in the face by a fastball. It's pretty hard to charge the mound when you see eight of them.


Previously at the Fanhouse:
Torii Hunter Is Having A Bad Week
Torii Hunter's Gratitude Has No Place On A Baseball Field
Are Too Many Players Wearing Jackie Robinson's Number?