Lookout Landing

I wonder how many times Hallion rang up Blowers

I absolutely love a big punch out by the homeplate ump when your SP is dealing. When your pitcher is mowing guys down, a wimpy call by the ump suuuuuucks

Kermit. - July 7, 2009 reply

I have a theory that it serves as positive reinforcement for umps to make shitty called strikes on 2 strike counts

OlSalty - July 7, 2009 reply

Probably not a lot.

He was an NL ump until he was let go in the 2000 umpire firings

Wow, they didn't let too many of those guys back in. Maybe only 2 or 3 I think.

You are a treasure! The only interesting thing I could find out was one of the closest player comparisons for Mike Blowers is Jim Leyritz

Kermit. - July 8, 2009 reply

They had 2000 umpires? No wonder they fired them all

That’s like 130 umps per game

Graham MacAree - July 8, 2009 reply

They were still missing calls too.

Sec 108 - July 8, 2009 reply

It's like jazz, it's the notes you don't play

Kermit. - July 8, 2009 reply

12 Swinging strikes in 72 pitches - 16.6%! Holy Crap!

Only one guy in baseball (Michael Wuertz) has a high swinging strike rate than that (and only 2 starters – Harden and Vazquez – have a swinging strike rate higher than 12%)

Decatur - July 7, 2009 reply

S.S.S.

seattlebruin - July 8, 2009 reply

Correct, of course. I just appreciated his performance yesterday alot more after I learned that.

Decatur - July 8, 2009 reply

We really need to pass Texas or Anaheim soon

We can’t be the third wheel for the rest of the season.

Fuckmikereilly - July 7, 2009 reply

Best bullpen in baseball!

Goose - July 7, 2009 reply

For a whole second

I though Chris Jakubauskas was good.

Slow Country - July 7, 2009 reply

I hope we get something nice when we trade Bedard

Eric’s a great pitcher when he’s actually on the mound, but I won’t miss his lack of durability in the slightest.

Sure some guys in the BP are sucking balls right now, but it can’t help them having two fragile flowers like Bedard and Morrow in the rotation.

Sam Regens - July 7, 2009 reply

Wtf Erik, that is

Sam Regens - July 7, 2009 reply

Yeah relying this much on the pen

they’re bound to regress. Good news is Bedard and Morrow should both start giving full starts and help may be on the way for the pen—RRS-7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 7 K in Tacoma. Looking a lot better.

Fuckmikereilly - July 7, 2009 reply

Say...

did you know that Langerhans was coddled by Atlanta, never did anything there when given every chance, was sent to the Nationals and couldn’t make that team either and then arrived here and was just given the LF job?

This was the long explanation by an apparently totally po’d caller who claimed this was the back-story to his belief that they needed to trade for another bat or two.

The caller can think whatever.

For the rest of the season, Langerhans’s a keeper.

Now we just need to find someone who can play SS,

for this year and beyond.

It was interesting, because he was so furious that they were playing Langerhans his voice was shaking.

I'm sure he was real pissed when he hit 3 doubles in his first two games.

nickmo - July 7, 2009 reply

Did it have a Curacoian accent???

PositivePaul - July 7, 2009 reply

With the occasional slip into papiomento.

Sec 108 - July 8, 2009 reply

He is what we call a Mike Morse fanboy

OlSalty - July 7, 2009 reply

Some people will just never understand the importance of defense.

And how a run saved is the same as a run produced. He probably thinks Guti is mediocre as well.

Those ks were pretty ugly

I’m very happy to give him a chance to hit and all that, but I am also prepared for the distinct possibility that he cannot make enough contact to be worth anything in the batters box.

Just like Branyan?

Mariner John - July 7, 2009 reply

No I was thinking more like not Branyan

Well, on the bright side...

our 4-5 have been: Washburn, a stretched out reliever with <100 professional innings as a starter, and two dudes we got in the Putz deal. Now one of those two is replaced by Bedard for a New York minute.
We’ve been starting Johnson, our SS, 3B, and LF are out, and our DH can’t turn on a 89 mph FB down the pipe from a righty.
The pen is entirely right handed and the best pitchers in it are a rookie coming off injury and a fastball-happy Frisian with piss poor control. Our set up guy was a punchline last time he was in the bigs. At least three don’t really belong in the majors, for various reasons.

All this, and we’re only 3 games out. I can’t really envision this team as a contender any more (did anyone buy that? maybe for a night after the Oakland game), which is actually great. Because when you expect games like today’s, those like yesterday are that much more fun to watch. And the perception of road trips like the one we jsut finished goes from ‘the team’s treading water’ to ’they’re walking on it’.

Hit the phones, Jack; there there’s a GM somewhere east of the Mississippi willing to let you have your way with him for the privilege of paying Bedard’s hospital bills and learning about DIPS with some help from Washburn.

I can envison them as a contender just because the other teams in the division are still that weak.

And winning as many series as we have lately, including LA and Boston, show we can contend in a weak division.

With this I agree.

This is the year because the AL West is so lame. Let us be the least lame. Let us take the division and move on to the playoffs. Anything can happen there and we don’t need Washburn and Bedard to win there. We haven’t needed either of them to get to where we are now. Trade for a (preferably left-handed) power bat who can cover the hole that is Yuseless/Cedeno and 2009 is not a lost season. I believe this could be our year without sacrificing next year.

Trading for a lefty SS with glove and power yet not sacrificing 2010 and beyond

don’t really go hand in hand. If Jack can pull that off I’m buying a Zduriencik jersey. Fuck it, I’m buying five.

There's no real reason to believe the AL West is going to be much less lame next year than it is now.

Aaron Campeau - July 8, 2009 reply

Although I am optimistic, I believe you should send your Betancourt t-shirt to the cleaners.

Then to the thrift store.

But then I won't get to wear it with pride when he comes back and carries us into the post-season.

Those were pretty uncomfortable wins

I mean, if we had won those games with authority it’d be one thing, but we just eked them out. They can still make the playoffs, but then they’re playing the Red Sox or Yankees away…

I guess when I say contender I mean ‘team that deserves to be in the playoffs’ not ‘team that can make the playoffs if they get real lucky AND the Angels fuck up’.

But at this point, the Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers are the only teams that do deserve to be in the postseason.

If we had beaten any of those teams with authority, it would’ve seemed like more of a fluke to me than how we did win them. Not many teams go into those cities and dominate over multiple games. We got 6 runs off of CC and look what he did today. If we win more than the Angels, Rangers, and A’s; we deserve to be in the postseason.

I understand where you’re coming from. Our team is not as good as the other playoff teams. We proved however, that we can beat those teams. Building for the future is great but there’s no guarantee of anything. In two years we could have the best team on paper and still not make it. I do agree Z needs to be careful though.