Results tagged ‘ luke scott ’
Spring Training in Pictures #5
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I have to admit…
…I still love Luke Scott. I wish we could have lost all three games to the O’s and won all three against the Stankees. The O’s are my favorite AL team, after all.
That game was the least pathetic game we’ve had in a while. Of course, five days after I dropped Brian Moehler because he stank it up, he tossed 6 innings of 1-run ball, but whatever. Darin Erstad’s doing better for my team anyway.
I hate it when people gripe about AL pitchers batting in interleague play. I think the DH is the stupidest rule ever because it takes a lot of strategy out of the game. You don’t need to be careful putting pinch hitters in so you don’t waste all your players, and you don’t need to make double switches to put a new pitcher in behind the next batter. YES, pitchers can and do get hurt batting in interleague play. But guess what? Every day, NL pitchers bat FINE. YES, NL pitchers bat every time they start (unless he’s Jason Jennings in that 11-run 2/3 inning last year against the Padres) and they’re more used to it.
But I think a pitcher should not be a guaranteed out. Look at Micah Owings, Carlos Zambrano, and Brandon Backe. Hell, look at Dan Haren last night. Pitchers can and do get hits. And these guys don’t get hurt doing it.
Obviously, there’s a problem. AL pitchers almost never take batting practice, so their risk of getting hurt is very high when they’re batting. NL pitchers always take BP, and because of it they rarely get hurt doing routine things like, oh, I don’t know, turning a corner rounding third. Interleague play (and the World Series) is rarely fair because the rule stays in favor of the home team, and the away team has to make adjustments to their everyday playing style. Admittedly, the Stankees did sweep the ‘Stros, and that stunk. But still. Until someone gets rid of the DH in the AL or enforces it in the NL, there’s always going to be an argument, and being a National League girl, I’m always going to hate it.
In other news…
I decided to make a glove trick like Zack Hample’s. I don’t know if it’s because I have a softball glove and not a baseball glove or what, but I really had to work to get it to keep a hold on the ball. I’m proud, though, and it works great. I need to try it off my balcony and see how it holds up. I wonder if I can use it at Minute Maid Park?
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Coop was right…
…it is embarrassing.
I attended four games last week, and we lost all four.
The first was the Wednesday game against the Brew Crew. That was the slugfest that I already blogged about.
The second was the Thursday (took me four tries to spell “Thursday”… this calls for a nap) game against the same. And it was another slugfest that we lost. Oh yeah, and thanks a lot, Brian Moehler, for making me lose all my fantasy pitching games last week because of your craptacular performance. I lost the WHIP game by 0.10. Is that sad or what? Fortunately, I dropped him an hour after arriving home and added Darin Erstad, and since then my lineup’s been doing well. I lost overall last week but it was 4 to 5, so I rose from 13th out of 14 to 12th! It’s a slow climb to the top, though.
The third was the Friday game against the Stankees. Let me take a moment out to say… I HATE THE STANKEES. However, I love Derek Jeter, which made it hard when he hit that home run off of Doug Brocail (also on my fantasy team). And we lost. We lost to Joba Chamberlain. What the crap?
And the fourth was the Sunday game, also against the Stankees. I am sickened with my team’s recent performance. I believe there were only about 8,000 people left in the park after the eight-run sixth.
I got absolutely no balls at batting practice from any of these games. Well, on Sunday I went with someone and didn’t have my ticket to get in early, so I didn’t get into BP, and I didn’t make it early enough on Wednesday, and Thursday was a day game. But I did get Michael Bourn’s autograph on Wednesday. He seemed nice enough, even though every time I encountered him at Spring Training he always said, “I gotta go” four or five times while denying every fan an autograph. Punk.
Where Is He Now?
Oh my goodness, Dan Wheeler has officially been beastified. His WHIP is 0.98 and his ERA is just a hair above 2. It appears that we’ve run into yet another case of “the Astros traded a guy away and guess what? he’s freaking amazing.” Mostly it’s pitchers, like Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, and you know what? Matt Albers isn’t doing poorly either. I’ve got to get him in my blog somehow. Anyway, the former ‘Stro who was known for pushing the poor, innocent, perfectly lovely Chris Sampson in the dugout has been making batters look stupid in the AL East, and good thing too because there’s nothing I want more than someone other than the Stankees and the Red Sox on top of that division. I love the O’s too, but that’s mostly because of Luke and Dennis and Matt and Troy… sorry, Mike Costanzo, I had (and still have) really no idea who you are. So, in any case, Dan Wheeler is doing well for himself in the Sunshine State.
A few random notes:
1. Why the hell don’t they sell Darin Erstad t-shirts in the team store? Ever since I found out that Hunter Pence is dating a “bunny,” I have lost all respect for him. Darin, a player I became a big fan of immediately following his signing, rose to the top in my Astros player lovefest. He’s amazing.
2. I’m hoping to get a chance to go see Coors Field this summer.
3. Tulo’s coming back this week, probably! YAY!
4. Oh. My. God. I officially have a nerdcrush on Zack Hample. I got bored one day and saw his blog on the MLBlogs.com front page, and I started reading it… from the first entry in 2005. He’s a beast.
I’m 99% sure that this is everything for today, and I have laundry to do. I’m going to be at a Rangers game or two next week with my “Hamilton is my hero” sign trying to get him to sign my issue of SI, so we’ll see. I adore Josh Hamilton.
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I have before me…
…the box score of last night’s Padres/Astros game. Finally, a good reason to be the saberhead that I am.
First of all, Oscar Villarreal didn’t allow a run! I think it actually is a first. Secondly, how about Tim Byrdak? I had absolutely no idea, shamefully enough, that he was on our team. But he held up pretty well.
And finally, ROY OSWALT IS BACK for good. And helping himself out with the bat a little bit? Not quite Micah Owings yet but YAY! I am so pleased with the way our pitching staff is rounding out. If only José Valverde were a little more consistent and if Wandy weren’t hurt.
I’m so EXCITED about Jack Cassel! He did well in Triple-A and last September for the Padres, and he passes my most important test–the niceness test. He’s extremely nice.
That’s really all the energy I have to recap last night’s game–I think the score pretty much speaks for itself.
As for today’s Where Is He Now?, I will mention Luke Scott. Not only is he starting in right field for the surprisingly good Baltimore Orioles, his average is .381 and his OPS is 1.000. Looks like he’s doing very well. I guess he just needed a change in scenery. However, he will always be my favorite right fielder who gave me a high five and started recognizing me at the games.
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starrphishe
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