Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That Braves manager Bobby Cox did not get ejected at any point during the seventh-inning fiasco his pitchers created on Wednesday. If ever there were a time that the all-time leader in early managerial exits would want to get the boot, this was it. The Braves blew a 10-3 lead to the Phillies in the seventh inning, on the way to a 12-11 loss. Worse, three of the eight runs the Phillies scored came on consecutive bases-loaded walks. Blaine Boyer was responsible for two of them.
"It's the worst inning I've seen," said Boyer. "Talk about your ultimate. I mean, we were [rolling] there for a while, 10-3, and it just blows up like that. I take the brunt of the blame for that one."From the Trainers' Room ....
Twins catcher Joe Mauer took a big step toward returning, catching and taking batting practice with the Single-A Fort Myers Miracle. It was the first BP since September for Mauer, who has been out with a lower back inflammation this spring. Mauer hit a homer at the end of his session and said: "That last one felt pretty good." The timetable for his return is still unclear, because Mauer is unable to run.
Numbers Game ...
When A's lefty Brett Anderson starts in his major league debut Thursday in Anaheim, the A's will become the first team in 31 years to have two starting pitchers debut within the first four games of a season. Trevor Cahill made his debut on Tuesday. The last team, coincidentally, was the 1978 A's, who had Alan Wirth and John Henry Johnson debut in their season-opening rotation.
In Their Own Words ...
"I ain't going through that anymore. I aged about 12 years last year." -- Mets manager Jerry Manuel, relieved to see that so far this year's bullpen has converted both of its save opportunities, a welcome departure from last year's awful performance.
Advance Scouting ...
Tigers phenom Rick Porcello will start against Blue Jays' lefty Ricky Romero Thursday in Toronto (12:37 PM). It will be the first time in big-league history that a pair of first-round picks make their major league debuts starting against each other. Porcello was the 27th overall pick in 2007 and Romero was the sixth pick in 2005.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-11-2009 @ 9:00AM
Mel Freedenberg said...
Why are the Mets so bad and what can they do to become a winner. The fix is so obvious, I am surprised that they haven't done it yet. Fact: Luis Castillo can only hope to walk or slap at the ball. He can't hit. Fact: Marlon Anderson can only hope to walk or slap at the ball. He can't hit. The Mets will lose and keep on losing as long as those two are on the roster. Solution: If I remember correctly, Daniel Murphy was a third baseman in the minors. Put Daniel Murphy at third. Move David Wright to second and use either Tatis or Sheffield in left. Drop both Anderson and Castillo. These guys have "we are has beens" written all over them.
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