MLB FanHouse

The Chris Snyder Video That Will Ruin Your Day

Eamonn Brennan — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Injuries, MLB Video

We already told you about Chris Snyder's "broken testicle" (*shudder*), but why stop there? Why just describe the pain when you can actually see the man suffer it in front of thousands of slightly disinterested baseball fans?

Phew. Glad that's over. Wait -- wait. They're showing the replay? No! NO! DON'T DO --

I think I just passed out.

(Thanks, I think: Awful Announcing)

The Chris Snyder Video That Will Ruin Your Day originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chris Snyder Has the Sympathy of Every Man on the Planet

Josh Alper — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Injuries

It's not been a good year for the groins of baseball players. Before the season even started we saw Felix Pie miss time with a twisted testicle and, on Monday, a fastball found Jose Molina's jewels. Molina's okay and it would appear he got off easy. On the same night, Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder took a foul tip to the groin. He went on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with a fractured left testicle.

I know what you're thinking, one of the things anyway, how can you fracture something that isn't a bone? Fairly easily, it seems.

Each testicle is surrounded by the tunica albuginea, a tough, fibrous covering that often takes the hit of trauma to the gland. Like the shell of an egg, it can be easily "fractured" or shattered when confronted by a blunt or violent force.

Kaz Matsui's anal fissures never sounded so good. We'll take a brief pause at this time to allow our male readers to take a deep breath and thank the heavens that they aren't Chris Snyder this morning.

And we're back! Snyder will have surgery to repair the injured testicle today and is, shockingly, not expected to miss much time. The D-Backs expect to have him back after the All-Star Game. I expect to stop grimacing in pain at the thought sometime this afternoon.

Chris Snyder Has the Sympathy of Every Man on the Planet originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interleague Baseball is Boring: Diamondbacks-Red Sox Live Blog

Jon Bois — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:02:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Phoenix, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, MLB Live Blogging, The Dugout

Baseball is America's pastime, but had our forefathers enjoyed the modern conveniences of clocks, ball pumps, or haste, this pastime may well have been basketball or football. Instead, they had wood, leather, and a rudderless disposition. Baseball is Boring is a series of live blogs for folks who need irony and self-awareness to get through a game.

Check out Jonathan Papelbon up there. What are screams but angry yawns?

When first instituted a decade ago, interleague baseball was fun. Before 1997, the only regular-season interleague baseball existed as fan fiction in my Trapper Keeper, and usually involved Bo Jackson catching a line drive from Barry Larkin and running up a wall to high-five the black guy from DC Talk. But today, the interleague thrill is gone. Proponents of the rule argue that they allow fans to see teams and players they otherwise wouldn't at the ballpark, but I don't live in a baseball city, and those people can go fly a kite.

Diamondbacks and Red Sox, at Fenway, after the jump.THE ESSENTIALS
The Diamondbacks (39-37) start Dan Haren (7-4, 3.26 ERA).
The Red Sox (47-31) start Josh Beckett (7-4, 3.87 ERA).

ANALYSIS
Pop open a third bottle of bubbly.
Yeah, and I take that bottle of champagne,
Go into the kitchen, stand in front of the kitchen window,
And I take all my clothes off, take that bottle of champagne,
And I pour it on my head, feel it cascade through my hair,
And across my chest, and the phone rings.
And it's my mother.
And she says "HI HONEY HOW'S BOSTON?"

- "The Ice of Boston", The Dismemberment Plan

PREDICTION
Red Sox 5, Diamondbacks 4.

QUICK NOTE ABOUT THIS LIVE BLOG
From here forth, my banal and worthless commentary can be read in the box below. It updates much like a one-way instant messenger conversation does, which means you do not need to keep refreshing the page. Feel free to comment in the box at the bottom -- if your sentiment is funny or poorly-informed enough, I may just post it in the blog. Enjoy!

Interleague Baseball is Boring: Diamondbacks-Red Sox Live Blog originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Welcome Home, Jerry Manuel

Josh Alper — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Atlanta, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, Red Sox, Mariners, Braves, Mets, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Milwaukee

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

Seattle Mariners (26-49) at New York Mets (37-37) - 7:10 PM ET

It's a great pitching matchup - Felix Hernandez vs. Johan Santana - but that's not why this game leads off our list of Monday baseball. No, it's because Jerry Manuel will be managing his first home game at Shea Stadium since taking over for Willie Randolph. The nature of that dismissal has been debated to death in New York since then but it will still be interesting to see how the hometown faithful react in their first look at the team since Black early Tuesday morning. Manuel's fertilizer comments, which seem like little more than a tabloid trying to make a stink where none exists, could also play a role in how he's greeted. If Santana pitches well, and no reason he shouldn't against the Mariners, it should all end up as a lovefest by the end of the night.

Arizona Diamondbacks (39-37) at Boston Red Sox (47-31) - 7:05 PM ET

Just what the slumping Diamondbacks don't need to snap their bats to life, a trip to Fenway and Josh Beckett staring them in the face. They've scored more than three runs just once in their last nine games and scored but six runs while getting swept by the Twins over the weekend. Luckily have Dan Haren throwing for them tonight. The Diamondbacks have won his last four starts but it's easy to see that streak coming to an end if their hitters don't start pulling their weight.

Milwaukee Brewers (41-34) at Atlanta Braves (38-39) - 7:10 PM ET

The latest round in the battle for the eternal soul of Milwaukee baseball sees the two combatants heading in very different directions. The Braves have lost 10 of their last 16 while the Brewers have saved their season with a 21-10 since the middle of May. Ben Sheets has been a big part of the recent good play. He's 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA in his last six starts. His chances of extending that run get a boost with word that Chipper Jones will miss a third straight start thanks to injured quadriceps.

Everyone else:

Angels at Nationals - 7:10 PM ET
Rockies at Royals - 8:10 PM ET

On Deck: Welcome Home, Jerry Manuel originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Party Like It's 1976

Mullet — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Yankees, Twins, Angels, Phillies, Reds, Diamondbacks, Cincinnati

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

Cincinnati Reds (35-41) at New York Yankees (40-35) - 1:05 PM ET

A friend of mine ... a Yankee fan no less ... said to me on Friday afternoon that he fully expected the Reds to win two out of three in this series in the Bronx against his Yankees. A pretty amazing statement from a fan of a team who had just won seven in a row. That's how impressed he was of the young pitching the Reds had. Although I think he expected the two wins to be against Edinson Vólquez on Friday, and Johnny Cueto today, and not against minor league call-up Daryl Thompson on Saturday. Instead, the Reds have a chance to sweep the Yankees in the Bronx (just like the Series in '76), ensuring that the Yankees last win over the Reds at Yankee Stadium will forever be Game 1 of the 1961 World Series, before The House That Ruth Built (and The House That Griffey Hates) comes down for good.

Arizona Diamondbacks (39-36) at Minnesota Twins (39-36) - 2:10 PM ET

Sometime in the last couple of days, Brandon Webb decided to put talks for a contract extension on hold. Although his contract doesn't come up until after 2010, he admitted that the situation "wore on him a little bit". Perhaps it had something to do with his last two starts being not so good, including a stinker of an outing against Oakland on Tuesday (seven runs and five walks in three and 1/3 innings in a 15-1 loss). Certainly not the numbers you would expect a recent Cy Young winner to put up. And now that he is of clear mind, the Twins might be in a pickle today.

L.A. Angels of Anaheim (40-35) at Philadelphia Phillies (42-34) - 1:35 PM ET

Speaking of clear mind, Chase Utley hopes to have a clear mind today after being given his first day off of the season by Charlie Manuel. Utley probably needed it after hitting .158 in his past 15 games and going 0 for his last 23. As Chase has gone, the Phillies have gone ... as they're 1-6 in their last seven games, and have only scored seven runs in their last four games. This from the team who made a regular occurrence of scoring at least seven in one game. They try to get well against Jered Weaver (6-7, 4.73) and avoid an Angels sweep as they send Cole Hamels (7-4, 3.23) to the hill.

Everyone else:

Mariners at Braves 1:35 ET
Rangers at Nationals 1:35 ET
Cardinals at Red Sox 1:35 ET
Blue Jays at Pirates 1:35 ET
Astros at Rays 1:40 ET
Orioles at Brewers 2:05 ET
Giants at Royals 2:05 ET
Mets at Rockies 3:05 ET
Marlins at Athletics 4:05 ET
Tigers at Padres 4:05 ET
Indians at Dodgers 4:10 ET
White Sox at Cubs 8:05 ET

On Deck: Party Like It's 1976 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Haren Likes Arizona and Wouldn't Mind Staying There For a While

Tom Fornelli — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:10:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Gossip

This last offseason was a rare one in baseball, as we saw three teams trade their aces to another team for prospects. The Twins sent Johan Santana to the Mets, Baltimore sent Erik Bedard northwest to Seattle, and the Athletics traded Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks.

To pry Haren away from the A's, Arizona basically had to send it's entire farm system to Oakland and pay for a vacation for Billy Beane to take his family to see the Grand Canyon. While the Athletics are enjoying what they've gotten in return from Arizona so far in the deal, Haren has enjoyed his time in Arizona as well. In fact, he'd like to stay there for a while.

"Hopefully I'll be here a long time," he said. "I liked it in Oakland, and, you know, I love it here."

He said he and the Diamondbacks discussed a contract extension earlier in the season but "it kind of broke off." He said the experience of negotiating an in-season extension while with Oakland wasn't ideal - "There's so much to think about during the daily grind, anything more is just too much," he said - but didn't rule out the idea that talks could rekindle this season.

"If it's something we revisit in the off-season, then it's that," Haren said. "If it's something that can be moved on quickly during the year, I'm sure we'd be good."

While I don't think anything will get done during the season, I fully expect the Diamondbacks to sign Haren to an extension in the offseason. Keeping him in a rotation with Brandon Webb along with all the young talent in the Diamondbacks lineup would probably go a long way in ensuring that the Diamondbacks stay atop the NL West for years to come.

Dan Haren Likes Arizona and Wouldn't Mind Staying There For a While originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saber Bomb: Using Pitch FX to Analyze Randy Johnson's Velocity

Pat Lackey — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:18:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, AL West

Saber Bombs are MLB FanHouse's introduction to sabermetrics, those new and sometimes unwieldy metrics that are changing the way we think about baseball

If you're even a semi-ardent baseball fan, chances are good that you've seen MLB.com's new Gameday feature this year, which gives an incredible and detailed synopsis of the action on the field. The most interesting byproduct of the new Gameday is that Pitch FX data is now available to the general public for every pitch throw. If you're unfamiliar, Pitch FX measures the speed of each pitch in two places (at the release point and as it crosses the plate), as well as horizontal and vertical break. Many people see this wealth of information as the next frontier of sabermetrics, because it allows more detailed analysis than ever of each pitcher's start.

Earlier today, Brinson already told you about Nick Piecoro using Pitch FX to analyze Brandon Webb's "dead arm." Spurred on by that and Bob Melvin's claim of Randy Johnson's fastball being fine, despite radar gun reports, I decided to dig into Dan Brooks' Pitch FX tool to see if Melvin was right about the Unit. Follow along after the jump, and I'll show you how I answered the question.

I've been using Dan Brooks' Pitch FX tool to dig up data on pitchers. All you need to know is the day of the game and the pitcher's name and you've got everything at your fingertips. This question is a fairly simplistic one, but you can see from the log of Johnson's game on Saturday that Brooks' site generates charts that tell you just about everything you need to know about the start. The question, though, is fastball velocity. The gun on the scoreboard said 87-88, while Melvin said he was averaging 91 and hitting 94.
The green dots are fastballs, though using some of the other charts, I'd guess that only the ones showing up on the top right of this graph are four-seamers, which is the pitch in question (Pitch FX is not perfect with typing pitches). You can see that most of Johnson's fastballs were above 88 mph and probably half of them were over 90 mph. If we grab the raw data out of Dan's site and run the numbers on it, we get an average fastball speed of 90.4 mph (right in line with his average for the season) with a top speed of 92.7 mph on the start. That's pretty much in line with Melvin's claims, even if Johnson did dip down to around 88 or 89 several times during the game. He's clearly not the Big Unit of old, but you don't need Pitch FX to tell you that.

Saber Bomb: Using Pitch FX to Analyze Randy Johnson's Velocity originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chase Field Radar Gun to Blame for Randy Johnson's Decreased Velocity, Apparently

Will Brinson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Rumors

Randy Johnson is 44 years old. Decreased velocity on his face melter of a fastball is kind of part of the gig, at least as it pertains to getting older. So who else are you gonna blame outside of Mother Nature when the Unit's speed dips another notch or two as he heads into his later years?

Because just chalking it up to age would be too simple, Bob Melvin is apparently going to blame the radar gun at Chase Field.

'Our in-game gun was off,' Melvin said. 'I'm looking up and seeing 87 and 88 [mph readings] throughout the game, and we had him catching 94 and averaging 91 on our gun. I don't want to say that it plays into it psychologically, but the pitcher can't help but look up there.'

Please bear in mind that Unit got straight lit for seven earned runs and 10 hits in less than five innings, so there's a reason behind the psychological justification here.

There's also the possibility that Melvin is just right about this; he stated that this happens in other parks and that usually the Chase Field gun is "pretty consistent". Of course, if it was, wouldn't the Snakes have seen this before? And also, this can apparently happen in a lefty v. lefty situation, but that seems like it would have been noticed with Johnson on the hill before too.

It's all very odd, especially when there's factual evidence that Brandon Webb, also showing signs of a dead arm, doesn't actually have decreased velocity. Then you add in the fact that radar guns at home parks are almost never under the home pitcher's speed, coupled with Johnson's age, and things seem a little shaky.

Chase Field Radar Gun to Blame for Randy Johnson's Decreased Velocity, Apparently originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brandon Webb's Dead Arm Means Less Sink

Will Brinson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Injuries, MLB Media Watch

This right here, meaning this article in the Arizona Republic's D-backs blog, is why I really enjoy Nick Piecoro's work. Piercoro is obviously concerned with the well being of Brandon Webb; he is after all the best pitcher on the Snakes staff. Piecoro is also a "stats guy" if my broad brush doesn't offend you. So when he and the AZ Central staff go about investigating Webb's recent struggles, it gets pretty cool.

At our request, researcher Eric Seidman dug through MLB's Pitch-f/x data, looking at all of Webb's starts to see if there was any evidence of a decline in Webb's stuff. He found some.

[...]Seidman says sinkerball pitchers want low vertical movement and lots of horizontal movement. Clearly, after Webb's ninth start (May 15 vs. Colorado), he went from consistently getting about 10 or 11 inches of horizontal movement to getting between 5 and 8 inches.

So even though the velocity hasn't changed much except for his most recent start, he's throwing with less overall sink.

Check the link above for the actual change in the vertical and horizontal numbers, but it seems pretty clear that the evidence points towards Webb's "dead arm" that was previously mentioned. He's not throwing the ball with any less speed (meaning an injury seems unlikely) but the ball simply isn't jumping the way it normally would.

It's a fascinating way to look at the mini-evolution of a pitcher of a short period of the season; it's also one of the most ridiculously practical and helpful of the "crazy" stat functions that are so often maligned by the older media.

Brandon Webb's Dead Arm Means Less Sink originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Unit Will Put You on a Stretcher, Doug

Will Brinson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Gossip

Baseball fights rule. We all know that. Usually though, they're not simply a result of a batter taking too long. But that was the case last night, as Doug Mientkiewicz teed off Randy Johnson by taking too long in the batter's box.

Basically, Doug (we're not friends, I'm just trying to save my CTRL button) stepped out of the batter's box as Johnson was winding up. This angered the tall, mulletted gentlemen who has killed small animals with baseballs before. (Shocking, I know.) And the result was an empyting of dugouts sans any actual violence. Unless you count the words. They were kind of violent, even later on (emph. mine).

'It didn't really bother me at all,' Johnson said. 'If it would have, he'd probably be in a stretcher and I'd be out of the game.'

[...]Said Mientkiewicz: 'I just wanted to get set in the box. I don't get many at-bats, and I want to make the most of them. But I also understand that he's going through the delivery there.'

That is so sad on so many levels. First of all, poor Doug and the only so many at bats statement. Sheesh. And Unit just comes off as psychotic at this point, since, you know, he basically said he would send Mientkiewicz to the hospital if he ever angered the tall fella.

Or maybe the Pirates knew this would knock Unit off of his game just threw Doug to the wolves. Either way, the lesson, as always, is not to do anything that would cause you to get in the way of Randy Johnson's fastball.

Big Unit Will Put You on a Stretcher, Doug originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet the NL West Draft Picks

Mullet — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:30:00 EST

Filed under: Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, San Diego, San Francisco

Now that the exciting action of MLB's amateur draft has completed it's first round, it's time to take a look at our country's next millionaires. Find out which team drafted the son of the former offensive lineman pictured here and peruse our quick glance at the NL West first round selections.

San Francisco Giants (5) Gerald "Buster" Posey, Catcher, Florida State: Posey was supposed to go number one to Tampa Bay, but a little matter of money nudged the Rays off the scent, and Buster Posey went to the other side of the country to join the San Francisco Giants. Posey's asking price of $12 million wasn't enough to scare the Giants off ... although $12 million has to be nothing to a team who's paying Barry Zito a gazillion dollars to go 1-9 for them. Posey has only been a catcher for two seasons after converting from shortstop, but has been a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award as the nation's best collegiate catcher.

Los Angeles Dodgers (15) Ethan Martin, RHP, Stephens County School, (GA): Scouts took note of Martin after his performance in the LaGrange Invitational, where he struck out 12 hitters and gave up four hits in a 6-4 Stephens County win over American Heritage ... a game where Martin hit 99 on the gun four times. Martin can also get hitters out with a power breaking ball and a splitter. Here's your Ethan Martin oddity: Remember that incident where the pitcher and catcher conspired to hit the home plate umpire in the face with the pitch? The pitcher was Cody Martin ... Ethan's brother. Ethan played in that game at shortstop, and had vehemently argued with that umpire after striking out, which came just before the incident.

San Diego Padres (23) Allan Dykstra, First base, Wake Forest: Dykstra is a huge, huge man at 6'5" 240, who put up some sick numbers at Wake Forest. Dykstra hit .323 and had an OBP of .515 this past season at Wake with an incredible 62 walks. He did also strike out 45 times in his 186 official at-bats (can anyone say Adam Dunn?) But the Pods are intrigued by his power potential in the spacious Petco Park (and for a team that is scoring-challenged like the Padres are, why wouldn't they be?) By the way, Dykstra has no relation to former Met and Phillie Lenny Dykstra. Lenny's son is actually Cutter Dykstra, who went to the Brewers in the second round.

Colorado Rockies (25) Christian Friedrich, LHP, Eastern Kentucky: Friedrich put up nice numbers during the previous season at EKU, going 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA in ten games while opponents batted .142 against him. Friedrich is a soft tosser who scouts compare to Angels lefty Joe Saunders, but those scouts also noticed some control issues to go along with four pitches that project to be average. Average pitches + Coors Field = disaster, so good luck Christian.

Arizona Diamondbacks (26) Daniel Schlereth, LHP, Arizona: By now you've probably figured out that this is the player related to the man in the above picture: former Broncos and Redskins OL (and current television personality) Mark Schlereth. No wonder that scouts noticed a football mentality in the lefty reliever that they compare to J.C. Romero of the Phillies. Schlereth had 76 K's in 54 and 2/3's innings in relief for U of A and batters hit at a .163 clip off of him. Schlereth has already had Tommy John surgery in high school, so you can either worry about his long term health or be glad that he got it out of the way.

Meet the NL West Draft Picks originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Randy Johnson Passes Roger Clemens on the All-Time Strikeout List

Pat Lackey — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:13:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Milestones

Randy Johnson is a freak. I mean that in the best way possible, of course, because it's hard to think of a pitcher that's ever had his career come together after the age of 30 the way Johnson's has. He didn't even receive a Cy Young vote before the age of 29, generally the point that most people peak in their career. With that 29th birthday, Johnson found the strike zone and went from a tall gawky guy with a mullet to one of the greatest pitchers of all time and now he's still going strong at 44.

Fittingly, Randy Johnson's career apparently has one last resurrection in it. After struggling with a serious back injury last season that threatened his career (I mean, he is 44 years old) Johnson's decided to make one more go at it with the Diamondbacks this year. Of course, because he's Randy Johnson his one last go is a rather impressive one and with eight strikeouts tonight, he's re-passed Roger Clemens for second place on the all-time strikeout list, bringing his total to 4,680.

For a league looking to distance itself from it's recent sullied history (have you seen the "600 Club" commercials that feature Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays but not Barry Bonds or Sammy Sosa?) having the lanky Johnson pass the tainted Clemens is just what the doctor ordered. I mean, who doesn't like Randy Johnson? I know I'm rooting for him to pick up the twelve wins he needs for 300. He might never catch Nolan Ryan for #1, but now he's got the second most strikeouts ever to go with the best haircut and most awkward nickname in league history. Congratulations, big guy.

Randy Johnson Passes Roger Clemens on the All-Time Strikeout List originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Mullet — Sat, 31 May 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago, Denver, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Washington, DC, Marlins, Phillies, Nationals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rockies

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

Florida Marlins (30-23) at Philadelphia Phillies (32-24) - 7:05 PM ET

Last night, the Phillies took over first place in the East over the surprising Marlins by giving them the proverbial thumping of 12-3. It's not that the Marlins have been that bad over this recent stretch ... they did sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks at home, after all. But the Phillies have been scorching hot during an 8-2 run which has seen Chase Utley make President George W. Bush look pretty smart.

Utley has 15 RBI's in his last five games, a stretch where Phillies scored 60 runs. That's the kind of steamrolling that an upstart team like the Marlins can really do nothing about. Starting today, with Ricky Nolasco going to the mound to face Cole Hamels, the Fish are going to have to start to figure out how to stay in this race, and not get discouraged over the fact that they're now out of the lead. With Philly, Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Philly again coming up on the schedule, this is a key time for the Marlins.

Colorado Rockies (20-35) at Chicago Cubs (34-21) - 1:05 PM ET

So when I realized that there was an afternoon game on the tube, I flipped on the Rockies and the Cubs, and Colorado was up 9-1. I'm thinking "great, I missed all the action already and now I'm in for three innings of a whole lot of nothing". What I saw instead was the Chicago Cubs officially take their place as the big dogs of the National League. When you come back from eight runs down to win a game, with major contributions from Jim Edmonds, who was not only thought to be done (with ample reason), but was implored upon (begged?) to hit some more by his manager, you know you've got something pretty magical happening. If they keep this up, get ready for a whole summer of Leon Durham, billy goats, and Steve Bartman talk.

Washington Nationals (24-32) at Arizona Diamondbacks (30-25) - 8:10 PM ET

Yeah ... so, what's going on with the Diamondbacks? They were America's hot new team with Starting Rotation 2.0(C), and the hot young stars that all the cool kids wanted to be like. But since May 20th, they're 2-9 which includes sweeps in Florida, and at home against the Giants. They lost another one to the Nationals last night and all of a sudden, this team is in a little bit of a funk. Luckily, the Dodgers are similarly struggling, and the bottom half of the division is still miles away, so the D'Backs have picked a good time to go south. Tonight, they depend on Brandon Webb ... who started out 9-0 but since lost to the Marlins and Braves ... to dig them out of the little mini-hole they've created.

Everyone else:

Tigers at Mariners 3:55 ET
Dodgers at Mets 3:55 ET
Braves at Reds 3:55 ET
Padres at Giants 4:05 ET
White Sox at Rays 6:10 ET
Astros at Brewers 7:05 ET
Red Sox at Orioles 7:05 ET
Yankees at Twins 7:10 ET
Indians at Royals 7:10 ET
Pirates at Cardinals 7:15 ET
Athletics at Rangers 8:05 ET
Blue Jays at Angels 9:05 ET

On Deck: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 31 May 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Love of the Game

Mullet — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Giants, San Francisco

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

Arizona Diamondbacks (28-19) at Atlanta Braves (26-21) - 7:35 PM ET

This is a game where you can forget the records. Forget the place in the standings. And for Arizona, you can even forget the fact that they just came from Miami where they were swept by the Florida Marlins. Because tonight, Doug Davis returns to the mound for the Snakes. Davis, you remember, was the guy that found out he had thyroid cancer, yet still made his next two starts for Arizona before going in for surgery (and returned to the dugout mere days after the surgery). If there is a more accurate definition for the term "love of the game" than that, I'd like to see it. You hear all the time about life putting baseball in perspective. Davis grabbed cancer by the throat and used baseball to put life in perspective. I don't know how you don't root for a guy like that.
San Francisco Giants (19-29) at Florida Marlins (27-19) - 7:10 PM ET

Barry Zito's season is a train wreck. He's been a train wreck all season, but now at 0-8, he becomes one of those train wrecks that people aren't going to be able to look away from too much longer. It's an embarrassment for somebody who is being paid the amount of money he's being paid ($14 million this season or ... just under 2/3's the salary of the entire Marlins roster). Even a .500 record for Zito would have the Giants on the fringe of the race for the N.L. West crown. But imagine the growing pressure on Zito if he goes to 0-11 ... 0-12 ... 0-13 ... luckily for Zito, he's not even one-third of the way towards Anthony Young's record of 27 straight decisions that begin with "L".

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (28-21) at Chicago White Sox (26-20) - 8:11 PM ET

Maybe the White Sox hired Carlton Fisk as an ambassador to try to pry Chone Figgins out of Los Angeles ... er, of Anaheim. Hey, why not? Figgins just returned from the disabled list last night, and has posted some good numbers this season with a .306 average and a .423 OBP, so Figgins gets on base often enough not to worry about having to steal first base. It's something the White Sox will have to think about as they take on the Angels in this (drum roll) battle of division leaders. (I just got chills saying that.) The pitching matchup isn't exactly chopped liver either, with the 7-1 Joe Saunders going against Gavin Floyd.

Everyone else:

Cubs at Pirates 7:05 ET
Twins at Tigers 7:05 ET
Mariners at Yankees 7:05 ET
Rangers at Indians 7:05 ET
Royals at Blue Jays 7:07 ET
Orioles at Rays 7:10 ET
Brewers at Nationals 7:35 ET
Phillies at Astros 8:10 ET
Mets at Rockies 9:05 ET
Reds at Padres 10:05 ET
Red Sox at Athletics 10:05 ET
Cardinals at Dodgers 10:40 ET

On Deck: Love of the Game originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 23 May 2008 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brandon Webb's Shot at 30 Wins

Will Brinson — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Gambling, MLB Milestones

Brandon Webb goes for what would be a major league leading nine wins tonight at home against the Colorado Rockies. First of all, nine wins on May 15 would be absolutely insane. As it stands today though, regardless of the outcome, he is on pace for a 30+ win season. Obviously that's not possible.

Well, actually, it's possible. But it is certainly unlikely. Vegas Watch did the math on the possibility that Webb gets 30 wins this season. Bear in mind that is something that was done a lot back in the day (147 times before 1920). However, it's only been pulled off three times since 1920, the latest by Denny McLain, with 31 wins in 1968.

So clearly it's rare. But VW points out that he has two things going on this year -- as opposed to say, 2006, -- that could help him in his historical (kind of luck based) quest.

The first is that this year he's gone 8-0 in 8 starts, while two years ago it took him 11 to reach that mark. This means, assuming he makes 34 starts, he's "on pace" to go 34-0, rather than 25-0. More relevantly, he has 8 wins with 26 starts left, rather than with 23.

The second is Arizona's offense. In '06, they averaged 4.77 R/G. So far this year they've scored 216 runs in 39 games, which works out to 5.54 R/G. They are unlikely to keep up that pace, but the offense is certainly better than it has been in years past. PECOTA had them at 5.07 R/G before the season started, and AEQR has them at 5.03 R/G so far. So, going forward, PECOTA's 5.07 is probably as good a guess as any.

The second, to me, makes the biggest difference. If you've followed Webb's starts this year, you'll see that he has "struggled" at times, but the D-back offense bailed him out. Still, they can mash all they want, but don't expect to see Webb notching 30 dubyas.

Jacob has him picking up 20 wins clocking in at an 89.1% chance, and there's a 52.3% probability he picks up 23 wins, which is pretty crazy in and of itself. (Not quite as crazy as only getting 4.3:1 as real odds of him picking up 25 wins.) The odds of getting thirty though? Not so good, at a mere 0.2% probability, or 453:1. In other words, it would not behoove you to gamble on it happening, should the odds arise. Just don't tell tell John Kruk it's as hard as it sounds.

Brandon Webb's Shot at 30 Wins originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 15 May 2008 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Does Anybody Want to Be a Closer?

Mullet — Sun, 11 May 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, White Sox, Mariners, Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, St. Louis, Milwaukee

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

St. Louis Cardinals (23-15) at Milwaukee Brewers (17-19) - 2:05 PM ET

Milwaukee, already known for its consumption of beer and brats, has been the Tums capital of America this weekend. First, Jason Isringhausen blew a save on Friday after having the Brewers at two outs and nobody on in the ninth inning ... which led to Jason being demoted from the closers role. Then the very next day, there was Eric Gagne blowing yet another save, which was Gagne's ... oh I've lost count this season, how many blown saves is that? Gotta be between 50 and 80 (actually, he only blew a tie game in the ninth, but Gagne did get the loss). And that led Gagne to muse that maybe he should go the same path as Isringhausen. So can anybody here close today's game? Hey, at least extra innings will be fun.

Arizona Diamondbacks (23-14) at Chicago Cubs (21-15) - 2:20 PM ET

During last season's NLDS, Lou Piniella famously pulled Carlos Zambrano after six innings after striking out eight and giving up only one run during the 1-1 tie in an effort to save him for a possible Game 4. Instead, the Cubs were swept by Arizona, and the only Diamondback game that Piniella could now save Zambrano (5-1, 1.80) for takes place today, as he goes against Randy Johnson (2-1, 5.06) in a matchup that'll make Diamondback announcer Mark Grace yell "gas!" about 100 times during the game. If that's your idea of fun, then this is the game you want to flip to.

Chicago White Sox (18-17) at Seattle Mariners (14-24) - 4:10 PM ET

All right, I see Ozzie Guillen steaming in the corner thinking "oh great ... mention the Cubs in the On Deck while Chicago's b**** gets the shaft again". Not so, Ozzie, because your team is tied for first place after winning four of your last five, so you make the cut. Some may say this latest hot streak was spurred on by some plastic sex dolls. But it really started with Gavin Floyd's near no-hitter on Tuesday. In any event, the Sox are hot, so you'll want to find out what Floyd will do for an encore ... or what nutty, kooky thing Guillen will say next.. As for Seattle, they're surprisingly terrible ... and not surprisingly frustrated. And they'll be without Richie Sexson, currently serving a five game suspension for his frustration.

Everyone else:

Blue Jays at Indians 1:05 ET
Yankees at Tigers 1:05 ET
Reds at Mets 1:10 ET
Braves at Pirates 1:35 ET
Marlins at Nationals 1:35 ET
Angels at Rays 1:40 ET
Orioles at Royals 2:10 ET
Athletics at Rangers 3:05 ET
Rockies at Padres 4:05 ET
Phillies at Giants 4:05 ET
Astros at Dodgers 4:10 ET
Red Sox at Twins 8:05 ET

On Deck: Does Anybody Want to Be a Closer? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 11 May 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doug Davis Beats Cancer, Resumes Pitching

Matt Watson — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:03:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Injuries

This is just a great story: Doug Davis, who underwent surgery on April 10 after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, has been declared cancer-free after a CT scan on Thursday revealed that the disease had not spread.

In fact, he's feeling so good right now that he's expected to make a minor league rehab start with Triple-A Tucson on Saturday. After that, he'll probably need just one more start in the minors before coming off the disabled list and returning to the majors.

It should come as no surprise that he's making such a quick recovery; this is the same guy who kept it together mentally after learning of his diagnosis to get through spring training without skipping a beat, and then visited his teammates in the clubhouse to show off his scar just days after the operation. They just don't get much tougher than this.

(via Bugs & Cranks)

Doug Davis Beats Cancer, Resumes Pitching originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 09 May 2008 11:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brandon Webb and Diamondbacks Working on a Contract Extension

Will Brinson — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:20:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Rumors, MLB Biz

When you have the (arguably) best pitcher in baseball, sitting at 7-0, and winning even when he doesn't have his best stuff, you want to lock him up for as long as you can. Well, actually, you want extend him until about his mid to early 30's at a decent price. Which is what the Diamondbacks are trying to do with Brandon Webb.

Webb is currently signed through 2009 and the Diamondbacks hold the option for 2010, but keeping him locked up through, say, 2012 will save the club some money in the long run. And keep their ace pitcher from leaving over the next four to five years.They tried to tack on three more years during the offseason, but Webb wasn't biting on any lowballs. Apparently, the Snakes are making friendlier offers this time around.

'Yeah, some progress has been made,' Webb said. 'We've been talking a little bit more. We've made some headway. We'll see where it goes.'
Webb did not want to comment beyond that, declining to go into specifics.

Similarly, Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes and Webb's agent, Jonathan Maurer, declined comment.

It's hard to imagine that Webb would want to go anywhere other than Arizona, given all the talent they should/will have through at least 2012 as they continue to develop the farm system and lock up the younger players. Not to mention, they're willing to compensate him well.

On the other hand though, they will probably have to make sure that he receives at least as much money as Jake Peavy in order to lock him up. Peavy is Webb's main competition for best pitcher, certainly in the NL West, and maybe in the majors. He also makes just about $17.3 million a year. Webb made only $4.5 last season. In other words, the Diamondbacks better be prepared to fork over some cheddar.

Brandon Webb and Diamondbacks Working on a Contract Extension originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 08 May 2008 14:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shane Victorino and Conor Jackson Got Friendly At First Base

PostmanR — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:07:00 EST

Filed under: Philadelphia, Phoenix, Phillies, Diamondbacks, NL East, NL West, MLB Video

My favorite rule in baseball? The dropped third strike. Even if you completely swing and miss at a horrible pitch -- or maybe a good pitch -- there's still a chance for redemption. Hey ook: I struck out but I'm still on first base! (A.J. Pierzynski remembers this well.)

But, as the above clip between Shane Victorino and Conor Jackson shows, sometimes the angle of a throw from the catcher ends up causing a bit of a ruckus at first base. Victorino stayed in the game and ended up scoring that inning. Jackson wasn't feeling too pretty after the game.

But yeah: ouch.

HT: The 700 Level.

Shane Victorino and Conor Jackson Got Friendly At First Base originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 08 May 2008 11:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scherzer's First Start May Be One of His Last

Matt Watson — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West

All indications point to uber-prospect Max Scherzer being "the next big thing," but the Diamondbacks are determined to temper their enthusiasm and use him with restraint. From Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic:

Rookie Max Scherzer will make his first major-league start Monday night and perhaps two or three more after that before left-hander Doug Davis figures to be ready to come off the disabled list.

Barring other developments, that likely would mean Scherzer's time in the rotation would be up. As far as his development goes, that might not be such a bad thing.

"I think potentially a good byproduct of that is keeping Max's innings in check as we get him through the season," General Manager Josh Byrnes said.

Teams generally want pitching prospects to avoid a big innings spike from one year to the next, and considering Scherzer pitched only 119 innings between the minors and the Arizona Fall League last year, there's not a lot of wiggle room when it comes to keeping him in the rotation and still having him available for the stretch run and playoffs.

If he's used as a spot-starter/reliever, though, he could theoretically be available to help the team 2-3 times a week from now through the rest of the season. It's not an unusual problem: the Yankees have spent the past year trying to figure out how to do this with Joba Chamberlain, and the Dodgers are doing the same thing with Clayton Kershaw. One thing is sure, though; these kids are dripping with talent, and no matter what role they're used in, they're going to help their team.

Scherzer's First Start May Be One of His Last originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 05 May 2008 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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