Updating the Trades

Its been a couple of weeks since we checked on the Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard trades.

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	OPS
Tejada	191	39	65	15	2	5	35	8	.891
Scott	129	14	35	11	0	4	16	14	.799

	G	IP	W	L	K	ERA	WHIP
Albers	16	30.1	2	1	17	2.08	0.989
Sarfate	18	19.0	2	1	22	3.79	1.632

To the Mariners

	G	IP	W	L	Sv	K	ERA	WHIP
Bedard	7	41.2	3	2	0	37	3.24	1.224

To the Orioles

	G	IP	W	L	Sv	K	ERA	WHIP
Sherrill	21	21.0	1	0	17	16	3.43	1.095
Mickolio(AA)	15	24.1	0	1	1	22	4.07	1.480
Tillman (AA)	9	42.1	5	0	0	20	2.76	1.181
Butler (A)	7	34.0	1	2	0	26	3.97	1.294

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	OPS
Jones	155	16	40	9	2	2	15	4	.682

Tejada's power number have dropped considerably since we last looked at the trade. His OPS has fallen back under .900. While he is hitting a cool .340, his low walk and homerun totals are keeping his OPS lower than we might think. Luke Scott, despite fewer at bats and much less eye-catching hitting stats still has a 6 BB lead on Tejada. That in and of itself doesn't mean much except that Scott has an offensive game that, at least through 2 months of the season, appears very well suited to the production of runs.

George Sherrill is making the most of his first season as a major league closer. The blog-o-sphere over Baltimore is already beginning to fill with grand strategies to trade Sherrill in July for a king's ransom. Such talk is mis-guided. Part of the process of rebuilding a team is knowing when a player on your squad is a rare commodity (a solid lefty late-inning reliever, for instance) who fits into your long-term goals. If 2010 is the Orioles goal for contending, Sherrill could certainly contribute to that cause.

One final note on Tony Butler. His performance so far in Class A Delmarva has been good but not dazzling by any means. However, one statistic in his pitching line screams for attention: a 26:5 SO to BB ratio. For every walk Butler issues, he fans 5.2 opposing hitters. Impressive.

Not if you do it colorfully...

In the classic movie "Major League" after a local yokel has asked Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn for his autograph, the wise old catcher Jake Taylor and the rookie from the California Penal League have the following conversation:

Taylor: "You're a celebrity now Vaughn."
Vaughn: "I thought you had to do something good to be a celebrity,"
Taylor delivers the punchline: "Not if you do it colorfully."

At Tuesday nights game between the Nationals and the Phillies, I had my first opportunity since the infamous Pujols incident of 2005 to see Brad Lidge take the mound. The Phillies closer was dominant last night. He looked like a professional pitching to little leaguers. Nats batters in the 9th did not have a chance. Only 2 Lidge walks and some clever baserunning by Elijah Dukes created the appearance of 9th inning drama. Felipe Lopez's game-ending feeble roller to chase Utley was the only fair ball the nationals managed to hit in the 9th.

Despite the dominant performance unfolding before my eyes, every look at Lidge, every time i saw his name on the Nationals Park massive HD scoreboard, every time he threw a slider or fans in my section mentioned the slider; I thought of October 17, 2005. The sonic boom when the ball hit the bat, Lidge's immediate imitation of a cold war-war duck-and-cover posture on the mound, and the sight of that ball flying into the night are all just too vivid of images to be easily forgotten.

Lidge is having an all-star caliber season in 2008. His performance thus far is making Phillies GM Pat Gillick look like a genius. But, for this baseball fan, the name Lidge has joined the ranks of ballplayers who are sadly defined by their darkest hour.

There are the usual names of baseball goats which ESPN, Sports Illustrated, FSN, and other sports-oriented publications and networks will never let fans forget: Bill Buckner, Fred Merkle, Fred Snodgrass, Ralph Branca, Mitch Williams. More detailed lists will include Donnie Moore, Ralph Terry, and Mickey Owen. But there are lesser-known fallen heroes who don't usually make a sportsctner top 10 but who, for my money, will always be "the guy who screwed up":

The Top 10

No. 10-- Lonnie Smith. Game 7 1991 World Series. Jack Morris has held the Braves scoreless through 7 innings. Lonnie Smith, the Braves veteran outfielder/world Series DH, led off the inning with a single. With NL Batting champ Terry Pendleton at the plate, Smith took off for second as part of a hit-and-run play. Pendleton laced a double into the gap. As he approached second base, well on his way to scoring a run and breaking the 0-0 deadlock, Smith was duped by a mock double play turn by Twins rookie second baseman Chuck Knoblauch and savvy shortstop Greg Gagne. Slowing down as he approached second, Smith only made it to 3rd on Pendleton's two-bagger. Morris would wiggle out of the inning and the Twins would go on to win the game and the series in the bottom of the 10th.

No. 9-- Jose Canseco. Before their was Jose Canseco: Best-selling author and would-be Nobel Laureate, there was Jose Canseco: Bulky, Slugging outfielder. Known far more for his prowess in the batter's box than his skill in the outfield, Canseco made a habit of turning outs into doubles. On May 26, 1993, while playing rightfield at Municipal Stadium in cleveland, Canseco attempted to track down a deep fly ball off of the bat of Cleveland's Carlos Martinez. Running onto the warning track, Canseco whiffed on his attempt to catch the ball which proceeded to strike the Texas rightfielder in the head and bounce over the wall for a homerun. Click here to view.

No. 8-- Jose Lind. Who? Lind was the stud second baseman of the 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates won the NL East in 1992 before falling behind 3 games to 1 to the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. The Pirates fought back to force a Game 7 in Atlanta. In the deciding game, they led the defending NL Champs 2-0 going into the bottom of the 9th. With no one out and Terry Pendleton on 2nd base, usually sure-handed Lind booted a David Justice grounder. After several walks, a sacrifice fly and a pop-out, Francisco Cabrera lined a 2-out series-winning single to left field. The Pirates have not had a winning season since.

No. 7-- Bob Stanley. With 2 out in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Bob Stanley was summoned from the bullpen to get the series' final out. With Mookie Wilson at bat and runners on 1st and 3rd, Stanley threw a 2-2 pitch "juuuuuussssst a bit inside." Wilson leaped backwards out of the way and the errant pitch sailed past Boston catcher Rich Gedman. Kevin Mitchell raced in from 3rd to tie the game and Ray Knight advanced from 1st to 2nd. 2 pitches later, Wilson hit the infamous "little roller" through the legs of Bill Buckner, Knight scampered home to score, and the series went to a Game 7. If Stanley had done his job, Bill Buckner's name might not now live in infamy.

No. 6-- Chuck Knoblauch. Seven years after he duped Lonnie Smith in the 1991 World Series, Knoblauch, now playing for the Yankees, entered the ranks of the infamous during the 1998 ALCS against the Cleveland Indians. Sports Illustrated commented that Knoblauch "nearly needed a police escort to escape New York" after the Game 2 loss. With a runner on first in the top of the 12th inning of Game 2, the Indians Travis Fryman bunted. Yankee pitcher Jeff Nelson fielded the bunt and fired to first base. The ball struck Fryman and skipped past the covering Knoblauch down the right field line. Rather than chasing the ball as the Indians runners dashed around the bases, Knoblauch stood at 1st base gesturing and arguing with the umpires. Enrique Wilson would score all the way from 1st on the play and the Indians would win the contest 4-1.

No. 5-- Mark Wohlers. The man whose name came up most frequently as Brad Lidge was having post-Pujols troubles. Wohlers was the hard-throwing closer for the Atlanta Braves in 1996. The Braves won the National League East that year, breezed through the Division and Championship series and stole games 1 and 2 of the World Series on the road against the New York Yankees. After dropping game 3 at home in Atlanta, the Braves led game 4 by a score of 6 to 3 when Mark Wohlers surrendered a shocking game-tying homerun to Jim Leyritz. The Yankees would go on to win game 4 in extra innings, take game 5 1-0, and win the world title with a 3-2 triumph in game 6.

No. 4-- Byung-Hyun Kim. The 2001 World Series was not kind to the young closer from South Korea. Like game-tying home runs? Kim was your favorite pitcher for a few nights in late October 2001. The Yankee heroics have often been emphasized, and, given the calamities which had recently struck New York City, its fair to focus on the Yankee side of things. But, the fact is that Kim blew leads on homeruns on back to back nights in the World Series in Yankee Stadium. His team won the series, but, honestly, when you hear Kim's name, does something other than October 2001 come to mind?

No. 3-- Armando Benitez. This is one from which I will never, ever, ever, recover. The 1997 Orioles were wire-to-wire champions of the American League East. The Birds made short work of the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS and breezed to a Game 1 win against Cleveland in the ALCS. Holding a 4-2 lead with 2 outs in the 8th inning of game 2, Orioles set-up man Armando Benitez walked consecutive batters before surrendering a 3-run, momentum turning, heart breaking homerun to Marquis Grissom. From my seat in the right centerfield bleachers at Camden Yards, I had all too clear of a view of Grissom's drive clearing the left-centerfield wall. Benitez would gain greater infamy the following year for a beanball against the Yankees which set off fisticuffs. But, as far as I'm concerned, Game 2 of the 1997 ALCS is the true albatross around Benitez's neck.

No. 2-- Kenny Rogers. 7 years before the pine tar on the pitching hand incident in the World Series, Rogers had a rough go of things in the 1999 NLCS. With the Mets behind in the series 3 games to 2, Bobby Valentine brought Rogers on to pitch the 11th inning of game 6. The veteran left-hander proceeded to surrender a leadoff double. After a sacrifice bunt and two intentional walks, Rogers went 3-2 on Andruw Jones before missing BADLY with the full count offering to walk in the pennant-clinching run. Series over on a walk-off walk. Bobby Valentine was seen on camera slamming his hands on the dugout railing shouting "No No No No!" as the winning run trotted home.

No. 1-- Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez gets the top spot here because Steve Bartman has taken the rap for his miscue. A few batters after the now notorious "Bartman ball," the Cubs led the Marlins by two. The Marlins had runners on first and second with 1 out. Rookie sensation Miguel Cabrera stroked a ground ball towards Cubs shortstop Gonzalez. Double plays do not come any more tailor made. Gonzalez muffed the grounder. No outs were recorded. The inning turned into an implosion and the Marlins would continue the oppression of the Cubs. If Gonzalez fields that ball, Steve Bartman might very well not be a household name.

House Protected Part II

Theres an unfortunate spring tradition in Baltimore. Sometime in late april or early may, the Red Sox come to Baltimore with many thousands of their fans in tow. The results are generally not pretty. Red Sox fans outnumber Orioles fans at Camden Yards for most games and, thanks to the result on the field, the cheers of the Red Sox faithful are 3x more audible than those of their Orioles counterparts.

But, not this year. For 2 glorious days this week, the Orioles and the orange and black patrons of Camden yards stood up and refused to be trodden under the cleats of the defending world champions.

I was there for every pitch.

May 14, 2008

2:30pm-- Late afternoon baseball games in Baltimore create a parking nightmare. After 20 minutes of driving around the greater-Camden Yards area in search of an open parking garage, serious trouble strikes. The temperature gauge on my 2002 Civic spikes and a few ominous puffs of smoke start to sneak out of the hood of the car. Thankfully, a minute later, we find an open parking garage, pull into a space, and shut off the engine. I'm faced with a dilemma: address an obvious vehicular problem now, or, let the engine cool off and deal with it after the game. I opt for the latter.

2:55pm-- I pay my obligatory visit to my grandmother who ushers in the first-base side lower deck. She'll be 83 years old later this summer and her deteriorating driving skills are an on-going family controversy. But, despite vehement protests from most of her children, she still works most Orioles home games. Today, she asks the usual question "Where are you sitting?" I gesture towards the nether-regions of the leftfield upperdeck and grandma responds, "Where would you like to sit?" She tells me to check back with her in a few innings if i'd like to upgrade my seats. I love my family.

3:05pm-- Time for the first pitch and the stadium isn't nearly as full as last night. We settle into seats in left field just in time to see Jacoby Ellsbury beat out a chopper to shortstop for a leadoff single. He promptly steals second and comes around to score on a sharp single to center from Dustin Pedroia. I wonder how Orioles Starter Daniel Cabrera will react to this quick strike by the Sox. He hasn't dealt with adversity against the Sox well in the past. Last year Cabrera buzzed Pedroia causing this bench clearing. Pedroia has since declared, "The guy is an idiot. I was upset they took him out of the game. He is good to hit. He's 9 and 15. The guy [is no good]." What will Cabrera do this time? He induces a David Ortiz double play grounder and then retires Manny Ramirez. 1-0 Boston. Jon Lester requires all of 7 pitches to get the Orioles out in the bottom of the inning.

Inning the Third-- We migrate down to the lower deck. Adam Jones ends Lester's perfect game with a leadoff bunt single. He's left stranded on 2nd base when Brian Roberts strikes out.

Inning the Fourth-- Its beginning to feel alot like a classic Orioles flat offensive effort the day after a big win. Such has been their modus operandi for most of my lifetime. With men on first and second and only 1 out, there is a sign of hope as Millar strokes a deep drive to left. Manny Ramirez dashes back towards the wall and, with everyone in the park expecting the red sox leftfielder to play the flyball into a 2-run double, Manny reaches up, snares the drive, runs into the wall, high-fives a Red Sox fan in the front row, turns and throws to the cutoff man who in turn fires to first to double up Aubrey Huff. From my vantage point, i thought that the ball was a double for sure. I was too busy glaring at Huff, who was almost halfway to third base when he saw Manny catch the ball, trying to scamper back to first base, that i didn't notice Manny's now infamous high-five with the Sox fan. Chance to put up a fight in the game seemingly gone.

Inning the Fifth-- The invading Red Sox fans are getting loud. With 1 out, Jason Varitek launches a fastball into the right-centerfield bleachers. Back to back singles with 2 out bring a coaching visit to the mound. Is this where Cabrera will implode? No. Dustin Pedroia grounds out. A Freddie Bynum double play grounder brings the bottom of the inning to a premature end. The Sox fans can sense a shutout win.

Inning the Sixth-- Things are not getting any better. After retiring Ramirez and Ortiz, Cabrera surrenders another solo homer as Mike Lowell lines a 3-2 pitch into the left field stands. Youkilis follows with a double. Is the implosion now upon us? Again No. Varitek taps out weakly to the orioles right-hander. 3-0 Red Sox. But, unlike what has happened so often in recent years, the Orioles apparently have decided not to roll over and die. According to Dave Trembly "there's still that dilemma out there - is this team going to snap or crack? They're not. These guys will stick together." Backup catcher Guillermo Quiroz singles. Brian Roberts doubles. Runners on 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Jay Payton breaks up the shutout with a groundout. Then Nick Markakis plates Brian Roberts with a single up the middle. Huff and Millar fan to end the inning. 3-2 Red Sox.

Inning the Seventh-- Daniel Cabrera will not be melting down today. A 1-2-3 inning and Camden Yards stands for the afternoon yawn. The crowd belts out "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" before sitting down to witness a Luke Scott popup and an Adam Jones strikeout. Freddie Bynum follows with a sharp grounder towards rightfield which Pedroia smothers on a dive but cannot control. Runner on first. 2 out. Guillermo Quiroz, suddenly running for the title of batting champ, singles to right. Brian Roberts works a walk to load the bases. Then something odd happens. The Red Sox acting manager Brad Mills pulled right handed Craig Hansen in favor of left-handed Hideki Okajima. The right-handed swinging Jay Payton is grateful. Okajima leaves an 0-1 pitch over the middle of the plate and Payton launches a frozen rope line drive into the left field seats. Grand Slam. Let me say that again. Grand Slam. Orioles lead 6-3. The Orioles fans in attendance stand and cheer. Everyone stays standing until Daniel Cabrera emerges from the dugout for a proxy curtain call. When Payton trots out of the dugout for the beginning of the eight inning, another ovation rings through the afternoon air.

Inning the Ninth-- Despite having thrown 1 2/3 innings last night, George Sherrill is summoned to pitch the 9th. Mike Lowell greats him with a sharp single. Kevin "The Greek God of Walks" Youkilis then hits a 1-0 pitch to second for a 4-6-3 double play. After a Jason Varitek single, Alex Cora flies out to hitting hero Jay Payton to end the game.

Roll the video again!

The natives finally got restless. Two spectacular performances in a row from both the team and the fans. The losing may or may not start happening in the weeks to come. But, for two days in May, the Orioles and their fans followed Peter Finch's admonition, "I want you to get up now, i want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell, 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Amen.

House Protected

Theres an unfortunate spring tradition in Baltimore. Sometime in late april or early may, the Red Sox come to Baltimore with many thousands of their fans in tow. The results are generally not pretty. Red Sox fans outnumber Orioles fans at Camden Yards for most games and, thanks to the result on the field, the cheers of the Red Sox faithful are 3x more audible than those of their Orioles counterparts.

But, not this year. For 2 glorious days this week, the Orioles and the orange and black patrons of Camden yards stood up and refused to be trodden under the cleats of the defending world champions.

I was there for every pitch.

Tuesday May 13, 2008

5:30pm-- The Baltimore Harbor is beginning to look more like the Boston Harbor. From my perch on the upper terrace of the classy harborplace food court I see group after group of red and blue-clad fans milling around. An obnoxious pre-pubescent sporting an Ortiz jersey saw it fit to start chanting "lets go Red Sox" while standing behind me in the line for Thai chicken. A group of 4 sox fans from the awkward 12-15 year old age bracket took time off from tickling each other and giggling obnoxiously in order to run into the back of my chair repeatedly. The clownish behavior doesn't succeed in disturbing me from the tasks at hand: finishing my pre-game meal and reading Buzz Bissinger's 3 Nights in August. The latter provides me with the following lines which i take to be a positive omen for the upcoming series against J.D. Drew and the Red Sox:
"The money corrupts and compromises, makes it easy to play under your maximum and to reject the daily commitment that wins awards and world series rings because you can still make a ridiculous living at three-quarters speed."
"In the case of J.D., if you have the chance to be a twelve-million-to-fifteen-million-dollar-a- year player, you settle for 75 percent of that."
"There is a certain bittersweet tragedy to Drew."
As he was during the games covered in Bissinger's book: J.D. Drew will end tonight hurt.

6:10pm-- Quick trip back to my car to get a jacket, just in case the upper deck gets cold. I notice that the parking lot i have chosen is about a block and a half from Baltimore's "The Block." I wonder out loud if i might be able to get a player autograph or two or ten if i wait outside the nearby Larry Flynt Hustler Club after the game.

6:35pm-- Despite arriving a full half hour before game time, i miss out on one of the 15,000 Nick Markakis t-shirts being given away. I don't know whether to be excited about this or concerned. Excited that maybe, just maybe, there will be a bigger than usual Orioles contingent in the stands. Concerned that the t-shirts have been goggled up by invading Red Sox Fans who will use the shirts for some sort of bizarre "keep the curse away" ritual.

7:00pm-- The gentleman singing the national anthem gives a properly artistic "O", much to the delight of the Baltimore faithful.

Inning the First-- The Red Sox fans are singing. Coco Crisp leads off with a sharp single to right. With 1 out, David Ortiz bloops a double down the 3rd base line. Ramirez sends a RBI single to center. Mike Lowell hits a tailor-made double play ball to Aubrey Huff at 3rd base. Huff fails to catch the chopper. Ortiz scores. With 2 outs, J.D. Drew hits a weak roller to first which goes straight through Kevin Millar's legs. 3-0 Sox before the Oriole batsmen even take their first hacks.

Inning the Second-- After retiring the first 5 batters of the night without much resistance, Josh Beckett runs into trouble. with 2 outs, Luke Scott, Adam Jones, and Jay Payton hit three straight singles. 3-1 Boston.

Inning the Third-- Guthrie says "thank you for getting the run back" by walking Manny Ramirez to start the inning. The Oriole ace then retires Lowell, Youkilis, and J.D. Drew to get out of the inning. Brian Roberts leads off the bottom of the inning with a single. Freddie Bynum follows with a sinking liner to right which fall in front of a diving J.D. Drew. In trying to make the catch, Drew sprains his wrist and his escorted off the field by the Red Sox trainer. I can't help but feel partially responsible. With men on first and second and none out, Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff whiff. Rally wasted? No. Kevin Millar sends a single to left to score Roberts. Two pitches later, Luke Scott finds the flag court beyond the wall in right field. 5-3 Orioles.

Inning the Fourth. Guthrie fans two and the Sox go down in order. Maybe the Orioles Ace is getting into the zone.

Inning the Fifth. After Luke Scott's 3rd hit of the game, the Orioles have a chance to stretch the lead with runners on the corners and 2 out. But Beckett is still Beckett and Adam Jones strikes out looking.

Inning the Sixth. With two out in the top of the inning Jason Varitek hits a weird sort-of line drive to short that Bynum mis-plays. The Centerfield scoreboard flashes H for hit. I disagree. Will Guthrie cave? No. He gets Alex Cora to ground out to Millar to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning the Sox break out a new defensive alignment. Crisp leaves the game. Ellsbury, who had entered for the injured Drew, moves from right to center. Youkilis shifts to right and Sean Casey enters the game at first base. Back to back walks with 2 outs force Beckett from the game. The Orioles fans in attendance make noise, rejoicing in having knocked the Sox ace off of the hill. Manny DelCarmen silences the Orioles faithful by inducing a weak grounder off the bat of Markakis to end the inning.

There is a fight in the stands. A drunk in an Ortiz journey is working his way up the steps in the upper reaches of the left field nosebleeds with fists flailing. It says something to the composition of the crowd that the Ortiz jersey stands out in a sea of mostly orange and black.

Inning the Seventh-- Guthrie is done. Back to back singles to right cause a call to the bullpen. Jamie Walker continues his 2008 struggles, walking Ortiz to load the bases with no one out. Walker exits. Jim Johnson enters and on the 10th pitch of the at bat, induces a 1-2-3 double play from Manny Ramirez. The Sox fans are silenced. Orioles Fans rejoice. Lowell hits a sky high fly ball to left to end the inning.

Inning the Eighth-- The tension isn't over. Johnson walks Ellsbury and Varitek. Alex Cora follows with an RBI single. 5-4 Orioles. 1 out. Men on 1st and 2nd. Enter George Sherrill. 2 quick outs. End of threat.

Inning the Ninth-- Can Sherrill get the 5-out save? Ortiz, Ramirez and Lowell stand in the way. On a 3-2 pitch, Sherrill misses the strike zone up and in. But, in checking his swing/corkscrewing himself out of the way, Ortiz brings his bat across home plate. The home plate umpire calls it a swing and Ortiz is retired. The big DH explodes and within seconds has been tossed from the game. 1 out. Sherrill falls behind Ramirez 3-1. Manny hits the 3-1 pitch high and deep to left, but, the ball is heavy on the 'high' and a little light on the 'deep'. 2 outs. The Camden crowd is on its feet. Sox fans are expecting late heroics. The 15,000 Oriole fans in Markakis t-shirts as well as the rest of us in black and orange are giddy with the possibility of taking a game from the visiting Sox. Lowell whiffs on a breaking ball in the dirt. Quiroz blocks the ball and, just to be sure, takes 2 quick steps to tag out Lowell as the World Series MVP mopes back towards the dugout. Game Over. Orioles 5 Red Sox 4!

I'm elated. Not only did the Baltimore baseball fans put on a much better showing than usual in the face of invading Red Sox Nation but the Orioles team came back from an early 3-0 deficit against one of the game's toughest pitchers. Its as if the team has decided that AL East doormat status is no longer acceptable.

My joy is deepened by the following, which begins playing shortly after Quiroz tagged out Lowell:

Orioles Magic 2008

Amazing. There are signs of life in both the stands and the clubhouse at Camden Yards.

Unearned Runs

Early in the season I invoked George Will in praise of teams who do not allow many unearned runs. In Will's commentary on the performance of the suprising 1989 Orioles who went from a 54-107 record in 1988 to an 87-75 second-place finish in what was supposed to be a "gut the team rebuilding year." Will points out that the Orioles allowed only 6 earned runs in the teams first 54 games en route to building a sizeable lead in the American LEague East. During the second half of the season, the Orioles unearned run total shot upward, and their division lead evaporated.

Thus far in 2008, the data does not support a correlation between limiting unearned runs and winning. As of today, the teams which have allowed the fewest unearned runs (5) in baseball, the Yankees and Royals, are a combined 4 games under .500. The team which has allowed the most, Arizona (24), is 11 games over .500 and in first place in the NL West. In only 2 divisions, AL West and NL Central, is the team with the fewest unearned uns allowed currently in first place. Also in only 2 divisions, AL and NL Central, do we find the team with the most unearned runs allowed resting in the cellar.



The above plot doesn't show any real relation at this point. It looks more like a Jackson Pollack painting than the downward sloping graph that, before i dug up the stats, i was expecting. However, i do think that there are a couple of useful tidbits to be had:

-- Why are the Tigers in last place? 20 unearned runs hasn't helped.
-- Why is St Louis surprising alot of folks and holding first place? Only 6 unearned runs allowed.
-- Is Arizona for real? Not if the defense doesn't get any better.
-- Why haven't the Royals assumed their usual position at the bottom of the AL? Only 5 unearned runs allowed!

I'll revisit this topis occasionally. There may be a trend worth talking about by the All-Star game.

Miguel Tejada's "Pride of the Yankees" Moment

The weekly Orioles/Astros trade update:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	OPS
Tejada	126	24	44	10	2	5	25	7	.964
Scott	92	7	26	9	0	1	9	11	.778

	G	IP	W	L	K	ERA	WHIP
Albers	10	22.1	2	1	12	2.42	0.940
Sarfate	14	14.2	2	1	17	4.30	1.636

Miguel Tejada is having a great season. He is apparently even dabbling in Ruth-ian promises of home runs. Lance Berkman called Tejada the "Next Nostradamus" after Tejada promised a muscular dystrophy patient that he'd hit a big fly.

Luke Scott has come back down to earth. He still has more walks than the free-swinging Tejada, but, his remarkable start to the season seems to have given way to the stat line predicted for Scott in Baseball Prospectus. In calling Scott a "platoon left fielder" Prospectus prophesied a .252 Batting Average and a .794 OPS season. Thats about where Luuuuuuuuuuuuke is heading at present.

Sarfate has brought his ERA to a respectable 4.30. His strikeout to walk ratio (17:12 or 1.417:1 ) is nowhere near Carlos Silva level. Nor is it even near the level of the 2002 Diamondbacks team K:BB ratio of 3.10:1. As a team, the Orioles are currently rockin a 1.287:1 K:BB ratio. That will not win too many games. If the Birds pitchers don't grow the K:BB ratio significantly, the .500 start to the season is going to quickly become a distant memory!