Well, the weekend is upon us, so I thought I'd share a few thoughts.
Phil Hughes trip to the disabled list may or may not be what the doctor ordered for his tired arm. His fastball velocity is down to 88-90 from his previous 93-94. That's a significant difference that will get any pitcher in trouble. When he was down in the count, Hughes had to resort to that rather straight fastball and it got him in big trouble.
Yankee prospect catcher Jesus Montero is off to a great start at AAA Scranton-Wilkes /Barre. But with Russell Martin playing well, not even back-up catcher Gustavo Molina is getting much playing time. So Montero really has to wait. And so do I. Montero is on most of my teams.
Speaking of Montero-DBAcks catcher Miguel Montero is some kind of hitter. He's giving his fantasy owners quite a great run. And his defense is much improve.
Just thinking about John Lackey. Remember that the Angels didn't choose to re-sign him when he was a free agent. The Angels needed pitching then. Lackey had a sore arm during that season. I'm still not 100|PERCENT| certain Lackey is 100|PERCENT| healthy. I'm 100|PERCENT| certain Lackey and Buchholtz have to step up for the Red Sox to step up. He just doesn't look anywhere near the dominant John Lackey that pitched for the Angels.
Losing Joe Mauer for any amount of time could be the last straw for the Twins. Where do they turn for offense? That's a team with a huge, huge drop off from the starter to the back-up catcher.
I wish the Indians had never signed Chad Durbin. They have much better options pitching in the minor leagues. If Durbin had anything left in the tank, wouldn't he have been gobbled up as a free agent sooner than in spring training? I'm just askin.
Toronto's 1B prospect David Cooper is off to a good start. Remember his name because Toronto is weak at 1B, to say the least.
During the recent Cardinals series, Diamondback defenders should have requested combat pay. I've never seen such wicked shots off wooden bats as those put on display against the DBacks starters (and relievers for that matter.) Aaron Heilman, stretched out as a starter during spring training went on the disabled list today. If the opposing hitting keeps up, that might be the safest place to be.
When Lance Berkman is in a groove, don't even think of throwing strikes when he's in the box. The man can be lethal with a bat in his hand and his swing is working. I don't care how old he is.
I said before the season that I'd take Tulo before HanRam. His torrid start aside, I'd still say that any time I'm asked. Tulo just wants to beat the opposition any way he can. I really love to watch him play. And he plays in Colorado.
Every team should use the humidor. Why don't they? I'm just askin.
Joe Smith has returned to the Indians bullpen at the expense of Frank Hermann. Smith's a submarine pitcher and tough on righties. Hermann's a good pitcher and much better than say....Chad Durbin.
My friend called to tell me he was as a guest at a "celebrity" art class. He saw J D painting while Stephen drew. I told him to hang up the phone and never, ever call me again.
I'm really still very bullish on Jordan Zimmerman-I just cringe when the game is turned over to the Nats bullpen. Zimmerman's going to be a star. Soon.
The Cardinals bench is really strong with both John Jay and Allen Craig both capable of busting open a game from the bench.
Gerald Laird is not bad as a back-up catcher, either.
Wow did Chris Carpenter ever look bad when I saw him pitch. Almost every pitch was off-speed and over the plate or in the dirt.. If he can't get it together, the Cards will have to score tons of runs to win. They can do that.
Chris Narveson is really helping the Brewers pitching staff. Where would they be without him? I know, I know. In Milwaukee. I beat you to it. Very funny.
"Big things come in small packages." How trite is that? Very. But guess what? it's true. I give you exhibit #1-The Royals Tim Collins. 5'7" and 155 pounds. He can hit 95 on the radar gun. Where would the Royals be without him? I know. I know. Well, you know what I mean. For all the talk about the lineup of wonderful Royals prospects, we certainly don't hear much about Collins. It's a good story.
Speaking of Royals prospects-Eric Hosmer went 7-14 in his first 3 games with AAA Omaha. I'd say that Kila Ka'aihue will be feeling the heat soon, if he isn't already.
Wilson Betemit is a very under the radar, under-rated hitter.
I think the Rangers are concerned with their pen. They signed Manny Corpas as another insurance policy. He's an experienced arm in the minors that might be able to help if the club isn't satisfied with the likes of Lowe, O'Day, Oliver, Rhodes, etc. Underscoring their concern? David Bush is on the staff. Nuff said? I remember when pitching depth in the bullpen was a future strength of the Rangers. It goes back as far as, say, last year. What happened? I'm just askin.
I'm a huge David Murphy fan.
OK, that's all for tonight. I'll check in again soon.
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