(Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)
North Carolina weather is not too shabby at all. When you consider that it stays close to 80 this late in September, and that two inches of snow can shut the state down, there is a fair amount of upside to spending time in the south. Unfortunately for my cousin and his bride, they picked the worst day for weather in the last six months.
Saturday was supposed to bring an outdoor wedding. Friday was nice enough, but Saturday morning showed serious rain. It just kept going all day. While there was some waiting to see if there was a break, eventually the whole thing needed to shift indoors. Not what the bride had in mind, and obviously the place was not exactly prepared for it either.
Still, it all went off well enough. Everyone enjoyed the day, and now it is back to reality. That is good news for readers here, because there are plenty of notes that need to be discussed.
On to the notes.
Monday Rewind
- Terry Francona is seemingly ready to treat this week like the Red Sox have already clinched their playoff spot. After playing a mixed up lineup while in New York, Boston returned home to still see Casey Kotchman playing first base and Josh Beckett scratched from his start. It does not sound like there is much to worry about with Beckett. This looks like it is setting up their playoff rotation.
- Sticking in Boston for one more. Michael Bowden simply does not seem to have the stuff to be a major league pitcher. Bowden gave up seven runs in three innings on seven hits and a walk. Has he had many starts? No. Still, his fastball is not good enough to get by hitters and his secondary pitches are not located well. Basically, he has no out pitch and fails to have the command to get away with mistakes.
- John Danks finished his first complete game yesterday, going all nine against the Indians. Danks improved to 8-3 on the road in 2009 with a 3.08 ERA and .238 BAA. He does not strike many batters out, but Danks has proved valuable to the rotation in Chicago. Since the beginning of August, he has been very good outside of one rough start.
- Andy LaRoche had a career-game yesterday against the Dodgers. LaRoche went 5-for-5 with two home runs while driving in six. This is not a fantastic player, but he does have a hit in nine of his last 10 games. In those efforts, he has knocked four multi-hit games and raised his average 11 points to near .260.
- The Dodgers continue to struggle, and are now adding injuries to insults. Manny Ramirez was out of the lineup yesterday with a sore hamstring, and that same problem sent Casey Blake back to Los Angeles. Ramirez is available to pinch hit, but he tends to blow these problems out of proportion.
- Ronnie Belliard being out a few days with a groin issue will give Orlando Hudson a bit more playing time. The Dodgers are going to be cautious based on Belliard's history, and that likely means another day or two on the sidelines. Adjust your lineups accordingly here.
- The season of Cole Hamels continues to be feast or famine. Hamels was roughed up for the second time this year by the Astros, and has now surrendered 10 earned runs in his last 13 innings of work. In five of his last 10 starts, he has given up at least four runs, but in four others he has given up one run or less.
- The Mets continued to struggle with the Nationals. Ross Detwiler stopped the New York offense last night, holding them to one run on seven hits over six innings of work before the bullpen took over. Detwiler recorded his first major league win in the effort. He has not had the same hype as Jordan Zimmermann, but he could make a name for himself in deeper leagues next season.
- Jeff Niemann was blown up by the Orioles again last night. While it seemed that he was back on track after his last outing, Niemann fell victim to Baltimore for the second time in three starts. He has given up 10 runs in his last 7.2 innings against the Orioles. Sometimes, a team just has your number, as the Orioles' .351 average against him would indicate.
Tuesday Notes
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