Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 823 of 1503)

      What has happened to Fausto Carmona?

      June 5, 2009 /

      Believe it or not, there was a time (three years ago for those keeping score at home) when Indians’ starter Fausto Carmona was considered to be one of the better young arms in baseball. He was supposed to make Tribe fans forget about CC Sabathia and if he couldn’t do that, at least be a nice complement to Cliff Lee in Cleveland’s starting rotation.

      But something happened from the time he posted a 19-8 record in 2007 to where we are now present day, where he’s currently fighting to remain in the rotation.

      According to a report by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Carmona could be facing a demotion to Triple-A after allowing seven runs in just two innings in his latest start on Thursday night. In 12 starts this season, Carmona is 2-6 with a whopping 7.42 ERA and 1.81 WHIP. He’s struck out just 36 batters and has walked 41.

      The Indians don’t have the healthiest starting rotation right now, but sending Carmona down to Triple-A might not only benefit him, but the team as well. The fact of the matter is that he’s a complete mess and when he pitches, there’s a huge possibility that Cleveland will be chalking up an L in the standings before the lights shut off at the ball yard.

      And really, sending him down to Triple-A might not even be good enough. The Tigers sent Dontrelle Willis down to A-ball when he struggled earlier this year with a variety of issues (both physical and mental), and Carmona could benefit from the same treatment. His control is the biggest problem mechanically, but his confidence appears shot to hell, too. Baseball is as much of a mental game as it is physical and Carmona’s problems seem to lie between the ears just as much as they do with his stride, his arm release and his command.

      By no means is Carmona a lost cause. He still has the stuff that made him a 19-game winner in 2007, but his control issues are mind-boggling. The Tribe should send him down, although not just to Triple-A, but to A-ball. They should allow him to work his way back up through the minors, gaining confidence and control along the way until he’s ready to face major league hitters again. Think of the situation as not only hitting the reset button your PS3, but actually pulling the plug completely out of the wall and taking a deep breath before plugging it back in.

      In the meantime, the Indians could call up pitching prospect Hector Rondon. Is he ready? Probably not, but Cleveland is running out of choices right now and Rondon gives the Tribe just as much of a chance to win as Carmona does. (If not better.)

      MLB

      Smoltz rips Braves after releasing Glavine

      June 5, 2009 /

      John Smoltz ripped his old team recently after the Braves released his former teammate Tom Glavine.

      “I’m using a very soft word in ‘disappointed’ because that ain’t right,” said Smoltz, a teammate of Glavine’s for 16 years. The duo won 454 games and three Cy Young Awards as Braves.

      Glavine, who had been rehabbing from shoulder and elbow surgery, was released Wednesday — “a performance decision,” according to Braves General Manager Frank Wren.

      “To go that far in your rehab, and then right before the time, to do that?” Smoltz said following Wednesday’s Red Sox game in Detroit. “Well, it’s not my problem anymore, I just feel bad for a teammate of mine that I had for a long time.”

      Asked if he thought Glavine’s release was financially motivated, Smoltz told reporters, “Yeah, I know too much, let’s just put it that way.”

      He’s doubtful his old teammate will pitch for another team.

      When a team releases a player that helped them win at some point throughout the years, it’s always a dicey situation. The team wants to remain loyal to that player, but the ultimate goal is to always be building for the future.

      So when a player like Glavine is released by an organization like the Braves, it’s going to get kind of ugly. I don’t disagree with what Smoltz says because after all, he knows the situation better than I do. But the bottom line is that the Braves are trying to move forward and they don’t see Glavine helping them in the future and therefore decided to part ways.

      It’s just the nature of the beast.

      MLB

      Penguins beat Wings, tie series at two games apiece

      June 5, 2009 /

      – Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press writes that it’s no longer last year anymore as the Penguins’ stars are starting to shine and take over this series.

      – Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette boastfully claims that Detroit can’t win without Pavel Datsyuk, who has yet to play in the Cup Finals.

      – The Detroit Free Press writes that the Wings played out of character in their Game 4 loss.

      – Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette waxes poetically about Jordan Staal, who he says saved the day in Game 4.

      – SI.com writes about the Penguins’ second period burst.

      NHL

      Randy Johnson wins No. 300 in front of rain soaked crowd

      June 4, 2009 /

      It was a moment that had been hyped up since the start of the season, but due to Mother Nature (that whore), Randy Johnson won his 300th career game in front of a rain soaked crowd of about 10 people.

      Nevertheless, he’s now a part of the illustrious 300-win club.

      Johnson pitched six innings on Thursday, allowing just two hits and one unearned run in the Giants’ 5-1 victory over the Nationals. He got a fair amount of help from his bullpen, who pitched three scoreless innings in a steady rain to preserve the Giants’ lead, which had been 2-1 until the ninth inning when San Fran scratched across three more insurance runs.

      With the win, the Big Unit became only the 24th pitcher to get to 300 victories and is the second-oldest pitcher to achieve the milestone. He’s also the first pitcher to get his 299th and 300th win in consecutive starts since Tom Seaver did it in 1985.

      One moment that’ll surely be overlooked from this game is an amazing defensive play by Giants second baseman Emmanuel Burriss in the fifth inning. With the Giants up 2-0, Johnson gave up a hit to Elijah Dukes, who advanced to second on a passed ball the very next batter.

      Johnson then walked Austin Kearns, which brought the leading run to the plate in Ronnie Belliard. Belliard then scorched a pitch that ricocheted sharply off the mound and looked to be heading into center field for a base hit. But Burriss made a diving stop and flipped the ball with only his glove to shortstop Edgar Renteria, who got the force out at second and then completed the double play by throwing out Belliard at first. Johnson then got Will Nieves to ground out to Burriss to end the inning and preserve the Giants’ 2-0 lead.

      Even though nothing can take the moment away from the Big Unit, it’s a shame that not more people were in attendance to enjoy the victory. That said, his family was front and center and that’s all that matters. It’s a fantastic milestone for Johnson, a player that never cheated the game. (At least as far as we know, that is.)

      MLB

      Could Ortiz’s struggles at the plate be due to his eyes?

      June 4, 2009 /

      David Ortiz will do anything to break out of the incredible funk he’s in this season, including getting his eyes checked.

      “You know what? I’ve been thinking about getting my eyes checked, for real,” Ortiz said this morning. “There have been some situations that something has happened to my eyes, my vision. But I’m planning on getting my eyes checked out sometime soon. I don’t know. It’s just sometimes that I’ve been feeling lately. It’s not anything crazy, but just to make sure.

      “We get our eyes checked every year. I’m 20-20. Go and check it out. It’s not anything big. I will, though. I seriously will.”

      A ball player’s eyes are everything to them, so it’s not a stretch to think that Ortiz’s issues could have something to do with his peepers. But considering he got them checked before the season and has 20/20 vision, his problems at the plate probably have nothing to do with his eyes.

      There has been a lot made about Ortiz’s struggles this year. Some believe that the absence of Manny Ramirez in the Red Sox’s lineup has led to Ortiz not getting enough good pitches to hit, while conspiracy theorists say that his struggles can be tied to him getting off the juice. We can speculate all we want about whether or not Ortiz has ever used PEDs, but the fact remains that he’s never tested positive for them, as far as we know.

      Don’t forget that Ortiz is no spring chicken, either. He’s 33-years old and while plenty of players have been productive well into their mid-30s, Ortiz could just be breaking down. He’s also dealt with a variety of nagging injuries, so there’s a good chance that the overall wear and tear his body has amassed over the years is finally catching up to him.

      We’ll see what comes out of Ortiz visiting the eye doctor. Several players have gotten LASIK eye surgery with great results but again, if Ortiz’s vision is already 20/20 there probably isn’t much need to have that type of procedure.

      MLB

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