Category: MLB (Page 196 of 448)

      Nationals fire manager Manny Acta

      July 13, 2009 /

      With a 26-61 record over the first half of the season, the Washington Nationals have decided to part ways with manager Manny Acta. The club anointed bench coach Jim Riggleman as the interim manager for the rest of the season.

      The Nationals organization gambled in 2007 by hiring a young coach (Acta was 38 then) to manage a young team. Acta seemed to be well liked by his players and peers, but you can’t have a manager learning on the job at the same time young players are trying to develop in the big leagues.

      Acta didn’t have the best talent to work with in Washington, nor did he have the greatest front office to support him. But he still deserves a ton of the blame for his eventual demise, so nobody should go on believing that he got a raw deal here.

      The Nationals do have a ton of young talent (with more on the way with Stephen Strasburg on the fast track to the big leagues), but they’re going to need to find the right fit at manager. Who that person is, I don’t know. But it has to be someone with the right balance of experience and exuberance, because this young team will wear on a manager’s nerves. Maybe somebody like Joe Giriardi after the Yankees impatiently fire him at the end of the season for not going to the playoffs?

      MLB

      Giants can’t be quick to trade Jonathan Sanchez now

      July 11, 2009 /

      If you were to have gotten Giants general manager Brian Sabean all liquored up in a private setting (I know you’re probably weirded out by the start of this sentence, but stay with me here) and asked him which players he wouldn’t mind giving up in a trade to acquire a bat, he almost certainly would have uttered this name: Jonathan Sanchez.

      Hell, there’s a great chance he would have uttered that name first. But that was before Sanchez’s no-hitter against the Padres on Friday night, when he struck out 11 batters and was a Juan Uribe-error away from throwing a perfect game.

      The Giants had been waiting for that kind of performance all season out of Sanchez. Granted, they weren’t expecting that good of a performance, but they did have high expectations for him coming into the 2009 season.

      He did show flashes of brilliance earlier this season, most notably in a two-hit, 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks on April 17. But ’09 has mostly been a season of massive frustration for not only Sanchez, but also a Giants organization that had hoped the 26-year-old lefty would be the third leg of a tripod that also featured pitching sensations Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.

      Sanchez has always been a strikeout pitcher, but for much of this season he struggled mightily with his control and he seemed to be racking up K’s only because he was wildly effective. And when he would start to struggle during games, he appeared to be a mental midget on the mound and could never recover.

      Continue reading »

      MLB

      Giants’ Sanchez throws a no-hitter against Padres

      July 10, 2009 /

      A San Francisco Giants’ starter has thrown a no-hitter.

      It must have been Tim Lincecum right?

      Nope.

      Matt Cain?

      Nope.

      Randy Johnson?!

      Nope.

      It wasn’t Barry Zito was it?

      Absolutely not.

      One night after Lincecum flirted with a similar feat, 26-year-old Jonathan Sanchez, coming off a recent demotion to the bullpen, threw a no-hitter against the Padres on Friday night as the Giants beat San Diego 8-0 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. It was the first no-hitter of the 2009 Major League season and the first Giants’ no-hitter since John Montefusco threw one in 1976.

      In his nine innings of domination, Sanchez struck out 11 batters in obviously his most dominant performance of his career. He did allow a base runner, but it was due to a Juan Uribe fielding error in the eighth inning. Had Uribe not booted the play (he misplayed a bad in-between hop), Sanchez could have had a perfect game.

      Speaking of fielding, Sanchez got an amazing gift from centerfielder Aaron Rowand in the ninth as he went back on a ball that was crushed by Edgar Gonzalez, leaped against the wall and made a terrific catch. Shortstop Edgar Renteria also made a fine play in the hole the play earlier.

      What’s amazing is that Sanchez wasn’t even supposed to pitch tonight (relatively speaking, that is). He was taken out of the starting rotation at the end of June and replaced by Ryan Sadowski after he started the season 2-8 with a 5.54 ERA. But an injury to Johnson gave Sanchez a start tonight and he obviously took full advantage of it.

      This was supposed to be Sanchez’s breakout season, but instead he struggled considerably with his control and would often get flustered after bad innings. His strikeout numbers have been consistently good, but he has been more wildly effective than anything. His name has even come up in numerous trade rumors, although considering Johnson’s injury and the fact that the Giants are in the thick of the NL Wild Card chase, they might hang onto Sanchez for the second half.

      No matter what Sanchez’s future holds, this was an amazing accomplishment. The Padres don’t exactly have the most potent offense, but Sanchez isn’t exactly Cy Young either. He was absolutely phenomenal and for a young man who has had so many struggles this season, he deserved this tonight and maybe he’ll use this performance as a stepping-stone to turn things around and have a great career.

      On a personal note, I was fortunate enough to watch every pitch of this game and it was absolutely thrilling as a baseball fan. They said on the broadcast that Sanchez’s dad, who had never seen his son pitch in the majors before tonight, flew to San Francisco yesterday to watch the game and was able to celebrate with Jonathan in the dugout afterward. It was a great scene.

      Congratulations to Jonathan Sanchez.

      MLB

      Braves trade Francoeur to Mets for Church

      July 10, 2009 /

      The Braves and Mets swapped outfielders on Friday, as Atlanta sent struggling right fielder Jeff Francoeur to the Big Apple for the equally struggling Ryan Church.

      The clubs make this trade essentially hoping that they can each find success turning the still-promising young outfielders around. Francoeur has struggled the past two years, but the Mets must feel as though he offers more offensive potential than Church, who, for whatever reason, has never been given a fair shot by manager Jerry Manuel.

      The Mets could also obviously use the upgrade defensively, where trained circus monkeys could perform better than what New York puts on the field on a nightly basis. Francoeur might have his struggles at the dish, but he’s got a cannon for an arm and will certainly be a welcome sight in right field for the Mets’ pitching staff. He also offers more power potential than Church.

      Church, meanwhile, should love the new scenery in Atlanta. He’ll give them a significant boost in terms of on base percentage and he seemingly has a better chance of turning his offensive misfortunes around than Francoeur does.

      It’ll be interesting to see who got the better end of the deal at the end of the year.

      MLB

      Jayson Werth added to NL All-Star roster

      July 10, 2009 /

      With one spot to fill on the NL All-Star roster due to an injury to the Mets’ Carlos Beltran, Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth is now heading to St. Louis to play in the Midsummer Classic.

      This is a well-deserved honor for Werth, who has put up great power numbers so far this season, smashing 20 home runs, 54 RBI and scoring 59 runs. And for those who say his numbers are inflated because of the park he plays in, check the stats because he’s been just as good on the road as he has been at home.

      That said, Pablo Sandoval of the Giants and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers have every right to feel that they were hosed for not making the NL roster this season. Sandoval has carried a Giants’ offense that features Bengie Molina as the cleanup hitter for cribb’s sake. He’s also incredibly fun to watch, playing every game with a raw energy that compliments his natural talent. He can also play multiple positions and at only 23, San Fran has finally got themselves a potentially great young hitter.

      The same goes for Kemp, who has been outstanding this year for the best team in baseball. He’s hitting .319 with 10 dingers, 46 RBI, 46 runs scored and 19 stolen bases. He’s also played a fantastic outfield and was one of the players that kept L.A. afloat when Manny Ramirez got suspended.

      Anyone one of those players – Werth, Sandoval, Kemp – would have been worthy candidates. Any argument could be made for each and every one of them.

      MLB

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