Welcome back
...Phil Stockman. Phil had one of the shortest ever stints in AAA. As reported on Tuesday, Stockman was optioned back to Richmond to make room for John Smoltz on the Braves MLB roster. However, within 48 hours, he was recalled to the Braves squad, as Smoltz faced season-ending surgery.
Stockman had rushed to Durham by Wednesday (Aus time) to join Richmond's game against the bulls. During the second inning he found out he had been called back up:
"Everyone was laughing when I came into the dugout ... and I said, 'Is this a joke or what?' I'd never heard of this," Stockman said.
Stockman got a few days rest with Atlanta before pitching today in their loss to the Phillies. He came into the game with one out in the top of the ninth, with the Phillies up 8-2. Stockman faced the 2-3-4 hitters in the Philly lineup: in-form Shane Victorino, NL-RBI leader Chase Utley, and power man Ryan Howard. He got Victorino to fly out to left field, and then hit Utley with his first pitch (which is probably not a bad idea the way Utley has been hitting). He then finished the inning by getting Ryan Howard to pop up to shortstop. The Braves were unable to overcome the 6-run lead, and lost 8-2.
(Kind of) A hero one day, sent packing the next
...As Phil Stockman was having his adventure to Durham and back earlier in the week, Chris Snelling was being re-activated on the Phillies' roster. He was expected to play a role in the Phillies' series against the Reds, who boast a strong right handed rotation but he did not end up making an appearance. It was not until the 10th inning of the Phils' game against the Braves yesterday (Fri in the US) that Chris got the chance to makean impact, and make an impact he certainly did.
With the game tied at 2-2, Snelling came in to pinch hit in the leadoff spot in the top of the 10th. It was a quality at-bat from Chris: he took the first four pitches, 3 balls and a strike, all of them mid-90s fastballs. With a 3-1 count he smacked the 5th fastball for a double to centerfield (you can watch the hit here). Much like his leadoff homerun against the Astros back in April, Snello's hit sparked a bit of a rally from the Phillies. His hit was overshadowed by the feats of Shane Victorino - who went on to hit a triple that scored the pinch runner So Taguchi, and then threw out the winning run at the plate to end the game - but it was an indication that Snelling can make big league impact.
After Friday's (yesterday in Aus) game, Snelling boasted a .500 average and a 1.500 slugging % in the majors this year - mind you he only had 4 at bats :). However, he now find himself being designated for assignment and optioned back to AAA Lehigh Valley. The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that the Phillies' Jayson Werth has returned from the DL, which means that room needs to be made on the roster to accommodate him. The loser in the piece is Snelling. Philadelphia skipper Charlie Manuel said: "He can hit, he's got a good swing. He works hard at his hitting. But the way it sets up, it's hard to keep him....If we can find the room, he's definitely a guy we'd consider keeping around to hit". You can read some fan comments on this news here and here.
Snelling can become a free agent if he doesnt accept his assignment to Lehigh Valley, but there doesnt seem to be any immediate contenders to sign him up. He has three days to decide what to do, and the Inquirer reckons that because he is signed to a $450,000 contract, he will accept it. Stay tuned for more as it happens (or as is the case today, a few days after:) ).
Huber getting lots of game time, not many results
... Justin Huber started for the Padres on Thursday (Wed in US) as they played the Cubs. He also started the Padres last two games against the Mets (Saturday and Sunday here) Friday/Sat in US), with their left handed starters Johan Santana and Oliver Perez. The Padres have won 4 in a row in this time, which is a good thing, and Huber has done some good things, but his average has dropped below .200 again, and he made a pretty dodgy defensive play today.
On Thursday the Padres broke the Cubs 9-game winning streak. It was a good pitching performance from Greg Maddux, and a closely fought game. Huber started the game in left and got off on the right foot, taking a screamer off the bat of Jim Edmonds in the 2nd inning, to rob him of a base hit (you can check out the catch on MLB Gameday. He followed this up with a 2-2 line drive single to right field in the bottom of the second, before striking out to end the 4th inning. In the sixth inning he got a hold of one to deep center, that would have probably been a homer at many other fields. However, Jim Edmonds returned the favour, showing pace that was nowhere to be seen during his time with the Pads earlier this year, to rob Huber of an XBH in front of the 400 sign and end the inning.
Batting 7th for the Padres is a tough gig at the moment, with strikeout king Khalil Greene hitting at 6, and Kevin Kouzmanoff being a bit hit or miss, the 7 hitter is often under a bit of pressure with 2 outs on the board already.
Up against the Mets' ace Johan Santana yesterday, Huber went 0-for-3, with 1 strikeout. He followed that up today by going 0-for-2, although he did drive the ball pretty hard. The bad news out of today was a bad defensive play. Huber took a catch in shallowish left field, and the runner on third tagged up, looking to score. Huber unleashed a throw , but put it halfway up the first base line, giving the runner clear passage. Again you can see this play on MLB Gameday. The look on Bud Black's face says it all: he was not impressed:
Bud Black looks on after Huber's bad throw allows a run
These latest games, and the impending interleague play have sparked more discussion about what will happen with the Padres' roster, check out some of the comments from the Ducksnorts in game discussion thread for today.
Rowland-Smith and Balfour continue to feature
Following from the big Red Sox vs Rays bench clearing incident on Friday (Thursday in the US), the Rays' starter James Shields was ejected for hitting Coco Crisp with a pitch, and just missing with a right hook! Grant Balfour showed a bit of versatility, coming on for a bit of long relief. He pitched 2.1 innings, and allowed 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs, while getting one strikeout (against the never-easy to get out Manny Ramirez; who he beat with a 96mph as the 9th pitch of the at-bat). He avoided copping the loss, as Shields had allowed 4 runs in the first.
The brawl was easily better than the Mariner's stoush with the Rangers earlier this year, and is worth watching. It resulted in a few suspensions, including Shields for the Rays.
After the game, Balfour spoke about the Rays pitching staff's commitment to stepping up while the suspensions are in affect, as the Rays continue their 9 game road trip: "We're going to do whatever it takes to go after [the Rangers]", he said. You can read the full article here.
Meanwhile, Ryan Rowland-Smith has pitched in a couple of non-save situations against the Red Sox today and yesterday. I remember reading someone saying that they think Rowland-Smith gets better after his first 20 or so pitches. His outings over the last two days support the idea, as he gave up early hits, before coming back strong.
Yesterday, Rowland-Smith came into wrap things up in the bottom of the 9th, with the Mariners up 8-0. He got to 2-2 with Sean Casey, who then smacked a double to centre. Rowland-Smith then shut the gate, getting Jason Varitek to pop out in foul territory; striking out Brandon Moss, and getting Julio Lugo to ground out to third.
Today, Rowland-Smith came into the game with one out in the bottom of the 8th. The Mariners' were trailing 10-3, and there was a runner on third. He faced Kevin Youkilis first, and gave up a double which scored the run. Like he did yesterday though, Ryan really tightened things up. He got Brandon Moss to pop out to short, and had Kevin Cash strikeout swinging to end the inning. The Mariners were unable to change the score in the top of the ninth, and the game ended with the M's losing 11-3.
Rowland-Smith is going alright, he has now appeared in 25 games, pitching 27 innings. His ERA is now a very respectable 2.33, he has 2 saves from 3 opportunities, he has struck out 21, and his WHIP is also very respectable at 1.18. He has shown some good consistency lately, and hopefully will continue to be effective as we head towards the middle of the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment