Comments

[J. Weitzel]

Click for hi-res wallpaper and whatnot.

[Unikruk]

Bloodslinger!

[Tray]

Wow, high-res wallpaper.

Anyway, Godfather, if we didn't need Knapp or Carrasco to get Sherrill, and could've given up a Savery or Bastardo - that is, if we had enough post-Lee deal to get him - then I don't see your point. Surely sending away one of those guys or even both wouldn't be tantamount to a gutting of the farm.

[denny b.]

Leadoff HR off of Pedro.

Gets the next 3 in order with a K.

1 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 1 K. 11 pitches, 8 for strikes.

Columbus and Carrasco leading 1-0 after 1 inning.

[dlhunter]

There Will Be Blood?

[denny b.]

Martinez line through 2 IP:

1 hit, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.

20 pitches, 16 strikes.

[Spitz]

Looking forward to hearing lots of noise from all the Bay Area Beerleaguers that will be there tonight. I'm off to the game. Lets go Phils!

[rolo]

Just read on a link at MLBTR that Brewers GM Doug Mrlvin tried to get Washburn.

They're looking for a SP.

Now, while I'd hate to see my namesake get traded, is there anyone in the Brewers system that would be an upgrade from Bruntlett.

[dlhunter]

...so the IronPigs' mascot is a pervert? Like that's the mascot's theme?

[Walter Sobchak]

OHHHH MY GOD THERES BLOOD EVERYWHERE!!!

[John Fire]

I'll be there! Going to the whole series...

[John Fire]

Oh, and FYI... the place was crawling with Philly fans last night.

[denny b.]

Martinez line through 3 IP:

1 hit, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's.

37 pitches, 25 strikes.

[limoguy]

What's Pedro's velocity topping off at?

[bay_area_phan]

limo: For AAA games, Gameday doesn't show the velocity. Seems like he's pitching well, though, since the rocky start. Carrasco seems to be pitching equally well.

[Mac Tonight]

I'm not trying to pull a Tommy here, but just about all of the talent that was traded went for less than most had predicted they would go for (as I predicted for Halliday if he were traded).

It's a different market. Young, inexpensive talent is at a premium. Expensive contracts (particularly for pitching) are not at a premium, regardless of the player. The days of teams willingly handing over the farm for the honor and privilege of taking on a $10 million + contract are over. It may help a ballclub in the immediate future, but it's a poor business decision, and baseball is a business before it is a sport.

I will renew my Halliday prediction for the winter of 2009 and the 2010 season: IF Halliday is traded, the talk of the baseball world will be how little the Jays got in return for him.

[JTH]

bap, are you laughing at the Gameday player pictures on the IronPigs game? (Not too many have the right caps on their heads.)

Hah!

[I Think...]

please keep updating on Pedro...looks like he is doing nice.

[limoguy]

Thanks, bap.

[Hibachi]

"is there anyone in the Brewers system that would be an upgrade from Bruntlett."

Bill Hall if he doesn't play much for them anymore?

[JTH]

91-92mph last two piches for Pedro

[danger lad]

ironpigs radio broadcast says he's sitting at 90-92 with his heat. paintin' corners, etc....

[Ryan]

According to Ironpigs radio announcers pedro has been hitting 91-92.

[danger lad]

so, you're saying I'm not alone...ha!

[doubleh]

Anyone who wants to listen live to the game, it's free here:
http://www.ironpigsbaseball.com/

[bay_area_phan]

JTH: Yes, very true. Between Pedro pitching and all of our prospects playing for the other team, the game definitely has me a bit confused.

Looking at LV's lineup sure makes me hope we draft aggressively in 2010. Except for Taylor & Mayberry, there isn't a single player in this lineup with a major league future (although Hoover might get a call-up if one of our catchers ever gets injured).

[EastFallowfield]

Dodgers GM Colletti talking on their game...says Toronto was looking for 'more than six' prospects for Halladay. Said he couldn't trade all his prospects for a guy making 16 million because there's no depth and no money to buy any...

[KevinLin]

Well I mean, other than the guys just traded to columbus they aren't exactly stacked with MLB future talent. Most of these AAA teams aren't.

[JTH]

... and here is Gameday for the IronPigs vs Clippers game:

"http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_07_31_colaaa_lhvaaa_1"

[I Think...]

thanks for the link

[denny b.]

Martinez line through 4 IP:

1 hit, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.

47 pitches, 33 strikes.

Down 1-0 in the 4th, to some kid named Carrasco for Columbus.

[doubleh]

Per IronPigs announcer, very liberal strike zone tonight.

[NEPP]

He's hit 93 on a couple occasions and has sat 91ish...that's damn damn good.

Lehigh's gun is reputed to be accurate, is it not?

[KevinLin]

Taylor 2-run homer.

[doubleh]

2-0ut 2-R HR for Michael Taylor off of Carlos Carrasco.

Drama at the IronPigs. Pigs lead 2-1.

[JTH]

Mr Taylor steps up!

[ryan]

home run Michael Taylor 2-1 Pigs!

[danger lad]

Taylor w/ a 2 run shot off of Carlos in the 4th...

[denny b.]

Taylor homers to dead center field (which is a good poke in Death Valley) off of CC.

[KevinLin]

Pedro starts the inning giving up a bloop ground rule double...not exactly something that should normally drop.

Also the strikezone has been liberal as in completely inconsistent not the size.

[danger lad]

Pedro = Rolo?

[doubleh]

1-out triple gives Columbus 3-2 lead. Pedro struggling in this inning.

[I Think...]

Has anyone enlarged the picture to the right? Animal Collective? Is that thing animated or is just one hek of an illusion

[bay_area_phan]

3 pretty good innings and now he seems to be tiring and has totally lost his command. This doesn't look like a guy who's about to supplant Jamie Moyer in the rotation.

[denny b.]

Pedro tiring in the 5th. Falling behind hitters now. Was sharp as a tack through 2 IP.

I thought it was interesting that they let him try and go 5 innings tonight, in really, his first real outing of the year.

He was very sharp through 4 IP though. And the velocity seems to be there.

2 more minor league starts and I think he will be up.

[Jack]

Love the minor-league game chat goin on here.

[NEPP]

I smell another minor-league start in Pedro's future.

[gm-carson]

RoLo to pen, Pedro still has kinks to work out in minors. Like Amaro said, "it will work itself out".

[denny b.]

Final line for Pedro:

5 IP, 3 hits, 5 runs, 4 ER, 3 BB's and 4 K's. Catch-and-throw Hoover cost him the 5th run, with a bad throw on a SB attempt.

Very surprised he went that long, after throwing just one simulated game and 1 IP in a A-ball game. I guess he wanted to push himself early and see where he was at.

2 more minor league starts, I think should do it (unless he completely bombs or has an injury). I will stand by my prediction of Saturday, August 15th on FOX, Pedro making his first Phils start, versus Atlanta.

[NEPP]

Despite the box score, he was impressive. At least 1-2 more starts to build his legs and he'll be there.

[JTH]

Carlos is done. IronPigs are battling back!

[Philistine]

Anybody else drunk right now?

[Murgatroid]

About the George Sherrill situation, I see why people were annoyed to hear that the Dodgers acquired him for so little. However, I think it's ridiculous to say that we should've been focusing more on getting Sherrill than Lee. If we had not gotten Lee, the Dodgers easily could've, and I think facing a Dodgers rotation of Lee, Billingsley, and Kershaw with Hamels, Blanton, and Happ would be a lot worse than what would happen now.

Also, I'm sure when we acquired Lee, plenty of Dodgers' fans were thinking "wow, we should've given up a similar package and gotten him." Tons of teams made good trades at the deadline this year. Yea, it would've been nice if we'd gotten Sherrill, but the Dodgers were in a better position to do it. And with the possibility of Myers returning, relief pitcher was not our biggest need. I think the appropriate reaction to this deal is not to criticize our FO for not getting it done, but instead to recognize that the Dodgers FO made a good deal for their team.

[loctastic]

Heh, just opened a Franzikaner. Waiting for Cliff Lee Night

[bay_area_phan]

After dumping on Moyer all year, it's funny to suddenly find myself in the position of defending him. But what, in heaven's name, about Pedro's 5-inning, 5-run start (in AAA, mind you) leads anyone to think he's 1 or 2 starts away from displacing a 10-gane winner in our rotation?

[loctastic]

We'll have to see what Pedro does next start, I can't tell from tonight. What was his pitch count?

[KevinLin]

BAP: Because it isn't about pedro's result but how he got there. 1-4 he was strong and just obviously lost control in the 5th. But was also struck by some poor team defense behind him. He was consistently hitting 91-92 and compared to previous years that is a good sign for Pedro. His pitches looked good.

[kart racer]

Only 3 hits allowed, so basically that should mean his stuff is still hard to hit..he just needs to work on his command more, which would make sense for someone who hasn't pitched all year.

[bay_area_phan]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not astonished that Pedro would struggle in his first time out after not pitching for nearly a year. But I certainly find it hard to see how tonight's start constitutes affirmative evidence that Pedro can be a viable starter for us this year. If Jamie Moyer had pitched 4 good innings and then got lit up in the 5th, half of Beerleaguer would be ranting about how he can't pitch deep into games anymore. But if it's the guy behind Door No. 2 who has this same performance, suddenly those 4 good innings are evidence that he can be in our starting rotation 2 weeks from now? Funny logic.

[KevinLin]

Well he wasn't hit incredibly hard. And did you watch the game?

[bay_area_phan]

Kevin: I didn't watch the game or see his stuff. Like I said, it's a first game. It's not terribly meaningful one way or the other. I'm just befuddled by the logic that a guy who completely loses it after 4 innings against AAA hitters (which, incidentally, is the exact same pattern he followed all of last season) is "1 or 2 starts away" from being good enough to crack our starting rotation. It's not out of the question that he could eventually crack our starting rotation, but he sure doesn't look 1 or 2 starts away from doing so -- and it's a pretty good bet that he never does.

[anon]

Tonight's Pedro posts belong in the BAP Hall of Fame.

[NEPP]

Mainly, he was sitting 91 instead of 86 like he had in years past. Before his shoulder surgery 2 years ago, he was still an elite pitcher. If he's healthy, he could be an awesome pickup for us. He hasn't had that type of velocity since his final year in Boston/first year in NY. His ERA+ for those two seasons was 134. If he can even capture a little bit of that over the final 8-10 weeks of the season then we could have an ridiculous rotation.

[Murgatroid]

I think BAP has a point. Okay, maybe Pedro wasn't hit very hard for four innings. He was facing the Indians AAA affiliate, so that doesn't impress me all that much. Yusmeiro Petit wasn't hit very hard by the Phillies the other day and we have one of the best offenses in baseball. Pedro very well might join our rotation eventually and pitch effectively, but today didn't prove anything to me. I didn't watch either, but for all we know, but one start proves very little.

[Philistine]

Ok everybody, it's that time of night. Predict the line for Cliff the Big Red Dawg

I got

8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5K, Phils win 8-3

[NEPP]

From what I've read, that Clippers squad has some top flight prospects. This is a AAA team that is so good that it has to bat a future AS catcher like Lou Marson 8th and a future GG/AS SS like Jason Donald 7th. They must have a spectacular lineup to place gems like those two down in the lineup like that.

[Unikruk]

Bako catching tonight. Guess they're relying on Lee's needlepoint control.

[NEPP]

9 IP, CG, 0 ER, 0 R, 0 BB, 23 K, 4 GB/0 FB.

oh, and 3-4 from the plate with 2 RBI including the game winner.

[Murgatroid]

Whoops, messed up the end of that post slightly. My point is, yes, Pedro has not pitched in ages, so it's expected that he would tire early. However, we have no way of knowing how quickly he'll be able to regain his stamina. And even if he does and pitches well in his next couple of minor league starts, he could still struggle in the majors.

[NEPP]

Has Bako ever caught Lee before...I mean he's been on like 28 teams already so maybe he has?

[Murgatroid]

NEPP: While it might be a good lineup for a AAA team, it still doesn't come close to major league level.

[NEPP]

Murgatroid...I was joking about our former prospects.

[Murgatroid]

Haha, sorry, I missed the "future AS" and "future AS/GG" mentions.

[Philistine]

Bold prediction NEPP, but isn't 23 K's a little conservative?

My big bad prediction for the bats today:

- Howard hits 2 into McCovey

[NEPP]

Well, he's not really a strikeout pitcher. I expect a few groundballs thrown in there.

[Jack]

I'm absolutely shocked that BAP took the most negative view possible of Pedro's outing tonight.

Like others, I have no interest in the results. What I care about is how he was throwing, his stuff, command, stamina, etc. And that's all that Amaro and the staff cares about too. I didn't watch the game, so I can't really comment on it.

I think his next start will be much more informative.

[NEPP]

I watched parts of it till the video feed crapped out from drag on their server...he looked sharp.

[bay_area_phan]

Jack: Do you think Pedro looks 1 to 2 starts away from displacing a 10-game winner, or a guy with a sub-3.00 ERA, in our starting rotation?

[MPN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B35rYEkYgvs

Is everyone else pumped up for tonight? If not, watch the above.

[JTH]

NEPP: I'm thinking that Beerleaguers crashed that IronPigs game server! I wasn't able to see anything. "Server is not responding" message only

[Philistine]

Pete Martin will (hopefully) win up in the bullpen. His stuff is much better suited to an inning or 2 of relief at this stage of his career.

Frankly, I'm more concerned about what our rotation looks like for the playoffs. Hamels-Blanton-Lee-Moyer/Pedro/Happ will be more than sufficient, and either Pedro or Happ will be a valuable asset to the pen.

No need to fret about Pedro, seriously. Worst comes to worst, just throw 'em in the pen Cholly.

[NEPP]

DRAINEDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!

[Jack]

bap: I have no idea. I didn't watch the game. Judging from the line, the 3 walks worry me a little, and the home run obviously, but the 4 Ks and the only 3 hits is a nice sign. If I watched the game, I'd have more of an opinion.

As it stands, I would not replace Happ. Moyer has pitched decent enough to keep his spot. I think it's clear Pedro was slated to take Lopez's spot, before they really thought they could get Lee or Halladay without giving up Happ. So if I were in charge, I would probably give Pedro 2 more minor-league starts, and then go with a 6-man rotation for a couple weeks to get Hamels some extra rest, or rotate the 5th spot, and then decide who would fit best in the pen.

[Philistine]

Anybody else hoping Brett Myers arrives in September, riding a valiant white steed, wearing a wife-beater, drinking a 40oz beverage?

Anybody else secretly hoping that, if Myers does return and pitch effectively, that Lidge aggravates his knee injury so Cholly is forced to hand Brett the ball in the 9th??

[bay_area_phan]

When it's March 1, I agree that it's about process, not results. When it's July 31, it IS about results. The later it gets into the season, the less sense it makes to suddenly throw a new guy into your starting rotation. Pedro, unfortunately, does not have the luxury of making 5 or 6 minor league starts and trying to gradually round his way into game shape. If his next outing follows the same pattern, I think it's time to start thinking about whether they should be viewing him as a bullpen candidate, rather than as a starter. It's worth noting that a few good innings, followed by an implosion, was Pedro's usual pattern in 2008, as well.

[Unikruk]

There would be something nice about Myers finishing another clinching game this season.

[NEPP]

BAP, this is essentially Spring Training for Pedro..and it was his first true start...give him a little time before you sharpen your knives.

[dlhunter]

Need I remind the world that Brett was an awful closer?

[NEPP]

He wasn't an awful closer...he was an average one...21 out of 24 games Saved is decent.

[NEPP]

Francisco batting 2nd...I like it.

[dlhunter]

@NEPP

I refuse to let the truth get in the way of a perfectly good opinion.

[MPN]

Yeah, who would want a closer to blow only 3 save opportunities!

[Dukes]

here's a trade proposal for the off season...

"pop-up rollins" for jason donald, lou marson, carlos carassco, and jason knapp.

[NEPP]

I'd really like to see us jump on a team in the 1st inning.

[NEPP]

The only positive thing I can think to say is at least we made him throw 25 pitches. Watch him settle down and toss 4 shutout innings now on 35 pitches.

[Kool Earl]

After the last two games of plate torpor, its time to bust loose tonoght

[kart racer]

I love this guy already.

[NEPP]

1 down, 26 to go.

[king0fprussia]

second that, kart.

[kart racer]

I am only watching on gameday..but according to there...all his pitches are on the corners. I bet it looks even more awesome on tv.