Iowa blew up for 18 runs with Rizzo leading the way. He hit his 15th HR and added 2 more hits as well. He now has a 1.115 OPS. Vitters went 2-5 and is doing better after a slump. Volstad did alright in his first start since his demotion giving up 4 ER in 6 IP.
Junior Lake keeps it fresh and breezy in Tennessee as he went 3-5 with a HR. Lake is going to mess around and pass Jackson up as a prospect if he keeps up this kind of season. Lake has a .929 OPS through 58 AB's.
It's a walk off! The Daytona team got a game winning hit from Richard Jones in the 10th to end it last night. Szrzr is just killing the ball in May and went 2-4 with a BB and SB last night. He is sporting a .313/.384/.484 line for the month. PJ Francescon had another start and went 6 IP giving up 1 ER 1 BB and striking out 5. He now has allowed a total of 46 base runners in 59 IP. The other team is batting .159 against him this year. But still, fuck that guy. Hayden Simspon gave up 3 ER in 1IP before AJ MORRIS! came in to get the W by pitching 2 scoreless innings.
Peoria
DNP
Good to see some prospects doing well (Lake, Sczczczczczr, Rizzo) but it sucks to see Jackson doing so poorly. Any word on what it is? Are they changing his approach at the plate?
Fuck the heck?
should have mentioned that Francescon was promoted to Daytona and that was his first game at that level.
for Volstad that’s doing alright. Plus he got some K’s.
Jackson just has strikeout issues. Its worth noting that when you combine his Iowa time with this years its not a bad line just not what we hoped for.
@ WaLi:
There were some rumors they were tweaking his plate mechanics, but he just isn’t making enough contact. He’s K’ing in 32% of his PA now, but BABiP, ISO, and BB% are in line with what he’s done previously, and as ACT pointed out yesterday, he’s still posting a decent wOBA (.339) and wRC+ (100).
@ dylanj:
I heard he dragged a sack of kittens behind his car when he drove to Daytona.
Fun fact: Luke Scott’s favorite aspect of that movie is the slave trade.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Related: also facing charges under the Mann Act.
i think the Francescon move frees up Wells to start again.
@ GBTS:
I really despise that POS.
The Cubs have 59 straight innings without having the lead. I call this The Reverse Hershiser. I can feel it, gents; FunBad is almost upon us.
why all the hate for Francescon?? what did he do to elicit this kind of hate?
This guy can’t get OV on his phone:
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
Fixed it for ya.
@ dan:
DJ and MB are very high on Francescon. But whenever they say something good about him, he fucks up. So we’ve decided to try and say only bad things about him to ensure his success. Because we’re all idiots. Welcome aboard.
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
Is he related to strongbad?
@ WaLi:
What is this, I don’t even…
understood….he’s a fucking prick
Ranked 30th in the MSN/Fox power rankings, which is fine, but the dude says:
Ummmm….raise your hand if you think rushing Rizzo/losing a year of service time will save this season!
Power Rankings
@ dan:
That’s the spirit.
@ mikeakaleroy:
(dying laughing) it’s far more important to gain that additional year of league minimum than it is to rush him. The Cubs suck.
@ mb21:
Exactly, but all I see are people (including national writers) clamoring for a Rizzo appearance right now. It would be very silly to bring him up now, and I’m pretty sure Thoyer thinks the same thing.
At what point does bringing Rizzo up not use up service time? Is it after the trade deadline or is it during September call-ups? I think he should be called up at some point just as long as it doesn’t unnecassarily use up service time.
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/23/reds-fan-who-caught-two-homers-was-honorary-captain-last-night/
@ Mucker:
I think any time spent on the MLB level is considered service time even in September?
My rough calculations suggests that he needs to be called up past June 23 in order to guarantee that extra year. Or they could just call him up for interleague and then send him back down until after the All-Star Break, but that seems a bit shady to me although I’m sure teams have done it justifiably.
@ Rice Cube:
From what I remember, if you’re on the active roster any time before Sep 1 then the September games count as service time. If you are only called up in September those games don’t count
@ mikeakaleroy:
It’s also silly because Bryan LaHair is having a great season. Soriano has just gotten hot. Campana is off to a really good start and DeJesus hasn’t been half bad either. So where do you put Rizzo? If you put him at 1st, where do you put LaHair? If the Cubs were getting shit offense at 1st or in the outfield right now I might understand what they’re saying. I’d think it’s dumb, but it’s just really really dumb as it is.
@ Mucker:
If they called him up right after the all-star break he couldn’t qualify as a super 2. They could call him up for a few days right now and send him back down, but you have to have 86 consecutive days on an mlb roster to qualify as super 2 (plus 2 more years obviously).
@ Rice Cube:
June 23 is about right for guaranteeing that extra year, but they may as well wait a few more weeks and avoid super two status too.
I think MLBTR said he’d get Super Two status if he was called up anytime before August. Isn’t Super Two based on all potential between-2-and-3 year guys for the cutoff? The Super Two threshold could potentially change depending on how many of those guys there are.
@ Rice Cube:
http://www.obstructedview.net/commentary-and-analysis/when-will-we-see-brett-jackson-and-anthony-rizzo.html
He would have to have 86 days or more of service time this year to qualify as a super 2.
Like I said, they could call him up for a week right now, send him back down and then call him up later in the season (say July 17th if he’s up for a week earlier in the season).
dan wrote:
And he murders nuns.
@ mb21:
The reason I ask is because he has 68 days of service with the Padres so I thought that would count towards the Super Two somehow. Nice to know that they could just wait until after the All-Star Break though.
Mish –> Will Rhymes?
@ mb21:
Completely agreed. Even if LaHair was having a crap season, I’d rather see them rent someone to play first rather than waste the service time with Rizzo. This team isn’t going to win anyway, so might as well save the time and hopefully everything comes together in a few (probably several) years.
Rickie Weeks last night
i’ll add to the pile on francescon — he’s a 23-year-old converted college reliever busting up A-ball. plus he is ugly.
@ Rice Cube:
Okay, I had a bit of time and looked this up, the language is such that it could go either way (dying laughing)
http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/info/faq.jsp
That’s basically what MB said, but the language here suggests that he doesn’t have to be up for at least 86 days in 2012, but has to have the full 86 days accumulated in this season before next season. That might explain the discrepancy between the above-suggested July date and MLBTR’s late-August date for the Super Two cutoff. Though if he were up for late-August I think he’d still accumulate those full 86 dates (he’d only need three weeks’ worth of games) so I’m not sure where they got late August from. I really do hope it’s actually July though.
@ Rice Cube:
Wikipedia’s blurb jives with what MB said though. 86 days in this season then. Wikipedia is never wrong.
@ Rice Cube:
For all you know, MB wrote the article.
@ Berselius:
You sure that isn’t Starlin Castro? Looks like one of his recent ABs…
@ mikeakaleroy:
It looks like me taking a swing in MLB The Show
@ WaLi:
I don’t think that game would work on my Atari 2600…
@ mikeakaleroy:
If it’s one of those old, big Atari 2600′s you could trick that out with a Mini-ITX board and a low-profile graphics chip. That would rule.
You know, if The Show is only on PS3, that new PS3 is about the same size as the old Atari 2600.
AW! It’s behind a paywall, but Make Magazine already beat me to it: http://makezine.com/02/atari/
@ josh:
I’ve got the “newer, sleeker” Atari (dying laughing)
@ mikeakaleroy:
There has to be a way to mod it as a front end controller for a Playstation (which would of course be hidden from view). You sit down, pick up the atari controller, and a few minutes later MLB The Show loads. Amaze your friends!
anybody have BP or ESPN Insider? Goldstein has an article up about ways around the CBA i was interested in
@ dylanj:
That’s not what the article is. It doesn’t have any ways around it.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
This is the phone system between the visiting dugout and the bullpen at whatever-the-name-of-the-Texas-Rangers’ stadium is.
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
Worst sex position ever.
@ Berselius:
Now I’m even happier about dropping him from my fantasy team.
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/10410/rizzos-magic-number-is-104
You might want to stop taking pictures with your new iPhone, B.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/disney-cruise-iphone-thief-uploads-photos-to-photo-stream-facebook_n_1539353.html#s219615&title=Markedly_Bad_Disguise
Why is Mish parked outside Busch Stadium?
Rizzo hit his 16th HR.
@ dylanj:
I have access to BP.
Aramis is slowly creeping towards respectability: .231/.302/.400
Wow, that Italian guy from the European Academy that plays for the Mariners just hit a grand slam.
@ ACT:
There’s nothing in the article about ways around the CBA. Goldstein talks to some people who speculate and say that we all know there will be ways to work around it, but we’re not really sure yet. The article on Baseball America about getting around the CBA with regards to international signings was much more interesting in my opinion.
Nice play by Freddy Galvis.
Cubs have a lead? WTF?
Bryce Harper is so much fun to watch.
@ ACT:
False, thanks to D-Barn.
In the first two power rankings we did here I had the Cubs as the next to worst team in the league, but I think I’d put them at worst right now. I think they’re right there with the Astros. Both are just plain fucking horrible.
mb21 wrote:
Why would you change it? What do you know now that you didn’t know earlier? Are you sure you just aren’t letting recent performance bias your opinion?
Aroldis Chapman is probably the best reliever in baseball. If he doesn’t get a chance to start someday, it’ll be a shame.
@ ACT:
In all honesty i don’t know anything now that I didn’t know before. I dI think the Cubs are worse than I thought entering the season but I thought that at the same time some fans were showing some signs of optimism.
I do think (dying laughing)
It’s hard to be optimistic that this team could even incrementally improve.
Just noticed Dolis has improved his still pathetic k/9 up to 3.4.
Amazingly, Houston has a positive run differential so far. Of course, they’re really much worse than that (just as the Cubs are much better than their winning percentage).
ACT wrote:
False.
/only sort of joking
The Cubs are bad, but it’s very unlikely that they’re 2011 Astros bad. They’re not much different from the team that won 71 games last year (except for the downgrade at third base and the loss of Marshall).
@ ACT:
I expect them to win a few in the second half of the season, when they do a few callups/shakeups.
@ mb21:
He pitches to contact.
@ ACT:
…and how!
@ Rice Cube:
The Twins are taking the “pitch to contact” philosophy to a whole new level.
Cubs are trying to avoid Brett Myers by getting out of the save situation.
The Pirates are hitting: .218/.268/.349.
And that’s even with McCutchen tearing the cover off the ball.
Some of those pitches by Dolis were pretty good on Gameday — bottom of the zone. He can’t do much if they don’t give him the low strike.
The Pirates’ main first baseman has a wRC+ (and OPS+) of 52. /schadenfreude
Both Z and Lilly got lit up.
Me on Cubs:
@ mb21:
i’m going to hold off on the party until he breaks 10%
What is up with how lazy kids are now-a-days. Driving to work today I was stuck behind a school bus. This bus stopped every 100 feet to pick up a kid on this small road. If it had one stop in the middle of the road where there is a neighborhood enterence, it wouldn’t have had to stop 7 times and the max a kid would have to walk would be 300 yards. Back in my day (15 years ago) we had to walk to our bus stop, not get picked up in front of our house. And bike to school if it was less than 3 miles away. It’s no wonder this nation is so obese.
/get off my lawn
@ GW:
I thought Dolis might end up being a decent bullpen arm. He wasn’t bad as a starter, but his strikeout rate dropped in the bullpen.
@ WaLi:
In the neighborhoods I drive through, there are 3-4 stops along one main road in the neighborhood. I dunno, every district probably sets their own rules. You should get on the school board and work to change it, then quit abruptly, claiming you finished what you came here to do, like James K. Polk.
@ WaLi:
Agreed. We had 2 stops for our entire neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. There was about 20-30 kids getting on at one stop. Then there was one other stop a couple hundered yards away that got an additional 20-30 kids.
Then there’s the kids that don’t even play outside anymore. My nephew’s little league team is 6-8 years old and 90% look like they’ve never even swung a bat or thrown a baseball. But I bet you they can beat any video game you put in for them.
Fuck these fat fucking kids today.
Mucker wrote:
I think that ‘ should be a #
@ WaLi:
At least Vogelbach is athletic. He must eat a ton to still be that big but be as athletic as he is. Being fat is one thing, being fat and lazy is uncalled for. At least at that age. Once you get in your thirties, it’s ok. (dying laughing)
@ Mucker:
(dying laughing) I agree.
@ GBTS:
Where’s Ryno? He’d love that.
(dying laughing)
This was a strange blog post but the comments section is amusing:
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/24/programming-note-re-henry-the-puffy-taco/
@ GBTS:
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
Where are you finding those? The goodfellas one is hilarious.
@ Mucker:
http://cooley.bigcartel.com/
Impressive.
@ Mucker:
I could beat any video game you put in front of me…
Would the Cubs be interested in Ubaldo Jimenez if the Indians declined his option? He hasn’t really pitched well for them. Could be a buy low type of guy.
@ WaLi:
Probably more a fact of the pearl-clutching crowd that doesn’t want their kids to leave sight of their house since they’ll be accosted out in the big scary world.
@ mb21:
I thought he would be okay too – wasn’t there a lot of positive chatter about him when he switched to relief a year or so ago?
@ Berselius:
I was thinking that might be an issue too. It’s all the parents fault either way.
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/24/trust_me_on_this_star_wars/
I Can’t wait to see Jeff Suppan shut down the Cubs on Monday
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/24/the-yankees-could-be-up-for-sale-really/
The price the Dodgers sold for certainly has to have them thinking about it.
@ Berselius:
I don’t know. It wasn’t from me. I gave up on him because his K/9 dropped to 5.9 in relief: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=dolis-001raf
I gave up on Jay Jackson after his K/9 dropped and I’ve pretty much done the same for McNutt. At least both of them were still starters, but neither of them can pitch at the big league level with strikeouts rates like they have. Dolis won’t be in MLB long. He’s terrible. He probably shouldn’t even be in AAA.
GM did have a very good point about Francescon, which I hadn’t noticed for some reason. He’s 23 years old and just finally got to High A. I know he was drafted last year, but there’s nothing impressive about a 23 year old pitching well in Low A. Maybe if he gets up to AA this year and continues to pitch well I’ll change my mind, but he was a 40th round pick for a reason.
New shit, same as the old shit: http://www.obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/cubs-are-1-in-the-2013-amateur-draft-pick-race.html