Monthly Archives: May 2009

Early MLB games this week – Twenty-One to choose from

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After a disappointing crop of games last week, the next five days are full of baseball that can be watched live at a convenient time in Britain.

There are twenty-one games scheduled to begin before midnight British Summer Time.  Eleven take place today on Memorial Day in the States and we then have early games to enjoy on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Continue reading →

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Lineup cards

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Of all the many responsibilities an MLB manager has to deal with each day, filling out the lineup card is one of the easiest.  It’s simple enough: put the right names down in the right order. Just in case an error creeps in, various members of the coaching staff should check the copies of the cards before they are handed over to the Umpire Crew Chief and the opposing manager.

This process is completed without incident every day in the Majors and few fans give it much thought.  However, it only takes one slip-up to make us realise just how important it is for the managers to get the official lineup card right. 

When we get two such slip-ups in the same week, you can’t help but delve into the rules to learn a bit more about the topic.  Continue reading →

When Aces Collide: Dodgers-Phillies 14 May 2009

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Sometimes a pitching classic on paper ends up being a high-scoring affair.  The batters raise their game and the pitchers are made to look distinctly ordinary if they are not quite on top form.

Other times, two aces come together and show the batters why they have such a formidable reputation.  Chad Billingsley and Cole Hamels did just that last Thursday in a day-game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies.  Continue reading →

You Are the Scorer: Number 29

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YouAreScorer

Scenario: The batter hits a slow grounder straight towards the shortstop. The third baseman dives and knocks the ball with an outstretched glove. This diverts the ball off the path that was taking it straight to the shortstop, but this fielder is still able to grab the ball and nail the batter-runner at first.

How would you put the play down in your scorebook?

A – 5-6-3.
B – 6-3.

Highlight the text below to reveal the answer:

Answer: B – 6-3.

Rule 10.10(a)(1) Comment states:
Mere ineffective contact with the ball shall not be considered an assist. “Deflect” shall mean to slow down or change the direction of the ball and thereby effectively assist in putting out a batter or runner.

The third baseman’s involvement is hindering rather than effectively assisting the putting out of the batter-runner.

An early-season look at NBL stats

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Measured against MLB standards, the sample sizes for statistical categories are very small in British baseball even by the end of the season, so there is not much point exploring the early-season stats in any great depth, with not even a third of the schedule completed. Therefore, the focus of the piece is on career stats and feats. Continue reading →

Helton gets stuck on 1999

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UPDATE (20/05): Happily, the official scorer did not change the decision, meaning that Helton reached 2000 hits during a ballgame, rather than at a pre-game meeting.

An oversight in computing that gave us two-digit years threatened to stop the world turning from the 1999 to 2000. The financial markets were going to be reset and planes would fall out of the sky. Scenes of looting would provide a backdrop to the much graver problem of killer robots turning on humans. In the end, 11.59 31/12/1999 smoothly transitioned to 00.00 01/01/2000. People sung Auld Lang Syne (or at least sung the words they knew before smoothly transitioning to drunken humming) without having to raise their voices above the sounds of exploding computers. The whole episode now just serves as another example of media-fuelled mass irrationality. Continue reading →

Isotopes Chased down the standings

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BgbFantasyThere were a lot of close matchups this week in the BaseballGB Fantasy League, although my Isotopes weren’t involved in one.  
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
SWAT 45 10 43 6 .337 .977 2 4 20 0 4.83 1.58 6
Tribal Warfare 33 4 18 10 .335 .898 4 2 34 0 4.17 1.04 5
 
A narrow win for SWAT, which comfortably outhit Warfare’s injury depleted lineup but lost four pitching categories. Adam Jones (before he was injured), Miguel Cabrera, Sandoval and Choo all had big weeks. For Warfare, Clayton Kershaw’s gem on Sunday helped them take ERA and WHIP.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Josh & Jonny Whos 35 9 26 9 .289 .827 4 3 41 0 4.70 1.55 5
Rio Crande Typos 21 6 28 5 .296 .864 4 0 38 0 2.08 1.05 5
 
JJ and Joe played out a tie as each team took three hitting categories and two pitching categories. JJ had power (5 HR from Adrian Gonzalez) and speed (5 steals by Figgins, 3 by Taveras) but Joe hit for a higher average and OPS. Both pitching staffs finished level on wins. JJ took strikeouts by three.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Orpington Isotopes 34 5 27 3 .266 .777 1 2 40 2 5.59 1.63 2
The Cheddar Chasers 42 8 29 11 .297 .915 3 1 45 1 4.30 1.35 10
 
There’s no way to sugarcoat my team’s week as they were outhit, outrun and outpitched by the Chasers. Brian Roberts (9 runs, 5 SB) and Justin Morneau (4 HR, 7 RBIs) were two of the many hitters in form, while Vazquez, Grienke and Wolf led the pitching staff. My pitchers had a shocking week, managing just one win and a dreadful ERA and WHIP. Hopefully it’s all out of their system now, but I have a lot of work to do.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
stevenston angels 34 12 42 2 .318 .989 2 4 25 0 4.38 1.73 8
the gas 32 10 32 1 .281 .841 2 1 39 2 6.22 1.45 3
 
The Angels hit their way to an 8-3 win over The Gas, taking all six hitting categories. Runs, homers and steals remained close but the Angels had Raul Ibanez (9 runs, 4 HR, 12 RBIs) to thank for the win. The Gas had good pitching from Peavy and Jered Weaver, as well as 12 RBIs from Brad Hawpe, but now have to deal with the injury to Rickie Weeks, who had been in very good form.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Braughing’s Bangers 29 8 27 1 .272 .845 2 3 19 0 5.68 1.52 6
RussDev Giants 32 10 31 6 .277 .896 1 0 19 0 5.51 1.59 6
 
An unusual tie in this matchup saw the Bangers sweep the board on pitching and the Giants take all of the hitting categories. Russ wasn’t helped by his banged up pitching staff, which failed to complete the weekly minimum of 20 innings, handing all six categories to the Bangers despite a tie in strikeouts and the Giants having a better ERA. Prince Fielder (4 HR, 10 RBIs) was the Giants’ star hitter.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
The Wright Stuff 36 5 22 7 .304 .930 2 6 48 0 3.68 1.09 6
Borders Bats 28 7 30 4 .316 .942 3 1 34 3 3.83 1.38 6
 
Another tie saw the Wright Stuff and Borders Bats take six categories each. The Bats had the better hitting week, led by the red-hot Juan Pierre, but the Stuff’s bullpen collected six saves, including four from Hoffman.
 
 
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Bonestalkers 29 3 24 7 .279 .769 4 1 34 0 2.75 1.17 4
Syracuse Nationals 33 10 33 7 .305 .917 1 3 19 1 7.71 1.67 7
 
The Nationals relied on their bats in the 7-4 win over Bonestalkers, with decent production pretty much all the way through the lineup. Bonestalkers won the majority of the pitching categories thanks to good weeks from Sabathia, Scherzer, Beckett and Myers.
 
The results mean SWAT lead the way by 1/2 a game over Joe’s Typos. JJ remains in third with the Chasers and Angels a further game behind.

Base Ball Discovered

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MLB.com has produced a new documentary exploring baseball’s roots that will be of particular interest to British fans.  Base Ball Discovered provides:

“an exploration into the many generational theories about the beginnings of baseball both stateside and across the ocean, to learn firsthand about our national pastime’s ancestors: England’s bat-and-ball games. The film will bring fans of all ages closer to ‘home’ through a detailed look at the game’s roots… and even provide an unexpected and historical discovery along the way”.

The documentary was first broadcast on the MLB Network on Sunday.  Although the film is not available in full online, there is an excellent mini-site that offers excerpts and bonus clips alongside general information about the project.  It’s fascinating to see how English bat-and-ball games may have influenced the sport enjoyed by millions around the world today. 

There is no news yet as to whether the full documentary will eventually find a home online or if it will be broadcast anywhere in the UK.  No doubt I’m not alone in hoping that it is made available to us in the future.  If we hear any news, we will let you know.

Meanwhile, you may be interested in a blog post I have written about the documentary on the blogging network at MLB.com.

Roundshaw Hop: The name remains the same (for now)

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Roundshaw-Hop-(128x128)Croydon managed to get nine players out for their double-header at home to Richmond on Sunday, which means that “Roundshaw Hop” can stay as the name of this column for now. However, the Pirates’ performance was dismal, with the 29 walks they issued over 10 innings being perhaps the best single statistic to sum this up.

The team comprised a couple of stand-outs and a handful of other players who were not out of their depth, but the line-up was rounded off with a few players who would struggle to get into some single-A starting IXs in the British league. It is a real shame that the Pirates’ troubles are currently overshadowing what is otherwise a league with pleasing competitive balance (the Falcons’ split with the Blazers in the other double-header on Sunday further exemplifies this).

The Richmond-Croydon scorelines of 20-4 and 17-4 in two five-inning slaughters could have been much worse were it not for baseball’s etiquette of easing up. They offered very little entertainment value. Of course, with baseball, there is always something that can be rescued from an otherwise dull game. For me, it was the base-stealing of Richmond’s Robbie Unsell.

Continue reading →