At Home Plate - Between the Foul Poles: A Weekly Track around the Majors VII

Between the Foul Poles: A Weekly Track around the Majors VII

Written by Robert Democh (Contact & Archive) on May 29, 2009

AL Appetizers:

Interleague play becomes the Minnesota Twins, who completed a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday. Instead of relying on their outstanding pitching, the Twins did it with an explosive attack that featured a revamped lineup (Joe Mauer batting second and Justin Morneau third). The shake up resulted in an onslaught that pummeled Milwaukee pitching for 37 runs.

The return of Joe Mauer has been a boost for the Twins offense.

Photo by Keith Allison, used under creative commons license.

Mauer, Morneau and Michael Cuddyer have combined to drive in an amazing 35 runs over the past week ending Tuesday. Scott Baker, who had been surrendering home runs as plentifully as expectant fathers distribute cigars, turned in a much improved effort Sunday. He credits an adjustment in his mechanics with allowing him to go eight innings and allow just three earned runs. In six of his seven previous starts, Baker had coughed up four or more earned runs. One Twin unhappy with a diminished workload is closer Joe Nathan. Nathan has fully justified his status among the elite by averaging 40 saves each of the past four seasons. He has recorded just seven this year, a victim of limited save opportunities.

Nick Green is little known outside of New England but he has become an important catalyst in the Boston Red Sox lineup. The Sox are a remarkable 18-6 this season when Green is their starting shortstop. Much has been written about the trials of David Ortiz this season and many theories advanced to account for his struggles. There was renewed optimism when Ortiz blasted his first home run of the season last Thursday, a sense that perhaps the worst was over. There was to be no Hollywood ending, however. Since going yard, Big Papi was a pitiful 1-for-17 with eight strikeouts his next three games before being rested Monday. The Red Sox have shown unusual patience with their beloved designated hitter but can’t abide his unproductiveness in the heart of the order much longer. Fortunately for Boston, third sacker Mike Lowell has picked up some of the offensive slack. Undergoing serious hip surgery in your mid-30’s can be a career limiting decision for a baseball player but thus far Lowell is receiving the last laugh. Through Sunday, he had missed but one game all season while contributing eight homers, 32 RBI and a .291 average.

Ichiro Suzuki is a marvel. When the Seattle Mariners signed him in 2001, little did they realize they were acquiring one of the most consistent and productive hitters in MLB history. Ichiro has amassed at least 200 hits, batted .300 or better and stolen 30 or more bases each of his eight ML seasons. He’s hitting a robust .352 in May (38-for-108) although he isn’t running with his usual aplomb (just 7-for-10 in stolen base attempts). Expect the steals to come in bunches as the weather warms up. Suzuki and Russell Branyan are the only Seattle regulars that have provided anything resembling consistent offense. Since being removed as closer, Brandon Morrow has seen limited action. His replacement David Aardsma has pitched exceedingly well, going 6-for-6 in save opportunities with a 1.25 ERA and a stingy .147 BAA. The Mariners still believe Morrow is their closer of the future but he may have difficulty unseating Aardsma this season.

NL Nuggets:

An accumulation of injuries and a suddenly limp offense are threatening to place the season in jeopardy for the Chicago Cubs. The club favored by many to capture the NL Central crown lost their eighth straight game on Monday, their worst stretch since May 2006. The offense is on hiatus, having plated just five runs in the past five games. For a team saddled with a $135 million payroll, that type of performance won’t be tolerated for long. Expect a front office or roster shakeup (perhaps both) if things don’t improve. You know the frustration is rampant when pitcher Ted Lilly, who wasn’t even playing, got ejected Monday by the home plate umpire for arguing balls and strikes. Conditions appear ripe for a vintage Lou Piniella explosion.

Adrian Gonzalez lead the majors in home runs despite playing half his games in spacy Petco Park.

Photo by SD Dirk, used under creative commons license.

When the San Diego Padres began the year going 9-3, few paid much attention. This was after all the same Padres team that finished 2008 in the NL West basement with a doleful 63-99 mark. As if on cue, the Padres crumbled after their quick start, winning just five of their next 20 games. Then, they caught lightning in a bottle: With their victory over Arizona Monday, the Padres ran their winning streak to 10 straight to move a game over .500. They also exorcised a demon by ending a streak of 11 straight road losses. Their accomplishment is all the more noteworthy because big bopper Adrian Gonzalez has cooled off in May. Although his power stroke has maintained its potency (eight bombs this month), he is batting just .232   Gonzalez has hit 36 percent of his club’s homers (17 of 47), easily the highest in baseball.   With the scarcity of lineup protection, it’s mind boggling that teams remain eager to pitch to him.

Chipper Jones has comfortably adapted to his role as elder statesman on the Atlanta Braves. Now in his 16th season with the team, Jones is universally respected and remains one of the most disciplined hitters in the NL -- when he plays. Jones recently missed time with a strained big toe and should reinsert his .319 batting average into the lineup shortly. Javier Vazquez has pitched much better than his 4-4 record would suggest. He has assembled an impressive 5:1 K:BB ratio and has yielded just six homers in 64 innings. Limited run support however has cost him at least two wins. The Braves were dealt a blow when versatile infielder/outfielder Omar Infante broke his hand. He was placed on the DL last Thursday and will be lost until early July. In April, team officials feared Brian McCann would require a repeat Lasik procedure when blurred vision sidelined him. Shattering the image of eyeglass wearers as timid souls, McCann has been on a tear since adopting them, hitting a blistering .431 with three homers and 11 RBI.

Life without Manny Ramirez hasn’t been all that stressful for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since Ramirez was suspended on May 7 for failing a drug test, the Dodgers have gone 11-7 increasing their NL West lead to 8 ½ games. Ramirez took the opportunity to work out at Dodger Stadium Monday (the team was playing in Colorado) hidden from the media glare. Although unable to rejoin the Dodgers until July 3, MLB rules permit him to complete a 10-game minor league rehab assignment prior to that. One Dodger who has had trouble breaking loose this year is catcher Russell Martin. He’s heating up, going 10-for-29 (.345) with seven RBI in the last six games. Jason Schmidt was struck in the head by a line drive Saturday during a Triple-A start and is currently day-to-day.

The Weekender: Here are some intriguing pairings this coming weekend (May 29-31).

Reds at Brewers:      The surprising Reds are hanging around in the NL Central.
Marlins at Mets        Key NL East contenders size up one another
Red Sox at Blue Jays: Jays have yet to prove they can whip divisional foes.
Twins at Rays:         Two of the AL’s best starting rotations compare notes.

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