Thoughts from the Weekend that was...

What's going on everybody? Let's get right to it...

Mo Blows It




A great day of Sunday baseball, so many headlines, but how about Mariano Rivera.

When a guy like Kerry Wood or Chad Qualls, or half of the relievers in this league blow a save in the way that Rivera did today, we go nuts, but say this is part of the risk. But I can't imagine how many leagues out there lost some ERA and WHIP categories/points because of Rivera. I think it's safe to say that this is merely an aberration and that Rivera is fine. It's just interesting that he blew this save after the Yankees got so much attention for their dominance of the Twins at Yankee Stadium.

Reds Reds Reds
They are playing some great baseball right now, and had a great week. If their starting pitching can produce like they did this past week then they are going to be in great shape the rest of the season. From a fantasy perspective, they have one of those rotations that aren't any top or even 2nd tier pitchers, but they have guys that are getting the job done. And that offense in that ballpark can be pretty dangerous. Look for them to extend their NL Central lead this week with games against Atlanta and Cleveland, 20th and 26th in the league in offense, respectively. Great performance by Arroyo today, although he needs a haircut. But they're better than those dreads he rocked with the Red Sox.


AP Photo

Ethier's Pinky
I hated all the attention on LeBron's elbow, and the way he's playing, the media should focus as much attention to Andre Ethier's pinky. The Dodgers have been underperforming thus far. They rank 9th in offense, but their pitching, which was number 1 in the majors last season, is in the bottom 3rd this season. Performances like Billingsley to Kuo to Broxton are exactly what's going to put them in the thick of things again in the NL West, but not if their offense only puts 1 run on the board. Kemp has cooled down, Manny is showing his age a bit, and if it won't for the James Loney power surge then this team might be in some real trouble. They look like they need Furcal back soon, he really is that spark plug for that offense. Ethier's potential injury could really be bad for the Dodgers, good thing it's only May.


latimes.com

Hudson Dominates Haren, the D-Backs Bullpen is Weeeeak


mlb.com

Tim Hudson looked like an ace on Sunday, shutting down the 3rd best offense in the NL to the tune of 8 innings, 3 hits, one ER, and 1 walk while striking out 6. Granted, his K:BB rate isn't as great as we'd like to see, he's still finding ways to get people out. As a fantasy player, I'd try to trade Hudson for a guy like Haren, who really seems to be struggling right now. Haren looked like he started getting things together, but his last 2 starts haven't been as good as we would expect from an "ace" such as himself.

But the Diamondbacks bullpen is what should be getting most of the attention anyways. The D-Backs have the second-worse pitching staff in the majors. The NL West is very win-able, but not if you can't get guys out. That offense has a lot of promise, especially since Adam LaRoche is hitting before the all-star break and Chris Young seems to have figured himself out. Stephen Drew and Justin Upton (both of whom I own in my most dedicated league) are great young players, and a great core that this team is built around. But the pitching staff hasn't been able to keep a game under control, and Edwin Jackson has been a mess. It's a good thing former Yankee's stud prospect Ian Kennedy is doing for the D-Backs what he couldn't do for the Yankee's, be successful.

Classic Mariners

Phenomenal game by Cliff Lee today, awful game by the Mariners offense. It's just a waste of a gem of a pitching performance. I equate Cliff Lee's performance to a wonderful meal, absolutely perfect, home cooked and delicious. But the "delicious meal" forgets one main ingredient that makes it taste good. So when you're expecting this amazing meal, you finally taste it and realize that the person who made it really has no idea what the hell they're doing. So, in this analogy: Cliff Lee= the delicious-looking meal, Lack of an ingredient= Everybody except Franklin Gutierrez and Ichiro, and the Mariners Front office= the person making the meal. You dig?

Granted Garza's been great this year, but when Ichiro and Figgins go 0 for 8, the team really doesn't stand a chance. The Mariners had a rough week with all the attention surrounding their awful offense and The Kid's naptimes. With the way things are going, even just through Lee's first few starts, I don't think it's crazy to say that Lee will not be a Mariner by the end of the year.

Quick Thoughs From the Weekend
- Kevin Gregg got the save for the Jays, his 11th on the year, and he has a 2.00 ERA. It's looking like Cito Gaston made the right decision by giving Gregg the gig despite his failures as a Cub last year.

- The Marlins sweep the Mets this weekend. The NL East could prove to be one of the toughest divisions in baseball by seasons end. I think the Braves are much better than this, I think the Nationals could be a .500 ballclub at seasons end, and I think the Mets will finish last in the NL East.

- The Baltimore Orioles will be this years Washington Nationals. The AL East has 4 teams that could make the playoffs. I think the Jays are for real after their sweep of the Rangers last weekend. I'm still selling high on Wells and Romero, but they could be legit, great bullpen. Oh, and I'm going to be at the Sunday Orioles-Nationals game on Sunday, should be a real doozy.

Great weekend of baseball, everybody have a good week and check back for updates. Leave comments or give any feedback to dhkaplan17@yahoo.com.