Giants Look Strong vs. NL Elite

Although they just barely missed finishing a 3-game sweep of the 2008 World Series Champion Phillies, the Giants have handled their first real tough stretch of the season very well.

After struggling through that rough Southern California road trip last week, the Giants returned home in strong fashion, taking care of the Cardinals in 2 of 3, then followed that up with another 2-win series victory vs. the Phillies. They got timely hitting, and amazing starting pitching over the homestand, and have fought their way back atop the NL West because of it. The latest dominant start was delivered by Tim Lincecum on Wednesday afternoon, as Timmy went 8 1/3, allowing just 3 hits and 2 runs while striking out 11 Philly hitters. Unfortunately, Brian Wilson couldn't hold the 3-run lead and the Giants eventually lost the game in extra innings. It was a tough no-decision for Lincecum to take for sure, and definitely will leave a bad taste in the Giants' mouths for the moment, but overall, they have to be very pleased with the way they bounced back after their tough road trip. They are starting to swing the bats a little bit better and will be getting one of their catalysts back this weekend in Aaron Rowand. They aren't out of the woods yet though, as the Rockies come into San Francisco for a 3-game set starting Friday night.

The offense was what stuck out on this homestand for me, especially the way they handled Roy Halladay on Monday night. The Giants banged out 10 hits, including 4 extra-base hits, and put up a 5 spot against the guy everybody wants to call the best pitcher in baseball. A big reason for their recent offensive improvement has been the play of Andres Torres. Right after I posted about Torres needing to improve in a hurry, or else he'd be out when Rowand came back, the speedy center fielder got it going offensively. Torres is hitting .409 on the homestand, with 4 RBI, 4 runs, 2 steals and 4 2B. He's now hitting a respectable .275 for the season after entering the homestand at .111. It hasn't been all about the bat with him either, as he's really made some tremendous plays out in center field as well over the last week. Both Torres and second basemen Matt Downs(.308, 1 hr, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 13 ab's ), who actually took Rowand's roster spot, are both making an argument to stay on the team when Rowand comes back. Their play has caused there to be whispers about Eugenio Velez, who has 1 hit in his last 20 at-bats, possibly being sent down in place of Rowand over the weekend.

GBB Notes: Again, I'd like to apologize for the lack of posting over the last 2 weeks. Things have been pretty busy with school and computer issues. I should be back to normal though now, so we should be updated every other day or so like normal again.... We also haven't had a chance to discuss much minor league stuff yet, so be on the lookout for April's minor league report in the next week or so, as we take a look down on the farm and see what the likes of Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Darren Ford and Thomas Neal are up to!

Aaron Miles Returns with The Cardinals

The Cardinals also announced Tuesday they had signed infielder Aaron Miles to a minor league contract. Miles was a member of the Cardinals team that won the 2006 World Series.

Rookie catcher Bryan Anderson was optioned to Triple-A Memphis to make room for LaRue, who was injured running the bases. Anderson's pinch-hit double was the tying hit Monday night in a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

The 33-year-old Miles was one of the Cincinnati Reds' final cuts this spring. The switch-hitter batted .289 in three seasons for the Cardinals, including a career-best .317 average in 2008.   AP

I wonder after a year service and then traded by the Cubs to the Athletics had Aaron yearn for the Cardinals?

I liked Miles when he was with the Cards. He was a scrappy player with a lot of heart. His 2008 season with the Cards was probably his pinnacle, because when he took off to the Cubs as free agent his numbers sunk. His batting avg. with the Cubs was .185, his OBP was .224 and SLG was .242. He went from a classy organization to a sub-par team. Welcome back Aaron

Thanks Beckett!

I was one of the latest winners for the "Free Friday" contest. My prize was a 2009 TRISTAR PROjections Ike Davis autograph. The best part is.... he's a Met if you didn't know! I have been a member of Beckett since 11/19/1997 and I've seen the ups and downs and I've made my fair share of moans and groans but this one takes the cake for me personally!

The McBrayer-Baseball Blog Gets a Nod in the Blogosphere

Yours truly got mentioned in the Definitive Guide To The Cardinals Blogosphere today. I am quite surprise to find out that my Blog has been mentioned in this great write up about St.Louis Cardinal Blogs.These sites  are consider essential Cardinal Baseball Blogs. Here is a blurb about the McBrayer-Baseball Blog.
Joe writes The McBrayer-Baseball Blog with his thoughts about the Cardinals.  If nothing else, you have to appreciate a blog with an entry detailing taking his son to a Redbirds game, don't you?  The posts may not be long, but there's good stuff there.
Please check out this website, it has a lot of great informative info on all things Cardinal Baseball. 
Cardinal Blogosphere 

A Little Cardinals News......

The Cardinals put Felipe Lopez on the 15 day disable list today due to a right elbow strain. The Cardinals also recalled John Jay and Tyler Greene from Memphis for the Braves series. Allan Craig was also optioned to Memphis due to his 1-18 start.

Site Update

Prospects Paradise has gone silent recently, as schoolwork has consumed much of my free time. This trend will likely continue for a while, but I hope to return some time soon with more college, prospects, and draft info. You can always head over to Twitter for tidbits of goodness.

My Daughter's 2nd softball game results in a injury.

Well my daughter had her second softball game of the season today and she received an injury from it too. When it was her first at bat she ended up drawing seven pitches again (4 balls 3 foul tipped) and was walked. She safely stole second base and then on the next pitch she attempted to steal third.....and was thrown out. I blame the coach for getting her out because he waited till the catcher almost had the ball in her hands from a wild pitch before telling Caty to steal. LAME-O- on the coach's part.

The pitcher from the opposing team was 11 years old (the league consists of ages 7-11) and was throwing flames! I was impressed and I will say for the record and they can claim they heard it here first... this girl is going to be a factor on somebody's high school/college/pro softball team! She was striking out our kids left and right! She was humming that ball pretty hard that the catcher probably had to ice her hand down after the game. Half of the team was watching her throw during warm ups and some of them looked scared watching her pitch. Honestly I could say I don't blame them for feeling nervous as if I would've been their age and saw those pitches she was throwing.

It's the fourth inning and it's Caty's turn to bat. The first pitch is high and directly at my daughter's head. The second pitch is high again and at my daughter's head once more. The coach for the pitcher's team in a rude smartly manner says to Caty, "She ain't gonna hurt you. You've got a helmet on anyhow so don't worry about it". The next pitch is inside again and nails my daughters left hand. I heard the crack and my heart started pounding when I looked and saw the open mouth but no scream sound coming from my daughter. The coaches and the Umpire rushed immediately to her and she started crying and was hollering for Daddy. Her hand was beginning to bruise immediately and there was "seam marks on her hand" and it was swelling rapidly. They brought ice down right away from the concession stands and we iced it down. We had it checked out just to be on the safe side. The good thing is nothing was broken and she could do full range of motion exercises. As of this moment it's bruised with some heavy swelling but otherwise she'll be okay. She was given some pain medication and it seems to only bother her if it hangs down. Oh yeah....it's her 8th birthday tomorrow! She started her 8th birthday with going on the disabled list....lol! She was a trooper though and wanted to get right back out there tomorrow to practice at 5pm. I explained to her that she has to take a few days off practice and I explained to her why she would need time off to heal. She looks right at me and then says, "Dad how am I gonna play the Wii"? So much for explaining things in a serious manner. Kids....ya gotta love them!

I would've liked to have a few words with that coach regarding the comments he made towards my daughter but then I wouldn't want to do that in front of her either. I don't want her to see me choking the life out of someone. That would not be a positive role model sign for her to see. I know it wasn't the pitcher's intending purpose to nail her as she was starting to lose control of her fastballs even more after beaning Caty. Still....I wanted to smack the coach for his pointless words directed towards my daughter. Perhaps I will have to "help out" with batting practice the next time we play them again.

Giants Stumped in SoCal

For the second year in a row, the Giants have rolled into Southern California for their first road trip of the season and have had their hands full with the Dodgers and Padres. The Giants suffered their first series loss of the young 2010 season over the weekend in LA, then were defeated Monday night in San Diego in the first game of that series.

The Giants' pitchers made just a few mistakes in LA which really ended up costing them the series. After another brilliant Barry Zito outing Friday, in which Zito went 7.1 innings allowing just 4 hits and a run with 3 strikeouts. However, the man who came in to replace him in that 8th inning, Sergio Romo, surrendered a 2-run homer to Manny Ramirez that ultimately won the game for the Dodgers, 2-1. In the other two games, the Giants offense exploded for 17 runs, but they still only managed to win one of them. The game they did win was the Tim Lincecum show in the series opener on Friday night. Timmy went 7 shutout innings, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 7, but that wasn't his only strong showing that night. He also went 3-4 at the plate and drove in 3 runs. Now the fact that the Giants lost 2 of 3 in LA didn't bother me too much, because had a few things gone a bit differently, they easily could have swept the series. What does concern me is how well the Dodgers played. They have been looking to really hit their stride in the early season and they may have done it against the Giants, cause they did really outplay the Giants.


It was even more disturbing to see them roll into San Diego Monday night and lose in extra innings via a David Eckstien walk-off home run off of Jeremy Affeldt. Matt Cain must be feeling a little bit of the '07-'08 curse he was struck with; lack of support from the bullpen and offense. Cain's thrown 3 quality games to start the year, including a 6 inning, 2 run, 4 strikeout performance on Monday night, and has nothing to show for it yet. I still have high hopes for Matty this year, and still believe he can improve on last years huge step forward. I just hope he doesn't start losing any confidence whatsoever, and I don't think that will be an issue. What is an issue though, and something we've discussed a few times here already is Andres Torres' lack of contribution. Bruce Bochy is still giving the guy a bunch of starts, and I understand that he's the only true center fielder with Rowand out, but the guy is just not hitting. Torres is just 2-18 so far with no runs or RBI. I also wouldn't mind seeing Darren Ford thrown into the fire so to speak. He isn't exactly hitting well in AA to start the year, but after the spring he had with the Giants, I think he'd come up with the confidence that he belongs.

The Giants must salvage these last two games in San Diego, as I'd hate to see them lose both of their series' down south, especially after such a strong start. They'll send Jonahtan Sanchez, who's coming off a dominant outing vs. Pittsburgh last week, to the mound vs. young Padres righty, Mat Latos. In Wednesday's finale, the Giants will again hand the ball to Todd Wellemeyer who really lost a lot of his room for error in his last start, to the mound hoping he can rebound from his outing in LA.


Note: I've recently been experiencing major computer problems, and haven't had full access to a computer over the last few days, hence the lack of posting over the last 5-7 days. I apologize for the inconvenience and we should be back to a normal posting schedule shortly!

My Daughter's first softball game....A Very Proud Daddy!

Today was a very good day for me as I was able to watch my daughter play in her very first softball game. I was so glad to see that she made the team and she has done so well at left center and at second base in her "rookie season". When she went up to her first at bat she kept a real good solid stance and the first ball pitched to her was called an outside ball. She had made contact twice on the next two pitches but both were foul balls in opposite directions. Then 3 straight pitches called for balls and she drew a walk. Then she stole second base as the catcher was fumbling with the ball (she paid attention). She then tried to steal third base but was caught in a pickle play. However luck was on her side as the third base girl threw the ball into center field. Caty proceeded to and safely went into third base. Then when her next at bat came up she was not so lucky this time. She found herself in that "old baseball legendary batters position" that consisted of three balls two strikes and 2 outs. next came the pitch and then...and then... and then she swung out. Her team (Belleville Bombers) lost 16-1 in 5 innings. She didn't cry about striking out and she didn't say much of anything because she was smiling. She just looked at me and grinned. After the game Daddy was given the celebratory hug and kiss from his happy little daughter as she could barely contain the excitement of her first game ball game ever played. She wasn't concerned about winning or losing...she was just happy to play and have me there with her and cheering her on.

As for my Son's baseball season...well those games starts this Saturday. Now I have to split myself in two because they both have games together on certain dates! Anybody know of a good cloning scientist?

Giants Cruise to 7-2 Start

As the Giants head back out on the road Thursday, and have to feel pretty darn good about themselves and the way they've performed at the midway point in the first month of the season. They sit atop the NL West at 7-2 and have the 2nd best record in all of baseball behind the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies (7-1).

The Giants continue to get tremendous starting pitching, as Jonathan Sanchez was the latest starter to put together a masterpiece. Sanchez was almost un-hittable against the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon, throwing 8 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks in route to an 11-strikeout performance, a season high for Giants' starters. It had to be a nice confidence builder for Sanchez too after failing to get through five innings in his first start. The 27 year-old lefty was backed by homers from Aaron Rowand, Eli Whiteside and Aubrey Huff (inside-the-parker), as the home run ball attributed for all the Giants runs on Wednesday. In just about any other park in baseball, Huff would have likely had a three homer day, as he hit 2 balls off the right-center field wall and one just shy of the 421 marker. Mike Krukow made a good point mentioning that Huff cannot get frazzled by some of these balls not leaving the yard. Huff looks like he's starting to heat up, and as long as he keeps that same swing going that he had yesterday, he'll have plenty of homers, not to mention a ton of extra base hits in general, by the end of the year. Both he and Mark DeRosa are already making their mark on the Giants lineup, although neither are hitting for a particularly high batting average. DeRosa's hitting just .200 entering the weekend series in LA, and is slumping a bit, but you can tell by his approach that he's going to be just fine.

DeRosa should hit his groove any day now, much like Aaron Rowand did upon returning to AT&T Park last week. After going 0-10 to start the year in Houston, he's responded by going 14 for his last 34, good for a .412 batting average over that span. The one area of Rowand's game that has to be causing Bochy a little bit of concern with him being at the top of the lineup, is that he's yet to take a walk this season through 9 ballgames. I like the way he's hitting in the 1 spot, and he seems to be getting the lineup going, but he has to start taking more pitches and show a little more patience up there, especially when he's the first batter of the game and the Giants try to get a look at their opposing pitcher. If Rowand can start doing that, his walks will come and he's going to be an even better hitter. I'd also like to see Eugenio Velez put up there when get starts games, and after his big home run Monday in the ninth inning off Octavio Dotel, I'd think his next start will be coming soon. Andres Torres isn't a bad role player to have around, but I don't agree with him getting all these starts over Velez. Granted, it's mostly vs. lefties which Eugenio doesn't handle quite as well, but he seems like more of a spark to the lineup than Torres. I'd like to see Boch try DeRosa in right and Velez in left vs. the next lefty the Giants face.

The Giants are off to their best start since 2003, a year that they ended up going wire-to-wire to win the NL West and also sport the best record in the NL if my memory serves me correctly. This team kind of reminds me of that squad in some ways. Both teams aren't the most powerful, but send up a very solid 1-8, and the starting pitching and bullpen from both '03 and '10 were/are one of the best in baseball. It's easy to have all this positivity towards the team cause they still have a major hurdle yet to pass. There is going to come a time where they aren't going to lose ballgames and go on losing streaks and have players slump. Seeing how they pull themselves out of those situations will show us what this team is really made up, but so far, you have to be pretty pleased with just about everything with the club if your a Giants fan.

Now at WalMart......Enough Already's E.P. The EBAY Gripe Sessions

I'm getting annoyed with all of the listings for 1/1's when there is NO 1/1 listed on the card anywhere. I do believe that is called false advertisement. I'm hoping someone starts buying all the false 1/1's and then when they get the card they file a complaint with PAYPAL because the seller is LEGALLY false advertising a product. You should really learn the legalities when listing Items on EBAY. You could have a field day with some of these listings with Paypal taking to the seller's side due to the listing title.

Here is a list of Ebay false 1/1 idiot listings:

This is just a plain out right joke.
Oh this one
This one is a winner!
This is the tea bagger!
THE GRAND DADDY OF ALL BOLONGA OF 1/1'S FALSELY ADVERTISED BUT LISTED AS NUMBERED TO 20 IN THE DESCRIPTION.

Then you get to some of these listings under the "Buy it Now" tab that just make you wanna either laugh at them for what they're asking for or just feel sorry for them. The best part is when your negotiating the "best offer" and then they quote in the email, "well according to Beckett Book Value". At that point I drop my business with them immediately. I usually find the card somewhere else for a third of the cost.

Let's take a look at some potentials:
Um.....yeah.....I don't think so bub!
Yeah....let me go right out the door!
Um....No sir...I don't like it.
Who the heck is that?
THIS IS THE KING OF EBAY FALSE LISTINGS!



On a happier note, I've surpassed 5,000 views. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to even remotely look at my crazy world. Heck I would be happy just with 5 views let alone 5,000. Thanks guys!

Our First Game of the Season

Last night my son told me that he couldn't wait for tomorrow's Baseball Game. He has been waiting all off season for this day to  happen. He had such a happy face as we walked into the gates at Busch Stadium. Once we found our seats I was able to see the wonderment in his eyes at this spectacular view we call Baseball Heaven.

Once the game started he wanted to know where Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols was. I told him he had to wait till they come out to the field to play. I can tell that the boredom was sitting in. So I went to get him some Cracker Jacks and a soda. My son was happy with that. The game itself was low scoring but it was fun for me to watch Brad Penny throw heat. He was clocked at 95mph during some of his pitches. The Cardinals beat the Astros 2-1. They will play again Thursday afternoon at 12:40. The Cards have Kyle Lohse going against Bud Norris. Hopefully the Cards will sweep the ailing Astros club.                                          

Act of kindness by BEARDY

A while ago my children and I were sorting out our card collection and we found ourselves with too many cards. So my son asked if we could give some cards away to a few people on "daddy's blog" and I agreed that this would be a good way for them to show kindness and generosity towards other people (teaching moment) in the hobby. So we did up a few packages and sent some stuff out to random folks. We were not expecting anything in return and was surprised when we received notice from "Beardy" that something was being sent our way for the items we sent to him. Let us sally forth and behold the awesomeness that invaded our mail box!
Behold the first card in the deck! Jose Reyes Masterpieces numbered to 75!

SUCH SWEETNESS AND SO FILLING! That card bit masterpieces!

The next card my daughter pulled out was this one:

CARLOS BELTRAN: THE BALLS WILL FALL DOWN FROM THE SKY AND YOU SHALL FEEL MY AWESOMENESS!

The next card my son pulled was this lovely one of Mike Piazza:

Another gallery shot which is really cool. I did like these gallery cards.

The next one my daughter pulled was:

"Hey Dad, this one's really shiny. I can see all the colors like that rainbow in the sky". Cue Jimmy Hendrix!

The next one I pulled and it was another rainbow of:

Dan Murphy in the Coat of TOPPS CHROME TECHNICOLOR.

LOW AND BEHOLD AND FEAST YOUR EYES UPON THE AMAZEMENT OF THIS HOLY GRAIL FOR MY DAUGHTER'S PC COLLECTION:

My 8 yr old daughter has a thing for David Wright. I have no idea where it came from but once she saw him on the scoreboard at the Pirates game she just likes him. You mention his name around her and she just goes "aggghhhhhhh". She's got a crush on him......that's not right!

As for the final masterpiece in this package of goodness we find this beauty:

My first Mike Piazza jersey card that I have ever had. I was so excited to add that to our collection (sounding borg'ish a little: we will add you to our collective).

Greg, thank you so much for the cards you sent to us. The kids loved every minute of opening the package and was so surpised to see what they received. I thank you for that kindness Greg.

Folks remember to checkout Greg's blog and THE MOJO HAND at: http://mojobeardy.wordpress.com/

Ravishing Relics: Hakeem Nicks

2009 SPX Hakeem Nicks rookie jersey card:

Home Opener 2010

Today in St.Louis,Missouri is an unofficial Holiday for us, Home Opener! Its a day where people call in sick to work or take a day off to attend the game. Its a day where we have an excuse to wear red and go crazy over a Albert Pujols Home Run. Today is also a very personal day for me. Since the 1995 season I have been to several Home Opener games and there are some I haven't been to. For several years I have always made sure that my dad had his small pocket Cardinal Schedule by the beginning of Home Opener. Its been roughly five years now since the death of my father and I still pick up that tiny Cardinal Schedule. It was my dad that help cultivate the love of Baseball for me.  Today the Cardinals broke the three year streak of losing their Home Games by beating the Houston Astros 5-0. Adam Wainwright worked eight scoreless innings against the ailing Astros. The game was fun to watch with lots of excitement from Ryan Ludwick's triple to deep center and Pujols Home Run which makes it #4 for this young season. I am pretty excited with this 2010 team but I do see some weaknesses. I am hoping their middle relief pitchers get straighten out. GO CARDS!

Interview With Andrew Baggarly

Over the weekend, I had a chance to catch up with the San Jose Mercury's fine Giants beat-writer, and the guy who seems to be as good as anyone out there in relaying Giants information, Andrew Baggarly. I stuck to mostly minor league talk with Baggs' as I want to try and get a feel for what the organization's top prospects will have planned for them in 2010.

-Q: I was impressed with what Henry Sosa did this spring and was hoping the Giants' brass would try and keep him in the rotation, but it looks like they are scratching that idea and going to keep him in the pen. Do you think Sosa will ever be moved back to the rotation, or is he a reliever from here on out?

-A: Looks like organizational need at this point. Also, they think Sosa might have an easier time staying healthy if he's used in shorter stints. The stuff plays, that's for sure. I'd say there's a strong chance we see Sosa this season, and perhaps sometime soon if there are injuries or under-performing guys.

-Q: I was equally impressed with 24 year-old speedster Darren Ford. With the Giants lack of speed and without a true leadoff hitter, do you think Ford could realistically get a look in 2010 if Aaron Rowand isn't cutting it in the top spot?

-A: Ford could get a look as a bench guy, kind of how Rajai Davis broke in a couple years ago. Let's see if the bat plays against upper-level pitching. He sure had a tremendous spring, though. If nothing else, his glove and range in CF will get him to the big leagues in some capacity.

-Q: Thomas Neal didn't get as much playing time during the spring as I was hoping for after a huge 2009 season. It really reminded me of Pablo Sandoval's 2008 minor league season. What is the Giants plan with him? Do you think he'll be in the outfield mix with the big club at all this season, or are we likely looking at a 2011 debut for the Giants #2 hitting prospect?

-A: The Giants had a glut of outfielders, so there were fewer innings to go around. (They wanted to get a better read on Schierholtz and Bowker, etc.) Neal was sent out so that he could be on the field on a regular basis. Not every scout thinks Neal is a can't-miss type of hitter, but he's got a lot going for him. He's got huge power and yet he's a high-average hitter, too. Like Ford, we'll have to wait and see if he can make the all-important Double-A turn.

-Q: Brandon Crawford got off to a terrific start in 2009, then tailed off a bit when he was promoted to AA. To me, he still seems at least a year or two away. Do the Giants envision him as their starting shortstop in 2011 with Edgar Renteria in the last year of his deal, or is it a little too early to tell?

-A: Too early to tell. Crawford has gone through some huge peaks and valleys, even going back to his last two years at UCLA. He struck out a ton at Double-A toward the end of last season. That's why he's repeating the level. The Giants kept him till the end of the exhibition schedule because they know he's their only true shortstop who's up the upper levels. If something were to happen to Renteria or Uribe, he'd be somewhere on the depth chart. I like him, and with Renteria's contract coming up, it'd work out perfectly for the Giants if he is ready to take over the position next year. Not sure we can bank on that, though.

-Q: When do you foresee Buster Posey making his '10 big league debut? I don't see him completely taking over for Bengie behind the dish, unless Bengie is truly struggling offensively which I don't see happening, so what exactly will be the plan with him when he does arrive?

-A: My guess is that Posey forces his way to the big leagues like Timmy did in 2007. If that happens, how would Bochy divvy up the playing time at catcher? Wow. Let's just say I'm happy I don't have to handle that grenade.

-Q: Have you seen any of 2009 first-round right-hander Zach Wheeler or the C/1B they took early in the draft, Tommy Joseph? I've seen only brief youtube clips each one of them from the instructional league last fall. I haven't heard either of them mentioned too much since the draft though, so I'm curious to see where they'll start the year.

-A: I have not seen them, other than a pitch or two on a back field. They'll be at Augusta to start the year. Joseph is going to DH and play first base on the days he doesn't catch. I've used the Paul Konerko comp with him because I'm guessing he won't stay behind the plate.

Giants Notes: On Monday night, the Giants go for their 6th win of the year, after beating the Braves in 2 of 3 in the season opening series at AT&T Park. Barry Zito will set out for win #2 against the Pirates, who are one of the weakest teams in baseball. The Giants will have be in the drivers seat to sweep this series with the pitching match-ups they'll be exploiting, and after the way they played vs. Atlanta and Houston, I'm really not expecting anything less than a sweep.

Stephen Strasburg

Stephen Strasburg is playing in my backyard today.....In altoona that is (45 min drive from my house). It's a beautiful day here at the well packed ball park. Stephen Strasburg has struck out 7 batters so far and has allowed 4 hits and runs and 1 walk. Curve lead 4-3 so far. This dude can freakin hummer that ball in there. Hopefully he doesn't turn into a Brien Taylor or however that yankees draft of a pitcher was. Back to the game folks!


UPDATE:
Stephen lasted 5 innings against 22 batters and also got a double when he was up to bat and he picked up the win as well. Overall I have to say he is exactly where he should be: AA baseball. He was a little hyper at first but settled in nicely. He has a pretty nice changeup and had control of his fastball. Hopefully he can continue on that track and stay focused. I just hope that Washington does not rush him at all and turn him into a Ben McDonald case.

Glenn Close to Throw Out First Pitch

Close will throw out the first pitch and take part in the "Change a Mind, Change a Life" event at Busch Stadium. The partnership is meant to bring awareness to mental illness. All fans have to do is purchase a ticket in the group section of the stadium. I also found this very profound since Close starred in one of the best baseball movies The Natural.

Giants Victorious in Home Opener

The Giants continued their winning ways at the start of their first home-stand of the 2010 season. Jonathan Sanchez didn't have his best command and the team had to come from behind for the first time in this young season, but they did manage to pull off their fourth consecutive victory.

The guy who continues to grab the headlines is the guy who everybody wrote off after his first year here and that's been Edgar Renteria. I'll admit myself, after his '08 and '09 seasons, I was skeptical on whether Renteria would ever be just an average major league shortstop again, but he's turned out to be so much more than that in this opening week. We've already mentioned how much lighter on his feet he looks defensively, and he continued his offensive rampage in the season's first week Friday. Renteria hit a game-tying 2-run homer off Billy Wagner in the bottom of the ninth to push the game to extra innings, part of another 3-hit day for the Giants shortstop (3-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI). Although the Giants blew an opportunity (0 outs, runner on 2nd) in that same bottom of the ninth, they did manage to pull out the victory eventually, on an Aaron Rowand RBI infield single in the bottom of the 13th to score Juan Uribe. This win had to be a huge confidence builder for this team early on to now know that they have the ability to come back in ballgames and have already gotten to one of baseball's most elite closers over the last decade.

On Saturday night, the 4-0 Giants will send out Todd Wellemeyer in his Giants' debut and he'll be opposed by Atlanta's Derek Lowe. This will be the one pitching match-up in the series that clearly favors the Braves, so the Giants will once again have to be on their game if they are going to keep their undefeated start going. One big key for the Giants in Friday's game was limiting the damage done by the Braves 20 year-old phenom right fielder, Jason Heyward. The left-handed slugger went 0-5 with a walk vs. Giants hurlers on Friday afternoon, and stuck out 4 times. I'll be willing to bet that he doesn't go 0-5 against Wellemeyer on Saturday night though, so the Giants are going to have to keep him in the yard when he does put the ball in play. I'm curious to see how Wellemeyer does in his Giants debut. There really is no pressure on him whatsoever, as he's just supposed to keep the fifth spot warm for Madison Bumgarner, so I think Wellemeyer has a chance to surprise some people early on. In his 2 seasons with the Cardinals before 2009, he compiled a 16-11 record with a 3.51 era spread out over 255 innings with good WHIP and BAA numbers. I think he's going to end up being one of those Juan Uribe type steals by Sabean, as Wellemeyer is playing for the minimum and could ultimately be a very effective player for this team in a couple of different roles.

GBB Notes: On Saturday evening, the Giants' Tim Lincecum will also be presented with his 2nd Cy Young Award in a ceremony before the ballgame. Then the Giants' ace gets to go out and make his 2nd start of the season Sunday, so it will be a busy weekend for the Giants franchise arm...Also, I recently had a chance to catch up with my favorite Giants' beat-writer in the San Jose Mercury's Andrew Baggarly. I got a chance to talk with Baggs' about some of the key Giants' minor league players and what will be expected out of them this season. Keep an eye out for that either Sunday or Monday!

What the heck?

Through three games so far Travis has been up to bat 11 times and has struck out 6 of those times. He has one single and a double and a RBI and 2 BBS. He's sporting a hefty .091 batting avg and I certainly hope that this trend does not continue. Yes I understand it's the beginning of the season but Ryan Howard and Mark Reynolds does not need any competition for the "Da Big Whiffer strikeout king" title. Besides, we all know that Reggie Jackson is the ALL TIME STRIKEOUT LEADER with 2597 strikeouts.

As for the other "hot bat" on the Blue Jays, Vernon Wells has been laying down a good foundation of hits and home runs. In the last 10 at bats he's produced 6 hits with 4 home runs and 7 RBI and one strikeout and has a .600 avg so far. Let's hope this continues for Vernon and it spreads like wildfire to the other team members as well.

Looks like Jason Heyward is settling down some. I have not heard anything since day one when he smacked a HR. Another Atlanta hot hand, "Tommy Hanson" received his first loss of this season against the cubs. I'm still curious to see how he's going to pan out for the Braves. There is one pitcher in the Braves Farm system that I am keeping an eye on and that player is Mike Minor.

Garrett Jones.....keep an eye on him in Pittsburgh.

And it looks like the Mets have not been impressive so far.

In hobby related news.....Upper Deck is out for 2010 football. I'm quite sure you've heard the reasons why and it's just disgusting. Now we're left with "Flopps" and "Panini sandwich". At least UD will have the college sweet spot for us to play with. I'm pissed. Nuff said.

Anybody up for creating a NFL Pro Caliber AMISH Football Team? We'll be called the Fighting Amish. Our mascot is an Amish Man with Pitchfork in his hand ready to throw it like a football. Team colors are: Black, White, and Purple. .........more to come!

Giants Off to Strong Start

The Giants swept the Houston Astros in the season opening series, and it really wasn't that close. Now they come home to host an Atlanta Braves team that is one of the best in the National League.

The consistent theme throughout the Astros series was stellar starting pitching, and timely hitting. Giants starters' Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain combined to throw 19 2/3 innings, allowing 3 earned runs (all by Matt Cain in one bad inning) on 13 hits and 1 walk while striking out 17 batters. That's good for a WHIP of 0.67 and an era of 1.22. Granted, they did get a break here and there (Jeff Keppinger's "double" should have been a home run of Zito in game 2), the starters looked brilliant, and just as good, if not better than advertised. I think we are in for big things with Barry Zito in 2010. I thought the Astros in Minute Maid Park with all those right-handed hitters would give him some trouble, but he looked like the Barry Zito of 5-6 years ago. He had his location working, and had his changeup going for him so much so that he really didn't even have to throw his big curveball as often as he normally does. Cain looked good on Wednesday too, but Aaron Rowand couldn't come up with Corey Sullivan's drive in the 7th and it ended up costing the Giants 3 runs. It wasn't an error on Rowand cause it wasn't a routine play, but the ball bounced out of his glove and he probably catches that one 9 out of 10 tries. If Rowand catches it that time, Cain gets out of the 7th unharmed and probably would have finished with 7 innings of 1 run, 4 hit baseball.

The Giants were able to overcome the defensive mishaps though, because their offense did what it had to do in the series, and provided the starters with all the run support they would need. John Bowker quietly had a nice series, going 3-9 with a homer and 3 RBI and if he keeps it up for the first couple of weeks of the season, his confidence will build and I think he'll be in for some big things in 2010. Edgar Renteria was probably the player of the series though. He played a terrific shortstop in all three games, making a plays that he wouldn't have come close to making last year, and he also raked the baseball, going 8 for 11 for 3 RBI. I know it's early, but Renteria is looking much more like the player he was in Atlanta in '06-'07 ( .312 avg, 13 hr, 94 runs, 65 RBI, 14 SB per season with Atlanta). I don't think he'll be that good, but I bet the Giants would take something like .280, 75 runs, 10 hr, 50 RBI, 10 SB, .350 OBP. Aaron Rowand, who we talked a bit about last post along with Renteria, finally got out of his funk in the series finale. Rowand was a big part of the Giants offense, going 4-6 with a triple, 1 run scored and 2 RBI. That came after Rowand collected an 0-10 with 3 K's through the first 2.

So as they enter their home opening series vs. the Braves, the Giants are really clicking on all cylinders. They'll throw Jonathan Sanchez out on the mound in Friday's opener, as he'll be opposed by Atlanta's Tim Hudson. Sanchez finished off his spring training with a solid, 10 strikeout performance vs. the A's, so he's as ready as he can be heading into the home opener. The Giants will be getting a much tougher test in the Atlanta Braves though, than what they faced in Houston. The Braves are my favorite for the wild card spot this year, as they have a load of talent, both young and old, up and down that roster. I'm looking forward to getting my first up close look at Jason Heyward, who has lived up to the hype here early on with a massive home run on opening day. This should really be a very good duel between two of the better teams in the National League and will be a good barometer to see just where this Giants team is at.

Indians at Padres, March 14

I unfortunately missed out on Buster Posey and the Giants during my trip to Arizona, but this Sunday afternoon Indians/Padres matchup (here is the box score) gave me a chance to still see a top-10 prospect in baseball last weekend. That player would be Indians catcher Carlos Santana, who hit .290/.413/.530 with a .418 wOBA last year in Double-A. The squat 24-year-old should offer patience and pop from both sides of the plate, and, if all goes well, will help Tribe fans forget about Victor Martinez. He's close to big-league ready, and it was a treat to watch him play. Triple-A C Wyatt Toregas, a fringe prospect, started over Santana, but the latter got some playing time in the second half of the game. Santana singled and grounded out in two trips to the plate.

Another promising Cleveland prospect, OF/DH Nick Weglarz, displayed his talents in AZ. The 6-3, 240-pound Weglarz offers little to no defensive value, but he'll be a useful, three-true-outcomes-type hitter. The Canadian hulk draws walks at a dizzying rate, and possesses plus power as well.

Cleveland's top pitching prospect, righty Hector Rondon, threw 1.2 IP in this game. Rondon's slider and changeup need fine-tuning, but his fastball command makes him a nice mid-rotation starter prospect. The Venezuela native posted a ~3.00 FIP and a superb 4.8 BB% at the top two rungs of the minors last season. Rondon fared well and lived up to his scouting reports in this game, repeatedly pounding the zone with his low-90s fastball.

Lastly for the Indians, their 2009 1st-round pick (RHP Alex White) closed out the 5th inning. White, a College World Series veteran in his North Carolina days, will start the season in the High A Kinston rotation.

There wasn't much to report from the San Diego side. James Darnell and Drew Cumberland were inserted late in the contest, and I didn't get many looks at them.

James Darnell at third with Lance Zawadzki to his left

Lincecum Sharp in Opener

There was a lot of concern over the Giants' 2-time Cy Young award winning 25 year-old after a sub-par spring and a significant drop in velocity. However, Lincecum alleviated all concern with a stellar outing on opening night, defeating Roy Oswalt and the Astros 5-2.

Lincecum's velocity and location were both right about where they should be, and he was a tough assignment all night for Houston hitters. He constantly got ahead of hitters, and put himself in favorable pitchers counts, and his fastball was right around 93-94 all game long. Not quite where it was when he was first called-up in '07 (he was averaging 95+ mph that summer), but not at all bad for the first start of the season. Lincecum allowed just 4 base runners (all base hits, no walks) and struck out 7 in 7 shutout innings. The Giants' offense also pitched in to help him out. Bengie Molina, John Bowker, Mark DeRosa, Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe all drove in a run apiece for the Giants. The Giants new additions played well in the opener, as DeRosa hit an impressive opposite field home run off Tim Byrdak in the 8th to help give the Giants a bigger cushion while Aubrey Huff contributed a hit and a run scored while making a few nice plays over at first base. If you checked out our pre-game post yesterday, you'll see that my prediction that at least one of the middle 3 hitters would have gone deep, and DeRosa made me look good. Bowker missed a home run by about 3 feet as he singled high off the Crawford Boxes out in left field for his RBI.

The player who really impressed me the most on Monday though, was shortstop Edgar Renteria. Sure it's only opening day and one game of 162, but he looked like a different ballplayer out there, and even talked before the game about how excited and optimistic he was for this season. Renteria made an incredible play, going deep into the hole between 2nd and 3rd base, to grab a grounder off the bat of Carlos Lee, and made a tremendous, cross-body throw to get the ball to Ishikawa in plenty of time, but Ishi couldn't come up with the short-hop, a ball he probably catches 9 out of 10 times. That ball would have been a base hit to left field last year, but Renteria is clearly much lighter on his feet after dropping around 15 pounds over the winter. Oh yeah, he also went 2-3 at the plate with a walk and an RBI double. While Renteria looked great in the 2 hole on Monday, the Giants other top of the order hitter, Aaron Rowand, didn't fair so well. He had an 0-5 night with a couple of strikeouts and didn't display much patience at the plate. The Giants are going to roll with Rowand in the top spot for a while, but he's got to start being more selective if he's going to stick there all year long.

Tonight, the Giants will send Barry Zito to the mound, who will duel it out with Astros lefty Wandy Rodrguez. The Giants will have to get to Rodriguez early, and Zito is going to have to find his rhythm early if the Giants want a repeat performance from last night. Once Rodriguez gets going, he gets really tough to hit. If the Giants can get to Rodriguez though, and with Matt Cain scheduled to pitch tomorrow in the finale, the Giants could be on their way to an opening series sweep with a victory tonight.

Ebay's "HeRo Of ThE sTuPiD"

WOW......this just screams ugly of an EBAY auction listing. A PSA / DNA cut auto?

Random Thoughts that dance in my head

Ahhhh...............yes. What a wild and crazy fun Easter weekend it was. My future soon to be mother-in-law can cook the most awesome meals and she did not disappoint on this holiday! She had such a wonder ham broth gravy that just melted in your mouth and made heaven when splashed on the homemade mashed potatoes. The best part was the Ham. Not salty and slow cooked all night....talk about goodness!
Well, I am going to go make myself a sandwich since I have stirred my appetite up again. In the meanwhile have a look at some random thoughts for the day.


Today was the opening day for MLB and the Pirates, Mets, and Atlanta all won their openers. Jason Heyward hit a HR on his first MLB at bat. Like Gellman said, "It's only one freakin HR". However I'm quite sure there will be 5000 Jason Heyward items listed on Ebay with such bonehead titles listing them as "Jason ROY" or JASON MVP or JASON HOT or Jason just got advice from Chipper Jones or "Jason touched this ball" or even a "Jason is GOD" listing. I can just see the Beckett boarders lighting up, "Jason is a BASEBALL GOD".

BREAKING NEWS FLASH....... Ebay HAS MADE IT OFFICIAL with the latest listing trends. Ebay reports that when listing any Jason Heyward items on Ebay it must include the word "MOJO" in the title or auction will be canceled while we still collect the fees.

Donovan McNabb going to the Redskins.........that's messed up.

Who knew that Willie Parker signed with the Redskins let alone Larry Johnson?

Adam Lind signed a 4 year deal....SWEETNESS!

Cameron Maybin went 0-4 with three strikeouts....Not good for someone who was so over-hyped.

The Mets bullpen did not blow a game....now if they can do that 161 more times.

Colby Rasmus started out on a good note for opening day.

What is up with all of the Earthquakes lately?

Cards Win ! Cards Win ! Cards Win !

Opening day 2010 has been one to forget today down by the Ohio River at the Great American Ballpark - depending which river team you were rooting for.  The team that plays by the Mississippi River beat up on the team from Southern Ohio in front of their hometown fans.
The final score was 11-6 and the day was fueled by a pair of homeruns from slugger Albert Pujols, who was 4 for 5 on the day and also drove in 3 runs.  The win goes to Chris Carpenter, who went 6 innings and striking out 3.  Aaron Harang suffered his first loss of the season for the Cincinnati Reds, going 5 innings and striking out 2.
The Cardinals hit a total of 4 homeruns today, while the Reds added a pair of dingers themself.  The game was tied heading into the 9th inning when the Cardinals erupted for 5 runs off of Nick Masset.

Chuck M

Giants Set to Open Season

Opening Day 2010 has officially arrive, as the Giants are just a few hours away from taking on the Houston Astros in Houston, as they send 2-time reigning Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum to the mound vs. Astros' ace Roy Oswalt.

The Giants starting lineup for today's game is as follows:

CF Aaron Rowand
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Aubrey Huff
LF Mark DeRosa
C Bengie Molina
RF John Bowker
2B Juan Uribe
P Tim Lincecum

The only semi-surprise in there would be Bowker getting the nod in right field over Schierholtz, but after the way he finished up in Fresno in 2009, and played during spring training this year, it's tough to argue with Bruce Bochy's decision. Schierholtz brings a more stable defensive presence in right-field, but Bowker has really torn the cover off the ball since last June. And in a Giants lineup that could use all the pop it can get, they are going to give Bowker all the opportunity to translate those AAA numbers into big league production.. Other than that, Boch has decided to go with Edgar Renteria in the second spot in the order with Freddy Sanchez out. Renteria will probably be on a short leash this year once Sanchez does return, especially if Uribe keeps swinging the bat like he did last year. As a matter of fact, both the guys at the top of the lineup for the Giants really do hold the key to the offense's success. If Rowand and Renteria can get on consistently enough in-front of Sandoval, Huff, DeRosa, Molina and Bowker, then the Giants offense should be just fine, but that is a big "if" though.

The Giants have a better all-around team than the Astros, and I expect them to take this series, although it's going to be a good test early for their offense. They face two of the better arms in the NL in Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez in the first two games, then get Brett Myers, who's always been pretty tough on the Giants, going in game 3. I like the way Huff, DeRosa and Sandoval have all been swinging lately, and I believe at least one of them will go deep in the opener. Hopefully Timmy's rough spring training performance doesn't carry over into the regular season. The Giants have always faired decently vs. Oswalt so I think the Giants will pull it off in a close one, 6-5. Keep an eye on Lincecum's velocity though, cause if he pitches like he did during the spring, it won't matter that he's 2-0 with a 1.67 era, just 16 hits allowed and 40 strikeouts in 31+ innings in his career vs. Houston.

We'll be back tonight after the game with a small post-game wrap post, so be sure to check us out and drop your opinion on what the Giants looked like on opening day in our comment box!

2010 MLB Awards and Playoff Predictions

Here is our picks for the major National and American league post-season awards, as well as the playoff tree and how we think things will transpire this October.

AMERICAN LEAGUE AWARDS

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, NY- Teixeira really could have won last season and you wouldn't have gotten much argument from anyone after he hit .292 with 39 jacks and 122 RBI to lead the Yanks to a World Series championship. I expect much of the same power wise in '10 out of the Yanks' first basemen, but I'm expecting him to have an even higher avg. in 2010.

AL CY Young: Justin Verlander, Det.- The flame-throwing righty is coming off a nice 19 win year in which he k'd 269 batters. Surrounded by an improved Detroit team, I expect him to have his best season yet, possibly winning 20+ ballgames and again being amongst the league leaders in strikeouts.

Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, Tex- The 21 year-old right-handed phenom has gotten his feet wet at the big league level and has looked even more dominant than he did in the minors. Look for him to be closing games in Texas before long, and I see him getting the same results that a younger Jonathan Papelbon got. I still would like to see him eventually moved to the rotation, but he's going to be big for Texas in 2010 whether its relieving or starting.

AL Batting Champ: Joe Mauer, Min- Really is not only the best left-handed hitter in the AL, but probably the best all-around hitter in that league, and possibly in all of baseball. Look for him to be back around .350+ again, and probably be right there in MVP talks as well as long as he stays healthy for 130+ games.

Home Run Leader: Alex Rodriguez, NY- He's fully healthy coming into the year, and I expect him to stay that way. If he can play 150 ballgames, he should be right around 45-50 homers, especially as he gets comfortable in the Yankees new bandbox, I mean ballpark.

Manager of the Year: Ozzie Guillen, Chi- The mouthy White Sox manager rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but I think he is primed for a good year with a talented pitching staff. If Guillen can push the right buttons and get that Sox lineup to match-up with their pitching staff, they could surprise people in 2010.

Comeback Player: Francisco Liriano, Min- The talented lefty is coming off a horrible year, but he's got more than enough talent to still figure things out. With no pressure on him in the fifth spot of the rotation, and surrounded by a talented Twins team, it wouldn't surprise me to see him flip-flop his win-loss record from a year ago (5-13) and drop that era (5.80) by about 2.5 runs.

NATIONAL LEAGUE AWARDS

NL MVP: Chase Utley, Phi- With all due respect to Albert Pujols, who probably will end up winning this, Utley has been on the brink of MVP status each year, and I think this will be the year, with all that talent in the Philly lineup, that he actually does it. I think he ends up around .315, 35 hr, 120 RBI, 25 sb while helping lead the Phillies back to the 'Series.

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Phi- Tough not to pick reigning 2-time winning Tim Lincecum, especially being a Giants Blog and all, but Halladay is just primed for big things in the NL. I'm thinking 22+ wins, 2.75 era, 220 K's in 200+ innings big with that talented team around him. The only small issue he'll have to deal with is the Phills suspect closing situation, and the fact that he's in a much more hitter friendly yard this year.

Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward, Atl- Look for Giants' Buster Posey, Brewers' Alcides Escobar and the Reds' Aroldis Chapman, among others, to be firmly in the mix too. However, Heyward is starting the year on a solid Braves team and will probably be in that lineup all year which should yield big results (.300, 25+ HR, 85+ RBI).

Batting Tittle: Ryan Braun, Mil- The 27 year-old left fielder is just entering his prime years, and I think 2010 could be his best year, average wise, to date. He's coming off a .320 season, and a 20 point spike wouldn't be out of the realm at all for a talented player like Braun.

Home Run Leader: Mark Reynolds, AZ- He's coming off a 44 home-run year and he's still really learning how to hit. He made marked improvement in his strikeouts at the end of last year, and if he can put more balls in play in 2010, he's bound to hit even more home runs. Yearly favorites Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols will be right with him though, and you wouldn't get an argument for picking any of them.

Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox, Atl- In his last hoo-rah as the legendary skipper of the Atlanta Braves, look for Cox to go out with a bang. I think the Braves, with their mix of youth and productive veterans, should be right in the thick of the wild card race, and should win it if their pitching does what it's supposed to.

Comeback Player: Geovanny Soto, Chi- The Cubs backstop is coming off a pathetic year offensively, in which he hit just .218. Look for him to be back to his rookie form in which he hit over .280 with 23 homers and 80+ RBI. Atlanta's Troy Glaus is another good probability.

Playoff/World Series Prediction
American League

ALDS
Angels over Red Sox
Yankees over White Sox

ALCS: Yankees over Angels

National League

NLDS
Phillies over Rockies
Cardinals over Braves

NLCS: Cardinals over Phillies

World Series
Yankees over Cardinals (6 games)

Back to the Giants: Check back Monday around noon-1 PM as we get ready for the Giants and the Astros to open the season in Houston. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 Pacific, with Tim Lincecum opposing Roy Oswalt. We'll have pre-game notes, the Giants lineup, a short Schierholtz v. Bowker debate, and more to get ready before the game so be sure to check us out before the game Monday! Happy Opening Day to everyone!