Ron Gardenhire: Wrong or right?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300815109

Sunday afternoon was an eventful day for the Minnesota Twins. Kevin Slowey was on the hill for the Twins and was pitching a gem against the Oakland Athletics. With a no-hitter through 7 innings, manager Ron Gardenhire pulled Slowey after he had tossed 106 pitches (64 strikes). The Twins were winning 4-0 at the time and Gardenhire heard the boos. Gardenhire afterwards said, “I would boo me too, I took a pitcher out with a no-hitter going. But I would do it 1,000 times the same way.” The bullpen would end up giving two runs and the no hitter but would end up winning 4-2.

Question is, Was Gardenhire wrong or right? In my opinion Gardenhire was right for many reasons. Slowey had missed his last start due to elbow tendinitis, the Twins need every win as they want to keep their 3 game lead in the AL Central. Another is Slowey had already racked up 106 pitches with that same balky elbow and it would have been risky to have him continue, and also they’ll need Slowey to have enough in the tank for the plaoffs if they do indeed reach them. If I had been in attendance I would haveadmittedly booed Gardenhire as well just because a no-hitter is something you don’t get to see often but I would have definately gave Slowey a standing ovation for his masteful performance. Many would disagree and say Gardenhire was wrong but I believe he was thinking about his team first.

Darren

My American League picks

First off i’m going to start off with the AL East due to the fact my favorite team resides there. This year will look alot different with fresh faces, but the same with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees battling it out for the top spot. For the Red Sox, it will be not only a case of getting back to the top of the division, but also getting new and familiar faces mixed back in the picture. With Victor Martinez in his first full season with the team, and newcomers Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron, and Jeremy Hermida, the team will look to offset the loss of Left Fielder Jason Bay (to the Mets). For the Yankees, the losses off Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, they will look to Curtis Granderson to pick up the slack. The other teams in the division, the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Rays, they will put up valiant efforts but in the end I believe only the Rays will come within 6 games of the two giants of the division. I believe the Red Sox come out on top for the main reason being pitching depth. With Josh Beckett and Jon Lester already entrenched in as Cy Young candidates, the Red Sox added John Lackey to the mix (a #1 on many other teams) and have young stud Clay Buchholz as well in the rotation. Top that off with either Tim Wakefield or Dice-K and you have a lethal rotation, not to add Papelbon, Ramirez, Bard and Delcarmen in the bullpen. The Yankees do have Javier Vazquez, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, but, questions with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain I believe make the gap between the teams an extreme one.

In the AL Central, my original choice, the Minnesota Twins, lost closer Joe Nathan to injury and therefore lost in my opinion their biggest advantage over the competition. I think each team inproved in the offseason, even the lowly Royals and Indians, and this race will be a close and exciting one. The White Sox will have perennial Cy Young candidate Jake Peavy for the whole year, as well as 30-30 threat Alex Rios. The Tigers added Johnny Damon, and are shaping up to add an ace without making a transaction as Dontrelle Willis has looked outstanding this Spring. The Twins did add vets Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson and should will be in the race, but i’m goin with the Tigers to win the AL Central based on their explosive offense as well as what could be a top 5 pitching staff, especially if Dontrelle returns to form.

Finally, in the AL West, the perennial favorites, the Angels, took big hits in the offseason and didn’t seem to counter them with big moves. Losing Chone Figgins to the rival Seattle Mariners, John Lackey to Boston, Vlad Guerrero to the rival Rangers, and also lost a couple non major parts. They did add Hideki Matsui who could turn out to be a bargain, but I don’t think they did enough to keep their status as the favorites. Now the Seattle Mariners on the other hand did. By adding Chone Figgins, the Mariners have the fastest 1-2 punch in the Major Leagues. Ichiro and Figgins can both steal 50 bases and hit .300 which will be huge for guys like newly added Milton Bradley, Ken Griffey Jr and Jose Lopez. The Mariners have a well rounded lineup and will look to jump out early on teams to win ballgames. With a deadly combo of Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee atop their rotation, this team has the favorites tag entering the 2010 season. The Rangers will be competing for the AL West crown as well. With the addition on 35 yr old Guerrero, the team gets an aging star who can still hit for power and someone who is patient enough to hit in the middle on the lineup with Josh Hmailton, Nelson Cruz and Michael Young. The biggest question with the Rangers, as always, is the pitching staff. Rich Harden was a nice addition, but will he give them more than 20-22 starts? Will CJ Wilson be able to adjust into being a solid starter? For those reason I believe they will once again falter late in the season and come up short in their efforts to win the AL West. I have the Mariners winning in a tight race.

My Picks look as such: AL West: Seattle Mariners AL Central: Detroit Tigers AL East: Boston Red Sox AL Wild Card: Yankees over Twins

Darren

Player profile: Orlando Hudson

One of the good guys of baseball, Orlando Hudson A.K.A O-Dog, is starting the 2010 season with his fourth team and third different in the last three years. A 4-time Gold Glove winner at 2nd base, Hudson is one of the premier fielders in the league and has won a Gold Glove in both the American League (2005) and National League (2006,2007,2009). Hudson can do it all on and off the field as his slogan is, “Changing lives on and off the field.”

A one time 43rd round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, the double flap helmet wearing Hudson has worked his way up from obscurity to being a household name. Standing 6’0 and weighing 185lbs, Hudson is a scrappy player who works hard and gets everything out of his body to perform at the level he does. Not powerful,not too speedy, but full of energy, Hudson annually provides his team with brilliant defense, around a .280 avg,10 HR,60 RBI and leadership in the clubhouse as well as on the field. Hudson’s nicname has even made waves as the legendary Vin Scully even got into the act and multiple times during broadcasts announced, “And coming up to the plate is the O-Dog.” Now how cool is that? I would be willing to bet that every manager in the game would love to have the O-Dog’s services for 162 games.

After starting his career in Toronto, Hudson was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks along with Miguel Batista for Troy Glaus and Sergio Santos. Hudson played very well in Arizona and after his contract was up he landed to the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Hudson had another Hudson-type year and after the season signed a deal to return to the American League, only this time with the Minnesota Twins. Coming off an AL Central title the Twins are looking to improve and go deeper in the MLB Playoffs and I believe Hudson is a key component they needed as he increases their defense immensely as well as provides them a solid #2 hitter in the batting order.

In conclusion I must say that i’m anxious to see how Hudson does in Minnesota and have predicted them to win the AL Central once again. One negative I have found though is that Dustin Pedroia of my favorite team (Boston Red Sox) will have even more competition in trying to win the Gold Glove award. If you’d like to learn more about the O-Dog, head to his website at www.orlandohudson1.com or follow him on twitter at @orlandohudson.

Darren

Joe Nathan to miss the 2010 season?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2010/news/story?id=4978634

Minnesota All-Star closer Joe Nathan will for sure miss some time after being diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right elbow, the arm he throws with. Nathan will rest it and rehab it for about 2 weeks and then decide on whether or not to have surgery. If he does, which is highly likely, Nathan would most likely miss the entire 2010 season. This is devistating to the Twins who need Nathan at the end of games in order to contend. One of the premier closers in the game, Nathan, 247 career Saves and a career high 47 last yr, is as dominant as any closer in history and a key element to the Twins run at another AL Central  crown. Four of the last six years Nathan has posted an ERA lower than 2 which is simply unbelieveable. Hopefully for the Twins Nathan can pitch after getting a little rest or otherwise they will have trouble closing down close games.

Darren

Twins sign Mark Grudzielanek

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/07/twins-sign-mark-grudzielanek.html

Nice to see a guy like this get a deal. He’s always been a solid defender and an average contributor at the plate. He’ll be an upgrade at 2B for the Twins for sure.

Darren

MLB thoughts 6/26/09

-Man how good has the Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen been since being called up? We all knew he was a highly touted prospect and had a high ceiling, but who knew he’d have a stat line of this: .330 avg 1 HR 18 RBI .371 OBP .516 SLG .887 OPS and 3 SB? Andrew is someone the Pirates need to build around for the future and he should make quite a few All-Star teams in his career.

-Russell Branyan is currently tied for 4th in the AL in home runs with 18. For years Branyan has been known as a streaky power hitter who either strikes out,walks, or connects for a home run. A career .237 hitter, Branyan is hitting .301 with 18 HR 36 RBI a .401 OBP .602 SLG and 1.003 OPS. He is well on to reaching his career high of 24 home runs (2002 w/ Cle & Cin), and might make the All-Star team as a backup.

- Minnesota Twins pitcher Nick Blackburn might very well be the most underated pitcher in the American League. Most pitchers who dont rack up strike outs in the AL dont have alot of success because of lineups w/ DH’s. Blackburn only has a K:BB ratio of 41:26 but with his solid control and ability to change speeds, he has been the best pitcher on the Twins staff and has put his name out there for an All-Star selection. His line is 6-3 3.11 ERA 1.27 WHIP and 2 CG. For a guy who only makes $440,000, ill take those numbers any day.

Darren

-If you haven’t already, pick up Adam LaRoche in your fantasy leagues.  He has been notorious for great second half performances.  But, be careful if he gets traded.  A new ballpark and a new team could mess with the historical trend.  

-Good to see Joey Votto back.  Hopefully him and Jay Bruce can help the Reds contend to the end in that NL Central.  

Brad