History in the making
Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in the history of the New York Mets tonight, as they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by a final score of 8-0.
Santana was by no means perfect, walking five batters en route to the no-no, but he did do an excellent job of keeping a very potent Cardinals team off balance for the entire game. But as is the case with almost all no-hitters, Santana got some much needed help to get there.
The first assist came courtesy of third-base umpire Adrian Johnson, who incorrectly ruled that a line drive off the bat of Carlos Beltran was foul. Replays show that the ball did in fact hit the chalk down the left-field line, and it should have been ruled fair.
But perhaps equally crucial, was a spectacular running catch made by the Mets left fielder, Mike Baxter. On a shot hit to deep left-center, Baxter ran full speed into the wall, and still managed to hold onto the ball. After the play, he was replaced by Andres Torres.
It was the first career no-hitter for Johan Santana, who missed the entire 2011 season after getting surgery on his shoulder. Whether or not Santana can return to the form he once had remains to be seen, but he’s looked excellent so far this year.
Crossing my fingers for Crosby
Casey Crosby will be making his Major League debut tonight, when he takes the mound against the New York Yankees. I figure a lot of you don’t know too much about him, so I’ll do my best to fill you in.
Crosby was drafted out of high school in the 5th round of the 2007 Amateur Draft by the Tigers. Crosby was drafted in the same round as several current MLB players such as Andrew Carignan, Jake Arrieta, Wil Middlebrooks and Mark Rzpeczynski. Who else was drafted in that round? Future NFL quarterback Dennis Dixon.
Entering spring training this year, a lot of people around baseball were expecting Casey Crosby to break camp with the Tigers, and be the fifth starter in their rotation. Unfortunately, Crosby struggled down the stretch and was eventually sent to Triple-A Toledo.
While in Toledo, Crosby has shown flashes of both inconsistency and dominance. In nine starts with the Mud Hens, Crosby has gone 4-2 with an ERA of 4.26. The biggest issue for Crosby this year has been his ability to command the strike zone. In just 50.2 innings, he has already walked 26 batters. Averaging almost a walk every other inning isn’t something that you want to see out of a young pitcher.
But it’s important to remember just that. Crosby is only 23 years old, so there’s no need to rush any sort of judgment, or think that he can’t be successful as a member of the Tigers. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares against the New York Yankees, seeing as they have one of the most patient lineups in all of baseball. I’ll be crossing my fingers tonight, in hopes that Crosby can get career win number one.
The Pirate’s life for me
For the first time in a week, the SCS Pirates took the field, squaring off against the Red Sox. Desperate to get the Pirates back in their winning ways, they looked to Erik Ogden as he took the mound.
Erik got the start for the Pirates on Thursday
The game was close from start to finish, with both teams playing displaying solid pitching and defense. Entering the 7th inning, the score was still tied at one. The Red Sox struck first, adding a run in the top half, taking a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh (It’s also worth noting that the SCS MABL league only plays seven innings, unless there’s a tie score at the completion of the inning).
In the bottom half, Pirates did what they did best, and that’s steal. After a walk, stolen base and a wild pitch, the tying run stood on third base with two outs. Another wild pitch ensured that we would at least be playing one more inning. The Red Sox managed to get out of the inning just allowing the one run, and it meant free baseball for all those in attendance.
After a bit of controversy and sloppy defense, the Red Sox managed to score another run in the 8th, and hoped that they’d be able to finally close out the game.
With one out, the Red Sox walked what would have been the tying run. A wild pitch and a stolen base advanced the runner to third. Unfortunately a strike out and pop out would not only end the threat, but also the game.
Thankfully all is not lost for the Pirates, who will return to the field on Sunday when they face the GP Tigers.
The 2012 DL All Stars
It’s no secret that a lot of baseball’s best players are currently injured. So many are hurting, that you can assemble an All-Star team with players who are currently on the disabled list. Don’t believe me? Well here you go.
Catcher: Carlos Santana- Santana is currently on the DL after sustaining a concussion. Even though he hasn’t performed at the offensive level that he’s expected to, he’s been a solid for the Indians this year.
First base: Lance Berkman- With the departure of Albert Pujols, the Cardinals were hoping that Berkman would come close to repeating what he did in 2011. Instead, it’s been an injury-filled season for Berkman, whose injury has allowed prospect Matt Carpenter to get a chance to get significant playing time with the Cardinals. Unfortunately, Carpenter soon also found himself on the disabled list, too.
Second base: Mark Ellis- Fine, I’ll admit that calling Ellis an All Star is a bit of a stretch, but he’s the best of what’s available. Ellis has been a steady performing at second base throughout his career, and the Dodgers were counting on him to be their everyday second baseman, but a leg injury will likely cost him at least another five weeks. In the meantime, the Dodgers will have Elian Herrera and Jerry Hairston sharing duties at second.
Shortstop: Stephen Drew- Coming off a breakout year, the Diamondbacks were optimistic that Drew would be more than able to help get the Diamondbacks back to the playoffs in 2012. Instead, he’s spent the entire season recovering from ankle surgery. It’s possible that he could return sometime within the next month, barring any setbacks.
Third base: Pablo Sandoval- The San Francisco Giants have been missing one of their key offensive pieces, and are eager to have Sandoval back at full strength. Sandoval has been out of action after fracturing a bone in his left hand. If all goes well, he might be able to start his rehab assignment as early as next week Monday.
Outfield: Matt Kemp, Austin Jackson and Jon Jay- Kemp made it one day off the DL before re-aggravating his hamstring. He will likely be missing at least another two weeks, but reports indicate that it could be longer. Jackson was critical to the early success for the Tigers, but an abdominal strain has put him out of action since May 16th. Jackson was taking swings off a batting tee today, but still isn’t quite ready for full baseball activities. Jay has been hurting with a sprained right shoulder, and it doesn’t look like a return anytime soon seems realistic. Jay is just one of the many Cardinals who have spent time on the DL, and it is definitely taking a toll on the reigning champions.
Starting pitchers: Doug Fister, Roy Halladay and Jered Weaver- Fister has reaggravated his left-side strain and will be spending his second stint on the DL. Halladay injured his shoulder, and is likely to miss up to eight weeks. There’s unfortunately no miracle in store for the Angels either, as Weaver has been placed on the DL due to a variety of back problems.
Relief pitchers: Drew Storen, Andrew Bailey and Mariano Rivera- This hasn’t been a good year for closers in baseball, and three of the best have spent a good majority of the year missing in action. Drew Storen hasn’t pitched yet this year, and neither has Andrew Bailey. Storen has been struggling with pain in his elbow, and Bailey had surgery on his thumb. But the biggest injury was that to Mariano Rivera, who will miss the remainder of the 2012 season after tearing his ACL while shagging fly balls during batting practice.
Time for the Tigers to make some moves
As if things weren’t complicated enough already for the Tigers, today they had to announce multiple roster changes.
The first and most devastating move, was the announcement that Doug Fister will once again be returning to the 15-day disabled list. The Tigers have announced the injury to be a left-side strain, and they’re hopeful that he will only miss those 15 days.
Replacing Fister will be Casey Crosby, a left-handed pitching prospect who was originally expected to break camp with the Tigers this spring. Instead, he started out in Triple-A Toledo, where he is 4-2 with a 4.26 ERA in nine starts. Assuming he makes his expected start on Friday, he’ll be making his major league debut against the Yankees.
The Tigers also announced that they have optioned Ryan Raburn to Toledo, and have called up catcher Omir Santos to take up his place on the team. In the mean time, Danny Worth and Ramon Santiago will be splitting time at second base.
That move surprises me a bit, mainly because you don’t often call up a third-string catcher to replace a position player. I wonder if the Tigers are planning on making another move very soon (perhaps even a trade), because this move doesn’t make a ton of sense.
How many strikes does an umpire get?
In yesterday’s post-game interview, Jim Leyland voiced his opinion about accountability for umpires, and I think it’s a fair question to ask.
As a baseball player, you’re held accountable for your actions both on and off the field. If you’re not performing, you’re either going to be sent down to the minors or released. For a manager, if you can’t get your team to perform at the level they’re capable of, you’re not going to have a job very long. So why is it that umpires seemingly get a free pass?
There has been constant criticism against certain umpires in recent years, but yet there never seems to be any punishment handed down by Major League Baseball. When’s the last time you heard about an umpire getting fired or suspended for doing a continually bad job? Just think about that for a minute. Still thinking? That’s probably because it hasn’t happened .
It’s a seemingly flawed situation with no simple solutions, but it does deserve to be looked at. Does this mean MLB needs to further its use of instant replay, or have a more defined course of disciplinary action for umpires who aren’t performing their job?
I don’t know what the answer is, but it’ll be interesting to see if MLB makes any changes to their current system in the upcoming season. The way I look at it, everyone is responsible for the mistakes they make while they’re at work To me, it doesn’t matter if your an umpire, a doctor, or a cashier at a fast food joint. If you continually fail to do your job properly, you should be held accountable.
How did 2K Sports strike out?
According to multiple sources, it appears that Take-Two Interactive (the parent company for 2K Sports), will not be releasing a baseball game in 2013.
2012 was the final year that 2K Sports was under contract through Major League Baseball, so the news isn’t necessarily a complete shock. As many baseball and video games will be sure to tell you, the MLB2K series never came close to meeting expectations.
As a video game player (and obviously a baseball fanatic), I’ve been playing the MLB2K games since 2009, since that was the only option I had for my Xbox 360. My first experience did not leave a good taste in my mouth.
It’s odd that I’m telling this story once again, as it came up during an interview I had while I was in Arizona earlier this year. During my panel interview, we got on the subject of baseball video games, and the gentleman who is in charge of licensing for MLB asked me what was the worst baseball game I ever played. When I quickly responded MLB2k9, he told me that he absolutely agreed.
There were so many flaws with the older versions of the 2K baseball games, that it discouraged a lot of people from purchasing newer releases. This in turn cost Take-Two Interactive millions of dollars in losses, and seemingly discouraged them from improving their product. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still play the game, but it’s not exactly a high-quality game.
With the 2K games, there’s been issues of realistic game play, glitches that went unfixed and a game that wasn’t even visually pleasing. Compared to MLB 12: The Show (only available for Sony devices), 2K Sports simply just couldn’t compete.
Going forward, it’ll be interesting to see who picks up the MLB rights for the Xbox 360, as I can’t imagine that they’d go a year without having a game for fans to buy. At least I would hope that it doesn’t turn out to be the case. Then again, maybe MLB and Take-Two will come to terms on another deal, and give them another shot for one more year. I look forward to hearing more updates on the situation, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted once I find something out.
My summertime specialty
Growing up in Michigan, I always looked forward to summer. It meant that winter was finally over and done with, and it was time to enjoy the sunshine with my friends.
As I’ve gotten older, I don’t have summer vacations anymore, but I do still enjoy getting to spend time with my friends and family. There’s nothing quite like getting together with people you like and having a little summertime barbeque.
At these functions, my friends often ask if I’m willing to grill for them, and I’ve never objected. Perhaps it’s because my specialty is delicious, or maybe they’re just lazy and know I’ll do it for them. For whatever reason, everyone seems to love my famous beer brats.
It’s ironic that my signature dish involves alcohol since I don’t drink, but it really does give the brats a juicy and sweet taste. Seeing as Memorial Day is tomorrow, I thought I’d share my recipe with everyone, so you can all enjoy it with your friends and family.
The first step is to obviously buy the ingredients. I generally stick with plain brats, as I think flavored brats lose their appeal when prepared with beer. If you want to go with the name brands, that’s fine, but I usually go with store brands (cheaper and allow you to give them more flavor). The two beers I usually use are Budweiser or Busch. Don’t ask me why, but it works, so I’m sticking with it. For buns, I just get plain hot dog buns. Remember, the brat is the star of the show, so don’t try to take away from it by using some fancy buns.
Once you got all of your ingredients, it’s first time to head to the kitchen. Using a pot (I’ve used all different kinds, so you don’t need to be picky), pour approximately one can (or bottle) of beer per every five brats. Ideally, I suggest you pour just enough beer so that all of the brats are submerged.
At this point, it should look something like this.
Put the heat on low, and keep your eyes on the brats. If some brats are floating or moving around, do your best to rotate them. For this, I just use a pair of long tongs. After about three minutes, turn up the heat a little bit, and continue rotating the brats. Continue the process for about three more minutes, and then increase the heat slowly until the beer just starts to boil. Once it does, turn off the heat, and take the entire pot outside with you. Do NOT empty the contents.
Once your grill is on and ready, put the brats on the grill. Try to space them slightly apart, leaving you enough room to rotate them with ease. Using a spoon (or the tongs if you’re feeling creative and/or lazy), drizzle a bit of the beer from the pot across each brat. After you’ve done each side, rotate them and put another glaze over the opposite side. From there, simply rotate and grill them until they’re cooked.
Here it is, the finished product.
Serving is simple. Some people enjoy mustard or ketchup on their brats, but I prefer them just the way they are. Just be warned, if you make these once, you’re probably going to be asked to make them again.
Time to bust out the brooms
Down one run in the ninth inning with the tying run on second base, Miguel Cabrera came up to bat. Cabrera didn’t miss the pitch, and sent what proved to be a game winning two-run home run.
Not only did the home run give the Tigers the win, but allowed the Tigers to bust out the brooms for only the third time this year. The last time being when they swept the Kansas City Royals back in the middle of April.
Looking back on the last few games, the most important factor was the fact the Tigers offense seems to be getting into a good rhythm. In the last three games, the Tigers have combined for 40 hits and 24 runs. I’m not saying I expect them to continue at that pace, but it’s something we should be more than able to do from time to time.
The real test for the Tigers will be their upcoming stretch of games, where they’ll go to Boston for a four-game series against the Red Sox, and then host the New York Yankees for three games. Good teams should be able to beat under-performing teams like the Twins, but playoff teams are able to compete against every team. In the next week, we should get a better idea of what this team is really made of. You know I’ll be watching, and you should be, too.
Don’t rain on my parade
Mother Nature tried to rain on the Tigers’ parade today, but even that wasn’t enough to stop the them from their first winning streak in well over a month.
Two separate rain delays weren’t enough to cool of the Tigers, who have scored 16 runs in the last two games. It’s not quite time to alert the presses, but it’s good to see the Tigers string together a couple wins against a division rival.
There’s a simple fact about playoff teams, and that’s that they tend to have very good records against teams within their division. Not only that, but they also are supposed to take care of business against bad teams. Entering this series with Minnesota, they were doing neither.
It was less than 24 hours ago that I wrote about the fact that the Tigers offense seemed to be missing. After the last two games, you can’t help but wonder if it’s finally been found. If it has, that’s great news for the Tigers and trouble for the rest of the AL Central.
Brad Jeffers
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