Batting Practice

This marks the final episode of the Detroit Tigers Podcast. I’m shifting my focus back to The Daily Fungo where you may find occasional podcasts, interviews and such, but for the most part, it’s the end of an era here.

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded and listened to an episode, referred a listener, commented on an episode, or otherwise participated in this podcast over the past three-and-a-half seasons. I could not have done it without you.

As always, Go Tigers.

Download the audio file here.

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Final comments? Leave a message on the listener line: (602) 903-5174 or send a note here.

Theme music for the podcast produced by Paul Minshall.

Victor Martinez rounding the bases in the 2007 American League Championship Series after being driven home by a Jhonny Peralta home run.

Tomorrow night, Victor Martinez will take the field as the Indians lone member of the American League All-Star team. Last season in the Bronx, Cliff Lee started for the AL and pitched two solid innings, while striking out two batters. Grady Sizemore also participated going 1-for-5 and scoring a run in the American League’s 15-inning, 5-4 victory. This year will mark Martinez’s third appearance in the midsummer classic.

In his two previous appearances (2004 and 2007), Martinez recorded two total at-bats. But he will be remembered by Tribe fans for what he did during the 2007 matchup in San Francisco. With a slim 3-2 lead for the AL entering the 8th inning, Martinez came in to pinch hit for the pitcher’s slot, and promptly launched a two-run homer over the left field fence. This gave the American League a 5-2 lead, but also provided the deciding runs as the National League rallied in the bottom of the ninth to fall 5-4.

On the year, Martinez is batting .294 with 14 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 54 runs scored. With injuries to key players such as Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner, Victor has definitely had to pull more than just his own weight for the club this year. In such a trying season, Victor Martinez remains to be one of the bright spots for the fans, and the organization as a whole…hopefully for future seasons as well! Congrats, Victor!

And he untucks for the St. Louis crowd.

I’ll update later if we can get a better look at it.

Jeff Erickson from RotoWire.com got things rolling for the first half of the show followed by yours truly heading into the second half of a two-hour show. We took the opportunity to review the latest edition of our weekly column The Wire Troll and discussed up and coming phenom Madison Bumgarner and the potential for Manny Parra to repeat his fine pitching performance from last week.

Lenny Melnick from FantasyPros911.com and Bob Sikon from FBTM.com joined in later on in the show and we got into a rather interesting discussion on auction leagues and the changing face of the game.

The full show can be heard here.

John is one of the original Twins bloggers (in fact, some of his earliest posts are still archived on the cave walls) and has been one of the biggest catalysts for the ever-changing blogging community.  His efforts at GameDay have grown from an outside selling on the street-corner across the way from the Metrodome to being published along with the Twins official scorecards that are still written by bloggers today.  Without his industry pioneering and, let’s face it, cajones for taking on the Minnesota Twins, some of the opportunities for us writers would not exist. 

Nick has been supplying analysis and commentary for the Twins since 2005.  His wit and words on the team are unrivaled. As the only J-school trained writer among us, his site is a pleasure to read every morning. 

Seth has provided unparalleled coverage of the Twins’ system since 2003, producing interviews of Twins prospects from the GCL to Rochester, giving fans an early introduction to the players that may one day be in Minnesota.  This is an unbelievable service.  While the local media does a decent job covering the current on-field product, there is a void that exists when it comes to the prospects.  Seth has dedicated millions of words to ensuring that Twins fans are receiving all the information that isn’t carried by the two local papers.

Tomo Ohka acting out the familiar role of Indians' pitcher.

As if it mattered to Tribe fans, the All-Star Break is now upon us, and the Indians are still in last place…and worst in the American League. Barring something that happens in the movies, such as Major League (parts I or II), this season will go down like several others in Cleveland sports lore…a huge disappointment.

Sunday afternoon, the Indians (a microscopic 13 games out of first place) tussled with AL Central leading Detroit. The Tigers demolished Cleveland 10-1 in the rubber match to win the series.

As if facing Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander wasn’t enough to dampen the Indians lumber a bit, Detroit put up a combined 9 runs in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings. Tiger rightfielder Clete Thomas, replacing Magglio Ordonez, homered, tripled, and singled on the day to drive in half of the Detroit’s runs. He also scored two of his own. All-Star third baseman (and Home Run Derby participant come Monday) Brandon Inge hit two homers, driving in three runs. Not to be left out, Marcus Thames had a sparkling day at the plate as he went 4-for-4 with an RBI.

Justin Verlander (10-4) recorded the win while pitching seven strong innings, striking out eight, and only surrendering five hits and three walks.

On the flip side, Grady Sizemore was the only Indian to have a multiple hit afternoon, with two. The lone All-Star from Cleveland, Victor Martinez, went 1-for-3 at the plate.

Starting pitcher Tomo Ohka (0-3) only lasted 3 2/3 innings while giving up five earned runs, aided by two long balls. The bullpen didn’t fare much better, but little was left in doubt at that point.

After the game, Ohka stated, “My fastball was up. I felt OK, but I kept making bad pitches.” Last I checked, leaving a fastball up in the zone usually doesn’t make any pitcher feel okay.

Eric Wedge countered with: “It’s been a disappointment. There’s a long way to go, and I still feel good about the lineup we are putting out there every day, but we’ve got to improve the rotation and our bullpen.”

Really Eric?

Mike Burns has pitched OK for the Brewers as a fill-in starter, but he’s not the long-term answer for the rotation and a major trade acquisition for the starting rotation might be a pipe dream. Luckily, however, we do have one roster addition to look forward to. Dave Bush should be returning from the DL relatively soon.

Bush made a rehab start for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Friday and gave up four hits over 4 2/3 innings. His command was great as he threw 43 of his 55 pitches for strikes. He collected five strike outs and no walks in the game. Bush will make one more rehab start, most likely with Huntsville, and the Brewers hope to have him back for the July 20 game against Pittsburgh.

Bush has struggled for much of the season this year, but he had a 4.18 ERA in 185 innings last year, and he will be a big addition to the club if he can pitch like he did in 2008.

One of the 5,433 fans to attend the game at Fox Cities Stadium was frequent RFB commenter D’Amico’s one good year and he sent some photos of Bush from the game over to us for you all to check out:

It is that time of the year again, with the mid-season classic just around the corner, and the Futures Game, Home Run Derby and the game itself are events that should not be missed. Enjoy the festivities, but don’t relax too much as we are entering a very volatile period of time in baseball with the trading deadline fast approaching. The contenders and pretenders over the next several weeks will be sorting themselves out and making the required moves to shore up their weaknesses heading into the stretch run. One doesn’t want to be caught off guard from a Fantasy perspective as it can certainly either make or break one’s chances to claim victory.

Without further ado let’s take a look at this weeks recommendations.

Madison Bumgarner, SP, San Francisco Giants: The Giants are in the process of building one of the finest starting rotations in the game, and the next piece to that puzzle was recently promoted to Double-A Connecticut. Bumgarner, a 19-year-old phenom, has made the move without skipping a beat. Since the promotion he has a stellar 1.74 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 57 IP. That’s not too shabby for a kid that doesn’t turn 20 until August 1 of this year. He should be rostered in all keeper formats and a guy that everyone should be watching for down the road.

Guillermo Mota, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers: Jonathan Broxton is hurting with a toe injury and it appears that the cortisone injection he got back in mid-June has not gotten the job done. This explains the five earned runs Broxton has allowed in his past two outings. Joe Torre has given the All-Star the weekend off and Mota has temporarily been handed the job of closer for the Dodgers. Mota has been on a roll and toe injuries can be notoriously slow to heal, so an investment in Mota is a solid move in all formats for those Fantasy squads in search of saves.

Drew Stubbs, OF, Cincinnati Reds: The injury to Jay Bruce Saturday is being reported as a fractured right wrist, but we are still waiting for a timeline as to how long he’ll be missing from the lineup. The Reds have already announced that Stubbs would be the first guy they look at to replace Bruce in the lineup. Can you imagine an outfield consisting of Chris Dickerson, Willy Taveras, and Drew Stubbs? Not a lot of power potential out of that lot. Stubbs has managed 33 stolen bases at Triple-A Louisville with very little in the way of power. Jonny Gomes, who has stepped up his game recently, could also figure into the mix for increased playing time. If you’re looking at gambling in the stolen base category, Stubbs should be rostered awaiting, of course, further news on the Bruce situation.

John Grabow, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates: Matt Capps turned a non-save situation into a loss Saturday with one of the ugliest outings of his career. He allowed six hits, two walks, and was charged with five earned runs in one-third of an inning. Capps has already suffered through minor discomfort in his right elbow this season and missed some time at the end of May while missing seven weeks with bursitis and internal rotational deficit last summer. It appears that a trend has developed and Grabow is next in line for saves for the Pirates and a solid addition in all formats.

Kyle Lohse, SP, St. Louis Cardinals: Lohse has been sidelined since June 3 with a forearm strain and is scheduled to return to the rotation Sunday against the Cubs. In his last rehab start Tuesday for Triple-A Memphis, he tossed six innings of two-hit ball, allowing no runs with six strikeouts. Lohse is pitching for a solid offensive club that will give him the opportunity to win every time he takes the hill. If he’s available in your league, now is the time to make a move.

Josh Willingham, OF, Washington Nationals: In his past 10 games, Willingham has hit three homers, driven in 10 runs, swiped two bags and, more importantly, is playing on a regular basis. The former Marlin has always had the potential to be a strong force with the stick, but with his defensive skills he is probably more suited to life in the AL as a DH. Are the Nationals showcasing Willingham as potential trade material? Elijah Dukes is at Triple-A Syracuse and Austin (lack of powers) Kearns is currently riding the pine and this should guarantee solid opportunities for both Willingham and your Fantasy squad to boost those power numbers in the immediate future.

Jose Contreras, SP, Chicago White Sox: A horrendous start to the 2009 campaign had many wondering if this might possibly be the end of the road for Contreras. He was sent to Triple-A Charlotte to get his game back on track and since being recalled at the beginning of June has pitched like the Contreras of old. In 43 2/3 IP, he has allowed only 10 earned runs and in his past three starts has an amazing 25/3 K-to-BB ratio. It is time to start believing and get him rostered in all formats.

Manny Parra, SP, Milwaukee Brewers: Those 42 walks in 64 2/3 IP pretty well tells the story for the poor start to the 2009 campaign for Parra and his subsequent demotion to Triple-A Nashville. He was recalled this past week and on Thursday, against a strong offensive club (the Cardinals), he allowed only three hits, one walk and racked up seven strikeouts with no earned runs in seven IP. It’s all about limiting the walks for Parra. The 147 strikeouts in 166 IP in 2008 had a lot of Fantasy owners anticipating a potential break-out year for the 26-year-old southpaw this season. Parra is certainly worthy of a pick up in NL-only leagues and should be on the radar in mixed formats.

Edwin Encarnacion, 3B, Cincinnati Reds: This situation caught me completely off guard. Encarnacion was sidelined for May and June with a wrist fracture and is currently available in nearly 60 per cent of the leagues playing at CBS. He returned this past week and hit a three-run homer Thursday against the Phillies. This is the same 26-year-old that hit 26 long balls in 2008. It’s worth a quick scan to see if he’s out there on your league waiver wire and, if so, make a move and get him rostered quick.

Hoffman, who will make his seventh All-Star appearance, has 20 saves and a 2.05 ERA this season.

Congrats Trevor!