MLB Wolfie re: Kyle Lohse

[Reality]

A.  Most everyone, true.  But not 8 of 10
B.  Only team to have winning record vs Yankees since 1996.

[Reality]

Jose Arredondo striking out XNady and Godzilla to snuff the Yankees 7th today.  15th hold. 
45 games 47 punchouts 1.04 whip.

His ERA has mushroomed up to 1.39. 

[Reality]

zig Wolf bods 'Mal,

Since we last looked at Lohse hes gone from 12-2 to 13-6
3.33 to 3.80.

Did zigs excellent scouting skills nail this guy or has he just run into a stretch of totally sucky run support from the Cards? 

zig I'm calling Johan Santana the Cy Young award winner at this point.  Screw the stats, he's been nails and the Mets run support has been mostly pathetic.

[Reality]

^^ Wolf can you, Polar Bear or the Terrorist give eyewitness accounts?

Not that t.v. isn't just, if not in some cases more accurate.

[ziggy]

zig Wolf bods 'Mal,

Since we last looked at Lohse hes gone from 12-2 to 13-6
3.33 to 3.80.

Did zigs excellent scouting skills nail this guy or has he just run into a stretch of totally sucky run support from the Cards? 

zig I'm calling Johan Santana the Cy Young award winner at this point.  Screw the stats, he's been nails and the Mets run support has been mostly pathetic.

AL it is Cliff Lee, though Roy Halladay (Bret Saberhagen reincarnated) could make a good argument.  In the NL it is Brandon Webb or Tim Lincecum.  Webb because of his wins, Lincecum because he is the most dominate.  Poor Jake Peavy.  Great #'s and he is 9-10. 

[jemagee]

It's just an indication of how bass ackwards the award is that wins count.

BTW - johan santana has a strong argument in the NL as well, pitching with one of the worst bullpens in the league for support.

Cliff Lee could have an era of over 4 and a K:9 under 3 and a K:B of less than one but with 21 wins he'd be a shoo in.

I think the BBWAA is possibly stupider than the voters in the other two major sports (no NHL is not a major sport)

[ziggy]

It's just an indication of how bass ackwards the award is that wins count.

BTW - johan santana has a strong argument in the NL as well, pitching with one of the worst bullpens in the league for support.

Cliff Lee could have an era of over 4 and a K:9 under 3 and a K:B of less than one but with 21 wins he'd be a shoo in.

I think the BBWAA is possibly stupider than the voters in the other two major sports (no NHL is not a major sport)

I have to differ with your opinion of BBWAA of America voting for Cy Young.  They haven't been perfect, but there hasn't been a grave injustice in a very long time.  Some people point to Lamar Hoyt in 1983, and Pete Vukovich in 1982 as the shining examples, but it isn't that cut and dried.  Only pitcher close to Hoyt was Jack Morris, but really Hoyt was better.  Vukovich won but look at the competition that year.  It was a weak year, no one else really deserved it.  I look at the picks, and I just don't see stupid selections.
 
In the last 10 years (20 picks) I would make an argument for Santana over Colon, but it isn't absolute.  Colon was a dominate pitcher, but so was Santana.  It is very close, and no great injustice in Colon winning.
You could make the argument for Pedro over Barry Zito, but Zito was great that year.  Yes he led league in wins, but he had a 2.75 ERA, and 182 K's.
You could also make a 4 pitcher argument in 1998 for Maddux, Smoltz or Kevin Brown over Glavine, but once again Glavine was great pitcher.  Lead the league in wins, and he had very good ERA (2.47), WHIP (1.20) and K/BB (2.12).  Maybe the other 3 were better, but Glavine was their equal.

Santana has an argument, but he has not had a better season than Lincecum.  For goodness sake SF is on pace for 95 losses or so.  With a little help he could have 25 wins.  You could make an argument about Webb not being deserving, but he pitches in the best hitters park in the NL, and he is clearly one of the most dominate.
As far as Cliff Lee, maybe the BBWAA would give it to him with terrible ERA etc, but that isn't the case here.  He is the best SP in the AL, hands down this year.

[Reality]

Santana has an argument, but he has not had a better season than Lincecum.  For goodness sake SF is on pace for 95 losses or so.  With a little help he could have 25 wins. 

I completely forgot about Lincecum.  On this years Giants, with Bochy as coach, 19-2 is phenominal.  Sanatana could reasonably be 17-3, but Lincecum has got it.
Webb, dont know what to say about AZs implosion.

[Reality]

I still might vote for Santana.  Another gem tonight 8 ip 1 er for the impolding Mets.  Will wait to see how final two or three starts go.

Webb really went into a tailspin including two in a row when it counted most, vs the Dogers.
Lincicums last 10 starts have been against the absolute scrubs of the league.  Padres 3Xs, ATL, Colo and AZ in tailspin mode all twice.

[Derek Bodner]

Lincicums last 10 starts have been against the absolute scrubs of the league.  Padres 3Xs, ATL, Colo and AZ in tailspin mode all twice.

As opposed to Santana, who has washington twice, atlanta, houston twice, san diego, and pittsburgh in his last 10.

lincecum's been the better pitcher this year.  It's close, but IMO it goes to the 24 year old.

[JoMal]

Doubt you guys have heard of this rookie but he is flat bringing it as an Angels reliever.
If Francisco Rodriguez bails next year for more money, and I'm sure he will, no problemo.
I like this guy better anyways.

Jose Arredondo age 24 from Dominican Republic.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=29113

This guy has been a bit better

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8262

And so has this guy

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7624

[JoMal]

As for the NL Cy Young, while Webb has won more on a better team, what Lincecum has done is worth rewarding.

He lost 3-2 last night, mainly on a two run triple by Justin Upton he gave up in the sixth, after which he took full responsibility for the loss and gave credit to the hitter on making contact on a nasty change-up off the plate. Only problem is that his outfielder, Eugenio Velez, took several steps in so the ball sailed over his head. He would have easily caught it if he had not moved.  Randy Johnson also nailed him on the left hand on a bunt attempt in that game, but he still got a complete game.

Just as well. Lincecum left five other games this year with the lead only to have his bull-pen blow the win for him.

17-4 and leading the majors in strikeouts and ERA for a team with a 68-85 record.

If he does not get the Cy Young, there be some 'xplainin' to do. 

[jemagee]

No more so than usual.  The fact that won loss record seems to be one of the most important criteria (unless your name is roger clemens) in voting for the cy young is nuts.

And on the note of fat loud mouthed pitchers, someone tell Curt Schilling to STFU...listening to him talk about selfish players  who are all about themselves is like listening to Heidi Fleiss argue against prostitution.

[Reality]

This guy has been a bit better

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8262

And so has this guy

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7624

How does Oakland keep doing it?  Best small market team consistenlywise in MLB in the last 40 years.

[JoMal]

This guy has been a bit better

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8262

And so has this guy

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7624

How does Oakland keep doing it?  Best small market team consistenlywise in MLB in the last 40 years.

First off, both Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan got the ball rolling with their management of young players, in particular, and by bringing in or developing poorly used veterans from elsewhere. With the system in place, the coaches and managers, who all seem to get promoted up from the minors once Duncan and La Russa left, continue the development of the players.

Lately, Billy Bean has been trading his barely veteran, but extremely promising, skilled players for prospects, prospects, prospects. The trades of Nick Swisher, Dan Haren, and Rick Harden this past year has brought something like the top twenty prospects from Arizona, Chicago WS and Chicago Cubs to the Bay Area, and earlier with trades to Atlanta and St. Louis for Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, respectively. The result is a franchise deep in talent, as evidence of my own Sacramento River Cats Triple A team affiliated with Oakland, which just won its second 3-A championship in a row after winning something like five of the last seven Pacific Coast League Championships. This with 150 transactions this last year alone.

Its the system. They spend money, but it is in the development of players who cost little at this point of their careers. Once they become known, they are future building chips for Oakland. The one, major flaw in all of this? The team never keeps its talent long enough to get the veteran savvy needed to win anything other then a playoff game once in a while.

The A's are looking for a baseball only facility to build somewhere in Northern California to get away from Mount Davis and the Raiders. They had a deal in Fremont that recently fell threw, so are again looking. The River Cats have had the highest attendance of any triple A team in the country since they came to Sacramento in 2000.

<hint, hint>