Thursday, June 02, 2005
Three Weeks: Three-and-a-Half-Week Edition
Better late than never might be overselling it a bit, but that's the angle I'm taking...
The Week That Was
Record: 2-4 (2nd place in the NL West, 2.5 games behind SD as of Monday
Runs Scored/Runs Against: 4.25- 8.00 (high/low dropped)
Transactions: Kelly Stinnett purchased from Tucson; Koyie Hill optioned to Tucson; Oscar Villarreal placed on 60-day DL to clear space on the 40-man for Stinnett (all 5/28)
Whew. That wasn't good. 2 lost series to the top 2 division rivals, and a pitching implosion, headed (or footed, or whatever) by 2 miserable outings by Russ Ortiz, who pitched a total of 9 1/3 innings while giving up 16 hits, 11 walks, and 9 runs. The offense didn't do much, either, though those 12 runs on Wednesday in their 12-11 victory over the Padres was nice.
We didn't really learn anything new about the Diamondbacks last week -- their rotation's pretty good (Ortiz excepted), the bullpen's wildly inconsistent, and the offense is inconsistent, with a tendency toward meekness. Unless something changes, this is a .500 team. Which is not to say that things might not change -- Ortiz, Green, and Tracy are performing below expectations (and Lyon and Aquino are injured) while Estes, Halsey, Counsell, and Clark are performing above expectations. While the clock could strike midnight and the team could end up with 70 wins, it's also possible that the underperformers turn things around (even partially) and the team is shooting for 85+ wins.
The Weeks That Will Be
7 on the road (3 vs. the Mets, 4 vs. Philadelphia)
6 at home (3 apiece vs. the Twins and Royals)
I think predicting the Diamondbacks will sign Stephen Drew and split the first two games with the Mets 7-0 and 1-2 would probably stretch the credulity of this section, so I'll just move on to the Phillies. The Phillies hit well (1st in NL AVG, 4th in OPS), but pitch poorly (12th in NL ERA). Their problem is not giving up baserunners (they're average in WHIP and AVG); it's giving up a lot of HR (2nd in NL with 66; 14th in OPS). Citizens Bank Park is a hitter's park, so that'll affect the stats a bit, but, like Frampton, the Diamondback bats need to come alive, and this is as good an opportunity as they'll find east of Denver.
The Week That Was
Record: 2-4 (2nd place in the NL West, 2.5 games behind SD as of Monday
Runs Scored/Runs Against: 4.25- 8.00 (high/low dropped)
Transactions: Kelly Stinnett purchased from Tucson; Koyie Hill optioned to Tucson; Oscar Villarreal placed on 60-day DL to clear space on the 40-man for Stinnett (all 5/28)
Whew. That wasn't good. 2 lost series to the top 2 division rivals, and a pitching implosion, headed (or footed, or whatever) by 2 miserable outings by Russ Ortiz, who pitched a total of 9 1/3 innings while giving up 16 hits, 11 walks, and 9 runs. The offense didn't do much, either, though those 12 runs on Wednesday in their 12-11 victory over the Padres was nice.
We didn't really learn anything new about the Diamondbacks last week -- their rotation's pretty good (Ortiz excepted), the bullpen's wildly inconsistent, and the offense is inconsistent, with a tendency toward meekness. Unless something changes, this is a .500 team. Which is not to say that things might not change -- Ortiz, Green, and Tracy are performing below expectations (and Lyon and Aquino are injured) while Estes, Halsey, Counsell, and Clark are performing above expectations. While the clock could strike midnight and the team could end up with 70 wins, it's also possible that the underperformers turn things around (even partially) and the team is shooting for 85+ wins.
The Weeks That Will Be
7 on the road (3 vs. the Mets, 4 vs. Philadelphia)
6 at home (3 apiece vs. the Twins and Royals)
I think predicting the Diamondbacks will sign Stephen Drew and split the first two games with the Mets 7-0 and 1-2 would probably stretch the credulity of this section, so I'll just move on to the Phillies. The Phillies hit well (1st in NL AVG, 4th in OPS), but pitch poorly (12th in NL ERA). Their problem is not giving up baserunners (they're average in WHIP and AVG); it's giving up a lot of HR (2nd in NL with 66; 14th in OPS). Citizens Bank Park is a hitter's park, so that'll affect the stats a bit, but, like Frampton, the Diamondback bats need to come alive, and this is as good an opportunity as they'll find east of Denver.
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