Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Three Weeks: Loss For Words Edition
One would hope that a relaxing vacation and time off would have recharged my literary abilities so that I could discuss the National League West.
No such luck.
I'm tapped out for metaphors. My simile well is dry.
The Week That Was
Record: 2-4 (2nd place, NL West, 3 games behind San Diego)
Runs Scored/Runs Against: 5.25-6.25
Transactions: Kelly Stinnett off the DL, Michael Gosling down to Tucson (8/9); Brandon Lyon and Russ Ortiz off the DL, Koyie Hill and Mike Koplove down to Tucson (8/13).
I've always liked Koplove, and I think he's being punished for being put in situations with baserunners but he's shown too much inconsistency this season for me to quibble too much with the selection (as opposed to Bruney, Groom, or Worrell). Glad to see Lyon back, of course; the jury is still out on Russ Ortiz and his performance Saturday night was, while not a disaster, not a stunning success either.
The offense showed signs of resurgence, while the pitching was, typically, inconsistent. And the basepath management (see Terrero's hidden-ball trick and Gonzo being thrown out at the plate twice in the same game) left much to be desired. (Let's put it this way, I'm not sure I could've identified the 3rd-base coach before this week, that's how silent -- in a good way -- Tosca's work has been thus far.)
And somehow the Diamondbacks are still just 3 games behind San Diego.
The Weeks That Will Be
6 on the road (3 each at St. Louis and Cincinnati)
7 at home (4 against the Mets, 3 against the Phillies)
It certainly doesn't get any easier here in the next couple weeks. St. Louis is, of course, the class of the National League once again while the Reds aren't quite as bad as their record might suggest. Still, with Halsey, Webb, and Vargas, the team's best rotation pitchers recently, a series win, while unlikely, is not wholly unreasonable.
Last week Jim suggested that my hope the team would go 6-6 on the road trip was overly optimistic, and I can't say that he'll probably be wrong. My hope that the team might remain 3 behind the Padres is every bit as likely though, so it's a compromise position. With the Padres playing the same schedule we just finished playing (3 each at the Marlins and Braves), it's certainly not inconceivable that the Diamondbacks would end up 3 games behind the Padres by next Monday morning.
3 behind. Wow.
No such luck.
I'm tapped out for metaphors. My simile well is dry.
The Week That Was
Record: 2-4 (2nd place, NL West, 3 games behind San Diego)
Runs Scored/Runs Against: 5.25-6.25
Transactions: Kelly Stinnett off the DL, Michael Gosling down to Tucson (8/9); Brandon Lyon and Russ Ortiz off the DL, Koyie Hill and Mike Koplove down to Tucson (8/13).
I've always liked Koplove, and I think he's being punished for being put in situations with baserunners but he's shown too much inconsistency this season for me to quibble too much with the selection (as opposed to Bruney, Groom, or Worrell). Glad to see Lyon back, of course; the jury is still out on Russ Ortiz and his performance Saturday night was, while not a disaster, not a stunning success either.
The offense showed signs of resurgence, while the pitching was, typically, inconsistent. And the basepath management (see Terrero's hidden-ball trick and Gonzo being thrown out at the plate twice in the same game) left much to be desired. (Let's put it this way, I'm not sure I could've identified the 3rd-base coach before this week, that's how silent -- in a good way -- Tosca's work has been thus far.)
And somehow the Diamondbacks are still just 3 games behind San Diego.
The Weeks That Will Be
6 on the road (3 each at St. Louis and Cincinnati)
7 at home (4 against the Mets, 3 against the Phillies)
It certainly doesn't get any easier here in the next couple weeks. St. Louis is, of course, the class of the National League once again while the Reds aren't quite as bad as their record might suggest. Still, with Halsey, Webb, and Vargas, the team's best rotation pitchers recently, a series win, while unlikely, is not wholly unreasonable.
Last week Jim suggested that my hope the team would go 6-6 on the road trip was overly optimistic, and I can't say that he'll probably be wrong. My hope that the team might remain 3 behind the Padres is every bit as likely though, so it's a compromise position. With the Padres playing the same schedule we just finished playing (3 each at the Marlins and Braves), it's certainly not inconceivable that the Diamondbacks would end up 3 games behind the Padres by next Monday morning.
3 behind. Wow.
Comments:
Post a Comment
