Tuesday's matchup sees AJ Burnett and Bronson Arroyo toeing the rubber against one another. Arroyo is one of four pitchers in International League history to throw a perfect game, having done so against Buffalo back in 2003. He got promoted shortly after too... Arroyo throws four pitches - five if you count both the two seam and four seam fastballs. The two seamer is about four mph slower and cuts in on lefties, coming in at about 85 mph. Arroyo also throws a tight curve, a slider and a changeup. The curve and slider are muccchh slower, in the low 70s. Arroyo has traditionally thrown a lot of strikes, though this year he is walking more batters than usual. His strikeout rate is much higher than it has been though, at nearly one per inning. More (most?) importantly is that Arroyo has released a CD of music. Specifically rock music that he is covering. He kind of sounds like the dude from Nickelback and that dude who sings 'how to save a life,' and looks like the dude from Creed. It is a powerful combination. Viewer discretion is advised. He's also quite the ladies man. He may end up plying his trade in New York though - he is being mentioned as a trade target for the Yankees. If it happens though, the NL will lose quite the slugger though; Arroyo has four career home runs, and two of them are off Glendon Rusch. David Eckstein is 10 for 31 against Arroyo with a couple of walks, Rolen is 7 for 23 with 3 doubles, Vernon is 7 for 26, Zaun is 5 for 18.
Wednesday night brings us a fine pitching match up: Roy Halladay versus Aaron Harang. Harang is a dismal three and ten on the season, though he has pitched just as effectively this year as in past years - freakishly so. He strikes out a lot of batters and walks few, and has an excellent k to bb ratio of almost 4:1 as a result. The only difference is that he is allowing a hit on one in three balls in play, meaning his actual era of 4.33 is well above his FIP of 3.75. Harang throws a fastball that tops out in the low 90s, and succeed by keeping the ball down - though he sports the worst gb % of his career at the moment, as only one in three balls is being hit on the ground.. He's been experimenting with a two seam fastball apparently, but his second pitch is an 82 mph slider. Harang will mix in the occasional change as an out pitch, but is mostly a two pitch pitcher. Harang has been traded for both Randy Velarde and Jose Guillen. He was Pedro Martinez's 3000th K victim. He is also apparently on the trade market, except not really. Wh knows. The number of puns that have been mae about Harang's last name is reaching epic proportions. Current Jays vs. Harang: Eckstein 13/32, Overbay 9/18 with 5 doubles, Rolen 5/28.
The rubber match is between Edinson Volquez and Jesse Litsch. Litsch has been struggling of late, which is, uh, the opposite of how Volquez has been doing. The La Segunua, Dominican Republic native, nicknamed Voltron, has been perhaps the best pitcher in baseball this year. He has an era of 1.71, and has struck out 110 in 95 innings (against 45 walks). He is a slight ground ball pitcher also, which helps. Volquez throws a hard fastball, averaging about 93 mph, and a change up about 10 mph slower. Pitch f/x says he'll throw the curve every now and then, and a slider ever so often. Edinson was pretty good in the minors, but certainly not this good - then again, few people are. Volquez came up through the Rangers system, and worked 34 league average innings as an occasional starter for the Rangers last year. He was the 'V' in the much heralded 'DVD trio, bookended by John Danks and Thomas Diamond. Of course, he was traded this offseason for Josh Hamilton, so it seems like this trade worked out alright for everyone. Maybe? Well, the most earned runs Voltron has allowed in a game was three. Once. In six innings. He's pitched either six or seven innings exactly in twelve straight starts, oddly enough. Matt Stairs is 1/1, Marco Scutaro 0/4.
Paul Bako has gotten the majority of the Reps behind the plate thanks to injury, and has responded by hitting a dismal .230/.306/.385. This is with the Great American Ballpark being a huge home run park (1.351 this year and last year). Last year it was a favourable hitters park as well; this year it actually favours pitchers slightly.
Joey Votto, the pride of the Toronto-area (I've seen him listed as being from Etobicoke, Mississauga and Toronto, and he apparently lives in Brampton now) makes his Canadian debut tonight. He was drafted 44th overall as a catcher by the Reds in 2002. Other notables from that year include Brian Bullington first, Melvin Upton, Christopher Gruler also to the Reds at number three, Adam Loewen, Clint Everts, Donald 'Zach' Grienke, and Jeff Francis - it was a good draft for Canucks. The Jays of course took Russ Adams - the next three picks were Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher and Colbert Hamels. Sigh. He started the year in a platoon with Scot Hatterberg, and when everyone realize he was much better he won the starting job - Dusty Baker even describes him as a 'tough out.' He is apparently a huge student of the game as well.
Brandon Phillips has been pretty good at second for the Reds - he's slugging .485. He's no Dan Uggla I suppose, but he was involved in what now has to be one of the more lopsided trades in recent memory - Colon for Sizemore, Lee and Phillips. Man. He's 13 of 16 stealing bases. He is nicknamed 'B-Real.'
Jeff Keppinger has been splitting time with Jerry Hairston at short this year. More accurately, they have been rotating who's been injured. First it was no one, then Keppinger, now Hairston. He's been a revelation for the Reds; he's hitting .322/.370/.441 after putting up even better numbers in limited duty last year. He was just rushed back off the DL as the Reds have been struggling with middle infield injuries. Hairston had been having a career type season as well.
Edwin Encarnacion left Sunday's game with back spasms. I am assuming he will be back. Encarnacion is one of those guys with tons of potential that have never really broken through. He's 25 but has some 1400 at bats in the majors and is a career .267/.343/.450 hitter. He is also a terrible fielder, at least conventionally - he's made 10 errors already this season.
Noted baseball hater (or is that hitter?) Adam Dunn is 6 for his last 57. Maybe JP was on to something...
That Ken Griffey Jr. fellow is alright, but getting older. He made some news recently for something... what was that again? In any event, he's been slumping, and there is talk of him being traded to Seattle or Tampa. Why... I'm not quite sure. Griffey hasn't started in six games - he's been slumping, but I don't know if thats the reason. Besides, Corey Patterson has been taking his place. Ugh.
Wunderkind Jay Bruce has been handling both centre and right field duties lately. In his first 100 at bats he has 30 hits, with good patience and decent power. He is only 21, and has an extremely bright future ahead of him. Plus he is from Beaumont, Texas. He won Baseball America's 'player of the year' award last year playing for the Louisville Bats.
Cincy's pen is mediocre. Francisco Cordero is pretty good though.
Cincy has one of the greatest mascots of all time, the Gapper. Seriously, you have to watch this video. It's hypnotic... I don't think they've invited the Mayor back to throw out the first pitch this year. Maybe they'll ask Mariah Carey... Unfortunately Matt Belisle got demoted to AAA. One person is probabl happy about it though.
The Infirmary: Josh Fogg, Bobby Livingston, Kent Mercker, Jolbert Cabrera, Alex Gonzalez, Jerry Hairston, Ryan Freel.
2008 Motto: 'C you there.' Rating: F-. Do I really need to explain why?
The Credit Section: All offensive stats, pitches per PA for pitchers and league average stats are from the Hardball Times. Pitchers' stats and leverage indices are from Fangraphs. Minor-league stats are from Minor League Splits and First Inning. K% and BB% are strikeouts and walks as a percentage of plate appearances; GB% + LD% + FB% = 100. Special thanks to the intrepid Alex Obal, for making the charts that I am too lazy to make. I suppose its penance for him having Edison Volquez on his fantasy team.
