Using a database of 30,000 starts from 1994 to 2000, BP corrspondent Ted Kury introduces a new model to estimate pitch counts per start from historical and minor league games.
A few weeks back, Joe Sheehan took a look at how the varying interleague schedules teams would be playing might impact the divisional races. With interleague play mercifully behind us for another year, how did things shake out?
Vladimir Guerrero’s getting closer to a return. Hot streak or not, the Diamondbacks need Johnson and Schilling back. Kiko Calero and Tony Womack joined the knee injury brigade. Austin Kearns may benefit from resting his sore shoulder. Plus more injury news from Will Carroll in today’s Under The Knife.
The Marlins have the best infield in the National League. Hideki Matsui has reinvigorated the Yankees. The Pirates may be active sellers at the trade deadline. These and other news and notes out of Florida, New York, and Pittsburgh in today’s Prospectus Triple Play.
Gary Huckabay takes a look at the first day of road trips to see if road teams’ performance declines in that situation, compared to other road games.
The Diamondbacks resurrect Ricky Bottalico. The Red Sox take a flyer on Gabe Kapler. The Expos lose their best reliever in Luis Ayala thanks to the latest in a long line of Expo shoulder injuries. The Yankees add Karim Garcia and Dan Miceli for no apparent reason. Chris Kahrl has these and other news and notes in the latest edition of Transaction Analysis.
The injury to Mike Sweeney has a number of subplots (“Mr. Ken Harvey, where were you when Sweeney was injured?”). The news from Brian Jordan’s MRI was good laced with a bit of bad. Matt Morris is having obvious problems with his shoulder. And the Indians are close to calling up Cliff Lee. Will Carroll cycles through the latest injuries in Under The Knife.
The Royals have reclaimed first place in the NL Central. Dontrelle Willis still hasn’t faced his first good-hitting opponent. Lew Ford would make a better trade target than most of the veteran flotsam out there. Barry Bonds is still the best player in the league, even in an off year. Joe Sheehan runs through his notebook for these and other thoughts in Prospectus Today.
Milton Bradley is flourishing in obscurity; the Dodgers offense is bad–and we mean bad; and manager Bob Melvin is not getting the most out of Arthur Rhodes. All this and much more from Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Seattle in your Friday edition of Prospectus Triple Play.
Not satisfied with the questions of his loyal readers, Derek Zumsteg tears into his fake mailbag and finds some superb reader queries. Plus the debut of Derek’s Team of the Damned Annoying.
David Cameron kicks off his weekly look at the minor leagues with a player profile of White Sox prospect Jeremy Reed.
Bob Brenly is making a bid for Manager of the Year; Angel Berroa has been better than Rocco Baldelli, despite all the hype; and the Phillies enter the section of their schedule that could allow them to take hold of the wild card race. All this and more news from Arizona, Kansas City, and Philadelphia.