Panzram
05-27-2004, 03:41 AM
Inside Baseball
We've nearly reached Memorial Day. By this point in the baseball season, veteran pitchers should have worked out all their glitches.
But many established starters are STILL disappointing fantasy general managers with their poor statistical production.
Here is a short list:
Derek Lowe, Red Sox, 3-4, 6.02: He won a total of 38 games the last two seasons. So everybody is mystified by his failure this seasons.
Lowe is winless in his last four starts, suffering three losses. He has allowed 37 runs and 57 hits in 40 1/3 innings this season. Ouch!
"The best word I can say is searching," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He's a little frustrated. It will get better."
Well, it better. Perhaps a visit from his buddies on the Oakland A's will perk him up.
Woody Williams, Cardinals, 1-5, 5.26 earned-run average: When healthy the previous three seasons, he's as reliable as any starter in the game. Last season he finished with an 18-9 mark and a 3.88 ERA.
But he suffered shoulder tendinitis in spring training and missed most of the exhibition schedule. The Cards should have left him back in Florida to continue building his shoulder strength.
He believed he could come north with the team and pitch himself into midseason form. He was wrong.
Kirk Rueter, Giants, 1-4, 5.36: Has the National League finally caught up to this nibbling finesse pitcher? After posting seven straight seasons of double-digit wins, Rueter is getting pounded this season.
It took him seven starts to earn his first win. Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti believes he has corrected a mechanical flaw in Rueter's delivery; Kirk was dropping his arm slot too low, causing his would-be sinkers to stay up in the zone.
By keeping his arm up, especially out of the stretch, Rueter has had much better stuff his last three starts. Now, if only the umpires would open up the strike zone again and give him the outside corner . . .
Hideo Nomo, Dodgers, 3-5, 7.13: He bounced back from his mid-career slump to win 16 games in each of the last two seasons.
But this season has been a mess. Compounding his problems is a finger injury on his pitching hand. A cracked fingernail knocked him out of his last start and the resulting blister may cost him another start.
Mike Hampton, Braves, 1-5, 5.64: Pitching coach Leo Mazzone could pat himself on the back for reviving Hampton last season, when he finished with a 14-8 mark and a 3.84 ERA. Boy was he glad to escape Denver.
But Hampton just won his first game of this season by throwing six shutout innings against the Dodgers. What has gone wrong?
"I don't think I had been throwing the ball that poorly," he told reporters after the game. "It was always one big inning or one big hit. I was due for some good luck. I got some today."
Barry Zito, A's, 3-3, 5.56: He became a fantasy darling by winning 17, 23 and 14 games the last three seasons. But a disastrous nine-run outing against the Angels earlier this season blew up his ERA.
The good news: The A's won his last three starts. The bad news: He banked just one of those Ws himself. There does appear to be hope, however.
Sidney Ponson, Orioles, 3-4, 5.40: He may finally be regaining the form that helped him win 17 games last season.
He just suffered a tough 3-2 loss to the Angels after shutting them out in his previous start. A Vladimir Guerrero home prevented him from winning the next game.
"The difference was one bad pitch, that's the bottom line," Ponson said after the game. "It wasn't the pitch selection, it was the location."
Gil Meche, Mariners, 1-4, 5.68: With the Mariners season swirling down the drain very, very quickly, Meche is getting sucked in the whirlpool. It appears he will be hard-pressed to win 15 games again this season.
At least he is throwing hard. He struck out 11 batters during his last start. "I had the best velocity I had all year," Meche told reporters. "It's just a matter of keeping my body closed and letting my body work."
Victor Zambrano, Devil Rays, 3-4, 6.18: A year ago, he won 12 games. Given Tampa Bay's attempts to upgrade its offense, he seemed destined for an even better season in 2004.
But the Devil Rays are just breaking out of a spring-long funk. And Zambrano suddenly lost control; in his last two starts, he lasted just six innings while walking 16 batters.
Brian Anderson, Royals: 1-6, 7.41 ERA. He won 14 games last season, helping the Royals enjoy unexpected success. Now he and the whole team appear to be in the dumper.
Anderson has suffered six straight losses, recording a 7.64 ERA in that span.
Jason Jennings, Rockies: 2-5, 8.50: He won 28 games the last two seasons, becoming that rare Colorado pitcher to have fantasy value. But this season his ERA has been Mile High in the light air of Denver
We've nearly reached Memorial Day. By this point in the baseball season, veteran pitchers should have worked out all their glitches.
But many established starters are STILL disappointing fantasy general managers with their poor statistical production.
Here is a short list:
Derek Lowe, Red Sox, 3-4, 6.02: He won a total of 38 games the last two seasons. So everybody is mystified by his failure this seasons.
Lowe is winless in his last four starts, suffering three losses. He has allowed 37 runs and 57 hits in 40 1/3 innings this season. Ouch!
"The best word I can say is searching," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He's a little frustrated. It will get better."
Well, it better. Perhaps a visit from his buddies on the Oakland A's will perk him up.
Woody Williams, Cardinals, 1-5, 5.26 earned-run average: When healthy the previous three seasons, he's as reliable as any starter in the game. Last season he finished with an 18-9 mark and a 3.88 ERA.
But he suffered shoulder tendinitis in spring training and missed most of the exhibition schedule. The Cards should have left him back in Florida to continue building his shoulder strength.
He believed he could come north with the team and pitch himself into midseason form. He was wrong.
Kirk Rueter, Giants, 1-4, 5.36: Has the National League finally caught up to this nibbling finesse pitcher? After posting seven straight seasons of double-digit wins, Rueter is getting pounded this season.
It took him seven starts to earn his first win. Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti believes he has corrected a mechanical flaw in Rueter's delivery; Kirk was dropping his arm slot too low, causing his would-be sinkers to stay up in the zone.
By keeping his arm up, especially out of the stretch, Rueter has had much better stuff his last three starts. Now, if only the umpires would open up the strike zone again and give him the outside corner . . .
Hideo Nomo, Dodgers, 3-5, 7.13: He bounced back from his mid-career slump to win 16 games in each of the last two seasons.
But this season has been a mess. Compounding his problems is a finger injury on his pitching hand. A cracked fingernail knocked him out of his last start and the resulting blister may cost him another start.
Mike Hampton, Braves, 1-5, 5.64: Pitching coach Leo Mazzone could pat himself on the back for reviving Hampton last season, when he finished with a 14-8 mark and a 3.84 ERA. Boy was he glad to escape Denver.
But Hampton just won his first game of this season by throwing six shutout innings against the Dodgers. What has gone wrong?
"I don't think I had been throwing the ball that poorly," he told reporters after the game. "It was always one big inning or one big hit. I was due for some good luck. I got some today."
Barry Zito, A's, 3-3, 5.56: He became a fantasy darling by winning 17, 23 and 14 games the last three seasons. But a disastrous nine-run outing against the Angels earlier this season blew up his ERA.
The good news: The A's won his last three starts. The bad news: He banked just one of those Ws himself. There does appear to be hope, however.
Sidney Ponson, Orioles, 3-4, 5.40: He may finally be regaining the form that helped him win 17 games last season.
He just suffered a tough 3-2 loss to the Angels after shutting them out in his previous start. A Vladimir Guerrero home prevented him from winning the next game.
"The difference was one bad pitch, that's the bottom line," Ponson said after the game. "It wasn't the pitch selection, it was the location."
Gil Meche, Mariners, 1-4, 5.68: With the Mariners season swirling down the drain very, very quickly, Meche is getting sucked in the whirlpool. It appears he will be hard-pressed to win 15 games again this season.
At least he is throwing hard. He struck out 11 batters during his last start. "I had the best velocity I had all year," Meche told reporters. "It's just a matter of keeping my body closed and letting my body work."
Victor Zambrano, Devil Rays, 3-4, 6.18: A year ago, he won 12 games. Given Tampa Bay's attempts to upgrade its offense, he seemed destined for an even better season in 2004.
But the Devil Rays are just breaking out of a spring-long funk. And Zambrano suddenly lost control; in his last two starts, he lasted just six innings while walking 16 batters.
Brian Anderson, Royals: 1-6, 7.41 ERA. He won 14 games last season, helping the Royals enjoy unexpected success. Now he and the whole team appear to be in the dumper.
Anderson has suffered six straight losses, recording a 7.64 ERA in that span.
Jason Jennings, Rockies: 2-5, 8.50: He won 28 games the last two seasons, becoming that rare Colorado pitcher to have fantasy value. But this season his ERA has been Mile High in the light air of Denver