Rosenthal tidbits

Down at the bottom of the article, in his "Around the Horn" section, Rosenthal has some interesting points. Here are a couple that might be of interest to Cubs fans:

1. "The Cubs expect their bullpen will solidify once right-hander Carlos Zambrano comes off the disabled list, enabling them to move left-hander Sean Marshall or righty Randy Wells to the bullpen.

Bumping Marshall would make sense for two reasons: Neal Cotts currently is the Cubs' only left-handed reliever and Marshall might need an occasional break from starting, having never pitched more than 147 1/3 innings in a season."

2. "The Nationals might be years away from a full recovery. One scout describes their Harrisburg affiliate as the 'worst Double A team maybe in the history of baseball.'

Harrisburg, 8-27, is playing Freddy Bynum, 29, at shortstop. Joel Guzman, 24, is the corner-utility man. The team includes only three members of the Nationals' 40-man roster."

Is anyone really surprised that Freddy "Boom-Boom" Bynum is the starting shortstop for the worst Double-A team in history? No, not really.

6 months ago DTJchris 22 comments 0 recs |

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ouch.

"I don’t really play baseball, I feel it." -- Milton Bradley

by drewishdrewid on May 19, 2009 1:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Marshall's durability is a very good point.

by kanderber on May 19, 2009 1:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Why?

Just because he’s never pitched a full season as a starter doesn’t mean he can’t do it.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on May 19, 2009 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Look at Danks and Floyd

last year for the White Sox. They never pitched more than 160 or so innings in a season and one went 195 and the other over 200. September may have been some of their finest pitching too, on short rest to boot.

by jerry morales rules on May 19, 2009 2:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Look at them now though

Maybe last year’s workload have gotten to them:

Floyd: 7.71 ERA
Danks: 4.82 ERA

"It's been my policy to view the Internet not as an 'information highway,' but as an electronic asylum filled with babbling loonies." - Mike Royko

by DTJchris on May 19, 2009 2:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe, but...

… we won’t really know till the end of the year.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on May 19, 2009 4:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right.

Pitchers shouldn’t jump more than 30 IP over their career high in IP. The Cubs seem to recognize this with Marshall, skipping him in the rotation instead of Harden. Skipping Marshall seems to suggest they are going to try and get him innings long-term, even if there is a short-term return to the ’pen.

Derrek Lee is good.

by DGU on May 20, 2009 9:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a really wide generalization.

Carlos Zambrano, for example, threw 108 innings in 2002 and 214 in 2003.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on May 20, 2009 3:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No

just watching the increase in innings he’d pitch. 50 IP isn’t “no big deal”.

watching his arm, pulling him along slowly would probably be the smart thing.

(FWIW, I’m a fan of Marshall starting. the token lefty in the pen doesn’t make sense since Lou doens’t seem to know how to use a LOOGY anyway)

by Allie on May 19, 2009 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

if you keep him from going a full season

because you’re worried about his ability to go a full season… he never goes a full season. A self-fulfilling prophecy.

He’s earned his spot. He should keep it.

"I don’t really play baseball, I feel it." -- Milton Bradley

by drewishdrewid on May 19, 2009 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly

Sending Marashall to the pen now because of innings would be ridiculous. That may be done at the beginning of the season in Joba like fashion, but not like a yo-yo (starter-bullpen-starter).

by Luis on May 19, 2009 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not necessarily advocating moving him to the bullpen.

I’ve long been a fan of his and a supporter of him starting. But if the max innings he’s thrown in his career is 125 (I don’t know where Rosenthal got his number… not baseball-reference), then who’s to say he won’t break down or get hurt or just flat out stink when he reaches inning 130 or 140 or whatever.

It’s an interesting discussion point.

by kanderber on May 19, 2009 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

In 2006

Marshall pitched 21.2 Innings in AAA and then 125.2 Innings in the Majors. That equals 147.1 innings in a season.

"It's been my policy to view the Internet not as an 'information highway,' but as an electronic asylum filled with babbling loonies." - Mike Royko

by DTJchris on May 19, 2009 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like Marshall

and have liked the idea of him being a “swingman” like Terry Mulholland. That role seems good for him.

baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out

by Cubbie-Tim on May 19, 2009 4:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Marshall would provide a big shot to our bullpen

Therefore I’m inclined to let Wells hang out in the rotation and move Marshall to a role where he can be uniquely valuable to a bullpen situation that sucks right now.

by BLou on May 19, 2009 3:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think this sucks.

In May:

Marmol: ERA 2.00 9 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 8 BB, 15 SO
Guzman: ERA 2.35 7.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO
Gregg: ERA 6.75 6.2 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
Ascanio: ERA 6.75 4 IP, 2 hits, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Heilman: ERA 4.76 5.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO
Patton: ERA 4.91 3.2 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO

Certainly, they need to issue fewer walks. But Gregg’s ERA is so high due in part to a single game, and I think, so is Heilman’s.

"I don’t really play baseball, I feel it." -- Milton Bradley

by drewishdrewid on May 19, 2009 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs