MVN - Most Valuable Network

Desert Duel Yields to Unlikely Hero

As 34,627 fans trickled into Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, the outdoor temperature readings showed triple digits.  With the pitching matchup pitting the flamethrowing Rich Harden against one-time flamethrower Randy Johnson, the radar gun was all but certain to come close.

Two innings into the ballgame, it was quite apparent that the promising probables would indeed create a duel in the desert.  A dozen batters came up, and all twelve were sent down, five of them on strikes.

It wasn’t until Jim Edmonds led off the top of the third inning with a line-drive single to center that the game had its first baserunner.  And Edmonds, despite being bunted into scoring position by Harden, was easily stranded by The Unit on a first-pitch flyout by Ryan Theriot.  The Cubs’ fourth inning also started with a hit, this one a single by Reed Johnson.  But Randy Johnson ably kept him at first, inducing a pair of pop-flies and fanning Aramis Ramirez to preserve the scoreless tie.

Through four innings, Randy Johnson was nearly perfect, having surrendered only the aforementioned hits, and not a single walk.  His counterpart, however, was roundly perfect, retiring the first dozen Diamondbacks who futilely came to the plate to face him.  Arizona’s hitters entered Monday’s game having struck-out a total of 757 times this season, the third-highest total in baseball.  And Rich Harden had no trouble flashing his punchout prowess against them, collecting half of those dozen outs on whiffs and stares.

The Cubs went down in order in the fifth.  The Diamondbacks, despite finally earning their first baserunner of the game on a leadoff walk drawn by Chad Tracy, failed to score.  More than half the game was in the books, and just a pair of runners had reached second-base, neither of them advancing past.

After Randy Johnson worked around a two-out walk to post an eleventh consecutive goose-egg on the board, Rich Harden took the mound in the bottom of the sixth looking to preserve his no-hitter.  With the 8-9-1 hitters due up for the Diamondbacks, the task wouldn’t seem to be so hard.

Outfielder Alex Romero was the first batter of the inning.  He entered the game batting .242/.262/.323, and hadn’t cranked a single homerun in his first 62 big league at-bats.  But all of that changed on an ill-fated, 1-2 slider from Rich Harden that stayed up around Romero’s belt, right down Broadway.  It landed just several feet beyond the right-field wall, within spitting distance of a leaping Mark DeRosa’s glove, but it was plenty good enough for the Diamondbacks first hit, Alex Romero’s first homerun, and most importantly, the first run of the game.

Harden recovered, recording six more outs without allowing another run, but he left his second start in a Cubs uniform in line for the loss.  Randy Johnson’s outing, which brought back memories of his dominance in years past, rendered Harden’s magnificent seven inning, one hit, one run, two walk, ten strikeout effort moot.

Johnson, too, departed the contest after seven, leaving it to the bullpen to preserve his seventh victory of the season, after allowing just two hits and a walk, and striking-out four.

While Chicago’s Bob Howry coughed up an insurance run in the eighth inning, Micah Owings and Chad Qualls did their jobs well.  In the process, Owings earned his first hold of the season, and Qualls — filling in for the struggling Brandon Lyon — picked up his second save.

The 2-0 decision was a game that neither pitcher deserved to lose, but just one bad offering in a collection of 112 was enough to drop Rich Harden to 5-2 on the season.

Alex Romero made sure of that.

I doubt many of the 34,627 in attendance saw it coming.

______________________________________________________________________

TUESDAY TRIVIA

Tuesday Trivia is a new feature on The MLB Source (shamelessly stolen from Fire Brand) that will run at the bottom of every Tuesday column. Each Tuesday, you’ll find the trivia question for the current week, and the answer to the previous week’s question. Answer in the comments, and feel free to guess (limit two per person), but do not violate the honor code.

The person who correctly answers the most questions before the end of the season will win an as-of-yet-undetermined prize, and smaller prizes will be awarded throughout the season, such as guest columns and the opportunity to create polls. A “Trivia Leaderboard” page is now available here.

Last week’s question was: Earlier this season, during Interleague Play, CC Sabathia showcased his hitting skills by crushing a 440-foot homerun.  Name the pitcher who served up the mammoth blast.

The Dodgers’ Chan Ho Park was the correct answer, and Mostly Running gained another point in the ongoing Trivia Contest by providing it.  MR also submitted a guest column last week as a reward for answering the question correctly.

This week’s question is: The Cubs are currently in the midst of the longest no-hitter drought of any team in baseball; their last one came on September 2nd, 1972.  In fact, prior to the ongoing 35-plus year drought, the Cubs enjoyed four no-hitters from three different pitchers between 1969 and 1972.  Who were the three pitchers?

The honor code for this week’s question prohibits the use of search engines, online sources such as Wikipedia, and box scores.  All other sources are fair-game.  Because there are three correct answers to this question, the name of each pitcher is worth one-third of a point in the Trivia Contest.  The person who names the pitcher who tossed the last of the four no-hitters will win the opportunity to submit the poll question to be posted on Friday, August 1st.

Durham joins the Crew

We knew back on July 7th, when the Brewers finalized their acquisition of Indians’ ace CC Sabathia, that they were intent on snapping a 26 year-long playoff drought.

Adding Sabathia gave the Brewers one of baseball’s most formidable one-two rotation punches, in tandem with Ben Sheets.  But even with that dynamic duo fronting its starting five, Milwaukee’s roster still contained two potentially glaring holes.  Second-base, currently occupied by the struggling Rickie Weeks, was one.  The bullpen, which has combined to post a 4.12 ERA — worse than that of every current playoff team — was the other.  General manager Doug Melvin, ever determined to strengthen his roster for the final months of the season, addressed the former concern this morning.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney and Keith Law, the Brewers have acquired veteran second-baseman Ray Durham from the San Francisco Giants, in exchange for two minor league players, outfielder Darren Ford and pitcher Steve Hammond.

The 36 year-old Durham is batting .293/.385/.414 this season with 23 doubles and three homeruns in 263 at-bats.  Though a switch-hitter, Ray-Ray has been vastly better against right-handed pitching, bashing northpaws to the tune of a .318 average and .843 OPS, while hovering near the Mendoza line at .221 and .677 against lefties.  Even with the sharp split, this season has represented something of an offensive renaissance for Durham, whose 2007 campaign — lowlighted by a career worst .218/.295/.343 line — seemed to indicate that his lengthy career was nearing its end.

Durham, currently in the final year of a two-year hitch, did not play for either the Giants or the Brewers in their matchup on Sunday, and figures to at least temporarily assume a bench role for manager Ned Yost, despite his resurgence. 

Yost’s regular second-baseman, Rickie Weeks, is batting a horrid .213/.322/.367 this season, and defense has never been his forte.  Many, yours truly included, tabbed the 25 year-old Weeks as a breakout candidate for this season, but his effort to date represents something nearer to a breakdown.  Still, the Brewers figure to give their one-time prodigy a bit more time to find a groove, before benching him in favor of a veteran who won’t be with the club beyond this season — especially considering that Durham does not represent much of a defensive upgrade over Weeks at this stage of his career.

For the Giants, the deal represents little more than a payroll cutting measure, and a way to provide more playing time for youngsters like Emmanuel Burriss, Eugenio Velez, Travis Denker, and Ivan Ochoa.  The two minor league players general manager Brian Sabean was able to snag for Durham are thus not particularly intriguing.

Darren Ford is a 22 year-old outfielder plucked by the Brewers out of Chipola College in the 18th round of the 2004 draft.  He’s long on speed and defensive prowess, but offers little at the plate.  In his second stint at High-A Brevard County, Ford is batting just .232/.321/.307 with 83 strikeouts in 332 at-bats.  He has already swiped 44 bases, but that’s in part due to the inferior pickoff moves of pitchers in the low minors, and hardly makes up for his lowly batting numbers.  At this point, it appears that Ford’s ceiling may be the second coming of Rajai Davis, but even that would require improvement with the bat.

Steve Hammond was the Brewers’ sixth-round pick in the 2005 draft, out of Long Beach State.  He was solid for Class-AA Huntsville earlier this year, posting a 3.45 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 88.2 innings stretched across 15 starts.  But Hammond has not pitched well at Class-AAA Nashville, losing all four of his starts while being devoured for a 7.41 ERA and 1.71 WHIP.  The former Dirtbag has posted an excellent 20/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio for Nashville, but with mediocre stuff, even pinpoint command may not be enough save him.  Hammond’s window of opportunity is closing, so if he’s going to emerge as a fifth-starter or lefty specialist, he’d better do it soon. 

It’s hard to pick a winner in this deal, though if Durham is able to provide more of a spark near the top of the Brewers’ order than Weeks has, it could certainly benefit Milwaukee during the stretch run.  Unless Darren Ford really comes around at the plate, the Giants are not gaining much in this deal, aside from the aforementioned addition by subtraction. 

Give Doug Melvin credit for doing all he can to ensure that the Brewers will make the playoffs for the first time in more than a quarter of a century.  Give Brian Sabean credit for cutting his losses on an ill-advised contract. 

(Now if only Sabean could somehow shed the other one.)

A’s fire sale continues with Blanton heading to Philly

In the days preceding the All-Star Break, the Oakland Athletics, despite still being within striking distance of the Angels in the AL West standings, opted to wave the white flag on the 2008 season by trading ace starter Rich Harden and swingman Chad Gaudin to the Chicago Cubs.

That blockbuster move was seen as the first of a number of swaps to be consummated by heralded GM Billy Beane, in an effort to restock Oakland’s farm system — a key component of the team’s rebuilding process.  Yet, in spite of the A’s ever-growing disabled list, which was seen as a driving force behind Beane’s decision, many McAfee Coliseum faithful were surprised by the deal, feeling that their team still had a reasonable chance of reaching the postseason this year.

The motto to live by for A’s fans continues to be “In Billy We Trust,” but the Harden deal was obviously a frustrating one for East Bay fans to swallow, not only because it effectively nullified Oakland’s postseason odds, but also because it reaffirmed a troubling point — that small-market teams are, to an increasing extent, becoming an external farm system for their large-market counterparts.

By shipping two key members of the league’s best pitching staff (ML-best 3.39 team ERA) out of town, Billy Beane opened up a can of worms that would not soon be closed.  Harden and Gaudin were already gone, but plenty of other trade candidates remained.  And one of them, right-hander Joe Blanton, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday afternoon.

ESPN’s Buster Olney was the first to report the trade, which will land the A’s three minor league players: second-baseman Adrian Cardenas, left-hander Josh Outman, and outfielder Matthew Spencer.

Rumors of the Phillies trading for pitching help — sparked both by their pedestrian 4.48 rotation ERA, and by the Mets’ recent surge — had been rampant over the past few days, so the timing of the deal was hardly surprising.  But Blanton, who took a 5-12 record and career-worst 4.96 ERA into the All-Star Break, was not atop most Philly fans’ wishlists.

The portly, 27 year-old right-hander is best described as a workhorse, one who can annually be depended on for 220-plus innings, and an ERA in the neighborhood of 4.00.  At least, that was the case until this season, during which Blanton has struggled.  He never had Harden’s blazing fastball or buckling offspeed repertoire, but Blanton has always had his health, making at least 31 starts in each of his three full years in the majors.  He’s on pace to reach that benchmark again this year, but his other numbers have noticeably deteriorated.

Blanton’s secret to success has always been his command.  Because of his unspectacular stuff, he has allowed 810 hits in 760.2 career innings of work; but Blanton has neutralized his hit-ability by issuing a paltry 202 free passes during that span, for a lifetime walk-rate of just 2.39 per nine innings.  He pared the walk-rate down to a career best 1.57 last season, but it has grown to 2.48 this year, a change that is especially significant when considered in tandem with a precipitous drop in strikeouts (5.48 K/9 last year, 4.39 this year).

According to ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, scouts have not seen any notably negative changes in Blanton’s arsenal, which indicates that perhaps his first-half struggles have been flukish.  That school of thought is confirmed by his 4.11 FIP (fielding-independent ERA), which indicates that sour luck is partly responsible for the former University of Kentucky standout’s actual 4.96 mark.  But Blanton is also on pace to allow over 20 homeruns this season, despite toiling in the pitcher-friendly confines of McAfee, which becomes especially worrisome given that his new home ballpark is one of the best power-hitting yards in baseball.

All things considered, the Phillies can expect Blanton to eat innings for them, and provide results in line with those of a number-three starter at a reasonable rate ($3.7 million in 2008, cost-controlled through 2010).  His flyball tendencies and increased hitability are cause for concern, but Blanton is likely to benefit from a move to the senior circuit, and can be counted on to — at the very least — ease the workload on manager Charlie Manuel’s bullpen whenever he takes the mound.  The latter was doubtless an important factor in GM Pat Gillick’s decision to acquire him.  Better results are certainly not out of the question, but must be viewed as gravy given Blanton’s recent struggles.

To get Blanton, the Phillies coughed up two of their top-five prospects, and their 2007 third-round pick.  None of the three was at all likely to reach the majors this season, and the best prospect they surrendered — second-baseman Adrian Cardenas — is firmly blocked by Chase Utley.  However, the haul is quite promising from the A’s perspective.

Adrian Cardenas was the Phillies’ sandwich pick in the 2007 draft, out of Monsignor Pace High School in Miami.  The 20 year-old is batting .310/.375/.447 with four homeruns and sixteen stolen bases for High-A Clearwater.  Despite some concerns about his defense, Cardenas was considered the Phillies’ second-best prospect by Baseball America, and arguably the best keystone prospect in the game.  Compared by Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein to Ray Durham, Cardenas could be big league ready as soon as 2010, making him the likely long-term heir to Mark Ellis at second-base.  (Ellis, by the way, a free agent at the end of this season and one of the most underrated defenders in the game, is now a prime candidate to be traded before the deadline.)

Josh Outman, a 23 year-old southpaw drafted by the Phillies in the 10th round in 2005 and ranked their fourth-best prospect by Baseball America, has logged a 3.20 ERA in 33 appearances for Class-AA Reading this season, five of which were starts.  Outman, who employs a low-90’s fastball and decent offspeed offerings, was converted into a reliever this year, because the Phillies hoped he might be able to help their bullpen down the stretch.  The A’s figure to slot the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder right back into the rotation, where, despite questionable command, he profiles as a potential number-three starter down the road.

Matt Spencer, the Phils’ third-round pick in 2007, is a solid defensive outfielder with a plus arm, but has yet to contribute at the plate since going pro.  The Arizona State product is batting just .249/.317/.367 for High-A Clearwater, and at 22 years of age, he’d better figure things out soon if he’s going to make it to the majors.  Spencer does have some potential as a pitcher, should the A’s decide to experiment with him in the bullpen, but he’s a long-shot to provide anything more than organizational depth, and is best viewed as a throw-in.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the package Billy Beane was able to pry away from Pat Gillick in this barter is that it appears, in some ways, to be better than the package he received from Jim Hendry for Harden and Gaudin.  But it’s important to note that — in a modified version of a popular adage — a number-three starter on the mound is better than an ace on the shelf.  And with the Mets having now rattled off ten consecutive victories to tie the Phillies atop the NL East, there may have been a hint of desperation on Gillick’s end as well.

The early verdict on this trade seems to favor the A’s.  That may change, if Blanton regains his earlier form and emerges as a key part of the Phillies’ rotation, boosting them to a second consecutive NL East division title.  In the end, the deal could very well turn out to be a win-win.

With Huston Street, Justin Duchscherer, and Mark Ellis still in Oakland, it’s also almost certainly not the last we’ll hear from Billy Beane before the month is out.

Ex-Pat

Today’s column was submitted by reader Mostly Running, as a reward for answering the past trivia question correctly.  Mostly Running shares an interesting account of his experiences as an ex-pat New Englander keeping tabs on all things Boston sports from afar, and offers a lesson for fans of teams that have — at least recently — been less fortunate.  I’d like to thank MR for filling-in, and I hope you enjoy his column. 

I’ve been an ex-pat New Englander for almost fifteen years, and during that time have seen the basement and the apex of the Red Sox organization. Early on it was hard for me to follow games without resorting to next day box scores or fashioning fake IDs to drink soda water and suck in smoke at sports bars. As I came of age and the Red Sox began showing more signs of life, I was spending long stretches away from media of any kind.

I’d come back into town and my team would have gone 9-1 or dropped five straight. I absorbed the information retroactively, but was always far behind the times of what was happening in the world of baseball.

I wasn’t the dirtiest of hippies, but I was one nonetheless. So on May 28, 2000, when I walked into a local sports bar, I got a head-to-toe sneering look from the bartender and one other customer. My ignorance and epidermis were both showing, but I couldn’t figure out which was dirtier after I asked if the Red Sox game was on.

“You mean the Yankees game?” said Mike the salty.

“I’d love to watch that too, but I‘m looking for the Sox game.”

“It’s Yankees v. Sox, Clemens v. Martinez. Where have you been?”

After he threw me a cold beer and ignored me for close to an hour I caught him as he walked by. “This is one of the best pitched games I’ve seen in a long time. Has Clemens been showing this kind of stuff all year?”

“You sure you’re a Sox fan? Shouldn’t you be calling him fat or a sellout or something?”

“I hate the dude’s guts, but you can’t argue with what he’s showing on the field right now. I just love watching a well played game.”

Mike looked shocked, but, after he recovered, he offered one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received from someone who was then a stranger: “Kid, whether you’re a Red Sox fan or not, it’s good to have another baseball fan in my bar.”

Things have changed a lot since then. Mike used to defend me from Yankees fans who would come in to gloat. Now, I fend off guys and girls who want every single TV in the place tuned to the Red Sox game, despite a full bill of much more exciting match-ups. I left the country shortly after Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS, and returned the day after the Sox won the World Series. When I went to visit Mike that day, there were more Red Sox caps at the bar than I had seen in the entire city up to that point. When Mike asked someone to move for me, he had to tack on “for Christ sake, this kid has watched almost every game for the past 4 years. That’s his seat and my bar. Go root for the Patriots or something.”

Now, I find myself in the position of every die-hard Patriots or Celtics fan that has never stopped following his or her teams for the love of the sport. I wear my Red Sox gear under another shirt, or only wear my Red Sox cap when I’m gardening. I strike up conversations with people about how amazingly the Rays are playing only to get the stink eye from them when I shift my attention to how the Sox are playing that day. If I ask a bartender to put on a Red Sox game, I always make sure to ask for it by the name of the opposition.

This sort of self-loathing or insecurity is caused in part by the new wave, the pink hats of the newly formed Nation. I see them doing ugly things disproportionately to other teams’ fans. Mocking other fans, rooting for injuries, flaunting the team’s current superiority without memory of what it was like to be losers whether lovable or not. Primarily, I see them ignoring the beauty of the game for the shiny, easy, and hollow chance to be attached to a winner.

I was sitting next to a man the other day who was wearing an Ellsbury jersey. He was probably twice my age, had an Oregon accent, and kept asking if Jacoby was up. After letting him know the other team was still batting, I asked him how long he’d been a fan. “Just since they won the last World Series. I can’t root for a team unless they could be a dynasty. The Yankees were great, but they’re just not great enough any more. Have you seen the Lakers this year? They could be great but I’m giving them a year.”

Now this isn’t a lament of the Red Sox fan base in particular and I really don’t think it has anything to do with where we’re from or even the particular team we root for. This is intended more as a warning to the fans of all those upstart teams that will soon begin to see a similar level of dominance. Don’t be a jerk about how amazing Longoria will be two years down the road. At least appreciate the savvy that went into locking him up long term. When Baltimore pulls it together and is competing to drive Boston to the back of the pack, please remember all the complaining about Sox fans invading Camden Yards. D-Backs, Phillies, Pirates, Royals loyalists? Y’all can keep playing nice and strike up pleasant conversations with your neighbors about baseball in general, even if they are wearing a rival’s hat. Cubs fans, I’ll give you a year to be jerks, but please make sure to keep up your endearing overvaluing of your prospects because, at the least, it means you know who your prospects are.

Finally, should you disappear into the woods for a few weeks, at least take the time to read the schedule before you ask a bartender if one of the most eagerly anticipated match-ups of an entire season is on TV.

Brewers/Cubs trading war is just getting started

“We’re going for it!” announced Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin to the baseball world on Monday, after finalizing a deal to obtain 2007 Cy Young winner CC Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for a bounty of prospects (Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson, and a PTBNL).  “It” being the Brewers’ first postseason appearance in more than a quarter of a century.

Little more than 24 hours later, Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry countered with a blockbuster trade of his own, acquiring right-handers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the Oakland Athletics for four young players, the majority of them being blocked prospects.  “It certainly wasn’t a reaction,” said Hendry after completing the swap.  Yeah, right.

In CC Sabathia, the Brewers added an ace to their rotation, forming an unrivaled one-two punch with Ben Sheets.  In Rich Harden, the Cubs added an ace to their own starting five, forming a one-two punch — in tandem with Carlos Zambrano — to rival Milwaukee’s newly created one just 36 hours later.  You’d have to be a fool to believe Hendry’s claim that the latter trade was not, at the very least, accelerated by the former.

As of this writing, a mere 3.5 games separate the Cubs and Brewers in the NL Central race, with the St. Louis Cardinals wedged between them.  With all due respect to the Redbirds, who have overcome numerous injuries to stand at eleven games over .500 a week before the All-Star Break, the two mega-deals consummated by their chief division rivals have essentially left St. Louis in the dust.  Tony La Russa’s squad may still be able to compete, but the once long odds of the Cards playing in October have grown significantly longer in the past two days.

With that in mind, it appears likely that the NL Central will be a two-horse race between the Cubs and Brewers.  The eventual loser figures to be very much in the Wildcard mix; the Cubs are currently given a 93.25 percent chance of making the playoffs, and the Brewers check in at 50.52 percent.  But because both teams are far better in their home ballparks than on the road, their eyes will be fixated on the divisional crown.

Having already exchanged proverbial blows three weeks ahead of the July 31st Trade Deadline, the Cubs and Brewers may continue to wage war over the coming 22 days.  That’s because both teams now not only share the same strengths, but also the same glaring weakness: relief pitching.

The Brewers’ bullpen, by most measures, has been an absolute disaster this season.  Milwaukee’s relievers have compiled an aggregate 4.01 ERA, good for only 19th in the majors.  They have also combined to blow 14 saves; only the Cardinals rank higher in that dubious category among National League playoff contenders.  While Salomon Torres has, for the most part, been a pleasant surprise in the closer role, Eric Gagne and Guillermo Mota have been absolute trainwrecks.  Put all of that together, and whenever manager Ned Yost has to pull a starter early, he’s left with a myriad of questions and very few answers.

The Cubs’ bullpen has been better than the Brewers’, but still far from spectacular.  Chicago’s relievers rank 13th in baseball with a 3.65 total ERA, but they’ve also been charged with 13 blown saves.  Making matters worse is the fact that manager Lou Piniella has been forced, at times, to overuse key members of the staff — most notably Carlos Marmol, who has already thrown 50 innings and is showing signs of fatigue — because of the ineffectiveness of their colleagues.  The addition of Chad Gaudin, who pitched well in relief for the A’s after making a midseason switch out of the rotation, should ease the strain on Marmol, but more depth would certainly be beneficial.

When two teams share a problem and have only one way of fixing it, inevitably there will be competition.  Looking to add a relief ace in addition to the rotation ace they’ve already acquired, the Brewers figure to express strong interest in the Rockies’ Brian Fuentes, the Orioles’ George Sherrill, the Pirates’ Damaso Marte, and others.  The Cubs, however, are almost certain to inquire about each of them as well, if only to drive-up the pricetag for Milwaukee.  And that’s not to mention the AL East trio — the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees — whose members could all use a bullpen bolstering.

If the Brewers are indeed going for it all this season, as Doug Melvin seemed to indicate during the post-trade press conference, their front office is unlikely to be content with the current roster, even after adding Sabathia.  If the Cubs hope to win their first World Series in a century, they could certainly use some more patching up as well.

Doug Melvin fired first.  Jim Hendry fired back.

Make no mistake about it, this trading war is just getting started.

______________________________________________________________________

TUESDAY TRIVIA

Tuesday Trivia is a new feature on The MLB Source (shamelessly stolen from Fire Brand) that will run at the bottom of every Tuesday column. Each Tuesday, you’ll find the trivia question for the current week, and the answer to the previous week’s question. Answer in the comments, and feel free to guess (limit two per person), but do not violate the honor code.

The person who correctly answers the most questions before the end of the season will win an as-of-yet-undetermined prize, and smaller prizes will be awarded throughout the season, such as guest columns and the opportunity to create polls. A “Trivia Leaderboard” page is now available here.

Last week’s question was: During the 2006 season, Nick Swisher penned a popular column on ESPN.com about his experiences as a baseball player, from the 2002 Draft (in which he was selected 16th overall by the A’s), to his early days in the Majors.  What was the column called? 

Mostly Running provided the correct answer, “Sophomore Year,” getting on the board in the ongoing Trivia Contest.  He will submit a poll question to be posted this Friday, July 11th.

This week’s question is: Earlier this season, during Interleague Play, CC Sabathia showcased his hitting skills by crushing a 440-foot homerun.  Name the pitcher who served up the mammoth blast.

The honor code for this week’s question prohibits looking at box scores, or using online sources such as Wikipedia.  Search engines are fair-game, but may not be used to access the aforementioned sources.  The first person to answer the question correctly will earn a point in the ongoing Trivia Contest, and the opportunity to submit a guest column to be posted on Friday, July 18th.  

POLL: NL All-Star Game Starter

First of all, my apologies for not getting a full column up as scheduled on Friday; preparations for a trip ate into my time that day. 

With that out of the way, I introduce to you the new poll question. 

If you were National League team manager Clint Hurdle, which pitcher would you send to the hill to start the All-Star Game? 

Vote in the sidebar on the right for one of the four choices given, or add your own. 

Also, be sure to watch the All-Star Game selection show on Sunday (2:00pm Eastern Time on TBS). 

Not Swishing Anymore

On January 3rd, 2008, the A’s and White Sox consummated the first baseball trade of the new year, when Oakland GM Billy Beane agreed to send Moneyball posterchild Nick Swisher to Chicago, in exchange for minor league pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Fautino De Los Santos, as well as outfielder Ryan Sweeney.

The trade was the A’s second major barter of the offseason — the first one being the deal that shipped ace starter Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks — continuing what figured to be a lengthy rebuilding process in the East Bay.  It has worked out reasonably well, to date, for Oakland; Gonzalez and De Los Santos are both promising prospects, and the 23 year-old Sweeney has thus far posted a .290/.347/.391 line in 169 at-bats, while seeing playing time at all three outfield positions.

But, at least for the first two months of the season, the swap was looking mighty miserable on the South Side of Chicago.

That’s because the 27 year-old Nick Swisher found himself mired in a horrendous slump that lasted through April and May.  He entered the month of June batting a Mendozian .201, and slugging a Jerry Owens-ian .311.  Once projected to become a 40-plus homerun hitter for the White Sox, thanks to the tight dimensions of US Cellular Field,  Swisher only managed to send four balls over the wall in his first 184 at-bats of the season, putting him on pace for a lowly dozen on the year.  Fantasy pundits nationwide — yours truly included — were grumbling, and neither White Sox fans nor Swisher himself could explain what was behind his two-month-long slump.

The apparently quite superstitious Swisher tried everything short of changing his last name to “Slugger”, in what was then a futile effort to jumpstart his anemic bat.  “I don’t know what else to do,” he remarked, after sporting his third different hairdo of the season, coming into the month of June.

Whether it was the so-called “faux-hawk”, or his decision to wear teammate Toby Hall’s pants, some magical force turned Swisher’s season around on a dime.

In 27 games last month, Swisher upped his batting average to .239, and nearly tripled his homerun total.  He finished June with a two-tater effort — including his second Grand Slam in four days — at home, leading the ChiSox to their fifth consecutive victory, a 9-7 decision over the Indians.  The former Ohio State standout’s stat-sheet for the year now shows .239/.354/.417, with eleven homers and 37 runs batted in, following a terrific June campaign, highlighted by a .315 average and seven round-trippers.   Those totals are still well below Swisher’s career norms, but are infinitely more respectable than they were just thirty days ago.

After three-plus years of being a fan favorite at the McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, the switch-hitting Swisher certainly was not accustomed to the boos and jeers he often heard after failing to come through when needed during his first two months in the Windy City.

“For the first time in my life, people were writing some things about me in the paper that I didn’t like.  It was the first time in my life that I had ever been booed.  I’m such a happy-go-lucky guy, but some of that stuff kind of hit me the wrong way.”

But, added the no longer beleaguered Swisher, “that was just a little more added incentive to work a little harder and get myself to where I am right now.”

Where he is right now is exactly where the White Sox want him to stay for the rest of his tenure with the team.  Currently in the second year of a five-year, $26.75 million contract, Swisher is property of the Pale Hose for at least the next three and a half years.

So long as he keeps slugging instead of swishing, the not-so-well named Buckeye will be a fan favorite again in no time.

______________________________________________________________________

TUESDAY TRIVIA

Tuesday Trivia is a new feature on The MLB Source (shamelessly stolen from Fire Brand) that will run at the bottom of every Tuesday column. Each Tuesday, you’ll find the trivia question for the current week, and the answer to the previous week’s question. Answer in the comments, and feel free to guess (limit two per person), but do not violate the honor code.

The person who correctly answers the most questions before the end of the season will win an as-of-yet-undetermined prize, and smaller prizes will be awarded throughout the season, such as guest columns and the opportunity to create polls. A “Trivia Leaderboard” page is now available here.

Last week’s question was: What current MLB manager (and former player) was a catcher for the University of California-Berkeley (Cal) during the late-1970’s and early-1980’s?

Reader Hank Condrey regained the lead in the Trivia Contest, by providing the correct answer: Bob Melvin of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The current contest leaderboard can be found here.

This week’s question is: During the 2006 season, Nick Swisher penned a popular column on ESPN.com about his experiences as a baseball player, from the 2002 Draft (in which he was selected 16th overall by the A’s), to his early days in the Majors.  What was the column called? 

The honor code for this week’s question prohibits searching archives on ESPN.com, or using online sources such as Wikipedia.  Search engines are fair-game, but may not be used to access the aforementioned sources.  The first person to answer the question correctly will earn a point in the ongoing Trivia Contest, and the opportunity to create the poll question to be posted on Friday, July 11th.