Author Archives: D.J. Short

….with a long, and hopefully fruitful day of baseball ahead with the division-rival Braves, I did a quick Q & A with Martin Gandy, who blogs about the Braves for Talking Chop…

D.J. Short:

How concerned are you about John Smoltz at this point?

Martin Gandy:

Pretty concerned. His age, plus his history of arm problems, plus the constant setbacks he’s suffered this year; it all concerns me. But, at some point the Braves are going to have to move on without John Smoltz on the pitching staff. Most of us were hoping that time wouldn’t come this year or even next year, but perhaps Smoltz’ body has something else in store. As a fan, I’d like to see him pitch again, because I know if he’s healthy he still has some of the filthiest stuff in the game.

D.J. Short:

Do you think Mark Teixeira is feeling the pressure of a contract year or will we see a different player when the weather heats up?

Martin Gandy:

Tex has historically been a slow starter, though I did think he would have somewhat broken out of it by now, but still I don’t think it’s contract pressure. He’s been injured lately, so that accounts for some of his struggles, but it seems like his swing is somehow not right. He’s rolling over too many pitches and not getting under them like his swing is designed to do. Hey, at least we don’t have Andruw Jones in that spot this year… gosh, he’s continued his struggles. And as bad as Tex is looking right now, he’s been at least as good or better than Delgado or Beltran this year. Tex is a second half player, so at least Braves fans can hope that the best is yet to come.

D.J. Short:

Where do you think Chipper Jones ranks among the all-time best switch hitters? I mean, coming into today’s game, he is a perfectly-balanced .309 career hitter from both the right and left side.

Martin Gandy:

He’s closing in on 400 homeruns (odds are he’ll get them in the next few days verses his favorite team to hit against) and his career batting average is certainly hall of fame caliber. He’s got a ways to go to reach Murray and Mantle at the top of the switch hitting homerun leaders, and he probably won’t get there, but he’s earned his spot in Cooperstown as probably one of the top-five switch hitters of all time — I don’t think that’s too ambitious.

D.J. Short:

The Braves front office hasn’t been shy to look elsewhere for bullpen help the last few seasons. Do you think they will show restraint this time and hope the internal options get healthy and/or come together?

Martin Gandy:

We may get Mike Gonzalez back in a few months which will be like a trade in itself. And Soriano should come back soon. If Smoltz returns he could hold down a top stop in the pen. If all those things come together then I think we’re much more likely to see the Braves try to get a starting pitcher at or near the deadline (or well before the deadline, depending on the need of the team). This is the “lay it all on the line to win this year” year, so I’m guessing more trades are in the cards. It will be interesting to see if and how the Mets react to any big move the Braves make.

D.J. Short:

The Braves are dangerous at home (15-5), but have struggled mightily on the road (6-16). Long-term concern for you?

Martin Gandy:

It was just the opposite at times last year, so I really can’t explain it. I think when it’s this pronounced it does become a cause for concern, and you have to hope the players aren’t thinking about it when they take the diamond.

…good stuff, Martin…thanks again…

…as the Mets continue their westerly trek with a stop at Chavez Ravine, i did a quick Q & A with Jon Weisman, who blogs about the Dodgers for the excellent Dodger Thoughts…

D.J. Short:

What has Joe Torre’s arrival meant to the Dodgers organization?

Jon Weisman:

It has excited X number of people inside and outside the organization, but I think it’s too soon to say what the real impact has been. In part because of the team’s March sojourn to China, Torre openly treated April as a kind of extended Spring Training, testing out different lineups and continuing to have Esteban Loaiza and Hong-Chih Kuo in tryouts for the fifth starter position. His latest gambit has been to take advantage of Russell Martin‘s athleticism by having him play third base as a way to rest him from catching while keeping his bat in the lineup. I like the open-mindedness behind that, but if Torre falls too deeply in love with it, that will mean Gary Bennett is getting too many at-bats. Similarly, it’s possible that Torre has buried third-base prospect Andy LaRoche, which would be a shame. But things change from week to week, and it’s just too soon to say what Torre’s impact is.

D.J. Short:

Why did it take so long for Torre to realize that Matt Kemp needs to be in the lineup everyday?

Jon Weisman:

It could be any number of reasons. Despite his obvious talent, Kemp carries a lot-to-learn tag. He strikes out a lot and walks very little, which can be tough for managers to look at. And while Torre didn’t start Juan Pierre on Opening Day, he clearly wanted him to play some. The Dodgers faced some guys like Jake Peavy in the early going that Torre thought Pierre would better handle. All that being said, Kemp’s been a regular since the second week of the season; given the extended Spring Training issues cited above, that’s not really that long a time. Kemp has started 22 of 31 games this season.

D.J. Short:

Be honest, does it make you nervous seeing Russell Martin at third base?

Jon Weisman:

Maybe I’m crazy, but not in the slightest. I’m a lot less worried about him getting hurt at third base than at catcher. I kind of get a kick out of it, and I could forsee him following a Craig Biggio path to the infield to extend his career. Of course, Martin’s value is highest at catcher, so I’m in no rush to see him move away from the position.

D.J. Short:

Andruw Jones looks pretty lost at the plate right now. Is there any reason to believe he can turn it around?

Jon Weisman:

Somewhere between the 50+ homers of a couple years ago and the one homer of this year is the real Jones. There’s no reason to think that either is his true level now. I take some comfort in the fact that he looks so lost at the plate that it’s not your run-of-the-mill decline. Of late, I’ve started likening it to the problems Steve Sax had throwing to first base about 25 years ago. It was just so off-the-charts bad, it almost couldn’t be real. Sax got his act together, and I think Jones can too. I think it’s most likely that he turns things around to the extent that he pulls together a low-OBP, 20-25 homer season. Not so great for the big bucks, but I’m thinking he can still help the team.

If he doesn’t, though, wow.

D.J. Short:

What’s the update on Jason Schmidt? Can he be counted on this season?

Jon Weisman:

He’s on track for a rehab assignment in the next month or so. I think he’ll end up throwing some major league innings this season, but I’m intrigued by where they might be. By the time Schmidt is ready to be activated, the Dodgers very likely may have already pulled the trigger on calling up phenom Clayton Kershaw from the minors. I don’t know that anyone inside or outside the organization expects Schmidt to be a better pitcher than Kershaw this season. His contract would make it unsightly, but could Schmidt become an effective reliever? It’s similar to the dilemma the Dodgers face with the oft-surgeried Kuo, who by all rights should be the fifth starter today if the Dodgers would just leave him alone there instead of jerking him around. Anyway, things could be very interesting in the rotation by the second half of the season – unless, of course, someone else gets hurt – which with the Dodgers, is always a possibility in your mind.

…thanks, Jon…

…as the Mets take on the surging Diamondbacks in Arizona this weekend, I did a quick Q & A with Jim McLennan, who blogs about the D’Backs for AZ SnakePit…

D.J. Short:

How exciting is it to see all these young players develop at the same time? How long before GM Josh Byrnes gets the national recognition he deserves?

Jim McLennan: 

It’s great to see players come up, when you’ve followed them since they were picked in the draft. The 2001 World Series winners were almost all free-agents, and that’s fine, but there’s a much greater sense of involvement if you watch your roster develop, and see prospects become rookies, then blossom into potential superstars. We have had occasional home-grown players before – Brandon Webb is the most obvious example – but three-quarters of our regular starting lineup and three-fifths of our current rotation made their debuts with Arizona. Seeing that, and knowing the core of this team will be here for a long time to come, is a very exciting prospect. Down the line, there will be some difficult decisions to be made with regard to contracts, but the next few years promise to be good ones for Arizona.

Josh Byrnes has done a masterful job of turning a 111-game loser into division champions in only three years, especially in a small budget market such as Arizona. I think it was a wise move of the organization to lock him down, signing Byrnes to an eight-year contract extension, which takes him through 2015. He has made some excellent trades, notably the one which brought Chris Young to the desert, though there have been occasional mis-steps, such as letting All-Star second-baseman Dan Uggla get snapped up by the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft. I think Byrnes is likely seen by already insiders as among the most savvy managers, but more casual observers probably won’t really pay attention to the Diamondbacks until they reach the World Series. How does this October sound?

D.J. Short:

What has impressed you the most about Dan Haren thus far?

Jim McLennan: 

His splitter. That is just a nasty, nasty pitch, especially with two strikes – when he gets ahead of hitters, he’ll bury it in the dirt and get hitters to swing over it, either squibbing off a weak grounder, or missing it entirely. Moving to a hitter-friendly park at Chase, there was some concern that Haren might be a bit liable to the long-ball, but thus far he’s done a good job of keeping it in the park, with only three homers in 37.1 innings. The splitter likely plays a part in that, and while I can’t be sure, I imagine he is probably using it more than he did when he was in Oakland.

D.J. Short:

Do you think Stephen Drew will finally figure it out this season?

Jim McLennan:

So far, so good – an .810 OPS is a big improvement on last year’s figure of .683. That statistic from 2007 is probably a bit misleading: he hit a lot of balls hard, but straight at opposing fielders, which led to a batting average on balls in play (BABIP) that was significantly below the National League average; Drew was at .267, compared to .301. So he was, to a certain extent, unlucky, and he is simply concentrating at trying to put together quality at-bats; the BABIP is still lower than most, but the hits will eventually start to drop in.

D.J. Short:

Barring injury, do you expect Brandon Lyon to last the entire season as closer?

Jim McLennan:

This was the subject of some debate early on, as he struggled mightily in his first couple of starts. However, since then he has been lights-out, converting his last eight save chances, and not allowing a run in that time, a span of eleven innings. There have been some concerns about his stamina, and so far he has not been called upon to work three days in a row. It’s certainly possible that, if such a situation arises, Melvin may turn to alternatives like Tony Pena or the very-impressive Chad Qualls [obtained from Houston in the Jose Valverde trade, and who has a zero ERA after 15.2 innings], simply to give Lyon a break.

However, at the moment, it seems he has now adapted nicely to the change of roles, moving from the eighth to the ninth inning. He is a much less flamboyant and demonstrative figure than Valverde, and doesn’t have the same raw ‘stuff’ – when Valverde visited Phoenix earlier in the week, he was clocked as high as 99 mph. However, he does have a broad variety of pitches, and mixes them up well: he can drop a hammer-like curve on batters for a strike, then freeze them with a fastball on the outside corner. Thus far, Lyon feels like a less stomach-churning closer, but that may in part be the result of our improved offense.

D.J. Short: 

With the emergence of Micah Owings and now the much-hyped Max Scherzer, is it possible that Randy Johnson is the fifth best starting pitcher on this team now?

Jim McLennan:

Hard to say. Scherzer’s debut retiring all 13 batters he faced, was certainly eye-popping, but you need only look at the Reds’ Johnny Cueto to see that a great debut is no guarantee of future success. I’m restraining predictions of Cy Young-ness until opposing hitters come to the plate armed with a proper scouting report on Mr. Scherzer; until then, I will remain cautiously quiet. You don’t have to worry about him this weekend though: just Webb, Haren and Micah Owings.

The last-named is probably unique in recent baseball: a starting pitcher who is also one hell of a hitter, to the extent that some consideration was given to letting him play 1B between his starts. A fear of injury put that one in the freezer, though he may well be used as the DH in interleague play. As a pitcher, he worked on his change-up in the off-season, with Hall of Fame reliever Bruce Sutter (Sutter’s son was Owings’ pitching coach at Tulane), giving him a third pitch to help get through the opposing rotation an extra time. If that becomes a reliable weapon in his arsenal, Owings will be a solid middle-rotation starter, even discounting his offensive prowess.

Randy Johnson is…Randy Johnson. The first couple of starts, he was clearly still short of full strength and velocity, but it took him a couple of outings in 2007 before he rounded into shape. He had a great outing against San Diego at Petco last weekend [six innings, three hits, no walks, seven K's], but was smacked around by the Astros on Tuesday, to the tune of six earned runs in only four innings. That does worry me somewhat, simply because there isn’t much else we can do with Johnson except use him in the rotation – his back probably stops him from being used as a regular reliever, a suggestion that has been made a couple of times. When he’s on form, however, he’s still easily capable of confounding major-league batters with his slider; I just don’t know how much we can expect to see that. I’d happily settle for 25 starts and an ERA around four.

…thanks, Jim…

…as the Mets kick off an abbreviated two-game series with the Pirates tonight, i did a quick Q & A with Charlie Wilmoth, who blogs about the Pirates for Bucs Dugout…

D.J. Short:

I’ll start off with something positive: Nate McLouth, who homered twice Sunday. Did you see this potential in him during the second half of last season?

Charlie Wilmoth:

Well, I obviously didn’t think he’d be THIS good. But I, and a number of other fans and bloggers, have been ranting on-and-off for years about McLouth’s playing time. He’s always had a skill set that’s unusual for a Pirate prospect (plate discipline, some power, genuine baserunning ability that goes beyond simply being fast), and he’s had to compete against players like Chris Duffy and Nyjer Morgan, who can’t hit. Morgan’s only virtue as a baseball player is that he’s exciting, mostly because he goes a little too crazy on
the bases and dives around a lot in the outfield after balls that would’ve been much easier to catch if he would’ve run in a straight line to get to them. One would think that serious talent evaluators would’ve been able to see right through that kind of excitement, but Dave Littlefield and his crack front office couldn’t. And so it’s taken years for McLouth to win a starting job.

D.J. Short:

With Moises Alou‘s rehab predictably delayed, many Mets fans have been asking about Xavier Nady again. Do you think he will be traded at some point this season?

Charlie Wilmoth:

Yes. He’s useful but not good enough to build around, and the Pirates have a crowded outfield.

D.J. Short:

Were you surprised to see the Pirates cut their losses on Matt Morris? In a weird way, does his release signify progress for the organization?

Charlie Wilmoth:

I wasn’t surprised, no. He was so bad on so many levels, it simply had to happen. In my view, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Pirates are making progress. For example, early in the tenure of the Pirates’ previous GM, Dave Littlefield, the Bucs dumped Derek “Operation Shutdown” Bell. It was easy for Littlefield to identify and admit his predecessor’s mistakes, but that didn’t prevent him from making plenty of his own. Time will tell whether history is repeating itself here with new GM Neal Huntington.

D.J. Short:

What happened to Tom Gorzelanny? Just a bad month, or cause for greater concern?

Charlie Wilmoth:

Cause for greater concern. Former manager Jim Tracy rode him hard down the stretch last year in a desperate attempt to save his job, and Gorzelanny got scratched from his first Spring Training start because of shoulder stiffness. So far this year, Gorzelanny’s
velocity has been off, and his numbers have been horrific. If a good starting pitcher racks up 22 walks in 22.1 innings, as Gorzelanny has so far this year, it’s probably not a fluke. Something’s wrong.

D.J. Short:

You’ve been running an excellent “Worst General Manager” poll on your site recently. Which results have surprised you the most?

Charlie Wilmoth:

Thanks. The most surprising development was that Reds GM Wayne Krivsky got fired just before he was supposed to square off against top seed Brian Sabean. I’m sure Sabean would have annihilated him, so I guess the Reds’ ownership spared him that indignity. I’m also shocked that Omar Minaya didn’t make it past the first round. Oh well, Mets fans – wait ’til next year!

…thanks, Charlie…by the way, if you are a fan of independent music or college radio, check out his work for Dusted Magazine, as well…

…as the Mets return home to host the Braves for the first time this season, I caught up with Matt Foreman, who blogs about the Braves at Talking Chop…

D.J. Short:

First, tell us a little about tonight’s starter Jair Jurrjens.

Matt Foreman:

Well he meets our team requirement of always carrying one player native to Curacao. A lot of people say he will be no better than a #3 or #4 starter which I think is complete bollux. His stuff is better than most people think with his fastball topping out at 95 or so and he can locate all of his pitches exceptionally well. Just look for him to work both sides of the plate and not give away any pitches.

D.J. Short:

Past all the nostalgia, were you happy to see the Braves sign Tom Glavine?

Matt Foreman:

Obviously this was a hot topic all off season with us here and I personally wasn’t a huge fan of it. Our only real options (financially at least) were take Glavine back at the discount he was offering or rely on Jo-Jo Reyes or another young starter to fill the void. I was all for bringing in Reyes and letting him pitch his way out of the job, but I guess the front office didn’t really see it that way. In the end I really couldn’t get past the fact that Glavine put up 23 quality starts on the season, and if we had that last year we might have been playing in October again.

D.J. Short:

Are you concerned about Mark Teixeira‘s slow start? Does he have any chance of staying a Brave long-term?

Matt Foreman:

Not really. He has started slow in the past and he has been hitting better lately. His plate discipline has been solid as well so I don’t really think there is much there to worry about. Do we have a chance to sign him? Sure there’s a chance for everything. We are paying Mike Hampton $15 million this year and can finally be rid of him by exercising his buyout so we will have a little money to play with. Also, Liberty appears to be a little more willing to open up the purse strings. We’re all baseball fans here so that means we like numbers. I say we have a 40-60 shot of resigning him. He comes off as too much of a merc. for my tastes and with Boras behind him I don’t know that we can afford him.

D.J. Short:

So I’m guessing the Braves aren’t missing Edgar Renteria at shortstop?

Matt Foreman:

No. I was a huge detractor of Yunel Escobar and was all for Brent Lillibridge being our starting shortstop this season. I didn’t like Escobar’s power production or his lack of speed or the fact that he doesn’t walk much. His only real asset is the ability to hit for high average which is so subjective that it just scared me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to keep Renteria, but I didn’t like Escobar. Well I’m an idiot and Escobar is the second best shortstop in the division behind Han-Ram.

D.J. Short:

The bullpen appears to be held together with scotch tape at the moment. How confident are you with this bunch?

Matt Foreman:

I honestly don’t know. They have held together fairly well this week and have been helped by our starters going deeper into games. They really were overtaxed in the first couple of weeks of the season but none of these guys are bullpen stars. I don’t know when Soriano will be back and his shoulder has always been a bit balky, Moylan is most likely done and he was our best reliever and I have about as much confidence in Mike Gonzalez return as I do in Mike Hampton’s. We do have some decent depth at Richmond and even Mississippi if we need it and 50% of bullpen work ends up being finding the hot hand anyways.

D.J. Short:

Lastly, does it bother you that the Braves are often overlooked in the NL East race?

Matt Foreman:

I don’t know how overlooked we were this year with ESPN’s front page spread picking us to win it all. But I know what you are saying. It doesn’t bother me much, we have been the underdog for a couple of years now and I think the Phillies and Marlins know we are coming for them.

…ha…nice touch at the end there, Matt…thanks for pinch-hitting for Martin on such short notice…

…as the Mets head to Chicago for their only Wrigley Field trip this season, i did a quick Q & A with Al Yellon, who blogs about the Cubs for Bleed Cubbie Blue…

D.J. Short: 

Derrek Lee seems to have found his power swing again. Is it safe to say his wrist is fully healed?

Al Yellon: 

Absolutely. Lee says he doesn’t think that’s the reason that his power suddenly vanished in the first half of last year, but it seems pretty obvious that it takes more than a year for an injury like that to fully heal. We got a hint of this last year when he hit 16 HR in the second half.

Incidentally, D-Lee’s hot start is yet further proof that spring training stats mean absolutely nothing. He hit .194 in Arizona this year and those of us who saw him play worried because he hardly pulled anything.

D.J. Short: 

How have the fans taken to Kosuke Fukudome? From what you have seen of him so far, do you think he is worthy of the hype?

Al Yellon:  

Fukudome put himself into Cub lore on Opening Day when he hit a three-run game-tying HR in the bottom of the 9th. The Cubs lost, but that moment will be remembered for a very long time. He also has become a fan favorite for playing the game the right way — taking lots of pitches, hitting in situations. I don’t think I’ve seen him yet have a bad at-bat, even when he makes an out.

Is he worth it? Absolutely. Like Ichiro, he had a mediocre first spring training and some wondered whether this guy, who was supposed to be the best hitter in Japan, was worth it.

Even his teammates have said he may have been “sandbagging” it in spring training, not wanting to let on about a number of things he could really do. I love watching him play both at bat and in the field, where his range and plus arm make him the best Cub right fielder since Andre Dawson.

D.J. Short: 

Is there any timetable on Alfonso Soriano‘s return? When he does get back, are the Cubs gonna prevent him from doing his trademark hop?

Al Yellon:

Frankly, the way the Cubs are hitting right now, they seem better off without him. That’s a bit over-the-top, but Soriano is such a streak hitter that when he’s not hitting, the team IS better off without him. Last September, though, when he got hot — well, let’s just say that without his 14-HR month, the Cubs stay home in October 2007.

Soriano claims he does that hop to help him concentrate on catching fly balls. It’s not likely the hop itself caused the injury — that leg was going to go anyway, and it might have gone on the basepaths, as it did last year in that Sunday night game vs. the Mets.

Right now I’m in no hurry to get him back, as the Cubs are 5-1 without him.

D.J. Short: 

Do you think Kerry Wood can carry the load as closer all season? How has he changed since his days as a starter?

Al Yellon:

“Changed” is the wrong word, really — I think this was a matter of career survival for Kerry, because he really can’t be a starter any more (or at least, as for John Smoltz, he may have to have a few years as a closer before returning to starting).

Can he carry the load? Absolutely. He has the right mentality and approach, and his velocity has returned (he’s consistently throwing 96 MPH).

D.J. Short: 

What’s up with Tuesday’s starter Ted Lilly and his mysterious loss of velocity? Long-term concern or just needing to build arm strength?

Al Yellon:

That’s a really good question. Right now the Cubs are saying it’s “dead arm”, but my question is: how do you get “dead arm” in April? Lilly looked like this in spring training and we figured, “Well, he’s just working on stuff”. It’s a little late in the year to do that. Now, that said, Lilly threw better in his last start — he made two bad pitches and Joey Votto hit them for a two-run double and a three-run homer. If Lilly throws like that the rest of the year, he’ll be just fine.

…thanks again, Al…shame the Mets only play two games there this season…

…in preparation for this weekend’s much anticipated series with the Phillies, I did a quick Q & A with Tom Goyne, who blogs about the Phils for Balls, Sticks & Stuff…

D.J. Short:

How have the injuries to Victorino and Rollins thrown a wrench into the composition of this ballclub? Do you feel it makes you look for the three-run homer a little bit more?

Tom Goyne:

When the Phillies offense is really clicking, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are getting on base and creating havoc with the running game. Between the two of them, they had a 78/10 SB/CS ratio last year, and it set up a few more fastballs to swing at for Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and your favorite Phillie Pat Burrell. So far this year, with the two of them out, the offense has certainly been more station to station. We are hoping to get Rollins back on Saturday and Victorino should be back as soon as he is eligible to return from the 15-day DL.

D.J. Short:

On a similar vein, do you feel the club will eventually regret dealing Michael Bourn over the winter?

Tom Goyne:

I don’t think so. That’s not because I don’t think Bourn will play well, it’s just that you have to give something to get something and Brad Lidge was something the Phillies needed so they could return Brett Myers to the starting rotation where he is more valuable. Remember, even though the Phillies got a reliever in the deal, it was really about improving the starting rotation. Myers and Cole Hamels is a pretty darn good 1-2 combo in the rotation.

D.J. Short:

Tell me one element of the ballclub that has surprised you thus far.

Tom Goyne:

I’ll give you two. The infield defense has been horrific, and that was a strength last year. The other would be the performance of the bullpen. The pen has been pretty solid, which we saw in September last year, but I’m not sure any of us expected it to carry over into this season.

D.J. Short:

Do you ever worry about Ryan Howard’s annual April struggles, or do you feel the flyballs that stay in the yard in April will leave the park in June?

Tom Goyne:

You are reading my mind, D.J. Howard hits a lot of high fly balls and for most of the summer, any fly ball that is a borderline home run gets carried a couple of rows back. But in April, the wind comes from a different direction and batted balls with that same high trajectory, particularly to left field, end up getting caught short of the warning track.

D.J. Short:

For this last one, be honest: In the extra-inning game, do you think Jose Reyes was safe at the plate or not?

Tom Goyne:

Out! But just to prove I’m not a complete homer, I think Geoff Jenkins was actually out at home plate in Tuesday’s dramatic ninth inning win over the Astros.

…thanks, Tom…

…some familiar faces make their return to Shea Stadium tonight as the Mets take on the Nationals in the first of three…with that in mind, I did a quick Q & A with Chris Needham, who blogs about the Nationals for Capitol Punishment…

D.J. Short:

First things first, have you had a chance to visit the new Nationals Park? If so, how do you like it?

Chris Needham:

I’ve been to three games so far, and it’s a pretty big upgrade on RFK. There are some really nice seats in the place and some really overpriced ones, too. It’s not a bad place to see a game, but it’s missing that one “WOW!” factor, whether it’s the view of the skyline in Pittsburgh or the Bay in San Fran. Solidly average isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The biggest adjustment, though, has been watching games where balls actually travel over the fence; batters really prefer these power alleys to RFK’s.

D.J. Short:

What are your thoughts on Lastings Milledge thus far? Is he saying all the right things? Any new rap songs I should know about?

Chris Needham:

I really like his approach to the game. In the small number of games I’ve seen, he’s the kind of player that’s really fun to watch: a little bit of speed, a little bit of power, and just enough flash to keep you entertained. His first game or two, it looked like he was trying to do too much, but he’s settled in nicely, and I’d still make that trade 100 times out of 100.

As far as saying all the right things, what’s been telling is how it’s the other guys around him. Dmitri Young really welcomed him, pointing out that criticism of the high five incident was done mostly by people with sticks firmly lodged up their backsides. (Seriously, it was off Armando Benitez! What Mets fan wasn’t doing that happy dance after that one?)

Milledge, in a blowout earlier this week, dogged it in the middle of the game, and stood up, on his own, and apologized to the team, even though he was far from the only one to mail it in. He’s definitely making the most of his fresh start.

D.J. Short:

The Nats organization seems adept at acquiring and stockpiling major league position players, but pitching remains a major question mark. Is there young pitching on the way, possibly this season?

Chris Needham:

The team certainly claims they’ve got a lot stashed in the minors. I’m a bit more skeptical. Columbus’ rotation is all prospects, even if they’re not high upside guys. John Lannan, who you’ll see this week, already graduated. Collin Balester, Tyler Clippard, Garrett Mock and Mike O’Connor round out the staff — and that’s about the order of chance of success I’d give them.

A bit further down is Ross Detwiler, last year’s first-round pick. He had a cup of coffee last season, and there was some talk of him starting with the Nats in the bullpen, but they’re giving him more time. There’s really nobody blocking his way, so if he pitches really well, he can shoot right up and into the majors.

D.J. Short:

I noticed Jesus Flores was sent down the other day. Does it frustrate you to see veteran players like Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada in front of him on the depth chart, or do you think Flores needs more development in the minors?

Chris Needham:

Grumble, grumble. The team’s plan all along was to send Flores down to work on defense and to refine his hitting. In some ways it makes sense, in that I’d rather have a year of Flores in his prime than one of him developing now. But when your alternative is Pauly Walnuts and Estrada — whose arm is about as good as Carlos Delgado‘s — it’s harder to convince your heart of the facts. It hasn’t been helped by LoDuca’s cold start with the bat and the glove. I understand what they’re doing, but I’m not completely sold on it.

D.J. Short:

The Nationals played the Mets very tough in the role of spoiler last September. Was it as exciting to watch for “you” as it was painful to watch for “us”? Do you think the team grew from that experience, or is there no crossover at all?

Chris Needham:

The fans certainly get a bit of a rise out of it. The Nats message boards have been looking forward to this series to continue to what “we” started last season. Lost in all that jubilation, though, is the part where we rolled over and played dead for the Phils, but you won’t hold that against us, will you?

As a fan, yes, it certainly was exciting to play in games that matter, and it was a nice test for the team, to see if their second-half improvement was for real. As far as carryover, the only thing I think it did was convince some of the players in Manny Acta’s steady approach. He preached patience after last year’s disastrous 8-25 start, and it paid dividends down the stretch.

…thanks as always, Chris…

…fresh off taking two out of three from the Phillies, the Mets take on the Brewers this weekend…with that in mind, i did a quick Q & A with Jeff Sackmann, who writes about the Brewers for Brew Crew Ball…

D.J. Short:

First, a question about Yovani Gallardo, who may return from the DL this weekend. I know he was recently rehabbing for a knee injury. Any long-term concerns there, or was he just not quite ready to start the season with the big club?

Jeff Sackmann:

Just not quite ready. He struck out more than a batter per inning in two rehab starts, so I think he’ll be fine.

D.J. Short:

How long do you expect Eric Gagne to hang on to the closer role? Will his contract give him a longer leash or does the team seem willing to give David Riske a shot?

Jeff Sackmann:

I think Gagne will have a very long leash. Riske seems to be the rally killer guy, which might well be the best use for him. It’s certainly possible that Riske is the best reliever in the bullpen right now, and if the bullpen shapes up like the Indians ‘pen last year–mediocre “closer” in the 9th, better relievers for higher leverage innings earlier in the game–I’d be thrilled.

D.J. Short:

How’s Ryan Braun looking in left field thus far?

Jeff Sackmann:

He’s not going to win any gold gloves. He’s passable, and he’s certainly got the arm, and the biggest benefit is simply getting him off of third base, where Bill Hall has brought big-league defense back to Milwaukee.

D.J. Short:

What are your thoughts about Prince Fielder’s comments this spring in regards to his contact? Are the Brewers prepared to lose him? What would that do to the franchise?

Jeff Sackmann:

As for his comments, I don’t take that sort of thing as a big deal. He let off steam one day when a reporter was listening. Not the smartest move, but it’s easy to forget we’re analyzing the every utterance of a 24-year-old. I think Brewers fans realize that Scott Boras represents Fielder, so while the effort will be made to sign him long-term, it’s far from a lock. Fielder has certainly emerged as a leader, so it would be great to keep him around, but he’s hardly the only young stud on this team.

D.J. Short:

Lastly, a question on Sabermetrics relating to the Mets. Last year when we chatted, you mentioned that you thought John Maine was pitching over his head. Has your opinion changed on that, or did his second half meet your expectations?

Jeff Sackmann:

The big difference in his first and second half is the BABIP — it jumped from .253 before the break to .318 after the break. The resulting 5.53 in the second half seems a little harsh, but it does suggest he might be more of a 4.50 guy than a 3.50 guy. That, I think, was a reasonable expectation back when the Mets traded for him, and it still gives him plenty of value, particularly if he gives you another 32 starts this year.

…thanks again, Jeff…be sure to check out his contributions to the Sabermetrics blog Beyond the Boxscore, as well…

…by the way, i did ask him about Claudio Vargas…he didn’t have much to say, however, he did point me to an answer he gave Joe Janish from MetsToday, which you can check out here…

...my biggest concern about the early going is that despite the acquisition of Johan Santana, i feel no sense of urgency with this ballclub…ultimately, i fear that his acquisition may be a band-aid on a bigger problem…i hope i’m wrong…

…i’m not gonna lie, even i have found myself dismissing a loss here or there by saying, ‘It’s only April,‘ or ‘No worries, we’ll get ‘em tomorrow’…needless to say, it’s easy to get caught up the verbiage of a team’s manager…however, this kind of attitude is a big reason why the Mets underachieved significantly in the second half of last season and ultimately collapsed in September…this attitude, or the perception of it, regardless of what Willie says behind closed doors, must be changed…a game in April or June is just as important as a game in September…Willie shouldn’t underestimate or insult the intelligence of New York baseball fans by hedging like that…we’ve been around for a while, and so has he…this passive attitude is palpable and it reflects with what we are seeing, hearing and reading with the fans…

…before you think i’m all doom and gloom, remember that i know the Mets are good…the pieces, though some flawed, are certainly in place to contend…i only want to see them fight for it instead of wait to be crowned…

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