Pregame notes: Hughes feeling good on a loud day in Seattle
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes, Podcast on May 28, 2011 
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Very, very slow day at the ballpark.
Across the street, Mexico and Ecuador played a soccer game at the Seahawks’ stadium, and the sound of vuvuzela’s was carrying over to Safeco. They’re annoying on television and worse in person.
By the way, I wasn’t sure how to spell vuvuzela so I Googled, “world cup horn.” It worked.
Anyway, if there’s any news coming out of pregame today it’s that Phil Hughes feels good one day after throwing a 20-pitch bullpen on Friday. He threw all fastballs, then did some light throwing today.
“Everything feels good and it’s pain-free,” he said. “That’s really all I can look at. I just have to make sure I keep having these positive days and no issues and just keep moving in a positive direction. It feels good. That’s all I can say. No pain. No issues.”
Hughes said it was similar to his first time on a mound during the offseason, but he’s assuming the process will move much quicker.
“I have been throwing, sort of, the past month and not coming off not throwing for two and a half months,” he said. “At least I hope so, because I don’t want to sit for another month and a half before I go… When I come in, I ask what I’m doing that day. That’s it. I don’t get too caught up in the schedule.”
Here’s Girardi’s pregame interview.
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• About two hours ago, Joe Girardi said he still hadn’t sat down to talk to Eduardo Nunez about his base running last night. Girardi still believes Nunez would have been stuck had his hand not been stuck in the dirt on his slide back into the bag, but Girardi said it shouldn’t have been that close in the first place. “I still think it’s probably too close of a play in that situation,” Girardi said. “You’ve got to make sure that you’re going to be safe.”
• Even though Nunez is a rookie, Girardi said he always has a green light to run. He had a green light last night and stole second base before the deflating pickoff. “There are times that I will shut him down if I feel it is warranted,” Girardi said. “But this is a kid that knows how to steal bases. He’s been successful for us. We saw it in spring training. We saw it last year. This kid is aggressive, and there are things that sometimes you might shut it down, but sometimes guys have a hard time getting a jump when you say, ‘Go.’ Because they’re used to their timing and the great base stealers try to time guys and do those sort of things, so I turn him loose.”
• Girardi said there was never serious consideration of changing the lineup against Felix Hernandez. “This is what we were intending to go with,” he said. “We have some guys that have decent numbers off of Felix, even though last year it seemed like we didn’t score any. I don’t know if we got a run off him last year. Maybe one. These are the guys that have got to get it done.”
• Is Hernandez a discouraging sight for guys who are struggling? “You get a couple hits off of Felix, it might be what gets you going,” Girardi said.
• Ivan Nova seemed calm and relaxed while he was joking with guys in the clubhouse pregame. Girardi didn’t seem too worried about Nova feeling like he has to be perfect because he’s facing Hernandez. “You hope that he takes the attitude that I’m going to shut a team down no matter what,” Girardi said.
• Girardi said there are no new updates on any of the other rehab guys. Only Hughes and Colin Curtis made this trip, and of those two, only Hughes is realistically looking at playing this year.
• Girardi on Robinson Cano: “I think he’s searching a little bit, but he’s run into some bad luck. We didn’t get a lot of hits last night. That’s the bottom line. He gets robbed of an RBI double, and he’s still found ways to get his RBIs, in a sense, but he necessarily hasn’t been on base as much and you go through that. But he’s an important part of our offense.”
MARINERS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chone Figgins 3B
Justin Smoak 1B
Jack Cust DH
Franklin Gutierrez CF
Adam Kennedy 2B
Miguel Olivo C
Carlos Peguero LF
Brendan Ryan SS
Associated Press photos
Thanks, I did remember partially right. He actually did very well hitting 7th or 8th.
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But he will never hit there regularly because SECOND LEADOFF HITTER and who are you batting 9th? He should be at the top of the lineup, but honestly I don’t care right now. So long as he is doing well, the rest of the lineup needs to get sorted out first.
“Girardi on Robinson Cano: “I think he’s searching a little bit, but he’s run into some bad luck.”
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Typical Girardi nonsense. Luck has nothing to do with it, he’s hitting 46 points less than he did last year, his OBP is 69 points less, his SLG is 53 points less and his OPS is down 123 points. His plate discipline is non-existent he needs to swing at strikes, not chase.
Cano has had a .320 BABIP the past 2 years, his Line drive rate is near the same but he isn’t walking as much he did last year. His power is basically the same.
He is also striking out more. Previously he would walk around 4% but only strike out at 10% or less. Now its 15% so he increased his strike outs without any increase in power or walks.
What makes a guy do better in 7-8 spot as opposed to 9th ? You would think 9 would appeal to a guy like Gardner more than 7 or 8 spot. I think is just a matter of settling in for an extended period.
He certainly could lead off against righties as Jeter still did quite good last yr. against lefties.
What makes a guy do better in 7-8 spot as opposed to 9th ? You would think 9 would appeal to a guy like Gardner more than 7 or 8 spot. I think is just a matter of settling in for an extended period.
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Why would any hitter want to hit in a spot that gets the least amount of PA on the team? Its the opposite of prestigous, a spot for the worst hitters on the team
Cano’s BABIP if it stayed the same would be the lowest in his career
# Jerkface May 28th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
He is also striking out more. Previously he would walk around 4% but only strike out at 10% or less. Now its 15% so he increased his strike outs without any increase in power or walks.
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I get a little frustrated seeing Cano’s hitting this year, but while you don’t like to see an increase in strike outs, is it any different than making a ground out? Its still an out.
Why would any hitter want to hit in a spot that gets the least amount of PA on the team? Its the opposite of prestigous, a spot for the worst hitters on the team
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I meant as the second lead off hitter as often has been stated. More combined with the top of the lineup with his speed as opposed to 7-8 spot.
I get a little frustrated seeing Cano’s hitting this year, but while you don’t like to see an increase in strike outs, is it any different than making a ground out? Its still an out.
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This isn’t how you should look at it. Every time you put the ball in play, you have a chance to make a hit. If you strike out you get no such chance. So you’re not trading K’s for ground outs. You’re trading a definite out for the CHANCE to make an out.
If Cano makes contact, he has a chance of getting a hit. Zero chance with strike out. Also, being more selective at plate would force pitchers to throw him better pitches to hit.
I’m sure JF or LGY will know this, so I am curious if Cano is chasing more bad pitches out of the zone than before. I suspect he is.
I meant as the second lead off hitter as often has been stated. More combined with the top of the lineup with his speed as opposed to 7-8 spot.
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I get the appeal but in practice its not ideal, because you’re committing to worse hitters (theoretically, when the yankee lineup is on its game you will probably have good hitters batting 6-7-8) getting another PA before Brett Gardner.
For example, you might have Cervelli in the lineup, and maybe Cervelli hits 8th instead of Gardner. For the off chance that Gardner leads off an inning before the top of the lineup you’re making it so that in any comeback situation you have to go through Cervelli to get to the superior hitter. A game could end and Cervelli have 4 PA and Gardner have 3. I think thats just not a good way to do it.
And if you are going to bat Pena/Cervelli/Nunez 9th when they go in, instead of Gardner, then why bat him 9th anyways if you’re going to abandon the second leadoff hitter thing for worse batters. in that case it should JUST be looked at from a skill perspective, and I think you could make arguments that Gardner is doing better than a lot of hitters in this lineup right now.
Cano is swinging at 41% of pitches out of the zone, his new career high by 5%. 11% higher than his average. He is swinging at more pitches in the zone. He is swinging swinging swinging.
Cano is the main cog in this offense. He’s having a subpar start average wise, but has his rbi’s. I don’t like Gardner batting after Swish, Posada. To very slow guys in front of him if they actually get on base. It’s almost 2 auto outs. I hope Gardner can recapture that leadoff spot again.
I still favor Gardner leading off against all pitchers. Judging him by early season numbers when he was slumping is short-sighted IMO.
The detailed sabermetric analysis is just irrelevant. Anyone who watches the games and follows his basic triple slash line knows exactly what’s going on. He’s not getting enough hits period. I don’t care what the reason is, or where the ball is going or not going. He’s needs to get more hits than he is getting. Simple.
Jerkface May 28th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Cano is swinging at 41% of pitches out of the zone, his new career high by 5%. 11% higher than his average. He is swinging at more pitches in the zone. He is swinging swinging swinging.
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Not good. He has reverted to 2009. Something must be wrong.
Not good. He has reverted to 2009. Something must be wrong.
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He swung less in 09 than he did in 2010. Out of the zone and in the zone. The difference between 09 and 2010 is that Cano walked 4% more.
# BoJo May 28th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
If Cano makes contact, he has a chance of getting a hit. Zero chance with strike out. Also, being more selective at plate would force pitchers to throw him better pitches to hit.
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I’m not really arguing that making contact vs. striking out are equal, but with it seems Cano has been grounding out a bit more, that can mean turning a DP, so a strike out vs. a DP would be better. I agree that his pitch selection skills aren’t quite up to what they were last year. The umpires may be causing some of that as well, as the strike zones are all over the place, probably worse this year.
If it comes down to Cano making poor contact that leads to a DP, I’d rather have the SO. If it’s already 2 outs its a different situation.
WCYF,
You may not enjoy detailed analysis of problems but other people do, you’re more than welcome to ignore the posts that want to go deeper into reasons why hitters are struggling or showing that a hitter isn’t struggling as much as public perception appears. Plenty of people make enough baseless comments that simply ‘trusting what you see’ can’t be trusted at all.
You may not remember all the line drives Cano hits that were caught, which you can’t do anything about and can make a hitter appear to be struggling when he isn’t really. He needs to get more hits? Wow brilliant.
IIRC, part of his improvement in 2010 was to force pitchers to throw him better pitches that he could drive. Chasing after everything just allows pitchers to make him hit their pitch.
I’m not really arguing that making contact vs. striking out are equal, but with it seems Cano has been grounding out a bit more, that can mean turning a DP, so a strike out vs. a DP would be better.
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But you never know what you’re going to get. If the choice is between weak contact for an out and a K its an easy binary choice, but its never binary.
You’re right though that he is grounding out more. He hit more flyballs last year.
The umpires may be causing some of that as well, as the strike zones are all over the place, probably worse this year.
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Interesting observation…I wonder what a detailed analysis would show….good have a major impact on why offense overall is down.
I suspect he is hitting more ground balls because pitchers are making him hit their pitch—something he can’t drive.
typo–***Could***have a major
It’s just irrelevant. The bottom line is Can goes to the plate to hit a single, double, triple or a home run. That’s it. Simple. The triple slash line tells one exactly how well a player is doing that. The eyes tell the rest. One can see that Cano is swinging at too many balls and not enough strikes.
As I said on last page, this team hitting roughly .250 won’t get it done. No one is carrying team with their hitting. ( Granderson has been very good ) And how long will Garcia & Colon do what they’re doing so far ? If they falter, then we’re even worse off. If Hughes doesn’t come back stronger, if AJ doesn’t keep his walks down, then CC is about all we have to count on. Nova is quite iffy. Some help will have to come from somewhere and I expect the Yanks will do what’s necessary.
Dinner time, then game time !
Just a ridiculous stance.
And I think your mind-numbing addiction to statistics is ridiculous. I’ll keep giving my opinion, feel free to keep giving yours.
In the 3rd inning with a runner on 2nd base, Cano hit a line drive that would have been extra bases that Justin Smoak jumped up and caught. Cano did everything right as a hitter. And he got nothing for it. Swisher hit a huge fly ball that was a HR in a park that is hard to hit HR’s in and the centerfielder, who is a gold glover, made an incredibly difficult catch. Its just an out but Swisher did everything right.
These things get lost when you’re going back through your mind bank, or deeming the ‘slash line’ to be enough data. Can’t dismiss the particulars of what a hitter is doing while saying ‘durr slash line durr’
Jerkface May 28th, 2011 at 9:44 pm
Just a ridiculous stance.
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Not even worth debating. Let it go.
And here is one of your favorite rebuttals:
In depth analysis of players and teams is certainly valued enough by franchises like the Yankees and Red Sox who have dedicated statistical analysis departments, and are favored by such coaches as Kevin Long, renowned hitting coach. Clearly they are less ‘irrelevant’ than your ‘JUST GET A HIT’ theory.
Blojo – your comments are beyond ridiculous. “Let’s move A-Rod to right field and sign Beltre”. That’s as stupid as it get’s.
Hitters have to have a good process before they can consistently get good results. Advanced analysis can look into the process hitters have, and debate can then be had. You’re welcome to add your own opinion, I merely built on your original point, without having to say something as asinine as ‘analysis is irrelevant’.
Beltre has 10 HR and 38 RBI, we’d probably be doing pretty good we had him instead of swisher.
Unfortunately Jerkface, they are professionals who do that for a living, unlike you.
WCYF–
People here respect JF for his analysis and insights. IMO, he is one of the better posters here and very knowledgeable. No one here has any such respect for you.
But I understand your resistance to statistical analysis. When you have trouble counting to 4, or understanding what 500 baseball means, or even what operating profits are, this talk must seem overwhelming.
In that case, just bypass like more and more people are learning to do about your dumb posts.
Right, giving Beltre a 5 year $96 million dollar contract is just what we needed to do when we already have a HOF player at third who never played the outfield. LOL
Blojo, in your deepest crevices of your imagination you could not compete intellectually or otherwise. Dismissed.
West Coast Yankee Fan May 28th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Blojo – your comments are beyond ridiculous. “Let’s move A-Rod to right field and sign Beltre”. That’s as stupid as it get’s.
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When I said the other day that you are insane, this is part of what I mean. Sane people wouldn’t post quotes that prove the opposite of the point they are making. It has been pointed out to you time and again that my suggestion 2 years ago was a pretty good idea…and yet you keep posting it.
The definition of insanity…is you.
Right, giving Beltre a 5 year $96 million dollar contract is just what we needed to do when we already have a HOF player at third who never played the outfield. LOL
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You could try arguing something on the merits, with good info to backup your points.
Blojo – your incessant clamor to trade Cano for Aaron Hill says it all. But my all time favorite lunacy of yours was when you stated with certitude that Roy Halladay would not sign with Philly because he didn’t like to hit. Again, dismissed.
West Coast Yankee Fan May 28th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Blojo, in your deepest crevices of your imagination you could not compete intellectually or otherwise. Dismissed.
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It was that kind of talk which got so many people interested in discovering your background and posting what a failure you are. I didn’t even have to do any of it…You know you can’t hold a candle to my educational or professional background…but glad you are dismissing it. You bore the hell out of me, and I have ne desire to waste any more time arguing with someone who is afraid of math.
Jerkface I do so when warranted. I don’t need to post copious facts to substantiate the existence of gravity. Nor do I need to do so to eviscerate the suggestion that we should move A-Rod to the outfield and spend $96 million dollars on a third baseman. It does so on it’s own.
Then don’t make comments to me Blojo. If you do I will rip you a new one every single time. Deal with it.
Unfortunately Jerkface, they are professionals who do that for a living, unlike you
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This is a silly argument, plenty of people have hobbies which include learning and doing things that other people are paid professionally to do and those hobbyists might not be experts (or they could if it was most of what hobbyist spent his time doing) but they certainly would have knowledge in that field. People who repair cars for a hobby may have a similar level of knowledge as a person who works at a mechanics shop. Bloggers have been hired by teams, either for their stat departments or to become a scout, so its not like people are doing this for no reason. But even if someone is doing it just for fun, no reason to crap on them. Debate their points in a rational and logical manner.
Why is this necessary?
Face merely the facts to support the simple observation you made. It allows people to have a more complete understanding of the issue and therefore have a more informed discussion.
It is understandable that not everyone enjoys that type of analysis, but why would it bother you if others want to have a more detailed conversation?
This is a discussion board. Why are you so averse to discussion?
Debate their points in a rational and logical manner.
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Believe me JF, he doesn’t have the skills to do it, so he resorts to bluster, lies, threats, and BS. It is best to just ignore the idiot.
Thanks for just admitting you dug into my background Blojo. In my opinion, I wonder if you did so with others here as well. One poster here said that about you point blank, they called you responsible for much of what went on here.
your incessant clamor to trade Cano for Aaron Hill says it all
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I don’t know why you keep bringing stuff like this up. Plenty of people were down on Cano in 07 and 08. Many trade ideas were entertained and rumors posted. Plenty of people are posting about trading Jesus Montero, or Brett Gardner, or Nick Swisher every day. You wanted Marcus Thames and his .100 batting average on the team.
Game time. No interest in this at this time. To be continued.
West Coast Yankee Fan May 28th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Thanks for just admitting you dug into my background Blojo. In my opinion, I wonder if you did so with others here as well. One poster here said that about you point blank, they called you responsible for much of what went on here.
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You were probably the poster who posted it.
The ONLY thing I recall ever posting was your first name, and then much later a fake resume with all your personal info removed.
Of course, one of your tricks is to falsely accuse others and call them liars. You are perhaps the biggest troll and jerk many have ever encountered.
West Coast Yankee Fan May 28th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Right, giving Beltre a 5 year $96 million dollar contract is just what we needed to do when we already have a HOF player at third who never played the outfield. LOL
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Just to illustrate how you lie constantly…I called for Beltre to be signed in 2009 which would have been a one year deal at under $10M. But of course, you ignore that fact in your argument. You can’t deal with truth or facts, so you make up your own.
NOTHING YOU SAY IS BELIEVABLE.
You are a liar Brad. You actively and intentionally researched and provided personal information, full name, address, etc. This resulted in numerous threatening phone calls in the middle of the night upsetting members of my household and other personal harrasment.
West Coast Yankee Fan May 28th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
You are a liar Brad. You actively and intentionally researched and provided personal information, full name, address, etc. This resulted in numerous threatening phone calls in the middle of the night upsetting members of my household and other personal harrasment.
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BS–total BS
Show a link to prove your lies.
You are a despicable liar…and people here wonder why I go against you.
You distort, lie, and accuse others falsely. There will be a special place in hell for you, I’m sure.
A link to the threatening phone calls in the middle of the night? I was told point blank by someone win the know that you gave my personal information to others. You know what you can do with your link princess.
In my opinion you are likely responsible for the women leaving this blog. It must be hell to you that Bobby and I know the truth about who you really are.
Three things to learn from the above post
1. Your inability to substantiate your false accusations
2. Your lack of originality by stealing the princess name and using against me when it is your nickname
3. Your consistency in backing up a lie with a lie
West Coast Yankee Fan May 28th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
In my opinion you are likely responsible for the women leaving this blog. It must be hell to you that Bobby and I know the truth about who you really are.
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Sure—in your alternate bizzaro universe…
D I S M I S S E D
Anyway, my work here is done. I’ve shown how you go ballistic when I never even addressed you but was talking to JF.
This lead to showing how you lie and distort the truth, and how you falsely accuse others with lies and ridiculous accusations.
You continue to prove you are a troll and not worthy of talking to.
I’ll leave the last word to you, but won’t be reading it. Have fun.
If this can’t stop I vote that Chad just bans you both. Stop bringing this garbage here, it’s a baseball blog. Nobody cares about your livers spat, at all. If you want to flame each other by all means meet up in a dry field.
How bizarre this truly is, Bojo keeps saying ignore, ignore, ignore, no, no, no yet he keeps answering to try and defend himself for which he has no defense. What a riot……………….LMAO !