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HardballCooperative
Baseball analysis, insight, commentary, even book reviews. Web Site: Hardball Cooperative BallHype Member since April 30, 2009 |
hardballcooperative.com - 28 days ago
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hardballcooperative.com —
Since the LCS was added to the postseason
in 1969, Philadelphia is the fifth team to sit...
for six or more days before the start of the World Series. The previous four clubs averaged less than two runs in Game 1 of the WS, going 1-3. Can the Phillies defy this trend?
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Has six-day layoff cooled red-hot Phillies?
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HardballCooperative
posted 28 days agoposted this
HardballCooperative
posted 28 days agoposted this
hardballcooperative.com - 29 days ago
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hardballcooperative.com —
Despite going 26-61 this year before being fired
by the Nationals in July, Manny Acta had two...
teams fighting over him this week. Cleveland, fearful he would sign with Houston, worked out a deal with his agent over the weekend, making Acta the new Indians manager. Good luck with that one, Cleveland.
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Bidding war for Acta’s services defies logic
hardballcooperative.com - 10/9/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Baseball’s two best freshmen were nowhere to be
seen in the top rookie ratings before the season...
started. While Matt Wieters, David Price, and Tommy Hanson captured the imaginations of baseball fans across the country, Chris Coghlan and Andrew Bailey weren’t even a blip on the radar.
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Bailey, Coghlan deserve top rookie honors
hardballcooperative.com - 10/5/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
After missing most of the 2009 season due
to an aneurysm in his pitching arm, Ian Kennedy...
took the hill for one inning last week. A meaningless frame in some ways, but essential to the former phenom nonetheless.
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Kennedy battles to stay in picture for Yankees
hardballcooperative.com - 8/21/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Philadelphia starter Cliff Lee just keeps rolling along,
making his case as the best trade-deadline acquisition of...
2009. He’s now allowed just seven earned runs in seven second-half starts, and he’s got seven wins, a 1.09 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP to show for it.
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Lee gives Phillies fighting chance to repeat
hardballcooperative.com - 8/19/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
It has been a season of adjustments for
Ricky Nolasco, so it shouldn’t be too shocking that...
the Marlins righthander was able to rewrite the script just six days after the Astros handed him his worst start of the year.
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Nolasco’s rebound keeps him, Marlins on track
hardballcooperative.com - 8/17/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
It’s no coincidence that the first three players
taken in the draft this year remain unsigned. They’re...
all represented by Scott Boras. If Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley and Donovan Tate are so confident they're worth the big dollars, perhaps they wouldn’t mind sharing the risk.
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Boras clients should offer money-back guarantee
hardballcooperative.com - 8/16/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
The standings may not offer much optimism to
the Arizona Diamondbacks, but their season hasn’t been completely...
void of positive stories. Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, and Dan Haren are all stars, and over the past two months, catcher Miguel Montero has been one of the best hitters in the league.
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Montero emerges as bright spot for Diamondbacks
hardballcooperative.com - 8/7/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Statistics show the deck is stacked against major
league hitters when they have two strikes, as they...
have a .186 two-strike average in 2009. Facing Giants ace Tim Lincecum with two strikes almost guarantees a one-way ticket to the bench. Hitters are batting just .106 (33-for-312) against him.
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Two-strike counts are a pitcher’s best friend
hardballcooperative.com - 7/30/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Today is the birthday of one of the
most fascinating characters in the history of the game,...
Casey Stengel, who was born 119 years ago. For half a century, the man delighted baseball fans and sportswriters with his subversive nature, an assortment of pranks, and his colorful though butchered English.
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Happy Birthday to the Old Perfessor, a baseball original
hardballcooperative.com - 7/29/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Ken Griffey Jr.’s return to the Mariners was
the hit of spring training for a franchise looking...
for positives after a 61-101 showing in 2008. Things haven't quite worked out, however, as the Mariner icon has hit just .211-10-27. If Seattle hopes to get back in the race, it needs a better DH.
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Griffey reunion hasn’t panned out for Mariners
hardballcooperative.com - 7/27/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Don’t put the bust label on Luke Hochevar
just yet, as the 2006 No. 1 overall pick...
is in an ace-like groove. Drafted ahead of Tim Lincecum that year, he has done a pretty good Lincecum impersonation in his last three starts totaling 27 strikeouts in 19.1 innings while walking only one batter.
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Hochevar quietly emerges as winner for Royals
hardballcooperative.com - 7/17/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
For most of the other 29 teams in
the major leagues, Clay Buchholz would have been in...
the rotation long before now. He’ll take the hill tonight as the Sox open the second half at Toronto. This, barring injury to one of the regulars, is a one-shot deal. Tomorrow he’ll be headed back to Pawtucket.
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Buchholz earns spot start with brilliant first half at ...
hardballcooperative.com - 7/16/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Trading Roy Halladay would send a signal that
Toronto has not only given up on this season,...
but next season as well. With him in 2010 they have one of the deepest rotations in baseball, thanks in part to the injuries they've faced this year. Without him, they lack the ace they need in the AL East.
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Blue Jays need Halladay to compete in 2010
hardballcooperative.com - 7/13/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Since Bobby Abreu's record Home Run Derby performance--and
precipitous second-half slide--in 2005, several top players have begged...
out of the contest fearing it would mess up their swing. Is it a valid concern?
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Abreu myth spooks Home Run Derby invitees
hardballcooperative.com - 7/11/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Colby Rasmus leads all major league rookies with
11 home runs, despite not connecting for his first...
long ball until May 2. The 22-year-old is also pacing NL freshmen in runs (43), hits (73), and RBIs (34), and is tied for tops in doubles (19). That’s enough to give him the edge in the NL ROY race.
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Power gives Rasmus edge in NL Rookie race
hardballcooperative.com - 7/9/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Blue Jays lefthander Ricky Romero has been one
of the biggest surprises in the American League. He's...
won four straight starts, a span that included a 24-inning scoreless streak, and has moved to the front of the line of AL Rookie of the Year candidates.
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Romero rides scoreless streak to top of AL Rookie heap
hardballcooperative.com - 7/3/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
The interleague exhibitions are over and divisional matchups
resume in a big way this weekend. There will...
be movement in some of the closely bunched divisions, like, well, pretty much all of them with the exception of the NL West, where Manny Ramirez returns to the Dodgers after his 50-game break.
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Weekend Preview: Divisional matchups galore
hardballcooperative.com - 7/2/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
The Pirates are at it again. Shaking things
up, but not necessarily rebuilding. Should they be? According...
to the Pythagorean W-L records, based on run differential, the Pirates should be right behind the Brewers and Cardinals. On any given night this team is as competitive as any in the division.
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Pirates shuffle roster, but are they improving?
hardballcooperative.com - 7/1/2009
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hardballcooperative.com —
Six months after the Red Sox designated him
for assignment, David Aardsma is looking like an all-star....
He's not the only low-budget player to make an impact for his new team this season. Here are 10 others who turned in strong first-half performances.
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Aardsma leads bargain-bin all-star squad
