Five Things I Think I Think
Well the first “Five Things I Think I Think” went so well (we got a comment!) that I’ve decided to make this a recurring thing. Going to do it Wednesday and Sunday nights. Here’s what’s gone on in this silly, little brain of mine since we last spoke.
1) There will be more closer turnover this year than ever. Here’s the list of closers that have gotten hurt this season Andrew Bailey, Joakim Soria, Kyle Farnsworth, Drew Storen, and Ryan Madson. The closer situations for those teams look pretty fluid right now, especially in Kansas City where current closer Jonathan Broxton became the 1st pitcher in 46 years to end a game with consecutive hit-by-pitches. Everyone thought it would be Joel Peralta in Tampa Bay, not Fernando Rodney who is now 3 for 3. Who saw Hector Santiago getting the first two saves for the White Sox? Don’t lie and say you did. On the north side of Chicago, Carlos Marmol is being Carlos Marmol and blowing leads in spectacular fashion for the Cubs. There will be plenty of pitchers getting saves this season, I’ve got a feeling.
2) I want to see Dee Gordon race Peter Bourjos. Both of these speedsters are burning up the basepaths. Gordon has an MLB leading five stolen bases (tied with Starlin Castro) and seemingly has a green light any time he’s on base. Bourjos on the other hand had the first inside-the-park home run in the season against the Twins, circling the bases in a ridiculous 14 seconds. The link to that is underneath. Both of these players are in the Los Angeles area. Can’t we set this up for a LA charity. Bonus points to Miami Marlins teammates Emilio Bonifacio vs. Jose Reyes in the undercard.
3) The Tampa Bay Rays won’t go away. If getting one-hit over eight innings by Justin Verlander doesn’t bury them, then nothing will. They came back in the 9th against the reigning AL MVP and then continued the onslaught on “Papa Grande” Jose Valverde. Matt Moore was effective in his first start against a lethal Tigers offense, just another weapon in that rotation. I’ll continue to say that Joe Maddon is the best manager in the game.
4) I wish Erik Bedard could stay healthy. When he is, he’s one of the better starting pitchers in the game. I’m currently watching him pitch effectively the Dodgers on the road. If the Pirates get 25 starts out of him, they will be well on their way to .500 for the first time since 1992. Fantasy owners should have him rostered until he gets hurt. He was the Mapes Fantasy Special today. Shameless plug to follow me on Twitter @Mapes4FanCave or just search #MapesFantasySpecial for a starting pitcher to pick up that’s owned in less than 50% of leagues.
5) Bacon Tuesday is the greatest thing ever. It’s bacon. It’s baseball. Leave it to Oakland fans to come up with something so awesome. They have great fans. Just wish more of them would show up at the ballpark. Jeremy will have more on his Bacon Tuesday experience on the blog soon.
-Bryan Mapes
Three Up, Three Down 