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February 10, 2012
THT Essentials: Now AvailableThe Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2012, an annual "must buy" for all baseball fans, is now shipping. Read this article to learn more about it.
THT's latest bookThird Base: The Crossroads is THT's new e-book, available for $3.99 from the Kindle store. The good news is that anyone can read a Kindle book, even on a PC. So enjoy the best from THT in a new format.![]()
Lucas Apostoleris
Rich Barbieri John Barten Brian Borawski Vince Caramela Chris Jaffe Brad Johnson Mat Kovach Kevin Lai Myron Logan Chris Lund Bruce Markusen Jeff Moore Troy Patterson Harry Pavlidis Dave Studeman Steve Treder David Wade And here's the full roster. Dish TV Packages options for all televised baseball games.
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Relief Pitching Articles
Following are the one hundred most recent articles for the category
Relief Pitching
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02/10/2012: Recapping a swap-filled winterby Jeff Moore02/10/2012: A baseball card mystery: Ontiveros and Schmidtby Bruce Markusen02/10/2012: A dynasty ranking follow-upby Josh Shepardson02/09/2012: Forecasting Princeby Myron Logan02/09/2012: The Homestead exemption act of 1992by Frank Jackson02/09/2012: Fun with numbersby Nick Fleder02/08/2012: Making the leap upby Derek Ambrosino02/08/2012: Against replay in baseballby David Wade02/08/2012: BOB: Oakland dealt setback in pursuit to keep Athleticsby Brian Borawski02/08/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 10: 1966-67)by Steve Treder02/08/2012: 20,000 days since Herb Score’s injuryby Chris Jaffe02/07/2012: A baseball card mystery: Bill Sudakis and the strange lightby Bruce Markusen02/07/2012: 20,000 days since Hank Aaron’s worst gameby Chris Jaffe02/07/2012: Did you know we had a mock draft?by Brad Johnson02/07/2012: State of the system - Arizona Diamondbacksby Jeff Moore02/07/2012: Rockies building a troubling rotationby Troy Patterson02/07/2012: Money and winsby Dave Studeman02/06/2012: Super at the right timeby Joe Distelheim02/06/2012: Let there be news - Volume 7by Brad Johnson02/06/2012: 10 things I didn’t know about one-hittersby Chris Jaffe02/06/2012: This week in (fantasy) baseball: 1/30-2/5by Karl de Vries02/06/2012: Would the Nationals consider holding back Strasburg?by Brad Johnson02/03/2012: Card Corner: 1972 Topps—Bob Vealeby Bruce Markusen02/03/2012: Supplementing the dynasty rankings (Part 2)by Jeffrey Gross02/03/2012: 10,000 days: 500th homer for Mr. Octoberby Chris Jaffe02/02/2012: Edwin Jackson finally signsby Matt Filippi02/02/2012: THT Forecasts - 2012 fantasy price guidesby Greg Tamer02/02/2012: The all-month team: Februaryby Richard Barbieri02/02/2012: We will, we will (mock) youby Nick Fleder02/02/2012: How are wins, attendance and payroll all related?by Dan Lependorf02/01/2012: Are you mocking me?by Derek Ambrosino02/01/2012: Why Oliver Loves Yuby Brian Cartwright02/01/2012: Reflections after a long offseasonby Chris Lund02/01/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 9: 1965-66)by Steve Treder01/31/2012: A baseball card mystery: Ken Holtzman’s 1974 Topps cardby Bruce Markusen01/31/2012: The new golden age of catchingby Troy Patterson01/31/2012: 10,000 days since Carlton becomes Phillies win leaderby Chris Jaffe01/31/2012: The Verdict: Hardball Times mock draft analysisby Michael Stein01/30/2012: Let there be news - Volume 6by Brad Johnson01/30/2012: Juan Pierre, Domonic Brown, and plansby Brad Johnson01/30/2012: Dave Duncan, the 1982 Mariners and lost gloryby Paul Francis Sullivan01/30/2012: This week in (fantasy) baseballby Karl de Vries01/30/2012: What was I thinking?by Ben Pritchett01/28/2012: THT mock draft 2012by Ben Pritchett01/27/2012: Outfield assist of another kindby Bojan Koprivica01/27/2012: In the old days, the game was more excitingby Max Marchi01/27/2012: Supplementing the dynasty rankings (Part 1)by Jeffrey Gross01/27/2012: 30th anniversary: The Ryne Sandberg tradeby Chris Jaffe01/27/2012: Cooperstown Confidential: thinking about Al Smithby Bruce Markusen01/26/2012: Closer watchby Paul Singman01/26/2012: Jack Morris: the winningest pitcher of the 1980sby Bobby Mueller01/26/2012: Marshall McDougall’s greatest gameby Frank Jackson01/26/2012: Players I’ll avoid this yearby Dave Shovein01/25/2012: It’s THT Dispatchby Dave Studeman01/25/2012: THT Forecasts - 2012 Oliver projected-WAR starting lineupby Greg Tamer01/25/2012: Another Fielder for Detroitby THT Staff01/25/2012: AL West: offseason check-inby David Wade01/25/2012: Ask Oliverby Derek Ambrosino01/25/2012: BOB: Astros ponder new lookby Brian Borawski01/25/2012: 40th anniversary: Dave Winfield and the NCAA basket-brawlby Chris Jaffe01/24/2012: Fast goes Astroby Dave Studeman01/24/2012: The greatest eye in baseballby Troy Patterson01/24/2012: A baseball card mystery: Bob Didier and Cleon Jonesby Bruce Markusen01/24/2012: 20,000 days since the Phillies integrateby Chris Jaffe01/24/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 8: 1964-65)by Steve Treder01/23/2012: Carmona points out an MLB inequityby Mat Kovach01/23/2012: Career highlights: Orlando Cabreraby Chris Jaffe01/23/2012: Players I like more than you doby Ben Pritchett01/23/2012: Let there be news - Volume 5by Brad Johnson01/23/2012: Ten least-likely guys to break up a no-hitterby Chris Jaffe01/22/2012: Craig Counsell career highlightsby Chris Jaffe01/20/2012: Thinking big in Big D in 1950by Frank Jackson01/20/2012: Card Corner: 1972 Topps: George Hendrickby Bruce Markusen01/20/2012: The extra 2 percent: A fantasy market inefficencyby Josh Shepardson01/19/2012: Evaluating a strange offseason in San Diegoby Myron Logan01/19/2012: On Edgar Martinezby Richard Barbieri01/19/2012: Searching for sleepersby Nick Fleder01/18/2012: SABR Analytics Conferenceby Dave Studeman01/18/2012: BOB: Mets owner scores another win in courtby Brian Borawski01/18/2012: Is Jorge Posada toast as a righty hitter?by George Szabo01/18/2012: Can you really play it safe?by Derek Ambrosino01/18/2012: A baseball card mystery: Thurman Munson and who?by Bruce Markusen01/18/2012: 10th anniversary: Randy Winn’s greatest shotby Chris Jaffe01/17/2012: 10,000 days since Buddy Bell walk-off slamby Chris Jaffe01/17/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 7: 1963-64)by Steve Treder01/17/2012: Some thoughts on Moscosoby Lucas Apostoleris01/17/2012: The Toronto Blue Jays quirkiest pitching staff since 1994by Chris Lund01/17/2012: The Verdict: snake versus auction draftby Michael Stein01/16/2012: PED injustice and the Hallby Mat Kovach01/16/2012: THT Forecasts: Players’ comments…rollout!by Greg Tamer01/16/2012: Ye believe in me, believe also in Mike Stantonby Ben Pritchett01/16/2012: Let there be news - Volume 4by Brad Johnson01/16/2012: The possible upcoming Cooperstown ballot apocalypseby Chris Jaffe01/16/2012: 10th anniversary: Rangers sign Chan Ho Parkby Chris Jaffe01/14/2012: Is there an asterisk in Brandon’s future?by Steve Treder01/13/2012: The Yankees’ finest hourby Nick Fleder01/13/2012: Fantasy Chat - 1/15/12by Nick Fleder01/13/2012: Cooperstown Confidential: Why Bob Howsam isn’t in the Hall of Fameby Bruce Markusen01/12/2012: On Ryan Madson: Parsing Boras’ commentsby Greg Simons01/12/2012: Dynasty rankings 2012 follow-upby Nick Fleder<< Click here to return to the category list. |
![]() October 11, 2011LCS thoughts & theories 10/11Bullpen battle taken by TexasAfter Texas starter Derek Holland was pulled with two outs in the third inning of Monday's ALCS game two, Rangers manager Ron Washington had to put his bullpen into action way earlier than he ever would have anticipated. Then the game went into extra innings, and the Rangers relief corps remained nearly perfect. Texas' bullpen threw 8.1 scoreless innings, and they were rewarded by Nelson Cruz's 11th-inning grand slam that gave the Rangers a 7-3 win over Detroit and a 2-0 series lead going back to the Motor City. The Tigers' bullpen was perfect before Ryan Perry imploded in the 11th, but the battle of the bullpens has been a huge reason why Texas has taken the first two games at home in Arlington. IP Record ERA WHIP K/9 Texas Bullpen 12.2 2-0 0.00 0.65 11.8 Detroit Bullpen 8.0 0-1 4.50 1.00 4.5 With the next games shifting over to Comerica Park, the Rangers relievers have a lot to live up to if they want to remain as close to flawless as possible. For the Tigers, the margin of error is close to none, which was proven with one swing of the bat Monday night. Brewers starters unstable sans GallardoMilwaukee survived the NLDS against Arizona by winning all three of its home games, but the Cardinals offense has proven not as kind to the Brewers at Miller Park as the Diamondback hitters were. Shaun Marcum allowed five runs in four innings in the Brewers' 12-3 loss to St. Louis in Game Two of the NLCS and continued the trend of Milwaukee starters not named Yovani Gallardo stumbling and faltering in the postseason. Zack Greinke struggled in the team's Game One win, and Randy Wolf was abysmal in the Division Series in Phoenix. Let's see how extreme the splits are between Gallardo and the rest of the Brewers rotation. IP Record ERA WHIP K/9 Yovani Gallardo 14.0 1-0 1.29 0.92 9.00 MIL SP w/o Gallardo 18.2 1-2 9.53 2.07 7.54 Gallardo can only pitch two more games in this League Championship Series, so Ron Roenicke will need at least one of his other starters to perform up to team standards and fulfill this team's rightfully lofty expectations. Posted by: Shlomo Sprung October 05, 2011Verlander unavailable?Detroit Tigers mananger Jim Leyland has made either the dumbest declaration ever or is completely full of it.According to this story, "Leyland said Verlander won't even be available out of the 'pen" for ALDS Game Five in New York Thursday night. This is absurd. Yes, Verlander threw 120 pitches on Monday, so he might be gassed right now. But this is a playoff elimination game. Every rule, every guideline—heck, every sense of rationality—has to be tossed aside if the game is on the line and Verlander can help. Did Leyland watch Game Seven of the 2001 World Series, the game in which Randy Johnson came out of the bullpen the day after starting Game Six and got the save? Is Leyland plotting his rotation for an ALCS that his team might not reach? If so, he should be fired—now—and replaced with someone who will do whatever it takes to win Game Five. The other, more palatable, option is that Leyland is blowing smoke and trying to get some small pyschological advantage. If so, he's wasting his time. Joe Girardi will have CC Sabathia ready just in case, so he's undoubtedly expecting Leyland to prep his own ace for the possibility of being pressed into duty. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill. But Leyland is, too, and for no good reason. Posted by: Greg Simons September 16, 2011Revisiting the Napoli-Wells three-way tradeAfter Rangers catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli collected two more hits to raise his average to .312, it brought me back to what turned out to be a relatively lopsided three-way trade.The original purpose of the deal was for Toronto to get rid of Vernon Wells' contract, sending him to the Angels for Napoli and Juan Rivera, who was later designated for assignment and shipped to the Dodgers. With J.P. Arencibia seen as their future at catcher, the Blue Jays sent Napoli to the Rangers for Frank Francisco, who turned out to be the Jays' closer for a decent stretch this season. I thought it would be a good idea to revisit the players in this trade, which was really two separate deals, with a nifty comparison graphic. PA Slash Line HR RBI R WAR Mike Napoli, Rangers 392 .312/.411/.613 26 67 67 5.0 Vernon Wells, Angels 478 .218/.251/.399 21 56 56 -0.3 Juan Rivera, TOR/LAD 473 .260/.321/.381 9 62 40 0.7
Innings Record/ERA/SV WHIP K/9 WAR
Frank Francisco, Blue Jays 47.2 1-4, 3.78, 15 1.36 9.44 0.7
Despite Wells having $86 million left on his contract at the time of the trade and Anaheim being left to start a light-hitting, defensive-minded catcher in Jeff Mathis, the Angels decided it would be best to acquire Wells and deal the power-hitting Napoli, coming off a 26-home run season, to the Blue Jays. Having led baseball in team home runs the season before, it was understandable that Toronto would trade Napoli to Texas for some relief help. But the clear, obvious winners in the trade were the Rangers. Napoli has given them yet another power-hitting addition to their scary-potent offense, while Wells has proven that he will be a past-his-prime toxic contract for the Angels for years to come. Who would have thought that trading Napoli to Toronto would have drastically changed the landscape of the AL West race? Posted by: Shlomo Sprung July 30, 2011Surging SergioDon't look now, but San Francisco reliever Sergio Romo is putting together one of those relief-specialist seasons that just blow one's mind. Let's put it this way: Romo's going to have one hellacious Strat-o-Matic card this year.As of this morning, Romo is sporting a 1.78 ERA, but that isn't his best stat. Not by a long shot. In 35.1 innings, Romo has allowed 19 hits. And four walks. And he has 51 strikeouts. Yes, you read that right. Click for more... Posted by: Steve Treder September 09, 2010Trevor Hoffman versus Arthur RhodesOn Sept. 7, Trevor Hoffman closed out the St. Louis Cardinals for his 600th career save. Some feel the achievement makes Hoffman a lock for the Hall of Fame and sets a mark for career saves that will fall only when the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, makes an appearance sometime in early 2012 for his 601st.We shouldn't fault Hoffman if he finds himself second to Rivera in a few years, because Rivera is easily in the Hall and Hoffman would still be at least 122 saves ahead of Lee Smith, who has his own Hall of Fame supporters. While Hoffman's achievement is truly notable, the save itself is of increasing importance in baseball. Saves were initially conceived as a way to recognize good relievers, but I'd argue that they've gone on to have a tremendous impact on fantasy baseball. Saves are a roto category filled with players who contribute little else statistically and are reliant on their real team leading lots of games by three runs or fewer going into the ninth inning, just to provide opportunities to post the one stat that helps your fantasy team. But that's just fantasy baseball. Smarter people with an eye for the bigger picture, like Joe Posnanski, argue convincingly that the save statistic has changed how managers manage the game on the field. The save has also changed how general managers pay relievers. Those with a history of piling up saves make far more money than other relievers with similar skills, simply by occupying a certain role in the bullpen. Hoffman's historic endgame total had me wondering about another controversial reliever statistic. What about the hold? Are there any looming landmark totals possible with that one? As it turns out, there is one on the horizon. Click for more... Posted by: David Wade Click here for more THT Notes. | ||||