Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Was It Over When The Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?
Hallelujah! A 1 game winning streak!
The positives:
Jayson Werth finally showed the power bat that he displayed last year. Brazoban got the save, hopefully the first of many to come. A positive pitching performance by a couple of rookies, Houlton and Osoria.
Houlton is has so far been impressive as a starter, considering that he is a mere Rule 5 pick. Some numbers during his 4 starts:
22.1 innings
2 HRs allowed
9 bases on balls
21 strikeouts
Once Odalis returns, it remains to be seen who stays in the rotation - Houlton or Dessens? It could be Houlton, as Dessens may have more value either out of the bullpen or as a trading chip.
In the negative column:
J. D. Drew has a sore knee and will probably miss a few games. It doesn't sound serious, but given his injury history, nothing's for certain. Drew sitting out probably means F. P. Grabowski gets more playing time. Oy vey.
Antonio Perez botched yet another bunt attempt. That's now 3 on this road trip, 2 of which were quite costly. I don't have a problem with today's bunt in itself - after yesterday's failure to advance the runner, Perez probably worked on bunting quite a bit before today's game, and Tracy probably wanted to show his faith in him.
I do, however, think that a tied game in the 6th is NOT a bunt situation. Save the littleball stuff for the later innings of a tight game, when "run expectancy" often veers from "win expectancy."
Good win. Finally.
