by John Scanlan
Hey, does anyone know when Football Rush week is going to be?
Maybe the best example that the win category is utterly useless came last night when the Colorado Rockies defeated the Washington Nationals, 5-4. Reliever Alan Embree entered in the top of the 8th with the game tied 4-4 and Austin Kearns on first with two outs. Before throwing a pitch, he picked Kearns off to end the inning. The Rockies took the lead in the bottom of the inning and held on to win, 5-4. Embree was removed from the game and earned the win without throwing a single pitch.
So let’s sort this out: A guy can throw 9 innings and allow an unearned run, lose 1-0 and be considered a “losing” pitcher. A guy who doesn’t throw a single pitch can be considered a winner. OK.
Colorado teammate Jason Marquis is grateful for the wins stat, though, as it’s the only reason he made this year’s All-Star team. Marquis is 21st in the NL in ERA, 20th in WHIP and 52nd in K/9 IP (a pathetic 4.14). So why is he in the game? Because he leads the league in wins with 11.
Can we finally stop hearing all of the “How will Manny’s return and the ensuing circus effect the Dodgers?” speculation? Did people really think answering questions about Ramirez’s return would prevent Chad Billingsley from throwing strikes? Was Casey Blake going to have trouble throwing a ball across the infield because the NY Post sent an extra writer? Was Joe Torre going to forget to bring in a left-handed pitcher to face a left-handed hitter because ESPN spent 10 minutes at the beginning of SportsCenter talking about Ramirez’s return?
Toronto made it known that they would listen to offers for pitcher Roy Halladay. Usually these trades involve prospects, but would the Dodgers be willing to send along catcher Russell Martin to get the deal done? Martin has been a disappointment offensively (though his OBP is solid), but he is still young and plenty talented and relatively cheap for a few more years. He is also from the Toronto area and gives the Blue Jays the rare hometown draw. The Dodgers would need to pick up an established catcher as well, with perhaps the Jays sending along Rod Barajas, as they have no one in the minors who could step in and play everyday and Brad Ausmus is a backup at this point in his career. Just something to think about…
Quick Scans records a loss every Monday-Thursday on midvalleysports.com
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