Knuckle Curve » arizona diamondbacks

Randy Johnson to Return as a Reliever?

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:21:23 +0000

Randy Johnson has been out of action for the San Francisco Giants since July 6th. Recently, Johnson said that he thinks he can return during the 2009 baseball season — as a reliever.

In his career, which dates all the way back to the 1988 season with the Montreal Expos, he has only ten relief appearances. He last appeared out of the bullpen with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 campaign.

On the season, the Big Unit has an ERA of 4.81 and a record of 8-6. The biggest moment of the season was when the 45-year-old won his 300th game. He now has a career record of 303-166.

At the moment, the Giants are tied with the Colorado Rockies in the NL Wild Card race with records of 72-59. If Johnson can return — even as a reliever — he’ll give the Giants a boost that may be enough to lead the team into the 2009 MLB postseason.

Said Johnson: “It would be nice to come back in some capacity and help the team.”

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Baseball Standings Update – Playoff Picture 2008

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:11:38 +0000

American League East
It looks like the Tampa Bay Rays are going to shock the world and win the AL East. They have a three-game lead on the Boston Red Sox and are riding a winning streak of four games.

American League Central
The Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins are locked in a dogfight for the division crown. The White Sox currently lead by a half a game. However, the White Sox are struggling and the Twins are surging.

American League West
The Angels are up a staggering 21.5 games on the next team in the division. It’s literally been months since this division was even up for grabs.

American League Wild Card
The reigning World Series champion Boston Red Sox have a first grip on the Wild Card. The Red Sox will be able to go for back-to-back titles in 2008.

National League East
The Philadelphia Phillies lead the New York Mets by 1.5 games. The Mets are again fading at the end of the season and it appears the Phillies will be able to hold them off.

National League Central
The Chicago Cubs have not only clinched their division, they have clinched the best record in the whole National League.

National League West
The Arizona Diamondbacks were holding tough but the Los Angeles Dodgers have pulled away. The Dodgers have a four-game lead and look poised to make the playoffs.

National League Wild Card
Currently the Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers are tied for the Wild Card spot. Both teams are struggling and it may come down to which team can turn it around enough to save face. The dark horse team in the race is the Houston Astros, who are three games back.

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Manny Ramirez Introduced – Dodgers Video

Stephen Kersey — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:36:37 +0000

Manny Ramirez showed off his blue uniform on Saturday as he officially became a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ramirez said that he’ll work hard and try to help the Dodgers make the playoffs. He also told a story about how the first uniform he ever wore was a Dodgers uniform.

Later in the day, Ramirez batted cleanup for the Dodgers. However, there wasn’t a storybook ending to the day as the Dodgers lost 2-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ramirez went 2-for-4 in the loss.

In a busy baseball trade deadline, Ramirez was one of many big names to be sent to new teams.

Here is the video of Manny Ramirez being introduced to the Dodgers media:

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Doug Davis Back After Thyroid Cancer Surgery

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:52:00 +0000

Perhaps the story of the year is developing in Arizona. Doug Davis, a starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks, is ready to pitch against after having cancer surgery on April 10th.

Davis was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the offseason but decided to make two regular season starts before having the surgery. On Friday, Davis will be back on the mound for the Diamondbacks.

In the two starts Davis made at the beginning of the season, he went 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA while striking out 11 batters in 9.2 innings. In 2007, Davis won a career-high 13 games for Arizona.

Davis has been told the cancer was successfully removed and he is expected to make a full recovery. We at KnuckleCurve pass along our best wishes to Doug Davis for his heroic battle.

Earlier in the week, fellow cancer survivor Jon Lester pitched a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox.

Photo: Newscom

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Max Scherzer Rookie Sensation – Diamondbacks Pitcher

Stephen Kersey — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:32:27 +0000

Right down this name: Max Scherzer. Scherzer is a starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks who hasn’t even made his first start, yet he has the baseball world buzzing. He has an electric fastball, a deadly changeup and two different colored eyes.

The 23-year-old was drafted with the 11th overall pick by the Diamondbacks in the 2006 draft. Originally, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 43rd round of the 2003 draft, however he instead opted to go to the University of Missouri.

This season, Scherzer started at Triple-A with the Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League. While he didn’t have a decision, he was dominant in his four starts. Over 23 innings, the right-hander gave up 12 hits, three walks and three earned runs while striking out 38 batters.

Arizona called him up and Scherzer made his major league debut on April 29th. Making a relief appearance, Scherzer pitched 4.1 perfect innings while striking out seven batters. By retiring all the batters he faced, he set a major league record for most consecutive batters retired in a debut appearance. That’s all the Diamondbacks needed to see to put the young hurler into the starting rotation.

Scherzer will make his first start Monday, May 5th against the Philadelphia Phillies. Get a bucket of popcorn and watch a dynamic pitching prospect introduce himself to the baseball world.

Photo: Newscom

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Best Baseball Teams in April 2008

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:02:11 +0000

Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are young but amazingly talented. With great pitching, bashers at the plate and a solid manager, the Diamondbacks are for real. If Randy Johnson can return to 80% of his former self, he’d make Arizona the heavy favorite to represent the National League in the World Series.

Boston Red Sox
The reigning champs haven’t shown too many weaknesses so far this season. David Ortiz got off to a slow start but he’s playing well again. The pitching can only get better and the bats can only get hotter. You have to think the New York Yankees will make a run but the Red Sox could be too far ahead by the time they get healthy.

Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have a devastating lineup that never seems to end. They certainly have the potential to be the best hitting team in all of the major leagues. Their pitching needs step up but there’s enough talent on that staff to figure things out. The Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners will keep the heat on in the AL West.

Chicago Cubs
Even though Alfonso Soriano has missed a chunk of the season to date, the Cubs have been able to get off to a hot start. Derrek Lee is smashing the ball again and Geovany Soto is as hot as any catcher in baseball. If the pitchers can become consistent, the Cubs have a chance to – eh nevermind, they’re still the Cubs.

Geovany Soto, Cubs catcher

Photo: Newscom

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Hottest Hitting First Basemen in 2008

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:21:42 +0000

Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Lance Berkman is off to a fantastic start to his 2008 campaign. He is batting .299 and has eight homers, 23 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Surprisingly enough, Berkman also has four stolen bases already. The 32-year-old Berkman’s career-high is nine stolen bases. He’s been an all-around threat this season for H-Town.

Derreck Lee, Chicago Cubs
Last season, Derrek Lee had a relatively poor season. This year, he’s again playing like an MVP candidate. He is batting .355 with eight homers, 22 RBIs and 23 runs scored. The Cubs would be much worse off if Lee wasn’t have such a great year. This is the Lee Cubs fans remember from 2005.

Connor Jackson, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been dominant at times this season. Connor Jackson, their first baseman, has a lot to do with that. He’s in the middle of the lineup and has done a great job of producing when needing. Jackson has a .341 batting average to go along with four homers and 24 RBIs.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
While Albert Pujols doesn’t have jaw dropping power numbers so far in 2008, he is getting on base at an amazing clip. With a .524 on-base percentage, Pujols is having another great year. He’s batting .366 with five homers, 20 RBIs and 17 runs scored. The injury concerns regarding his elbow don’t seem to be bothering him, to say the least.

Photo: Newscom

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Musings on Diamondbacks’ Batting Order

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:50:39 +0000

As I’ve watched the Arizona Diamondbacks play since the start of the season, I’ve been extremely impressed. They are definitely for real in the National League. While it may be early in the season, the team’s stats are superb. Entering the day, the Diamondbacks were baseball’s leader in both runs and least earned runs allowed. That’s a remarkable stat – even with the season in its infancy.

However, I do have a lingering questions regarding Arizona’s batting order. The Diamondbacks top their order with Chris Young, Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson. While that is an impressive trio of players, I don’t see the logic in this batting order. Young is fast and has shown a good eye at the plate this season, but the rest of his talents point towards a middle of the lineup type player. Hudson, on the other hand, seems more built to bat second in the order with his high OBP and average power.

To best make use of the talent on the Diamondbacks, it makes most sense to me for Arizona to lead off with the speedy Byrnes, use Hudson as the second batter and move Young to bat third. Additionally, with the way Justin Upton has been mashing this season, it may be time to start thinking about moving him higher in the batting order.

While there is much to be excited about in Arizona, it appears to me that things could be even brighter for the Diamondbacks.

Do you agree? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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Hottest Fantasy Baseball Players

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:12:10 +0000

A couple weeks into the baseball season, let’s take a break and check out the hottest fantasy baseball players. In this top five list, there will be a few players who could remain near the top for the duration of the 2008 season.

1) Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks
A lot of people liked the Diamondbacks coming into the season. Few thought that they’d be this dominant this early. Mark Reynolds, the 24-year-old third baseman for Arizona, has been a monster in this early season.

2) Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Lance Berkman has been an enigma in recent years. He has massive potential but for whatever reasons, he hasn’t yet put it all together. However, his start to the 2008 season gives Astros fans hope.

3) Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
Coming into this season, Hanley Ramirez was thought of as a top three fantasy baseball player and he hasn’t disappointed. It’s scary to think how Ramirez is only 24-years-old and hasn’t even scratched his prime yet. This kid is going to be special for a long time.

4) Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
It’s good to see Cliff Lee off to such a wonderful start. Last year was just a total disaster for the left-hander on the Indians. If he can get back to his 2005 level, Cleveland will be that much better this season.

5) Gabe Kapler, Milwaukee Brewers
Yes, that Gabe Kapler. The body builder turned baseball player turned minor league manager is back to being a baseball player. Right now, it looks like a brilliant decision. The Brewers are certainly glad Kapler decided to put the cleats back on.

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Justin Upton at Spring Training

Geoff Young — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:15:48 +0000

We’re taking a break from the “Who Am I?” segment that normally runs on Mondays. Don’t worry, it’ll be back, but with the season fast approaching and memories of my recent trip to the Cactus League still reasonably fresh, I thought I’d share some photos this week.

You can see all my spring training photos at Flickr, but I understand that you’re busy and may not have time to go clicking all over the place. With that in mind, here’s a shot of Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton:

Upton, for those who may have been living in a cave, is one of the brightest young players in baseball. From the Baseball America 2007 Prospect Handbook (aff link):

The term “five-tool prospect” somehow doesn’t seem strong enough for Upton. He does everything exceptionally well and already has the body and composure of a big leaguer. If one thing stands out, however, it’s his bat speed. He whips his bat through the hitting zone and has great leverage in his swing, which allows him to sting the ball like few players can and gives him plus power potential.

Upton doesn’t turn 21 until the end of August, and he already has 43 big-league games under his belt. Yeah, as a Padres fan, I’m more than a little concerned at the thought of his sustained presence in the National League West. He may well be the game’s best player in 5 years.

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