Jennings went 2-9 with a 6.45 ERA for the Astros in 2007. He underwent elbow surgery in August and is expected to be ready by Opening Day.

Jennings owns a career record of 60-65 with a 4.91 ERA; he spent much of his early career pitching at Coors Field, so his ERA+ is 99, or roughly average. Jennings’ list of similar pitchers through age 29 — Jeff Suppan, Matt Clement, Kyle Lohse, etc. — isn’t exciting, but if he can stay healthy, this could work out well for the Rangers. At his best, Jennings eats innings, and it’s not like his new home park will faze him.

The one drawback is that now we won’t get to watch Jennings bat. Jennings was an excellent hitter in college and owns a career .207/.252/.268 line in the big leagues.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Torrealba, whose first name loosely translates as “overpaid,” hit .255/.323/.376 for the Colorado Rockies in 2007. Away from Coors Field, those numbers were .212/.292/.326, which is pretty much vintage Gary Bennett.

Way to go, Mets. Good luck with your new catcher.

[Update, Nov 17: So, apparently now this didn't happen. The deal was reported as done, but no dice. Torrealba is still on the market, giving some other team the opportunity to overspend.]

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And in the evening game, Colorado looks to complete the sweep at Coors Field. Rookie Micah Owings starts for Arizona, while Franklin Morales gets the call for God’s team. First pitch is at 7 p.m. PT.

Sounds exciting, huh?

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Sorry, I’ve seen these guys pitch a lot this year and they are excruciating. Both pitchers have the same approach: Let the batter hit the ball and hope that good things happen. It’s earned Fogg and his 60-60 career record the nickname of “Dragon Slayer.” It’s earned Hernandez a World Series ring.

There is winning ugly and then there’s this:

Three pitchers in MLB failed to break the 4 K/9 threshold this year: Hernandez, Minnesota’s Jose Silva, and Colorado’s Aaron Cook. Only Florida’s Scott Olsen had a higher OPS against than both Fogg and Hernandez.

I dunno if I can sit through this one. Maybe there’s a Small Wonder marathon on somewhere…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

I thought the Cubs would be giving Arizona a better fight, but that’s been the story with the Diamondbacks all year. As a Padres fan, I take some pleasure in knowing that only teams from our division have won so far on the NL side. Not much, mind you, but some.

Over in the AL, it’s harder to reach any solid conclusions based on one game, but I’m surprised that the Indians blew out the Yankees in Game 1. Sure, Cleveland has a potent offense, but four home runs? Two of those came off Chien-Ming Wang, who hadn’t surrendered more than one homer in a game since April 29 against Boston.

I hope the Indians reach the World Series. Then again, I prefer to see teams rewarded for being smart and not necessarily just being able to cover their mistakes with wads of cash.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Jake Peavy and Josh Fogg at Coors Field. Updates throughout the evening…

[Update: Lineups have been posted. No real surprises. On the Padres' side, Scott Hairston starts in left for the injured Milton Bradley, while Brady Clark replaces Mike Cameron in center.]

[Update: Kevin Kouzmanoff bloops a single down the right field line for the game's first base hit.]

[Update: Fogg comes back from down 3-0 to get Adrian Gonzalez swinging on a pitch down and in for the final out of the inning.]

[Update: Kaz Matsui doubles to right-center on an 0-2 count to start the Rockies' first.]

[Update: Peavy walks Matt Holliday to load the bases with nobody out. Not the start he'd envisioned, I'm sure.]

[Update: Todd Helton takes Clark to the wall in dead center to drive home the game's first run.]

[Update: Peavy gives up an RBI single to Garrett Atkins but escapes without further damage. Rox up 2-0 after one.]

[Update: Fogg works another uneventful inning, giving up just a one-out single to Josh Bard.]

[Update: Yorvit Torrealba leads off the second with a homer to left on a 2-1 hanging slider. Peavy is not locating his pitches at all.]

[Update: Troy Tulowitzki is called out on strikes to end the inning. Rockies lead 3-0; Peavy has thrown 40 pitches through two.]

[Update: Padres have bases loaded, nobody out in third with 3-4-5 hitters coming up.]

[Update: With one out, Adrian Gonzalez launches a grand slam to right. Khalil Greene follows with a long single to left.]

[Update: Clark grounds to shortstop, but Geoff Blum takes out Matsui at second, who gets nothing on the throw to first. Padres avoid the double play and go up, 5-3.]

[Update: Helton homers to right with one out in the third. It's going to be one of those nights.]

[Update: Peavy works a perfect fourth. Still 5-4.]

[Update: Gonzalez leads off with a double to right. Brad Hawpe didn't get a good jump on the ball. Fogg is done for the evening.]

[Update: Taylor Buchholz replaces Fogg and retires the side in order, leaving Gonzalez stranded at second.]

[Update: Matt Holliday singles home Tulowitzki; game is tied again, 5-5. How much longer will Bud Black stick with Peavy?]

[Update: Peavy survives the fifth. He's now at 91 pitches.]

[Update: Torrealba leads off the sixth with a slow bouncer to third. He's out by plenty but for some reason dives into first base; lucky he didn't get hurt.]

[Update: Matsui drives home Seth Smith on a fly ball to center. Smith reached on a ball to center that Clark misjudged into a triple. Clark's weak arm can't get Smith at home. Clark then misplays another fly ball off the bat of Tulowitzki into a triple. The absence of Cameron is killing San Diego.]

[Update: Peavy gets Holliday swinging to end the sixth. Rox up, 6-5.]

[Update: Garrett Atkins hits a one-out double to left that Clint Hurdle argues unsuccessfully is a home run. Heath Bell replaces Peavy and, with runners at first and second, strikes out Ryan Spilborghs and Torrealba to end the inning. Still 6-5 through seven.]

[Update: With two out in the eighth and Blum on second, lefty Brian Fuentes gets Brian Giles to fly to left, but Matt Holliday misplays the ball into what is ruled a double. Blum scores to tie the game at 6-6.]

[Update: Manuel Corpas retires the Padres in order in the ninth. Rockies have 4-5-6 hitters coming up in the bottom half. Will Bell work another inning, or will Black go with closer Trevor Hoffman?]

[Update: Black stays with Bell.]

[Update: Bell issues a two-out walk to Hawpe but strikes out pinch hitter Joe Koshansky to send the game into extra innings. Colorado brings in its seventh pitcher of the night, ex-Padre Matt Herges.]

[Update: Padres put two runners on in the 10th but Giles grounds to short to end the inning. Mike Cameron, who hurt his hand in a collision with Milton Bradley last week, pinch ran for Terrmel Sledge, who walked for Clark. Apparently Cameron will play center. Interesting.]

[Update: Cameron in center, Doug Brocail on the mound for San Diego.]

[Update: Brocail retires the Rockies in order; to the 11th...]

[Update: Hairston reaches on an error by Jamey Carroll, in at third base for defensive purposes. Kouzmanoff sacrifices Hairston to second; after an intentional walk to Gonzalez, up comes Greene and his career .340/.407/.708 line at Coors Field.]

[Update: Carroll atones for his error, starting a 5-3 double play off the bat of Greene to end the inning.]

[Update: With two out in the bottom of the 11th, Brocail walks Helton and gives up a single to Carroll. Rookie left-hander Joe Thatcher will face Hawpe with the Padres' season on the line.]

[Update: Thatcher strikes out Hawpe on five straight fastballs. To the 12th...]

[Update: Padres again put a runner in scoring position with less than two out but cannot score. Herges breaks Michael Barrett's bat on a full-count pitch and gets him to ground to short for the final out. Rockies have the 7-8-9 hitters due up.]

[Update: Thatcher retires the side in order. Would you believe... the 13th?]

[Update: Jorge Julio in to pitch. Walk to Giles, two-run homer to Hairston. San Diego up, 8-6. Julio is trying to throw every pitch through a brick wall -- to little effect.]

[Update: Rookie Chase Headley lines a pinch single; Julio is done.]

[Update: No further damage against Ramon Ortiz, Colorado's ninth pitcher of the evening. Hoffman will work the bottom of the 13th and face Matsui, Tulowitzki, and Holliday.]

[Update: Matsui leads off with a double to right-center. Tying run now up at the plate.]

[Update: Tulowitzki just misses lining a double down the right field line that would have scored Matsui.]

[Update: Tulowitzki doubles to left-center. Holliday triples to deep right. Tie game. Runner at third with nobody out. Hoffman couldn't get it done in Milwaukee, and it looks like he's not going to get it done in Denver either.]

[Update: Carroll flies to shallow right, Holliday scores the winning run. Rockies play Philadelphia. Padres season is done.]

Post from: Knuckle Curve

American League

• Mariners at Tigers, 4:05 p.m. PT — Both teams are three games back of the Yankees in the AL wild card race. Miguel “Don’t Let the Career-High 13 Wins Fool You” Batista faces Justin Verlander. Whatever happened to Brandon Inge, anyway? That guy was good for, like, 5 minutes.
• Indians at Angels, 7:05 p.m. PT — First off, we should rename these teams “Europeans” and “Animal Spirits.” Second, why did Cleveland sign Jake Westbrook to a huge contract extension in April? The new Bill Wegman was really good in 2004, but otherwise has been a league-average pitcher. The Angels counter with John Lackey.

National League

• Cubs at Pirates, 4:05 p.m. PT — The Pirates are going nowhere, but Tom Gorzelanny is an exciting young pitcher. The 24-year-old left-hander has scuffled a bit since the All-Star break, but 13 wins on a bad Pittsburgh team is impressive. Another intriguing southpaw, Rich Hill, goes for the Cubs. Jose Bautista is having a decent season at third base for the Pirates, but it’s hard not to wonder how different that franchise might be right now if it hadn’t given away Aramis Ramirez, who has been a force in Chicago ever since. Hey, at least the Bucs got Bobby Hill in the deal. Nobody can take that away from them. Nobody.
• Padres at Rockies, 6:05 p.m. PT — Justin Germano averages 5.70 K/9 for his career. Elmer Dessens checks in at 5.44. Hmmm, good hitters making contact at Coors Field? Dessens is pitching for his fourth team over the past two seasons. Wow, he must be really coveted.
• Cardinals at Diamondbacks, 6:40 p.m. PT — Have you noticed how good Adam Wainwright has been in the second half? Try 6-2, 2.43 ERA, 3-to-1 K/BB ratio good. I think it’s safe to say that Wainwright’s re-adjustment to a starting role is complete. He’ll face perennial Cy Young candidate Brandon Webb on Friday.

One game? Go with Wainwright/Webb. That has a chance to be fantastic. Happy watching!

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Jacob’s analysis is solid, but I disagree with the conclusion, mainly because it gives voters too much credit. Specifically, I don’t know that Prince Fielder will be penalized much for his defense if he keeps leading the league in homers, nor do I have confidence in voters’ ability to understand (or care) just how much Matt Holliday has been helped by Coors Field.

I think the race will come down to Fielder, Holliday, and last year’s winner, Ryan Howard. How would I vote? Not sure, but probably Hanley Ramirez (despite his defensive shortcomings) or David Wright.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

American League

• Red Sox at Yankees, 10:05 a.m. PT — This series doesn’t need any more hype. Either you love it or you don’t care. Watch (or don’t) accordingly.
• Mariners at Indians, 4:05 p.m. PT — Playoff implications in this one, plus a potentially volatile pitching matchup. Two finesse lefties — the execrable Horacio Ramirez and the too-unknown-to-have-an-unflattering-adjective-attached-to-the-front-of-his-name Aaron Laffey — hook up in this one. Philosophical question for the day: When does batting practice end and game begin?

National League

• Mets at Phillies, 10:05 a.m. PT — We’re all anxious to know whether Philadelphia can reach the post-season with two guys named Kyle in the rotation. Orlando Hernandez goes for the Mets. Your grandkids will be telling you about him one day.
• Diamondbacks at Padres, 7:05 p.m. PT — The preview says that Livan Hernandez is pitching for Arizona, but he started on Monday; it’s actually left-hander Doug Davis. San Diego counters with Chris Young, who missed his previous start due to a bad back. These two teams find themselves in a virtual tie for first place in the NL West with a month to go. The Padres are one game up in the loss column.

As you know by now, I’m very biased, but I honestly believe that the NL West race is the most compelling in baseball right now. It certainly is the closest. If you have to choose one game to watch, I recommend Arizona vs San Diego, although the Mariners and Indians could be “interesting” — any chance they could get that game moved to Coors Field?

As always, happy watching…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Post from: Knuckle Curve