Even though Hoffman will be 42 years old next season, he pitched well enough this season to prove that he’s still a star closer. He finished his 2009 campaign with a 1.83 ERA to go along with 37 saves. His ERA represented his best mark since 1998.

Prior to this season, Hoffman pitched with the San Diego Padres since 1993. After a relatively mediocre season in 2008, Hoffman ended up signing a deal worth about $6 million to join the Brewers.

This move is good news for the Brewers because they would have had a gaping hole at closer if Hoffman would have left. Additionally, the closer is regarded as a fantastic veteran leader who works well with younger teammates.

Trevor Hoffman - Milwaukee Brewers (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Trevor Hoffman Re-signs with Brewers

In his first three years with the Cardinals, Carpenter was very good. His best year came in 2005 when he won the NL Cy Young Award with a 21-5 record and an ERA of 2.83. But then after going 15-8 with a 3.09 ERA in 2006, Carpenter’s career was derailed.

In 2007, Carpenter pitched in the first game but then missed the rest of the season due to injury. Last season, Carpenter was only able to appear in four contests. After basically two lost seasons, Carpenter has been arguably better than ever this year. In 22 starts, he is 15-3 with a 2.28 ERA.

On Wednesday, Carpenter notched the win by going six innings and giving up three earned runs as the Cardinals beat the Brewers by a final count of 10-3. Overall, Carpenter is a perfect 10-0 since losing on June 30th to the San Francisco Giants.

Chris Carpenter - St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Chris Carpenter Wins 10th Straight

Tony Gwynn Jr. San Diego Padres Trade (Image: Zuma Press)

Gwynn Jr. is currently hitting over .300 in the minor leagues. At 26, his time as a legit baseball prospect is running out. However, in San Diego, he may get more time on the field to show what he can do.

Last year, Gwynn Jr. hit .190 in 42 at-bats with the Brewers. His best season came in 2007 when he hit .260 with 13 runs, ten RBI and eight stolen bases in 123 at-bats.

Dad, as most baseball fans are aware, was a legend. He played for the Padres from 1982 to 2001. He led the NL in batting average eight times and had a .338 average in his 20 years in baseball. His best year may have come in 1997 when he hit .372 with 220 hits, 49 doubles, 17 homers, 119 RBI and 97 runs.

Jody Gerut was a very good story last year. After being out of baseball in 2006 and 2007, he returned in 2008 to hit .296 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs in 328 at-bats. This year, though, Gerut wasn’t doing so hot. He’s hitting .221 in his first 113 at-bats. Perhaps a change of scenery will do him good.

As for Gwynn Jr., he’ll now have a chance to walk in his father’s footsteps with the Padres.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tony Gwynn Jr. Traded to the Padres

5) Los Angeles Dodgers
Even without Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 28-13. A big reason for their success is that Juan Pierre has been able to fill in for Ramirez and the Dodgers haven’t skipped a beat.

4) Detroit Tigers
The Tigers started slowly but they are now turning it around. They have won four straight games and are 12-5 at home on the season. Dontrelle Willis recently had a very good game and if he can return to form, Detroit would be dangerous.

3) Philadelphia Phillies
The reigning World Series champions are starting to get back into a groove. They’ve won five straight games and are now 21-16. Oddly enough, they are 8-12 at home and 13-4 on the road.

2) New York Yankees
The Yankees had three straight games with a walk-off and now with Alex Rodriguez hitting homers once again, New York is looking very good. They’ve won seven straight games and are sitting at 22-17.

1) Milwaukee Brewers
Winners of seven in a row and nine of their last ten, the Brewers are the surprise team in the NL at the moment. That said, it’ll be tough for the Brewers to hold on after they learned that Rickie Weeks is out for the season.

Can the Brewers Stay Hot without Rickie Weeks? (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Hottest Teams in 2009 Baseball

The 26-year-old infielder seemed to finally be living up to his potential. He was hitting .272 with nine homers, 24 RBI and 28 runs in 37 games. Weeks was on pace to shatter his career-highs in nearly every statistical category.

Weeks, who has had surgery on his right wrist in 2006 and in 2005 on his left thumb, suffered a torn sheath in his left wrist. The surgery to repair the sheath will have Weeks out for up to six months.

“Rickie was making progress,” said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. “He was showing he could be the kind of player we all thought he could be.”

Weeks is expected to have the operation later in the week.

Rickie Weeks Injury Update (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Brewers’ Rickie Weeks Out for the Season

On the season, Fox has pitched only one-third of an inning and has given up five earned runs on two hits and three walks. The result is a staggering 135.00 ERA.

Over 219 games in his career, the 38-year-old reliever has pitched 228 innings and has 262 strikeouts with a 3.79 ERA. However, he hasn’t pitched at least 40 innings in a season since 2004. In fact, he didn’t pitch at all in 2006 or 2007.

In total, he pitched more than 40 innings only three times — in 1998 and 2001 with the Milwaukee Brewers and in 2003 while splitting time between the Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins. His best season came in 2001 when he pitched a career-high 66.2 innings, a career-high 80 strikeouts, a career-high five wins and a career-low 1.89 ERA.

Fox is scheduled to get his elbow checked out be specialists but sources close to the team speculate that he may not want to go through another long rehab process that may affect his quality of life after baseball.

Chicago Cubs Logo (Image: Flickr)

Post from: EveryJoe

Cubs’ Chad Fox Career Likely Over

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Newscom)

Hamels, who is left-handed, left the game after being hit. In the 3.1 innings he pitched against the Brewers, Hamels allowed four hits and two earned runs while striking out six batters.

It’s been a difficult start to the season for the 25-year-old. Last year, he played a vital role in bringing a World Series championship to Philadelphia. This season, Hamels has dealt with a few injuries and his first two starts of the season were poor. After three starts, Hamels now has an 0-2 record and an ERA of 9.69.

After the game, which the Phillies ended up losing 6-1 against the Brewers, Hamels said that he doesn’t think he’ll miss his next start.

Here’s the video of Cole Hamels getting hit by the liner.

Post from: EveryJoe

Video: Cole Hamels Hit By a Liner

Who are the best teams during 2009 spring training? Here are the top five:

1. Los Angeles Angels
Last year, the Angels finished with the best record in baseball at 100-62. During 2009 spring training, Los Angeles is 24-7. They have outscored their opponents 247-158. All in all, it appears like it will be another very good year for the Angels.

2. New York Yankees
Like the Angels, this is no surprised. The Yankees spent millions upon millions of dollars during the offseason to better their roster. Even this early in the process, these Yankees look like World Series contenders. If their pitchers can remain healthy, they’ll be scary.

3. Milwaukee Brewers
After the Brewers lost CC Sabathia, many thought their chances of doing much in 2009 had vanished. But their bats look strong in spring training and the pitching has shown signs of potential. The Brewers are definitely a sleeper at this point.

4. Atlanta Braves
For many years, the Braves were a favorite in the National League. Currently, most experts don’t consider the Braves a true contender. Despite the doubters, the Braves are 20-11 in spring training and their pitching has been very impressive.

5. Texas Rangers
The Rangers are utilizing their typical formula. They’ve scored 226 runs so far in spring training but they’ve also given up 206 runs. The Rangers will score runs but their record will depend on whether or not Texas can have a halfway decent pitching staff.

Here is a video of Michael Young of the Rangers talking to Jim Rome:

Post from: EveryJoe

Top Five Baseball Teams in Spring Training

Here are five baseball teams that could surprise during the 2009 MLB season:

5. Oakland Athletics
While nobody is picking the Athletics to win the World Series, they definitely added a few interesting pieces over the offseason. The A’s typically are strong closers so if they can get off to a good start, they may make noise in the American League.

4. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have one big asset — Albert Pujols, arguably the best hitter in baseball. With Pujols to build around, it doesn’t take much else to field a quality team capable of surprising the world.

3. Atlanta Braves
Bobby Cox is one of the best managers in the game and he knows how to guide his team to a winning season. This year’s Braves seem to have better chemistry than in seasons past and could be a dark horse in the National League.

2. Milwaukee Brewers
Many MLB observers counted the Brewers out after they lose CC Sabathia to the Yankees. Though their pitching is definitely weaker, they have great bats in their lineup and a few pitching prospects who could step up into larger roles.

1. Texas Rangers
The Rangers have mastered the art of hitting. Putting runs on the board isn’t a problem. Now if they can get a halfway decent pitching staff, they would be a difficult team to beat. In 2009, it looks like their pitching staff could improve immensely if their prospects pan out.

Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers agrees (Image: Newscom)

Post from: EveryJoe

Five Teams that Could Surprise in 2009

Juiced Sports Blog is reporting that in the trade, Taylor Green was in the package for the Indians. He’s 21, out of Cypress College in California, and was selected in the 25th round in the 2005 draft. He batted .327, had 14 home runs, and 86 RBI’s in the 2007 season. Along with him, the Indians will be adding left fielder Matt LaPorta and pitchers Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson.

With C.C. Sabathia in Milwaukee, this could make the race for the NL Central a bit more interesting. They, like St. Louis, are 3.5 games back of Chicago. Hey, the Reds are only 7 games behind them in the standings! This will definitely make for an interesting race for the NL Central. Not including the Reds of course. But maybe…..a girl can dream, can’t she?

Post from: EveryJoe

So About That C.C. Sabathia Character