Duncan is magic for pitchers
Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 5:10 PM
Reflections from the first week of the season:
THE BEST PITCHING COACH IN THE GAME…continues to be Dave Duncan of the Cardinals. Kyle Lohse has started 2-0, Todd Wellemeyer was morphed from a journeyman middle reliever to an effective back-end starter, Braden Looper was transformed into a $5 million starter (though he’s playing in Milwaukee this season), all under the quiet tutelage of Tony La Russa's longtime aide. Notice that Duncan will never beat the publicity drum, but why doesn't someone else sing Duncan's praises?
COULDN'T MILWAUKEE USE DUNCAN? Watching the Brewers in San Francisco made what their team is all about very clear: They will hit, and struggle to pitch. At some point this year, does Milwaukee consider moving Prince Fielder for some arm(s)?
INJURED PITCHERS: Someone please explain this phenomenon: Starting pitchers are paid more than ever on the open market, and within a week of the season, we watch Brandon Webb, Cole Hamels and Hiroki Kuroda go down.
We have addressed Hamels all winter after he threw over 260 innings last season, which is a huge red flag for a young pitcher. But Webb and Kuroda shelved give the NL West a wide-open look. Will the Dodgers be more open to meeting Pedro Martinez' money demands?
SAN DIEGO SHOCK: No one could expect the Padres to capitalize on the NL West opening. But it is impressive to see San Diego sweep the Giants, fly across the country landing in the wee hours of Monday morning, and then beat the Mets in the Citi Field opener. Check out Padres’ bullpen stats (1.45 ERA in seven games albeit with a high walk count) and realize they finished off Monday’s win with the combination of ex-Mets Duaner Sanchez and Heath Bell.
NEW LOOKS IN NEW YORK: Citi Field opened Monday night and Yankee Stadium III will be christened on Thursday. With Minnesota's new ballpark opening next April and the one in Miami on line for 2012 debut, baseball will finish a historic 20-year run that has landed most cities beautiful new or seriously renovated ballparks (Kansas City spent $250 million to redo Kauffman Stadium, a successful project on all accounts, although who chose those truly awful faint blue uniforms on Sunday?) It started with Camden Yards and ends in Miami -- left out of the loop will be Tampa Bay and Oakland. Watch the A's make a real push for San Jose.
SUNDAY'S STRONG SHOWINGS: Couldn't believe my eyes – three complete games on Sunday. Kudos to Aaron Harang of the Reds, Kyle Lohse of the Cardinals, and Josh Johnson of the Marlins for defying today's nursing of starters. Also notable was Erik Bedard working 8.1 scoreless innings for Seattle, and note the M's swept a series in Oakland.
THE BRIGHT YOUNG STANDOUT OF THE FIRST WEEK…is Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler. A jewel of their farm system, Fowler accelerated his progress this spring, and forced the Rockies to anoint him the starter. Just 23, he is a 6-foot-4 switch-hitter with speed that has grabbed manager Clint Hurdle's attention. The test will be how he handles the rough days like Monday in Chicago (0-4, with three strikeouts).
HOW BAD IS WASHINGTON? The Nationals allowed 54 runs through their first seven games. No amount of hitting from Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Nick Johnson, etc. will cover that weak a pitching staff.
WISDOM FROM OREL: I blogged last week about the frustration with high pitch counts on opening day. And we posted that the advent of Questec, though with good intent, has shrunk the strike zone to the point that hitters are rewarded for refusing to swing.
Watching ESPN Monday night, and in the middle of a general conversation about the game in this era, Orel Hershiser calmly offered that the small strike zone today has heavily contributed to the pitching problems. Hershiser is one of the game's bright minds with the ability to clearly express his thoughts. The hope should be that decision makers listen. The game needs more called strikes.
FAREWELL HARRY THE K. The chorus of praise for Harry Kalas centers on his voice, his love of all things Phillies, and the unsurpassed love Philadelphia had for him. My memory is one of an incredibly mannered, polite and gracious gentleman.
Meeting Harry would not communicate the depth of his stature in Philadelphia. He was just a pleasant man always willing to exchange stories and good cheer. We shared a mutual friend -- a broadcast partner for both of us at Notre Dame basketball games -- and this friend had a son who served some time as an umpire. When the young man reached the NL, no one was more supportive than Harry Kalas. And make no mistake, Harry's seal of approval was a sign of instant credibility.
Another friend played for the 1993 Phillies, and he often talked of the bond those players formed with Harry despite a significant age difference. In some tributes, I heard mention that those NL Champs were Harry's favorite team. I believe that without question.
My final memory was from September 1997 when Harry's longtime partner and best friend, Rich Ashburn, died in a New York hotel. Four days later, the Giants played the first game in Philadelphia following Ashburn's death. Our Giants’ broadcast crew sought out Harry in the press box to express our condolences. Harry could barely spit out three words before choking back sobs. He honored Ashburn from the press box in a pre-game tribute, fearing emotions would overcome him if he stood on the field.
And today, when the news of Harry's sudden passing arrived like a punch to the gut, I remembered a moment from 1993. The Phillies had a twi-night doubleheader that was delayed hours by rain. With artificial turf at the Vet, there was no rainout. The second game started somewhere around 1 a.m. and in the television opening, Ashburn, in his perfect Nebraska deadpan, turned to Harry and said into the camera, "I'm not worried about you Harry. You do your best work after midnight."
