Justin Germano- SD- Hot- Germano had another strong start, although he ended up with no decision. He gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 4 in 6 IP. Only once in 9 starts has Germano failed to record one of the quality variety. His main weapon has been to coax opponents to beat the ball in the ground. Yesterday Germano got 11 ground ball outs and only 3 fly balls. Luck has magnified this tendency, as his BHIP of .240 has turned a larger-than-average share of the ground balls into outs. Expect some leveling out, but if Germano can keep the ball in the park, his ERA should not suffer too much.
Ben Sheets- MIL- Caution- Sheets turned in another solid performance yesterday, but he is putting a lot of mileage on his arm to do so. He has thrown at least 112 pitches in each of his last 3 starts, yet twice failed to go longer than 6 IP. While he is beyond the age where it should harm his arm development, that is still a large number of pitches for someone who has had injury issues in each of the past 2 seasons. Part of the reason for the large number of pitches may be evidenced by the 28 foul balls the Astros got yesterday. Sheets is getting stretched out in the matchups he has. There is some serious risk in him right now unless he can improve his efficiency and quickly.
Willy Taveras- COL- Stats- Normally, you'd look at a BHIP of .346, like Taveras has, and say to yourself, "Boy, he's gotten lucky this season."However, in this case, you have to put the number in context. Taveras leads the majors in bunts for hits, with 24. That, combined with speed that allows him to beat out ground balls more than the average, makes his BHIP a reflection of his abilities. Don't expect the same regression to the mean as you would from a player who runs like he's got lead in his shoes.
Micah Owings- ARI- Caution- I am still really wary about Owings' usage patterns. In his previous start, he needed 110 pitches to get through 5-2/3 innings. Only 38 of them were out of the strike zone, so that probably means there were a lot of foul balls hit off him. Without looking at the pitch-by-pitch record of that game, that's probably why Owings was able to record 7 Ks. Hitters were not afraid to swing at his stuff and he was not blowing them away. Owings gave up 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, so it is understandable why batters were eager to go up there hacking. Yesterday, Owings was a bit more efficient, throwing 98 pitches in 6 innings of work, but only 57 of them for strikes. He actually did well until the 6th inning, when he needed 26 pitches to finish out. That inning also saw Owings give up all 4 runs he allowed in the start (although only 1 was earned.) Perhaps he just ran out of gas after his 110-pitch outing the last time, but it is a continuation of a very disturbing tendency of needing to throw a lot of pitches per inning. That kind of wear and tear is not good for a young arm.
Tony Abreu- LAN- Drop Value- Abreu loses his spot in the lineup starting Friday, when Nomar Garciaparra becomes the Dodgers' third baseman. He could end up being sent down to get regular playing time, especially since his long term future is at 2B. This seems to be a rather unfair move for Abreu, who just seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. His bat cooled off when James Loney's was on fire. There really isn't anything that unexpected from Abreu's numbers. His batting average of .271 is down from the .304 he had on June 6th, but he has had horrendous luck, holding a BHIP of .197. Abreu's Batting EYE of .33 is not great, but it is not out of line with the .31 he recorded as a minor leaguer before this season. He is going through a cold streak now, but he had a reputation as a streaky player as he worked his way up the Dodgers' system. Abreu should still be looked at as a middle infield prospect for the future.
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