Norris' stats were really not that great at Cal-Poly in the NCAA, neither were they stellar in the minor leagues until this season at Round Rock. I'm not sure what to think of his and Paulino's future in mlb. They can both hit 95 mph on the gun They've both pitched some gems, but neither seems to have the control or consistency to have more than somewhat decent success at the major league level to this point.
They come up to the majors and have early success only to completely crater a few games in. I have to believe that some of that is the coaching. I think we have a pitching coach that: 1. Jacks with a guy's mechanics and game to the point that they cannot get guys out, and 2. Cannot seem to keep anybody healthy. It has become alarming.
Yep, was a good trade, Lidge was done in Houston, and looks like he'll be done in Philly too. It's mental with this guy, you don't go from being lights out to being completely hittable twice in your own career unless it's mental. Bourn on the other hand is our starting CF and lead off guy, and should be for the next 10 years.
I'm in awe with a play he makes every other game it seems. I'd love to see a highlight reel of all his defensive gems, stolen bases, clutch hits, etc... at the end of the season. He covered a mile on that catch in the 8th. Nobody thought he or Hunter had a chance. Not the announcers, the players or anybody in that stadium. Bourn is turning into a stud both offensively and defensively.
Though there was much debate on this issue (Cat where are you?), can this really be argued anymore? The excuse was Lidge was simply hurt in the past, which explained his struggles. Well what's the reason now for his erratic control? Is he hiding another knee injury?
Cat thinks so. FWIW Lidge has had injury problem in the Astros farm system, with the Astros and now with the Phillies.
I'm pretty sure Lidge was on the DL again this season. I don't doubt that injuries have had an effect on his performance over the years but as No Worries points out, he's getting injured all too often. That, in itself, is a problem, regardless of where one stands on the cause of Lidge's pitching slumps.
Check it out, I found the Andrei Kirilenko of college baseball: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MP7dBuVYah4&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MP7dBuVYah4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Who wants to bring Keppinger back for about $1 million as a bench hitter who can play multiple infield positions? I vote yes for that price, even if he's only truly effective against LHP. He's kind of like a younger version of Mark Loretta.
Thank god we brought Blum in as a pinch hitter there, no way would Maysonet have been able to execute such a great sac fly
Our pitching sucks balls, too. We're ranked 13th in the NL in team ERA. We're ranked 12th in runs scored. Not a complete analysis, but our pitching is actually relatively worse than our hitting.
