Carlos Silva had it today as he went to 8-0 to open the season. Take it away, Paul Sullivan of the Tribune:
PITTSBURGH — Carlos Silva had a new and unusual approach to pitching Monday afternoon at PNC Park.
“I spent pretty much the whole game trying to throw up,” he said.
Cubs fans know the feeling well.
As Mariners fans might too . . . meanwhile, how’s Milton doing? Well, his OBP (.284) would be a respectable BA. Cliff Lee is proving he’s the real deal yet again with today’s CG win, and the Mariners’ take a “diamond in the rough” pitcher with their earliest draft pick. USS Mariner has the analysis you so desperately want as opposed to my snarky anti-Milton bias. And if you follow the link on Lee: check out that left elbow tendon in the photo of his delivery. Wow. Pitching is the most unnatural motion in sports, and it’s amazing that every power-pitcher’s arm doesn’t just explode.
Meanwhile, anyone think the US has a chance against England in the World Cup? Maybe if Wayne Rooney doesn’t learn to watch that potty mouth of his. But if you bet with Paddy Power, and he scores against the US, your losing bet will be refunded. Gotta love the Irish bookies. So freakin’ civilized.
But back to baseball. Sullivan continues:
But the story was Silva, who has turned his career around as a Cub after going 5-18 with a 6.81 earned-run average in his two years in Seattle.
He pitched on eight days’ rest because the rotation was rearranged, but if the rotation stays on track, he’ll pitch against the Mariners on June 24 at Safeco Field.
June 24 is the game I rearranged my teaching schedule this summer to fly to Seattle for. See you at Safeco. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Slake.
How pathetic it is that all that’s left for Cub fans is to put down the Mariners.
How pathetic is it that all that’s left for Cub fans is to put down the Mariners.
I’ll be at that June 24 game too, holding a sign that reads: “Carlos Silva Owes Me $48 Million”.
Nice, we should have a mini “sports positive” slog happy after the game. It is the only is the only cubs game I don’t have tickets for, I can’t make the day game. I guess true cubs fans still don’t like watching baseball under the lights.
@1/2
Hit the button once, OK. Just once. I know your meds make you twitchy, but you can focus on that.
@ 4
Good thinking. . . gonna have a Slog poll re: just that at some point next week.
Well, the good news is that Miltie is still on track to play in over 100 games. The bad news is that he really really really sucks.
I don’t know that MB necessarily “really really really sucks.” He’s off to a slow start this year, albeit in a smaller sample of games played, owing largely to a leave of absence taken when he was dealing with intense personal issues that lead to him contemplating suicide. I’d never been a real big fan of his, but maybe we cut him a little slack here?
He’s got a perfectly respectable lifetime OPS of .812 and OPS+ of 113 (admittedly I’m not real into advanced sabermetrics, but if this one has any validity, as plenty of folks seem to think it does, that’s pretty impressive.)
CF — I couldn’t find the elbow tendon pic you reference. Did you mean to follow the link to the Mariner’s team page you provided? Or something from the USSM?
@7 Hey, Babe Ruth has a lifetime OPS of 1.1638, but I don’t think the M’s should pick him up right now.
@7
The M’s site’s picture of Lee to go along with the story about his win had a shot from lower right towards upper left, where you can see his elbow from below. The site has, of course, been updated and that pic is gone.
@Slake: OK, so if Milton is over the games-played number, do we each owe each other half a beer?
I hate to say it, but I think the tone of the bet really revolved around Silva sucking. With the great year, he’s had, you probably win the spirit of the bet. I’ll tell you though, I haven’t bought or drank a bullshit beer like Bud or Miller or Coors for about 10 years now and have no intention of buying one now. So if you like those crappy beers, I’m refusing to buy.
Happy Strasmas!!!!!
Strrrrrrrrraaaaaaaasssssbuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrggggggg!
@4 & 5: I would love an extra Slog happy that day, as I’ll be in the emerald city for a conference. Not sure if I can swing the game (former Cubs fan though I am), however. Looking forward to next week’s poll…
Strasburg- Greatest pitcher since Roy Hobbs (pre-gunshot)? Quite possibly.
Strasburg would be a Mariner if Seattle hadn’t gone on a three-game winning streak to end the 2008 season. Our team can’t even suck correctly.