…there was lots of non-Yankees news.
Cole Hamels was suspended five games for hitting Nats rookie sensation Bryce Harper. (I agree with the Nats manager who cursed out the plunking. What kind of a message does a veteran pitcher need to send to a newbie? So lame.)
The Rangers (NHL) beat the Caps in overtime. (Yay. Michael’s ecstatic.)
And Adrian Gonzalez seems to be assuming the role of Red Sox scapegoat. Is the venom warranted? No idea, but take a look at Pete Abraham’s column on Boston.com:
KANSAS CITY — As the Red Sox sink further into the abyss (they are 18-36 since Sept. 1), Adrian Gonzalez has started to receive some of the fan backlash usually reserved for Josh Beckett.
So let’s look at the numbers and determine whether that’s warranted. For the purpose of this discussion, RBIs are not going to be a major talking point because they are too contingent on things out of a batter’s control. And there will be no harping on the 27 games played this season. That’s 16 percent of the season.
Here’s a look at sample sizes that do mean something:
Gonzalez since he joined the Red Sox: .327/.398/.522 over 186 games with 29 home runs and 132 RBIs. Hard to argue with any of that. You’d like to see more home runs, but a .920 OPS is impressive. Since the start of the 2011 season, only 12 players in the game have a higher OPS.
Gonzalez at Fenway Park since he joined the Red Sox: .332/.395/.488 over 94 games with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs.
This is a little odd. Gonzalez has hit for a higher average at Fenway but his slugging percentage drops by 6.5 percent. When he was acquired from the Padres, it was widely expected that Fenway Park would be a haven for him and all those balls that died on the warning track at Petco Park would be home runs.
That has not been the case. Gonzalez averaged a home run every 24.7 at-bats at Petco. He is averaging a home run every 34.2 at-bats at Fenway.
Gonzalez since the 2011 All-Star break: .302/.382/.455 with 12 home runs. Here’s a problem. Gonzalez has an .837 OPS in his last 97 games and that is well below expectations. He is 70th in baseball in slugging percentage since last July 15.
That’s right, 70th.
Gonzalez at Fenway Park since the 2011 All-Star break: .284/.357/.381 with 3 home runs and 22 RBIs in 50 games.
Bingo. Here is why people are so mad. Gonzalez is averaging one home run per 65.66 at-bats at Fenway Park since last July 15. You have a better chance of getting a moderately priced beer at Fenway than you do of seeing a $21 million player hitting a home run.
Gonzalez likes to say that he doesn’t try to hit home runs. And of course, that makes total sense. No hitter should go up to the plate trying to hit home runs.
But he did average just over 32 home runs in his five seasons with the Padres whether he was trying to or not. At the moment, he has hit 29 in 186 games with the Red Sox.
Here’s a few ideas about what’s going on:
1. Health: Gonzalez had shoulder surgery after the 2010 season and it’s probably no coincidence that his power has dropped since then. Last season seemed to wear him down and the power has not returned this year.
Why the Red Sox allowed him to participate in the 2011 Home Run Derby remains a mystery. That was an amazingly dumb decision.
2. The opposition: Gonzalez is facing better pitching on a daily basis in the American League than he did in the National League. That should be offset by his being in a better lineup, however.
3. The pressure of expectations: It’s crushing Albert Pujols, so who’s to say it’s not weighing on Gonzalez? He exudes an outward calm, but his trade to Boston and subsequent contract extension came with the pressure to perform and live up to the hype.
4. A different culture: San Diego is not Boston. Baseball is not part of the daily fabric of life in San Diego like it is in the Hub. If Gonzalez went into a slump in San Diego, it was not a matter of civic concern. In Boston he probably has people flipping him off at traffic lights.
I also think the clubhouse culture bothered him last year. Gonzalez is a quiet guy who spends a lot of time watching video and preparing for games. Then he suddenly found himself in a place where “rally beers” were acceptable. He wants to be a leader and can’t seem to figure out how best to do that.
So what happens now? Did the Red Sox give a $154 million deal to a first baseman who is going to hit like Wade Boggs?
Probably not. Gonzalez is only 30 and still very much in his prime. He’s going to figure it out and produce. But it’s fair to say that those lofty numbers at Fenway Park everybody was envisioning may prove to be just a fantasy.
And that’s just Abraham’s two cents. In another piece on the site, writer Chad Finn said this:
Gonzalez has the charisma of a rosin bag.
Ouch. Is “charisma” really necessary for a ballplayer to succeed? Or is the word just a euphemism for lack of effort? If I were a Boston fan, I wouldn’t write off A-Gon just yet. Good players don’t suddenly go bad unless they’re hurt. Well, not usually.
And guess who blew the game for the Phillies tonight.
That Rangers-Capitals game was incredible. With no Yankees game today, guess what I was watching?
Adrian Gonzalez will be fine, but the Red Sux have major problems. Specifically, pitching. The Yankees went through that to a certain extent from 2005-2008, although they still made the playoffs 3 out of those 4 years.
On to tomorrow…
I saw that, Freya. Poor Paps.
They do have pitching problems, Sean. And they’re not alone. We’re in better shape at the moment, especially our bullpen (even without Mo), but I’m still not sold on our rotation.
Adrian Gonzalez gets most of his hits to center field. Center field in Petco Park is 396 feet. Center field in Fenway is 420 feet. He also hits a lot of opposite field line drives or lower fly balls to left. The height of the left field wall in Petco Park is 4 feet. Left field in Fenway is protected by a 37 foot monster. This results in more doubles and less homers, which is exactly what he gave them. I’m not surprised at all by what he has done so far with the Red Sox, but I expect his batting average to go up this year.
Interesting, Pinstripepride. Makes good sense that he’d have an adjustment period. I think he’ll not only do better this year but go on a hot streak and turn out to be the player they all expected him to be.
The Rangers game was exciting – they were losing with 6 seconds left in the third period when they tied it up and sent it into overtime where they won. These two teams were so evenly matched throughout the series.
The Phillies and Red Sox stuff is interesting but I’m more concerned about Tampa coming into town. The first game pits Nova against Shields — 5 – 0 record so far this year with a better ERA than Nova’s. Hopefully, Nova will show us what he’s made of and hopefully the one day rest after a big win will be all positives for our team. Boy, I’m full of hope today…lol. GO YANKEES!!!
I don’t even want to think about the Rays’ rotation, Diane. It scares me. After Shields, it doesn’t get any easier so our pitching and hitting (Joe Maddon does love the shift) need to turn it up a notch or ten. KC was one thing. Now we’re talking about a tough division rival.
Count one Red Sox fan who’s not worried about Gonzalez! Pinestripepride is right on the money – Adrian hits a lot of balls to the opposite field, and he’s also a line-drive hitter; he tends not to hit the towering style homerun – at Petco Park, these hits were homeruns. At Fenway Park, they’re off the wall.
He’s in a slump right now, and unfortunately his slump happened at the same time as a five-game losing streak. It seemed that Gonzo was always up when the bases were loaded, or he had a guy on 2nd and 3rd, or when a base hit would keep a rally going – and he’d strike out, or hit into a double play. He’s thus had the double-whammy of being in a slump and then being blamed for the loss (even though it’s rarely ever an individual’s fault that a team loses). Furthermore, Adrian is not exactly Dustin Pedroia in terms of media dealings. We’ve all gotten a bit used to Pedey’s quips and such. Adrian is calm, speaks logically, and tends not to ‘take the bait’ on many questions, rather choosing not to comment at all. That leads the Boston media to label him as ‘boring.’ It’s not really fair to the guy, but things like this happen in Boston all the time. A few years ago it was Big Papi who was being blamed for the team’s slow start.
The Sox’s real problem right now is pitching as well as finding a team identity. I believe they’ll get there, but they can’t let their slow start get to their heads. The bullpen has really impressed me for the Sox recently, and Lester always starts out slowly in April (he’ll be fine – he’s like Texeira, just needs to turn the calendar into May).
Good luck for your boys against the Rays, Jane. Their rotation scares me too!!!
Thanks for the perspective from the RS side of things, Terri. And thanks for the good luck against the Rays. They can give us fits!
I haven’t written in a while but am moved to do so not by Yankee doings but by Cole Hammel. I don’t know which is worse, his intentionally hitting someone or his stupidity in announcing that he did it on purpose. The “punishment” is a joke! What is 5 days for a pitcher? He misses one turn at most. I think any who intends to hit a player should receive a severe punishment and I don’t think 30 days is too long. Does Hammel want to start a bean ball war? Is this somewhat similar to the football players getting bonuses for hurting someone? What if the pitch had broken a rib or other bone? Still 5 days? Sounds like a punishment the “genius” Selig would have set down. Maybe the old time players really tried to hit batters – do we want to go back to that? Do we want base stealers to cut up the opposing infielders also? Someone had better step in and put an end to the intentional hitting of batters before it really escalates and people star getting hurt.
As for the Yankees, can we clone Jeter?
Harold
Hi, Harold. First, yes we should clone Jeter! On the Cole Hamels matter, I think it was probably Joe Torre who handed down the punishment since he’s in charge of disciplining players. Also keep in mind that the reason Hamels was suspended, whether stated or not, is that he admitted to throwing the pitch on purpose. I think pitchers will always “come inside” and “knock guys down” or however they want to put it, and it’s part of the game. Where I draw the line is when a pitcher throws anywhere near somebody’s head. To me, that’s grounds for the 30-day suspension you mentioned. What I don’t understand is what possible message could Hamels have been sending to the rookie. “Don’t you dare be any good?” It’s so absurd.
I’m sure I’m old school but I can never see the point in anyone getting brushed back. Of course, I also believe no one, t-ball through MLB, Sunday afternoon league or 20 gazillion dollar superstar, should have language directed at them that wouldn’t be appropriate for your grandmother! That’s just the sports culture. I really hate that it was directed at Bryce Harper because I think he is absolutely electric. The excitement that he is bringing to the Nats park is good for all of baseball. I say let the boy play!!
Actually, I think you’re the opposite of “old school,” Jane. From what I hear, the old school baseball people believe it’s natural for pitchers to brush back hitters to keep them from digging in at the plate. I agree about Harper. It’s always good for the game when a rookie becomes a bona fide superstar. I only wish he could be a Yankee!
I guess I should have phrased that differently–I’m the old-fashioned fuddy duddy who thinks everyone should play nice together in the sandbox and share all the toys! Doesn’t go that way does it–never did.
Ah, a fuddy duddy, Jane! I do understand the desire to have everybody play nice in the sandbox. It just isn’t going to happen, so we have to hope nobody gets hurt.