Rex Hudler

I don't see anywhere that Rauch was called up to be the 5th starter. He may end up being that, but I guarantee you he was called up today in case they needed bullpen help. There is no reason they would have called him up today, 4 days ahead of a scheduled start, when their bullpen was depleted like it is..... He was called up to pitch out of the bullpen. If he is not needed, he very well may become the 5th starter next time they need one, but that could not have been the reason for his callup today.

Brando, try and pay attention........ I have reported several times the reason he has been out this long is due to a drop in velocity. He has pitched 4 innings all year. Let's let him work back into game shape and see if the velocity will come back or not. But pay attention to what I say and these things might not come as a surprise to you!

I did see the game and it was hurtful to watch. All I can say is that is not the Arnie Munoz we have seen all year in Birmingham. His pitches were up, that is not normal. He missed close on a few fastballs and then seemed to lose it. Just off the top of my head, I can count 5 times (Carroll's 2B and 3B, Vidro's 2B and Rivera's 2 HR's) where he threw letter high fastballs. I have rarely ever seen him throw pitches up there. He was leaving his changeup up and out, a sure sign he wasn't following through, which means he wasn't confident throwing it. He did get Everett out the second time on a nice change, but it was clear that after the initial onslaught, he was aiming the ball, rather than throwing it aggressively. The problem with his curveball is that it is not effective completely on its own. Without the hitters respecting his ability to locate his fastball and change, they could sit on the curveball, which he had to throw for strikes. Normally, he can do more with his curveball because he has other pitches that cannot be taken for granted. Last night they could. I think he was better in the 3rd inning until he left a fastball up to Carroll again. If the Sox didn't score some runs in the top of the 4th, I wouldn't have minded them sending him out there again in the 4th to see if he could regain some confidence. The Arnie Munoz that will soon pitch in the Majors is one that locates his fastball inside and out and missing down rather than up. He throws the change well and often just off the plate. His curveball is thrown at two speeds, sometimes for strikes and other times out of the zone down, where hitters often chase. To get hitters to chase pitches, you have to make them respect you in the strike zone, which Arnie didn't do last night. That's it in a nutshell. Arnie's margin for error is small because he doesn't have a dominant fastball. In the long run he will be alright and will bounce back. Last night just wasn't his night.

nah, i just think of other things after i post something........ and go back and edit....... tough to keep up with me ;-)

see my edited version above dan........

All that in one post?? Too much to comment on...... lol Okay, I'll try anyway... Honely threw strikes for the most part, but 83 was his hardest pitch. Still struggling with velocity big time. Not sure what is going on there. Jones for Huntsville was good, except for those 4 consecutive walks. He just lost it temporarily, it seemed. Of course, Martel let him off the hook with a terrible at bat with one out after the four walks. Pacheco looked good, but wasn't throwing as hard as he was last year. I'll be curious to see how he does when he gets stretched out. Something just didn't click up in AAA with him and I am not sure what it is.

Keep in mind these guys are young. I am somewhat surprised Weeks is struggling as much as he is, but you can still see parts of his game that shine. He definitely has talent. Fielder just turned 20 in May. Gwynn is 21 as is Weeks. Fielder has real power and is a threat to lose one every at bat. Bajenaru struck him out Friday night in the 9th inning after Fielder fouled off 5 consecutive pitches after the count ran full. It was a great matchup. I guarantee you Baj sighed a bit one after Fielder missed the high fastball (92 mph) that put him away. Gwynn is more of a name than the other two. I think he will take longer to develop. His father was in the house on Friday night, watching Anthony Jr. play. Brad Nelson is another one to watch on their roster. He is hitting .283 with 12 HR and 38 RBI. They have some serious potential in their 1-4 hitters.

Actually he is now 7-2 with a 2.05 ERA, but who's counting..... ;-) Some damn runs from the offense would be nice tonight. God forbid we actually give the 5th starter a lead to work with to ease the pressure.

They didn't seem too pathetic last night while they were smacking Buehrle around.

Actually he is dead on his regular schedule. He pitched 7 innings on Monday, giving him four days off before tonight's game.

What the hell happened to Clint King? Haven't seen his name in a long time.

I tend to agree.... Fields as well.

When is your trip and what dates will you be in what cities?

pretty sure there are plenty of open spots at W-S. Or spots that could be made open, I should say......

Ditto on what Cerb and MSF said......

I was..... and was only able to catch the last two of his innings on MLBTV. He didn't pitch badly. There were some rookie jitters there. He walked the first hitter of the game, and he rarely walks guys. He gave up a solo HR to Vidro which is no surprise. He pitched his way out of trouble in the 4th after an infield hit and a ground ball hit to RF, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out. They pulled him because his spot came up in the lineup and they were down 3-0. If Cuddyer doesn't hit a two-out single, he would have gone back out for the 5th. All in all, not great, but not a bad debut. If the Twins were scoring any runs, it would seem even better.

LaMura looked good....

It will be. That's coming from me! ;-)

You don't sit a guy down for an extended time when you are trying to trade him. You play him.

Hoping for any day now....... I was disappointed that Becker got promoted ahead of Rogowski. Not really room for both of them, unless guys like Martel and Maldonado get less time, but I think Razor really likes both of those guys. And if they bring up Anderson, that will push Murphy aside and he has been solid. I don't see them cutting the playing time from Spidale or Bikowski.

They have not been announced, but I would be shocked if Munoz, Morse and Bajenaru were not chosen from Birmingham.

They weren't going to vote. KW said he was going to talk to some of the players to get a pulse for their feelings. KW will definitely have the final say, he just wanted to get some input on how some of them felt it might affect the clubhouse.

I have no idea how the LD got in that post..... it meant nothing. LOL

I'm sure Rauch feels like his back is against the wall and needs to prove himself all over again, whether to the Sox or other teams..... Rauch pitched 8 innings on Tuesday, so there is no way they would bring him back on three days rest Saturday. I think you have something here.... People underestimate this aspect and I think it should be taken seriously.

You are correct, that gun is often off. Sometimes as much as 4 mph, but mostly 2-3. When pitches get above 90, it seems to only be 1-2 mph off. Go figure? I see that gun and often stand behind scouts and watch their guns. I am aware of the difference in the radar readings and accommodate for that. I also don't get too caught up in radar gun readings, because whether Baj is throwing 94 or 91, he can still pitch in the big leagues.