Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day One Hundred Fifty: Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
If you live in the New York area, the baseball news you hear about most these days pertains to either the Yankees, who head into October looking to repeat as world champions, or the Mets, who limp to the finish line poised to remake what has been a very disappointing ballclub. You look at the standings and see that the Yankees have the best record in baseball, and you figure they’ll claim yet another title this year.
And they may do that. But don’t think for a moment that the Yankees have the best team in baseball right now. If you head about 90 minutes west of New York, you’ll find baseball’s premier unit, and they don’t need to advertise themselves to anyone. Those within baseball know that the Philadelphia Phillies are the team to beat. The question is just whether anyone will be able to do so.
The Phillies started their 2010 season off slowly, as they were hampered by injuries and poor first-half performances by key players. But in the past month, the Phils have won 20 of their last 30 games, including 16 of their last 20. On paper, they look like world-beaters. Finally, they are looking the same on the field.
Offensively, the Phillies’ prowess has never been in question. Their 2008 championship and 2009 pennant both were sparked by the offense, and this year their lineup is as potent as it gets – from Ryan Howard to Chase Utley to Jayson Werth to Jimmy Rollins to Shane Victorino to Raul Ibanez. But the difference this season is found on the pitching mound, where the Phillies have three aces in their starting rotation. Roy Halladay, the likely National League Cy Young Award winner, has 19 wins, 210 strikeouts and one perfect game. Roy Oswalt, the former Astros ace dealt to the Phillies in July, has yielded fewer than two runs per nine innings since arriving in Philly. And then there is Cole Hamels, who took a minor detour from greatness but is back again, thank you very much.
In 2008, Hamels was MVP of both the National League Championship Series and the World Series, as the Phillies stormed to their first title in 28 years. But last season, Hamels stumbled to a 10-11 record, then faltered badly in the playoffs. The lefty with the matinee-idol appearance seemed to be drifting off the list of baseball’s elite pitchers.
And then a new season began. This year, Hamels has been the victim of poor run support during several of his games, but that has not prevented him from pitching tremendous baseball once again. Number 35 is yielding just three runs per nine innings, he’s struck out 201 batters, and he’s been nearly unhittable in the second half of the season. Hamels’s resurgence and Oswalt’s arrival have allowed the Phillies to overtake the Braves in the National League East, where they now have a three-game lead.
In a seven-game playoff series, the Phillies can either start Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels twice apiece, or send Halladay to the hill three times, and the other two aces twice. However they choose to do it, the Phillies are the dominant force to be reckoned with in October 2010. And this time, it starts with pitching.
So as you hear all the news about Derek Jeter’s slump and Carlos Beltran’s lost season, remember this: The Yankees and Mets may be news today, but in slightly more than a month you may very well be picking up your newspaper and seeing a picture of Cole Hamels holding aloft another World Series trophy. They know this in Philadelphia, and they’re ready to make it happen. They’re just keeping quiet about it for as long as they can.
Showing posts with label Roy Oswalt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roy Oswalt. Show all posts
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
For What It's Werth (One Sixty-Two: Day 119)
Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day One Hundred Nineteen: Jayson Werth, Philadelphia Phillies
The legendary pitcher Satchel Paige once said, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” Many of us struggle at times with the impulse to retrace our steps and reflect on choices we’ve made in life. Was it smart to have taken this job over that one? Did we pick the right house, neighborhood or state in which to live? Have we made the best choices in terms of raising our kids?
We know that looking back and thinking through our choices often leads us to more stress than we already have. Looking ahead, on the other hand, often feels much more healthy and exciting. We’ve only got this one life, so why spend most of it second-guessing ourselves?
Plus, the one thing about major life decisions is that you can’t keep score of your personal successes solely by analyzing the things you choose to do. Doing this fails to acknowledge the other kinds of decisions: the things we choose not to do. Sometimes, the things we opted not to do end up being far more important to our life’s journey than the things we did decide to do. There’s that job lead we had that we didn’t pursue – it ended up being a terrible job, after all, but we don’t know that because we didn’t even bother going for it. There’s that blind date we canceled way back when – it ends up she was just the kind of girl we might have fallen for, yet for all the wrong reasons. And there’s that house we decided not to look at when we were out with the realtor – we would have loved its historic charm, but it ended up being a money trap. We filter our decision-making faculties all the time, and sometimes that filter works really well.
Back in July, the Philadelphia Phillies were struggling mightily. As the July 31st trade deadline approached, they toyed with the idea of selling one of their top players rather than trading for veteran contributors. Outfielder Jayson Werth, who will be a free agent this winter, was dangled before teams. Salivation ensued: Werth, who was struggling at the time, has the ability to hit a grand slam, make a great catch and steal home in the same game. But in the end, the Phillies decided not to sell. Instead, they bought, trading some key minor-league prospects to the Houston Astros for starting pitcher Roy Oswalt.
In their last 25 games, the Phillies are 20-5. Since the All-Star break, Jayson Werth is hitting over .350. He is crushing doubles, scoring runs, and taking all the walks he’s given. Werth has anchored the Phillies’ lineup amid injuries to superstar teammates Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. As the Phillies inch ever closer to the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, Werth is leading the charge.
So in July of 2010, the Phillies decided to acquire Roy Oswalt. His numbers will speak for themselves, and plenty of fans will use them to second-guess the decision that Philadelphia made. The Phillies’ organization will choose instead to move forward without re-visiting their choice to pick up this pitcher. But in the end, the most important thing that happened in Philadelphia last month was the thing that didn’t happen. The decision not to trade Jayson Werth has made the Phillies a much better team as the 2010 stretch run begins.
They decided not to hold a summer yard sale, and it turned out that there was a valuable gem inside that pile of stuff to sell. He’s out in right field now, and he’s not looking back.
Day One Hundred Nineteen: Jayson Werth, Philadelphia Phillies
The legendary pitcher Satchel Paige once said, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” Many of us struggle at times with the impulse to retrace our steps and reflect on choices we’ve made in life. Was it smart to have taken this job over that one? Did we pick the right house, neighborhood or state in which to live? Have we made the best choices in terms of raising our kids?
We know that looking back and thinking through our choices often leads us to more stress than we already have. Looking ahead, on the other hand, often feels much more healthy and exciting. We’ve only got this one life, so why spend most of it second-guessing ourselves?
Plus, the one thing about major life decisions is that you can’t keep score of your personal successes solely by analyzing the things you choose to do. Doing this fails to acknowledge the other kinds of decisions: the things we choose not to do. Sometimes, the things we opted not to do end up being far more important to our life’s journey than the things we did decide to do. There’s that job lead we had that we didn’t pursue – it ended up being a terrible job, after all, but we don’t know that because we didn’t even bother going for it. There’s that blind date we canceled way back when – it ends up she was just the kind of girl we might have fallen for, yet for all the wrong reasons. And there’s that house we decided not to look at when we were out with the realtor – we would have loved its historic charm, but it ended up being a money trap. We filter our decision-making faculties all the time, and sometimes that filter works really well.
Back in July, the Philadelphia Phillies were struggling mightily. As the July 31st trade deadline approached, they toyed with the idea of selling one of their top players rather than trading for veteran contributors. Outfielder Jayson Werth, who will be a free agent this winter, was dangled before teams. Salivation ensued: Werth, who was struggling at the time, has the ability to hit a grand slam, make a great catch and steal home in the same game. But in the end, the Phillies decided not to sell. Instead, they bought, trading some key minor-league prospects to the Houston Astros for starting pitcher Roy Oswalt.
In their last 25 games, the Phillies are 20-5. Since the All-Star break, Jayson Werth is hitting over .350. He is crushing doubles, scoring runs, and taking all the walks he’s given. Werth has anchored the Phillies’ lineup amid injuries to superstar teammates Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. As the Phillies inch ever closer to the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, Werth is leading the charge.
So in July of 2010, the Phillies decided to acquire Roy Oswalt. His numbers will speak for themselves, and plenty of fans will use them to second-guess the decision that Philadelphia made. The Phillies’ organization will choose instead to move forward without re-visiting their choice to pick up this pitcher. But in the end, the most important thing that happened in Philadelphia last month was the thing that didn’t happen. The decision not to trade Jayson Werth has made the Phillies a much better team as the 2010 stretch run begins.
They decided not to hold a summer yard sale, and it turned out that there was a valuable gem inside that pile of stuff to sell. He’s out in right field now, and he’s not looking back.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Mr. Unlucky (One Sixty-Two: Day 97)
Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day Ninety-Seven: Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants
Cain is able. He just can’t catch a break.
Each year, without fail, a handful of starting pitchers are unlucky. These are the guys who put together great seasons, only to see their teammates fail to score runs almost every time they’re on the mound. This season, pitchers such as Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners and Johan Santana of the New York Mets have suffered from dismal run support, and their low win totals reflect that.
Out in San Francisco, though, the Giants have a young starting pitcher who can beat anyone’s woeful tale of low run support. His name is Matt Cain, he’s 25 years old, and he throws a fastball that can blow a hole through a wall. In his five full seasons, Cain has developed quite nicely from a thrower into a pitcher. But Cain arrived in San Francisco at the tail end of the Barry Bonds years, and his Giants have not yet built a formidable offensive club in the post-Bonds era. Hence, Cain has received very little hitting support throughout his career. To put it in perspective, his career earned-run average of 3.47 is ninth among active pitchers. And yet, his career won-loss record is 52-59.
That’s right – he gives up three and a half runs per nine innings, and he loses more games than he wins. By comparison, Andy Pettitte owns a 3.87 career earned-run average – .40 points higher than Cain’s. And yet, in his first five seasons in the majors, Pettitte had a won-loss record of 81-46. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Pettitte was pitching for the Yankees during those years. Indeed, Pettitte has never had a losing record in his career, even going 14-11 with a 4.70 ERA in 1999. By comparison, Matt Cain went 7-16 with a 3.65 ERA in 2007 and 8-14 with a 3.76 ERA in ’08.
Despite a slightly improved offense this year, Cain is still not getting the run support he surely craves. His ERA is at 3.14, but his record stands at just 8-8. The Giants as a whole have such strong pitching this year that they’re in second place, just behind the Padres, in the National League West. As Saturday’s trade deadline nears, Matt Cain is surely hoping to see his team pick up a potent bat from another team. Should they do so, and should rookie catcher Buster Posey continue hitting the cover off the ball, the Giants might be able to give Matt Cain the one thing he undoubtedly craves more than his own victory total – a trip to the playoffs.
In the October spotlight, Cain would have the chance to introduce himself to the scores of fans who don’t know him from Adam. His own Giants fans and teammates know him quite well, though. And they’d like nothing more than to ride that golden right arm into the promised land.
Day Ninety-Seven: Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants
Cain is able. He just can’t catch a break.
Each year, without fail, a handful of starting pitchers are unlucky. These are the guys who put together great seasons, only to see their teammates fail to score runs almost every time they’re on the mound. This season, pitchers such as Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners and Johan Santana of the New York Mets have suffered from dismal run support, and their low win totals reflect that.
Out in San Francisco, though, the Giants have a young starting pitcher who can beat anyone’s woeful tale of low run support. His name is Matt Cain, he’s 25 years old, and he throws a fastball that can blow a hole through a wall. In his five full seasons, Cain has developed quite nicely from a thrower into a pitcher. But Cain arrived in San Francisco at the tail end of the Barry Bonds years, and his Giants have not yet built a formidable offensive club in the post-Bonds era. Hence, Cain has received very little hitting support throughout his career. To put it in perspective, his career earned-run average of 3.47 is ninth among active pitchers. And yet, his career won-loss record is 52-59.
That’s right – he gives up three and a half runs per nine innings, and he loses more games than he wins. By comparison, Andy Pettitte owns a 3.87 career earned-run average – .40 points higher than Cain’s. And yet, in his first five seasons in the majors, Pettitte had a won-loss record of 81-46. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Pettitte was pitching for the Yankees during those years. Indeed, Pettitte has never had a losing record in his career, even going 14-11 with a 4.70 ERA in 1999. By comparison, Matt Cain went 7-16 with a 3.65 ERA in 2007 and 8-14 with a 3.76 ERA in ’08.
Despite a slightly improved offense this year, Cain is still not getting the run support he surely craves. His ERA is at 3.14, but his record stands at just 8-8. The Giants as a whole have such strong pitching this year that they’re in second place, just behind the Padres, in the National League West. As Saturday’s trade deadline nears, Matt Cain is surely hoping to see his team pick up a potent bat from another team. Should they do so, and should rookie catcher Buster Posey continue hitting the cover off the ball, the Giants might be able to give Matt Cain the one thing he undoubtedly craves more than his own victory total – a trip to the playoffs.
In the October spotlight, Cain would have the chance to introduce himself to the scores of fans who don’t know him from Adam. His own Giants fans and teammates know him quite well, though. And they’d like nothing more than to ride that golden right arm into the promised land.
Friday, July 9, 2010
I Want to Win (One Sixty-Two: Day 78)
Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day Seventy-Eight: Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros
“I’m going to take my talents to South Beach,” LeBron James said. “I think it will give me the best opportunity to win, and win for multiple years.”
For a man with all the money he could ever need, the focus turns to winning. So as the fans in Cleveland fume, and some even turn to burning his No. 23 jersey, James leaves his hometown for the sunny skies of Miami, and the opportunity to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh under the tutelage of Pat Riley. It’s a winning combination, one that will likely bring these men some NBA titles.
Ho-hum. The rich get richer – again. What’s new?
We see it in sports all the time – players who’ve made more money than most of us could ever dream of choose a franchise with a tradition of winning over another that lacks said tradition. They search for the best chance to claim a title, and leave their old team without much hope. LeBron James did this last night, but he’s not the first. Nor will he be the last.
Roy Oswalt is 32 years old, and he’s in his 10th season pitching for the Houston Astros organization that drafted him. Oswalt has won 143 games for the Astros, one shy of the franchise record for career wins. Oswalt’s right arm helped lead Houston to its only World Series appearance in 2005, and to playoff appearances in ’04 and ‘01. But in 2010, the Astros are well on their way to their third losing season in the past four years. And Oswalt, who has earned approximately $75 million during his 10 years in Houston, is ready to leave the Astros behind.
It happens every year. Oswalt won’t be the only big-name baseball player traded this month – Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee could be traded as soon as today. But like LeBron James, who played seven seasons with the Cavaliers team that drafted him, Oswalt wants to win now. That means leaving behind the franchise that had been his home.
So if you’ve got a No. 44 Astros jersey, wear it today. Tomorrow, it might be out of date. Someday, after he retires, the Astros might bring Oswalt back and retire that number. But for now, in July of 2010, that number is about to be exchanged for Double-A prospects.
Oswalt wants to win. If he could shoot from the outside, the Miami Heat would love to have him. But he’ll settle instead for a pennant race. In a new town. It’s kind of like shopping in a mall – you feel no connection to the place, and there’s nothing there that feels like home. But you get what you want, and you go home with stuff.
Everyone wins, in a way. Except that no one establishes roots. And when there are no roots – when you don’t hang with a place long enough to live through the ups, downs and everything in between – it’s hard for you to ever become what the greatest of our athletes and coaches have been called:
A legend.
Day Seventy-Eight: Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros
“I’m going to take my talents to South Beach,” LeBron James said. “I think it will give me the best opportunity to win, and win for multiple years.”
For a man with all the money he could ever need, the focus turns to winning. So as the fans in Cleveland fume, and some even turn to burning his No. 23 jersey, James leaves his hometown for the sunny skies of Miami, and the opportunity to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh under the tutelage of Pat Riley. It’s a winning combination, one that will likely bring these men some NBA titles.
Ho-hum. The rich get richer – again. What’s new?
We see it in sports all the time – players who’ve made more money than most of us could ever dream of choose a franchise with a tradition of winning over another that lacks said tradition. They search for the best chance to claim a title, and leave their old team without much hope. LeBron James did this last night, but he’s not the first. Nor will he be the last.
Roy Oswalt is 32 years old, and he’s in his 10th season pitching for the Houston Astros organization that drafted him. Oswalt has won 143 games for the Astros, one shy of the franchise record for career wins. Oswalt’s right arm helped lead Houston to its only World Series appearance in 2005, and to playoff appearances in ’04 and ‘01. But in 2010, the Astros are well on their way to their third losing season in the past four years. And Oswalt, who has earned approximately $75 million during his 10 years in Houston, is ready to leave the Astros behind.
It happens every year. Oswalt won’t be the only big-name baseball player traded this month – Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee could be traded as soon as today. But like LeBron James, who played seven seasons with the Cavaliers team that drafted him, Oswalt wants to win now. That means leaving behind the franchise that had been his home.
So if you’ve got a No. 44 Astros jersey, wear it today. Tomorrow, it might be out of date. Someday, after he retires, the Astros might bring Oswalt back and retire that number. But for now, in July of 2010, that number is about to be exchanged for Double-A prospects.
Oswalt wants to win. If he could shoot from the outside, the Miami Heat would love to have him. But he’ll settle instead for a pennant race. In a new town. It’s kind of like shopping in a mall – you feel no connection to the place, and there’s nothing there that feels like home. But you get what you want, and you go home with stuff.
Everyone wins, in a way. Except that no one establishes roots. And when there are no roots – when you don’t hang with a place long enough to live through the ups, downs and everything in between – it’s hard for you to ever become what the greatest of our athletes and coaches have been called:
A legend.
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