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2009 MLB National League West Notebook
Right-hander Jon Garland is nothing except consistent. That’s the one thing that has enabled him to be viable part of the starting rotations between the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and now Arizona.
He’s been going through a rough spell because he lost his last five starts to fall to 4-7 and watched his ERA drift up to 5.45. With 1,514 2/3 innings, Garland is 10 th in baseball in innings pitched since the 2002 season.
Garland has thrown at least 190 innings in each of the last seven seasons. It is the fourth longest streak of any major league pitcher. Atlanta’s Javier Vasquez leads the way with nine, while the White Sox Mark Buehrle and Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer are tied for the second longest with eight.
COLORADO
One reason for the Rockies resurgence has been their bullpen performance in June. Through the first 2½ months, the Rockies are 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA and have converted seven of nine save opportunities.
Closer Houston Street has been especially hot with seven consecutive converted saves to give him 15 for the season. Now you would think with his sidewinding delivery, left-handed batters would be able to tee off on him.
It turns out they are being devoured by him. They are hitting only .188 against him and just .128 since April 23.
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SAN FRANCISCO
When the Giants jumped to six games above .500 earlier this week, it marked the first time in five years that the ballclub had reached that plateau.
It has been a difficult ride for the Giants during this decade. They have suffered through four consecutive losing seasons and haven’t won more than 76 games since 2006. That’s why the hopes are high that somehow this season is important for them. They entered the weekend 1½ games out of the Wild Card lead.
Of course, this team is probably not going to know whether it can really make a push for the postseason until the All-Star break.
LOS ANGELES
The latest on the ever annoying Manny Ramirez is that the embattled slugger is going to go on an assignment with the Dodgers Triple A affiliate Albuquerque next week on Tuesday.
Plans call for Ramirez to play six or seven games to work himself back into playing shape. He will also play a series with the Class A team. He has been back with the ballclub going through batting practice and pre-game workouts.
Ramirez’s 50-game suspension is scheduled to en on July 3 when the Dodgers meet San Diego.
SAN DIEGO
Well, all of the talk surrounding right-hander Jake Peavy and the certainty of him being traded has pretty much gone by the wayside.
Peavy is going to be sidelined for at least a month with a strained tendon in his right ankle. There has also been talk of Peavy having season ending surgery.
That’s a blow for the Padres who were really looking to move his $11 million salary and for any contending team that needed rotation help for the July 31 deadline.
Of course, the Chicago White Sox have to be breathing a sigh of relief since their attempted deal for him in May fell through.
By Kevin Lonnquist
MLBcenter.com Staff Writer
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