From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
Every Hot Stove season, each team reshapes its roster in an attempt to better themselves. After each transaction, whether a free agent acquisition, trade or something else, writers and bloggers everywhere provide knee-jerk reactions on each particular move. Though the majority of the analysis is educated, it's still just conjecture. Today, we'll take the long view and look back at some of the maneuvering this past offseason and see how it played out on the field.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Red Sox haven't had a streak like this against the Yankees in a long time. Nearly 100 years, actually. The Red Sox beat the Yankees, 6-5, on Wednesday night, their eighth consecutive victory against their rivals, dating back to last year. It is Boston's longest winning streak against New York since 1912.
That was before Babe Ruth played his first big -league game.
The Red Sox have hit .295 and they have a 3.66 ERA against the Yankees this season. They've outscored the Bombers, 51-28.
"We're moving guys over, we're getting big two-out hits, and when you do those little things like that and you're playing good baseball you're going to win ballgames -- regardless of it's the Yankees or anybody else," Jonathan Papelbon said. "We just happen to be playing good baseball against them right now and we've got to keep this momentum."
As we head into the third week of the fantasy baseball season we have 34 starting pitchers throwing twice. When setting your lineups, remember that tomorrow is Patriot's Day in Boston, so first pitch is at 11:05 AM Eastern Time.
Must Start Roy Halladay, Blue Jays - Tuesday vs TEX (B. McCarthy) and Sunday at CWS (J. Contreras) Derek Lowe, Braves - Monday at WAS (J. Zimmermann)and Saturday at CIN (B. Arroyo) C.C. Sabathia, Yankees - Tuesday vs OAK (B. Anderson) and Sunday at BOS (J. Beckett) Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers - Tuesday at HOU (R. Ortiz) and Sunday at COL (J. Marquis)
It's early. It's very early. By my estimation, the second Monday of the baseball season is far too early for any extreme emotion; be it panic, joy, or anything in between. There are still more than 150 games to be played in this young season, and even starting to draw conclusions is a dangerous game. That all being said, Zach Duke and the Houston Astros sure seemed to pass each other going in opposite directions this afternoon.
On an emotional afternoon in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates opened PNC Park up for 2009 by wearing Pittsburgh Bureau of Police caps to memorialize the three officers killed in a shooting ten days ago, Duke went out and turned in his second straight good start of 2009, shutting out the Astros on just four hits over a complete game. After winning just five games in all of 2008, Duke's won his first two starts of '09 and allowed just one earned run in his first 15 1/3 innings.
Maybe it's time to go back to the four-man rotation.
No, that isn't really practical. But with Opening Day encroaching, teams are sorting out their pitching staffs. And since most teams went into spring training not sure who would make up the back-end of the rotation, we're starting to get word now on who will fill those roles.
The Astros exceeded expectations last season, but they still have some changes to make if they want the baseball world to see them as a serious contender. First, the bottom half of their tentative rotation (Brian Moehler, Russ Ortiz, the half of Mike Hampton that hasn't crumbled off) is looking pretty dicey. And second, their logo continues to look like that of an Internet service provider. Ever wonder why the cable guy never shows up on time? He's busy playing mediocre baseball in Texas.
Ever since the Giants signed Russ Ortiz to a bargain deal this year, things have gone downhill for the right-hander. Ortiz's first injury was a welcome DL stint because it resulted in the promotion of Tim Lincecum. Russ found himself in the bullpen upon his return, but returned to the DL shortly thereafter, this time with a forearm injury. And now, after a third trip to the DL, Ortiz will be forced to undergo Tommy John surgery on his elbow.
As a result, Russ Ortiz will miss the entire '08 season, though he says he wants to pitch again. Russ wound up starting only eight games this year, producing a 5.51 ERA. Only four years ago, Ortiz was a 20-game winner for the Braves, and only two years ago, he signed a free-agent deal with the Diamondbacks. Though his contract wasn't very large by the current market's standards, you would be hard-pressed to find a bigger bust over the last few years.
I wasn't a fan of the Giants trade of Armando Benitez when it first went down. I thought it was an irrational decision made by GM Brian Sabean who was serving his complaining fan base and critical media more than the team's baseball interest. But to be fair, I'm not a Giants fan, so Armando Benitez hasn't cost me the immeasurable amount of pain he has cost the Bay Area faithful. And once Benitez was traded, it pushed Brad Hennessey to the closer role, leaving Russ Ortiz for the setup position (Ortiz had been bumped to the pen when he returned from the DL).
Now Russ Ortiz is hurt once again, and he's being sent to the 15-day DL with a forearm strain (not enough loving there eh Russ?). The Giants have recalled Jonathan Sanchez in his place, and the bullpen has become significantly weaker. Matter of fact, it has been a glaring flaw for San Francisco this year. The Giants are 6-11 in one-run games. They've endured seven straight two-run losses. They're 3-7 in games decided in the last inning. The San Francisco Chronicle recently noted (as all Giants fans could tell you) that the bullpen has been a low point for the team since 2002. Let this serve as a reminder for all fans out there who demand a trade: make sure you have a decent replacement before you call for someone's head. And right now, someone's calling for Brian Sabean to get the chop -- with good reason.
So where does that leave Ortiz and the Giants? Certainly they don't have much use for him as a reliever. And certainly they could use an extra bat in the lineup to support Barry Bonds. So what's next? Seems to me that a trade is the most logical solution for the Giants. Two years ago when the Yankees pitching staff was decimated, they traded for Shawn Chacon who was in a similar situation as Ortiz. And now that the Yankees have seen their fifth pitcher of the year get hurt, Darrell Rasner, there's even more cause for concern. So come on Sabean and Cashman, you don't need my suggestion do you? Work out a deal!
Starting Five
As we head into the third week of the fantasy baseball season we have 34 starting pitchers throwing twice. When setting your lineups, remember that tomorrow is Patriot's Day in Boston, so first pitch is at 11:05 AM Eastern Time.
It's early. It's very early. By my estimation, the second Monday of the baseball season is far too early for any extreme emotion; be it panic, joy, or anything in between. There are still more than 150 games to be played in this young season, and even starting to draw conclusions is a dangerous game. That all being said, 
Back in early February, 
Maybe it's time to go back to the four-man rotation.
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I wasn't a fan of the 
It was one of those inevitable truths everyone knew before it happened; once Tim Lincecum arrived at the show in place of the 
