First Star
– Carlos Zambrano (.194 WPA)
Second Star – Geoff Blum (.176 WPA)
Third Star – Carlos Marmol (.093 WPA)
- Carlos Zambrano, where have you been all my life? – It’s obvious that Lou made the right decision to let Z start on opening day, despite the fact that in the past he’s been less than desirable. He particularly impressed me with the fact that after walking the first hitter of the game on four straight, he settled down and got the outs he needed when he needed them. Once he hit the middle innings, he went on cruise control. I would have liked to see him go seven, but I thought Lou made the right call to pull him when he did. Take the six innings of work, get him a win and some confidence on opening day and perhaps this will be the year Zambrano starts the season hot, instead of cold as ice. Well pitched game by the ace of the staff on a day when so many other top starters got hit hard.
- Aaron Who? – Mike Fontenot won the second base job mid-spring and showed his manager that he made the right call, going 3-for-4 out of the sixth spot. I like that spot in the order for Fontenot as I think he’ll hit 20+ home runs if given enough at bats. With Geovany Soto hitting behind him, it gives him enough protection to where he should see some nice pitches to hit, assuming Soto hits the way he did last year. The only fear I have for Fontenot is that his defense may not be as good as DeRosa’s last year, but I think we can live with that. I know I can.
- Bench Derrek Lee
– Know that I’m kidding when I say that, but there is no doubt in my mind that the thought crossed more than one person’s mind when Lee went 0-for-4 and Micah Hoffpauir came up with a clutch line drive single to drive in an insurance run. There is no question that some really want to see the 29 year old, career minor leaguer in the starting lineup and they want it sooner rather than later. I’m not a Derrek Lee fan, I think I’ve made that pretty clear over the past two seasons. However, Hoffpauir has been a minor league player for a reason. He has flaws in his game. For example, his fielding is suspect at best. His role on this team needs to be that of a pinch hitter with power with the occasional start at first and possibly right.
- No One Said He Was the Best Reliever – When Lou named Kevin Gregg as the closer for the beginning of the season, he wasn’t saying that Gregg was the best arm in the pen. He simply gave the job in the 9th because Gregg won it. Tonight was a perfect example of why I think he made the right call. Carlos Marmol faced the top of the order tonight in the 8th inning, in what appeared to be the best chance Houston had to tie or go ahead late. In situations like that, you want the best arm in your pen to be in the ballgame. Kevin Gregg is not that guy. I would rather see us get to the 9th with the lead rather than throw it away without ever giving the closer a shot. In order to do that, so often, you need your best arm to get you there. Just from a sheer probability standpoint, if you take into accound that the last three innings have to face a minimum of three hitters each. By mathematics, the odds of the 9th inning being the one in which the best hitters come up is just one out of three, whereas the odds of it being in the 7th or 8th, which is when Marmol would be in, is two out of three. Marmol is the guy we need in those situations.
- We’re On Twitter – I’m still learning this one, but you can now follow us on Twitter all season long. There is a twitter icon link in the top right sidebar.
Joe’s Scorecard
Cubs @ Astros – 4/6/09 – Get more Business Documents Bully the movie
