Billy Butler went 2- for -4 in his major league debut on Tuesday delivering two singles. Butler is replacing the injured Ryan Shealy and should get a long and solid look by the Royals. Billy's contact ability is solid, especially considering he's just turned 21 but what is missing right now is his power. The two singles last night is an indicator of what is probably ahead despite Billy's robust build. I'm not sure Butler is ready to stick in the majors and I am hoping that he doesn't get too rattled by MLB pitching in this tour. Butler is a strong contact hitter with developing gap power which we hope will eventually develop into some true power. He is built in such a way that he can deliver middle-of-the-order power but he simply hasn't done it yet. He can hit .280+ in the majors right now, maybe better. The question is whether he's another Kevin Youkilis, in other words a good hitter without enough power for a corner position.
The Angels got to Zack Greinke on Tuesday to the tune of 6 runs, all earned in 5 IP on 10 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Much of the damage came on Vlad The Impaler's first inning grand slam and Zack was serviceable for the last 4 innings he pitched. Unfortunately for Zach owners, you do not get statistical mulligans. Zack drops to 1-3 on the year and his ERA bloats to 4.70. Our own Drew Dinkmeyer talked about "Disaster Starts" last week and Zack has coughed up two in his last four outings, totaling 10 runs allowed in 5.2 IP. I talked about pitcher interaction yesterday and those two starts more than negate his 7 shutout innings against the Twins in his last start. Combined we are talking about 10 runs allowed in 12.2 IP (7.10 ERA). That's why you need to be avoid bad outings with more fervor than you chase good outings. Zack is too flammable for your lineup right now.
Man, the Yankees cannot catch a break. Phenom Phillip Hughes was carrying a no hitter into the seventh inning in last night's 10-1 win over the Rangers when he pulled up lame with a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for 4-6 weeks. Hughes went 6 shutout, no-hit innings. He allowed three walks but struck out 6. He also threw 8 GBOs and got his 19 outs with just 80 pitches. It was a commanding performance by the Yankees' top pitching prospect, and last night was a bi-polar-level good news/bad news situation for the Yankees.
Jon Lester is a guy who should still be on your radar and/or on your roster (if its pockets are deep enough or you have a minor league component) but it is unlikely he will provide any kind of dividends prior to the All Star break. Lester makes his final rehab start for Pawtucket (AAA) tonight but he will optioned to AAA following the expiration of his rehab limit. The Red Sox, who are cautious with their kids anyway, will be overly cautious with Lester as he returns from lymphoma treatment. The Sox are healthy and playing well and there will be no cry to promote Jon unless the rotation runs into a string of injuries. Jon has been outstanding at AAA (1.50 ERA with 21 Ks in 18 IP) and a full return to his 2005 form seems very likely at this point but he is still running out of gas on the mound. The Sox will continue to try and rebuild his stamina and arm strength in AAA for now.
A.J. Burnett was buzzsawed by the Indians on Tuesday, giving up 7 runs in 5 IP on 8 hits and 4 walks. He also gave up two homers and oddly, fanned 7. A.J.'s walk rate has been variable in recent years. In 2004 his walked 38 hitters 120 IP (2.8/9). In 2005 it was 79 walks in 209 IP (3.0), and last year it was 39 in 135.2 IP (2.6/9). This year however he's walked 21 in 33 IP or 5.7/9. That is not going to work. Opponents are hitting a career-high .306 off of Burnett and slugging a career-high .469 this season. This follows two very effective starts (2 runs in 14 IP)however, and he's maintaining a good GB ratio so I am not going to be sounding the health alarm bell just yet. Still, there is an issue with his lack of command which has been the most consistent part of his season so far. Perhaps he's trying to install a mechanics change and he's struggling with repeatability, I don't know. However, those kinds of fluctuations in key indicators of a veteran pitcher are usually the result of something else going on.
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