A little over a week ago, when the Mavs ended a nine-game losing streak, I don't think there were too many people out there that thought they would be capable of putting together a five-game winning streak, especially after their blowout loss to San Jose. But something must have clicked after that game. I don't know if it was the 12-run inning they allowed or something else, but there is something different about these Mavericks.
A couple of weeks ago, I don't believe this team could have rebounded from that devastating 18-5 loss only to come back with a win the next night. The old team would not have rebounded after coughing up a five-run lead in the eighth to win their second consecutive game. I also don't think this team would have been capable of pulling off the type of win they did Saturday night in Inland Empire. After giving up a one-run lead in the ninth, I think the old Mavericks would have collapsed, possibly allowing the winning run to score later that inning.
Heading into the Inland Empire series, Jon and I thought the offense was starting to outhit the Mavs problems. But the Mavs' pitching was the star of the series, giving up two earned runs in 31 innings. I know Arrowhead Credit Union Park favors pitchers, but there have been plenty of games this year where the pitching was not as good at that park.
Of course, in the Cal League, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a good offense. With the addition of Casey Craig, the Mavs could arguably have the best 1-through-9 in the league. Although Lancaster might have a bit more firepower, I think the Mavs' lineup is more consistent on both the home and road than the JetHawks.
The defense has also started to show some improvement (although it suffered a minor setback with four errors in the team's last game). When asked why the team had been playing better, the first thing manager Scott Steinmann mentioned was the defense. The biggest change for the Mavs defensively during this half was the addition of Carlos Triunfel. By having him at shortstop and Jeff Dominguez at second base, the Mavs were markedly improved up the middle. At first, Triunfel made come careless errors, but those have curbed since. With the way those two have been playing recently, I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better double-play combination in the league.
Now I'm not sure how long this streak will last. In a league like the California League, nothing is predictable on a nightly basis. I just hope the Mavs can have as much momentum as possible going into this weekend's home series against Lancaster. I suppose that will be the true test as to how much this Mavericks team has changed.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Playing All Nine
The most telling trend of the Mavs' series loss against Modesto was how the last few innings played out. In the first game, the Mavs came back from a 4-1 deficit in the seventh to take a 5-4 lead on a grand slam by Mike Saunders. However, the Mavs gave the lead back in the eighth, as the Nuts went back on top 7-5. Then seemingly out of nowhere, the Mavs rallied for three in the bottom of the ninth to walk off with a 8-7 victory.
Things were much different over innings 7-9 in the latter two games of the series. The Nuts scored eight times over that span in each game, making once close games look like blowouts. Two-thirds of the way through, there was 4-4 game and 4-2 game that turned into 12-4 and 11-2 scores, respectively.
Most of the late inning struggles can be attributed to the bullpen. Over the last 15 games, the bullpen has an ERA above nine. The Mavs gave up a total of 21 runs in the last three innings in the Modesto series, and in the last 12 games the Mavs have played, they have been outscored 58-20 over the final third of the game.
I have no idea why this has started to happen. At the beginning of the half, the starting pitching was struggling. Now it's the bullpen. With such a young team, the Mavs have never really been able to play a complete game consistently. It's a problem I imagine frustrates the coaches and players alike. Maybe that's something this team can shoot to work on over the final part of the season.
After losing five of six at home, the Mavs will now head on the road for six. This weekend they'll take their final trip to Lake Elsinore, where they have not lost their last seven series. We'll see if that holds up because it sure will be a difficult task. Then it's on to Lancaster where things have not been pretty to say the least. These are two of the older teams in the league, and I'm interested to see how the Mavs play them consecutively.
I'm interested to see Nathan Adcock pitch tonight in his Maverick debut. Adcock got the nod up to high A over Kyle Parker, despite Parker having slightly better numbers and being a college draftee. But at this point of the season, why not challenge another 19-year-old? This team really has nothing to lose at this point.
That's all I got for now, I'll check back in a bit...
Things were much different over innings 7-9 in the latter two games of the series. The Nuts scored eight times over that span in each game, making once close games look like blowouts. Two-thirds of the way through, there was 4-4 game and 4-2 game that turned into 12-4 and 11-2 scores, respectively.
Most of the late inning struggles can be attributed to the bullpen. Over the last 15 games, the bullpen has an ERA above nine. The Mavs gave up a total of 21 runs in the last three innings in the Modesto series, and in the last 12 games the Mavs have played, they have been outscored 58-20 over the final third of the game.
I have no idea why this has started to happen. At the beginning of the half, the starting pitching was struggling. Now it's the bullpen. With such a young team, the Mavs have never really been able to play a complete game consistently. It's a problem I imagine frustrates the coaches and players alike. Maybe that's something this team can shoot to work on over the final part of the season.
After losing five of six at home, the Mavs will now head on the road for six. This weekend they'll take their final trip to Lake Elsinore, where they have not lost their last seven series. We'll see if that holds up because it sure will be a difficult task. Then it's on to Lancaster where things have not been pretty to say the least. These are two of the older teams in the league, and I'm interested to see how the Mavs play them consecutively.
I'm interested to see Nathan Adcock pitch tonight in his Maverick debut. Adcock got the nod up to high A over Kyle Parker, despite Parker having slightly better numbers and being a college draftee. But at this point of the season, why not challenge another 19-year-old? This team really has nothing to lose at this point.
That's all I got for now, I'll check back in a bit...
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Thoughts From Last Night
Even though I was not physically at last night's game in Bakersfield, I wanted to share some musings after the Mavs' 13-12 win over the Blaze.
No, it was not pretty. No, it should not have been as close as it was. But the Mavs were riding a five-game losing streak and had dropped four straight to the Blaze. They needed a win badly, and although that might not have been the way they drew it up, they got it.
The thing I liked most about the game was how the Mavs' bats woke up. The offense was lost for the previous five games, and that's a big part as to why the Mavs had their losing streak. There are three players I would like to give special notice to:
1) Andy Hargrove. Andy was mired in a 1-28 slump coming into last night, and had not recorded an RBI in 15 games as a Maverick (granted he didn't have too many chances). He picked a good night to knock in three, including his first homer with High Desert.
2) Eddy Hernandez. Eddy went 2-5 last night night with his second home run of the year. But more importantly, he didn't strike out in his five plate appearances. That's very encouraging for someone who had struck out in nearly half of his plate appearances prior to yesterday evening.
3) Travis Scott. The man just gets it done with people one base, and last night further evidenced that fact. Even though he only had one hit, it was a big bases clearing triple to regain the lead in the 7th. What's more impressive, is that was his second bases-clearing triple within one week. How many catchers can say they've done that?
Two of the players not included in my list were Mike Saunders and Johan Limonta. Why? Because neither were in the lineup (although both were inserted late in the ballgame...neither had a plate appearance). I feel since neither were in the lineup, it adds importance to the Mavs' 13-run outburst.
The final thing I like from last night was how the Mavs took advantage of Bakersfield's (read: Chris Davis') mistakes. I guess everything comes in fours for Davis. He had four hits, four RBI, and four errors. The errors directly led to two unearned runs in the second, and the Mavs scored a couple more times in innings Davis committed other errors.
That's the good...now on to the bad. Once again, we saw some more pitching troubles on the mound. For whatever reason, the Mavs just can't seem to take a lead and make it stick. They squandered an early 7-2 lead, and almost coughed up their three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth.
The bullpen tends to make things interesting, and we've seen the Mavs walk the tightrope too many times. But then again, a win is a win, and like I mentioned before, the Mavs really needed one. I don't think the coaching staff minds cracking open those bottles of Maalox as long as there's a W at the end.
After six on the road, the Mavs will come home for six. Three against a team they know very well, and three against a team they barely know at all. First up is Lake Elsinore, a team the Mavs have not lost a series to all year (one win, three splits). I have a feeling the Mavs take the series, but not without the accustomed late-inning theatrics. As for Modesto, it's hard to tell. These two teams haven't seen each other since the beginning of May, and that series was at John Thurman Field--the antithesis of Mavericks Stadium. Of course, there's also a lot of turnover on both sides since they last met, so the rosters look different. I guess you'll just have to check back here to see I feel going in against the Nuts.
No, it was not pretty. No, it should not have been as close as it was. But the Mavs were riding a five-game losing streak and had dropped four straight to the Blaze. They needed a win badly, and although that might not have been the way they drew it up, they got it.
The thing I liked most about the game was how the Mavs' bats woke up. The offense was lost for the previous five games, and that's a big part as to why the Mavs had their losing streak. There are three players I would like to give special notice to:
1) Andy Hargrove. Andy was mired in a 1-28 slump coming into last night, and had not recorded an RBI in 15 games as a Maverick (granted he didn't have too many chances). He picked a good night to knock in three, including his first homer with High Desert.
2) Eddy Hernandez. Eddy went 2-5 last night night with his second home run of the year. But more importantly, he didn't strike out in his five plate appearances. That's very encouraging for someone who had struck out in nearly half of his plate appearances prior to yesterday evening.
3) Travis Scott. The man just gets it done with people one base, and last night further evidenced that fact. Even though he only had one hit, it was a big bases clearing triple to regain the lead in the 7th. What's more impressive, is that was his second bases-clearing triple within one week. How many catchers can say they've done that?
Two of the players not included in my list were Mike Saunders and Johan Limonta. Why? Because neither were in the lineup (although both were inserted late in the ballgame...neither had a plate appearance). I feel since neither were in the lineup, it adds importance to the Mavs' 13-run outburst.
The final thing I like from last night was how the Mavs took advantage of Bakersfield's (read: Chris Davis') mistakes. I guess everything comes in fours for Davis. He had four hits, four RBI, and four errors. The errors directly led to two unearned runs in the second, and the Mavs scored a couple more times in innings Davis committed other errors.
That's the good...now on to the bad. Once again, we saw some more pitching troubles on the mound. For whatever reason, the Mavs just can't seem to take a lead and make it stick. They squandered an early 7-2 lead, and almost coughed up their three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth.
The bullpen tends to make things interesting, and we've seen the Mavs walk the tightrope too many times. But then again, a win is a win, and like I mentioned before, the Mavs really needed one. I don't think the coaching staff minds cracking open those bottles of Maalox as long as there's a W at the end.
After six on the road, the Mavs will come home for six. Three against a team they know very well, and three against a team they barely know at all. First up is Lake Elsinore, a team the Mavs have not lost a series to all year (one win, three splits). I have a feeling the Mavs take the series, but not without the accustomed late-inning theatrics. As for Modesto, it's hard to tell. These two teams haven't seen each other since the beginning of May, and that series was at John Thurman Field--the antithesis of Mavericks Stadium. Of course, there's also a lot of turnover on both sides since they last met, so the rosters look different. I guess you'll just have to check back here to see I feel going in against the Nuts.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The Blog Is Back!
Yes, yes, I know it's been a few months since a new post, but it's time to finish strong and get this puppy going again. The Mavs are coming off a sweep at the hands of the 66ers, but after a day off, they now head to Bakersfield for three games.
Around the last time we posted, we thought the Mavs had the potential to really turn it on in the second half. Even though they surged near the end of the first half, things have not gotten off to a great start after the break. Losing Casey Craig, Chris Colton, and Josh Womack reshaped the outfield as well as the lineup. Without Craig, Mike Saunders became the defacto leadoff hitter, and although Saunders has a great demeanor at the plate, he is still adjusting to hitting at the top of the order. Kevin Reynolds has filled in very nicely for Josh Womack, and Jeff Fraizer is a doubles machine.
Moving to the infield...if you haven't seen Carlos Triunfel play yet, make plans to come out to Adelanto as soon as possible to see this kid. And yes, we can use the term "kid" because he is only 17 years old. But when you seem him play, you can't help but be amazed. It's hard to believe how comfortable he looks up at the plate and in the field. He's got a cannon attached to his right shoulder, although there are some times he needs to learn how to harness it. I suppose it's hard to believe how any team would pay an 16-year-old $1.3 million, but he appears that he will be worth it.
But with Triunfel at short, it obviously bring up the question of where do you put everyone else. I think the logical move is to have Dominguez at second, but then where does Guzman go? Maybe he can be part of a three-way platoon with Jeff Flaig and Omar Pena, and use him a the DH when not in the field.
As for the pitching...I don't have much to say. You would think that things would be rough at first, with everyone eventually adjusting to the Cal League. But it seems to be inconsistent, and you never know what you're gonna get. We've seen pitchers throw seven shutout one night, only to not even make it out of the third inning next time. I only hope to see some more consistency before the season ends.
Well that's gonna do it for this post. I promise to write more fequently before the season concludes.
Around the last time we posted, we thought the Mavs had the potential to really turn it on in the second half. Even though they surged near the end of the first half, things have not gotten off to a great start after the break. Losing Casey Craig, Chris Colton, and Josh Womack reshaped the outfield as well as the lineup. Without Craig, Mike Saunders became the defacto leadoff hitter, and although Saunders has a great demeanor at the plate, he is still adjusting to hitting at the top of the order. Kevin Reynolds has filled in very nicely for Josh Womack, and Jeff Fraizer is a doubles machine.
Moving to the infield...if you haven't seen Carlos Triunfel play yet, make plans to come out to Adelanto as soon as possible to see this kid. And yes, we can use the term "kid" because he is only 17 years old. But when you seem him play, you can't help but be amazed. It's hard to believe how comfortable he looks up at the plate and in the field. He's got a cannon attached to his right shoulder, although there are some times he needs to learn how to harness it. I suppose it's hard to believe how any team would pay an 16-year-old $1.3 million, but he appears that he will be worth it.
But with Triunfel at short, it obviously bring up the question of where do you put everyone else. I think the logical move is to have Dominguez at second, but then where does Guzman go? Maybe he can be part of a three-way platoon with Jeff Flaig and Omar Pena, and use him a the DH when not in the field.
As for the pitching...I don't have much to say. You would think that things would be rough at first, with everyone eventually adjusting to the Cal League. But it seems to be inconsistent, and you never know what you're gonna get. We've seen pitchers throw seven shutout one night, only to not even make it out of the third inning next time. I only hope to see some more consistency before the season ends.
Well that's gonna do it for this post. I promise to write more fequently before the season concludes.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Sweet 16
It's certainly no stretch to say that last night's 16-inning thriller against the Quakes was the most exciting game of 2007. The Mavs 3-2 victory was possibly their finest of the season, and there are a ton of great things to take away from the win.
Hats off to Adam Moore, who provided not one, but two go-ahead base hits in the extras. Even though he didn't get credit for an RBI in the 16th, part of me still thinks Saunders would have scored even without the error in right field. He should get an RBI just for the at bat he had in the 16th. Even though he was down in an 0-2 hole after two pitches, he battled back and eventually worked a full count before sending a line drive to right-center. It's also pretty impressive to think he had been behind the plate the whole game, yet he still had the strength to pound out two hard hit balls late in the game.
Even though Moore's hits put the Mavs in front, the Mavs pitching was responsible for keeping the game tied. Brian Kappel showed a lot of resilience by bouncing back from his rough outing the night before to pitch two scoreless last night and get his first win of the season. Marwin Vega had his best performance of the year, only giving up one run in seven innings. It's hard to believe he was actually in line for the loss before the Saunders RBI double that tied it at 1-1 in the eighth. Juan Zapata, David Asher, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, and Roman Martinez don't get a win in the score sheet, but they were all certainly a key part of the victory.
In the past two series, we've seen the Mavs lose two straight to their opponents, only to bounce back in third game to win at their opponents game. Against Lake Elsinore, the Mavs gave us 28 runs on 38 hits in the two previous games, before coming back with 10 runs and 18 hits of their own. In the first two games of this series against the Quakes, the Mavs bats were helpless against Rancho's pitching. This time around, the Mavs showed they can pitch as well, and dealt the first place Quakes the loss.
Tonight's game against San Jose will be tough to win because of the length of last night's game and today's seven-hour bus ride. Aaron Jensen will have to rebound from his last start and set the tone for the entire team tonight. If he does well, I think the team can rally around him.
Best of luck to the Mavs up north by the bay.
Hats off to Adam Moore, who provided not one, but two go-ahead base hits in the extras. Even though he didn't get credit for an RBI in the 16th, part of me still thinks Saunders would have scored even without the error in right field. He should get an RBI just for the at bat he had in the 16th. Even though he was down in an 0-2 hole after two pitches, he battled back and eventually worked a full count before sending a line drive to right-center. It's also pretty impressive to think he had been behind the plate the whole game, yet he still had the strength to pound out two hard hit balls late in the game.
Even though Moore's hits put the Mavs in front, the Mavs pitching was responsible for keeping the game tied. Brian Kappel showed a lot of resilience by bouncing back from his rough outing the night before to pitch two scoreless last night and get his first win of the season. Marwin Vega had his best performance of the year, only giving up one run in seven innings. It's hard to believe he was actually in line for the loss before the Saunders RBI double that tied it at 1-1 in the eighth. Juan Zapata, David Asher, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, and Roman Martinez don't get a win in the score sheet, but they were all certainly a key part of the victory.
In the past two series, we've seen the Mavs lose two straight to their opponents, only to bounce back in third game to win at their opponents game. Against Lake Elsinore, the Mavs gave us 28 runs on 38 hits in the two previous games, before coming back with 10 runs and 18 hits of their own. In the first two games of this series against the Quakes, the Mavs bats were helpless against Rancho's pitching. This time around, the Mavs showed they can pitch as well, and dealt the first place Quakes the loss.
Tonight's game against San Jose will be tough to win because of the length of last night's game and today's seven-hour bus ride. Aaron Jensen will have to rebound from his last start and set the tone for the entire team tonight. If he does well, I think the team can rally around him.
Best of luck to the Mavs up north by the bay.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Catching Up
My goodness it has been quite some time since our last post, so we've got a lot of ground to cover. The Mavs went 1-2 in three, one-run games against the 66ers, split a four-game home series against Lake Elsinore, and last night fell in a pitchers duel at Rancho Cucamonga. We'll get back to last night's Rancho game later, but for now we'll focus on the two previous series.
The Mavs could have easily swept that series against the 66ers just with a little more timely hitting. The team went into that series with great numbers at the plate with runners in scoring position. But for some reason, they just couldn't get that clutch hit when they needed it most.
The comeback win against Lake Elsinore in the first game of the series looked like it might have been a good sign of things to come. The Mavs got pummeled in the next two games by a combined score of 28-7, and gave up 38 hits to the Storm. But it was good to see them bounce back from those losses to win big themselves by a 10-1 score in the final game of the series.
If you've read these posts before, we've brought up the topic of how the Mavs weren't playing complete games. It looked like they had solved that problem against Lake Elsinore the first time around, but more of the same has shown up again. Sometimes, that's just how it goes. For instance, you can't apply the lack of a complete game theory to last night's loss. Nobody in the Cal League would've been able to hit Steve Marek the way he was dealing for the Quakes last night. But it was very encouraging to see Jon Lockwood throw his best game of the year, even though he picked up the loss for making one mistake. I'm interested to see how the rest of the series against the Quakes plays out. I like our chances with Cotter and Vega going the next two days.
Remember, if you can't make it down to RC, you can always listen online. The link is just over one the right. Also, don't be afraid to pass along any comments or questions to us. The new e-mail address is over there too. Don't be shy! We'd love to hear from you.
The Mavs could have easily swept that series against the 66ers just with a little more timely hitting. The team went into that series with great numbers at the plate with runners in scoring position. But for some reason, they just couldn't get that clutch hit when they needed it most.
The comeback win against Lake Elsinore in the first game of the series looked like it might have been a good sign of things to come. The Mavs got pummeled in the next two games by a combined score of 28-7, and gave up 38 hits to the Storm. But it was good to see them bounce back from those losses to win big themselves by a 10-1 score in the final game of the series.
If you've read these posts before, we've brought up the topic of how the Mavs weren't playing complete games. It looked like they had solved that problem against Lake Elsinore the first time around, but more of the same has shown up again. Sometimes, that's just how it goes. For instance, you can't apply the lack of a complete game theory to last night's loss. Nobody in the Cal League would've been able to hit Steve Marek the way he was dealing for the Quakes last night. But it was very encouraging to see Jon Lockwood throw his best game of the year, even though he picked up the loss for making one mistake. I'm interested to see how the rest of the series against the Quakes plays out. I like our chances with Cotter and Vega going the next two days.
Remember, if you can't make it down to RC, you can always listen online. The link is just over one the right. Also, don't be afraid to pass along any comments or questions to us. The new e-mail address is over there too. Don't be shy! We'd love to hear from you.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Road Warriors
The Mavs should be rested and ready to go after their first day off of the year. Tonight they'll start a three-game set at Arrowhead Credit Union Park against the Inland Empire 66ers. As you probably recall, the Mavs and 66ers faced each other in the first series of the year, with the 66ers taking three of four at the Mav. In those four games, both teams combined to scored 88 runs! Arena baseball at its finest!
But after watching the Mavs this past weekend down in Lake Elsinore, I'm pretty sure the only way these two teams will average 22 runs per game is if the Mavs score 20 of them. Each series, the pitching--both starting and relief--seems to improve. The Mavs got three great starts from Jon Lockwood, Aaron Cotter, and Marwin Vega, and Paul Fagan certainly had a couple of great innings in his start as well. The bullpen had a scoreless streak of 9.2 straight innings, only to have it broken in the final inning the Storm batted in the entire series.
The offense might have struggled in the last game of the series, but on the whole, it showed it can hit anywhere. If you've been reading these posts and listening to our broadcasts, you probably know Jon and I have been waiting for Mike Saunders to bust out of his shell. Well it looks like he did against the Storm this weekend, going 6-12 with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs, and three runs scored. He had to leave Sunday's game early after being hit by a pitch square in the back, so hopefully it's nothing more than a bruise.
The Mavs have yet to win a series this season, but I think there's a good chance that can change this week. If you can't make the drive down the hill tonight, remember to tune in starting at 7:00 for the pre-game and 7:11 for the first pitch.
But after watching the Mavs this past weekend down in Lake Elsinore, I'm pretty sure the only way these two teams will average 22 runs per game is if the Mavs score 20 of them. Each series, the pitching--both starting and relief--seems to improve. The Mavs got three great starts from Jon Lockwood, Aaron Cotter, and Marwin Vega, and Paul Fagan certainly had a couple of great innings in his start as well. The bullpen had a scoreless streak of 9.2 straight innings, only to have it broken in the final inning the Storm batted in the entire series.
The offense might have struggled in the last game of the series, but on the whole, it showed it can hit anywhere. If you've been reading these posts and listening to our broadcasts, you probably know Jon and I have been waiting for Mike Saunders to bust out of his shell. Well it looks like he did against the Storm this weekend, going 6-12 with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs, and three runs scored. He had to leave Sunday's game early after being hit by a pitch square in the back, so hopefully it's nothing more than a bruise.
The Mavs have yet to win a series this season, but I think there's a good chance that can change this week. If you can't make the drive down the hill tonight, remember to tune in starting at 7:00 for the pre-game and 7:11 for the first pitch.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Early Thoughts
The main thing about this team, which I pointed out on the broadcast last night, is that they yet to play a complete game. The Mavs haven't quite executed on all levels of the game within a single game, and that's probably why they stand at 1-7.
The offense is going to be fine. I think we saw last night they can hit just fine away from the hitter-friendly confines of the Mav. I'll take my chances with six runs at Lake Elsinore any night. Plus, there are some hitters who I think will come out of their early season funks at any moment. Mike Saunders is ripe to have a break out game. It's bound to happen at some point. Even though the batting average isn't high, he is still very patient at the plate, and has drawn more walks already than some guys do in an entire season. It's that type of consistent approach at the plate that makes me confident he's going to be an offensive star.
The starting pitching has been inconsistent on various levels. On one hand, the Aarons--Jensen and Cotter--have been solid. The others have struggled at times, but have shown their abilities within their early starts. I think what we saw from Paul Fagan last night kind of typifies this. Even though he gave up seven runs in three innings last night, in one of those innings, he retired the Storm in order by striking out the side. With time, I think the starting pitching could come around.
The bullpen seems to improve every game. It was great to see Jose Escalona pitch two scoreless innings last night. Despite Brian Kappel's rocky first appearance, he will boost the 'pen.
That's all I've got for now. I won't be down in Lake Elsinore for the next two nights due to travel issues, so it might be a couple days until the next post. Jon will be flying solo on the air the next two games, so hopefully he's getting plenty of beauty rest at the lovely Lake Elsinore Hotel and Casino. You can listen to Jon starting at 6:57 both tonight and tomorrow night. Don't forget to tune into Sunday's clubhouse show starting at 2:05 on Sunday afternoon.
The offense is going to be fine. I think we saw last night they can hit just fine away from the hitter-friendly confines of the Mav. I'll take my chances with six runs at Lake Elsinore any night. Plus, there are some hitters who I think will come out of their early season funks at any moment. Mike Saunders is ripe to have a break out game. It's bound to happen at some point. Even though the batting average isn't high, he is still very patient at the plate, and has drawn more walks already than some guys do in an entire season. It's that type of consistent approach at the plate that makes me confident he's going to be an offensive star.
The starting pitching has been inconsistent on various levels. On one hand, the Aarons--Jensen and Cotter--have been solid. The others have struggled at times, but have shown their abilities within their early starts. I think what we saw from Paul Fagan last night kind of typifies this. Even though he gave up seven runs in three innings last night, in one of those innings, he retired the Storm in order by striking out the side. With time, I think the starting pitching could come around.
The bullpen seems to improve every game. It was great to see Jose Escalona pitch two scoreless innings last night. Despite Brian Kappel's rocky first appearance, he will boost the 'pen.
That's all I've got for now. I won't be down in Lake Elsinore for the next two nights due to travel issues, so it might be a couple days until the next post. Jon will be flying solo on the air the next two games, so hopefully he's getting plenty of beauty rest at the lovely Lake Elsinore Hotel and Casino. You can listen to Jon starting at 6:57 both tonight and tomorrow night. Don't forget to tune into Sunday's clubhouse show starting at 2:05 on Sunday afternoon.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Breaking News
Only seven games into the season, and we have our first roster change of the year. Righty reliever Jason Snyder has been placed on the DL after he was hit with a line drive foul ball while he was standing at the top of the dugout on Tuesday night. His place on the roster will be taken by Brian Kappel, who started out this year on Tacoma's roster even though he didn't make any appearances. Kappel had great numbers at Wisconsin last year, going 4-0 with a 1.61 ERA and 8 saves. Looks like he could be a stabilizing influence on the Mavs bullpen.
Remember, tonight is the first road game of 2007, so unless you're heading down to Lake Elsinore tonight, remember there are several ways to follow the Mavs. You can listen on TALK 960 or access online streams at either www.talk960.com or at www.milb.com.
Back with more analysis of the early season tomorrow...
Remember, tonight is the first road game of 2007, so unless you're heading down to Lake Elsinore tonight, remember there are several ways to follow the Mavs. You can listen on TALK 960 or access online streams at either www.talk960.com or at www.milb.com.
Back with more analysis of the early season tomorrow...
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Hello And Welcome...
To the new blog of the High Desert Mavericks!
Greetings, this is Alex Freedman, the newest member of the Mavericks broadcast team. Throughout the course of the season, the legendary Jon Rosen and I will post our thoughts and stories of the Mavericks' 2007 campaign.
The Mavs are currently on a four-game skid and will try to reverse their fortunes against the Visalia Oaks later tonight. Aaron Jensen will make his second start of the year, and if he throws first pitch strikes like he did against Inland Empire last Friday, then the Mavs should be in good shape. Dallas Buck will get the nod for the Oaks. Buck was very impressive in his first ever professional outing last week against Modesto. He pitched six shutout innings against the Nuts and struck out 11! At this time last year, he was helping Oregon State march all the way to winning a national championship.
Please check back here tomorrow, when we will post our initial thoughts on this year's squad after the team concludes it seven-game homestand to open the 2007 season.
GO MAVS!!!
Greetings, this is Alex Freedman, the newest member of the Mavericks broadcast team. Throughout the course of the season, the legendary Jon Rosen and I will post our thoughts and stories of the Mavericks' 2007 campaign.
The Mavs are currently on a four-game skid and will try to reverse their fortunes against the Visalia Oaks later tonight. Aaron Jensen will make his second start of the year, and if he throws first pitch strikes like he did against Inland Empire last Friday, then the Mavs should be in good shape. Dallas Buck will get the nod for the Oaks. Buck was very impressive in his first ever professional outing last week against Modesto. He pitched six shutout innings against the Nuts and struck out 11! At this time last year, he was helping Oregon State march all the way to winning a national championship.
Please check back here tomorrow, when we will post our initial thoughts on this year's squad after the team concludes it seven-game homestand to open the 2007 season.
GO MAVS!!!
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