The Baseball Slate's Heroes & Zeroes from April 5th
April 6th 2010 15:06
Buehrle's back, BAAAAABY!
Heroes
Jarrod Saltalamacchia
When your RBI double wins the game for your team on opening day, you get to be named a hero. When your RBI double wins a game in which your team was being no-hit through 6.1 innings, you're definitely going to be lauded as a hero. Even more impressive? That was the young catcher's only hit of the ball game.
Casey Kotchman
Casey Kotchman has been well traveled lately, playing with four teams in the last three years. He hopes he's found a home in Seattle, and if his opening day performance is any indication he's done just that. Kotchman won the game for the Mariners (who hope to compete with the Angels for the AL West title this year) by singling home two runs in the top of the ninth inning to break a 3-3 tie. In total, Kotchman went 2 for 4, and drove in four of the team's five runs.
Mark Buehrle
The Whitesox ace set a club record this season for consecutive opening day starts, and he honored that record by twirling an absolute gem. 7 innings pitched, just 3 hits and a walk while striking out 3 is a good outing no matter how you slice it. Of course, plenty of pitchers had decent outings yesterday. What makes Buerhle's outing so great is the insane, stupendous, outrageous play he made to get an out.
Garrett Jones
Garrett Jones impressed quite a few people when he blasted 21 home runs in just 82 games a year ago. He impressed even more people with his two home run performance on opening day this season, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 11-5 season opening win.
Albert Pujols
I have a secret to tell you. Ready? Albert Pujols is a very good player. On opening day, Pujols went 4 for 5, with two home runs and three RBI. His first home run was a solo shot in the first that came after Reds' starter Aaron Harang had struck out the first two batters he faced. His second home run broke open a 4-2 ball game. Yeah, Pujols is a machine
Zeroes
Carlos Zambrano
Quick hotshot, you're the opening day starter for one of the more beloved and well followed teams in the Major Leagues. Coming off one of the worst full season performances of your major league career, you swore in spring training that you were a new man, and were newly focused. You're team has just given you a 3-0 lead in the first thanks to a three run bomb by one of your newest teammates. What do you do? You give up eight runs, including two mammoth home runs, and manage to last just 1.1 innings of course! Zambrano has never really been much of an opening day starter, but this was by far his worst opening performance. While his six runs allowed in the first were aided by some dinks and dunks, he was still behind almost every hitter he faced, and looked generally out of sorts from the first batter he faced. He capped his short outing with a terrible throw that sailed over the head of his third baseman by a good five feet.
The Kansas City Royals Bullpen
If you're Zack Greinke, how badly do you want out of Kansas City right now? If you're the Kansas City Royals fans, how badly do you want them out of Kansas City right now? After the Royals ace pitched six innings and left with a 4-2 lead, the Royals bullpen imploded. Roman Colon, Robinson Tejeda, and Juan Cruz managed to combine for 6earned runs in the seventh inning and take a 4-2 lead, and make it an 8-4 deficit. What looked like a great way to start the year for Kansas City turned into another bloodbath. Yeah, it's going to be another long year Royals fans.
Jason Frasor
After Toronto's ace, Sean Marcum blew his no-hitter, and eventually allowed the Rangers to tie the game at 3, the Bluejays were able to take a 4-3 lead back with an RBI single by Vernon Wells, Toronto sent their closer in to shut Texas down. Instead, he managed to get just one out, while walking one and allowing four hits and two earned runs for the loss. Heckuva job Jason.
Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley is either one of the biggest jerks, or one of the biggest victims in all of baseball, depending on who you talk to. He's on his eighth team in 11 big league season, so I tend to lean towards jerk, but that's neither here nor there. With yet another new team, Bradley said all the right things about how he was going to get a fresh start and make a great first impression. Bradley was ejected from two spring training games, so his fresh start was already off to a bad beginning. His opening day start isn't going to impress many either. Going 0-3 in the cleanup spot, Bradley struck out twice, and even when he did reach base; walking twice he erased himself by getting caught stealing. Not a fantastic new beginning
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