Yardbarker: Brady Clark

The Worst Brewers Seasons Hitting With RISP

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:00:33 -0500

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Watching J.J. Hardy Hit It may sound strange following a 1-5 homestand in which the team hit a measly .116 with runners in scoring position, but the Brewers actually haven't been that bad with RISP this year. In fact, they're a hair above average both in the NL and for all of MLB. Their performance with RISP mirrors their hitting overall: slightly above average at getting on base and a little more above average in power. As with all te...

Talking Baseball with Brady Clark: An FCP Interview

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:38:22 -0500

By Gary Armida There are many reasons to love the sport of baseball: It's the pitcher's duels, the triples into the corner, the long throw from the outfield to nail a runner at the plate, and the timelessness of the game. But, for this writer, baseball is great because of the stories within the ...

Three Mets declare free agency....

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:06:51 -0500

Minor leaguers who are not on the 40 man roster or still under control ( first six years) are eligible to declare free agency earlier then those who on the roster. Yahoo Sports reports on the Mets transaction page that three players who spent time with the major league club have filed for free agency..... Raul Casnova was the third string catcher early in the season while Robinson Cancel was recovering from a knee injury. In 20 games ( 55 AB) he hit .273 with 1 HR, 2 doubles and 6 RBIs. Bra...

Barry to D-Backs?

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:25:07 -0500

Barry Bonds, facing eventual Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy, flied out to center fielder Brady Clark for the third out in the 6th inning of an 11-3 loss to the San Diego Padres. Seems pretty innocuous, considering the never ending list of accomplishments and accolades Bonds had compiled in his career. But it was significant. The date was September 26, 2007, and it was the last at-bat of Barry Bonds' baseball career. Or was it?

The Unusual Suspects

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:45:40 -0500

It's safe to say that for the New York Mets' players, fans and front office, the season to date has not gone according to plan. Expectations -like the payroll- are very high and the vision Mets supporters had in the spring has not matched the reality of the present. The preferred blueprint would have included among other things: a healthy Moises Alou batting in the middle of the line-up and driving in runs, Aaron Heilman returning to his 2006 form and teaming up with Duaner Sanchez to dominate the 7th and 8th innings, Luis Castillo providing steady defense at second base and Ryan Church adding depth and pop to the bottom of the batting order. Well, that blueprint has gone up in flames. While hovering around .500 for what seems like forever, the Mets have, out of necessity changed course. For better or worse, the Mets hopes now hinge on a group of role players now asked to do more than what was originally expected of them. Whether its due to injuries (Alou, Castillo, Church) or ineffectiveness, (Heilman) Damion Easley, Fernando Tatis and Joe Smith among others have been thrust into key roles that will determine if the Mets will go to the playoffs or go home when the calender turns to October. So far these unlikely heroes have been up to the task. Damion Easley, seeing increased playing time due to Castillo's cranky knees, has been one of the Mets hottest hitters, batting .364 over the last 30 days and .440 in July. As part of the meltdown that affected the entire bullpen last season, Joe Smith wasn't expected to make the roster coming out of spring training. After coming on strong toward the end of camp, he seemed slated for long relief and mop-up duty. When Aaron Heilman began to give up homeruns at the worst possible times, Smith became the right-handed specialist and occasional 8th inning bridge to closer Billy Wagner. Although Smith had some rough moments in June where he pitched to an ERA of 4.50, he has gotten off to a strong start in July, allowing only one run so far in five innings of work. Fernando Tatis is the most surprising contributor. After losing out to Brady Clark for one of the final spots on the roster in the spring, Tatis was called up to Flushing in May to add depth to an depleted bench. With Alou and Church both spending more time on the disabled list than on the field, Tatis has filled in at both corner oufield spots. While his overall numbers haven't been earth shattering, Tatis has shown a flair for the dramatic with two game winning hits to date. Can these spare parts continue at this pace? It doesn't seem likely. Easley in his 18th season as a major leaguer could break down at any moment. Joe Smith's second half collapse still lingers. The last time Tatis played more than 50 Major League Baseball games, it was for a team named the Montreal Expos. With that said, losing a 7 game lead with 17 games left didn't seem likely. It's obvious that the Mets cannot win with only Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran. And there is no guaruntee that the high profile supporting cast members like Castillo, Church or Alou will be healthy or productive enough to have a significant impact on this season. So the Mets trudge on as they attempt to get back in the race for the National League East, taking a route they didn't plan, but is the only one available.

Exclusive Interview: Dbacks Insider and Reporter, azDiamondbacks.com

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 21:22:49 -0500

Today, we have a fabulous interview for you. We hooked up with our very own AZ Sports Hub Dbacks Insider, Michael Schwartz, Associate Reporter for AZDIAMONDBACKS.com. We drilled Mike about the Dbacks playoff chances, rotation, stretch run, streakiness and much more. We even discussed how Micah Owings could potentially play in the field. So listen in: