Travis Zajac slammed a rebound off his own previous shot past Carolina's Cam Ward five minutes into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils the 3-2 win in Game 3,take back the home ice advantage and regain the lead in the series two games to one. The regulation Devils goals were scored by (who else?) Zach Parise and Brian Gionta The series returns to Raleigh for Game 4 tomorrow night.....
Hell Raisers
1) The injury to Jamie Langenbrunner caused him to miss last night's game and tomorrow nights Game 4. Langenbrunner is expected to rejoin for the return to New Jersey in Game 5.
2) Bobby Holik was returned to the lineup to take the place of Langenbrunner.
3) The Devils fired 35 shots at Cam Ward,which marked the third time in the series that the Devils were able to put 30+ shots on net.
4) The Devils power play swung and missed as they have for most of the series-the Devils are a lowly 1 of 14 on the man advantage...
5) This is obvious,but Zach Parise is showing why he might be the most underrated player in the league. Three goals in three games,Parise has singlehandedly been the Devils offense over the last two games...
Bullpen Notes
Ryan Doumit apparently injured his wrist in yesterday's game against Atlanta. Doumit is getting an MRI on the wrist now. Doumit would have likely sat anyway against Florida lefty Andrew Miller...
Former Indian farmhand Brian Barton was sent to Atlanta for reliever Blaine Boyer. This seems to be the typical Atlanta low cost pickup for a player that could prove to be very helpful. The Tribe lost Barton in the Rule 5 draft before the 2008 season.
The Detroit Lions made some mild changes to their logo. The lion is now "fiercer". The Lions have now tweaked their logo/uniforms twice in the last few years and as usually happens downgraded each time.
The Pirates split two games with the visiting Atlanta Braves,winning Saturday 10-0 and losing yesterday 11-1. Ian Snell was the Saturday winner (1-2) and Zach Duke was hammered in the loss on Sunday (2-1). I missed the win (non-televised here) and most of the loss (it was 6-0 when I started watching and I went to bed).
The Pirates are scheduled to play Florida tonight,but the forecast does not look very favorable for the game to be played with the Northeast be blanketed by rain... But just in case.
Pitching Matchup Florida:Andrew Miller (0-0 6.43 ERA) at Pittsburgh:Ross Ohlendorf (0-2 4.91 ERA) 7:05
Pirate Hooks
1) Nice to see Ian Snell show his stuff in a positive fashion for a change. The toolbox is there for Snell the question is does he have the mental capabilities to deal with difficulty.
2) Craig Monroe smacked two homers in the win. That ought to buy him some extra time as a pinch hitter....
3) Delwyn Young made his Bucco debut as well in the series going hitless in two at bats. Word is that the Pirates plan on using him occasionally at second and third base. I don't feel very confident on that working out,but we will see..
4) Craig Hansen took a step back after two nice outings in the Sunday loss. Just when you think,maybe......
5) Donald Veal pitched in the game as well,walking four and allowing a run. I didn't see his appearance,but to me,I just don't see the people that are griping about him staying on the team. His stuff is there,he needs control work and Joe Kerrigan is an excellent teacher. Keep him around as the mop up man,let him learn and work with Kerrigan and then send him to Indianapolis for next season. Veal has potential,which is more than I can say for the majority of the pitchers that hold a similar spot on other teams....
Bonus Round Hopefully rain will not cost us a shot at looking at Andrew Miller in the Marlins series. Miller was rated as the top pitcher in the draft in which the Pirates took Brad Lincoln and the Pirates bailed on Miller due to cost,Scott Boras or poor evaluating by Dave Littlefield and it would not surprise me if it was all three. Of course,in hindsight-you take Tim Lincecum over all of them.
On the signing front Lakewood was a better team than Delmarva,even though I didn't have as much for them. Travis D'Arnaud signed and was nice enough and Jeremy Hamilton was as well.
Ebay pickup;Duke Snider!
I went to the Frederick Keys season opening series for their game against the Salem Red Sox. As always the Boston farm teams are not one of the better teams for signing,but I did reasonably as I was able to get the four guys that I wanted the most in Ryan Kalish (pretty cool),Jason Place,Yamaico Navarro and Kyle Weiland (signed,but kinda distant). Salem has two Taiwanese players and I didn't even mess with them. They don't understand English (or so they claim) and I saw them displeased with others that asked. Life is too short to have to deal with that stuff....
I have pretty much been able to pick up the Hagerstown guys so far with two exceptions,they have not been problems,just haven't gotten to them yet. My clear favorite thus far has been Derek Norris. Norris combines being an excellent signer with being the Suns top prospect which is a pretty nice combination.
With no Suns or Keys this week,one would think that the blog would be light,but you would be wrong as with the extra time,we will (hopefully) begin the Pirates top prospect series,work on the Browns and Seahawks draft preview and continuing Devils and Pirates coverage....
Back later with the Devils huge overtime win at N.C. State!
This will be a short post as I will get a brief nap before a afternoon game in Frederick.
The New Jersey Devils lost the home serve last night in losing Game 2 at the Rock to Carolina. The series is now tied at one with the next two games taking place in Wolfpack Country.
Hell Raisers
1) What has been the one topic that I have been the most critical of this season of the New Jersey Devils? Likely,it has been the lack of effective aggression by the defensemen in clearing the crease in front of the goaltender. A Tim Gleason shot in overtime that deflected off the skate of the immobile Nicklas Havelid,who was creating a double screen of Martin Brodeur with Carolina's Eric Staal gave the Hurricanes the 2-1 win and exactly what they wanted in the series-a split of the two games at the Rock.
2) Havelid was not even attempting to jostle Staal out of the crease,he looked more like he shadowed Staal without extremely light contact. This is exactly what I have been both critical of and worried about all season,the lack of toughness when push comes to shove (so to speak) from the defensive unit with the arguable exception of Bryce Salvador.
3) Jamie Langenbrunner left the game with the dreaded lower body injury and no ward on his status for Game 3. Langenbrunner's potential loss would be a huge one in forcing a shakeup on the Devil top line.
4) Zach Parise scored the only Devil goal (power play) in period one and has now scored a point in his last five playoff games. The Prince seems to be all over the ice and could be the difference maker for New Jersey.
5)The Devils did have a goal taken off the board in the first period by Travis Zajac after replays showed it was hit with a high stick. It was-good call.
Bonus Round The Devils power play struggles continue as New Jersey was a poor 1 for 6 on the game. Carolina played tougher and more physically than in Game 1,but they were sloppy at times as well. This was a winnable game and a disappointing loss. Game 3 is Sunday at 7;30 at N.C State.
The Pirates used another outstanding seven innings from Paul Maholm (2-0) and a late insurance homer from Nate McLouth (3) off former Pirate lefty Mike Gonzalez to lift the Pirates to a 3-0 win in the curtain raiser against the Braves at PNC Park. Andy LaRoche's infield ground out was the only run that the Pirates scored off starter Jair Jurrjens and it held up until McLouth stretched the lead with the eighth inning homer. Matt Capps pitched the ninth for his third save of the year. The teams hook it up today at 12;35 with Atlanta using emergency callup Jo Jo Reyes as their starter. No TV likely due to the "Fox rule"
Pitching Matchup Atlanta:Jo Jo Reyes Season Debut at Pittsburgh:Ian Snell 0-2 7.20 ERA
Due to time constraints,I will try to do either a extra large Pirate Hooks tomorrow or Monday as a look back at the series
The Pirates jumped on Russ Ortiz for three runs in the first two innings,but the offense was punchless thereafter in a 6-3 loss to the Astros. Sean Burnett allowed a three run shot to Lance Berkman that broke a 3 all tie in picking up the loss.(0-1). The Pirates host Atlanta tonight at 7:05
Pirate Hooks
1) Want to hear some head shaking numbers from the positive side of the ledger? 3 hits from Nyjer Morgan and 2 from Adam LaRoche! Unexpected to be sure.
2) Andy LaRoche finally added his first hit of the year in the loss,but just one....
3) Jeff Karstens was handed an early lead and responded by allowing runs in the 2nd,3rd and 4th innings. The Pirates were fortunate to escape with that little bit of damage. Houston misfired on two opportunities for bigger innings and Karstens threw 87 pitches in just four innings On a decent team,Karstens would be the mop-up man or in the AAA rotation.
4) Another nice inning of work for Craig Hansen out of the pen,I still have hopes for Hansen if he can continue to harness his control.
5) Jason Jaramillo made his big league debut and singled for his first big league hit. Day games are most likely when the former Phillie will see most of his game time.
Pitching Matchup
Atlanta:Jair Jurrjens 2-0 2.45 ERA at Pittsburgh:Paul Maholm 1-0 1.32 ERA 7:05
I am going to tonight's Suns-Blue Claws game to work on autographs,but I am not sure if I am staying or not yet. I may come home and watch the Devils-Hurricanes Game 2 live.
Last nights Hagerstown-Lakewood game was interesting as it was the first time that I will have a chance to see touted lefthander Jack McGeary. On a Suns teams that is not loaded with top prospects,McGeary and catcher Derek Norris stand out as the two players to keep a close eye. McGeary was sharp for the first two innings,but in the third (he also pitched to two batters in the fourth) he began to bounce his curve in front of the plate. McGeary was looked at by the trainer in the third,but remained in the game. The New England native finished with an abnormally high six walks in the stint that contributed to his five earned runs on only four hits. He didn't seem to throwing overwhelmingly hard,but that is not the forte' of McGeary on most scouting reports. We will have more on McGeary as the season goes along.
Lakewood won 11-9 in 10 innings,I had to leave after seven to go to work. I did find another Phillie prospect that I liked a lot though after last year being so impressed with Dominic Brown. First baseman Jeremy Hamilton came into the game struggling,but smacked out 3 hits (on my scorecard) officially two. I really like Hamilton's swing....
Back tomorrow with more Pirates,Devils and perhaps Suns.
gMike Mottau scored the only goal of the first period and the New Jersey Devils never looked back in winning the first game of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner each finished with a goal and an assist,while the other Devil goal went to Patrik Elias. The series resumes at the Rock on Friday night.
Hell Raisers
1) The Mottau goal set the tone for how the game would finish as Cam Ward set this up himself as he attempted to sweep the puck down the ice himself instead making the simple brush over to the defenseman. Mottau was in the right place and the wrist shot seemed to surprise Ward more than beating him.
2) Carolina's goal made me start to wonder about things in the third period when they seemed to gain some spark on Ray Whitney's shot,but the goal by Jamie Langenbrunner just seconds later knocked the wind out of Carolina for the night.
3) Interesting note from Doc Emrick during the game.Carolina has ten players remaining from their Stanley Cup winning team of a few years back,but the Canes have not played a playoff game (before last night) since winning the Cup. Ten is an awful high number considering their troubles since that night.
4) Martin Brodeur played well in net,but he only faced 19 shots and hopefully that was due to the Devils blueliners holding Carolina in check and not because the Canes were listless. Either way,the Carolina offense was nowhere to be found and at least some of the credit has to go the Devils way.
5) I wrote in the preview that I was not as big of a Cam Ward fan as others,but even though he allowed four goals in the game last night,the Devils had many excellent opportunities-it could been six or seven goals very easily.
Bonus Round
Nice night for the "grizzled" line of John Madden,Jay Pandolfo and Brendan Shanahan as Brent Sutter seemed to try to match them up as much as he could against Carolina's top line of Eric Staal,Erik Cole and Tuomo Ruutu. They held the Canes top line off the scoreboard and the three only put four shots on net all evening. IF that becomes a trend,this will be a shorter series than expected.
The Pirates hosted the Houston Astros and the seemingly always injured Mike Hampton at PNC Park and was totally inept against the veteran southpaw in a 4-1 loss to Houston. The Bucs avoided the shutout with Adam LaRoche's solo blast (3) to lead off the ninth. Houston finishes up their visit today at 12:35 with another seemingly washed up warhorse in Russ Ortiz.
Pitching Matchup Houston:Russ Ortiz 0-0 6.75 ERA at Pittsburgh:Jeff Karstens Season Debut
Pirate Hooks
1) Remember the last time Russ Ortiz dragged his tattered reputation to the mound against the Pirates? The Pirates have a wonderful tendency to make pitchers that have either always been crap look great or allow once solid hurlers to re-live their prime days. Such as ....
2) Mike Hampton. Hampton shut the Bucs out for six innings and allowed just four hits-all singles. Eight strikeouts too. Ugh.
3) Jeff Karstens makes a delayed bow for 2009 after the rainout in Cincinnati caused him to be skipped in the rotation to allow the top four starters to stay on the same amount of rest.
4) Nothing against Jackie Robinson or the sentiment behind all players wearing the number 42,but I can see how anyone that is less than a hardcore fan could be confused as hell....
5) Ross Ohlendorf allowed 4 runs in five innings and just didn't seem to be throwing that hard. Ohlendorf's reputation is as a power arm and if his velocity is down,he becomes very hittable.
Bonus Round
Adam LaRoche at .267 and three homers? If LaRoche can keep up that average pace and then do his usual second half rush,the Bucs could pick up a valuable piece or two for the lefty first sacker.
Andy LaRoche: two more at bats and moved his stellar start to 0 for 18.
On the Signing Front
Not a terrific start in the two games that Delmarva played in Hagerstown (Wednesday's game was rained out),but there were extenuating circumstances. The home opener is always tougher than most because of various ceremonies for the opener. And Tuesday was so rainy and dreary that Ryan and I were the only collectors there and that can be tough because players can get by you. After all,when you are by yourself,you cant stop them all!
I was able to add a few Suns,most notably Stephen Englund and Brad Peacock. Those two were nice additions because it marked the first team set that I have ever purchased that I was able to have every player sign. That doesn't sound that tough until you consider players going up,going down,traded,released etc. Delmarva added most of their top prospects. L.J Hoes signed some but not all,so I will need to finish him up next time. Xavier Avery,Elvin Polanco and Tyler Kolodny signed as well as Jedidah Stephen,who added a GO BUCKS to his card as well.
Not bad,considering the way things went. I really don't have very much for the Lakewood Blue Claws,as it seems like many of the players at Williamsport last season (the logical previous step) are not at Lakewood. I do need to add the Claws two highest rated prospects in catcher Travis D'arnaud (brother of Pirate prospect Chase) and first baseman Jeremy Hamilton. Lakewood usually has names on the back of the jerseys and we will need them this time as only a few players have numbers listed on the Blue Claws and MiLB sites.....
Saturday will be our first shot at the Salem Red Sox in Frederick. The Sox have an uneven reputation for signing (as most Boston teams do),but we will just see how it goes.....
The New Jersey Devils certainly have had a recent look at their playoff opponent as their final regular season game was against the same Carolina Hurricanes and it was the only time in the teams four meetings that the Devils came out on top.
I had concerns about each of the three teams that the Devils entered the final weekend with possibilities of playing. Pittsburgh has the outstanding talent,Philadelphia has the rivalry,while Carolina is one of those fly under the radar teams that are so scary to play in the first round. I always had a soft spot for the Hartford Whalers and the way the Hurricanes left the town always bothered me,along with the lack of support that the southern teams always give their teams makes me dislike Carolina far more than I usually would. In any event,it is Carolina and they enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league,but remember that is not always a barometer of playoff success,remember the Devils of 06-07,who roared out of nowhere to win the division title and resulted in playoff disappointment. Many times teams that play their best hockey late in the season find the gas tank low when they need it most.
Carolina is paced by 40 goals scorer Eric Staal,team point leader Ray Whitney (who it seems like played with Bobby Orr) and Tuomo Ruutu,who makes the list of the day lower in the post. The Hurricanes also have an aspect the Devils do not with not just one but two scoring threats from the defensive corps with Anton Babchuk (16 goals) and Joe Corvo (14). The Devils lack any defender with the scoring capability of either player and that has helped to choke off offensive flow from the Devil power play at times this season. I am not as big of a fan of Cam Ward as others are,but when Ward gets on a roll-he has the potential to dominate a series. The Hurricanes also return one of my most hated players in Erik Cole after shipping him to Edmonton in the off season and Cole could play a big part in the series as he has had success in the past against the Devils.
Barring any last minute changes-the Devils will have the following lineup for tonight.
Forwards: Zach Parise-Travis Zajac-Jamie Langenbrunner; Patrik Elias-Dainius Zubrus-Brian Gionta; Jay Pandolfo-John Madden-Brendan Shanahan; Mike Rupp-Brian Rolston-David Clarkson.
Defensemen: Johnny Oduya-Paul Martin; Colin White-Mike Mottau; Bryce Salvador-Niclas Havelid.
Goaltender: Martin Brodeur.
Healthy scratches will be Andy Greene,Jay Leach,Pierre LeBlond,Rod Pelley (Up from Lowell) and Bobby Holik.
The Hurricanes are capable of winning this series and considering the way the Devils finished the season,I can see why some observers are picking Carolina to pull the only upset in the first round.But the Devils are more well rounded,better defensively and have an edge in net.
Devils in six.
List of the day
Five forwards that I have always wanted to see the Devils acquire.This list is not always the most talented,just guys that I like the way they play the game and would be a good fit in Red and Black.
The recent passing of Mark "the Bird" Fidrych is in many ways,the final link to a time of innocence. Oh,please don't get me wrong,1976 was far from innocent,but the world was a much different place. A world of local sports at 6 and 11,AM radio and the ever present newspaper was your connection to not only sports,but the world. Cable was in its infancy and stations that all of us take for granted today,existed either in people's heads or were in the smallest planning stages.
SO when a personality comes out of nowhere to take a season by storm in the seventies,one can deduce that it likely was from sheer personality,not a contrived campaign to get attention. If Mark Fidrych came along today,you would likely (no matter how charming the personality) be tired of him within a month. ESPN among others would bombard the country with Fidrych within a matter of weeks and soon he would be just another overexposed athlete.
Baseball had its share of colorful players around this time,Pete Rose,Reggie Jackson to name just a few,but the game had seen no player like "the Bird" in the television age. Quirky and had there been such a thing as Ritalin in mainstream 1976,Mark Fidrych would have made a ton of money as their top pitchman as his natural personality and exuberance stood out among some pretty stodgy players. Mark Fidrych was a rock and roll player,you would have never seen Fidyrch on Hee Haw like Johnny Bench for sure and the children and teenagers of the time loved him for it.
Fidrych really hit the national scene in June of 1976 when Monday Night Baseball came to Detroit for Fidrych's start against the eventual American League champions Yankees. Usually only the top teams were on that broadcast,but the fever was beginning to spread about the righthander that was increasing attendance in Detroit for the mediocre Tigers. Fidrych fired a complete game in the 5-1 Tiger win,television was enthralled and so were baseball fans. The Bird finished 19-9 and finished with 24 complete games in 29 starts,compare that to the leader in baseball in 2008-Roy Halladay with 9. Baseball has changed in that respect and one could argue that Fidrych's career was ruined long term by the events of 1976,but I would wager that he would not change very much considering how well a one year wonder was always remembered.
I was eight years old in 1976,playing organized baseball for the first time and Mark Fidrych was not only an influence on me on the field,but many others. I can only imagine how many little league managers were driven nuts in the late 70's by antics that kids took from Fidrych and added to their pre-teen repertoire. I remember quite a few games when I pitched where the impersonations likely drove my dad over the top,talking to the ball,jumping on the mound between pitches like I was on an invisible pogo stick etc.
I can see where that could be annoying and looking back,if I managed myself-I think I would have been ready to pull my hair out! However,the antics were fun and I don't remember any people getting really mad at me or any other practitioners,it was all in fun unlike many of the look at me players and their choreographed stunts of today. One never had the feeling that Fidrych was planning any of this routine,just a big gawky kid having a good time and if he made a few bucks off this,then that was a bonus.
Rarely,does it seem like a player that is one of the people make it to the top anymore. Mark Fidrych seemed like a normal guy that played because it was fun,the money was nice and no one turns money down,but he seemed like he was almost childlike in his enjoyment of what he did and maybe that is why he is fondly remembered by a generation that now is in their forties.
Pirate hooks
Isn't great to see Zach Duke off to such a good start? 2-0 and an ERA under 1! This is far too small of a sample to say Duke has returned to the form of his rookie season,but perhaps it took this long to finally get the Jim Colborn influence out of his game???
The Pirates host Houston tonight at PNC Park and I will be checking in on them during the Devils Game 1 effort against the Carolina Hurricanes. Ross Ohlendorf faces off against Mike Hampton at 7:05 weather permitting.
The Pirates and Neal Huntington have lusted for Dodger outfielder Delwyn Young for a long time and when Los Angeles designated him for assignment on Monday,it didn't take a mind much larger than Dave Littlefield's to figure out that either Young was coming to Pittsburgh or the Pirates were going to make every effort to do so. It was the former as Young was acquired for two players to be named later. What I wonder about (beside the two players going to LA) is where Young will play in the outfield. I find it hard to believe that the Pirates were so excited about getting Young over the winter that now that they have him,that they will sit him. This could be bad news for either Nyjer Morgan or Brandon Moss of the starters or likely (after finishing a possible rehab assignment) making Craig Monroe's stay in Pittsburgh a short one. I suppose Luis Cruz could be shipped to the minors to keep Monroe as well. Stay tuned...
Andy LaRoche does not have a hit and leads the team in errors. So why do I think he should still be in the lineup? Because you know what you have in Ramon Vasquez,you aren't sure yet in LaRoche (even though it looks pretty bad). Keep running him out there for a while,give Neil Walker longer in Indianapolis (Walker is off to a good start thus far) and see where everything stands on June 1st....
Finally,I will be back later today (hopefully) with the Devils playoff preview,and later tonight with coverage of both the Devils and the Pirates. I hope within a week or so to do our annual analysis of the Pirate farm systems top 15 prospects and talk a bit to Wilbur Miller when we do that.
