Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

Do we need any more evidence that the offenses in the NL are putrid? Jeff Karstens pitching a perfect game. Good God.

Hey, Baileywalk: do we need any more evidence that Neal Huntington knows what he's doing? ;-) I am telling you, keep an eye on the Bucs in '10 and beyond....

By the way, isn't the NL leading the AL in runs per game this year?

Here's an interesting take on Karstens' performance today:

http://www.bucsdugout.com/2008/8/6/588236/jeff-karstens-takes-perfec

Huntington may or may not know what he is doing, but he'd be lying if he said he expected much from Karstens. He was a throw-in -- a guy possibly capable of being a fifth starter who could step into the rotation right now. As his best, Karstens is average.

He seemed like a really nice guy and I wish him well. I hope he pitches well for the rest of the year. But he's still the Scary Fly Ball guy and he will get hit eventually. You can't survive -- even in the NL -- with no velocity or movement on your fastball and with an extreme (negative) flyball/groundball ratio.

Jim, with Joba now on the DL, the starting rotation is now Pettitte, Moose and 3 question marks with Ponson, Giese and now Kennedy who will epalce Joba in the rotation. The Yanks need pitchers to start games right now. Wheither they can make the playoffs is looking bleak right now. Kennedy just like Ponson and Rasner was, is being judge on a start by start basis.
Karstens has been lucky that no one in the NL has seen him pitch so far. The real Kaestens willshow up sooner or later.
Karstens has been lucky that NL teams have not seen him pitch. The real Karstens will show up sooner or later.

Evidently good news on Joba, if the Yankees can be believed. Still no word from anyone on how Garcia looked in his workout. Anyone hear anything?

from foxsports.com and Ken Rosenthal..

"The reports on Freddy Garcia's workout at the University of Miami on Tuesday were lukewarm. One scout reported to his club that Garcia was "so-so." Another questioned Garcia's conditioning. Garcia, coming off shoulder surgery, threw 85 to 86 mph, topping out at 87, but his velocity figures to increase once he starts pitching in game situations. However, when asked if Garcia could contribute by Sept. 1, one executive said, "I doubt it." . . ."

Nice to see you back Bob. We miss you while you were out in Rockport.
Base on what Ken Rosenthal wrote on Foxsports.com, you can cross out Freddy Garcia as a canadated to help the Yanks rotation. Joba has rotator cuff tendinitis on his right shoulder. He will rest for a week before he begins a throwing problem. At least Joba is not ruled out for the rest of the season yet.
Rosenthal is also reporting that Padres outfielder Brain Giles was claimed on waivers. He doesn't reveal what team claim Giles. The Padres have 48 hours to work out a trade with claiming team. The Padres can pull Giles off the waiver wire or led him go to the claiming team. The Claiming team is willing to take on Giles contract. Giles does have a partical no-trade clause where he can veto any deal with 8 teams: Orioles, Red Sox, Tigers, Rays, Marlins, Brewers, Pirates and Nationals. So if the Mets claim him, they can make a deal for Giles.

Thanks, Bob.

If the Padres trade Giles, look for Will Venable, son of former major league outfielder Max Venable, to take his place.

If this happens, the Padres will have two players who played both basketball and baseball at Princeton on their roster - Will and Chris Young. Young only played in the NIT, while Venable played in the NCAA tournament

full disclosure...Max is a former teammate, and Will and Chris are fellow Princeton alumns

The key to Karstens' success, Baileywalk, is not whether he gives up home runs but whether men are on base when they occur. If he keeps pounding the strike zone like he's done in these two Pittsburgh starts, then he may rise to league average.

Why did everyone laugh at me when I wrote in the hours after the NYY-Pitt trade that Karsten's can be good? Now he is good. Whether he will stay good, is an entirely different question.

Dennis, if the Yankees qualify for the playoffs, the Steinbrenners should give you two free tickets to every game.

I wrote a story about Garcia. It doesn't sound encouraging. If the Yankees sign him, it will be a Hail Mary pass.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spgarcia0807,0,5724928.story

Kind of like the Jets acquiring Favre, Ken...?

He can pound the strikezone all he wants; he doesn't have a single plus pitch. He throws a straight four-seamer that tops out at 90 on a good day (but is more in that 86-88 range) and a decent changeup. If his control is not spot-on, he gets hammered. The Karstens of '07, with the 2.45 WHIP, is more likely to be the one you'll see. It's hard to survive as a flyball pitcher when you can't strike people out.

Again, Baileywalk, he will give up his share of home runs but there's nothing wrong with giving up the long ball, as long as a good chunk of them are of the solo variety. His WHIP from '07 is not representative of his makeup. Karstens is a smart kid who can adjust as the game (and season) progresses, all the more possible by being able to throw four different pitches for strikes.