Bennett fat again? O'Flaherty looks good.

by Fischerking on Apr 8, 2009 8:35 AM EDT

Was it just me or did Bennett pack back on some of that weight that was so famously lost last year? That was troubling to me because last year he gave most of the credit for his success to his new diet that allowed him to be more effective for longer. If he was right then that might explain why he didn't look too hot in ST and shaky again last night. I hope his new rolls don't become a liability.

O'Flaherty is right up there with JJ for the Player of the Game for me. JJ had a great start to the season (though I think the wind could also get some player of the game votes) but Eric O came in at a crucial time in the ballgame and pitched a great 1 1/3 for us. Not only was it crucial because the Philly offense was threatening but also because this was the point in the game last year where they had a huge inning or two and came out on top. He shut them down. Hopefully he can build on this and prove some of the skeptics (including myself) wrong.

This FanPost does not express the views or opinions of Talking Chop.

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Soriano too

He doesn’t look nearly as lean and intimidating as he did two years ago. He’s put on some obvious weight and has yet to get that 98-100 mph velocity that warranted him a contract.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Apr 8, 2009 9:40 AM EDT reply actions

Not to contradict you

but i’ve followed Soriano for practically his entire ML career and I never remember him being a 98/100 mph thrower. I’m not saying he wasn’t able to dial it up to that level once or twice every once in a while but I would guarantee that was before his big injury. Since then he’s been consistently in the 92/95 range but it’s a much more effortless pitch than it was in his early seattle days.

I agree with bigjoe below, give him a little more time and we should see the real Sori come out.

You aren’t the czar of typographic emphasis

by scstrato on Apr 8, 2009 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions

2007

During that 2007 season, this is what I saw with due regularity:

I always watched the speedo because he dialed it up to 100 a few times, and the Ted went crazy each time. Perhaps it was the adrenaline of being the interim closer, but during that time when Wickman was on the DL for sucking, Soriano was out of this world with unhittable, blazing fast stuff that often hung around 97-99mph, with great control to boot. I noticed his struggles in 2008, and the loss of velocity, but it wasn’t long afterwards that he went out with his myriad of injuries.

There would be nothing more I’d like to see than a return to at least 93-95 range, and a glimpse of that 2007 form, and hopefully, with the time and warming of the weather, that’ll change.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Apr 8, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions

you watch speedo’s? Sick man.

"Ohhhh shit"-Bobby Cox

by 10-4 on Apr 8, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Well

I’ve never been one to believe the ballpark radars but nevertheless, right there in front of us is the proof. I’m off to eat my ~~crow~~ lunch now.

You aren’t the czar of typographic emphasis

by scstrato on Apr 8, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I was impress by O’Flaherty coming in, getting a flyball into the wind to end the threat, then getting 3 grounders by the top of the Phillie lineup (excluding the Utley hit). Hopefully Bobby eases him into the Ohman role as opposed to throwing him into the fire when things get out of control like he did with ring.

Soriano didn’t look BAD, but our opinion would have been different if he weren’t getting squeezed so horribly. Gonzo looked fine tonight, must have just been opening day jitters. The velocity on both of them will come…remember, it was fucking cold last night (I still wore a t-shirt though).

SWAGGA LIKE...Jordan!?
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club

by bigjoe on Apr 8, 2009 9:45 AM EDT reply actions

For some reason Peachtree TV doesn’t show the velocity of the pitches anymore, but Chip was saying that Soriano was only getting it up to 90 mph. Even fresh off of the DL Gonzalez was getting it up to 92-93 mph at times, and he’s supposed to be the slower of the two.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Apr 8, 2009 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions

Soriano had a weird spring, with the respiratory thing, and the oblique strain…give him some time to get looser.

SWAGGA LIKE...Jordan!?
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club

by bigjoe on Apr 8, 2009 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions

I had Gameday open for the velocities cause of that

And I think he was at 90-93 last night instead of the 92-98 from 2007.

by VictorW on Apr 8, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Just for my boy royhobbs

SORIANO AVERAGE FASTBALL SPEEDS
03: 93.8
04: 91.7
05: 92.8
06: 93.0
07: 94.6
08: 93.6

04, 05 he was hurt and missed nearly the entire season, and we know the story on 08. Notice the huge jump in velocity from 06 to 07. Also of note is that from 06 to 07, his FB% went from 67.9% to 76.7%, then back down to 65.6% in 08. The average speed on his slider also jumped from 06 to 07, before falling like a rock in 08. He used his slider a little less in 07 than 06, then that number went up like a rocket in 08…he stopped using his changeup a whole lot in 07, then used it a little more in 08. Also in 08, he started using some random mystery pitch a good bit, and I have no idea what it is.

SWAGGA LIKE...Jordan!?
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club

by bigjoe on Apr 8, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice...

throwing him into the fire when things get out of control like he did with ring.

I see what you did there…

"People need help, and you know how to help them."

by VegasAces on Apr 8, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions

what did he do there?

by TradeAndruw on Apr 8, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Used “fire” talking about Ring.

"People need help, and you know how to help them."

by VegasAces on Apr 8, 2009 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions

I think it is the blue jerseys.

I’ve been saying that a lot in my head the past two days, “He looks fat.”

Oh, Bobby.

by sdp on Apr 8, 2009 9:59 AM EDT reply actions

Maybe they should add some vertical stripes. Isn’t that supposed to make people appear thinner?

by dunnytwogloves on Apr 8, 2009 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions

didnt work for david wells in the bronx.

by !Vive la Francoeur! on Apr 8, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I talked to Bennett in ST and he told me he’s gained back almost all of the weight he lost. We were talking about how some people just have the body type that wants to add weight and that he just wasn’t willing to work his ass off and eat rabbit food to maintain a weight that his body just didn’t want him to have.

"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Apr 8, 2009 11:33 AM EDT reply actions

There’s a joke here about your ex-girlfriend, but I’m not going to go there again. :)

I just finished checking out the MiLB transactions (as we were talking about about in the other thread). Didn’t expect the Mexican League ones to be in Spanish – ugh.

"People need help, and you know how to help them."

by VegasAces on Apr 8, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions