{"id":571895,"date":"2010-05-20T13:45:52","date_gmt":"2010-05-20T17:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,yhoo:20050301:fantasy,article,yhoo-ept_sports_fantasy_experts-242567:1"},"modified":"2010-05-20T13:45:52","modified_gmt":"2010-05-20T17:45:52","slug":"lames-dan-haren-snake-bitten-in-the-desert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/571895","title":{"rendered":"Lames: Dan Haren, snake bitten in the desert"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>
<\/p>\n

Want to slam the Noise for his Clayton Kershaw<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span>
\n analysis or misguided projections? Humiliate him in 140 characters or
\nless on Twitter<\/a>. And click
\nhere to follow
\nRoto Arcade on Facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

When
\ncompared to other major sports, baseball is more individualistic. Even the most
\ncasual fans are obsessed with specific player achievement. Cursory questions around
\noffice water coolers typify this common perception: <\/p>\n

Did A-Rod go yard today? How many Ks
\ndid Tim Lincecum<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> rack last night? Milton Bradley<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> dropped how many F-bombs?
<\/em><\/p>\n

However,
\nwhen it comes to pitchers, the game, similar to the rest of the Big Four, is
\nunmistakably team oriented. Often times, a starter is only as good as the sum
\nof all parts. <\/p>\n

Arizona’s Dan Haren<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> knows the feeling.<\/a><\/p>\n

The popular
\nearly round choice, who historically has been one of virtual baseball’s most
\ndependable April\/May performers, has struggled mightily out of the gates.
\nThough his K\/9, which has steadily risen in seven consecutive seasons,
\ncurrently stands at a career-best 9.35, his walks and HR\/FB percentage are up
\nsignificantly. The upswings in those critical areas have inflated his ERA to an
\nunsavory 4.83. <\/p>\n

As with any
\npitcher, Haren is responsible for specific statistical outcomes. But Arizona’s historically
\nbad bullpen is beginning to take a psychological toll on the three-time All-Star.\n<\/p>\n

If the
\nrighty logged long sessions on Freud’s couch, he would likely admit to haunting
\nnightmares involving late-inning implosions. Chad Qualls<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> (7.07 ERA) and Juan Gutierrez<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span>
\n(8.62), among others, are real-life bogeymen. Only cackling circus clowns
\nriding Great White Sharks are more frightening. <\/p>\n

Arizona’s fangless ‘pen is on pace to be one
\nof the worst in baseball history. Over 109.1 innings, the despicable unit has
\nposted a 7.90 ERA. That’s over 1.70 average runs allowed more than the
\nsecond-worst backend staff in the league, Milwaukee.
\nIf the D-Backs continue at that level of generosity, they will be the first
\nteam since 1930 to finish a season with a bullpen ERA above 7.00. Torched by
\nthe long-ball, walks and wildness, the Snakes, suffice it to say, are Shawn
\nKemp slutty. <\/p>\n

Cerebrally,
\nHaren is a train-wreck right now. Outward looks of pain and anguish have become
\ncommonplace. After his last start, definitely one of the worst of his desert
\ncareer (4.1 IP, 6 ER at Atl), dejection replaced confidence. From MLB.com<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\n

"That’s as bad as I’ve been as a Diamondback probably,"
\nHaren said. "I didn’t have it. Nothing behind the ball. I was in trouble
\nearly, couldn’t put anyone away. I was really pitching with the cutter. That
\nwas the only thing I really had. Struggled to throw strikes. I guess it was
\njust one of those days. It definitely didn’t feel good." <\/p>\n

"Warming up in the bullpen, I didn’t feel great, but a
\nlot of times you go out there and figure it out," Haren said. "I was
\nreally fighting myself. I was looking for stuff that wasn’t there." <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Plagued by
\nplain bad luck (.357 BABIP) and poor end-game support, his overall worth should
\nbe substantially higher. According to Baseball Monster<\/a>, he’s currently the
\n67th-best starter in fantasy. Still, the consummate teammate isn’t pointing
\nfingers at the deserving. Instead, he’s placing blame on himself. From Fox
\nSports Arizona<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\n

"I haven’t
\npitched well enough. I’ve had my struggles. I’ve given up a lot of hits, more
\nthan I am accustomed to. I’m frustrated. I need to get better," he said. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Team-wide
\ninconsistencies are obviously battering Haren mentally. Outside two ERA-bashing
\nstarts, he’s pitched extraordinarily well. His increased reliance on cutters
\nand splitters outside the zone has routinely perplexed hitters. As his 3.56 FIP
\nimplies, a positive ERA correction is imminent, especially toeing the rubber
\noften against other NL West members. A turnaround should be expected, but keep
\nin mind the righty has historically stumbled down the stretch. After the break,
\nhe’s notched a career 4.21 ERA and 1.32 WHIP (3.23, 1.08 Pre). Regardless of the
\ntrack-record, opportunistic owners should pounce. <\/p>\n

Yogi Berra
\nonce said, "Ninety percent of the game is half mental." Unless Saul
\nRivera<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Carlos Rosa<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Cesar Valdez<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> miraculously reverse the bullpen’s
\nmisfortunes, Haren’s value, specifically in wins, could remain in a straight jacket. <\/p>\n

Fearless Forecast (rest of season):
\n168.1 IP, 9 W, 3.34 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 161 K<\/strong><\/p>\n

— <\/p>\n

CATEGORY KILLER<\/strong>
\nVampiristic commodity sucking
\nthe life out of your team owned in a majority of Yahoo! leagues<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>Gordon Beckham<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> ChW,
\n2B\/3B (51-percent owned)<\/strong>: Do you believe in sophomore slumps? Beckham has
\ndestroyed more franchises than Megan Fox’s "acting" ability<\/a>. The multi-positional
\ninfielder has recorded just five two-plus hit games this year. He also has the
\nsame number of extra-base knocks as marooned first baseman Chris Davis<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span> An
\nincrease in strikeout percentage (23.1) and reversal in GB\/FB (1.29) are to
\nblame statistically for Beckham’s swoon. Though he sat the past two games in
\nfavor of mummified veteran Omar Vizquel<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Ozzie Guillen remains loyal<\/a> to the youngster as
\nhis everyday second baseman. Due to his sluggish start, he won’t be able to
\nmeet the lofty year-two expectations pundits placed preseason, but he’s far too talented not to rebound.\n<\/p>\n

3…2…1…IMPLOSION!<\/strong>
\nWidely owned starter
\nwho will soon maim an innocent Gatorade cooler<\/em> <\/p>\n

\n<\/a>Yovani Gallardo<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> Mil
\n(5\/22 at Min, 98 percent-owned): <\/strong>Gallardo will likely become the 16th
\npitcher in big league history to toss a perfect game. As the peanut gallery
\nscreamed last week, our negative commentary on Ricky Romero<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> spurred the Jays
\nstarter to the greatest start of his young career. Still, El Chupacabra’s
\nmatchup is unfavorable. The Twins have played brilliantly at home indicative in
\ntheir 12-6 record. Ten times they’ve reached the five run mark at Target Field.
\nGallardo has walked a tightrope for much of the season, indicative in his
\nunsettling 4.92 BB\/9 and 25.6 line-drive rate. Eventually the free
\npasses\/hard contact combination will come back to haunt him. Though he’s been almost
\nuntouchable on the road (1.86 ERA, 41 K in 29 IP), the peripheries suggest a
\nrough outing or two are ahead. <\/p>\n

SABER SLEUTH<\/strong>
\nUncovering fantasy’s
\nlucky bastards one decimal place at a time<\/em> <\/p>\n

\n<\/a>Alfonso Soriano<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> ChC,
\nOF (89-percent owned)<\/strong>: Thus far, the Noise has been very wrong about Fonzy.
\nAs an adoring Cubs fan, we’re pleased the reverse psychology has worked.
\nSwinging the bat with renewed vigor, he’s notched a .320 BA with seven homers
\nand 23 RBI. Still, Soriano has benefited from Lady Luck. His .370 BABIP and
\n25.3 line-drive percentage are unsustainable. Striking out at a similar clip as
\nlast season and pulling the ball more (0.48 GB\/FB), a BA regression to the
\n.275-.285 range is likely. You have to like his improvement with sliders over
\nthe outer portion, but Soriano isn’t going to establish new career benchmarks
\nin hits and BA at 34. When it’s all said and done, the difference between him
\nand Jonny Gomes<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> might be closer than you think. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Image courtesy of the AP <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want to slam the Noise for his Clayton Kershaw(notes) analysis or misguided projections? Humiliate him in 140 characters or less on Twitter. And click here to follow Roto Arcade on Facebook. When compared to other major sports, baseball is more individualistic. Even the most casual fans are obsessed with specific player achievement. Cursory questions around […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5446,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-571895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5446"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571895\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}