Rick Ankiel has 12 strikeouts in his last 13 at-bats

By Aaron GleemanApr 9, 2013, 12:16 PM EST
13 Comments

Rick Ankiel, like the Astros as a whole, hasn’t been the same since Opening Night.

Ankiel delivered a pinch-hit homer off Derek Lowe in the Astros’ season-opening win over the Rangers, but since then he’s come to the plate 13 times and here are the results:

Strikeout
Strikeout
Strikeout
Line Out
Strikeout
Strikeout
Strikeout
Strikeout
Strikeout
Strikeout
Strikeout
Strikeout
Strikeout

That would be 0-for-13 with 12 strikeouts and a line out, which makes the Opening Day excitement seem like it was a million years ago.

(Complicated handshake to David Cameron of Fan Graphs for taking notice of Ankiel’s stretch.)

Orioles re-sign Jace Peterson

Getty Images
By Craig CalcaterraNov 21, 2018, 12:13 PM EST
1 Comment

Because baseball teams have to have 25 guys — and because someone has to be that 25h guy — the Orioles have re-signed utilityman Jace Peterson. It’s a minor league contract so he may not be the actual 25th man but, c’mon, he’s gonna be the 25th man. Let’s get real here.

Peterson hit .195/.308/.325 in 200 at-bats for the Orioles last season. That’s not good, but he can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield. He can’t play them particularly well, but you know that thing Casey Stengel said about how catchers are important because without them there are a lot of passed balls? Same goes for third base and stuff. Again: Orioles.

I was going to add that he was the only player in MLB history named “Jace,” but Jace Fry exists, so he doesn’t even have that distinction anymore, and that’s kind of a bummer.

Happy Thanksgiving.