SD @ LAA

• Joe Saunders comes from a high 3/4 release and features a 4-seam fastball with some natural sink and it flashes fade, a slurvy 11-4 curveball with some depth, a harder curve that he uses more to strike hitters out while the slurvy one is a steal strike type pitch, a slider that is a harder curve movement wise with good bite and a change that shows good fade and sink and looks like a fastball out of his hand. He keeps everything down and rarely misses up in the zone and he has above average command. Solid # 4 starter.

1st: FB (88-92), CB (75-76), SL (83)

2nd: FB (88-91), CB (71), SL (78), CU (82-83)

3rd: FB (88-91), CB (78), SL (79-81), CU (82)

4th: FB (90-91), CB (74), CU (81-83)

5th: FB (89-91), CB (73-78), SL (83), CU (82)

6th: FB (88-90), CB (75-76), SL (80), CU (82)

7th: FB (88-90), CB (73), SL (79-81), CU (81)

8th: FB (87-90), SL (82), CU (79-82)

9th: FB (87-89), CB (73-75), SL (80-81), CU (80-82)

• Josh Geer opposed him and I could write his scouting report in my sleep. He attacks from a high 3/4 release with a fastball that shows good fade and sink, a change that mvoes like his fastball but on a greater level and a 1-7 slider with good bite.

1st: FB (82-87), SL (76-81), CU (74-77)

2nd: FB (85-87), SL (77-81), CU (74-76)

3rd: FB (84-87), SL (79-82), CU (74-76)

4th: FB (84-86), SL (81), CU (72-76)

5th: FB (83-87), SL (81), CU (75-77)

6th: FB (83-87), SL (77-80), CU (74-76)

• Joe Thatcher is a sidearming lefty who features a fastball with some run and a little sink and a sweeping 9-3 slider that is average.

6th: FB (86), SL (76)

7th: FB (85-87), SL (75-77)

• Greg Burke comes from a high 3/4 release and shows a fastball with good fade and sink and a 2-7 slider with decent bite.

8th: FB (88-90), SL (82-83)

• Kevin Jepsen is a 6-3, 215 pound righty. The 24 year old has a medium to big frame that is maxed out. I was hoping to see him, as I heard he had a plus fastball and he disappointed me a little bit. His fastball is a 4-seam with some fade and will flash run at other times (meaning I saw 2 fastballs, one had some fade, one ran). His curve is a power curve that is a 12-6 pitch with good depth, though it didn't appear to be a great K pitch (the one I saw). Too early to tell, but looks like a set-up man ceiling. Hope to see him some more.

9th: FB (93-94), CB (83)

• Sean Rodriguez is a 6-1, 215 pound 23 year old. The righty hitter/thrower got a pinch hit appearance. He has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle if he wants to move to a corner (probably to 225), but not if he wants to stay in the middle due to the loss of mobility he would suffer. He has a straight on stance with his weight on his back leg and holds the bat in front of him a little behind his back shoulder. He has a little bit of a bat wiggle and his trigger is a stride and a cocking of the bat. His single was a seeing eye single in the 5-6 hole that wasn't well hit. Looked good defensively at 2B and made a nice play. Another guy I won't even try to venture a guess at until I see him in a full game.

Played 1 of the games (other got rained out) and my body is kind of beat up. In the game, I got cleated, but somehow it is towards the upper middle part of my leg. Tried to turn a double play and I guess he came in cleats up. Then, the kid that hit that grounder tried to steal and we caught him, but he decided to pull an olympic like slide and put his hand up in the air and clocked me in the face. If one more thing like that would have happened in that game, I would have went off.

Got a chart and the Nats-Rays tomorrow featuring James Shields and Ross Detwiler.

Chart Observations: ATL @ BAL

• Jason Berken comes from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some fade, a change with good fade and a little sink, a 1-8 slider with okay bite and a big-breaking 12-6 curveball with solid depth. He will throw his change to righties and was primarily FB-CB-CU in this game after featuring his SL more in prior starts. Berken may be able to help you as a reliever if his fastball picks up a couple ticks, but he is not a starter.

1st: FB (91-93), SL (84), CU (83-86), CB (78-80)

2nd: FB (91-94), SL (84), CU (81-83), CB (77)

3rd: FB (91-93), CU (83), CB (78-79)

4th: FB (91-94), SL (84), CU (80-83), CB (75-78)

5th: FB (90-93), CU (82-83), CB (77-79)

• Tommy Hanson comes from a high 3/4 release. His fastball shows some fade and sink. His slider is a 2-8 offering with some bite, though it can also flatten out and move like a cutter at times. His curve is a 1-7 offering with good depth and his change shows some fade and decent sink. He threw more changes in this outing and even threw it to righties. Hanson will throw any pitch in any count, though his command wasn't as good in this outing as his debut.

1st: FB (90-95), SL (84-86), CB (73-75), CU (83)

2nd: FB (91-95), SL (85), CB (75), CU (84-86)

3rd: FB (91-94), SL (84-86), CB (75-76), CU (84)

4th: FB (90-93), SL (85-86), CB (73-75)

5th: FB (91-94), SL (85-87), CB (76), CU (82-84)

6th: FB (91-93), SL (85-86), CB (75-76)

• Matt Albers comes from a 3/4 release with a fastball that shows good fade and sink and a 2-8 curve that can be slurvy or show good late bite.

5th: FB (91-94), CB (80)

6th: FB (91-93), CB (79-83)

7th: FB (92)

• Peter Moylan is a sidearmer who showed a fastball with some fade and sink and a sweeping slider that is a 3-8 offering.

6th: FB (91), CB (76-78)

• Eric O'Flaherty comes from a high 3/4 release with a fastball that has some late run and a little sink, a change with some fade and a little sink and a sweeping, late breaking 10-4 slider. He will throw his change to lefties. Like him if he stays in this 7th inning role.

7th: FB (92), SL (85), CU (81-85)

• Alberto Castillo is a 33 year old lefty. The 6-3, 220 pounder hsa a medium to big frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from a 3/4 release with a fastball with some late fade and a slurvy 10-4 slider that is also loopy. He is trying to be a late blooming LOOGY, but I think he is just an extra arm.

7th: FB (90-91), SL (79-81)

• Jim Johnson comes from an over the top release and shows a fastball with some natural sink that flashes fade, a big breaking 12-6 curveball wtih good depth and a change that shows a little fade.

7th: FB (94-96), CB (82), CU (87)

• Rafael Soriano came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some fade and sink, a 2-7 slider with good bite, though he can over throw it at times and it will flatten out to look like a cutter.

8th: FB (90-96), SL (84-86)

• Mark Hendrickson is a 6-9, 240 pound lefty. The 34 year old has a big frame that can add more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4 release. His fastball shows some fade and sink. His curveball is an 11-4 offering with good depth. His change shows good fade and a little sink. His cutter has decent cut. Doesn't kill you as a swingman, but may be in the wrong organization, as I can't see him lasting the whole season with the arms they have on the way.

8th: FB (87-90), CU (81), CB (73-74), Cut (86-87)

9th: FB (88), CU (79), CB (73-74), Cut (85)

• Mike Gonzalez comes from a high 3/4 release with a fastball that is a pretty straight 4-seam and a 10-4 slider with good bite.

9th: FB (92-95), SL (83-85)

Got the Padres-Angels game tonight. Originally was supposed to be Jake Peavy, but he got hurt now and I am left to watch Josh Geer. Again. He will be facing Joe Saunders. Getting ready to leave for my doubleheader now. I am going to sleep so good Sunday night.

HOU @ ARI

• Dan Haren (the subject of a debate on here, just glad there was some convo for a little, cough POST COMMENTS cough) was back on the hill and he comes from an over the top release. His curveball is a 12-6 with good depth, his fastball shows good fade and sink, his split shows plus dive and is a pitch he typically buries for his out pitch and his cutter has good late cut and a little sink. All his pitches are above average and they play up due to his plus-plus command, as he may have left 3 or 4 pitches in the middle of the plate all night. Still a really good # 2 starter in my eyes. If there is a modern pitcher that is comparable to Greg Maddux, your looking at him.

1st: FB (90-91), CB (77-79), Split (86), Cut (84-88)

2nd: FB (89-91), CB (77-78), Split (83), Cut (86-87)

3rd: FB (90-91), CB (77-79), Split (84), Cut (85-87)

4th: FB (90-92), CB (78-79), Split (82-84), Cut (85-88)

5th: FB (90-91), CB (78-79), Cut (85-87)

6th: FB (90-93), CB (76-79), Cut (85-88)

7th: FB (88-90), CB (76), Cut (84-86)

8th: FB (88-91), CB (77), Cut (85-88)

9th: FB (89-92), CB (76), Cut (84-88)

• Mike Hampton, a 5-10, 195 pound 36 year old opposed him. The lefty has a small frame that can add a little more muscle, but likely won't. He comes from a high 3/4 release and has a larger repetoire then most. He throws a straight 4-seam, a 2-seam with good fade and sink, a cutter that moves like a SL and is a 11-4 type pitch, a curveball that is an 11-5 pitch with good depth and a change with sink and fade similar to his 2-seam. He is a tough guy to chart, let alone try and pick out pitches at full speed, but below is my best attempt at him.

1st: 4-Seam (87-89), 2-Seam (84-85), CB (76-77), CU (78-82), Cut (85-87)

2nd: 4 (87-90), 2 (84-86), CB (79), CU (80-82), Cut (85-86)

3rd: 4 (87-91), 2 (83-85), CB (78), CU (78-82), Cut (87)

4th: 4 (86-89), 2 (82-85), CU (77), Cut (83-88)

5th: 4 (87-88), 2 (81), CU (78-79), Cut (82-86)

• Brandon Backe finished the game and came from a high 3/4 release showing a fastball with a little fade, a change with good fade and some sink that he threw only to Stephen Drew (scouting report out on him maybe, as this was the first time Backe threw changes in the outings I have done for him), a hard 12-6 slider and a curve with similar movement but a bigger break. His cutter movement is hard to see from the naked eye and looks to be fairly marginal.

6th: FB (89-90), SL (80-81), CB (75-77), CU (81-82), Cut (87-88)

7th: FB (88-90), SL (81), CB (75-76), Cut (87-88)

8th: FB (86-90), SL (81-82), CB (71-76), CU (83)

Tomorrow will be a day from hell. I have a chart, a doubleheader for baseball and a 10 o clock score. Crap.

As always, if there are any pitchers/hitters you would like me to see, give me a game date and I will check it out on off days and provide an extra report (Will - Masterson start?)