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SaberSphere 4/10: Strasburg, Axford and Dominican Baseball Academies

John Axford is a mess to start the season. Is there something that needs to be fixed or is he mainly experiencing some serious bad luck? Is Hyun-Jin Ryu the real deal and what do batters have to do to beat Yu Darvish this year? All this and more in Wednesday's SaberSphere.

Tom Lynn

The first week of the season is in the books and there's plenty of baseball to be written about. Jered Weaver broke his left elbow and may be out for four to six weeks, putting even more pressure on the Angels' offense. Did you know Stephen Strasburg has yet to pitch in the eighth inning yet? Take a look at some of these noteworthy articles from around the SaberSphere.

Previously on Beyond the Box Score

Around the Sabersphere

  • Just How Broken is John Axford, Really? by Jeff Sullivan | FanGraphs Baseball
    Jeff Sullivan wonders if John Axford is really as screwed up as his peripherals suggest. Last night, he took the loss after giving up three more earned runs. In this article, much of his disastrous opening week to the season can be attributed to bad luck.

  • For Halladay, The Problem Is Everything by Ryan Sommers | Crashburn Alley
    Something is definitely wrong with Roy Halladay. Either he's hurt, physically or mentally, or this is one of the most drastic declines of a pitching great I've ever seen. Ryan Sommers over at Crashburn Alley examines Doc's drastically lower release point and his poor location on his sinker and cutter. Will there be a learning curve for Halladay to transform himself into a finesse pitcher or is he going to be a back end starter for the rest of his career?

  • Anatomy of a Really Bad Call by Jeff Sullivan | FanGraphs Baseball
    Jeff Sullivan analyzes Marty Foster's awful call at the end of the Rays and Rangers game on Monday night. The pitch really wasn't as horrible as it looks due to AJ Pierzynski's poor glovework but this truly changed the outcome of a meaningful game.

  • Roberto Hernandez: New Name, New Team, New Pitcher? by Michael Barr | FanGraphs Baseball
    Roberto Hernandez, or Fausto Carmona, whichever you prefer, was signed by the Rays this offseason. In 2007, he was a great, extreme groundball pitcher but battled injuries and regressed through the following seasons. The Rays are known for their ability of recreating pitchers so will Hernandez be another Tampa success story?

Around SB Nation

Outside the Sabersphere

  • Previewing Coachella by Steven Hyden | Grantland
    This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year, Coachella. Last year was an incredible experience but I'm extremely excited about this upcoming lineup. I never thought Blur would be getting back together to play a show here in the US. Steven Hyden actually believes the lineups for these music festivals are becoming more and more interchangeable. The only difference between Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Coachella anymore seems to be their setting.

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