MLB: 2014 Regular Season Thread

jack presley

On a positive note, holiday in the States today so loads of day baseball!

Ike Davis makes his return to CitiField where he wasn't able to hit to save his life for the past 2.5 years. What are the odds on a few home runs this series?

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

On a positive note, holiday in the States today so loads of day baseball!

Ike Davis makes his return to CitiField where he wasn't able to hit to save his life for the past 2.5 years. What are the odds on a few home runs this series?

almost guaranteed I would imagine!

Itssoeasy

Well **** me. 4-2 pirates over the mets top 9.

jack presley

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Well **** me. 4-2 pirates over the mets top 9.

I think they've found every stupid way possible to lose this weekend.

jack presley

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Well **** me. 4-2 pirates over the mets top 9.

I've always like terry Collins but I think it's time for him to go. His management of the bullpen has always been poor but in this 7-17 run in May, he has made some awful decisions.

EDIT - And just like that, they fire their hitting coach and release Jose Valverde. While releasing Valverde is well overdue (absolute joke that he ever got on the team in the first place) I don't think it's the hitting coach's fault that the players can't hit. What's the phrase?, you can't make a diamond out of a turd.

(hopefully I'll be able to post some positive news at some stage to balance all my negativity)

Itssoeasy

jack presley wrote: »

I think they've found every stupid way possible to lose this weekend.

I'm convinced the players are having wagers on which one of them can make the biggest feck up. I don't think firing the hitting coach is going to change much really.

Coeus

jack presley wrote: »

(hopefully I'll be able to post some positive news at some stage to balance all my negativity)

Sorry to add to the negativity but Noah Syndergaard has been placed on the minor league DL with an elbow strain and sent for further examination

jack presley

Coeus wrote: »

Sorry to add to the negativity but Noah Syndergaard has been placed on the minor league DL with an elbow strain and sent for further examination

Yeah, good chance the dreaded Tommy John is on the cards.

Benimar

jack presley wrote: »

I
EDIT - And just like that, they fire their hitting coach and release Jose Valverde. While releasing Valverde is well overdue (absolute joke that he ever got on the team in the first place) I don't think it's the hitting coach's fault that the players can't hit. What's the phrase?, you can't make a diamond out of a turd.

I know teams tend to act quickly in Baseball, but Valverde seemed to be released as soon as the game was over! It sounds like he walked into the locker room, had his gear thrown at him and told to GTFO!!

jack presley

Benimar wrote: »

I know teams tend to act quickly in Baseball, but Valverde seemed to be released as soon as the game was over! It sounds like he walked into the locker room, had his gear thrown at him and told to GTFO!!

Still wasn't quick enough. He should have been given his P45 while still on the mound!

circular flexing

What is going on with the Tigers at the moment? Watched most of their game against the A's yesterday and they really got walloped around including back to back home runs and a grand slam.

Interesting coincidence that they seem to be on a downward spiral since this incident

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/05/detroit_tigers_charter_flight.html

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

So the Nats just cant beat the damn Marlins .. WTF!

jack presley

circular flexing wrote: »

.

Interesting coincidence that they seem to be on a downward spiral since this incident

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2014/05/detroit_tigers_charter_flight.html

The cancelled flight or the choice of clothing?

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

So the Nats just cant beat the damn Marlins .. WTF!

Miami are a good team, much better than anyone outside their own organisation predicted. I don't know if they'll last but as long as Stanton keeps hitting bombs, they'll certainly make it interesting.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

Miami are a good team, much better than anyone outside their own organisation predicted. I don't know if they'll last but as long as Stanton keeps hitting bombs, they'll certainly make it interesting.

Thats true and to be fair last night Miami only gave up three hits. But if the Nats want to compete at the business end of the season they have to start winning these series against Miami and the rest of the division. Its frustrating.

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

Its frustrating.

That's baseball in a nutshell. A great game but damn frustrating when your team is struggling.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

That's baseball in a nutshell. A great game but damn frustrating when your team is struggling.

It definitely is. Standings aside this is an important series for the nats, we've a tough road trip coming up. I think we need a win over the Marlins to get the heads right.

jack presley

Jaysus Ollie, things must be bad in Cincinnati if ye have to resort to signing Carlos Marmol.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24573648/reds-to-sign-carlos-marmol

I know it's only a minor league deal that'll probably amount to nothing but it's still a bit weird.

rockonollie

jack presley wrote: »

Jaysus Ollie, things must be bad in Cincinnati if ye have to resort to signing Carlos Marmol.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24573648/reds-to-sign-carlos-marmol

I know it's only a minor league deal that'll probably amount to nothing but it's still a bit weird.

Actually, it's just that......things are bad in Louisville......they've blown more leads than the Reds' bullpen have.

jack presley

rockonollie wrote: »

Actually, it's just that......things are bad in Louisville......they've blown more leads than the Reds' bullpen have.

Teams don't sign major league players who shore up a minor league team's bullpen though. A Minor League team's record isn't considered important by the parent club. All they want is to ensure the growth and improvement of players to eventually help in the major leagues (management of the minor league teams think differently of course).

So even though Marmol is signed to a minor league contract, they wouldn't have signed him unless they think he has a chance of playing in Cincinnati. Louisville or wherever he his sent is basically his trial to see if he still has anything left.

rockonollie

I don't think it's that they signed him because of a desperate need in Cincinnati.....as the article said, it equates to a lottery ticket......I find it hard to believe that a pitcher just forgets how to pitch, Marmol was a top quality closer, and I'm sure the Reds are willing to see if their pitching coaches can discover his previous form......in the short-term it helps out the Louisville club......and being a low value minor league contract, the Reds can sit and see if he finds his control again, then either give him another shot at the majors, or cut him loose if he doesn't

It's a no risk move with high potential (although unlikely) reward.

jack presley

rockonollie wrote: »

I don't think it's that they signed him because of a desperate need in Cincinnati.....as the article said, it equates to a lottery ticket......I find it hard to believe that a pitcher just forgets how to pitch, Marmol was a top quality closer, and I'm sure the Reds are willing to see if their pitching coaches can discover his previous form......in the short-term it helps out the Louisville club......and being a low value minor league contract, the Reds can sit and see if he finds his control again, then either give him another shot at the majors, or cut him loose if he doesn't

It's a no risk move with high potential (although unlikely) reward.

Yeah, thats it in a nutshell. Try him out and if it works, great. if it doesn't, it won't have cost you much and you move on.

The danger for the Reds* is something along the lines of what happened the Mets this Spring. They gave similar deals to pitchers kind of in the same boat as Marmol (Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Valverde) and both pitched ok if not great in ST but did enough to convince the team that they should be given a shot in the majors. Now 2 months into the season and after both throwing away a number of games, both have been cut (twice in the case of KF). Experiments that should have ended in Florida!

* The Reds probably have competent management though

rockonollie

jack presley wrote: »

* The Reds probably have competent management though

HOW DARE YOU!

I will not tolerate such outlandish statements.

jack presley

rockonollie wrote: »

HOW DARE YOU!

I will not tolerate such outlandish statements.

What's the word in Cincinnati about the team at the moment? Two losses in a row now for Johnny Cueto although only one was probably down to him.

I know they've had their injuries but who hasn't this season? Every team seems to be getting decimated. Too early to be panicking I think, but is there any concern yet?

jack presley

rockonollie wrote: »

HOW DARE YOU!

I will not tolerate such outlandish statements.

On the bright side, it looks like your ballpark has the best value for beer/grub at games.

http://money.cnn.com/interactive/news/economy/mlb-prices/

rockonollie

There's definitely concern......but I'd like to see what they do in a 2-3 week stretch with their full team (which they haven't had this season) before I throw in the towel....Latos and Votto should be back next week.

I know everyone has had injuries.....but I don't think there have been any worse than the Reds.......not many teams are going to stay in contention with the amount of games missed by starters.

Their projected opening day roster;

Fielders:
Hamilton (missed 6)
Phillips
Votto (missed 10 to date)
Ludwick
Bruce (Missed 16)
Frazier
Mesoraco (Missed 27)
Cozart

Bench:
Hannahan (Missed all games)
Santiago
Heisey
Bernadina
Pena

Rotation:
Cueto
Latos (Missed all games)
Bailey
Leake
Cingrani (Missed 3 starts)

Bullpen:
Simon
Ondrusek (Missed 13 games)
Parra
Bell (Missed 41 games)
Marshall (Missed 18 games)
Broxton (Missed 9 games)
Chapman (Missed 37 games)

jack presley

While that list does look bad, I'm sure fans of most teams could do something similar. For example, my Mets won't have two of their starters or their closer for the entire year. Two other starters have been on the 15 day DL. Each of the 4 outfielders has had a stint on the DL as well and these are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

And the Mets aren't anyway near the worst affected. The Braves lost 3 of their starters in Spring Training. The Nats (as TRDA will confirm) have a big injury list too. The A's, the Rangers etc. etc. Every team nearly can say they've been hit really bad this summer.

Talking of injuries, most of these I'm sure are well known but it's nice to read them all together.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/photos/1302/most-bizarre-injuries-in-baseball/

rockonollie

That list could easily be updated with the AJ Ellis who sprained his ankle by stepping on a catchers mask celebrating the no hitter on sunday.

Itssoeasy

Collins called the move "change for the sake of change," and Alderson said that the organization's hitting philosophy will remain intact.

This sentence from an article on the mets moves last night is very annoying. If you were going to change the hitting coach then do it to improve the situation the mets find themselves in. Changing for the sake of change is a horrible way to make a decision.

jack presley

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/21753540/v33215505/

I'm surprised 50 Cent wasn't signed after this effort. He'd fit right in with some of the others in the pen!

Benimar

Sooo..the O's and the Brewers are tied in the bottom of the 10th. Two out, nobody on, the O's intentionally walk the No 8 hitter to get to the pitcher (The Brewers were out of position players).

Sounds smart right? Well, not if the No 8 hitter is Mark Reynolds and the pitcher then scores him on a double :mad:

Why put the go ahead run on base, especially when its the strike out machine Mark Reynolds?? FFS the pitcher who got the winning hit has a career BA only 12 points lower than Reynolds season average.

If you can't trust your pitcher to get Mark Reynolds out, why have him in there in the first place

jack presley

I love it when intentional walks come back to bite.

8-10

Benimar wrote: »

Sooo..the O's and the Brewers are tied in the bottom of the 10th. Two out, nobody on, the O's intentionally walk the No 8 hitter to get to the pitcher (The Brewers were out of position players).

Sounds smart right? Well, not if the No 8 hitter is Mark Reynolds and the pitcher then scores him on a double :mad:

Why put the go ahead run on base, especially when its the strike out machine Mark Reynolds?? FFS the pitcher who got the winning hit has a career BA only 12 points lower than Reynolds season average.

If you can't trust your pitcher to get Mark Reynolds out, why have him in there in the first place

I wouldn't have a problem with my team doing that in the same situation. Reynolds already had a couple of hits in the game including a Home Run in the 2nd inning

Hindsight is obviously a great thing but I really don't see it as a shocking decision to do or anything

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

8-10 wrote: »

I wouldn't have a problem with my team doing that in the same situation. Reynolds already had a couple of hits in the game including a Home Run in the 2nd inning

Hindsight is obviously a great thing but I really don't see it as a shocking decision to do or anything

Would agree. You'd always take that situation, get to the pitcher to try to get an easier out.

Benimar

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

Would agree. You'd always take that situation, get to the pitcher to try to get an easier out.

I thought it was a bad call at the time, still do to be honest. Gallardo isn't a bad hitter (12 point lower BA than Reynolds). I'd have taken the chance of a Reynolds HR over a hit from Gallardo..also even if he didn't hit a double, a single/walk/HPB brings up the top of the order with a man on 2nd.

I know Reynolds had a HR in the game but intentionally walking a .216 hitter really bugs me, especially as he would have had to clear the fences to win the game on his own.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

Benimar wrote: »

I thought it was a bad call at the time, still do to be honest. Gallardo isn't a bad hitter (12 point lower BA than Reynolds). I'd have taken the chance of a Reynolds HR over a hit from Gallardo..also even if he didn't hit a double, a single/walk/HPB brings up the top of the order with a man on 2nd.

I know Reynolds had a HR in the game but intentionally walking a .216 hitter really bugs me, especially as he would have had to clear the fences to win the game on his own.

I get what your saying but the stats say walk the guy with the 12 point higher average. Especially as he is a HR hitter and his eye was evidently in on the night.

Its a sucky way to lose though.

MoyVilla9

Pretty sure Bartolo Colon just stuck out on two pitches.

jack presley

MoyVilla9 wrote: »

Pretty sure Bartolo Colon just stuck out on two pitches.

Yeah but it just speeds up the game. He would have struck out on the next pitch anyway.

Clown baseball being played by the Pirates over the past few minutes. First the wild pitch during Colon's at-bat to score Duda, then Murphy getting to third on an infield grounder to the shortstop because of two bad throws. He probably could have gone home as well but he was out of gas.

EDIT - Clown baseball all around now with David Wright returning the favour by throwing the ball away.

jack presley

Is anyone here any good at spotting balks? I'm not. I've read the list of things that cause them but in real time I can never spot them.

MoyVilla9

jack presley wrote: »

Is anyone here any good at spotting balks? I'm not. I've read the list of things that cause them but in real time I can never spot them.

Only the very obvious ones where the pitcher just clearly stops his motion half way through.

Lincecum just pitched 5 no hit innings before being pulled. Only problem was that he got up to 96 pitches in the process. Part of me (the irrational part) was disappointed they didn't leave him out there!

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MoyVilla9 wrote: »

Only the very obvious ones where the pitcher just clearly stops his motion half way through.

Lincecum just pitched 5 no hit innings before being pulled. Only problem was that he got up to 96 pitches in the process. Part of me (the irrational part) was disappointed they didn't leave him out there!

I agree I was disappointed as well but at 96 after 5 there was no way he was getting to the 9th

BigFatGiant

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

I agree I was disappointed as well but at 96 after 5 there was no way he was getting to the 9th

I agree he didn't look like he had much chance making it to the 9th. It was a pity he had over 40 pitches in the 1st inning. Although last year when he threw a no no against the Padres he threw 148 pitches, so Bochy could have left him in a couple more innings to see if there was any hope. I suppose a win is the main objective after only 5 innings.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

Thinking of buying this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1618930966/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1618930966&linkCode=as2&tag=sivanity-20[/URL]

Anyone read it yet? I'm interested as to your opinions. Have a couple of journeys to the states coming up and want something that will hold my interest.

zuutroy

Jesus what's going on!? After 14 years of watching mediocrity the Blue Jays look like a good team! Not sure they've ever been 10 games over .500 in my years of watching.

rockonollie

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

I agree I was disappointed as well but at 96 after 5 there was no way he was getting to the 9th

Pitch counts are over-rated......Jim Moloney threw one of the Reds no hitters......against the Cubs, he pitched 10 innings, threw 187 pitches and they won 1-0

He also achieved the rare feat of pitching a no-hitter while also getting the loss, against the Mets.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

rockonollie wrote: »

Pitch counts are over-rated......Jim Moloney threw one of the Reds no hitters......against the Cubs, he pitched 10 innings, threw 187 pitches and they won 1-0

He also achieved the rare feat of pitching a no-hitter while also getting the loss, against the Mets.

The reason pitch counts are used is to stop injury though. Not an indication of whether the player could play out the game or not.

There was a good programme on ESPN last week interviewing old players who said that the majority of their game played were full games and it was expected that a pitcher would go at least 8 innings.

jack presley

The new theory that seems to be doing the rounds is that it isn't how many pitches you throw but how hard you throw them.

This year could be a freak year for injuries and it'll all go back to normal next year but they're saying guys in the bullpen can get away with throwing 95-97 or whatever as they are only pitching one inning but nowadays more and more starters are throwing that speed and when you are throwing fastballs 60-70% of the time, that's a lot of extra stress on the body whereas in the old days, the majority of starters weren't reaching those speeds.

Small sample size at this stage and probably just another theory that goes by the wayside but at least it gives the journalists something to write about.

8-10

jack presley wrote: »

Small sample size at this stage and probably just another theory that goes by the wayside but at least it gives the journalists something to write about.

I can definitely see merit in it based on the young players with elbow injuries recently. Yordano Ventura the latest who throws crazy hard but is having elbow troubles.

If someone like him throws 100+mph then why isn't he a reliever/closer? At least to start off with.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

Have you read that book on Pete Rose, RockonOllie?

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

Have a couple of journeys to the states coming up and want something that will hold my interest.

Couple of suggestions in this thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056880809