MLB: 2014 Regular Season Thread

MilanPan!c

Ortiz just nailed a three run home run in the 8th.

...

Whoops - now it's gonna be reviewed.

...

And it stands! Sox take a 4-2 lead.

Edit:

Uehara comes in and strikes out two, before getting the final out on a pop up. Why ANY pitcher tries to sneak fastballs by David Ortiz in a pressure situation is beyond me.

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

Harper has looked a real pro ever since he came up. I dont think moving up or down the order will bother him as love as the team wins.

Maybe Williams is a genius after all. Nice 3 run shot last night!

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Ortiz just nailed a three run home run in the 8th.

...

Whoops - now it's gonna be reviewed.

...

And it stands! Sox take a 4-2 lead.

Edit:

Uehara comes in and strikes out two, before getting the final out on a pop up. Why ANY pitcher tries to sneak fastballs by David Ortiz in a pressure situation is beyond me.

Are you some sort of lucky charm that only sees games the Red Sox do well in or do you only post about the games when they are winning? If it's the former, you really should watch more games! Boston will be unbeatable.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

Maybe Williams is a genius after all. Nice 3 run shot last night!

Yeah he put a good swing on it last night. Jason Werth hit a monster. Some comeback after being 5-0 down early. Man baseball season screws with my sleep so much more than NFL season!!! :-p

Zimm only last 2 innings last night, looked all over the place. At least the bullpen looked sharpish I guess. Like I said though yesterday, when Harper starts raking , the Nats are going to be very very hard to beat!

MilanPan!c

jack presley wrote: »

Are you some sort of lucky charm that only sees games the Red Sox do well in or do you only post about the games when they are winning? If it's the former, you really should watch more games! Boston will be unbeatable.

Ha. I do occasionally post when they lose, but sure, I'm much more inclined to engage in a win than a loss.

And if I open up the score and the sox are losing 9-0, I'm disinclined to do much more than monitor the score.

I also find myself watching a lot of other teams, based on time issue, but frequently don't feel I know enough about the minutiae of those teams to comment.

MilanPan!c

Saying all of that, last nights Tanaka outing (7H over 7 innings, including a 3 run shot to a guy with a .240 average) was less than stellar. He has good stuff, but not lights out by any means. And of course the Yankees bullpen collapsed.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Saying all of that, last nights Tanaka outing (7H over 7 innings, including a 3 run shot to a guy with a .240 average) was less than stellar. He has good stuff, but not lights out by any means. And of course the Yankees bullpen collapsed.

I think I'm going to start obsessively commenting on when the Red Sox lose just to balance up your commentary on the thread :D

jack presley

To be honest, I think a lot of us are guilty of selective posting. I come at it from the other side though in that I post when my team loses or is rubbish as coming on here is a good way to vent. And when they are doing well, I say nothing in case I jinx it!

I think a bit of balance is needed though. You have to take the rough with the smooth. So no hiding, when your team's getting crushed ha ha!

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

Man baseball season screws with my sleep so much more than NFL season!!! :-p

It sure does although I'm not doing as many late nights as previous years so far. I'm also trying not to check scores if I briefly wake up at 3 in the morning but waiting until I get up at 6.

There have been plenty of day games so dar this season (is it always like this in April?) so I've been getting my fix at reasonable hours of the day so far.

boccy23

jack presley wrote: »

It sure does although I'm not doing as many late nights as previous years so far. I'm also trying not to check scores if I briefly wake up at 3 in the morning but waiting until I get up at 6.

There have been plenty of day games so dar this season (is it always like this in April?) so I've been getting my fix at reasonable hours of the day so far.

One reason is that as much as possible, MLB likes to have home openers as a day game. Tradition and all that. They also schedule a lot of day games in April to allow for weather. It gives a larger window if it rains to get the game in that day.

MilanPan!c

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

I think I'm going to start obsessively commenting on when the Red Sox lose just to balance up your commentary on the thread :D

Do! A bit of back and forth is great in baseball.

The Yankees chanted "1918" for decades. The Sox kept it simple with "Yankees suck".

Most American baseball fans I know (and that's a LOT) have two teams they follow - the team they love and the team they hate.

It's part of the fun of the game IMO. As long as people keep it ... Not too serious... It's great

So please do!

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Do! A bit of back and forth is great in baseball.

The Yankees chanted "1918" for decades. The Sox kept it simple with "Yankees suck".

Most American baseball fans I know (and that's a LOT) have two teams they follow - the team they love and the team they hate.

It's part of the fun of the game IMO. As long as people keep it ... Not too serious... It's great

So please do!

I think if I keep chanting 2013 at you people might think I'm nuts

MilanPan!c

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

I think if I keep chanting 2013 at you people might think I'm nuts

bwahahahaha...


well... maybe not in 2090...

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MilanPan!c wrote: »

bwahahahaha...


well... maybe not in 2090...

I wonder will Big Papi be still playing then? Probably. Roll him out in his wheelchair and let him hit home runs with just his arms. No problem.

MilanPan!c

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

I wonder will Big Papi be still playing then? Probably. Roll him out in his wheelchair and let him hit home runs with just his arms. No problem.

If ANYONE could it would be him... sure he'd do it just to shut up all the "haterz" in the media

MilanPan!c

Some in the New York press are already calling Tanaka the Yankees ace.

Apparently being an ace on the Yankees looks like this in 2014:

"In his first 14 innings, the 25-year-old with the $155 million contract has allowed six runs (five earned) on 13 hits with a robust 18-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while facing two tough AL East competitors, both of whom finished among the top 10 in runs scored and among the top five in home runs last season."

13 hits in two starts... And that's an ace?

Even if I loved the Yankees I'd be worried if that the new standard.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2022535-masahiro-tanaka-may-already-be-yankees-new-ace-in-2014

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Some in the New York press are already calling Tanaka the Yankees ace.

Apparently being an ace on the Yankees looks like this in 2014:

"In his first 14 innings, the 25-year-old with the $155 million contract has allowed six runs (five earned) on 13 hits with a robust 18-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while facing two tough AL East competitors, both of whom finished among the top 10 in runs scored and among the top five in home runs last season."

13 hits in two starts... And that's an ace?

Even if I loved the Yankees I'd be worried if that the new standard.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2022535-masahiro-tanaka-may-already-be-yankees-new-ace-in-2014

I would disagree with you here, he's new to MLB, his stuff is real. He's going to improve and improve, I think he looks like an ace right now and to be fair the Yankee's Ace (Sabbathia) is no longer an ace more like a liability now.

MilanPan!c

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

I would disagree with you here, he's new to MLB, his stuff is real. He's going to improve and improve, I think he looks like an ace right now and to be fair the Yankee's Ace (Sabbathia) is no longer an ace more like a liability now.

I am a bit confused by this attitude BECAUSE before he pitched the attitude was that he's be better before everyone saw him a few times.

Now that he's "13 hits in two games" people are saying the exact opposite

I agree he doesn't have much competition on the Yanks staff at the mo', but that seems independent of what an ace is.

He's got one win, two of his 13 hits are HRs and he's got a pretty normal ERA. His stuff is NOT lights out at all now. When no one has ever seen him. In two years, when everyone has seem him a lot, he'll be doing better...?

I don't know man.

Seems like a lot of projecting into the future.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MilanPan!c wrote: »

I am a bit confused by this attitude BECAUSE before he pitched the attitude was that he's be better before everyone saw him a few times.

Now that he's "13 hits in two games" people are saying the exact opposite

I agree he doesn't have much competition on the Yanks staff at the mo', but that seems independent of what an ace is.

He's got one win, two of his 13 hits are HRs and he's got a pretty normal ERA. His stuff is NOT lights out at all now. When no one has ever seen him. In two years, when everyone has seem him a lot, he'll be doing better...?

I don't know man.

Seems like a lot of projecting into the future.

I think your blinded by your yankees hatred. He has great stuff, he's made some very good batters look silly in only two games and personally I think he'll be very hard to hit once he adjusts to the obvious improved hitters he will be facing.

That only my personal belief alot of the experts would argue he'll be more effective when teams havent seen alot of him but you can be guaranteed teams have video of him already.

MilanPan!c

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

I think your blinded by your yankees hatred. He has great stuff, he's made some very good batters look silly in only two games and personally I think he'll be very hard to hit once he adjusts to the obvious improved hitters he will be facing.

That only my personal belief alot of the experts would argue he'll be more effective when teams havent seen alot of him but you can be guaranteed teams have video of him already.

Yeah but video is video. It's useful, but not like facing a pitcher, seeing his move and his hands. Getting a feel for his timing.

I think right now he's shown he has some great stuff, but not that he's an ace in the MLB.

When NY media sees that and starts calling him the team ace is seems... Desperate at best.

I went through this this Dice-K... He too had incredible stuff and had a nice peak back in 03-04, but ... 155M for 10 years for this guy...? I'm incredulous.

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2022535-masahiro-tanaka-may-already-be-yankees-new-ace-in-2014

You know how I feel about bleacherreport. Sports journalism at its worst. So is it really "some in the New York media" or just some hack writing for an awful website?

* I didn't actually read the article.

boccy23

Josh Hamilton out 6/8 weeks with the thumb after sliding head first into 1st base.

Pity. I was liking how he started and shutting up some of the haters.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

boccy23 wrote: »

Josh Hamilton out 6/8 weeks with the thumb after sliding head first into 1st base.

Pity. I was liking how he started and shutting up some of the haters.

Sliding into first .. so stupid

boccy23

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

Sliding into first .. so stupid

Plus you would think that Hamilton would know better. He hurt his shoulder a couple of years ago when sliding into home (or was it3rd - cant remember even though I saw it live!:o).

Coeus

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Some in the New York press are already calling Tanaka the Yankees ace.

Apparently being an ace on the Yankees looks like this in 2014:

"In his first 14 innings, the 25-year-old with the $155 million contract has allowed six runs (five earned) on 13 hits with a robust 18-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while facing two tough AL East competitors, both of whom finished among the top 10 in runs scored and among the top five in home runs last season."

13 hits in two starts... And that's an ace?

Even if I loved the Yankees I'd be worried if that the new standard.

I think alot of teams would love to have a pitcher with a 18:1 K/BB ratio. He has been punished for a few bad pitches but he will learn soon enough what he can get away with and what he can't. Darvish's start in MLB was not as good and look how he turned out.

MilanPan!c

jack presley wrote: »

You know how I feel about bleacherreport. Sports journalism at its worst. So is it really "some in the New York media" or just some hack writing for an awful website?

* I didn't actually read the article.

You should know by now that that article isn't necessarily on BR. I just use the mobile app and so all external links go through a BR link.

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

You should know by now that that article isn't necessarily on BR. I just use the mobile app and so all external links go through a BR link.

Just broke my golden rule and clicked on a BR link and this story is one of theirs. Written by their lead MLB writer apparently.

And it seems it is just him who is calling him the ace, not the New York press. But to be fair to him, he does qualify the statement at the end and back off the statement but it seems like a typical poor BR article to me.

MilanPan!c

Coeus wrote: »

I think alot of teams would love to have a pitcher with a 18:1 K/BB ratio. He has been punished for a few bad pitches but he will learn soon enough what he can get away with and what he can't. Darvish's start in MLB was not as good and look how he turned out.

Suuuuure, but that goes back to the discussion we were having:

Is he doing better now that no one knows his stuff - a common prediction/claim

Or

Will he do better once he settles down.


All the strikeouts in the world won't help if you also give up seven hits per start and consistently give up HRs.

MilanPan!c

jack presley wrote: »

Just broke my golden rule and clicked on a BR link and this story is one of theirs. Written by their lead MLB writer apparently.

And it seems it is just him who is calling him the ace, not the New York press. But to be fair to him, he does qualify the statement at the end and back off the statement but it seems like a typical poor BR article to me.

The guy in question writes for ESPN as well. And the article is full of caveats and quotes, showing how the Yanks initially tried to claim they were paying 175M for a number three starter. A dubious claim at best.

But the way, here's the Post saying something similar:

"Then Tanaka delivered what might prove to be a trademark outing in his freshman Major League Baseball campaign: Not perfect, but competitive. Early turbulence, late correction. More than a few flashes of dominance.
In all? Closer to a number one starter than a number three."

http://nypost.com/2014/04/10/tanaka-lives-up-to-glitz-surrounding-first-stadium-start/

Another few things to note are that Tanaka and Matsuzaka had about the same success (WHIP, ERA, Etc.) relative to the rest of the JPP. And most folks think Matsuzaka was over-valued at this point.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/12/masahiro-tanaka-japan-yu-darvish-pitcher-comparison-dice-k/

His strikeout to walk ratio, in the JPP was also less than half as good (4.5) as Uehara's was last year in the MLB (10.3).

http://guardianlv.com/2014/04/masahiro-tanaka-new-york-yankees-scouting-report-bomber-boulevard-video/

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

The guy in question writes for ESPN as well. And the article is full of caveats and quotes, showing how the Yanks initially tried to claim they were paying 175M for a number three starter. A dubious claim at best.

At the end of the day though, it's still just one guy's opinion. One guy who is not affiliated with the Yankees, their fans or the media in general in New York (he might or might not be NY based but the article is a national one). So while the topic of whether he's their ace yet or not is worth discussing, it's not like there's a big debate going around NY claiming one side or the other (yet!). To the best of my knowledge, most just see it as it is. A new pitcher with plenty of potential finding his way.

It seem there's just a Boston fan trying to get a dig in at the Yankees at any cost....!!!!

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

The guy in question writes for ESPN as well. And the article is full of caveats and quotes, showing how the Yanks initially tried to claim they were paying 175M for a number three starter. A dubious claim at best.

But the way, here's the Post saying something similar:

"Then Tanaka delivered what might prove to be a trademark outing in his freshman Major League Baseball campaign: Not perfect, but competitive. Early turbulence, late correction. More than a few flashes of dominance.
In all? Closer to a number one starter than a number three."

http://nypost.com/2014/04/10/tanaka-lives-up-to-glitz-surrounding-first-stadium-start/

Not really. Just giving his opinion on where he sees Tabaka now. He's not claiming he's their ace. He's just saying he's more a 2 than a 3. And again, that he has the potential to be a great pitcher.

Have you googled the NYDN or Times to try and find more mentions of Tanaka yet?

MilanPan!c

jack presley wrote: »

Not really. Just giving his opinion on where he sees Tabaka now. He's not claiming he's their ace. He's just saying he's more a 2 than a 3. And again, that he has the potential to be a great pitcher.

Have you googled the NYDN or Times to try and find more mentions of Tanaka yet?

He said more of a 1 than a 3. Not a 2.

1 being the staff ace.

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

He said more of a 1 than a 3. Not a 2.

1 being the staff ace.

I'm not going to spend the afternoon going back and forth of what a 1 or a 2 pitcher is as it's just a hypothetical thing anyway but IMO, closer to a one means you're not a one yet and as he's saying he's not a 3, I picked 2 as it's it the middle!

But as I say, all you really need to know is whether he's any good or not. And while he's hasn't proved it in MLB yet, he has the potential.

MilanPan!c

jack presley wrote: »

I'm not going to spend the afternoon going back and forth of what a 1 or a 2 pitcher is as it's just a hypothetical thing anyway but IMO, closer to a one means you're not a one yet and as he's saying he's not a 3, I picked 2 as it's it the middle!

But as I say, all you really need to know is whether he's any good or not. And while he's hasn't proved it in MLB yet, he has the potential.

I'd never argue that he doesn't have potential. Just that at this point people that see his current putting as proof of being an ace ... They're projecting.

I like him and more than any other Yankee I wish him well - genuinely - but he's not been amazing so far. IMO.

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

... They're projecting.

but he's not been amazing so far. IMO.

Of course they're projecting. That's what everyone does. Fans, media, scouts etc. When you don't have enough to make a definitive statement, you have to project.

And he's only had 2 starts remember. Hardly enough of a body of work to judge him as to whether he's the next Cy Young or not. It'd be like saying Grady Sizemore's made the best comeback since Lazarus because he's done ok in the first 10 games of April.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

You should get a good look at this this weekend Milan. After he puts that 18:1 ratio on your boys!

MilanPan!c

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

You should get a good look at this this weekend Milan. After he puts that 18:1 ratio on your boys!

As long as he gives up seven hits and a homerun, we'll be grand.

That's the kind of ace I'm happy for the yanks to have!

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

As long as he gives up seven hits and a homerun, we'll be grand.

That's the kind of ace I'm happy for the yanks to have!

As he pitched last night, it'll be after the Boston series before he pitches again. So we'll have to wait until later in the season to see him throw his first perfect game in the US.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

Strasbourg on the mound tonight funny thing is I think Williams is protecting him slightly by having him pitch against Miami rather than his scheduled start tomorrow against the Braves.

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

Strasbourg on the mound tonight funny thing is I think Williams is protecting him slightly by having him pitch against Miami rather than his scheduled start tomorrow against the Braves.

When you say his schedule start, is that his turn in the rotation? Because if they had a day off and everyone goes in order, it'll mean 6 days between starts. So maybe by skipping the number 5 guy, Strasburg stays on 4 days rest and pitches as normal.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

When you say his schedule start, is that his turn in the rotation? Because if they had a day off and everyone goes in order, it'll mean 6 days between starts. So maybe by skipping the number 5 guy, Strasburg stays on 4 days rest and pitches as normal.

It could be that fair enough. Just a conincidence then that they head to Atlanta tomorrow.

I think the team could do with a strong outing from Stras.

MilanPan!c

jack presley wrote: »

As he pitched last night, it'll be after the Boston series before he pitches again. So we'll have to wait until later in the season to see him throw his first perfect game in the US.

hahahaha... that would shut me up

They're scheduled to meet 19 times during the season, so I think we'll all get what we want... to some degree

MilanPan!c

Crazy Uehara stats:

"Counting the postseason, Red Sox closer Koji Uehara has gone 40 games and 42.2 innings without issuing a walk. In his last 55 games, again counting the postseason, Uehara has a 0.30 ERA and 0.42 WHIP."

http://bostonglobe.scribblelive.com/Event/Red_Sox_2014_season_updates/112947885

For comparison, Mariano Rivera's best year was 2005, when his ERA was 1.38.

Crazy.

MilanPan!c

Nerves. Nerves. Aghh

jack presley

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Nerves. Nerves. Aghh

Only 1 game in April. No need to be biting off all the nails yet.

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

I think the team could do with a strong outing from Stras.

Striking out 12 and only allowing 1 run was a great effort last night.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

Striking out 12 and only allowing 1 run was a great effort last night.

He was brilliant last night. Thankfully an early game so I got some proper sleep!

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

So the Yankees beat the Red Sox comfortably. Ironic that the Red Sox are now claiming Pineda had something on his hand given that Bucholz was pitching!

Ellsbury with a run and an RBI single. Interesting three games left, with a pitching advantage in each of them IMO I think the Red Sox should at least split the series if not win it

MilanPan!c

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

So the Yankees beat the Red Sox comfortably. Ironic that the Red Sox are now claiming Pineda had something on his hand given that Bucholz was pitching!

Ellsbury with a run and an RBI single. Interesting three games left, with a pitching advantage in each of them IMO I think the Red Sox should at least split the series if not win it

Disappointing outing from Buckholz - again. But better than last time. The real issue of course is the bats. Not pretty.

Saying all of that, JBJ is looking good, and there was some great defence on display.

Here's hoping they bounce back today.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Disappointing outing from Buckholz - again. But better than last time. The real issue of course is the bats. Not pretty.

Saying all of that, JBJ is looking good, and there was some great defence on display.

Here's hoping they bounce back today.

Bats were not pretty last night alright. Pineda looked good again for the Yankees, thats a good comeback story as well.