Baseball 2009 - June Edition

[silenus]

Previous thread can be found here .

Well, the Dodgers got Kuroda back, and he's seemingly semi-in shape. They couldn't back him up with any runs, however, and we lost the opener to the D-Backs. No worries. We're still 8 games up in the NL West. San Francisco might pick up a few games, though. They're meeting the Nationals.

[What Exit?]

So the Yanks look good, very good. Joba and Rivera both made spectacular fielding plays last night and Joba pitched great despite another "Attack of the Midges" and a Flock of Seagulls. The hitters hit, the pitchers pitched and the Yanks have gone 18 straight games without and error. They are half a game of the lead in the AL.

[Laughing Lagomorph]

So the Yanks look good, very good. Joba and Rivera both made spectacular fielding plays last night and Joba pitched great despite another "Attack of the Midges" and a Flock of Seagulls. The hitters hit, the pitchers pitched and the Yanks have gone 18 straight games without and error. They are half a game of the lead in the AL.

What is it with the midges in Cleveland...do they ever attack anyone else but Joba? I only ever hear about it when it's him getting swarmed.





FYI the morning show on the Boston sports radio (WEEI) talked about the Yankees today. Joba's performance, the Yankees errorless streak and the general winning has them worried. Not to mention the ongoing trials of David Ortiz, and the apparent ineffectiveness of Dice-K.

[Cluricaun]

<Breaks down into tears> What the hell Cubs? Just what the happy hell?

[silenus]

Well, you managed a split with my Dodgers. Consider that of the good.

[dread pirate jimbo]

I just have to say that seeing the name Gwynn in the Padres' lineup the past week reassurers me that all is right in the world. And Jr. has been doing a pretty decent job since the trade, too! He's never gonna be confused with his dad with a bat in his hands, but he's certainly having a good week.

Adrian Freaking Gonzales is leading the majors in home runs. Woo Hoo!

And my main man, Ichiro, just tied the Mariners' record for longest hitting streak at 25. Dude is a flat-out stud. I love that guy!

[Cluricaun]

Well, you managed a split with my Dodgers. Consider that of the good.

True enough, I thought that the Dodgers had a sure sweep coming into this one, but with the injuries that are plaguing us, the dependance on minor league players to keep things moving, last years rookie of the year still not batting for shit, and a lack of ownership preventing Jake Peavy from coming on over is really starting to hamstring us.

[Laughing Lagomorph]

<Breaks down into tears>

It's my understanding this is more or less the normal condition for Cubs fans, no?

[hawkeyeop]

Adrian Freaking Gonzales is leading the majors in home runs. Woo Hoo!

Not only that but 15 of them are on the road. He is hitting 264/379/494 at home and 313/421/802! on the road. This isn't a fluke. 2008 he had 22 of 36 hr on the road and his avg was 61 points higher outside of Petco. 2007 20 of 30 hr on the road and +29 points on avg. Imagine if he never left Texas. He is having a hall of fame peak and no one is really noticing because the stadium kills offense.

And my main man, Ichiro, just tied the Mariners' record for longest hitting streak at 25. Dude is a flat-out stud. I love that guy!

Speaking of amazing stats, do you know how many runs Ichiro has scored this year? He is hitting over 350 and has 5 hr. His teammates have brought him home all of 14 additional times. i don't even know how that is possible.

[Julie]

Unbelievable. Indians starter Asdrubal Cabrera got a first pitch hit leading off the first inning, was out on a fielder's choice at second, and had to leave the game with what looked like a dislocated left shoulder. *sob*

[What Exit?]

I love having the Yanks move to 1st in the AL, it is only ½ a game but I'll take it. AJ pitched a good game and is now 4-2 with his ERA slowly lowering. The big play in the game was actually Teix sliding hard into second and taking out the second baseman after he got hit for the second time in the game. Breaking up that double play led to the 7 runs in the 4th.

Too bad the errorless streak ended, but it did not really hurt the team at least.

It was sad to see the Cubs blow a game in 12 where they had a no hitter gonig through 6. Detroit really let me down. They failed to hit Dice K and lost.


Derek Jeter scored his 1500th career run last night, In a blue moon career stat category he joins Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Al Simmons as the only players to have 1500 runs, 2500 hits, 1000 RBI & 200 HRs in their first 15 years in the major leagues. He also joined Bill Dahlen, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Honus Wagner as the only shortstops with 1500 runs and 1500 games at SS.

[Cluricaun]

It was sad to see the Cubs blow a game in 12 where they had a no hitter gonig through 6.

That game last night was a travesty. That Wells kid has a no hitter going for 6.5 innings, gives up a single to Chipper Jones in the bottom of the 6th and a homer to Anderson in the top of the 7th and Lou get’s all panicky and pulls him out while we’re still up by 4? What? If the kid is going to hang around as our 5 guy he’s going to have to learn to suck it up eventually, why not last night? Marmol still doesn’t have his form back and his release point is all over the place and should be down in AAA ball right now getting his mechanics back in place, and Gregg is so out of practice that he’s all over the damned place. By the time Heilmann got into the game he had no margin to work with anymore and what should have been a nice win to open a 9 game road trip instead turns into one of our dumbest losses so far this season because he had to give up a fucking single.

That shit was a managers loss right there, that’s all on you Lou.

[What Exit?]

[quote=Whiskey and Ryan]

It was sad to see the Cubs blow a game in 12 where they had a no hitter gonig through 6.

That game last night was a travesty. That Wells kid has a no hitter going for 6.5 innings, gives up a single to Chipper Jones in the bottom of the 6th and a homer to Anderson in the top of the 7th and Lou get’s all panicky and pulls him out while we’re still up by 4? What? If the kid is going to hang around as our 5 guy he’s going to have to learn to suck it up eventually, why not last night? Marmol still doesn’t have his form back and his release point is all over the place and should be down in AAA ball right now getting his mechanics back in place, and Gregg is so out of practice that he’s all over the damned place. By the time Heilmann got into the game he had no margin to work with anymore and what should have been a nice win to open a 9 game road trip instead turns into one of our dumbest losses so far this season because he had to give up a fucking single.

That shit was a managers loss right there, that’s all on you Lou.[/quote:1yir51ne]
What was the kids pitch count?

Lou has never been known for handling the bullpen particularly well.

[Cluricaun]

Sixty nine. Not even close to tired.

[What Exit?]

Sixty nine. Not even close to tired.

Terrible move by Lou then. Terrible!

[silenus]

If the kid is going to hang around as our 5 guy he’s going to have to learn to suck it up eventually, why not last night?

Exactly. The kid's got to learn to handle himself under pressure sometime. Better to do it when you have a bit of a cushion.

The Dodgers surprised me with a late rally last night. I've kinda gotten used to them scoring early or not at all, and after the D-Backs went up 5-0 right off the bat, I figured we were toast. Thank you, James Loney! Or rather, thank you Dan Haren. You had us on the ropes all game, but once you left, we got our runs.

[silenus]

1-0 looks the same in the standings as 7-0. Dodgers take the series from the D-Backs and move to 9.5 games ahead in the NL West. It helps to be playing in a division that should really be AA at best.

[What Exit?]

1-0 looks the same in the standings as 7-0. Dodgers take the series from the D-Backs and move to 9.5 games ahead in the NL West. It helps to be playing in a division that should really be AA at best.

Teix sat out last night and the offense suffered for it. The Yanks failed to get the big hits they have been getting. The bullpen did a good job holding it last night. Tomko gave us 3 scoreless and Robertson got through the 9th with only a walk.

Boston won and tied the Yanks again.

Wang will be pitching this afternoon against Texas and so Hughes is in the bullpen for new.

[Sleeps w/Butterflies]

Wang wasn't that great (hee!) today, but luckily the bats were going okay.

Also, congrats to Randy Johnson! 300 is amazing and I'm not sure we'll see it again.

[What Exit?]

Wang wasn't that great (hee!) today, but luckily the bats were going okay.

Also, congrats to Randy Johnson! 300 is amazing and I'm not sure we'll see it again.

I don't even like Randy but good for the 45 year old Johnson, it is a shame he did it in front of an empty house.

Melky to the rescue again and another good bullpen effort!

[silenus]

Nice bit of symmetry for Johnson: He started with the Expos, and got his 300th win against the team that used to be the Expos.

We still haven't figured out how to beat the Phillies, however.

[silenus]

See Post #16 for the new Dodgers game plan. Man, that was a surprise. Just goes to show that it ain't over 'til it's over.

[silenus]

I'm just talking to myself here, aren't I?

[silenus]

"Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon...Manny Mota."

[Julie]

No, you're not just talking to yourself, but I'll admit that the Indians are just sort of depressing for me.

[Rube E. Tewesday]

Similarly, I wish the Jays could get something consistent going for me to talk about.

[What Exit?]

Sorry, I missed the end of the Yanks loss yesterday and was out late. I've got nothing today though. Just sad the Yanks lost.

[Laughing Lagomorph]

My team (the Yankees) are coming to the city I live in (Boston) so I should get to see at least a couple of games I actually care about for a change. Looks like Joba isn't scheduled to pitch though which is a disappointment.

(Normally I have to watch the Red Sox and hope they lose and that they'll show Yankees highlights at some point.)

[What Exit?]

My team (the Yankees) are coming to the city I live in (Boston) so I should get to see at least a couple of games I actually care about for a change. Looks like Joba isn't scheduled to pitch though which is a disappointment.

(Normally I have to watch the Red Sox and hope they lose and that they'll show Yankees highlights at some point.)

The Yanks really need to sweep this one after losing the first 5 encounters. That is asking a lot. We could sweep the Mets though coming up.

[Laughing Lagomorph]

[quote=What Exit?]

My team (the Yankees) are coming to the city I live in (Boston) so I should get to see at least a couple of games I actually care about for a change. Looks like Joba isn't scheduled to pitch though which is a disappointment.

(Normally I have to watch the Red Sox and hope they lose and that they'll show Yankees highlights at some point.)

The Yanks really need to sweep this one after losing the first 5 encounters. That is asking a lot. We could sweep the Mets though coming up.[/quote:24mh4znr]

Well, Texas just took 2 out of 3 at Fenway and the Yankees are playing a lot better than they were earlier in the year.

[Cluricaun]

Ok, the Cubs aren't going to just wither and die, there's too much talent on the team to keep taking it up the pooper night in and night out, but we now need to focus on perhaps completing a game within the regular 9 innings. We've gone to extras in our last 5 games. Our bullpen can't keep that pace, it's too much. Just a little consistancy will go a long, long way.

[silenus]

Be thankful you weren't in San Diego last night!

[Julie]

While the situation in Cleveland continues to be grim, I'm thankful that the AL central is the birthplace of suck.

Never thought I could be grateful for bad baseball.

[dread pirate jimbo]

Doc Halladay threw a shutout last night to improve to 10-1. If it weren't for Greinke, we might be talking about another Cy Young for Halladay!

Ichiro is leading the majors in batting. All is right in the universe.

[Julie]

I think Halladay will end up above Grienke/Greinke (too lazy to look up the spelling) in the CY voting.

[What Exit?]

I think Halladay will end up above Grienke/Greinke (too lazy to look up the spelling) in the CY voting.

I would lean towards Halladay myself.

[dread pirate jimbo]

I think Halladay will end up above Grienke/Greinke (too lazy to look up the spelling) in the CY voting.

I would lean towards Halladay myself.

If Greinke wins 20 and keeps his ERA around where it is now, at a buck and a half, give or take, it'll be very hard to vote against him. The kid is having a sensational year.

[Julie]

I think Greinke's team is going to sink his chances, though. The voters don't like pitchers on losing teams.

[dread pirate jimbo]

I think Greinke's team is going to sink his chances, though. The voters don't like pitchers on losing teams.

Well, yes and no. The voters like big win totals and pitchers on losing teams tend not to pick up a lot of wins, no matter how low their WHIP is. Likewise, pitchers who have great seasons but no run support don't tend to win the Cy Young either -- I recall that my pitching hero, Nolan Ryan, led the NL in ERA in 1987 at 2.76, but managed only an 8-16 record. No Cy Young for you -- we're giving it to Steve Bedrosian instead for a 40-save season!

I think the Royals might be strong enough to give Greinke a shot at a 20-win season and that might be enough for the award. But I've been wrong about such things before...

[dread pirate jimbo]

Just taking a quick peek at the standings and one thing came to my attention: the Washington Natinals sure do suck! From misspelling their own damn name on their own uniforms that one game a few weeks ago (they will forever be the Natinals in my mind, for ever and ever), to being on pace to only win 44 games, they just are not getting it done. They're going to have to go on a pretty serious winning streak just to get to bad -- if they win their next ten in a row, they'll still have the worst record in baseball. I wonder how many hours a day Zimmerman spends begging Washington's management to trade him to a real team, so he doesn't have to waste his talent on a AA squad playing at the MLB level?

[What Exit?]

Yanks at Fenway tonight. The Yanks need to take 2 of 3. It should be some exciting baseball. No Rivera tonight is the expectation.

[dread pirate jimbo]

Yanks at Fenway tonight. The Yanks need to take 2 of 3. It should be some exciting baseball. No Rivera tonight is the expectation.

I never know which team to boo when those two titans of oversized payrolls ruining baseball for everyone else are playing each other. But, when in doubt, actively hating on the Yankees is always a good choice.

[Julie]

The real problem is who to root for if it's St. Joba versus Josh "OMIGOD TIM MCCARVER WANTS HIS BABIES!" Beckett.

Pray for midges.

[Laughing Lagomorph]

Pray for midges.

Now that's just cruel. Anyway they don't have midges at Fenway. Fleas, maybe (from the rats), but no midges.

The real problem is who to root for if it's St. Joba versus Josh "OMIGOD TIM MCCARVER WANTS HIS BABIES!" Beckett..

Wait. I thought Tim McCarver wanted to have Derek Jeter's babies?

[silenus]

But, when in doubt, actively hating on the Yankees is always a good choice.

Good choice? It's the default, dude.

[dread pirate jimbo]

But, when in doubt, actively hating on the Yankees is always a good choice.

Good choice? It's the default, dude.

I try to spread my hate around -- I don't want to limit myself to only hating the Yankees. People might get jealous! But I do see your point.

[Julie]

Wait. I thought Tim McCarver wanted to have Derek Jeter's babies?

He wants babies from every position.

You know, that sounds much worse than I meant it.

[What Exit?]

[quote=dread pirate jimbo]

But, when in doubt, actively hating on the Yankees is always a good choice.

Good choice? It's the default, dude.

I try to spread my hate around -- I don't want to limit myself to only hating the Yankees. People might get jealous! But I do see your point.[/quote:z9pzpxb1]
Don't worry, we consider your boos to be cheers.

[prr]

I love it when the Sox get an early 5-0 lead against the Yanks and then slowly pull away.

[Winston Smith]

About 13 hours from now (weather permitting) the Sox should pull ahead of the Yanks, and order will be restored to the Universe.