MLB 2023

[Cygnia]

 

[unclevlad]

The A's have stopped being the butt of any joke, because doing so now would just be piling on.  They're not just bad, not even merely atrocious.  They're approaching bad enough to demand an intervention by MLB so this doesn't continue.  

 

Astros are up 5-2 going into the 9th, so I'll go out on a limb and say they'll win tonight.  Pitching matchup...along with everything else...favors them tomorrow.  So if they win both?  That means the A's will have 54 games completed...1/3 of the season.

 

And they'd be 10-44.  

 

Yeah.

 

10-44.  4-22 in May.

 

It's hard to believe this won't improve *some*, but 1/3 of the games is a non-trivial sample.  At this rate, they'll only win 30.

 

The 2003 Tigers hold the dubious record for fewest wins in a 162 game season...at 43.

 

I feel bad for their fans, or perhaps those who *want* to be their fans, but come on.  This isn't even tanking.  Yeah, tonight's game is over, Astros win as expected.  A's are now 6 back of the atrocious Royals (15-37) for worst record...who also are fielding a totally non-competitive team.  A's are 33 under .500;  Royals are 22.  The White Sox have the 3rd worst record in the game...at 9 under .500.

 

This is not acceptable to most fans, IMO.  Not THIS level of non-competitive.

[unclevlad]

No big surprise:  D'backs get a 2 run single with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th to steal a walk-off from the Rockies.

Surprise:  That completes a 4 game sweep...first time in years.  4 game sweeps are just generally rare, in part because there aren't that many 4 game series.

Big surprise:  They're now tied for the NL West lead, with the Dodgers who are off today.  That the Dodgers are, if not struggling, at least not blowing the rest of the league away, isn't that surprising given their turnover, but Arizona flirting with .600 again...that's like...no one saw THIS coming.

HUGE!!! surprise:  They're tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the NL.  

 

34-23, on pace for ~ 97 wins.  Preseason estimate:  ~ 75.

 

Granted, the truest aphorism in sports holds...you're never as good as you look when you're hot.  Still, 57 games isn't a small sample.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

 

[unclevlad]

20 hours ago, Logan D. Hurricanes said:

 

 

Wow.  

 

I've seen umpires take one square...probably even square on the mask, too.  But not with a runner on 3rd, and definitely not in a walk-off scenario.  

 

Those older-style masks aren't padded THAT much.  The ump never had a chance.  Can't blame the catcher;  reasonable to think he heard the impact.  Even if he goes for the ball, tho, the runner might well score.  And the run has to count;  the ball is in play.  It has to be, to be fair to the offensive team;  if it doesn't hit the ump, it'd be a wild pitch.

 

Youch.  Everyone concedes catchers are total masochists, but umpires aren't much less so..........

[Pariah]

The A's cant win for losing. Literally.

 

Oakland A's potential Las Vegas relocation hits roadblock with Nevada Legislature, future of move uncertain

 

Here's a novel solution, just crazy enough that it might work: What if the billionaires who own the team build the stadium with their own [REDACTED] money?

[unclevlad]

3 minutes ago, Pariah said:

The A's cant win for losing. Literally.

 

Oakland A's potential Las Vegas relocation hits roadblock with Nevada Legislature, future of move uncertain

 

Here's a novel solution, just crazy enough that it might work: What if the billionaires who own the team build the stadium with their own [REDACTED] money?

 

MLB probably will be very reticent to move harshly, but this has passed from farce to serious blot on all of baseball.  The inability to move...yeah, in part because the owners probably want too much, it seems...the completely untenable situation in Oakland, and now the gross embarrassment of the team on the field...they're below the Menoza line again.  They're already practically eliminated;  to reach 90 wins, probably the BARE minimum to be in AL wild card consideration, they'd have to go 78-22.  That HAS been done over 100 games...in 1907.  When the gaps between teams were often huge.  So...toast already.  That's just not acceptable.  If the owners refuse to field a competitive team, then they don't deserve to keep the team.  

[Pariah]

38 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

If the owners refuse to field a competitive team, then they don't deserve to keep the team.  

 

"Deserve" has nothing to do with it, sadly. It is, rather, the Golden Rule: Them that has the gold, makes the rules.

[Cancer]

I cannot be compelled to watch their inferior product, however.

[unclevlad]

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

 

"Deserve" has nothing to do with it, sadly. It is, rather, the Golden Rule: Them that has the gold, makes the rules.

 

There are limits here, tho, and I think it's possible MLB might act, for the good of the league as a whole.  MLB *has* acted preemptively before, with the Dodgers.  The circumstances were different, but IMO the mess in Oakland is more serious than the mess was with the Dodgers.

[unclevlad]

Basically 60 games into the season...teams currently in the playoffs include Baltimore, Texas, Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Miami.

 

Ya never know in baseball, so maybe one or two of em, but...that's not a group anyone woulda picked....

[unclevlad]

Jacob DeGrom  needs Tommy John surgery on his elbow.

 

Out for the rest of this year AND most of next season.  

 

Rangers will end up paying him about $2.5M per inning pitched for '23 and '24, if he can't come back to pitch at the end of next season.  

[slikmar]

That is a huge slam to the Rangers. I am sure they were hoping that with the way they are playing, he could get healthy and be a factor in playoffs, even if in relief 1 inning at a time, what a boost would be.

 

[unclevlad]

Considering that they pulled him out on April 28th, and he hasn't pitched since...yeah, that sounds likely.  But forget it this year altogether, and who knows how next year will go.  The Rangers don't have a history of maintaining excellence year after year...they've had a few good years in a row, IIRC, but that's all, I think.

 

And they have a separate, less optimistic trend:  wilting in the summer heat.  That said, now they've got a retractable roof stadium, so they *don't* have to face the brutal central Texas heat.

[rjcurrie]

14 hours ago, unclevlad said:

Jacob DeGrom  needs Tommy John surgery on his elbow.

 

Out for the rest of this year AND most of next season.  

 

Rangers will end up paying him about $2.5M per inning pitched for '23 and '24, if he can't come back to pitch at the end of next season.  

Assuming that the contract was insured, they’ll be paying less than that.

[unclevlad]

The Twins are 31-32...and in first place in the AL Central, by 2 games.

 

The Red Sox are 31-31...and in last place in the AL East.  The Mariners are 30-31...and in last place among major league clubs in the AL West.  (The A's don't count.)

[Pariah]

1 hour ago, unclevlad said:

...and in last place among major league clubs in the AL West.  (The A's don't count.)

 

There was a radio sports guy here some years ago who was fond of saying things like, "All 29 major league teams and the San Diego Padres were in action last night...." He also frequently referred to the minor league club in Helena as the Handbaskets.

[unclevlad]

I believe the lid is now on, and the coffin has been nailed shut.  The Oakland A's are dead.  All that's left is the actual funeral.  

 

The Nevada legislature approved the new stadium deal.  I assume MLB has to approve, but hey, I think we can assume that's pro forma.  MLB *desperately* wants out of the Coliseum.

[Starlord]

Unbelievably, the Reds are now 1.5 games out of 1st place and just called up a potential superstar in Elly De La Cruz

[unclevlad]

58 minutes ago, Starlord said:

Unbelievably, the Reds are now 1.5 games out of 1st place and just called up a potential superstar in Elly De La Cruz

 

Because they're playing in a Central.  Don't buy the place in the standings, buy the record...1 game under .500.  Not horrible, mind, and good googly moogly, the NBA and NHL proved beyond ANY doubt that all you really need is to get in.  It's a 3 team race in the NL Central;  the Cubs and Cards just don't look to have it.  (I'm thinking the Cards are going to have a new manager next season, if they can't turn it around.)  But there's no chance whatsoever that any NL or AL Central team is getting in as a a WC.  Heck, it may be a tossup whether both division winners are over .500.

 

De La Cruz got off to an awesome start, we'll see whether the pitchers bring him back down to earth.  

 

But yeah...Reds and Pirates in the hunt?  D'backs are still up 3 on the Dodgers, and are only 1 loss behind the Braves for best record in the NL?  Texas and Baltimore are tied for 2nd best record in the AL, behind the Rays...who are still on pace for 110+ wins.  Yeah, right, NO ONE saw most of these, and we're about 70 games into the season....

 

Oh yeah.  A's lost to the Rays last night...but...hold your horses...they'd won their last *7*.  They no longer have the fewest wins;  that's KC.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Dang, he's free in my fantasy league but I already have two top notch SS. I'll keep an eye on him though. 

[Grailknight]

Pick him up and look for trades at spots where you're weak.

 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Shohei Ohtani isn't human. 

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37861370/angels-shohei-ohtani-gets-win-ties-mlb-lead-22nd-homer

[unclevlad]

How much gas will he have left in the tank, should the Angels make the playoffs?  

 

It's looking to be a very interesting race with probably 4 teams for 2 slots.  Whoever climbs out of the AL Central swamp;  the Rays, Rangers, and Orioles have some separation.  After that, it's Astros, Angels, Yankees, and Blue Jays, all within 2 in the loss column right now.  IOW...7 teams in 2 divisions fighting for 5 total slots.  The less-unbalanced scheduling means less cannibalization.  

 

And all 4 teams in that pack are decent teams...probably going to take 90 wins to get a WC there.  NL...eh, not so much.  Miami's got the 4th best record in the NL, and they're only on pace for 89 wins.  Giants were 32-32 until winning their last 4, which still only puts them at around an 85, 86 win pace.  Interleague stats show the AL is stronger.  KC and Oakland are disastrously bad;  taking them out of the picture, the AL has gone 141-120 against the NL.  That's a .540 win percentage.  There are no comparable teams in the NL;  the Cards have the worst record, and they're still over .400.  

 

Huh....it's also curious to see the scheduling discrepancies.  Milwaukee's played 32 interleague.  Pittsburgh and KC, 29 each.  OTOH...Dodgers, 12;  Orioles and D'backs, 14;  Rockies and Angels, 15.