The 2024 Baseball Thread

[Pariah]

Let's hear it for your Sacramento A's!

 

A's officially leaving Oakland after 2024, will play in Sacramento through 2027 until Vegas stadium is ready

[unclevlad]

Well, the local paper is the Sacramento Bee, so it's thematically appropriate.

 

And Sacramento has a minor league team...they're gonna try to share the field, well, we'll see how well THAT works...the Sacramento River Cats.

 

So it's all about the A-B-C's....

 

EDIT...amusing line from an article about the managers on the early hot seat...about Mark Kotsay, the A's manager.

 

Quote

Obviously, you can't blame Kotsay for the rank and cynical efforts at sabotage by John Fisher, the sport's worst owner (and a competitive category, that one). 

<snip>

To repeat, the strip-mined roster is to blame for all of this, but managers are typically the first scapegoat in line.  

 

[slikmar]

So, they are about to become my local team officially, wonderful, as I live in the placerville area and work in Rancho Cordova.

 

On a side note, I am happy with the 4-2 start from my Angels, but up next we will have home and home series with Boston and TB, then apparently have upcoming series with the Reds, Orioles again, Twins and end month with Phillies. If we are close to 500 I would be shocked and thrilled.

[unclevlad]

Hadn't actually looked at the standings...mmmm...

 

Winless:  Mets and Marlins.  Tigers came back from 3-0 down in a makeup game earlier, got it tied, scored 3 in the 11th.  

 

1 win:  Rockies, A's, White Sox.  OK, as noted above, I don't think many people would be surprised if the A's challenged the record for most losses.  The White Sox were a wet mess last year.  The Rockies combine an exceptionally difficult home playing environment...it skews everything, and the effects, I've heard the former players say, can linger when you leave...with poor personnel choices.

 

OTOH, ugh...Yankees are 6-1.  It's seriously debatable how long that can last, given their starting pitching issues.  Pirates are 5-1, but it's only 6 games...and they started well last year.  Detroit's 5-0.

 

And the Dodgers have actually lost 2.  This might be one of their poorer stretches....  LORD, that lineup is terrifying.

[unclevlad]

ROUGH night for the Red Sox.  They're beating the Angels 5-1...altho the Angels have the bases loaded with 1 out now, in the bottom of the 6th, thanks to Sox mistakes...but...

 

2 players have been HBP, on their hands.  One on a finger, one squarely on the back of the hand.  They both stayed in, but there's a very good chance they'll miss some time.

 

Oh, and the Angels just hit a slam to tie it....and as things would have it?  One of their runners was HBP...on the hand.

 

But the Sox' woes...SS Trevor Story dove for a ball in the hole, and landed badly.  He was writhing in pain, and was taken out.  Report's a shoulder injury, that's all...that might be anything from day to day all the way up to season-ending (torn labrum requiring surgery).  Even a bad separation might mean 2-3 weeks.

 

EDIT:  final count, 5 batters got hit.  Last two weren't in problem areas, thankfully.  

And it turned into a rather late night of things.  The game started about 25 minutes late, as it was the Angels' home opener.  (Shohei was acknowledged as one of the team's award winners, and reportedly got roundly booed.  Can't imagine why........)  Then the trainers had to come out 3 separate times.  And it was a sloppy game...the HBPs of course, lots of walks, Sox had 3 errors.  

[Starlord]

Dodgers diehards caught Ohtani’s historic homer. But a priceless moment quickly turned ugly

 

Roman said she was told if she wanted to keep the potentially six-figures ball, the Dodgers would not authenticate it and the ball would be worthless.

 

Roman said she was told she had to negotiate the exchange on the spot, without input from her husband, who was asked to remain at the other end of a hallway.

Contrary to a strong implication from Ohtani during his postgame news conference, Roman said they never met the superstar or were even brought anywhere near him.

 

The couple said their evening ended with the Dodgers failing to escort them to their car as promised. 

 

Ohtani’s postgame news conference comments, in which he said, “... Came back and talked to the fan"

While most of the Japanese speakers in attendance thought he meant he had spoken to Roman directly — which would not be true — he never used the word “I,” so perhaps he was talking about the Dodgers’ security team. Regardless, for a player already under great scrutiny, it was yet another questionable move that could have been avoided...

[archer]

 

https://theneedling.com/2024/02/19/professional-pickleball-and-5-other-sports-to-follow-instead-of-letting-the-mariners-disappoint-you-again/

Professional Pickleball and 5 Other Sports to Follow Instead of Letting the Mariners Disappoint You Again

[Cancer]

Actually, if you want actual blood sport, the interesting thing to watch is tennis players versus pickleball players bickering over which sport makes better use of city facilities.

[unclevlad]

We may see a major restart about the debate about pitching wear and tear.  

Shane Bieber (Cleveland) just underwent Tommy John...after 2 starts this season.

And now...Spencer Strider (Atlanta) had an MRI showing UCL damage.  He'll be re-evaluated soon.

 

That's two #1 starters.  Bieber has a Cy Young...in the Covid year, so a bit diluted, but he's been 4th and 7th too.  Strider was 4th last year.

 

This is the 7th such, already.

https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/injury-report?groupby=injury

 

And look how many pitchers got hurt last season, and are still questionable for '24.  TJ recovery is 15-18 months.  Then scroll down to the Elbow category.  Lots of these are 15 day DL...not great, but not devastating. as long as they come back in something close to 15 days.  But 7 of these (including Cole) are on the 60 day DL.

[slikmar]

Problem is, with the uptick in velocity nowadays, you have more and more pitchers throwing all out instead of the veteran pacing to get through 7 innings. Now its, get through lineup twice so empty the bucket. I have to believe these things play a factor.

[slikmar]

Apparently the players union is trying to say its because of the pitch clock. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, MLB, DON'T LISTEN. The pitch clock, IMO, is the best rule change to hit MLB in the last 20 years. Games are now actually watchable.

[unclevlad]

30 minutes ago, slikmar said:

Apparently the players union is trying to say its because of the pitch clock. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, MLB, DON'T LISTEN. The pitch clock, IMO, is the best rule change to hit MLB in the last 20 years. Games are now actually watchable.

 

From the ESPN story on this:

 

Quote

Major League Baseball pushed back on the union's statement, pointing to a three-decade increase in pitcher injuries despite the clock being implemented just last season. MLB said that UCL surgeries at the minor league level actually declined in 2022, the first year that the pitch timer was used across the minors. The league believes the increase in max-effort pitching and focus on pitch design have contributed to the rise in injuries more than the clock.

 

The union's position is utterly ridiculous.  IMO they're torching their own reputation with BS like this.  I remember a really good round table on MLB Network...yeah, in 2014.  Costas, Smoltz, Kaat, Tom Verducci, Dr. James Andrews had an interview.  Article here:
https://www.mlb.com/news/expert-panel-headlines-mlb-network-roundtable/c-74779990

 

It includes this:

 

Quote

"The basic thing that parents out there and coaches and players alike need to know is if you throw with fatigue at a young age - in high school, for example, or youth baseball - you have a 36-to-1 chance of injuring your shoulder or elbow. … Fatigue could be event fatigue, seasonal fatigue or year-round fatigue, so it's a big problem."

 

"What we really found out is that [high school patients] only had one week off each year from competitive baseball and that one week was - you could guess what - between Christmas and New Year's. So they're playing year-round baseball - that's the number one risk factor in youth baseball."

 

"If you take a coat hanger and you bend it enough times, what happens? It breaks clean, and then of course that injury didn't begin with that last bend, it began with all of those multiple, multiple bends. It's a developmental ligament and the stress that it will take is only about 80-miles per hour, so our high-velocity throwers in high school - unless they've got great genetics - are really suspect to really injure their ligament along the way."

 

Has this changed significantly since then?  I very, very seriously doubt it.  

 

Tony Clark is doing the players NO favors whatsoever with this totally ignorant remark.

 

Excuse me, I need to let my blood pressure go down.  

[Pariah]

Featuring the Rome (GA) Emperors, whose mascot is a penguin. ("Penguin" is also my daughter's nickname, so I'm already inclined to love this team.)

 

A new MiLB club played its first game last night, and you've got to see its celly

[Cancer]

Quote

"Some believe it is only GREAT POWER that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small every-day deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love… and a well-located splitter.”

 

[unclevlad]

Ugh.  Trevor Story didn't 'just' dislocate his shoulder.  Exam showed structural damage, which needs surgical repair.  Out 6 months.  REALLY tough luck.

 

 

[unclevlad]

This could be the breaking point, FORCING changes to the uniforms.

 

 

Dry tissue paper is more durable.

[unclevlad]

Wow.  Talk about a catcher having a TERRIBLE inning.  Orioles at Red Sox.  Connor Wong for the Sox.  2 wild pitches...passed ball...AND catcher's interference.

 

It's also at least the second, maybe 3rd, catcher's interference I've seen already, in...I dunno, 15-20 games.  Both were no doubters;  the bat contacting the glove was clear-cut.  I think I've heard comments that catchers have moved up in their box a bit...frame it before it drops too much, so this might be part of the price of doing that, particularly if the catcher's focused on framing.  His glove hand might just drift out that little bit too much, too soon from time to time.  

[unclevlad]

Federal prosecutors are now saying, yes, Ohtani's translator stole the money.

 

$16 million.

 

And they said, there's no indication Ohtani knew anything about it.  So he's probably free and clear.

[unclevlad]

Bullpens and bad defenses always bring you down....

 

O's in Boston.  Red Sox come into the series 7-3.  Lose game 1 on Tuesday, 7-1...but gave up 4 runs after the 6th.  2 errors don't help.  Game 2, jump out to a 5-0 lead...starter throws 5 shutout innings, but 86 pitches.  Bullpen gives up 3 in the 6th, 4 in the 7th.  2 more errors don't help, but technically only 1 unearned run.  

 

Tonight?  Top 8th, Sox up 2-1.  Error on a ground ball allows wunderkind Holliday to reach first.  Out.  Double play grounder to second...flip to the SS...who never touches the bag.  Both feet cross the line of the bag...but neither touches it.  Instead of a DP and inning over...the inning continues.  Another pitching change and.......boom....ball nestled down the right field line, into the seats.  2 run homer, Orioles have the lead.

 

Technically only 1 unearned run, because the scoring rules say you can't assume a double play, and the runner was out at first.  Hooey!  This is as much an error as the ground ball to 3rd was.  

 

Sox just tied it on a drive that cleared the monster seats, so now it's 3-3.  More time for their bullpen to implode, perhaps.

 

EDIT....O's score 6 in the 10th, so...yeah, that's a bullpen implosion.

 

O's sweep the Sox and flip positions with em...from 1 1/2 back to 1 1/2 up.  

[Pariah]

The Rockies just played in front of the smallest Coors Field crowd in 10 years

[unclevlad]

Ouch.

 

Well, we know their pitching's problematic at best.  BAD right now.  Team ERA?  6 teams sit between 4.99 and 5.09.  Then you drop to the Rockies at 6.57.  But they're middle of the pack in offense...no better.

 

Can't blame the fans.  2 years where they got into the playoffs...to be dumped out quickly.  Other than that...11 seasons where they finished 16+ games out of the division, and the bad nosedive the last 3 years (74, 68, 59)...and headed for what darn sure looks like the 4th straight season in this freefall.  Yeah, OK, the D'backs last year had a horrible stretch, and came back...and they have some decent prospects in their minor league system, but the ceiling for them is tied to their pitching.  

 

This might be the 2nd worst club moving forward...I put the A's at #1 since they're a wet mess.  Marlins...not great management either, but lots of injuries, IIRC.  White Sox have prospects.  Houston...I think they're mostly feeling the effect of having won for so long.  They may need a complete teardown and rebuild, but they've shown they can...Rockies haven't.

[slikmar]

16 hours ago, unclevlad said:

Bullpens and bad defenses always bring you down....

 

O's in Boston.  Red Sox come into the series 7-3.  Lose game 1 on Tuesday, 7-1...but gave up 4 runs after the 6th.  2 errors don't help.  Game 2, jump out to a 5-0 lead...starter throws 5 shutout innings, but 86 pitches.  Bullpen gives up 3 in the 6th, 4 in the 7th.  2 more errors don't help, but technically only 1 unearned run.  

 

Tonight?  Top 8th, Sox up 2-1.  Error on a ground ball allows wunderkind Holliday to reach first.  Out.  Double play grounder to second...flip to the SS...who never touches the bag.  Both feet cross the line of the bag...but neither touches it.  Instead of a DP and inning over...the inning continues.  Another pitching change and.......boom....ball nestled down the right field line, into the seats.  2 run homer, Orioles have the lead.

 

Technically only 1 unearned run, because the scoring rules say you can't assume a double play, and the runner was out at first.  Hooey!  This is as much an error as the ground ball to 3rd was.  

 

Sox just tied it on a drive that cleared the monster seats, so now it's 3-3.  More time for their bullpen to implode, perhaps.

 

EDIT....O's score 6 in the 10th, so...yeah, that's a bullpen implosion.

 

O's sweep the Sox and flip positions with em...from 1 1/2 back to 1 1/2 up.  

Yeah, the MLB analyst shows talked about how Boston just kept giving the O's, a world series favorite, extra outs all series. They really miss Trevor Story, it is showing the holes in Dever's defense at 3rd.

I also wish baseball would adapt the team error - the popup that falls between 2 -3 guys all standing staring at each 2 feet away other as it lands, as an example.

[unclevlad]

My bugaboo is "you can never assume the double play."  The play at second where the fielder missed the bag.  The out at second is made, then the ball's thrown away...when the batter's still 15 feet from the bag.  Not a throwing error?  Ridiculous.  Heck, I'd be fine with, say....runners on 1st and 3rd, 1 out.  Fly ball to the outfield, not all that deep.  Outfielder makes the catch...then throws the ball to second.  Runner at third did not break on the catch...but hey, with the ball going to second???  Free run.

 

The team error...yeah.  How about when 2 fielders collide, and the ball drops?  That'd be another.  

[slikmar]

agreed on the double play thing. especially if you take the play mentioned earlier, if the runner beats the throw to first, is there an error? if there is, then why wasn't there on the 1 out should be double play.

[unclevlad]

Youch...the Patriot Day game in Boston just finished.  High Heat comes on...I'm not a Mad Dog fan, so it's time to turn the TV off.  

 

But man...his opening comments are on the bad teams.  "The White Sox are not a professional baseball club."

 

My, my....  OK, it's Russo, and his normal runs to the hyperbolic.  But 2-13 is 2-13...and if there's a stat even uglier than the Rockies' pitching stats, it's the White Sox's runs scored.  34 runs in 15 games.