Let me see if I can defend that. The replacement level for 106 innings is… well, I’m not sure, but it’s likely about 65 earned runs. AVERAGE would be 49, so you have to go north of that for a replacement level pitcher. Let’s say 65. Suarez only gave up 16 earned runs so he is 51 earned runs better than replacement. 51 runs is roughly worth five wins. So that’s in line with 5.6 WAR.
He got 2 BB and a hit on Tuesday. Wednesday he “only” got on base with one BB. He also had his first swinging strike Tuesday.
I am losing my mind over the Guardians. I try not to follow anything until the first pitch of opening day. People in the Guardians Reddit spent the whole last month crying about how the front office isn’t spending any money. I’ll admit, these people made me nervous. But secretly I was excited to watch this young team. Cleveland has such an amazing farm system.
Glad my gut was right. Our hitters are dominating (after just 1 run in the first 2 games). Our pitching is hanging tough. Our big bopper Franmil Reyes isn’t even doing diddly squat yet but we’re getting runs on runs on runs.
I hope it lasts…
Will Clark is peeved that the Giants were still playing offense while up by a wide margin over the Padres the other day (with several innings left in the game).
"“As long as people like me are in the game, somebody is gonna get hit,” Clark said with a chuckle.
Yes, trying to hurt an opposing player out of childish pique is amusing.
“In that clip you just played (Kapler) said if a team decides to do it against us we completely understand. So, I mean if that’s his thinking, then fine. But at the same time later on down the road, he’s going to have it happen to him, and he better accept it.”
And so what happens when the Giants are down a bunch of runs in a future game, the opposing team tries to “run up the score” and Kapler does accept it without complaining? Does Will stamp his little feet in outrage to make up for it?
Unwritten baseball rules like this should be retired along with the players who can’t imagine the game without them.
Will Clark always seemed like a petulant asshole during his playing days, so this comes as no surprise.
Wow. That’s not how I read that at all. Clark seems to be saying “Hey, in my day, that shit would not have flown or somebody gets drilled. Kapler wants to change that to ‘beat downs are just fine’. Which is fine, but when the Giants are getting beat down and players are still bunting and stealing, Kapler better be ‘it’s cool’ or he’s a lying piece of shit”.
All of that is VERY paraphrased and in my own words, but I agree with it. If the Giants are down 14-0 in the top of the 9th when Kapler is down to an outfielder who pitched once in high school, and the other team is swinging away, bunting for position, or stealing bases, Kapler better smile and take it as ‘well, they’re just trying to win the series’. If he can do that, then more power to him, and I, for one, will tip my cap to him for being consistent. But I bet he’ll piss and moan about it just like every other manager.
I guess we’ll just have to see.
In the game that Clark was so riled about, the Giants had a 9-run lead in the 6th inning. Comebacks from that far down are not unprecedented.
To avoid all this existential angst over the “unwritten rule”, maybe MLB should require all teams with a Win Expectancy of >99% to avoid bunting and stealing bases, and jog to first if they hit the ball. We don’t want hurt feelings.
Yeah, it could be interesting. For what it’s worth, I agree with you that it’s time for many, if not most, of the unwritten rules to go away. Different era, different game. With all the power in the game now, very few leads are completely safe.
But I do think there’s some risk in being too far ahead of the curve in shedding the old rules and it’s not wrong of Clark to acknowledge that.
Look like Trevor Bauer might force the Dodgers and MLB to deal with him.
It’s not paywalled for me and I’m not a subscriber. Basically, Bauer doesn’t want his leave extended.
Feverishly looking for the “+1” key on my keyboard.
The AL West should be interesting. 8 games in and only 1/2 game (Astros have one less loss since they have only played 7 games) separate the top 4 teams.
I plan to watch a lot of the AL West this season, mostly to see Ohtani/Trout for the Angels, but I hope the division is competitive. Plus, the A’s are always a fun team and I want to see more of the Rangers, a team I haven’t really watched much of since their World Series era.
Here’s an opinion piece in which the author asks MLB not to reinstate Bauer anytime soon.
The Padres weren’t being shown up by the Giants, they were being shown up by their own shitty pitching.
It’s a very weird situation. Now that the criminal charges have been withdrawn, doesn’t the CBA require, well, some other objective reason to keep him suspended? But the MLBPA apparently won’t support Bauer, so does MLB have evidence in hand?
Can the Dodgers just release Bauer? Let him become someone else’s problem?
He is not suspended. He is on leave. He still gets paid.
You can always release a guy. You’re on the hook for the entire salary, though.
That would be $47 million if Bauer opts out of 2023 and becomes a free agent. $64 million if they just release him. I don’t see him ever wearing an MLB uniform ever again, much less a Dodger one.
I bet he’s pitching next week. He’s a dirtbag, and I have not been following the case closely, but what’s the current situation? Charges have been dropped - is the woman involved still sticking to her story? I thought she had pulled back (not that that’s necessarily any indication there’s no fire behind this massive cloud of smoke). Plenty of criminal investigations proceed even after the alleged victim says everything’s fine. Chapman and Ozuna are currently in the fine graces of their teams, not to mention Deshaun Watson.
Today’s A’s-Jays game was the worst-home-plate-umped game I have seen since the Eric Gregg game. Jeff Nelson was absolutely horrific.