# MLB: April **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 30, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370 "2013-03-30T19:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/321 "2013-04-18T23:02:07Z")
Detroit @ Seattle: 3 Games 13 Combined runs scored **82** freakin’ combined strikeouts ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/322 "2013-04-19T00:42:18Z")
RA Dickey finally went out there and pitched brilliantly. And then his back started spasming, so he’s out. Jesus Christ. So so far the team’s two best players are out, and now the would-be ace is out at exactly the moment he was looking great. I fully expect that the relief ace will be injured within ten days. ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/323 "2013-04-19T02:56:49Z")
Wieters with the first walk-off grand slam for the O’s since 1999. Wow. Unrelated, most of my Orioles shirts are from local breweries (Heavy Seas, Flying Dog, Natty Boh which isn’t local anymore but still). There’s probably a reason for that. The orange hides my tears. The beer helps. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/324 "2013-04-19T16:20:11Z")
**So who peed in Marty Brennaman’s porridge?** I tuned in to the Reds radio broadcast last night on the way home, and Brennaman (the Reds’ play-by-play guy) and his sidekick were giving hell to Tony Cingrani, just called up from Triple-A to make his first career start for the Reds. The kid was relying way too much on his fastball, couldn’t put away hitters, was throwing far too many pitches, not what the Reds need with Cueto injured, blah blah blah. I figured from this litany of woes, the Reds had to be down at least several runs in the early going. Instead, after Cingrani struck out the next batter to retire the side, it turned out that his team was leading 5-1 and Cingrani had struck out eight batters in five innings. One earned run and 8 Ks in five innings in your first major league start sounds acceptable to me, but since he didn’t immediately impress as a combination of Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax and Greg Maddux in their primes, I supposed he should be sent back to the minors on the very next bus. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/325 "2013-04-19T16:23:49Z")
No telling if the police situation in Boston, including the transit shutdown, will be resolved in time for tonight’s game. If it happens, it’s gonna be a weird atmosphere. The Royals have been in town since Wednesday night, and may not play until Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/326 "2013-04-19T16:50:01Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > **So who peed in Marty Brennaman’s porridge?** > > I tuned in to the Reds radio broadcast last night on the way home, and Brennaman (the Reds’ play-by-play guy) and his sidekick were giving hell to Tony Cingrani, just called up from Triple-A to make his first career start for the Reds. The kid was relying way too much on his fastball, couldn’t put away hitters, was throwing far too many pitches, not what the Reds need with Cueto injured, blah blah blah. > > I figured from this litany of woes, the Reds had to be down at least several runs in the early going. Instead, after Cingrani struck out the next batter to retire the side, it turned out that his team was leading 5-1 and Cingrani had struck out eight batters in five innings. > > One earned run and 8 Ks in five innings in your first major league start sounds acceptable to me, but since he didn’t immediately impress as a combination of Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax and Greg Maddux in their primes, I supposed he should be sent back to the minors on the very next bus. :rolleyes: That’s really surprising given that Marty’s sidekick is “The Cowboy” Jeff Brantley, a former MLB pitcher who generally offers keen insight into the nuances of big league pitching, Marty is generally a homer for the Reds, and the kid pitched about as well as you can expect. And the Reds have the best home record in baseball at 8-2 right now. Maybe Marty is getting bitter in his old age? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/327 "2013-04-19T19:18:47Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Hard to believe that A-Roid might actually make it back before Jeter. > > Meanwhile Granderson & Teix seem to be on track for their returns. Hopefully the Yanks will be in a position to trade one of the fill-ins for something they need. [All is not lost in New York this spring.](http://www.theonion.com/articles/yankees-disabled-list-absolutely-stacked,32100/) ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/328 "2013-04-20T01:41:29Z")
Pettitte seems to have bounced back well from the back spasms that postponed his start. At his age you have to expect some health issues here and there but he has a chance to get to 260 wins this season. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/329 "2013-04-20T04:03:40Z")
Fire John Gibbons. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/330 "2013-04-20T04:06:31Z")
Rick Ankiel has 6 hits in 13 games this season. 4 of them are home runs. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/331 "2013-04-20T10:21:30Z")
(The lowly) Pirates pitchers faced the minimum in shutting out the Braves Friday night, 6-0. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/332 "2013-04-20T15:00:03Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > (The lowly) Pirates Perhaps you’ve stumbled upon a good luck charm? ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/333 "2013-04-20T17:21:11Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Perhaps you’ve stumbled upon a good luck charm? One can hope, though the doubles, HR and pitching probably helped a little. I think the Braves will fare a little bit better today, given who’s starting on the mound for each. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/334 "2013-04-20T18:54:56Z")
Does Fox own the TV rights to the Saturday afternoon games? Do they broadcast the 1:00 EST games in your market? ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/335 "2013-04-20T22:39:07Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Fire John Gibbons. There seems to be a lack of urgency with him and the Jays (not sure if this is what you are referring to). The whole ‘it’s a long season’ argument always bothers me. Hows about we act like all the games matter? I am not a Jays fan so spend my time more focused on other teams but have you noticed a decided lack of plate discipline? It strikes me as an issue the half dozen times I’ve watched a game. Just randomly looked at a bunch of team stats and Toronto should count themselves lucky that they have the record they do. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/336 "2013-04-21T04:00:44Z")
The Rockies just beat the Padres to tie Atlanta for the best record in baseball, 13-4. It is the best start in Rockies history. Ten of their wins have come from starting pitchers, whose collective ERA is around 3.00. They are undefeated in eight games at home. Their 3-4-5 hitters are hitting about .350, with 12 HR’s and 36 RBI, and a collective OPS of around 1.100. Dexter Fowler has seven HR’s already. His previous season high is 13. Rafael Betancourt leads the Majors with seven saves. Something very strange is going on here. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/337 "2013-04-21T05:17:57Z")
Well, I kinda have to post this now, for fear of jinxing. . .ahh screw it, THEY’RE WINNING! “The lowly Pirates” have won 8 of their last 11 games, including Saturday night’s 3-1 win against the Braves. McDonald struck out the side in the 1st and 2nd, while also beaning 1 and walking 2 (forcing the only Braves run) in the 2nd - how weird is that? You’d think he was a knuckler. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/338 "2013-04-21T14:57:30Z")
[Some good thoughts here](http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/04/20/major-league-baseball-strikeouts-and-shutouts-are/iZcV67zSnLTFB5XtjGWHvJ/story.html) on the rise in K’s. Short version: Wider strike zones More power arms Young hitters rushed to the majors before they’re ready Steroid-less hitters swinging earlier Overcoached hitters taking too many pitches in effort to work the count, pitchers throwing more strikes then Cold weather Too many coaching styles messing up hitters Coincidence Take your pick. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/339 "2013-04-21T18:17:36Z")
After Monday, Sweet Caroline needs to be retired at all ballparks except for Fenway. God Bless America reared its ugly head after 9/11 and still won’t go away! ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370/340 "2013-04-21T19:17:22Z")
It was on its way out before Monday, a lot of people were getting tired of it. Now it’s inevitably going to be a permanent fixture. Just like all of us here are going to have to start attending the Marathon now. Dammit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april/654370.md?page=18)