# MLB Baseball April 2010 edition or Where is the Baseball thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [April 21, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851 "2010-04-21T14:10:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/21 "2010-04-22T04:08:00Z")
Tough way for Phil Hughes to lose a no-hitter, taking an Eric Chavez hard smash off the heel of his glove and not being able to find the ball afterward. Incredible pitch count as I type this: 92 through 7.1 innings, with ten strikeouts. ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/22 "2010-04-22T04:12:38Z")
Tough loss for the Phillies last night. I can easily blame Madson for giving up the first homer. But, that second one was all Heyward. He’s living up to the hype pretty well in the early going. Really amazing talent. It was good to see Kendrick put in such an awesome game. This is the guy we were hoping to see during spring training. It is too bad he didn’t get the win. But, if he and Hamels can pitch games close to that for the rest of the season the bats will start hitting and they will get their wins. Better night tonight. Halliday is a monster. The awesome defense behind him has to be mentioned. But, he really put a great game in. Complete game shut out on 113 pitches. Man he is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/23 "2010-04-22T04:17:30Z")
> [@pricciar](#): > > Tough loss for the Phillies last night. I can easily blame Madson for giving up the first homer. But, that second one was all Heyward. He’s living up to the hype pretty well in the early going. Really amazing talent. It was good to see Kendrick put in such an awesome game. This is the guy we were hoping to see during spring training. It is too bad he didn’t get the win. But, if he and Hamels can pitch games close to that for the rest of the season the bats will start hitting and they will get their wins. > > Better night tonight. Halliday is a monster. The awesome defense behind him has to be mentioned. But, he really put a great game in. Complete game shut out on 113 pitches. Man he is awesome. Yes, he is. No American League pitcher won more games from 2000-2009, than Halladay’s 139. Andy Pettitte was the majors’ winningest pitcher in the 2000s with 148, but three of those years were in the NL with Houston. Phillies game took 2:28 to play, which is rather leisurely for Doc. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/24 "2010-04-22T04:40:00Z")
> [@KennerTheGreat](#): > > Yes, he is. No American League pitcher won more games from 2000-2009, than Halladay’s 139. I’ve never been a big fan of Wins as a stat for pitchers, but in this case the numbers only accentuate how good Halladay is. He won those 139 games on a team that played .497 baseball over that stretch (805-812). He was winning 65-75% of his decisions, and that doesn’t even take into account the number of times that he kept his team in the game but got a no-decision or a loss. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/25 "2010-04-22T04:51:28Z")
Glad to get up this morning and see that the Rays got back on track and got back at Mark Buerhle. Nice chance today to win the series against the Pale Hose. Gotta keep up with the rich kids. ---
**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 22, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/26 "2010-04-22T06:25:51Z")
The Mariners kind of stumbled out of the gate on the road, but since they got back home things seem to be falling into place nicely. And MLB has rescinded Cliff Lee’s suspension, so we should have him back very soon. ---
**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 22, 2010, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/27 "2010-04-22T11:10:28Z")
Aaron Harang has got to go. He’s awful. What happened to him? Why is he making $15 million a year again, Mr Castellini? Jesus, send him packing and bring up someone already. He’s sucked for two years now. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/28 "2010-04-22T12:30:05Z")
> [@KennerTheGreat](#): > > Tough way for Phil Hughes to lose a no-hitter, taking an Eric Chavez hard smash off the heel of his glove and not being able to find the ball afterward. > > Incredible pitch count as I type this: 92 through 7.1 innings, with ten strikeouts. Good game last night. It moved fast too which was great for someone like me on the East Coast. The Yanks look really good last night. > [@pricciar](#): > > Tough loss for the Phillies last night. I can easily blame Madson for giving up the first homer. But, that second one was all Heyward. He’s living up to the hype pretty well in the early going. Really amazing talent. It was good to see Kendrick put in such an awesome game. This is the guy we were hoping to see during spring training. It is too bad he didn’t get the win. But, if he and Hamels can pitch games close to that for the rest of the season the bats will start hitting and they will get their wins. > > Better night tonight. Halliday is a monster. The awesome defense behind him has to be mentioned. But, he really put a great game in. Complete game shut out on 113 pitches. Man he is awesome. In my opinion he is the best pitcher in baseball. He has been Mr. Consistently Great. The innings he gives, the winning % vs. his team, the low ERAs he posts year in and year out. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/29 "2010-04-22T13:22:11Z")
And after four starts, Roy Halladay’s ERA+ is 554. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up winning between 25-30 games, particularly in the NL. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/30 "2010-04-22T14:31:51Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I’ve never been a big fan of Wins as a stat for pitchers, but in this case the numbers only accentuate how good Halladay is. He won those 139 games on a team that played .497 baseball over that stretch (805-812). [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com) had a great article about this at the beginning of the season. Don’t forget that .497 record happened _with_ Halladay. The Jays’ record with other pitchers over that stretch is even uglier. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/31 "2010-04-22T14:39:28Z")
The Dodgers, _as a team_, are hitting .315. That’s 19 points higher than any other team in the majors. Unfortunately, their ERA of 5.37 is 26th in the majors. This is why they’re only a .500 ball club right now. Last night’s game was just more of the same. They gave up six runs, but they scored 14 on 18 base hits, including going 11-17 with runners in scoring position. Ronald Bellisario made his '10 debut out of the pen and looked decent. If Billingsley can get sharp and we can perhaps replace Padilla with a quality starter at some point…well, it’s fun to dream, anyway. ---
**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 22, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/32 "2010-04-22T16:09:04Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > The Dodgers, _as a team_, are hitting .315. That’s 19 points higher than any other team in the majors. Unfortunately, their ERA of 5.37 is 26th in the majors. This is why they’re only a .500 ball club right now. > > Last night’s game was just more of the same. They gave up six runs, but they scored 14 on 18 base hits, including going 11-17 with runners in scoring position. Ronald Bellisario made his '10 debut out of the pen and looked decent. If Billingsley can get sharp and we can perhaps replace Padilla with a quality starter at some point…well, it’s fun to dream, anyway. You’re welcome for Aaron Harang and his softballs last night. Tonight you face Mike Leake. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/33 "2010-04-22T16:28:55Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > You’re welcome for Aaron Harang and his softballs last night. Tonight you face Mike Leake. Is that supposed to be a good or a bad thing? I’ve never heard of him. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/34 "2010-04-22T16:41:50Z")
Wow, is Halladay a surgical monster or what!? My beloved **Braves** aren’t doing too shabby and held their own pretty well against the best pitcher in all of baseball. Great defensive play by the Phillies, so congratulations to the world champions. This is where I whine about the fact that the divisions that Atlanta plays in (in both football and baseball) include the reigning champs of both sports. ☹ If we win the series against the Phillies I will be happy. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/35 "2010-04-22T16:50:42Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > This is where I whine about the fact that the divisions that Atlanta plays in (in both football and baseball) include the reigning champs of both sports. ☹ I’m sure the New York Yankees will be rather surprised to learn that they’ve been moved to the NL East. ---
**Author:** ![Incensed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Incensed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incensed)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/36 "2010-04-22T17:12:50Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > If I’m remembering right, this was a bunt: Ryan bunted, and the pitcher fielding it took his eye off the ball and bobbled it just enough that his throw to first wasn’t in time to get Ryan out.Are you asking why Schumaker or Ludwick didn’t try to bunt in a run? How likely would that have been to work? Surely the Mets would have been protecting the plate. I don’t recall exactly how the state of play came to be; I kind of had the game on in the background and looked up and it was first and third, nobody out, infield in. I immediately thought-take second on defensive indifference, execute some variant of squeeze play (with the trailing runner advancing as well) and even if it doesn’t work the first time, send the bunter (now on first) to second on DI and do it all again, maybe a suicide version the second go around. I’ve been scouring the net for numbers (almost everything is for 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd sac bunts) but I finally found this- > [@](#): > > And of course squeeze plays are always a good bet when you need a single run since they’re often successful (over 86% of the time with a runner on third). -from [here.](http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/not-so-sweet-surrender/) (about 7/8’s down the page, below three bullet points.) I know with the infield in the odds were good that Cardinals would score swinging away-it was a fluke that they didn’t-but it certainly looks like it would have been even flukier if they’d attempted at least one bunt and not scored/won. Of course the Mets never reinstated the force via IBB right away either (eventually doing so to pitch around Pujols) which would mitigate the squeeze by bringing the X-2-3 DP into play. Seems like both managers missed the boat here. ---
**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 22, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/37 "2010-04-22T17:18:08Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Is that supposed to be a good or a bad thing? I’ve never heard of him. Gah, I got called away at work and couldn’t finish this thought. That depends. He’s the fifth starter on the Reds. His ERA is 2.6 (although thus early in the season I don’t know what that means). He’s had two no decisions. He has more walks than hits allowed. It could be good for the Reds or good for you. Fun fact: The Reds starting pitchers _haven’t recorded a win yet this season_. Crap! ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/38 "2010-04-22T17:22:27Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Fun fact: The Reds starting pitchers _haven’t recorded a win yet this season_. I was half-paying attention last night when the Dodger announcers said that, and I assumed I had misheard or they’d made a mistake. Yow. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/39 "2010-04-22T17:26:10Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Is that supposed to be a good or a bad thing? I’ve never heard of him. That is probably because he is rookie who didn’t throw a single inning of minor league ball. ---
**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 22, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851/40 "2010-04-22T17:33:10Z")
From what little I’ve seen of him, when his control is on, he’s quite good. Of course, that’s true for all pitchers! What I mean is that he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, he’s a location pitcher that relies on accuracy more than anything. With his walks/hits ratio, I suspect he’s pitching away from contact as much as possible. Still, he’s one of the few Reds starters that has actually topped 7 innings at least once this season. The Reds bullpen is really good, but by July, their arms will be noodles if the starters can’t get their shit together. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-april-2010-edition-or-where-is-the-baseball-thread/536851.md?page=3)