Forgot the link to the Staumont pitch:
Roboumps, yay or nay, @discobot fortune
Don’t count on it
The Angels have been oddly terrible (thank you Shohei) but a nice side effect is that they have planted Jo Adell out in right and let him learn on the job. Sometimes he is horrible. He hit two HRs saturday. I just hope fans can return next season.
1 Like
The Yankees and the Mets just completed a five-game series in three days at Yankee Stadium that has to qualify as one of the weirdest series in baseball history. In two of the games, which were make-up games for covid cancellations last week, the Mets were the home team, although they still wore their “away” uniforms. I did a double take when I tuned in at the top of an inning and saw the Yankees batting in their home uniforms.
In the first Mets “home” game Aroldis Chapman gave up a walk-off home run at Yankee Stadium, certainly the first time that’s happened since he became a Yankee. (I’m not sure if he ever did it before he was a Yankee.)
Yesterday, there were not one, but two games that went eight innings but were extra-inning games. In the first, the Yankees came back from a 7-2 deficit to tie it up in the seventh inning, then won it in the eigth.
In the second, Gary Sanchez hit a grand slam in extra innings at Yankee Stadium that wasn’t a walk-off, since the Mets were the home team.
The Yankees and the Mets just completed a five-game series in three days at Yankee Stadium that has to qualify as one of the weirdest series in baseball history. In two of the games, which were make-up games for covid cancellations last week, the Mets were the home team, although they still wore their “away” uniforms. I did a double take when I tuned in at the top of an inning and saw the Yankees batting in their home uniforms.
In the first Mets “home” game Aroldis Chapman gave up a walk-off home run at Yankee Stadium, certainly the first time that’s happened since he became a Yankee. (I’m not sure if he ever did it before he was a Yankee.)
Yesterday, there were not one, but two games that went eight innings but were extra-inning games. In the first, the Yankees came back from a 7-2 deficit to tie it up in the seventh inning, then won it in the eighth.
In the second, Gary Sanchez hit a grand slam in extra innings at Yankee Stadium that wasn’t a walk-off, since the Mets were the home team.
The Tigers have been …odd. They are overall doing better than expected , with ESPN giving them a ~20% playoff chance.
Other than Cleveland and the White Sox(against whom they had a 9 game losing streak and are over all are 3-10 ) they are 13-6.
So still a decent glimmer of hope at the halfway point, which is good for them.
Rox acquire Kevin Pillar making them favs in the NL West. 
Toronto acquired Jonathan Villar, who is much needed so they don’t have to keep using Joe Panik, and they also got Robbie Ray.
Ray has always been a good pitcher - until this year, when he is inexplicably averaging a walk an inning. Steve Blass Disease. Since he has been a catastrophe this year, one assumes the Blue Jays see something in his mechanics they think can be fixed.
Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward left today’s game against the Cardinals during the fifth inning tonight, and told the team that he was feeling lightheaded and short of breath. The Cubs then sent him to a local hospital for tests, and for “precautionary reasons.”
After a good start, the Yanks are in a death spiral. It’s time they went shopping for a catcher. They should have dealt Sanchez a year ago and let Romine be #1. Now it’s obvious to me that Sanchez is never going to be half the hitter that he was when he broke in and his fielding is never going to be average. It’s also obvious the Stanton will never play more than a dozen games a year and as much as it pains me to say it, Judge will probably never play more than a quarter season. Maybe they’re both so big and strong that they just can’t help but injure themselves. Gardner is probably in his final season or two and the outfield depth is gone. As always, they carry too damn many pitchers (so does every other team) so there isn’t enough bench depth to bring in pinch hitters or defensive replacements and the reserves just don’t get enough playing time. Ford seems to be a fading hope for 1B, time to let someone, anyone play it. What was a promising start went right to shit. I’m starting to think Boone is not the answer as manager.
Eric Hosmer broke his finger attempting a 2-strike, 1st inning bunt. He’s been slashing .288/.344/.542. He has 20 bunt attempts in his career. What the hell was he thinking?
In general I think I’ve been seeing more intense play in a lot of games. Folks are playing more like this is the playoffs than this late (or early) in the usual 162-game marathon.
Which leads me to a few sorta-related speculations;
- Do others see this or am I confused?
- If true, is this simply a reflection of the “every game counts” mentality, or is it more like “A 162-game season is a marathon and any player who went all-out every day would be crippled by mid season. IOW players normally pace themselves to a sustainable lope. Conversely, in a 1/3rd scale season they can afford to push harder most days?”
- Ref @BobLibDem’s comments just above, are we seeing players blowing themselves up overdoing my item 2?
- In a post-COVID world, might a shorter baseball season actually be more of a crowd pleaser and maybe even money spinner? If folks get used to the stronger play we’re seeing now, will 162-game baseball look like a lazy sandbagging trot?
Imagine restructuring baseball to 1 month pre-season, 2 months play, 1 month post season, 2 month’s rest, do another 6-month season. So two complete 60-game baseball seasons per year. Would that sell?
I’m not really seeing more intense play, admittedly I listen to the radio feeds a lot. It makes it easier to deal with the empty seats.
Baseball will return to its traditional season next year. It’s good that weather forces them to get the season wrapped up by late October.
The marathon aspect of baseball makes it different, assuming they don’t keep expanding the playoffs.
I only watch the Nats. I wouldn’t use the word “intensity” to characterize their play thus far this season. More like “sloppy.”
The Blue Jays are now the best New York baseball team.
Sanchez is hitting so badly that one has to ask if there is something wrong with his eyesight. He still has huge power - seven of his 13 hits are home runs - but he strikes out in half his at bats. Even by modern standards that is beyond bad and into weird.
He’s 27 and was always a good hitter before, so something has happened.
I’ve been trying to catch as many games on TV as I can, but the last week has been excruciating - especially the Blue Jays putting up 10 runs in one inning yesterday. It’s gotten so I dread tuning in. LeMahieu, Frazier, Voit, and Urshela have been doing well, but it hasn’t been enough.
Baltimore is now half a game back of the Yanks. Even after “just” 40 games that’s something of a shock.
It’s been that kind of a season I suppose.
The Yanks have fallen from first place to where they’re at risk of not even making the playoffs in a year when more than half the teams will be in. (I heard a stat today that this is the first time the Yanks haven’t been in first or second place in their division in September in the last umpteen years.)
You people keep saying stuff like this as if it’s a bad thing.