# MLB: July 2011 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 2, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663 "2011-07-02T21:19:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/1 "2011-07-02T21:19:05Z")
The Mariners are still hovering around .500, which is all I’m hoping for this season. The offense is still bad, but not historically bad like last year. The pitching is great. Jason Vargas just pitched his third complete game shutout. Pineda is a frontrunner for ROY. Bedard waited this long into the season before he got hurt. ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/2 "2011-07-02T21:30:44Z")
Halladay returns to Toronto, throws complete game, sun rises in the east. ---
**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:** [July 2, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/3 "2011-07-02T23:38:42Z")
I hate the Reds. Fucking mediocrity. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/4 "2011-07-02T23:50:23Z")
I didn’t stay up to watch the game last night, and I have been busy all day, but I am catching up on my Dodgers news and…holy crap Dee Gordon stole home last night after stealing 2B and 3B (sort of). That kid is insane on the base path. I actually kind of love having both him and Tony Gwynn Jr in the lineup at the same time. They make games fun to watch when they play defense and when they get on base. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/5 "2011-07-03T05:02:25Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > I didn’t stay up to watch the game last night, and I have been busy all day, but I am catching up on my Dodgers news and…holy crap Dee Gordon stole home last night after stealing 2B and 3B (sort of). That kid is insane on the base path. I actually kind of love having both him and Tony Gwynn Jr in the lineup at the same time. They make games fun to watch when they play defense and when they get on base. With all the little nuggets of joy that keep appearing on the Dodgers (Flash, Gwynn, Kemp, Ethier, Kershaw, Aaron Effin’ Miles?!?), it’s sometimes hard to believe they’re 10 games under. And yet, here we are. By the way, did you ever adopt a second team? ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/6 "2011-07-03T05:35:54Z")
Mariners lose 1-0. Fuck, the pitchers have to be perfect to win. A new guy makes his MLB debut tomorrow to replace the injured Bedard. I’m not optimistic. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/7 "2011-07-03T13:17:29Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > With all the little nuggets of joy that keep appearing on the Dodgers (Flash, Gwynn, Kemp, Ethier, Kershaw, Aaron Effin’ Miles?!?), it’s sometimes hard to believe they’re 10 games under. And yet, here we are. > > By the way, did you ever adopt a second team? I took him to a Yankees game though the nosebleeds seat couldn’t have helped. But that is a good question. Just don’t say Red Sox. 😃 So Colon looked very good off his injury. Jeter is soon to return. If Hughes is really ready to come back and be Hughes the Yanks are likely to be in the odd situation of having a spare starter with an ERA in the low 3s. I think the Yanks might be able to trade Garcia for either the lefty reliever they need or a legit prospect for the future. Yanks are playing great of late. I was waiting for the them to hit on all cylinders and in June they pretty much did. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/8 "2011-07-03T14:58:03Z")
> [@Invisible\_Chimp](#): > > Mariners lose 1-0. Fuck, the pitchers have to be perfect to win. A new guy makes his MLB debut tomorrow to replace the injured Bedard. I’m not optimistic. Apparently the pitchers aren’t even able to get past ball three before a walk is issued. Rough life. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/9 "2011-07-03T18:26:32Z")
Cliff Lee’s scoreless inning streak ended today at 33. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/10 "2011-07-03T18:42:44Z")
Speaking of the Blue Jays, Jose Bautista set a new record this year for the most votes received in All-Star voting. Obviously that’s largely because they get a lot more votes now than they used to, but I’ll bet nobody saw that happening a few years ago except maybe Jose Bautista in his wildest dreams. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/11 "2011-07-03T20:20:33Z")
Juan Rivera’s been DFAed and Travis Snider will be recalled tomorrow. About friggin time on Rivera. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/12 "2011-07-03T23:09:01Z")
Bout time the Reds won a game against the Indians. It only took them six tries. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/13 "2011-07-03T23:31:48Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > By the way, did you ever adopt a second team? No, I couldn’t really get my heart into any other team. I like the Yankee’s more than I would like to admit, and I am following the Rays and Royals a bit, but nothing more than very casual paying attention to how those teams are doing. Going to the Yankee game, I have to say, was all kinds of awesome. Even in the nose bleed seats. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/14 "2011-07-04T01:45:07Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Bout time the Reds won a game against the Indians. It only took them six tries. You’ve got Mitch Talbot to thank for that. And Asdrubal Cabrera. Not sure what his deal has been these last two days. If you recall, he ate up the Reds in May. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2011, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/15 "2011-07-04T07:30:55Z")
Orioles got a 5-4 win over the Braves today, although the game ended on an awful pair of strike calls by home plate umpire Mark Ripperger. Chipper Jones had the count at 3-1, and got what should have been Ball 4, a pitch well outside the strike zone. Chipper dropped his bat and began the trip to first, but the umpire called it a strike. Then, with the count 3-2, the next pitch was even further outside, but Ripperger called another strike to end to the game. I guess he had somewhere to be. Fun Fact: Orioles pitchers are 9/22 at the plate this year, and today Zach Britton went 2-3 with a home run. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/16 "2011-07-04T14:08:57Z")
Mo Rivera has spoiled us so much over the years that a loss like yesterday is stunning. I am not prepared for life after Mariano sadly. Jeter returns tonight in Cleveland. Besides the blown save the Yanks had a second stunner yesterday. They sent 24 year old Ivan Nova who was 8-4 and a serious ROY candidate down to AAA to make room for Hughes. It was a numbers games but I would have found a way to keep him in the rotation and probably have given Garcia a game off to see Hughes pitch two games before making a decision. I hate upsetting a kid on a really good roll like Nova was on. Though I know he was the only starter we could send down and I know Garcia and Colon are both pitching great. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/17 "2011-07-04T15:19:03Z")
Well, the Royals finally found the box in the basement where they hid all of their bats for May and June. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/18 "2011-07-04T18:19:16Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > They sent 24 year old Ivan Nova who was 8-4 and a serious ROY candidate down to AAA to make room for Hughes. Dude, take off the Yankee glasses! 🙂 I actually agree with you that it might have been a good idea to keep Nova up for a while, at least until they find out whether the good Phil Hughes or the bad Phil Hughes is coming back. But Rookie of the Year? Not based on performances so far. Without even considering position players, there are at least two AL rookie pitchers having better seasons than Nova. Nova has an ERA of 4.12, a WHIP of 1.472, and a VORP of 7.8. Baltimore’s Zach Britton has an ERA of 3.47, a WHIP of 1.293, and 17.6 VORP. Tampa’s Jeremy Hellickson has an ERA of 3.21 and a WHIP of 1.148, with a VORP of 0.7. And possibly the best contender is Seattle’s Michael Pineda, with an ERA of 2.65, a WHIP of 1.029, and a VORP of 13.8. Basically the only stat that Nova has on any of these guys in Wins, and that’s because he plays for a team that scores about 5.3 runs a game. If a pitcher with a WHIP of almost 1.5 wins RoY, the title will cease to have any meaning at all. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/19 "2011-07-04T18:45:12Z")
The torrent of raw sewage that has been John Lackey’s Red Sox career continues … Gotta bullpen the guy until he uncorks his head. This is just sickening. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663/20 "2011-07-04T19:49:07Z")
I know we bitch about it every year, but I really hate the special caps that all teams are wearing this weekend. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2011/587663.md?page=2)