# MLB: July 2016 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 1, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862 "2016-07-01T12:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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 1, 2016, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/1 "2016-07-01T12:59:32Z")
(Roughly) Halfway through the season. Let the dog days of summer begin. As noted in [last month’s thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=794572), Kershaw just went on the DL. Could be a brief stint, but maybe not. The Indians come into July on a 13-game winning streak. No first place team has less than a five-game lead in their division—will July be the month that someone puts a division out of reach (I’m looking at you, Cubs)? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/2 "2016-07-01T13:51:29Z")
Orioles had a pretty good June. Still hanging on to first place in the AL East, they set the record for home runs in the month of June (and were just a few shy of the record for any month), and spent the last half of June beating up on the Rays and Padres. It’s not going to be near as easy the rest of the way, but it’s been fun so far. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/3 "2016-07-01T16:29:23Z")
Boston is banned from signing foreign amateurs for a year, and had 5 teenage signees declared free agents. This stems from the organization circumventing signing bonus rules. > **[Source: Red Sox banned from signing international amateurs for a year](https://sports.yahoo.com/news/source-red-sox-banned-from-signing-international-players-for-a-year-153432545.html)** > > The Boston Red Sox were banned from signing any international players for the next year and had five of their teenage prospects declared free agents on Friday after a Major League Baseball investigation showed they circumvented signing-bonus rules... ---
**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 1, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/4 "2016-07-01T16:31:30Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Orioles had a pretty good June. Still hanging on to first place in the AL East, they set the record for home runs in the month of June (and were just a few shy of the record for any month), and spent the last half of June beating up on the Rays and Padres. It’s not going to be near as easy the rest of the way, but it’s been fun so far. Exactly two home runs per game in June. That’s pretty damn impressive, considering that the AL average last year was about 1.1 per team per game, and even in the heyday of power hitting in the late nineties and early 2000s, the average was only about 1.2 - 1.3. It’s all that power that helped them keep winning. They gave up exactly 5 runs per game in June, which is too many in a league where the average is about 4.4. They’ll either need to keep mashing those homers, or get some better pitching, if they want to stay ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/5 "2016-07-01T17:06:03Z")
Aside from the Kershaw issues the big question for the Dodgers is if Cory Seager has had the best half season of anyone not nominated to an all star team. Seriously, the kid leads rookies in every category except home runs where he’s second. He’s first or second in every category on the shortstop list, he’s in the top 10 for homers and he’s played fantastic defense. It would probably help if people in the second largest market could see him dominate but damn what else does a guy have to do? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/6 "2016-07-01T21:24:22Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Boston is banned from signing foreign amateurs for a year, and had 5 teenage signees declared free agents. > > This stems from the organization circumventing signing bonus rules. Isn’t having to pay Rusney Castillo’s contract enough punishment? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/7 "2016-07-01T21:28:14Z")
The only punishment that would be worse (baseball-related) is having to be a pitcher for Dusty Baker ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/8 "2016-07-01T23:18:43Z")
A sentence or two you don’t read very often: “Shortstop Ryan Goins pitches out of trouble in the top of the inning. Bottom of the 18th coming up!” ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/9 "2016-07-01T23:19:04Z")
Losing three straight to Oakland didn’t kill San Francisco. They only lost one game in the standings over the Dodgers. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/10 "2016-07-01T23:42:08Z")
Cleveland has now won 13 straight games, outlastimg the the Blue Jays in 19 innings. Darwin Barney took the loss. ---
**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 2, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/11 "2016-07-02T00:26:08Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Cleveland has now won 13 straight games, outlastimg the the Blue Jays in 19 innings. Darwin Barney took the loss. 14, actually. And Barney threw a gem of a pitch to strike out Napoli and end the top of the 19th. Too bad (for him, I actually like the guy) he didn’t throw that pitch to Santana! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/12 "2016-07-02T02:37:24Z")
I watched that whole 6.5-hour game. What an ordeal. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/13 "2016-07-02T04:25:40Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > 14, actually. And Barney threw a gem of a pitch to strike out Napoli and end the top of the 19th. Too bad (for him, I actually like the guy) he didn’t throw that pitch to Santana! When Barney played for the Cubs, I originally thought that he could fill a “Fernando Vina” role at the top of the order. I’m not sure he ever really got a fair chance during his Cub years ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/14 "2016-07-03T02:27:25Z")
Angels 20 Red Sox 2 and it is only the 8th inning! I’ve got to see the end of this game on MLB TV! ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/15 "2016-07-03T11:23:27Z")
Remember when we Sox fans were always so frustrated with Buchholz for being so inconsistent? Gotta give it to him, he’s gotten pretty damn consistent lately. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/16 "2016-07-03T16:39:48Z")
Jake Arrieta seems to have regressed from last season. No surprise; no one could keep the pace from last season. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/17 "2016-07-03T18:02:05Z")
Just an awful game from the Cubs, Lester only gets 4 outs and I’m already thinking of changing the channel. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/18 "2016-07-03T18:03:31Z")
I’m right there with you, dale ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/19 "2016-07-03T19:23:18Z")
So the Mets will sweep a four game series from the Cubs. I take back everything bad I said about Alexander De Aza and Terry Collins’s decision to bat him first. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862/20 "2016-07-03T19:56:10Z")
Strasberg was pulled after no hitting the Reds for 6 2/3. A good move. It’s his first game off the DL, and he really ran up his pitch count in a tough first inning. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2016/758862.md?page=2)