# MLB: July

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [July 1, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097 "2014-07-01T14:40:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/101 "2014-07-12T00:38:15Z")

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All-Star Jordan Zimmermann was removed from tonight’s game; apparently it’s his side. That doesn’t look good.

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**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 12, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/102 "2014-07-12T03:30:29Z")

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Reds just keep on chugging along with spare parts. Big win over the Buccos tonight. Votto and Phillips out indefinitely with injuries to an already questionable offense, but somehow Devin Mesoraco, Billy Hamilton, Todd Frazier, Jay Bruce and company just keep on keeping on.

GO REDS!!!

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**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:** [July 12, 2014, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/103 "2014-07-12T12:10:13Z")

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“[Felix] Hernandez wound up with just the two runs on six hits over eight innings, with two walks and nine strikeouts. He has now pitched 11 straight games of seven-plus innings with two or fewer runs, the longest such streak by an American League pitcher since Gaylord Perry did the same in 1974.”

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**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/104 "2014-07-13T11:03:45Z")

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Jordan Zimmermann’s injury won’t require time on the DL, good news. Ryan Zimmerman makes another clutch hit in the tenth while co-manager Bryce Harper is hitting .244.

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**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/105 "2014-07-13T11:43:54Z")

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Maholm throws 6 shutout innings, Bums win on a sac fly in the 9th, back up by one. Shuffling rotation so we begin the second half with the big 3 - Kershaw, Zack, and Ryu. Hanley getting a nice long rest. Hope we begin to put the dog-assed Giants further into the rear-view mirror starting the 2nd half. We go to SF shortly after play resumes.

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**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 13, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/106 "2014-07-13T15:27:50Z")

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Arismendy Alcantara keeps making it difficult to justify the Cubs keeping Darwin Barney on the major league roster. Granted, it’s a small sample size, but he is 7-for-18 with three RBIs through his first four Major League games. He’s been plugged in to the lead-off or 2-hole, and not disappointed. He’s played 2B and CF with equal adeptness.

Cub fans are quite excited about this little glimpse into the future.

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**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/107 "2014-07-13T16:38:06Z")

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> [@madmonk28](#):
>
> Jordan Zimmermann’s injury won’t require time on the DL, good news. Ryan Zimmerman makes another clutch hit in the tenth while co-manager Bryce Harper is hitting .244.

What an injustice that a team with 50 wins at the break has no one in the ASG. I may not even watch it. Very glad to hear about Zimmermann.

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**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/108 "2014-07-13T17:38:56Z")

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Oh no! Dan Uggla is suspended for today’s game against the Cubs after showing up late. How can the Braves possibly win without him?

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**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/109 "2014-07-13T20:00:26Z")

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> [@P-man](#):
>
> What an injustice that a team with 50 wins at the break has no one in the ASG. I may not even watch it. Very glad to hear about Zimmermann.

Clippard is going for The Nats, it’s his second ASG.

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**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:** [July 13, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/110 "2014-07-13T20:15:57Z")

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@#$%! The USA-Germany World Cup game is pre-empting the Mariners-Athletics game on my local sports radio station?

Priorities, people! Priorities!

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/111 "2014-07-13T22:33:01Z")

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World Cup? What’s that?

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**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:** [July 14, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/112 "2014-07-14T00:01:45Z")

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> [@Mister\_Rik](#):
>
> @#$%! The USA-Germany World Cup game is pre-empting the Mariners-Athletics game on my local sports radio station?
> 
> Priorities, people! Priorities!

Oops, it was Brazil-Germany, not USA-Germany. My confusion came from talking to **Quasimodem** in World of Warcraft several days ago, and him mentioning that he was looking forward to the upcoming Germany-USA match. Then, yesterday, he said, “Guess what I’ll be watching tomorrow?” and I said, “The Germany-USA match?”, not realizing that match had already taken place.

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/113 "2014-07-14T00:35:59Z")

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It was probably Argentina-Germany.

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**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/114 "2014-07-14T00:58:39Z")

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> [@dalej42](#):
>
> Oh no! Dan Uggla is suspended for today’s game against the Cubs after showing up late. How can the Braves possibly win without him?

They found a way to not only field a team, but they actually pulled off a win. 😛

Actually I feel sorry for Dan. I hate that he is taking up a roster spot, and using a pretty big chunk of salary, and not delivering any production, but he has always seemed like a decent guy, and I’m sure it sucks seeing your skills deteriorate like his has.

Supposedly he was suspended for being late to the park yesterday. One of my more sarcastic fellow Braves fans said \*“Nothing new, he’s been late on fastballs for two years now.”

- 😃

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**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/115 "2014-07-14T01:02:17Z")

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Also, I gotta say, I kind of hate the All Star Game and it’s associated week long break. First off the game itself is almost unwatchable. It’s really a bastardization of a real baseball game. It surely should not count for anything, and absolutely not home field advantage.

Secondly, I hate the 4 days of no baseball. I’m going to have serious withdrawals this week.

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**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/116 "2014-07-14T01:36:41Z")

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> [@leftfield6](#):
>
> It’s really a bastardization of a real baseball game.

The All Star Game went off the rails when getting everyone into the game became more important than winning. If you look at the box scores of some of the older games, you’ll see that many of the top players played every inning. Here’s the [1965 All Star Game](http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS196507130.shtml), where you can see that Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Joe Torre, Ernie Banks, Pete Rose, Harmon Killebrew and Willie Horton played the whole the whole thing. That’s what you’d expect if the managers are playing to win. Now it’s become more like tee-ball, where the goal is to make sure no one is left out. Simply being selected isn’t enough of an honor. Making the game “count” was supposed to solve this problem, but it hasn’t.

Another problem is the requirement of at least one representative from every team. This wasn’t too bad when there were only sixteen teams. Now that there are thirty, the requirement interferes with the goal of choosing only the elite (if that really is the goal). There really is no agreed-upon goal for player selections - is it to honor the biggest stars, or to choose the best players (there’s a difference)?

The there’s the voting system. I won’t go into the problems it creates - I assume you know its pitfalls.

None of this stuff would matter much if the All Star Game were only an exhibition. That’s what it should have remained.

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**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 14, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/117 "2014-07-14T02:22:46Z")

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Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey of the Giants both hit grand slams in their game today against Arizona. It’s the first time battery mates have both slammed in the same game.

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**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:** [July 14, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/118 "2014-07-14T02:27:13Z")

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I’m just happy (and astonished) that there are going to be FOUR Mariners on the AL team.

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**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/119 "2014-07-15T23:01:33Z")

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So, it’s the All Star Game:

I really hope Jeter strikes out on 3 pitches at his first at bat tonight. Also, it’s been over a year, so please no Boston Strong nonsense. Finally, over/under, more soldiers on the field or more MLB players?

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**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:** [July 15, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july/692097/120 "2014-07-15T23:24:06Z")

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> [@dalej42](#):
>
> So, it’s the All Star Game:
> 
> I really hope Jeter strikes out on 3 pitches at his first at bat tonight. Also, it’s been over a year, so please no Boston Strong nonsense. Finally, over/under, more soldiers on the field or more MLB players?

What do you have against Derek Jeter? How has he offended you as a baseball fan?

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