# MLB: June 2018 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 1, 2018, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250 "2018-06-01T12:01:34Z")\ **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:** [June 1, 2018, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/1 "2018-06-01T12:01:34Z")
Last month’s thread [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=854151). Is anyone going to be able to stop Houston this season? All-Star voting starts soon. How’s your team’s June looking? ---
**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:** [June 1, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/2 "2018-06-01T12:08:23Z")
The Dodgers have looked like a better lineup for the most part these last two weeks. There was even more hope of solidifying the rotation with the return of Clayton Kershaw yesterday from the DL. Then I woke up to [this news](http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23664559/los-angeles-dodgers-ace-clayton-kershaw-mri-back-tightens-1st-game-back). If the Dodgers are going to make the playoffs this year, they’re going to have to flourish under a different rotation this summer. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/3 "2018-06-01T14:41:11Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Last month’s thread [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=854151). > > Is anyone going to be able to stop Houston this season? It’s crazy that despite the unbelievable pitching stats, Houston is one one game up on the Mariners. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/4 "2018-06-01T14:52:59Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Is anyone going to be able to stop Houston this season? It looks like my Yanks might be able to stop Houston. Their starters are great, but once again their bullpen is not. Yanks June is tough, many doubleheaders and tonight could be another wash out. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/5 "2018-06-01T14:57:58Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > It’s crazy that despite the unbelievable pitching stats, Houston is one one game up on the Mariners. The Mariners seem to have no consistent strong suit, but they keep sneaking up. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/6 "2018-06-01T14:57:59Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > The Dodgers have looked like a better lineup for the most part these last two weeks. There was even more hope of solidifying the rotation with the return of Clayton Kershaw yesterday from the DL. > > Then I woke up to [this news](http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23664559/los-angeles-dodgers-ace-clayton-kershaw-mri-back-tightens-1st-game-back). If the Dodgers are going to make the playoffs this year, they’re going to have to flourish under a different rotation this summer. They have been breaking my heart this year. I’ve been avoiding these threads because of it. It seems to be getting better but, man. Rough season for the Dodgers so far. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/7 "2018-06-01T16:02:40Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > They have been breaking my heart this year. I’ve been avoiding these threads because of it. > > It seems to be getting better but, man. Rough season for the Dodgers so far. If not for Maeda’s strong starts and the miracles that are Walker Buehler and Ross Friggen’ Stripling, we could have written this season off already. As is, there’s still some hope that we can trade Rich Hill’s blisters for some relief pitchers and still compete in the NL West. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/8 "2018-06-01T17:01:28Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > It’s crazy that despite the unbelievable pitching stats, Houston is one one game up on the Mariners. The Astros have baseball’s best run differential by a pretty good margin. They’re at +125 so far with a third of the season (approx) in the books. (Last year, four playoff teams didn’t have +125 over the course of a whole season.) The Mariners rank thirteenth, at +13. Run differential’s not everything, of course, and anything can happen, but it’s hard to imagine Seattle’ll stay close for long. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/9 "2018-06-01T20:10:02Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > The Dodgers have looked like a better lineup for the most part these last two weeks. There was even more hope of solidifying the rotation with the return of Clayton Kershaw yesterday from the DL. > > Then I woke up to [this news](http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23664559/los-angeles-dodgers-ace-clayton-kershaw-mri-back-tightens-1st-game-back). If the Dodgers are going to make the playoffs this year, they’re going to have to flourish under a different rotation this summer. You guys wanna swap rotations with the Giants? Better hurry though…this offer expires on Monday… ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/10 "2018-06-01T23:53:48Z")
I can see why the Blue Jays wanted to gibe Jamie Garcia a shot but watching right now, I am firmly convinced his career is over. He has nothing at all on his pitches; I am quite certain a good college team would tear him apart. He looks like this three starts out of four. Prior to the game Toronto demoted Dwight Smith Jr., a talented young outfielder - no superstar in waiting, but a decent enough kid - who was playing quite well. They continue to retain the services of Kendrys Morales, who is a terrible player and is never going to be a good one again. I have no idea what this team is trying to do. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2018, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/11 "2018-06-02T01:16:10Z")
[How often does a HOF pitcher qualify for the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament?](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2778961-john-smoltz-qualifies-for-us-senior-open?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial) John Smoltz just did. Talk about a career after baseball! ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/12 "2018-06-02T01:20:19Z")
And in the feel good news of the day, Danny Farquhar of the White Sox threw out the first pitch of the game tonight. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/13 "2018-06-02T12:04:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > [How often does a HOF pitcher qualify for the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament?](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2778961-john-smoltz-qualifies-for-us-senior-open?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial) [John Brodie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brodie#Career_after_football) didn’t make the football HOF, but he did it too. The former Niners QB holds the record between US Open (not Senior) appearances, missing the cut in both 1959 and 1981. [John Burkett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Burkett) is a premier bowler, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/14 "2018-06-02T16:46:27Z")
Interesting Q&A with Gerrit Cole on ESPN about how the Astros training/analytics changed his pitching style: > **[Q&A: How Gerrit Cole unlocked his potential to dominate](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23617078/mlb-qa-how-gerrit-cole-unlocked-potential-dominate)** > > The former Pirate talks about the ways the Astros helped him unlock plus stuff he had yet to tap into on the mound. I found this bit (and the preceding question and answer but I don’t want to over-quote) especially interesting: > [@](#): > > So this was a revelation for you? Something you had never seen on paper? > > "Yes. I mean, Charlie [Morton] kind of gave me a heads-up before I got in. I remember maybe like the first or second day, I was playing catch with Justin, after that meeting. When you’re playing catch with a pitcher, there’s an element of ‘training’ your mind. You just play catch like we all do, but at the same time you’re going to work. > > "Justin was asking questions like, ‘What do you want me to look for?’ And I was like, ‘Maybe [that the ball is coming out] free and clear, something that looks it’s timed up, that looks clean.’ And he was, ‘Ok, what about backspin? What kind of spin you want on your ball?’ And I really didn’t know. > > “I just came into that meeting, and they talked to me about backspin and the four-seam and throwing it more. So then I remembered playing catch with Justin and when the ball is spinning true and getting the action that he is looking for in his fastball and, ultimately, what they’re looking for in mine. He would give me a nod or like some sort of body language that, ‘That was the right read.’” It just amazes me that an extremely successful major league pitcher hadn’t even thought about that stuff, and that apparently neither had the professional pitching coaches he had worked with before. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/15 "2018-06-03T00:14:14Z")
The Nats sent Max Scherzer up to pinch hit in the top of the 14th… he got a hit and then scored from first on Wilmer Difo’s triple. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/16 "2018-06-03T06:56:55Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Last month’s thread [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=854151). > > Is anyone going to be able to stop Houston this season? All-Star voting starts soon. > > How’s your team’s June looking? I just want to make myself feel better at your expense, so please pardon me for this wonderful article (which is all I can hang my red hat on for essentially the entire season) which helps explain the Dodgers offensive and pitching woes early on. Not to be confused with my Reds of course, whom have very little talent aside from Votto (however, I’d keep an eye on Eugenio Suarez, whom will be a Yankee, a Dodger. or someone else’s player not too long from now), but sweeping the Dodgers at home in a four game series when you’re the worst team in baseball? That’s pretty fucking sweet. The Homer Bailey experiment/contract is over. Well, you know, not over over , since it’s guaranteed money, but he is not close to the same player prior to his injuries (we should have signed Johnny Cueto instead)and he just sucks now. I am a fan of likely the youngest team in all of baseball, and we still cling to players like Billy Hamilton and Scooter Gennett as hometown heroes. This season sucks. Oh yeah Asimovian, your article, painful as it may be (please allow me a moment of stillborn joy. It’s rare these days…) > **[Reds sweep Dodgers, whose 16-24 record is the worst 40-game start since 1958](https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-reds-20180513-story.html)** > > If this isn’t rock bottom, the Dodgers don’t want to know. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/17 "2018-06-03T07:54:34Z")
Well, the Mariners just tied the Astros for the division lead. We’ll see if that holds up… Interesting factoid from the statistics department. Looking at the [MLB standings](http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/), I notice that the Yankees are leading the East with a 37-17 record, .685 winning percentage. Yet they’re half a game behind the Red Sox who have a 40-19 record, .678 percentage. I see how that works mathematically, it depends on the Sox having played 5 more games than the Yanks. You wouldn’t get that kind of thing if the number of games played were about the same, but it’s strange nonetheless. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/18 "2018-06-03T14:14:02Z")
How is Seattle doing this? They don’t look like a .600 team; nor better than the Astros. Their run differential is middle of the pack. They pitch average and hit only a little above average. They’re way below average at walking which usually indicates they don’t take a lot of pitches to wear out the opposing starters. 9th for Ks but 5th for K/BB, so a positive team stat. They appear to be doing it with luck more than anything else. They do come up very high in close game Win % having a .697 so far for 4th best. So can they sustain? Did they have a very favorable schedule to start the year and haven’t face much of the better competition? ---
**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:** [June 3, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/19 "2018-06-03T14:38:21Z")
I think I have a cure for Dodger hitting woes: play all our games in Coors Field. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250/20 "2018-06-03T16:29:59Z")
It might be the end for Dustin Pedroia. Sadly. He’s 34, coming off major knee surgery, and now back on the dl for that same knee. He’s always been one of my favorites. Little dude playing smart and hard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-june-2018/815250.md?page=2)