# MLB: March/April 2019 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 27, 2019, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604 "2019-03-27T13:17:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/161 "2019-04-12T15:18:12Z")
That is a stunningly terrible deal for Albies. He left tens of millions of dollars on the table. I am trying to figure out what happened there but can’t yet find a reason. I’m amazed the MLBPA didn’t shoot his agent. If Albies just wanted to get a contract out of the way for enough money, fair enough, but there is just no way the Braves would not have given him more dollars for the exact same term had his agent just asked. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/162 "2019-04-12T18:04:57Z")
Sanchez goes down again to injuries. It’s getting to be the Scranton Yankees more and more every day. On the plus side, errors and passed balls will drop dramatically. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2019, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/163 "2019-04-12T22:00:56Z")
Former MLB pitcher Scott Sanderson has [died](http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26501461/former-all-star-pitcher-sanderson-dies-62) at 62. No cause of death stated. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/164 "2019-04-13T02:45:06Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Sanchez goes down again to injuries. At some point I suppose I’ll move on from his gallant contribution in that Tigers brawl. After Vladdy went 2 for 4 including a deep dinger in his first AAA game with the Bufflalo Bisons last night, I’m convinced he’ll get called up within a week if he has a repeat game this week-end in Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Unfortunate that his posterior is sadly Kirby Puckett-like, but these things we just have to deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/165 "2019-04-13T06:09:48Z")
Highly regarded White Sox rookie Eloy Jimenez hit the first two home runs of his career tonight–curiously enough, to dead center and left center in Yankee Stadium, which are not the two easiest fields to which to hit home runs. Jimenez, who had zero prior Major League experience, recently signed a six-year, $43 million contract which kind of underscores the above points about Albies. ---
**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:** [April 13, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/166 "2019-04-13T17:20:57Z")
Chris Davis singles in his first at-bat, driving in 2 runs. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/167 "2019-04-13T22:20:39Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > The evidence does not support your position. Fresh middle relievers pitch better than tired starters unless we are dealing with elite pitchers. Interestingly breaking pitches are increasingly being used to get though the first couple time through the lineup. Fastball usage is down significantly particularly in traditionally hitter counts. Case in point today in Pirates v. Nats. Archers pitches 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 run and hasn’t given up a hit in the last 4 innings. No pinch hitter for him. Under my theory, why mess with success? But no, let’s bring in the setup man to give up back to back homeruns to give Washington the lead. You got a pitcher in there who at least today is rolling. I don’t see the logic in taking him out for a guy who might not be on today. ---
**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:** [April 13, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/168 "2019-04-13T22:36:34Z")
Now you’re going up another unwritten rule, the 100 pitch limit. Even guys who are allowed to exceed the limit are held back a bit in April. Archer was at 94. Going to Rodriguez, last year anyway, was the logical move. He made 63 appearances last season, 50 of them scoreless. He only gave up more than one run five times. Good odds. Chris Davis had _three_ hits. It’s a funny old game. ---
**Author:** ![Caldris\_bal\_Comar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@Caldris\_bal\_Comar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caldris_bal_Comar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/169 "2019-04-13T23:33:39Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Chris Davis singles in his first at-bat, driving in 2 runs. Which has given birth to [my favorite piece of baseball media](https://twitter.com/TitanicBaseball/status/1117126724662251520) this season. Possibly ever. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/170 "2019-04-14T00:19:49Z")
> [@Caldris\_bal\_Comar](#): > > Which has given birth to [my favorite piece of baseball media](https://twitter.com/TitanicBaseball/status/1117126724662251520) this season. Possibly ever. His tiny wave was the best part. He looked like a Little League player. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/171 "2019-04-14T01:54:29Z")
for some reason i think this is going to be one of those years in la when its gonna be win 10 in a row then lose 10 and repeat cycles in LA until ya go insane … ---
**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:** [April 14, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/172 "2019-04-14T02:32:13Z")
jooooose altuve, 6 home runs in 5 games. Pret-ty good. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/173 "2019-04-14T02:34:42Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > jooooose altuve, 6 home runs in 5 games. Pret-ty good. He’s amazing. Unfortunately, he’s not a Mariner. I do like watching him play. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2019, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/174 "2019-04-14T11:20:41Z")
Yanks are down to 11 on the [del]DL[/del] IL! CC Sabathia is back and looked good yesterday. The Yanks are only 6-8 and yet a game and a half ahead of the Red Sox. I’m betting no one would have bet on that. One Yankee pitcher has 3 of their 6 wins. Of course that pitcher is Domingo Germán with a gaudy 1.38 ERA. This is going to be a weird year. Oh, Judge had another Judge moment\* yesterday. > [@MLB](#): > > [In the span of minutes](https://www.mlb.com/cut4/aaron-judge-signed-his-home-run-ball-for-a-fan), this fan caught a home run ball from Judge, got that very ball signed by him and had a catch with him. Many baseball fans go a lifetime without doing any of those things and this kid squeezed them into a single afternoon at the park. - Being one of the faces of baseball and unintentionally proving why he will be the next Yankee Captain after he signs his extension. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/175 "2019-04-14T15:08:31Z")
Yes, you read it correctly. The Cubs are snowed out today. Ugh. Snow, on April 14. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/176 "2019-04-14T15:15:31Z")
Sure, another minor point, but why, whenever they show Altuve manning 2nd, is he always compulsively biting at his fingertips? Like, _always_. I have never ever seen him _not_ biting away, like that, while waiting for his pitcher to throw the next pitch. Watch for it next time - when they show him, he’ll be chomp chomp chomping away. Ah yes - [lo and behold](https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=l0yzXPLuFIbm-gTmyb_QDA&q=alyuve+biting+his+nails&btnK=Google+Search&oq=alyuve+biting+his+nails&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i22i29i30.1196.6216..7532...0.0..0.150.1833.23j1......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..35i39j0i67j0i131j0j0i131i67j0i10j35i304i39j0i13j0i13i5i30j0i8i13i30j0i13i30j0i22i30j33i160j33i21.9FvvFUW6QV0) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/177 "2019-04-14T23:09:41Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > At some point I suppose I’ll move on from his gallant contribution in that Tigers brawl. > > After Vladdy went 2 for 4 including a deep dinger in his first AAA game with the Bufflalo Bisons last night, I’m convinced he’ll get called up within a week if he has a repeat game this week-end in Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Unfortunate that his posterior is sadly Kirby Puckett-like, but these things we just have to deal with. Puckett never really suffered much from his weight during his career; he was just shaped weird. Vladdy Jr. is legitimately fat, and if he doesn’t solve that problem it will catch up to him eventually. Toronto second baseman Lourdes Gurriel Jr had to be removed from today’s game because apparently, for reasons unknown, he cannot make routine throws to first. He’s got whatever afflicted Chuck Knoblauch and unlike Knoblauch his team has no other reason to keep him around so he’ll be demoted soon; rumor has it Eric Sogard will replace him, but he’s a temporary fix. No one on the team is hitting except Freddy Galvis, so they might as well recall Vladdy and half the Buffalo Bisons. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/178 "2019-04-14T23:48:52Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Now you’re going up another unwritten rule, the 100 pitch limit. Even guys who are allowed to exceed the limit are held back a bit in April. Archer was at 94. Going to Rodriguez, last year anyway, was the logical move. He made 63 appearances last season, 50 of them scoreless. He only gave up more than one run five times. Good odds. I think you would have to compare that to what a starting pitcher would have done in a certain situation to see whether it was good odds or not. I mean, most half-innings are scoreless, right? Archer pitched 6 out of 7 scoreless in that game, so I’m not sure how putting Rodriguez’s stats up there make the point that the _change_ was proper. If you want to say that Rodriguez is normally a fine pitcher, I don’t disagree, but it does not support the argument that he was the better choice in the 8th than Archer on that day. Oh, and screw the 100 pitch limit. These guys are young athletes and paid handsomely to play a kid’s game. Players are babied. Doug Drabek would throw 145 pitches and still not lose anything off of his fastball. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/179 "2019-04-15T04:04:56Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Puckett never really suffered much from his weight during his career; he was just shaped weird. Vladdy Jr. is legitimately fat, and if he doesn’t solve that problem it will catch up to him eventually. > > Toronto second baseman Lourdes Gurriel Jr had to be removed from today’s game because apparently, for reasons unknown, he cannot make routine throws to first. He’s got whatever afflicted Chuck Knoblauch and unlike Knoblauch his team has no other reason to keep him around so he’ll be demoted soon; rumor has it Eric Sogard will replace him, but he’s a temporary fix. No one on the team is hitting except Freddy Galvis, so they might as well recall Vladdy and half the Buffalo Bisons. Ah, more of a Valenzuela/Sandoval thing going on with VG. An amoeboid blob off the old block, sadly. Was hoping for at least a bit more out of Grichuk, who’s hitting a sobering .192. Hopefully he’ll start to put his recent 5-year signing to good use. Not sure if I’m hearing right that Stroman, Sanchez, and Smoak might be moving pieces as well. I realise the Jays are trying to go young, but, well, I don’t have any answers. I foresee an inordinate amount of 1-0, 2-0 Jays losses this season. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2019, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604/180 "2019-04-15T04:44:11Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Oh, and screw the 100 pitch limit. These guys are young athletes and paid handsomely to play a kid’s game. Players are babied. Doug Drabek would throw 145 pitches and still not lose anything off of his fastball. I do remember Drabek being a fine pitcher and a workhorse, but it’s probably worth noting that he didn’t last all that long. He was effective through age 29, then had his last strong season at age 31; in between he led the league in losses, and his last four seasons weren’t good at all. Gotta wonder if he’d have been effective for longer without those 145-pitch games … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-march-april-2019/831604.md?page=10)