2019 Baseball season (6 Viewers)

[lancer]

Fun with numbers (or the Agony of numbers, if you are an O's fan): After their recent disastrous series against NY and Boston, the O's now stand at 37-87 after 124 games, only 2 wins ahead of the 2018 pace of 47 wins. The 'improvement' is minimal and largely an illusion when looking at certain numbers. In runs allowed, the O's have hit the 800 mark, a 6.4 runs allowed per game average. They have scored 539, a 4.3 runs per game average, a deficit of 2 runs per game that helps explain their record. In 2018, the horrid O's allowed 892 runs on the season. If the rate continues as is, the 2019 O's will allow somewhere in the area of 1040 runs! They have hit 155 Hrs on the season but have allowed an incredible 255, on pace to allow around 330! These numbers are just unreal. I have seen some hopeful signs for their position players and offense but their pitching has shown no improvement and very little in the way of future hope in this area. It is going to be a real struggle for the 2019 O's to improve on the 2018 O's record of 47-115, something I thought would be almost a given, considering how bad the 2018 O's were, but it seems the 2019 O's are even worse, whether the won/loss record reflects it or not.:rolleyes2: -- Al

 

[Rutledge]

I don’t really see any of the WC teams (from Wash all the way down to the Giants) being serious contenders for one reason or another but mostly bullpen issues. It should be a Braves Dodgers LCS as they are the best teams although it’s fun to hope. I just hope the Mets are playing meaningful baseball in the middle of September. The schedule for the next few weeks is bru-tal: Cleveland, the Bravos, Cubbies, Phillies, Nats, Dbacks, Phillies again and LA. If they can get through those teams only a couple of games out, they might be ok. If not, see you next year!

Hope you’re right! Braves won 2 of 3 from LA after getting whooped in the first game. That’s encouraging.

Lotta baseball to play. Any team can get hot - or cold.

 

[mikemiller1955]

I'm sure the Astros are glad to get this 10 game road trip over...
going 4-6 has really put them behind the Yankees...
Astros are 36-31 on road games this year...
they are 43-15 at home...
big difference...

NYY are a great home team too...
49-20 home vs 34-23 on the road...

if they end up playing each other through the AL playoffs...
I think home field is gonna be huge...

last year the Astros were huge on the road...
57-24 vs 46-35 at home...
the complete opposite of this year...

 

[lancer]

I see Al Jackson, former LHP and mainstay of the expansion Mets in the early/mid 60's, has passed away. I always liked him as a pitcher who took the ball on a regular basis for really bad teams and did his best with little reward. RIP. -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

He was a great Met and one of their first stars. Along with Joe Christopher he was my favorite Met when I was a kid. Shame he missed out on 69. RIP.

 

[Panzer ace]

I don’t really see any of the WC teams (from Wash all the way down to the Giants) being serious contenders for one reason or another but mostly bullpen issues. It should be a Braves Dodgers LCS as they are the best teams although it’s fun to hope. I just hope the Mets are playing meaningful baseball in the middle of September. The schedule for the next few weeks is bru-tal: Cleveland, the Bravos, Cubbies, Phillies, Nats, Dbacks, Phillies again and LA. If they can get through those teams only a couple of games out, they might be ok. If not, see you next year!

Great post.

The Giants are a long shot at best and beyond that they don't have much hope. They could win a one game WC if the "good" Bumgarner showed up but I truly doubt they could win any type of series. They simply lack the pitching, from starters all the way down to a true closer.

 

[lancer]

Well, thanks once again to the Nats 'Bullpen from He!!', the Nats suffered a bad loss to the Pirates last night. Strasburg was brilliant, handing a 1-0 lead to the pen after 7 innings. Before there were 2 outs in the 8th, the Pirates led 4-1, the eventual final score. It is a game the Nats needed to win on a night that everyone else in the NL East won and gained ground on the Nats. My question at the time was why was Strasburg pulled after 7? His pitch count was 94, but he was cruising and could easily gone one more inning. Another questionable managerial decision, another awful bullpen performance, and a chance to stay even for the night gone. I have little doubt that this season, when done, will have died because of the 'Bullpen from He!!'. It is a pity. -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

Well, thanks once again to the Nats 'Bullpen from He!!', the Nats suffered a bad loss to the Pirates last night. Strasburg was brilliant, handing a 1-0 lead to the pen after 7 innings. Before there were 2 outs in the 8th, the Pirates led 4-1, the eventual final score. It is a game the Nats needed to win on a night that everyone else in the NL East won and gained ground on the Nats. My question at the time was why was Strasburg pulled after 7? His pitch count was 94, but he was cruising and could easily gone one more inning. Another questionable managerial decision, another awful bullpen performance, and a chance to stay even for the night gone. I have little doubt that this season, when done, will have died because of the 'Bullpen from He!!'. It is a pity. -- Al

Al:

I might be in the minority on this, but I miss complete games!

-Jason

 

[lancer]

Al:

I might be in the minority on this, but I miss complete games!

-Jason

Oh for the days of Marichal and Gibson. These guys finished everything. Marichal started 457 games in his career and completed 244 of them. His HoF career included 243 wins and 52 shutouts. Gibson completed 255 starts of 482, winning 251 and had 56 shutouts. I shudder to think what guys like this would be worth in today's world of 5 inning, 100 pitch starters. Oddly enough, I just watched a very rare occurrence in MLB these days, the White Sox Giolito just completed a 9 inning shutout of Minnesota. It was a pleasure to watch. -- Al

 

[lancer]

Well, thanks once again to the Nats 'Bullpen from He!!', the Nats suffered a bad loss to the Pirates last night. Strasburg was brilliant, handing a 1-0 lead to the pen after 7 innings. Before there were 2 outs in the 8th, the Pirates led 4-1, the eventual final score. It is a game the Nats needed to win on a night that everyone else in the NL East won and gained ground on the Nats. My question at the time was why was Strasburg pulled after 7? His pitch count was 94, but he was cruising and could easily gone one more inning. Another questionable managerial decision, another awful bullpen performance, and a chance to stay even for the night gone. I have little doubt that this season, when done, will have died because of the 'Bullpen from He!!'. It is a pity. -- Al

With this blown save, the Nats have reached the 24 blown saves plateau. Doolittle has converted 28 of 34 chances, the rest of the 'Bullpen from He!!' has converted 6 of 24 chances. What a joke, only 34 of 58 overall. -- Al

 

[lancer]

The O's gave up their 258th Hr of the season tonight, tying the MLB record for most Hrs given up in a season. They should become the proud owners of the record all by themselves sometime in the next game.:rolleyes2: -- Al

 

[mikemiller1955]

For the second time in two weeks...
the Houston Astros lost as historic favorites with Justin Verlander on the mound...
helping sportsbooks to a profitable night Wednesday...
Despite closing as +435 underdogs at Caesars Sportsbook the Tigers pulled off the largest upset in the majors in the last 15 years...
according to sports betting database BetLabsSports.com.

https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/27435865/astros-stunned-historic-upset-sportsbooks

Verlander pitched all nine innings...
99 pitches...
75 strikes...
gave up 2 hits...
no walks...
no hit batters...
and lost...
to the 38-86 Tigers...
2-1...
brutal...

 

[Panzer ace]

For the second time in two weeks...
the Houston Astros lost as historic favorites with Justin Verlander on the mound...
helping sportsbooks to a profitable night Wednesday...
Despite closing as +435 underdogs at Caesars Sportsbook the Tigers pulled off the largest upset in the majors in the last 15 years...
according to sports betting database BetLabsSports.com.

https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/27435865/astros-stunned-historic-upset-sportsbooks

Verlander pitched all nine innings...
99 pitches...
75 strikes...
gave up 2 hits...
no walks...
no hit batters...
and lost...
to the 38-86 Tigers...
2-1...
brutal...

Mike:

I have never bet on baseball and I think this game shows why.

-Jason

 

[mikemiller1955]

Jason...
the casinos cleaned up on this one...
the sportsbook shift manager at Mirage/MGM...
said it won more than six figures on the game...
taking a $55,000 bet on Houston at -550 (to win $10,000)...
and a $63,520 bet on Houston at -575 to win $11,000.
there is no such thing as "a sure thing"...
but I really expected to win this one...
this is the 7th game in a row Verlander has had at least 10 strike outs...
the record is 8...
if you had told me Verlander would pitch a complete game with only 2 hits....
I would have made a bet on it...^&grin

 

[Panzer ace]

Jason...
the casinos cleaned up on this one...
the sportsbook shift manager at Mirage/MGM...
said it won more than six figures on the game...
taking a $55,000 bet on Houston at -550 (to win $10,000)...
and a $63,520 bet on Houston at -575 to win $11,000.
there is no such thing as "a sure thing"...
but I really expected to win this one...
this is the 7th game in a row Verlander has had at least 10 strike outs...
the record is 8...

Mike:

I thought they had a real shot at tying it up with that deep lineup but when Chirinos tried to leg that double into a triple I knew he was out before the throw.

-Jason

 

[lancer]

The O's gave up their 258th Hr of the season tonight, tying the MLB record for most Hrs given up in a season. They should become the proud owners of the record all by themselves sometime in the next game.:rolleyes2: -- Al

And there it is. In the 3rd inning of the very next game, the Rays have gone deep and the O's now own the MLB record for Hrs allowed in a season, 259. Congratulations, boys. Still plenty of season left to push that record even farther.:rolleyes2: -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

And there it is. In the 3rd inning of the very next game, the Rays have gone deep and the O's now own the MLB record for Hrs allowed in a season, 259. Congratulations, boys. Still plenty of season left to push that record even farther.:rolleyes2: -- Al

Tough year again for the O's, yet they have somehow still attracted over 1 million fans through 62 home games.

 

[lancer]

Tough year again for the O's, yet they have somehow still attracted over 1 million fans through 62 home games.

Yep. O's have drawn about 17,500 per game this year, down by about 2500 per game from last year, but considering the product, it's not awful attendance, just not what the O's would like to see. O's attendance peaked in 2014 at 2,464,000 (30,800 per game avg.) but has steadily fallen in total and average per game every year since then. Fans will come back when a winner returns. -- Al

 

[mikemiller1955]

Mike:

I thought they had a real shot at tying it up with that deep lineup but when Chirinos tried to leg that double into a triple I knew he was out before the throw.

-Jason

Jason....
they always say never get the last out at third base...
Chirinos is not fast...
I think Springer or Altuve...don't remember who...tried to stretch a double to a triple the inning before...
and was thrown out at 3rd also...
bad base running...
do you get to watch them in San Antonio or California?

 

[mikemiller1955]

Oakland is on a tear...
a very good home team...
they just beat the Astros 3 out of 4 at home a few days ago...
and leading in the 5th tonight...
have a chance to sweep the Yankees...