Baseball 2014 (2 Viewers)

[jazzeum]

Mets and Phillies are making sure the fans get their money's worth this weekend. They played two 14 inning games on Friday and Saturday and now they are in the 11th inning of the third one.

No sooner had I posted this then Lucas Duda hits a HR to the deepest part of Citizens Bank and they hold onto win 4-3.

Phew!

 

[lancer]

No sooner had I posted this then Lucas Duda hits a HR to the deepest part of Citizens Bank and they hold onto win 4-3.

Phew!

That's 10 extra inning games this year for the Mets. That works out to a lot of OT for the boys.^&grin -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

You have to wonder how the pitchers' arms will be later this season. On Saturday they used all available arms. Had the game gone 15, they were going to use a position player to pitch.

 

[lancer]

You have to wonder how the pitchers' arms will be later this season. On Saturday they used all available arms. Had the game gone 15, they were going to use a position player to pitch.

That is a trend on the rise. I can't remember how many have been used this season but position players have been used as pitchers in several games this season already. I would not be surprised to see MLB expand the official rosters by another player in order to allow more pitchers. Specialization and 6 inning starters have made the daily use of 3-4 pitchers almost standard. I think rosters will need to reflect this overuse of bullpens, eventually. Showalter of the O's already deals with this by the constant movement of pitchers between the majors and minors, keeping fresh arms in play. It is one of the reasons the O's look for players with options available. In fact, Buck moves so many players that I have given up keeping track of who is on the team from a day to day aspect. :rolleyes2:^&grin -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

On Saturday, following Friday night's marathon, when the Mets knew they would be short of arms, they demoted one of their phenoms, Montero, to bring up an arm, Buddy Carlyle, a journeyman, from Triple A Las Vegas. Carlyle caught a plane from El Paso and got to Citizens Bank about an hour before the game started. He pitched the 11th through the 13th and got the win. They would have not won the game without him.

All teams tend to baby their starting pitchers and treat them with kid gloves, with pitch counts and so forth but relievers are like the blue collar workers of baseball. Teams sign, use them up and spit them out when they've sucked everything they can out of their arms. A lot of these relievers are the ones who beat the bushes for many years just to get a chance to be in the majors.

 

[Warrior]

After losing 10 in a row and seemingly playing themselves out of the division, the Red Sox have won 7 in a row and they are doing it with the kids in their system.

They've got 4 position players under the age of 25, all of whom are contributing with either offense, defense or both and I'm all for it, let the kids play and develop, the future looks bright regardless of where they finish this year.......

 

[jazzeum]

Solid win tonight. When the game was still in the balance in the 8th, they brought in Dale Everson, who they called up Sunday and had not pitched in the majors since 2012. He retired two tough left-handers, Utley and Howard, and helped save the game, which the Mets turned into a laugher in the ninth inning.

 

[lancer]

Good night for the local teams as both the nats and O's won. Nats got Ryan Zimmerman back from the DL and he helped spark the offense with a couple of hits and an RBI but the best thing was that the starting pitcher, Jordan Zimmermann, finally looked like the pitcher from last season (19 wins) as he threw 8 shutout innings for the win. The O's were sparked to a beating of the Rangers by the 21st Hr by Cruz, who also raised his RBI total to 55 in the O's 56 games. O's moved into 2nd place, 4.5 back of Toronto and the Nats gained a game on Atlanta and are in 3rd, 2.5 games back. -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

Four gritty wins followed by three putrid losses to the worst team in baseball. Metz have some of the worst hitting in baseball. That idiot GM has been a complete travesty. Their big free agent signings are hitting .191 and .220. Pathetic.

 

[Warrior]

Four gritty wins followed by three putrid losses to the worst team in baseball.....................

I must have missed the Mets playing the Red Sox............and speaking of worst hitting, the Red Sox outfield is on pace to be the worst hitting group in over 50 years, quite a feat, they are God awful.

The Jays are on fire, their 46 fans must be thrilled.

 

[jazzeum]

I doubt it could be worse. Chris Young is hitting 190 whatever, the other Young, their lead off hitter, 230 or something and things are so bad that Bobby Abreu plays RF against right handlers. Their catcher, the one they traded for Dickey and who is supposed to be a good hitter, is also hitting 190. They have so many guys on the interstate, it's amazing their not paying highway taxes {eek3}

 

[lancer]

I must have missed the Mets playing the Red Sox............and speaking of worst hitting, the Red Sox outfield is on pace to be the worst hitting group in over 50 years, quite a feat, they are God awful.

The Jays are on fire, their 46 fans must be thrilled.

Toronto is so hot that it is really exposing the mediocrity of the O's and NYY starting pitching. The NYY have Tanaka and that's it. The rest of their starters are under .500 as a group. The O's starters don't currently have an ace. Only 1 pitcher is averaging as much as 6 innings a start (and that, just barely) and none of them have an ERA under 4.17, coupled with being last in MLB in Quality Starts, it is a recipe for missing the playoffs. I've been waiting for two seasons to see the O's pitchers step up and prove themselves but it ain't happening. Even their supposed ace, Tillman, just had his second 1 inning outing in his last 4 starts. The O's have to find some starters from somewhere because the current group are just treading water. 5 innings per start just isn't pro-level. O's hitting and defense has held them in the race so far, but I fear it won't be enough now that Toronto has showed up to play. -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

I am trying not to get to excited but the Giants and A's are dominating the West right now.

 

[Warrior]

about 60 games down and about 100 to go and the Red Sox season is just about over, 10 games out and sinking fast, losers of 14 of their last 21 games.

The Jays are running away with the AL East, which for the 900th time is what I thought they'd do last year.

the Jays, Tigers and A's are the class of the AL, the rest of the teams are tomato cans, I'll say Tigers/Jays in the ALCS.

In the NL, the Giants are steamrolling along, which is great as they are my national league team, so they'll keep me interested until training camps open for the NFL............................keep playing the kids Red Sox and gear up for 2015................

 

[lancer]

I must have missed the Mets playing the Red Sox............and speaking of worst hitting, the Red Sox outfield is on pace to be the worst hitting group in over 50 years, quite a feat, they are God awful.

The Jays are on fire, their 46 fans must be thrilled.

Bleepin' Jays are 18-3 over the last 21 games. Starting to walk away... -- Al

 

[maddadicus]

Bleepin' Jays are 18-3 over the last 21 games. Starting to walk away... -- Al

There have been a number of seasons past, where the Jays started fast and injuries crashed their coronation. There is still much baseball ahead..Michael

 

[lancer]

There have been a number of seasons past, where the Jays started fast and injuries crashed their coronation. There is still much baseball ahead..Michael

Michael, that is true enough and what I'm hoping for but the disturbing thing is that no one else in the AL East seems to want it. 60 games in and we have a decent idea of what the teams are like and Toronto is the only team that has showed any real spark and ability to separate, so far. I'm really concerned that the O's and the NYY's just don't have the starting pitching needed to take the division. But, as you say, still a lot of baseball left and a trade or injury here or there and... :wink2: -- Al

 

[Warrior]

Toronto is so hot that it is really exposing the mediocrity of the O's and NYY starting pitching. The NYY have Tanaka and that's it. The rest of their starters are under .500 as a group. The O's starters don't currently have an ace.

Without Cy Tanaka, the Yankees would be in last place.

As in dead last.

All that money they spent on old outfielders and Elsbury (has he gone on the DL yet this year; if not, wait for it as it's a yearly occurrence with him) and they're a 500 club right now.

And the O's weakness during this three year mini run of decent baseball has been that they don't have an ace, haven't had an ace and will never win a thing without an ace.

Last year the Sox won the WS because Lester and Lachey were horses during the post season and the back end of the bullpen was lights out.


You don't win a WS without pitching; offense wins in the regular season, pitching in the playoffs, why the Orioles don't get that is beyond me.

Back in the stone age when the MFY's won all of those WS titles, it was the starting pitching and the back end of the bullpen that won it...............

 

[lancer]

Without Cy Tanaka, the Yankees would be in last place.

As in dead last.

All that money they spent on old outfielders and Elsbury (has he gone on the DL yet this year; if not, wait for it as it's a yearly occurrence with him) and they're a 500 club right now.

And the O's weakness during this three year mini run of decent baseball has been that they don't have an ace, haven't had an ace and will never win a thing without an ace.

Last year the Sox won the WS because Lester and Lachey were horses during the post season and the back end of the bullpen was lights out.


You don't win a WS without pitching; offense wins in the regular season, pitching in the playoffs, why the Orioles don't get that is beyond me.

Back in the stone age when the MFY's won all of those WS titles, it was the starting pitching and the back end of the bullpen that won it...............

George, ironically, the O's had Johan Santana in their system with an eye towards a call up to bolster the staff. Comeback attempt or not, Santana was a legitimate ace who could have been a help, but that all went south yesterday when Santana tore his Achilles, ending the comeback and season for him. Maybe the O's can trade a few players for the Cub's Samardzija. :rolleyes2: -- Al

 

[Warrior]

Al, the O's need to develop an ace through their system or empty the bank for one via free agency as again, without one, they aren't winning anything anytime soon.

Lester was home grown, Lachey was a free agent............