2017 baseball thread

[ursus arctos]

2017 baseball thread

Maddon is stressing a lack of hitting, but the pitching hasn't been anything special either.

This too will pass, and for once the division is helping us.

[San Bernardhinault]

2017 baseball thread

You guys were just swept by the Padres. Is there anything more embarrassing in professional sport?

[ursus arctos]

2017 baseball thread

That's why the season is 162 games long, SB

[San Bernardhinault]

2017 baseball thread

Good point, well made

[Gerontophile]

2017 baseball thread

Mr Met seems to be in a little trouble.

When I opened this, I was sure it was going to be about Gilbert Gottfried, because I read something today, about him being in the commentary box.

[jefe]

2017 baseball thread

Entering tonight, the Braves were precisely .500 on their entire history.

[Ginger Yellow]

2017 baseball thread

Maddon is stressing a lack of hitting, but the pitching hasn't been anything special either.

Yeah. I mean, obviously Maddon knows better than I do, but the pitching really does seem to be the problem, particularly former stalwarts like Lester and Arrieta giving up big runs. None of our starters have an ERA below 3.50. And, Schwarber aside, we're slugging OK. I'll grant we do have an issue with converting scoring positions into runs, but it doesn't seem noticeably worse this season than last (at least against the good teams).

[Hot Pepsi]

2017 baseball thread

AvgRISP isn't worth working about.
http://www.fangraphs.com/community/taking-a-closer-look-at-hitting-with-runners-in-scoring-position/

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/a-plea-to-stop-the-obsession-with-risp-batting-average/

[ursus arctos]

2017 baseball thread

Fly the W

[Ginger Yellow]

2017 baseball thread

Thank Christ for that. Good job Heyward. And Rizzo, for that matter.

[Ginger Yellow]

2017 baseball thread

Nice one.

[Ginger Yellow]

2017 baseball thread

Cubs win!

[Greenlander]

2017 baseball thread

ursus arctos wrote: Go to Daytona.

The Florida State League (in which the Tortugas play) also has teams in Merritt Island (Florida Fire Frogs), Lakeland (Flying Tigers), Tampa (Yankees), Clearwater (Threshers) and Dunedin (Blue Jays), all of which are closer to Orlando.

I went to Daytona and it was fabulous. Loads of stuff in and around the game plus fireworks to finish.

A beautiful Sunday evening sitting on the bleachers in a cooling breeze and an exciting game that finished 9-5 to the Tortugas. The quality was high too, according to the scoreboard speedgun the Tampa pitcher was hitting 95mph with his fastball which I take to be good, no? Daytona had a prospect in Nick Senzel who scored 3 runs but let himself down with 2 errors which I guess is why he's not with the Reds.

It was so much fun I managed to persuade the brood to take in a game at Lakeland (20 minutes from where we were staying), though it had to be all-you-can-eat Wednesday to really seal the deal. Unfortunately it had been postponed by the time we rocked up due to the kind of thunderstorm in which central Florida specialises.

So with Tampa Yankees, Clearwater and Dunedin all at home we pencilled a trip in that direction for an evening but with crappy weather forecast and the prospect of a 3 hour round trip for nowt didn't bother. Naturally all three games went ahead.

Personally I'd have gone to Dunedin but with their crowds of around 3-400 decided it might be a bit flat so settled on Clearwater, incidently the best supported team in the FSL, mainly because they had a $1 drinks and hotdogs promotion.

[Greenlander]

2017 baseball thread

Oh and just one other question.

Is it common for fireworks and firecrackers to be let off at the relevant points during the singing of the anthem?

It was Memorial weekend and the moment of silence was exactly that, about 15 seconds.

[ursus arctos]

2017 baseball thread

Very pleased to hear that. Minor League Baseball can be great.

The fireworks are not standard. I'm guessing they did it because of Memorial Day (though many teams use post-game fireworks as a drawing card).

[ursus arctos]

2017 baseball thread

BTW, the Cubs are in first place.

Can't predict ball

[Hot Pepsi]

2017 baseball thread

Reds' utility man Scooter Gennett hit four home runs and recorded 10 RBI vs the Cardinals tonight in front of a small crowd at GABP. Reds won 13-1.

First Red in history to hit four home runs in a game. The Reds, not counting the independent team that went by that name for a while, were founded in 1876. Only 17 players in all of major league history have done it.

First player in all of MLB history with 5 hits, 4 HR, and 10 RBI.

He only hit 14 HR all last year and had 3 before tonight. His current line is .270/.308/.450 with an OPS+ of 97.

Baseball can be surprising.

[Hot Pepsi]

2017 baseball thread

ursus arctos wrote: Very pleased to hear that. Minor League Baseball can be great.

The fireworks are not standard. I'm guessing they did it because of Memorial Day (though many teams use post-game fireworks as a drawing card).

Many teams try to do a full fireworks display about once every other week, usually on Sunday, plus definitely on the fourth of July and, perhaps, Memorial Day and the end of the regular season. It's always a draw.

As my brother said, the fourth of July is like the Easter Sunday of baseball. It's often the biggest crowd of the year.

Some major teams will launch some during the "rockets red glare" bit of the anthem and for home-team home runs. Though most minor league teams probably don't.

Fireworks must be way cheaper than they were 40 or 30 years ago. When I was a kid, our local annual fourth of July fireworks were a series of rockets - or whatever they are properly called - fired off one at at time each about three to five seconds a part. This would go on for maybe ten to 20 minutes and then they'd launch about a dozen in a short time for the grand finale. That was it. But we were impressed.

Now our local very minor league team sets off about as many in the first 10 seconds of their routine displays than we got all year back in the day. The same launching pad they use for the ones at the ball park, behind the center field wall, is also used for the major 7/4 display (because there's a lot of open parking space around there because it's next to the football stadium) and that display is a constant barage lasting about 20-30 minutes and they let off several hundred, at least.

[Flynnie]

2017 baseball thread

I always feel like lower league and non-league football could learn something from minor league sports in America.

The British character probably isn't as well suited to being silly like minor league games can get sometimes, but the idea that you're there to have FUN would not go amiss.

[Incandenza]

2017 baseball thread

So, a cousin of mine (by marriage) became UC Irvine baseball's first All-American, and is likely to be drafted in the first round of the MLB draft. Unfortunately, my wife's immediate family hasn't really ever been close with his family, so getting a connection when he makes the big leagues is unlikely.

[Gerontophile]

2017 baseball thread

It's official. The Yankees, and especially Aaron Judge really like playing the Orioles.

They've taken another 14 runs off them, and Judge now has 8 homers against them this season.

"All Rise".

[Gerontophile]

2017 baseball thread

A HUGE shout out to those bastards in Boston, who, in LGBT Pride month, have a pair of rainbow sox on the mound.

[ursus arctos]

Fly the W

That was an entertaining ninth inning (not for Wade Davis)

[Gerontophile]

As soon as I mention anything about the Yankees, they go and lose several on the bounce. I'm done.

[ursus arctos]

Be glad that your guys don't play more games in Oakland.

The East Bay appears to be NYY Kryptonite.