**GAME THREAD**

[COZ]

Brian 4 State has apparently abandonded us. Allow this to serve as an on-going game thread. I like reading everyone's thoughts & observations.

Scherzer dealing. Wow. He seems to be pitching angry.

[Ando]

Where did James Shields' nickname of 'Big Game' come from?

[COZ]

Where did James Shields' nickname of 'Big Game' come from?

I had the pleasure of experiencing Big Game James in person last week. Let's just say it was a less than Big Game performance...his reception was similar to Chase Utley in NY. Good news is that the game was out of hand early & I was able to go big game hunting for this post-game deliciousness: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/03/ricoben ... aded-steak

[Ando]

Will have to try that out on my next visit. Yummy.

Coz, you staying up till midnight for the Kintzler save opp?

[COZ]

Will have to try that out on my next visit. Yummy.

Coz, you staying up till midnight for the Kintzler save opp?

Lol. You mean the Zach Britton 2.0 save oppo?? Yes, I'm having a watch-party for the 1st save of the waiver-wire pick-up of the year. I was shocked Gekko, I mean Gekko Industries didn't release a $$$Brandon Kintzler$$$ alert. I may go full Jay Lyons mode who goes to watch his fantasy pitchers in person and go watch Kintzler the next time he's in town.

[COZ]

Where did James Shields' nickname of 'Big Game' come from?

Big Game's last 3 games:

2.2 IP/ 10 ER / 2 HR
2.0 IP / 7 ER / 3 HR
4.0 IP / 6 ER / 1 HR

Ouch. Clearly, these were not big games.

[Ando]

I guess the optimistic (or Rick Hahn) could say he's trending in the right direction.

[Atlas]

My bench Monday night

Span .600 3R 1HR 1RBI
M. Upton .500 1R 1HR 1RBI
Merrifield .500 2R 1HR 1RBI


Yeah....I'm so smart


At least none of those bastards stole a base and really rubbed it in!

[King of Queens]

While pitching in Chicago:

Hammel: 6 ER (26.2 IP)
Arrieta: 8 ER (38.0 IP)
Lackey: 8 ER (43.1 IP)
Hendricks: 9 ER (40.2 IP)
Lester: 11 ER (48.1 IP)


Shields: 13 ER (7.0 IP)

[Atlas]

While pitching in Chicago:

Hammel: 6 ER (26.2 IP)
Arrieta: 8 ER (38.0 IP)
Lackey: 8 ER (43.1 IP)
Hendricks: 9 ER (40.2 IP)
Lester: 11 ER (48.1 IP)


Shields: 13 ER (7.0 IP)

I have Gio in Chicago tonight. it was either that or Nova in Colorado.

Given the streak I'm on...wanna be on the outcome of that decision?

[headhunters]

hahn went to harvard and kennys kids went to duke- so they are supposedly bright- but can't they figure out that guys like peavy and shields can pitch ok in petco- but not the cell. seriously- go get someone from colorado. if sale pitched in petco his career ERA would be about 1.50

[KJ Duke]

Parra's season might be over, that was ugly.

[Cotton1]

I was flipping baseball game channels and saw parra lying in the outfield as the cart came in. Pretty nasty was it?

[Gates]

I'm on a weird stretch of having key players leaving games with injuries...Maeda, Marte and JD Martinez ...not sure I like that...

[King of Queens]

I'm on a weird stretch of having key players leaving games with injuries...Maeda, Marte and JD Martinez ...not sure I like that...

You don't have Machado, McCutchen and Matz as well, do you?

[COZ]

Who had Adam Duvall (19) with more HR's than Bryce Harper & Giancarlo Stanton on June 16? I was in on Scott Schebler/Jesse Winkler in the DC's. Typical. Smh.

[Gates]

I do have McCutchen on that same team, did he leave the game too? Did not see that?

Gates

[Deadheadz]

I'm on a weird stretch of having key players leaving games with injuries...Maeda, Marte and JD Martinez ...not sure I like that...

You don't have Machado, McCutchen and Matz as well, do you?

Or Myers, McCann and Murphy?

Sesame.jpg (9.51 KiB) Viewed 6640 times

[Edwards Kings]

Most improbable?

1) Dustin Johnson finally wins a Major.
2) Cleveland comes back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Championship.
3) Braves sweep the Mets in NY in a weekend series.

The Braves have won nine games since May 30th. Three of those wins have come against Samardizja, Hammel, and deGrom. Yes. Samardizja, Hammel, and deGrom are on my Main Event team.



Yup. It's a bitch....

[KJ Duke]

Strasburg scratched ... could we finally see Giolito later this week?

[Gekko]

Strasburg scratched ... could we finally see Giolito later this week?

Giolito isn't even the next minor league SP to be called up

[Edwards Kings]

"Ian Kennedy was given just four innings Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits in a loss to the Mets."

"Kennedy wasn't pitching poorly, but Royals manager Ned Yost saw an opportunity to produce some offense in the top of the fifth inning and pinch-hit for Kennedy. He did allow two home runs before exiting, giving him 18 home runs allowed in 14 starts this year. The right-hander has a 4.19 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in his first year with KC. He'll hope for a longer leash Monday against the Cardinals."

What the hell? Pulling your starting pitcher after four innings/72 pitches? And the Mets already in their bullpen because Fat Bart taking a liner off his hand in the first? Wow...who does Yost have less faith in...Kennedy or his offense? Well, at least it worked for him...no wait...the Mets (you know the team playing so well as to be swept at home by the Braves the previous weekend) actually won.

Brilliant...just brilliant...I can't wait for Yosts' next piece of "strategy"...

[Navel Lint]

What the hell? Pulling your starting pitcher after four innings/72 pitches? And the Mets already in their bullpen because Fat Bart taking a liner off his hand in the first? Wow...who does Yost have less faith in...Kennedy or his offense? Well, at least it worked for him...no wait...the Mets (you know the team playing so well as to be swept at home by the Braves the previous weekend) actually won.

Brilliant...just brilliant...I can't wait for Yosts' next piece of "strategy"...

Right or Wrong
Good or Bad
Worked or Didn't Work

This is why I still like the pitcher batting in baseball (i.e., no DH)

I want there to be decisions made.
I want the manager forced to employ "strategy", and then have to defend that strategy.

Baseball rules have changed and evolved over the years. For the most part I'm fine with the changes. But this rule, the DH, is one that I've never liked.
As a life-long NL fan, I dread the day the DH becomes a league wide rule.
Unfortunately, It will happen. My guess is that it will take place when the league expands from 30 to 32 teams sometime in the near future.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I liked the strategy. Baseball has become so programmed. It's a darned shame that we have become so flock-like in thinking that a Starter is entitled to stay in for 100 pitches or so. Especially with a swell bullpen as KC possessess. Some may think it was the wrong decision because of the outcome was a loss.
Really, since nobody scored past the point of the decision, Yost had the correct call.

I'm afraid your right, Russ.
Baseball is a sport and America is a country that likes convenience over tradition.
Missing will be the wow factor when Madison Bumgarner takes Clayton Kershaw deep.
Or Bartolo Colon hitting a home run.
Or St. Louis extraordinary pinch hitting skills from those on their bench. (Matt Carpenter leads St. Louis in rbi with their help).

The pitch count and the designated hitter take decisions away from Managers. And when a Manager like Yost bucks the system, he is questioned for his actions.
It is convenient for a Manager to know his pitcher will be sitting on the bench while a designated hitter bats.
Also more relaxing for the pitchers agent.
The baseball union knows that another job has been created.
A Win-Win for all of those except for the old school baseball loyalist.

Since this thread is not focused one thing or another, I'd like to bring up something else.
I scorekeep in the rookie leagues and am a Minor League enthusiast. And this will eventually pertain to Major League Baseball as well.
Going five innings to qualify for a Win will have to be changed.
At almost every minor league level, younger arms are restricted in pitch counts more than their Major League counterparts.
A lot of minor league starters are starting games with no intentions of completing five innings.
At the Major League level, it is inevitable that pitch counts start dropping for starting pitchers.
I can see a day in where the starting pitcher as we think of him will be gone. But that conversation is for another day.
For now, I believe that the starting pitcher requirement should be lowered to four innings.
Baseball is a different game than when the five inning requirement was implemented. Most pitchers throwing complete games. Five innings, childs play.
Now, five innings is a chore.
The game has changed from the complete game being the norm to a quality start of six innings being celebrated.
Some of the rules of the game are not keeping up with the changes of philosophy in baseball.

I also believe that the chief umpire should be equipped with a microphone. He could give the crowd and tv audience an explanation of a balk, a reversal, or other things on the field that is a question mark to viewers.
It has worked well in the NFL.
I believe it would work the same way for MLB.

[Edwards Kings]

I liked the strategy. Baseball has become so programmed. It's a darned shame that we have become so flock-like in thinking that a Starter is entitled to stay in for 100 pitches or so. Especially with a swell bullpen as KC possessess. Some may think it was the wrong decision because of the outcome was a loss.
Really, since nobody scored past the point of the decision, Yost had the correct call.

Really? I am surprised. Accepting that maybe I do not know all the facts, I still didn't like the call not because of some programmed response to what is standard. I didn't like the call because it was stupid. If a pitcher is struggling or tired, ok. But not because there is one situation so early in the game where a better bat would help. Let's assume that Kennedy is in there because he is a better pitcher over more than one or two innings than the bullpen arms. Let's also assume that by the end of the game (viewing this in the 4th inning before results were known) that because of Colon's injury, you will be seeing just about every filler arm in the Mets bullpen anyway, so your chance of generating offense (so no reason to sweat so much against this one situation) against lesser arms should be greater, so why tax your bullpen? I do not view the decision as "thinking outside of the box" but rather "what the hell was he thinking?" I think he gave away a couple of key advantages.

Going five innings to qualify for a Win will have to be changed.
At almost every minor league level, younger arms are restricted in pitch counts more than their Major League counterparts.
A lot of minor league starters are starting games with no intentions of completing five innings.
At the Major League level, it is inevitable that pitch counts start dropping for starting pitchers.
I can see a day in where the starting pitcher as we think of him will be gone. But that conversation is for another day.
For now, I believe that the starting pitcher requirement should be lowered to four innings.
Baseball is a different game than when the five inning requirement was implemented. Most pitchers throwing complete games. Five innings, childs play.
Now, five innings is a chore.
The game has changed from the complete game being the norm to a quality start of six innings being celebrated.
Some of the rules of the game are not keeping up with the changes of philosophy in baseball.

Or baseball could change back to pitchers managing a game with less stress innings (rather than throwers just playing TJS bingo). Maybe even hitting for contact (rather than swing from the heals)?