2011 MLB Season

[JSngry]

Report: Rangers are "interested" in Lance Berkman:

http://www.bbtia.com/home/2011/8/29/report-rangers-are-interested-in-lance-berkman.html

Now there's a clubhouse meeting I'd love to witness...

[JSngry]

No sooner does Beltre get ready to come back than Cruz strains a hammie...three weeks out is the preliminary estimate.

Hamstrings suck. Hamstrings sad.

Boo hamstrings.

[BERIGAN]

No sooner does Beltre get ready to come back than Cruz strains a hammie...three weeks out is the preliminary estimate.

Hamstrings suck. Hamstrings sad.

Boo hamstrings.

So many people seem to have chronic issues with their hammys (Hammies?)

Makes one wonder how Cal Ripkin never blew one out(I'm sure he at one point he strained one, but if he tore one...even he couldn't play, could he?) How did Ted Williams, Stan Musial, heck, even Babe Ruth play to or past 40??? A lack of being in shape, and lots of smokes and buds helped keep them strong???

Even with the Red Sox due for a half-way decent game or two against the Rangers, color me shocked at winning the series. Andrew Miller beats OGANDO! only in reverse-lock land.

Not when OGANDO! (and I'm keeping it like that just because the truly electrifying impact of his first half hasn't worn off yet) & the rest of the Rangers' starters (save for C.J. Wilson) look like they're lost their zip and/or location. If there's a second wind to be had (and there's no reason to believe that there shouldn't be), they need to get it ASAFP.

But yeah, you can't throw chum up to that lineup of sharks and not expect to get eaten alive. And eaten alive we got.

So many pitchers on your team have pitched more innings than they ever have, and during a terrible heat wave...Glad to see the Rangers are going to skip some starters starts...

Brewers sweep Cubs.

Axford gets 40th save.

If your team can stay healthy, and can get past the Phils, anything is possible!

Edited August 30, 2011 by BERIGAN

[JSngry]

So many pitchers on your team have pitched more innings than they ever have, and during a terrible heat wave...Glad to see the Rangers are going to skip some starters starts...

We used 10 starters over the course of last season. When Scott Feldman spells Matt Harrison, he will be only the 7th starter we've used this year, the other one being Dave Bush, about whom the less said the better..."thanks for being a body when a body was needed" should suffice.

This rotation has been better in terms of consistency, durability, and endurance than anybody could have expected (in terms of both franchise history in general & what we knew about them going in to the season), but yeah, they're starting to look tired, and it is time to start making allowances and considerations, especially for the back three of Harrison, Ogando, & Holland, who are all in uncharted territory as far as season innings pitched.

Regardless of the final outcome, they have been an inspiration to see grow, struggle, and develop, although on occasion Derek Holland seems to forget that this isn't some sandlot slowpitch game...but his ceiling seems to be as high as his floor, so...hopefully he grows up sooner than later, and with the Rangers instead of somebody else.

[Dan Gould]

An infuriating night of futility enlivened only by the fact that the punk-ass clown Cervilli got precisely what he deserved. Too bad he doesn't have the sac to do anything other than run his mouth after he gets plunked for showing up his opponent. Otherwise Salty would have done to that asshat what Tek did to A-Rod in 2004.

Now if they'd only treat that POS like the Rays used to treat Brian Daubach: target practice.

Then again, Cervilli will be lucky if he ever plays a full season in the majors. His offense sucks, his arm sucks, and no one cares for his rah-rah-we-worked-out-of-a-jam douchebaggery. In short, he's a Molina without hope of ever making a career in the majors.

[MartyJazz]

An infuriating night of futility enlivened only by the fact that the punk-ass clown Cervilli got precisely what he deserved. Too bad he doesn't have the sac to do anything other than run his mouth after he gets plunked for showing up his opponent. Otherwise Salty would have done to that asshat what Tek did to A-Rod in 2004.

Now if they'd only treat that POS like the Rays used to treat Brian Daubach: target practice.

Then again, Cervilli will be lucky if he ever plays a full season in the majors. His offense sucks, his arm sucks, and no one cares for his rah-rah-we-worked-out-of-a-jam douchebaggery. In short, he's a Molina without hope of ever making a career in the majors.

Ironic that Salty got on base in the 9th inning by swinging at a pitch that hit him, sending the potential tying run to the plate. Ump blew that call big time.

BTW, you really think that just because Cervelli clapped his hands when crossing the plate on the HR, that he was showing up Lackey? To me, it looked like a poor hitting 2nd string catcher was just happy he hit a dinger, that's all it was.

[Dan Gould]

He's an overenthusiastic punk and whether he was intentionally showing him up or not, that was the effect - especially as a second string catcher with 3 dingers in 470 career at bats. He should watch Varitek in that regard - run your ass around the bases and go celebrate with your teammates in the dugout.

[JSngry]

Mike Carp, King Felix, let me buy y'all a drink.

[Dan Gould]

I might be less interested in winning the division if it weren't between us and the Yankees, but I am very torn about which matchup is truly advantageous in the first round. No one can match the Tigers for being able to throw Verlander twice in a short series. Then again the Yankees always found a way to beat the Twins when they had Johan Santana. On the other hand, the Rangers don't have that singular ace to be frightened of (maybe Wilson but he's not the same AFAIC), but until last week they were beating the Red Sox consistently for the last two seasons.

And any calculation can't ignore that the Red Sox have the best road record in baseball and were on a streak of like seven road series wins in a row. If any team could get through to the World Series as the wild card it should be them.

So while I truly would love to see them beat the Yankees for the division, I can say I'd honestly fear the end result if they face Verlander and the Tigers in the ALDS.

Then again the bottom line is that you got to beat the team that is in front of you, and if you can't do it you deserve to go home for the winter.

[JSngry]

No, Wilson is not a pitcher to be feared. He's damn good (and a personal "hero" due to his work ethic), but he's not not the "unstoppable ace" type guy, of which we do not have one. All the Rangers starters right now are hitting some kind of wall (Ogando was out in the third last night...), so right now, either the Yankees or the Red Sox would have an advantage against us - if we get there in the first place, which we may not if the starting situation continues to deteriorate. To that end, Scott Feldman's quite impressive spot-start Tuesday was a welcome event. But when it gets down to looking for ways to save your rotation in September out of necessity...that's not a best-case-scenario, if you know what I mean.

Verlander, otoh, that's a tough nut to crack right there..if I were you, I'd want the Yankees to get him, not my team. Then again, my team has had a rough time with the Tigers in general, especially in their house.

Edited September 1, 2011 by JSngry

[Chalupa]

September 1st - time for Magic Numbers...

http://www.mlbmagicnumbers.com/

Red Sox - 27

Tigers - 22

Rangers - 23

Phillies - 21

Brewers - 18

Diamondbacks - 20

Wild Card

Yankees - 21

Braves - 19

[Dave James]

If I was an odds maker, where would I put the over/under in tonight's game between the Yankee and Red Sox. Let's see, run-a-minute A.J. Burnett is starting for New York and Jon Lester for Boston. I'll give the Yanks three against Lester, but I'll give Boston 10 against the Yanks (mostly on A.J.) Total: 13.

[JSngry]

If I was an odds maker, where would I put the over/under in tonight's game between the Yankee and Red Sox.

Are we talking runs or hours?

[ghost of miles]

Damn, Mo, way to just about give me cardiac arrest. Nothing like loading the bases in the bottom of the 9th in order to face the best hitter in the American League!

[Dave James]

Damn, Mo, way to just about give me cardiac arrest. Nothing like loading the bases in the bottom of the 9th in order to face the best hitter in the American League!

Yes and no. Gonzalez hasn't seen Mo more than a handful of times. As they were saying on the MLB network, he's never seen a pitch like the one Rivera throws. Advantage Mo. Some horrendous calls behind the plate. Ellbury struck out to end the game and wound up on first base. Then Gonzalez is called out on what was neither as swing nor a strike. Nice.

[Dan Gould]

if I were you, I'd want the Yankees to get him, not my team.

I hope you are right because fucking away a game like the way they did last night, when there is no margin for error in the race, is a good way to make sure you're the wild card and not division champs.

Fuckin' pathetic. Yankees would have been on the ropes and instead they face Toronto and we get Texas and I'll be shocked if they don't take over first place before they leave for L.A. a week from now.

And Dave James, none of those pitches were strikes. The closest one was the one that ended the game but none of the pitches Ellsbury took were close.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Dan Gould

[Patrick]

September 1st - time for Magic Numbers...

http://www.mlbmagicnumbers.com/

Red Sox - 27

Tigers - 22

Rangers - 23

Phillies - 21

Brewers - 18

Diamondbacks - 20

Wild Card

Yankees - 21

Braves - 19

And are the magic numbers for NYY and BOS making the post-season (via division or WC) essentially zero?

[Tim McG]

Giants vs D'Backs this weekend for a three game series.

They blow this one, they may as well cash out now and go home.

Grrrrr

Edited September 2, 2011 by GoodSpeak

[Chalupa]

With their win tonight over the Marlins the Philadelphia Phillies are now a franchise record 42 games over .500 - that's first time in 118 128 years they have accomplished that feat.

Edited September 3, 2011 by J.H. Deeley

[ghost of miles]

Dave James and fellow Yankee fans: thank the baseball gods for Ivan Nova, eh? He's looking like a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. And great to see Brett Gardner again making his quiet but dramatic contributions to the team, what with the two great plays in left field tonight that kept things from getting totally out of hand in the first inning, and then the two-run homer later on. Neither Tex nor A-Rod in the lineup tonight, but with Nova throwing a great game, not too many runs were needed. (And A-Rod as a presence in the lineup is starting to seem like a dusty memory...)

[Dave James]

Dave James and fellow Yankee fans: thank the baseball gods for Ivan Nova, eh? He's looking like a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. And great to see Brett Gardner again making his quiet but dramatic contributions to the team, what with the two great plays in left field tonight that kept things from getting totally out of hand in the first inning, and then the two-run homer later on. Neither Tex nor A-Rod in the lineup tonight, but with Nova throwing a great game, not too many runs were needed. (And A-Rod as a presence in the lineup is starting to seem like a dusty memory...)

That's the quietest 15-4 record I've ever seen. You look at it and your first reaction is "how did that happen?"

[MartyJazz]

Dave James and fellow Yankee fans: thank the baseball gods for Ivan Nova, eh? He's looking like a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. And great to see Brett Gardner again making his quiet but dramatic contributions to the team, what with the two great plays in left field tonight that kept things from getting totally out of hand in the first inning, and then the two-run homer later on. Neither Tex nor A-Rod in the lineup tonight, but with Nova throwing a great game, not too many runs were needed. (And A-Rod as a presence in the lineup is starting to seem like a dusty memory...)

That's the quietest 15-4 record I've ever seen. You look at it and your first reaction is "how did that happen?"

Especially when the Yanks were dumb enough to send him down for practically all of July in order to make room for Hughes off the DL.

[Dan Gould]

Dave James and fellow Yankee fans: thank the baseball gods for Ivan Nova, eh? He's looking like a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. And great to see Brett Gardner again making his quiet but dramatic contributions to the team, what with the two great plays in left field tonight that kept things from getting totally out of hand in the first inning, and then the two-run homer later on. Neither Tex nor A-Rod in the lineup tonight, but with Nova throwing a great game, not too many runs were needed. (And A-Rod as a presence in the lineup is starting to seem like a dusty memory...)

That's the quietest 15-4 record I've ever seen. You look at it and your first reaction is "how did that happen?"

The Yankees young righty is no doubt grateful for his superior run support, a league-best 9.46 average according to Stats LLC

More here.

And that's not an early-season article, it was written August 27. A lot of pitchers would have great records if they averaged almost ten runs of support per game.

Hell, Tim Wakefield would be way past 200 wins and adding to his new franchise-win record if he got 9.5 runs per game.

[Dave James]

That's weird. According to baseballreference.com, Nova has good run support, but it's only 6.38 per game. That's quite a discrepancy.

[ghost of miles]

I've followed most of Nova's starts, and outside of that recent White Sox game, he's pitched very, very well, no matter how many runs the Yankees were scoring. (Unlike, say, the 2010 Phil Hughes, whose pitching declined badly as the season progressed and who was indeed the beneficiary of the Yankees' offense, picking up W's in games where he pitched badly.)

And hey: David Robertson IS The Man After Mo. Coming to a baseball stadium near you in 2013.