2011 MLB Season

[Dan Gould]

J.H., you presuppose classiness which has never been in evidence.

Which is not at all surprising when he somehow equates "class" with "culture".

A credit to his city, such as it is.

[JETman]

J.H., you presuppose classiness which has never been in evidence.

Which is not at all surprising when he somehow equates "class" with "culture".

A credit to his city, such as it is.

Pot meet kettle.

[MartyJazz]

I'm betting (myself at this point) that Eduardo Nunez will be traded after this season. Yeah, he's a good young hitter with lots of offensive potential but his fielding is simply unacceptable. Cost the Yanks a game today, not the first time.

[BERIGAN]

The Phillies are now the first team in the majors this season to record 40,50,60,70,80, and now 90 wins.

Remember those folks that were trying to say having 4 #1's didn't necessarily mean the Phillies would be that great??? Wonder what those experts are saying now...(and Vance Worley is the best #5 ever!)

Clearly, the Phils have the braves number now...we were 6-6 before this series (I think) I just hope the Phils haven't peaked early. Hope they beat the piss out of whatever team wins the AL championship....

[Dave James]

Yu Darvish update:

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bb6Gc

[jlhoots]

Brewers are starting to make me nervous, although they're still 8 games ahead of the Cardinals.

[JSngry]

The Brewers are fine. Believe it!

Yankees losing two straight to Baltimore before taking on the Angels in Anaheim makes me nervous. Already tired + jet lag? Uh-oh...

And unless and/or until things cool off, I think the Tigers should be making a lot of people nervous right now. Some teams catch that wave and ride it all the way home.

[BERIGAN]

Brewers are starting to make me nervous, although they're still 8 games ahead of the Cardinals.

It's just because you are playing the hottest team in baseball, don't worry! braves looked like a last place team against them, then swept a double header yesterday against a decent Mets team.

[Dan Gould]

And let's not forget that the Red Sox are collapsing like a wet taco and if they don't manage to win at least once in Tampa (huge question mark considering the state of the pitching and recent offensive incompetence) the WC lead will be 3.5 with 17 to play, and four more against Tampa.

They are in deep fucking shit with Beckett out even if they make the playoffs but it wouldn't bother me in the least to see them complete this craptastic season in ignominious fashion.

[ghost of miles]

Yankees losing two straight to Baltimore before taking on the Angels in Anaheim makes me nervous. Already tired + jet lag? Uh-oh...

Yes, after having been on a roll for the past couple of weeks, NY may finally be succumbing to schedule-induced fatigue. They looked terrible the past two games against Baltimore; couldn't hit the O's pen for a lick, for one thing. They're very, very lucky that Boston struggled against Toronto as well, but at the same time they missed a great opportunity to bolster their division lead. Of course, I'm with you on the Tigers and don't necessarily think that potentially facing Verlander twice in the first round is a great reward for winning the AL East. As for the playoffs in general, I can't really see a clear favorite in the American League--could just as easily be Texas or Detroit as it could NY or Boston.

[JSngry]

Let me say this again - there is no guarantee that the Rangers make the playoffs. The Angels have been staying close in the standings recently by playing consistently well against bad teams while the Rangers have been playing usually well against good teams. If this trend continues for the rest of the season (and well it may), this weekend with the Angels playing the Yankees is the last series against a really good team that the Angles have. If the Yanks are too tired to do what on paper they should be able to do without too much effort (i.e. rip the wings off the Angles and roast them over the campfire), then the race stays close up until the closing Texas @ Anaheim three-game series, and that could go either way, depending on how pumped up everybody is, as well as how well the Rangers stay focused and disciplined at bat and on the field. And there ain't no guarantee of that...

Dan was right back in April, talking about how starting 0-8 (or was it 0-6?) was digging a mathematical hole that would become apparent at season's end. Similarly, between the stretch with Hamilton & Cruz out and that mid-summer stretch where there were just too many brain farts causing all-but-won games to be lost, the Rangers are finding themselves now in a race far closer than they need to against an Angels team that right now looks at the math, the schedule, and their roster and says "uh, we can do this", and they just may well can. All 162 games count equally in the final total, right? This "ah, it's early" nonsense is just that - nonsense.

So c'mon Yankees (just for this weekend!), and c'mon Rangers. Get in that zone and don't fuck it up. Don't look like there's going to be any help from anybody but your own selves, so...there it is.

As for the playoffs in general, I can't really see a clear favorite in the American League--could just as easily be Texas or Detroit as it could NY or Boston.

Imagine a Los Angeles of Anaheim vs Detroit ALCS...would that be...upsetting to The Baseball Establishment, or what!

[Dan Gould]

The Red Sox start was 2-10, which is the equivalent of 0-8 except that two more games were knocked off the schedule.

Thank you for recognizing the fundamental truth I spoke of in April. Its damn fucking hard to overcome such a terrible start, because an equally bad segment of the season is still likely to occur later on, and a combined 4-25 stretch (or whatever) is an anchor around a team's neck.

[JSngry]

Well, it's just math, really...162 games is 162 games, and the final record isn't weighted with any consideration of what time of the year the games were won or lost.. People be talking about "it doesn't start counting until august" and nonsense like that, well, ok, yeah, if your team is playing ok enough, it might seem that way, but if you have a good team and they play consistently well before then, hey, life is so much easier being 7,8,9 games out in front than it is being only 1 or 2 up (or even more to the point, 2 or 3 out).

If you lose your playoff spot by only 1 or 2 games, that bonehead play in April and the illogical pitching change in June cost you your chance just as much as anything that happens in September.

Schedules follow the calendar. Wins & losses don't.

[Dan Gould]

And so the slog to the inevitable continues.

Youkilis out with a reported hip + sports hernia/groin problem. Bedard skips a start for a sore knee; now he has a strained lat muscle too. The offense hopeless. The starting pitching worse. And the Rays get another crack at us before there is any chance of any critical piece being back on the field.

I'm done. Someone beat the fucking Yankees, PLEASE.

[JSngry]

How 'bout them Tigers? I don't care if it is the Twins, the way they gave up 4 in the first and then said "oh well about that" and just went on about their business to win 8-4, that's a team that's found its groove.

And congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Josh Hamilton on the birth tonight of their fourth daughter, Stella Faith Hamilton. Hambone missed tonight's game to be there for that, Rangers still score 13. Hopefully they saved some for him tomorrow!

[Dave James]

Montero is still hitting, but the Yanks dropped their third straight one run game tonight. Who is this Laffey guy? He needs to go someplace, anyplace, that doesn't involve a pitching mound. Word on the street is that the Yanks will be calling up Delan Betances. That should be interesting.

[Quincy]

So any opinions on the possibility of the Astros moving to the AL West? If it happens I think it's not going until 2013 at the earliest.

On the one hand it is so effin' stupid that the NL Central has 6 teams and the AL West just 4. On the other hand you're taking a team with 49 years in the NL. Why were the Brewers moved from the AL to NL again? (Actually the Brewers are a good regional fit for the NL Central - although they were in the AL too.)

From what I gather Houston isn't pleased with returning to a Western division as it means many more early broadcast games when the team will be on the west coast. In the olden geographical stupid days their "western" opponents included Cincinnati & Atlanta, so they were playing all over the place time wise.

The amusing thing is that if Houston does move into the AL West it means that the Rangers & Astros will have to find new opponents for interleague play since both Texas rivals will be in the same division. I don't know what teams you manufacture a historic or geographical rivalry with if Houston moves to the AL West, though that hasn't stopped baseball for those teams that don't have them.

[LWayne]

I hope that the Astros remain in the NL Central because it is the only chance that my beloved (Hapless) Pirates won't finish last again...

LWayne

[ghost of miles]

Yes, eight losses is eight losses, wherever it occurs, but it's still ridiculous to posit that it means the whole season's blown or some such. Lots of fans have a tendency to panic when their team starts off in mediocre fashion, but I'll again bring up the example of the 2009 Yankees, who were 15-17 out of the gate and ended up 103-59, winning the AL East by eight games. Coincidentally enough, Boston this year was 15-18 at one point--very similar to where NY stood about a month into the 2009 season. So while one shouldn't downplay a poor start, it's equally absurd to treat it like an abysmal harbinger of doom to come. The groove teams get into down the stretch is ultimately more important--which is one reason why I'm highly concerned that NY has lost three games in a row that it really should have won, failing to take advantage of Boston's current downturn. A 3.5, 4.5 or 5.5 game lead right now would be a rather daunting-looking margin for Boston; as it is, they're one series sweep away from overtaking us.

Dave James, Marty and other Yankee fans, I'm a also a little concerned about Nick Swisher's elbow pain, Boone Logan's reported "dead arm" issue, and a rumor of Dave Robertson experiencing some recent shoulder discomfort. (We cannot afford to lose Dave Robertson.) Also concerned about the travel and lack of off-days, that the team is going to wear down over the next several weeks (or that said process has already started). On the bright side, Jesus Montero continues to shine, and Colon had his best start in awhile last night. CC tonight against the Angels, but we have to face Haren in return... Jsngry, I hope we can start to help your Rangers!

[JSngry]

Yes, eight losses is eight losses, wherever it occurs, but it's still ridiculous to posit that it means the whole season's blown or some such.

I'll agree with that, but...when it gets down to the end of the season & people start talking about "now's when it counts"...no. They all count, and if it comes down to the lasty game of the season or some such, the game you win or lose that day is really just one of 161 others. The way to have it not came down to the last minute is to play consistently all season, especially mentally.

Jsngry, I hope we can start to help your Rangers!

We need it. Big time. Talk about a lack of mental consistency....

[Patrick]

Congrats to the Tigers for taking the AL Central. They had a stacked lineup from the start and underachieved in the mediocre AL Central for much of the season. In late April, after getting swept by the highflying upstart Tribe, Jim Leyland and company just looked plain tired. But with about 135 games left in the season, they managed to straighten things out. [...Just as plenty of other slow starting teams have.] Tigers will be a tough out for whomever they face, and it is more than just Justin Verlander in the rotation and Mig Cabrera in the lineup. Nice to see Victor Martinez having a great year, and even Jhonny Peralta is hitting .300 (which I will confess is a bit frustrating since Tribe fans hoped for such for several seasons--I guess we'll see how well his second season in Detroit is...).

For the Tribe, obviously quite frustrating given the heady start. Hopefully the early season success will be something to build on, but I have a feeling this will be like 2007 where they seriously scared Boston in the ALCS but crashed and burned the following season. A reason to not be optimistic is looking at how completely overmatched the current lineup is. Would they even do well as a AAA lineup? Too many guys batting about .230 with little to mediocre power. Injuries have played a part--for awhile they had only two regulars still in the lineup (Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana). For a team that was not at all deep, injuries to Choo, Sizemore, Brantley, Hafner, and upstart Kipnis have made scoring tough. Hopefully, the successes of Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin in the rotation (and to a much lesser extent Carlos Carraso who is now having Tommy John surgery), and Jason Kipnis will lead to progress next year. Lonnie Chisenhall has also recently shown promise. [Another high prospect, Cord Phelps, has not.] The plan was to contend next year. Given the inability to develop any of their own outfielders (Brian Giles may have been the last one) and trading away their two best starting pitcher prospects (White and Pomeranz) for the potentially mediocre Ubaldo Jimenez, I'm not so optimistic. But this may just be from August/September fatigue. Everyone will be in first place come next April.

That said, I did have a great time at an Indians game this season. To celebrate her birthday, I took my mother out to a Friday night game in late August at the Jake (still what I call it) against another Titan of April, the Kansas City Royals. Friday night home games include an impressive fireworks display shortly after the game ends (...especially useful when the lineup is not providing much of their own fireworks), and my mother enjoys these. Needed to arrange for handicap accessible seats, so we sat in the last row of the lower deck, very close to home plate. Perhaps the best seats that I have sat in at the Jake. We could look right into the Tribe dugout. Turns out this was Jim Thome's first game back as an Indian. Jim Thome is my mother's all time favorite player. We ate dinner downtown beforehand and my mother wore a "Team Thome" ballcap that I had gotten for her (from a Ohio turnpike reststop) as a gag gift a decade earlier. Downtown was swarming with fans, and several of them smiled at my mother and complimented her attire. Thome started as DH in the #4 slot in the lineup. He led off the second inning. When he first stepped out to the on deck circle, the whole place (41K+ attendance, which is huge for Cleveland) rose chanting his name, waving "Welcome (T)Home" signs. Hero from days past returns. No one expects him to hit .300 with 10 HRs in September these days (...at least I don't). Still quite a thrill to welcome him back. Felt like I was 12 again (similar feeling when Lofton hit a HR against Boston in 2007 ALCS). Before he stepped into the batter's box, he briefly tipped his helmet to the fans behind home plate. Understated and classy. So much love. Hope he is a first ballot HOFer. Jim then proceeded to ground out to pitcher as part of an 0/4 night with 2 K's. I imagine Vizquel and perhaps Sabathia are the only ones out there that would be similarly warmly received. Ubaldo Jimenez had a great outing, and the Indians managed to scratch out a 2-1 win (scoring the winning run on a bases loaded walk). A great time at the ballpark.

Edited September 10, 2011 by Patrick

[alocispepraluger102]

Congrats to the Tigers for taking the AL Central. They had a stacked lineup from the start and underachieved in the mediocre AL Central for much of the season. In late April, after getting swept by the highflying upstart Tribe, Jim Leyland and company just looked plain tired. But with about 135 games left in the season, they managed to straighten things out. [...Just as plenty of other slow starting teams have.] Tigers will be a tough out for whomever they face, and it is more than just Justin Verlander in the rotation and Mig Cabrera in the lineup. Nice to see Victor Martinez having a great year, and even Jhonny Peralta is hitting .300 (which I will confess is a bit frustrating since Tribe fans hoped for such for several seasons--I guess we'll see how well his second season in Detroit is...).

For the Tribe, obviously quite frustrating given the heady start. Hopefully the early season success will be something to build on, but I have a feeling this will be like 2007 where they seriously scared Boston in the ALCS but crashed and burned the following season. A reason to not be optimistic is looking at how completely overmatched the current lineup is. Would they even do well as a AAA lineup? Too many guys batting about .230 with little to mediocre power. Injuries have played a part--for awhile they had only two regulars still in the lineup (Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana). For a team that was not at all deep, injuries to Choo, Sizemore, Brantley, Hafner, and upstart Kipnis have made scoring tough. Hopefully, the successes of Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin in the rotation (and to a much lesser extent Carlos Carraso who is now having Tommy John surgery), and Jason Kipnis will lead to progress next year. Lonnie Chisenhall has also recently shown promise. [Another high prospect, Cord Phelps, has not.] The plan was to contend next year. Given the inability to develop any of their own outfielders (Brian Giles may have been the last one) and trading away their two best starting pitcher prospects (White and Pomeranz) for the potentially mediocre Ubaldo Jimenez, I'm not so optimistic. But this may just be from August/September fatigue. Everyone will be in first place come next April.

That said, I did have a great time at an Indians game this season. To celebrate her birthday, I took my mother out to a Friday night game in late August at the Jake (still what I call it) against another Titan of April, the Kansas City Royals. Friday night home games include an impressive fireworks display shortly after the game ends (...especially useful when the lineup is not providing much of their own fireworks), and my mother enjoys these. Needed to arrange for handicap accessible seats, so we sat in the last row of the lower deck, very close to home plate. Perhaps the best seats that I have sat in at the Jake. We could look right into the Tribe dugout. Turns out this was Jim Thome's first game back as an Indian. Jim Thome is my mother's all time favorite player. We ate dinner downtown beforehand and my mother wore a "Team Thome" ballcap that I had gotten for her (from a Ohio turnpike reststop) as a gag gift a decade earlier. Downtown was swarming with fans, and several of them smiled at my mother and complimented her attire. Thome started as DH in the #4 slot in the lineup. He led off the second inning. When he first stepped out to the on deck circle, the whole place (41K+ attendance, which is huge for Cleveland) rose chanting his name, waving "Welcome (T)Home" signs. Hero from days past returns. No one expects him to hit .300 with 10 HRs in September these days (...at least I don't). Still quite a thrill to welcome him back. Felt like I was 12 again (similar feeling when Lofton hit a HR against Boston in 2007 ALCS). Before he stepped into the batter's box, he briefly tipped his helmet to the fans behind home plate. Understated and classy. So much love. Hope he is a first ballot HOFer. Jim then proceeded to ground out to pitcher as part of an 0/4 night with 2 K's. I imagine Vizquel and perhaps Sabathia are the only ones out there that would be similarly warmly received. Ubaldo Jimenez had a great outing, and the Indians managed to scratch out a 2-1 win (scoring the winning run on a bases loaded walk). A great time at the ballpark.

there was a cleveland bar former cleveland owner dick jacobs used to frequent.

each time, he came in, he bought the house a drink.

the night after former owner dick jacobs passed away, jim thome, then long gone from the indians, called to buy the house a drink in jacob's memory.

thome very rarely tells the press why he left cleveland for the phillies. the indians withdrew their large offer, perhaps because they didn't have the money. thome never went public and embarrassed them.

it makes me feel so good that you and mother had a very special time at a once in a lifetime game.

thome will again be honored with a night on sept. 23.

there is little doubt that he'll retire.

your assesments of the tribe are very fair, ironic as they may be.

Edited September 10, 2011 by alocispepraluger102

[Quincy]

Thanks for sharing that Patrick. This isn't just the 10 year anniversary of 9-11 but for me it's also for my mom's Alzheimer's diagnosis which happened a couple of weeks before that, so it's an understatement to say that was a "good read."

[BERIGAN]

Very nice story Patrick!

I think the Indians will compete for quite some time...injuries just killed them this year.

[Dan Gould]

How predictable was it that Lester would pitch like the incompetent pieces of motherfucking shit he's surrounded by?

I'd say the odds were "mathematical certainty" which are the precise same odds they have of clearing out their lockers on September 29th and hitting the links September 30th.