McCullers scratched from start with arm fatigue

Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr., who came off the disabled list Wednesday in Seattle in his first start in more than month, was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday against the Angels with what manager A.J. Hinch called “arm fatigue.”
...
“I feel fine,” he said.

My credulity, it is strained.

Reports From Japan Suggest Shohei Otani Will Request To Be Posted | MLBTR

Japanese star pitcher/outfielder Shohei Otani has long been on the radar as one of the most talented players on the planet who isn’t already with a MLB organization. He stoked expectations before the season that he might ask his current team — the Nippon Ham Fighters — to make him available to major league clubs through the posting system. Now, reports out of Japan tonight suggest that’s just what will occur.

The article is more eloquent in the original Japanese.

OMNICHATTER shows 20, but gimme one more, for September 13, 2017

A’s want to build new ballpark next to Laney College in Oakland

The Oakland A’s have settled on land near Laney College as their preferred spot for a 35,000-seat, privately financed ballpark to replace the Coliseum, team officials said Tuesday.
“Finally, we’ve got our site,” team President Dave Kaval said of the 13-acre location near downtown, which the A’s selected after also considering the Oakland Coliseum site and land on the waterfront northwest of Jack London Square. “It’s really the strongest location when it comes to private financing, ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-13-2017

Pittsburgh Press, September 13, 1917:

James C. Dunn, president of the Cleveland Americans, protested the game which Umpire Owens forfeited to Chicago last Sunday with the score tied in the tenth inning. Owens forfeited the game because he believed the Cleveland players were making a burlesque out of the contest.

The protest was denied.

The story, as best as I can tell: Cleveland’s Jack Graney was called out, the third out of the tenth inning, for interfering with Chicago third baseman Fred ...

2018 Season opens Thursday, March 29, with all 30 teams playing

The earliest non-international start date ever. The last time all the teams started the same day was 1968.

This also confirms that SABR 48 will be held June 20-24, 2018, in Pittsburgh.

I’ll set the over/under for games not completed on that day due to weather at 2.5

Buckets of tears, got all them buckets comin’ outa OMNICHATTER’s ears, for September 12, 2017

Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury breaks Pete Rose catcher’s interference mark

[Ellsbury] reached base on catcher’s interference for the 30th time, passing the mark that had been held by Pete Rose. [...] Rose, baseball’s career hits leader, had 15,890 plate appearances. Ellsbury reached the record in 5,308.

Obscure records are the best.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-12-2017

Tulsa Daily World, September 12, 1917:

Uncle Sam’s uniforms are worth a ticket to baseball games in Cincinnati. All soldiers in uniform will be admitted free to games at the Cincinnati National league park, President Herrman announces. This offer, however, will be suspended on Sundays.

That’s very cool of them. No snark. Thumbs up.

Giants send Dodgers to 11th straight loss | MLB.com

The Dodgers keep losing.

Indians rout Tigers, winning streak hits 19 | MLB.com

The Indians keep winning.

As storm clears, Rays focus turns back to baseball | Tampa Bay Times

But they had a lot more important things to be relieved about, principally that with Hurricane Irma largely sparing the Tampa Bay area, their houses, families and friends all said to be safe.

Plus, they are likely to head home after Wednesday’s game to host the Red Sox as planned this weekend at the Trop.

A final decision is expected today, but after determining there was no major damage or flooding at the Trop and talking with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman about staffing and public ...

High odds against Dodgers, Indians streaks | MLB.com

Joey Votto talks strike-zone management - and praises umpires | theScore.com

“You see it changing,” Votto said. “You see the left-handed strike zone, the left-handed outside pitch moves closer to the plate - less balls are called away. The left-handed strike is moving closer to the strike zone. Pitches that are up and in, pitches that are in, are being called strikes. I can manage that.

“When I was first called up, there’s no - I don’t think there’s any debate that the pitch that was outside was called a strike more often, and sinkerball guys, guys with running ...

RIP Mel Didier: Had an Eye for Talent – Inside the Seams

We lost another great baseball man.

On the sneak, OMNICHATTER’s bringin’ heat for real! for Monday, September 11, 2017

Why This Week Means More To Mookie Betts

From Sept. 10-17, the world will recoginize “World Suicide Prevention Week,” a cause that is close to Betts’ heart.

Just after leaving high school, one of Betts’ close friends, Braxton, took his own life. The two had grown up together playing basketball and football, with their families often getting together. It wasn’t the only incident Betts had come in contact involving that form of tragedy, with his family having also previously been affected by suicide.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-11-2017

Butte Daily Post, September 11, 1917:

BRITISH FIND NOT A LITTLE AMUSEMENT IN AMERICAN GAME

To the average American fan his reading accounts of the game in British papers will be truly interesting. In brief, one of the London contemporaries has termed the sport “Merry Hulla-Ballo.” Thus far the foreign critics have not fully grasped the common expression of “That’s the boy.”
...
While Stanley, the Canadian twirler, was displaying an effective delivery, the fans complained that he was throwing ...

Taking Back the Ballparks - Red Sox Unconstitutional Executive Order Thread

This was not an easy call. While there was some support for conducting a vote, even if it was a mere formality, there was even more backing for simply calling Fenway the winner. Moreover, there was a substantial undercurrent of thought that even having a vote threatened the project itself. It’s not an opinion I share, but given I’m relying on the support of Primates to keep thing going, it’s one I have to take seriously. Thus, I hereby proclaim that Fenway Park is the name of choice for the ...

The Dodgers Look Beyond Terrible Right Now | FanGraphs Baseball

Dave Cameron gets out the shovel.

Using a four-man outfield - Beyond the Box Score

Maybe not the next new thing.

OTP 11 September 2017: Hurricane Irma wreaking havoc on minor league baseball playoffs

There are 18 minor league affiliations that play playoffs every season, and those playoffs all have different formats – some with one wild card, some with split first-half/second-half winners, some with a required 8-10 team playoff grouping. This season, the issues caused by Hurricane Irma will lead to 3 of those 18 championships being cancelled and turned into co-champions.

Baseball’s next Moneyball concept: Turning internet writers into prospect scouts - CBSSports.com

“Teams want young people with very few ties. They want people who would be willing to travel 300 days,” Newman told CBS Sports. “I was very cognizant of the fact that the only way that I could scout was if I had a team that thought I was good enough to cater to my family and some of my scheduling needs. I was also cognizant of the fact that, why would they ever do that with a thousand other people in line behind me to get a scouting job? I’m not that [freaking] special.”

Newman ...

Why shutting down Aaron Sanchez provides more questions than answers - Sportsnet.ca

The blisters have become just part of the issue for the Toronto Blue Jays Aaron Sanchez, who was told just days ago by Dr. Thomas Graham, a hand specialist, that he has damaged a ligament in his right middle finger, likely the result of compensating for the blisters and fingernail issues that have plagued him this season.

Great, eh?

Mark Reynolds’ grand slam give Rockies a sweep | MLB.com

Dodgers still can’t win.

Indians sweep Orioles, win 18th straight | MLB.com

Indians still can’t lose.

Svrluga-No Joke, The Nationals Have Evolved Into One Of Baseball’s Best Franchises

His Most Reverend Barry puts the Nationals’ journey into perspective. A good read.

Stephen Strasburg was first out of the clubhouse and up the dugout steps, and Bryce Harper was right behind him, and that’s just the perfect introduction to the 2017 National League East champions – the two players who best represent the transformation from irrelevant, 100-loss jokes into what the Washington Nationals are now, which is a contender for best franchise in baseball.

Scout trashes Yankees’ Gary Sanchez for laziness behind plate | NJ.com

A comparison of breaking pitches with Romine and Sanchez would make for an interesting study. Sanchez does get lazy back there. Do Yankees pitchers adjust to Sanchez by changing either their aggressiveness below the strike zone or their mix of pitches?

“Sanchez has got a ways to go defensively, and I knew it all along,” a Major League scout for an opposing club told NJ Advance Media. “He gets very lazy. He wants to reach instead of shifting his feet. He tries to get away with stuff because of ...

Bryce Brentz hung in there and the Red Sox hung in there with him — until they didn’t

I’ve seen enough of Bryce Brentz to believe he can be a serviceable major leaguer in the Jonny Gomes mode. I’m sure he’ll be able to catch on with another team. 

Among other things in the piece, the Commissioner speaks:

Q. Are the rumors about the new Marlins ownership slashing payroll by 50 percent true, and are you concerned by that?

A. “I talked to [new Marlins owner] Bruce Sherman this morning. I think that the Marlins, the new ownership, once they are approved, are intent on putting a ...

Sunday Notes: Zack Littell Knows a 20-1 Record is Relative | FanGraphs Baseball

David Laurila’s latest.

Marte came over from the Mariners in last winter’s Taijuan Walker–Jean Segura trade, which means he received Hall-of-Fame-quality hitting tutorials before arriving in Arizona.

“Edgar Martinez was my hitting coach in Seattle last year, and he taught me a lot,” Marte told me in late August. “He would tell me that every time he would go to home plate, he would be looking to hit the ball to right field. He said if you’re thinking middle away, you’re going to be ...