BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: OMNICHATTER for the week of September 12-18, 2022

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Monday, September 12, 2022

OMNICHATTER for the week of September 12-18, 2022

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courtesy of Jefferson Manship (Dan Lee).

Hombre Brotani Posted: September 12, 2022 at 02:40 AM | 260 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: omnichatter

Reader Comments and Retorts

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1. sanny manguillen Posted: September 12, 2022 at 09:23 AM (#6095815)

I submitted this a couple weeks ago as a topic, but I don't think that it appeared: the Pirates finally established a team Hall of Fame on September 3:

Pirates HOF

The first class of inductees was: Jake Beckley, Honus Wagner, Fred Clarke, Max Carey, Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner, Oscar Charleston, Pie Traynor, Ray Brown, Arky Vaughan, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Ralph Kiner, Bill Mazeroski, Danny Murtaugh, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Steve Blass, and Dave Parker.

It seems a conventional group of players and managers - Pirate Hall of Famers, a few Negro Leaguers with strong Pittsburgh connections, a living World Series hero (Blass) who turned into a Pirate lifer in the broadcast booth; and Parker and Murtaugh, who I think are the team's current candidates for induction at Cooperstown.

2. vortex of dissipation Posted: September 12, 2022 at 12:24 PM (#6095825)

Interesting that a team that's been around that long inducted only one Pirates pitcher, Blass, in its initial class (Ray Brown was a Negro League pitcher, of course), and that the pitcher only just scraped over the 100 career win mark.

3. salvomania Posted: September 12, 2022 at 12:31 PM (#6095826)

It seems a conventional group of players and managers

It's odd that none of their "all-time" pitchers are recognized: neither Babe Adams---career pitching WAR leader, 194 wins, and (like Blass) a World Series hero---nor Wilbur Cooper---second in career pitching WAR, and all-time Pirates' win leader with 202.

Adams and Cooper are the Pirates nos. 7-8 in career WAR, ahead of Traynor, Kiner, Mazeroski, Stargell, and Lloyd Waner (who isn't even in the team's Top 12).

I suppose like Dan Gladden of the Twins, Blass gets in due to his long run as an announcer (in addition to his World Series performance) because his playing career featured only three good seasons.

EDIT: Coke to VoD.

4. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 01:19 PM (#6095834)

Apparently the Dodgers have not technically clinched a playoff spot yet. If the Dodgers lose their remaining games, Padres and the Brewers win their remaining games, and the Cardinals tie the Brewers for the division, the Brewers win the division by tie breaker, Cardinals get the wild card by tie breaker and Dodgers go home. MLB didn't think of a three way tie when they claimed that the Dodgers clinched (Dodgers have the tie breaker over the Brewers).

5. JJ1986 Posted: September 12, 2022 at 02:29 PM (#6095844)

The Rays are calling up Kevin Herget whom I just learned is not the brother of Jimmy Herget. This is almost as surprising as when I learned that Paul and Jace Fry are not brothers.

6. Walt Davis Posted: September 12, 2022 at 02:35 PM (#6095847)

At the end of yesterday's chatter, CFB brought up Ken Brett homering in 4 straight starts (I assume that's correct) which got me thinking whether George had. I found a couple of times he did so plus a couple of others where he HR'd 4 times in 4 days but had a double-header game in the streak where he didn't (one where he was just a defensive rep).

Now I have no idea what the answer to the question is but this opens the door for father-son and brother HR trivia on HR streaks. What else we gonna talk about all week -- let the searching begin!

7. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 02:44 PM (#6095849)

Ken Brett homering in 4 straight starts (I assume that's correct)

Yep, Ken Brett's batting log from 1973, he homered June 9th - June 23, 4 starts (3 complete games only went 8 innings in the first of the streak)

Now I have no idea what the answer to the question is but this opens the door for father-son and brother HR trivia on HR streaks. What else we gonna talk about all week -- let the searching begin!

I almost have to assume that Bonds or Griffey might be on that list. Of course I guess it depends on the actual question. Just for the record Bonds did reach 7 consecutive games, and I can find Bobby doing it 5 games in a row in 1977 (heck that streak was actually 8 out of 9 games as he missed on one game and came back and started another streak of 3)

8. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 03:06 PM (#6095853)

I'm sure Philly fans are liking the acquisition of Edmundo Sosa, and I hadn't realized how well he was playing for them. I looked him up to see his career numbers, he's played in 200 games, but only has 524 plate appearances, so I feel comfortable saying he's played basically a full season of baseball. He has 4.7 career bWar, and locked in until 2027. He might just end up being a pretty good player over the next few years.

Note: that war is probably a bit misleadingly higher than it really is, since he probably has pinch run appearances or defensive substitutions where he might not have had a plate appearance but even with that caveat, he has probably been a 4 war player per 150 or so complete games.

9. Walt Davis Posted: September 12, 2022 at 05:37 PM (#6095868)

#7 ... yes, I assume B & G will make the list. If you want the trivia question, I guess we could go with "longest streak by both members of a related pair" so the Bondses are at least at 5. Or just "every pair where both have at least a 4-game streak." Obviously Ken Brett was gonna be the gotcha but spoilers!

10. Hombre Brotani

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 07:44 PM (#6095876)

Mike Trout has homered for the seventh straight game he's played.

11. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 08:03 PM (#6095877)

A good friend of mine has been a Cardinals fan since 1948 and he still follows them religiously. He's convinced that Pujols' second half spurt is entirely a product of PEDs. I haven't paid much attention to it, but has anyone in the media raised this possibility?

12. Howie Menckel Posted: September 12, 2022 at 08:14 PM (#6095878)

correlation does not necessarily equal cause-and-effect, but the circumstantial case for it is not crazy on its face.

he was deader than dead at midseason, after all. and MLB would not want to make any such issue public if a test is failed - and if it doesn't come until the season is over, and Pujols says he's retired.......

would suck if you are an opposing contender in 2022, of course. if we see a wave of aging veterans suddenly reawakening down the stretch in subsequent years.

:)

I would like to hear some sort of other real-world explanation for this - whether that divorce was finalized and he's in love, there is a new batting coach, changed up his nutrition and eating habits, and so forth.

13. Walt Davis Posted: September 12, 2022 at 08:21 PM (#6095880)

Is that a BDSM lounge behind home plate at Citi?

14. Walt Davis Posted: September 12, 2022 at 08:42 PM (#6095882)

Pujols' peripherals haven't actually changed dramatically. Or if he's done anything naughty, he started it about two years ago. I'm gonna cherry pick by skipping 39-40 (he looked pretty dead) but here are his avg EVs, HH%, HR/FB:

35 91.7 43.3 15.3
36 92.6 50.3 12.3
37 89.4 43.3 9.3
38 91.0 45.6 9.5 (those don't look good but still above league average)
41 90.3 39.7 15.9
42 91.2 47.9 17.5 (so that's the one extra fishy number)

His K-rate hasn't really changed, he settled in around 15% at 37. A few years ago he started pulling the ball a bit more; he's hitting the ball in the air more often this year although it looks like a lot of those might just be pop-ups.

All these years, he's been hitting the ball consistently harder than the average MLer; even his worst year of age 40 was still a smidgen above average in EV. Of course easy enough to ascribe that all to simply greater strength -- i.e. he's still got pretty much the same approach but he's a little stronger at a suspicious age. Possibly his HR distances would suggest he's turned a lot of FBs that fell 5 feet short into ones that sail 2 feet over the wall now. Still I suspect he's just selling out a bit more to launch angle. It has all been 2nd half for Pujols so it could be that statcast splits might show a dramatic change ... but he stunk with good EVs and HH%s before so he probably was just doing that in the first half.

Obviously not identical but Matt Carpenter has done roughly the same thing. Ryan Zimmerman did basically the same thing in 2017 (although he was only 32). From 34-36, Stargell had a 4.1% HR/PA; from 37-39 it was 6.3% and still 4.8% at 40.

15. The Duke Posted: September 12, 2022 at 09:03 PM (#6095886)

8. I hated losing Sosa. I felt like was a SS equivalent of Edman at 2B. Maybe a tick lower. Wicked arm from short, great range, and better bar than his long journey through the minors would have indicated. His special skill is HBP which really inflates his offensive value.

16. The Duke Posted: September 12, 2022 at 09:05 PM (#6095887)

The knee jerk Pujols answer has to be, Does he only take the steroids that allow him to pummel left handed pitching ?

I think he clawed his way back to being a neutral WAR presence with Dodgers and now is just having one of those streaks that happens in baseball as he sprints to the finish line. It isn't steroids

17. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 09:15 PM (#6095889)

JTBC I don't think steroids explains Pujols' surge. But since I mostly follow the AL only, I was just wondering if there'd been any public speculation about it.

18. JJ1986 Posted: September 12, 2022 at 09:37 PM (#6095890)

JTBC I don't think steroids explains Pujols' surge. But since I mostly follow the AL only, I was just wondering if there'd been any public speculation about it.

People are saying....

19. Hombre Brotani

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 09:45 PM (#6095891)

I don't say it, but people say it to me. Many, many people have told me that Albert Pujols is using PEDs. They're good people. I'm not saying he's using PEDs, but many people are saying this.

20. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 09:55 PM (#6095892)

Just saw the replay of Bichette's game winning homer, and that Rays pitcher could be seen saying a very naughty word.

21. Walt Davis Posted: September 12, 2022 at 10:19 PM (#6095893)

Didn't expect to have to answer my own question. Anyway, it was a temporary sign for melissa's ... which appeared to be in blood red with what appeared to be a spike or something in place of the "i" and in a potentially Satanic script. Looking at the website, it's produce and veg food of all things, the color is maybe more orangeish-red and the "spike" is a carrot. I'm a bit disappointed.

22. Hombre Brotani

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 10:55 PM (#6095895)

Ryne Nelson has started his career with 12 straight shutout innings.
I've never even heard of him until today.

23. Howie Menckel Posted: September 12, 2022 at 10:57 PM (#6095896)

getting a kick out of the bush league Braves announcers getting a national audience on MLB Network again in SF.

"Two different strike zones tonight," they mewl. "Shoulda been struck out, but now a walk."

pitch on 2-2 was millimeters either way, the replay shows.

to be fair, there are babies in Atlanta tonight that already have learned how to take their first steps - weren't yet born since the last time their Braves won a World Series. it wears down a fan base as well as their homer announcers, apparently. there's only so much that can be shaken off, after all....

:)

24. Howie Menckel Posted: September 12, 2022 at 11:21 PM (#6095897)

seems like a high-risk pitcher now, per OnRoto tidbits:

09.12... Tony Gonsolin was not able to throw at full intensity during his bullpen session Sunday due to continued right forearm soreness.
Spin: The good news is that he's still slated to throw another bullpen session Wednesday. The bad news, of course, is that he's not 100 percent and we're running out of time. “Right now I'm still confident (that Gonsolin can start playoff games)," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday. "But obviously every day that goes by that he's not at full strength, a little less confident.” Fantasy managers who can keep stashing Gonsolin in an IL spot should obviously continue to do so as long as they have room, but the odds that he comes back to make a significant contribution before the end of the regular season are deteriorating.

25. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 11:38 PM (#6095900)

There have been a handful of people on boards/comments section that are asking it, but I don't think there has been any speculation by anyone that can be taken seriously. To be honest, it would be pretty stupid of him to do now and risk potentially tarnishing his legacy.

He's made a few minor tweaks to his swing, mostly how he's standing (his center of gravity has improved From June to July, he's more straight up) and his leg kick, he actually uses a different leg kick depending on the type of pitcher, if it's a mid high 90's guy, he's using a short leg kick, if he is facing a breaking ball or slower pitcher a higher leg kick (this is according to different sources like Mark DeRosa and Jim Edmonds who have both talked about it) Of course that could be just analysts trying to find an answer to the performance change.

26. Baldrick Posted: September 12, 2022 at 11:45 PM (#6095901)

He's now almost exactly at the same number of plate appearances as last year (287 vs. 296). He's hit one more HR and has a couple more hits. The biggest differences are 8 more walks and 9 more doubles.

That's a real and important improvement (145 OPS+ compared to the 90ish he's been sitting at for five years). But it doesn't feel THAT crazy.

27. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 12, 2022 at 11:46 PM (#6095903)

8. I hated losing Sosa. I felt like was a SS equivalent of Edman at 2B. Maybe a tick lower. Wicked arm from short, great range, and better bar than his long journey through the minors would have indicated. His special skill is HBP which really inflates his offensive value.

I was a fan of Sosa from the time they acquired him but with the contract DeJong had, and the emergence of Gorman and with Winn ready to take over as soon as late 2023 or 2024, Sosa was the odd man out. I might have found a way to keep him to be honest, but he's probably talented enough, and at an age that he deserved a legit shot at a starting job.

28. Sleepy was just looking for porta potties Posted: September 12, 2022 at 11:52 PM (#6095904)

I don't say it, but people say it to me. Many, many people have told me that Albert Pujols is using PEDs. They're good people. I'm not saying he's using PEDs, but many people are saying this.

I was in the locker room after the home run derby and saw all these big tough men and half of them were crying. Now these were tough cookies, very hairy, guys I wouldn’t want to pitch to in a blowout. But they were crying- tears of happiness. One of them, the biggest, Carl Schwabbler, came up to me and said “sir, thank you so much, Mr Pujols, for saving baseball. the dingers you just hit were the biggest, most powerful dingers I’ve ever seen”. Now this guy, he hasn’t cried since 2016. But he was crying. He said “Sir, your dingers made us strong again. your mightyness is like nothing we’ve ever seen before or will again”.

29. Howie Menckel Posted: September 12, 2022 at 11:57 PM (#6095905)

He's made a few minor tweaks to his swing, mostly how he's standing (his center of gravity has improved From June to July, he's more straight up) and his leg kick, he actually uses a different leg kick depending on the type of pitcher, if it's a mid high 90's guy, he's using a short leg kick, if he is facing a breaking ball or slower pitcher a higher leg kick (this is according to different sources like Mark DeRosa and Jim Edmonds who have both talked about it)

this is what I was hoping to hear, from my earlier post.

clearly something changed, and a couple of former MLB guys could speak to that. I know the original question was about "is it possible?" can't prove a negative, but this explanation works for me, frankly.

30. Howie Menckel Posted: September 13, 2022 at 12:20 AM (#6095907)

some SF RP named Littell comes on in the 8th and allows 3 hits and a BB to turn a 3-0 Giants lead into 3-2.
gets a DP, but Kapler comes on to yank him with the tying run on third vs ATL.

Littell petulantly slams the ball over to Kapler, then gives him some lip as he departs.

Kapler - and rightly so - goes back to the dugout and then summons Littell inside for a little "re-education" on his place in the pecking order.

new RP gets the 3rd out, and we go to the bottom of the 8th.

31. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 13, 2022 at 12:21 AM (#6095908)

Had to bowl tonight, guy on my team had a few out of town friends coming in from Milwaukee to watch this series against Milwaukee, my guess is that when they made plans, it might have been considered a more important series for them. Still is for Milwaukee, but for different reasons. They are hoping to see a few homeruns (solo shots) from Albert as Milwaukee takes the series.

32. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 13, 2022 at 12:25 AM (#6095910)

I'm sure Strider isn't the greatest 23 year old starting pitcher in history, but his k/9 (and k%) is just incredible to see from a guy who projects to be a starting pitcher ace.

33. What did Billy Ripken have against ElRoy Face? Posted: September 13, 2022 at 12:40 AM (#6095911)

Kapler - and rightly so - goes back to the dugout and then summons Littell inside for a little "re-education" on his place in the pecking order.

There are no Littell roles on the pitching staff, only Littell pitchers.

34. salvomania Posted: September 13, 2022 at 03:53 PM (#6095968)

Congratulations to the Pirates' Johan Oviedo, who, in his 22nd MLB start, earned his first win as a starter, beating the Reds today 6-1.

Oviedo allowed just one hit and two walks in 5 scoreless innings.

35. Walt Davis Posted: September 13, 2022 at 04:36 PM (#6095978)

Strider ... see Corbin Burnes, esp 2021. It is silly that he's got a 2.72 ERA which is one run WORSE than his FIP. Roughly the same thing for Burnes last year.

Leading to the nerd question whether FIP needs to be tweaked at the extremes to allow for diminishing returns in some sort of K/HR sense. (Now that I think of it, FIP is largely about the K/HR ratio although that's not officially part of it. Just wild speculation on my part.)

Can this be true? Did a rate sort at b-r, which should remove all the non-qualified players, and get just 51 qualified pitchers to this point in the season? Fewer than 2 per team?

36. Joyful Calculus Instructor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 04:51 PM (#6095979)

Re Pujols: I wouldn't be shocked if Manfred let Pujols use PEDs and would look the other way as long as he retired at the end of the season. That way MLB gets to promote his home run milestones and if it ever comes out that he was juicing, well he'd be gone by then anyway. Another guy I was always suspicious of was Mike Mussina. The guy looked washed in 2007 and bounced back with a 20 win season in 2008. Now bouncing back at age 39 isn't unique for a pitcher (we're seeing Verlander bounce back stronger than ever this year at the same age), but then he just suddenly retired with 270 career wins. Like who retires when they're playing that well and are that close to a career milestone?

37. Howie Menckel Posted: September 13, 2022 at 05:09 PM (#6095982)

Mussina is a unique case.

I have mentioned that I was in group interviews with him after he came to the Yankees, and never have I seen a fish more out of water. A Stanford man in the midst of the usual clubhouse hijinks of towel-snapping, farting, lewd comments, loud music, etc.

He seemed to, well, tolerate the immaturity - but he sure as hell didn't enjoy it. Even typical post-game questions by harried beat guys trying to get any comment to slip into early-edition stories clearly struck him as odd.

brilliant NY Mag piece from 2001 on Mussina

[after the Yankees had eliminated the Mariners to win the pennant, much of what I described above - but now with booze]

"Only Mike Mussina sits by himself. Which is fine by him. How is he going to celebrate tonight? Mussina’s eyebrows dart up; he seems baffled that the question even needs to be asked. His large brown eyes glance down at the can of Diet Barq’s Root Beer in his right hand. “I already am.”

"Mussina, the 32-year-old son of a lawyer and a head nurse, couldn’t be a more drastic temperamental contrast to [gregarious David] Cone, the man he replaced in the pitching rotation. When he was a high-school senior in tiny Montoursville, Pennsylvania (pop. 4,645), Mussina fell decimal points short of winning valedictorian honors. His parents suspect he purposely flubbed a test so he wouldn’t have to speak at graduation. Mussina earned his Stanford economics degree in three years – partly because of his formidable intelligence, partly because he didn’t want to linger in California."

"Win or lose this week, Mussina can’t wait to return to Montoursville. He’ll happily plow snow from his driveway all winter and drive the van for the high-school JV basketball team.

“Pitching is what I do,” Mussina says. “It’s not who I am.”

............

(from a later story):

"Mussina is a crossword puzzle enthusiast and was featured in the 2006 documentary film Wordplay.

"He is also a collector of tractors and vintage cars."

38. Howie Menckel Posted: September 13, 2022 at 06:31 PM (#6095998)

There are no Littell roles on the pitching staff, only Littell pitchers.

and now, not even that:

09.13... Giants optioned RHP Zack Littell to Triple-A Sacramento.
Spin: This comes after Littell struggled in relief on Monday night against the Braves and then got into a bit of a verbal spat with manager Gabe Kapler. Thomas Szapucki has been called up in a corresponding roster move.

39. Walt Davis Posted: September 13, 2022 at 07:30 PM (#6096006)

Thomas Szapucki has been called up in a corresponding roster move.

Let's see you pun that one Face!

40. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 13, 2022 at 07:34 PM (#6096008)

Like who retires when they're playing that well and are that close to a career milestone?

Mussina thought it might take 3 more years to reach 300 wins, and that wasn’t his plan. He’d made $145M, and was ready to go back to Montoursville to spend time with his family.

41. Walt Davis Posted: September 13, 2022 at 07:39 PM (#6096009)

Did I miss something? Behind 3-0 to Alonso, Sampson tosses a far too easy pitch to hit and Alonso hits it about 400 feet long and 400 feet high and (whew!) 2 inches foul. Sampson understandably throws the next pitch 59'6" for ball four. Alonso fires his bat away in seeming anger. Sampson gives a bit of WTF, I didn't make the ball go foul. Which leads to jawing and some ump chats and it looked like the TV director was getting ready for dugouts emptying.

Happ homers off deGrom. Shoulda pulled him after 22 pitches.

42. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:01 PM (#6096013)

Bullpen game for Crew. With the way the bullpen has pitched the last 2 months this doesn't look promising

43. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:09 PM (#6096014)

Rooting for Sandy Alcantara. Guy has been a monster on a team that has the worst offense in the NL. Well them or Pittsburgh.

44. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:16 PM (#6096015)

And Strzelecki (sp?) throws a nothing pitch that Nolan hammers to the gap and it's tied.

45. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:18 PM (#6096016)

My dad told me how the Tigers grooved one to Mantle at the end of his last season. I don't think the Brewers need to be the Tigers

46. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:20 PM (#6096017)

You have got to be kidding me. Whatever his name actually makes a good pitch and Pujols bloops it over Rowdy

47. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:24 PM (#6096018)

In things that are actually fun Bo Bichette is batting .500 in the month of September so far. 27 of 54 thru his 7 at bats in this doubleheader. OPS of around 1.700

So that's cool

48. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:30 PM (#6096019)

The contact play with one of the slowest guys in the league? Ok Craig

49. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:38 PM (#6096020)

Well, they scored. But man some #### swings from top of the order guys to let Montgomery out of it

50. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:45 PM (#6096022)

Big shock. Perdomo enters the game and it's tied immediately.

51. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:49 PM (#6096023)

#56 for Judge!

52. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 08:52 PM (#6096024)

51--That is also cool!

53. Howie Menckel Posted: September 13, 2022 at 09:10 PM (#6096027)

Did I miss something? Behind 3-0 to Alonso, Sampson tosses a far too easy pitch to hit and Alonso hits it about 400 feet long and 400 feet high and (whew!) 2 inches foul. Sampson understandably throws the next pitch 59'6" for ball four. Alonso fires his bat away in seeming anger. Sampson gives a bit of WTF, I didn't make the ball go foul. Which leads to jawing and some ump chats and it looked like the TV director was getting ready for dugouts emptying.

Met booth said that Sampson got salty because as Alonso neared second base and saw it turned foul, he completed his tour around the bases anyway. so after the walk, Alonso was in a bad mood and then Sampson jawed some more.

rare anger from Alonso.

meanwhile, I'm so here for the YES Network TV booth just now whining unironically about a Boston HR off the Pesky Pole as "a cheap home run."

the booth appears to be free of all mirrors.

:)

54. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 09:24 PM (#6096028)

I don't care if he strikes out 200 times next season. I would pay anything to see Yelich cut his ####### groundball rate by half. So ####### sick of seeing the guy beat the ball into the ground.

55. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: September 13, 2022 at 09:31 PM (#6096029)

52 year old Cutch shows 59 year old Pujols how it's done

56. Howie Menckel Posted: September 13, 2022 at 09:34 PM (#6096030)

another dopey record:

Anthony DiComo
@AnthonyDiComo
·
23m
Jacob deGrom just matched a Major League record with his 39th consecutive start of 3 ER or fewer. Jim Scott is the only pitcher to have a streak as long, back in 1913-14 for the White Sox.

deGrom tonight: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 96 pitches.

Cubs 3, Mets 0 after six.

57. Addie Joss Posted: September 13, 2022 at 09:38 PM (#6096031)

Odd statistic of the week (Jayson Stark take note): Yankee rookie Oswaldo Cabrera played 580 minor league games, only 4 of which were in the OF and never had a minor league OF assist. He just got his 7th OF assist in 17 OF games in the Majors.

58. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 13, 2022 at 09:41 PM (#6096033)

#57 for Aaron Judge ties the game 4-4. Been a while since he had two in game. Judge is now ‘on-pace’ for 65 home runs this season.

59. Edmundo got dem ol' Kozma blues again mama

Posted: September 13, 2022 at 09:48 PM (#6096034)

The Phillies’ “just barely not a rookie” Nick Maton clubs a 2 run homer off Sandy Alcantara to give the Phils a 2-1 lead, which ends up the final score. That’s #5 this year.
It’s Maton’s second HR off Alcantara in 5 days. According to the announcers, only Cron, Soto and Alonso have hit multiple career HRs off him!

60. salvomania Posted: September 13, 2022 at 09:52 PM (#6096035)

Judge is now ‘on-pace’ for 65 home runs this season.

The fact that his pace has him hitting 8 homers in the season's final 20 games shows how insane that pace is. If he hits only 7 homers in the last 20 games he'll have "tailed off."

61. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: September 13, 2022 at 10:20 PM (#6096036)

The Yankees really are a one-man team at this point. I'd be surprised if they can even win a series. On the other hand, none of the AL playoff teams seem any good. Astros I guess are OK, but I don't really believe in any of their SPs except Verlander.

62. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: September 13, 2022 at 11:00 PM (#6096037)

The Yankees really are a one-man team at this point. I'd be surprised if they can even win a series.

Even with all their injuries, their pitching's holding up fairly well. What'd really help would be if they could activate Sevvy, Benintendi and Porn 'stache.

On the other hand, none of the AL playoff teams seem any good. Astros I guess are OK, but I don't really believe in any of their SPs except Verlander.

Don't kid yourself. Their team ERA+ is 130, and at this point Verlander's not even their best pitcher. Valdez has a 1.41 ERA over the last month, while Verlander's currently on the IL.

63. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 13, 2022 at 11:16 PM (#6096038)

MILESTONE ALERT: Juan Soto has 2 BB so far tonight, bringing him to within 1 of Ted Williams for the top spot on the Age-23 Leadeboard. Sure, it’s just an age record, and a BB one at that, but it’s a Teddy Ballgame record that has stood for 80 years.

64. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 14, 2022 at 02:19 AM (#6096046)

The Red Sox have designated Jeurys Familia for assignment. Could be related to his giving up 3 runs in the 10th inning tonight, taking the loss & raising his ERA to 6.09.

65. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: September 14, 2022 at 09:15 AM (#6096051)

Don't kid yourself. Their team ERA+ is 130, and at this point Verlander's not even their best pitcher. Valdez has a 1.41 ERA over the last month, while Verlander's currently on the IL.

Framber Valdez has been good for 20 minutes. He's living on an unsustainable HR rate. If he's an ace so is Cortes. Javier is a much better pitcher than Valdez.

66. The Duke Posted: September 14, 2022 at 09:34 AM (#6096054)

The conspiracy theory that the leagues are allowing Pujols to dose is laughable. First , how did that conversation actually happen?
Second, why did he take such crappy steroids? Why can't he hit righties ? Why are his numbers not better? "Hey, Give me the steroids that make me a borderline 1 WAR player, And make sure they don't kick in until the all star game "

And then there is the testing regime. How many people would have to be involved for this to be kept secret?

It's ludicrous but if anyone needs a reason why PEDs have been a scourge and why people should be kept out of the Hall is the constant rumor-mongering after every great performance.

Is Judge juicing ? I'm sure we'll hear that soon too

67. Booey Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:12 AM (#6096057)

Judge is also now only 9 pts of batting average behind Arraez for the batting title (albeit with a few other guys between them). For all the speculation about Goldschmidt's chances, Judge now has the better shot at the Triple Crown, since he's already got the HR title locked up and the rbi title all but locked up (he's 14 ahead of Jose Ramirez). Goldy has slumped and is now trailing the league leaders by 1 rbi, 2 homers, and 7 pts of avg.

A Triple Crown in a 62+ homer season would be epic.

68. TomH Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:27 AM (#6096058)

quik math-y estimates of TC chances

-- GOLDY --
AVG: behind Freeman by .007, with NcNeil in the midst; I give him 15%
HR: behind Schwarber by 2, three others in the mix. I give him 15%. Partially correlated with AVG, so a simple .15*.15 would be low; I would say if he wins HR title, AVG title is more like .25, so that is about .06 for both
RBI: If he gets extra HR and AVG, it is Likely he will win RBI title.
OVERALL: 5% chance to win TC

-- ALL RISE --
HR and RBI: locked up!
AVG: behind Arraez by .009, and Bogaerts by .008. Those two are better bets to hit for higher AVG (historical data, projections), so for Judge to catch them both is unlikely. He would need to hit over .400, maybe .500, the last few weeks... which could happen.
OVERALL: 5% chance to win TC

I *DO* agree with the point above that most of the focus has been on home runs. It should be on how good Judge's season is overall! And snekaing in a batting title in the last week would be awesome. If I wasn't a Yankee hater :(

69. TomH Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:37 AM (#6096059)

JUDGE's year by overall great hitting seasons:
By BB-ref adjusted batting wins, the top 31 seasons (discounting Fred Dunlap's 1884 Union Association anomaly) are held by
Ruth - 9
Williams - 6
Bonds - 5
Gehrig - 3
Hornsby -2
Foxx, McGwire, Mantle, Sosa, Musial, Cobb - 1 each.

Judge can make this list if he maintains his WAA pace. It seems unlikely he gets to top 20.

70. TomH Posted: September 14, 2022 at 11:02 AM (#6096065)

some trivia on UNsuccessful stolen base attempts

Randy Arozarena leads MLB with 10 caught stealing this year.
He also led the majors LAST year (also with 10).

It has been 4 years since any player was caught stealing more than 10 times

There are two active players who have seasons with 20 or more CS. Soon there may be NO active players, as these guys are hanging on MLB spots by a thread.

71. salvomania Posted: September 14, 2022 at 12:38 PM (#6096072)

Is Dee Gordon-Strange still active?

72. TomH Posted: September 14, 2022 at 12:50 PM (#6096073)

That is 1. I know he was let go a month ago, so not active *at the moment*, but not retired.

73. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: September 14, 2022 at 12:52 PM (#6096074)

Is Brett Gardner active?

74. The Duke Posted: September 14, 2022 at 01:07 PM (#6096076)

How much WAR does that cost Arozarena ? His numbers always look pretty good to me. Is he losing a lot of WAR for those caught stealings?

75. JJ1986 Posted: September 14, 2022 at 01:15 PM (#6096077)

Billy Hamilton has been in the majors this year, though I don't know if he's active now.

76. TomH Posted: September 14, 2022 at 01:49 PM (#6096079)

Yes, sliding Billy is #2.

Gardner - inactive it seems, plus he was never caught more than 13 times

77. TomH Posted: September 14, 2022 at 01:50 PM (#6096080)

Arozarnea has a total of minus one baserunning runs in 21/22.

78. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 14, 2022 at 02:10 PM (#6096084)

-- ALL RISE --
HR and RBI: locked up!
AVG: behind Arraez by .009, and Bogaerts by .008. Those two are better bets to hit for higher AVG (historical data, projections), so for Judge to catch them both is unlikely.

Since the All-Star Game, Judge has hit .363, Arraez .287, and Bogaerts .322. Nathaniel Lowe is also in the mix, now at .307, and hitting .366 since the break. There is a path there for Judge, but not an easy one. Could go to the final game with some controversy over who plays and who sits out to protect a lead.

Winning the batting title would give Judge both the traditional & sabermetric triple crowns, making it a season for the ages. Also noteworthy, Judge is on-pace for 400 total bases, a mark only achieved 29 times in MLB history. Pay the man!

79. salvomania Posted: September 14, 2022 at 02:14 PM (#6096085)

How much WAR does that cost Arozarena ? His numbers always look pretty good to me. Is he losing a lot of WAR for those caught stealings?

Fangraphs has a great article up today about Arozarena and his baserunning "chaos."

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/randy-arozarena-chaos-incarnate/

They note his negative baserunning via his "outs on the basepaths" (which doesn't include CS) but don't translate that or his CS into any negative run value or WAR.

80. The Duke Posted: September 14, 2022 at 02:43 PM (#6096091)

From Twitter: So the rumor coming out of San Francisco is that numerous players have reached out to GM Scott Harris, raising concerns about increasingly strained relationships with Manager Gabe Kapler. Apparently, he's lost a lot of them.

81. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 14, 2022 at 02:51 PM (#6096094)

Oops, meant to include Jose Abreu in the mix for the AL batting title discussion in #78. He’s hitting .312, and .325 since the All-Star Game. Looks like 5 guys with a decent shot. Might be fun if they have to go to 4 or 5 decimal points.

82. The Duke Posted: September 14, 2022 at 06:01 PM (#6096129)

Wainwright and Molina set their Unbreakable Record tonight. Got me to thinking why we don't see catchers in their early years anymore. I look at some great cardinal era catchers and their careers behind the plate, more or less full time, started at age 21. Molina, Simmons, Torre (with MIL), McCarver.

It seems that it is such a demanding position physically that keeping these guys down for 3-4 years is a waste of talent. You look at Rutschman and think, even if had been half the player he is today, that would have been pretty good. Realmuto spent four years in the minors.

Simmons talked about how he was able to be out there so much in the heat in STL and he said "I was young. You can do
Anything in your 20s".

83. BDC

Posted: September 14, 2022 at 07:29 PM (#6096145)

No AC for me tonight! It is 87F here but low humidity, nice breeze, they just opened the roof for OAK @ TEX to the strains of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra.

This will be my last game of '22 unless Aaron Judge comes in with 60 or 61 HR. I have only really enjoyed one ballgame this year, a Martin Perez / Justin Verlander pitching duel. All the rest have been incredibly tedious. Maybe with an effective pitch clock, next year ...

84. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 14, 2022 at 07:46 PM (#6096147)

Max Kellerman, making an ass out of himself on ESPN... there is a shocker I tell you.

85. Snowboy Posted: September 14, 2022 at 08:24 PM (#6096154)

Vlad Guerrero Jr. with his 100th career HR tonight, hit 100th career 2B on Monday.

86. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 14, 2022 at 08:35 PM (#6096156)

This game already looking familiar, scoring by both sides early on. Currently 2-1 Cardinals over the Brewers.

87. Edmundo got dem ol' Kozma blues again mama

Posted: September 14, 2022 at 08:40 PM (#6096159)

Bryce Harper with a laser shot for his 100th Phillies HR.

88. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 14, 2022 at 08:41 PM (#6096161)

Yankees take a 3-0 lead on Gleyber Torres ‘little league HR’. With runners on 1st & 2nd, Gleyber hits RBI single to RF, runner from 2nd beats throw to plate pretty easily, but Boston catcher tries to get Torres rounding 1st too far . . . and throws the ball into RF, allowing Torres to come all the way around to score. Exciting play!

89. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 14, 2022 at 08:45 PM (#6096162)

Adam is finishing the season by struggling for control. His sharpness is just not there his last three or four starts.

90. Where have you gone Brady Anderson? Posted: September 14, 2022 at 09:05 PM (#6096167)

Gunnar Henderson hit a little league home run when Nationals outfielder Cesar Hernandez dropped his throw. There can’t be many days with two little league home runs.

91. The Yankee Clapper Posted: September 14, 2022 at 09:33 PM (#6096173)

MILESTONE ALERT: Juan Soto got 2 BB today, passing Ted Williams for the top spot on the Age-23 BB Leaderboard. Soto is also within 5 of Williams for HRs, but given his relative struggles this season, may have trouble catching him. In any event, some version of Ted Williams-lite, presumably without the interruptions for military service, is a great player.

92. Howie Menckel Posted: September 14, 2022 at 09:37 PM (#6096174)

classic Zack Greinke story just now on MLBN:

Brian Kenny said he was in Arizona for those "30-for-30" spring training episodes the year Greinke signed a big contract with the DBacks (2016), so of course he's spending the day eagerly trying to get the camera-shy Greinke to do an interview.

last effort on the practice field is Kenny near first base, and - as Greinke clearly is walking away - a resigned Kenny yells, "well, thanks for considering us, Zack!"

suddenly Greinke - nearly at third base by now - stops. an excited Kenny tells the crew to scramble to get ready, here we go.

Greinke slowly walks toward Kenny, then finally reaches him - and puts his hand on Kenny's shoulder as he deadpans, "I never considered talking to you," and then continues on to the dugout.

Studio guests Jake Peavy and Alex Avila are loving this tale, and Avila said, "That's why he's one of my top 5 all-time teammates!"

93. The Duke Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:25 PM (#6096182)

Brewers keep Burnes out there through 7 and maybe 8 (he's at 103 pitches) in a losing effort because their arms are fatigued. They could easily score 2 here so it's a good bet but Counsell doesn't usually do this.

94. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:28 PM (#6096183)

Recent article/chat by Derrick Goold addressed a question if Albert can be considered one of the top five players of all time. Goold just played along and made the argument that there could be a case made.

Mind you that case more or less ignores pitcher, focused on integration and timelining, and still didn't really present an argument other than 2nd all time in total bases. (you get the impression that he wasn't really making the argument, just saying that if you squint a particular way you might see it that way) (ultimate he said that Aaron is probably 1, Mays and Henderson the next two, Bonds being problematic and then you get to the Williams, Musial and Mantle group.

Even basing it upon just primary hitters, it's hard for me to put Pujols ahead of Aaron, Mays, Musial, Bonds, Williams and Ruth (and probably Cobb) (and I like that he included Rickey)

95. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:41 PM (#6096185)

Brewers keep Burnes out there through 7 and maybe 8 (he's at 103 pitches) in a losing effort because their arms are fatigued. They could easily score 2 here so it's a good bet but Counsell doesn't usually do this.

The Brewers aren't playing for this game, they are playing for the rest of the season, since they are behind, might as well ride a guy who is pitching decently enough until you can't to save the pen for the next week of games. This is one thing about MLB tactics that isn't in the other major sports, you can't just play for today.

96. The Duke Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:48 PM (#6096186)

If Pujols hadn't have sucked for 5 years in Anaheim, you could certainly have a discussion about him being top 5, but his horrid performance ruins it for me. Look at Mays - so much better

97. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:55 PM (#6096188)

If Pujols hadn't have sucked for 5 years in Anaheim, you could certainly have a discussion about him being top 5, but his horrid performance ruins it for me. Look at Mays - so much better

Inner circle players don't have their last very good season at 32. Mays, and Ruth, and Aaron put up more WAR in their age 35 seasons than Pujols did in ages 33-41.

98. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 14, 2022 at 10:57 PM (#6096190)

5 games back to get the bye (well 5 against Mets, 4.5 against the Braves) Brewers back to 8 games back and 2 out of the wildcard.

99. The Duke Posted: September 14, 2022 at 11:03 PM (#6096192)

Wainwright Struggled again tonight. One wonders whether the magic is wearing off. He seems to have no decent fastball anymore. But having said that, he got a win. And as far as he has dropped from 2021 to 2022, he's still a good number 2 / number 3 starter. He has one more year in my estimation and should try to get to 200 wins.

100. Howie Menckel Posted: September 15, 2022 at 12:42 AM (#6096200)

Ben Fawkes
@BFawkes22
·
38m
Per @ESPNStatsInfo, the New York Mets are the only team since 1969 to be 35+ games over .500 and get swept by a team 20+ games UNDER .500

Ouch

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