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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Batter Up! Baseball 2017
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
I have held off as long as I could. But on Tuesday, pitchers & catchers report to Spring Training and that means Major League Baseball is almost back! And that means it is time to start speculating! Will the Cubbies manage to win back-to-back World Series? Will the Cleveland Indians win their first WS crown since 1948? (N.B.: now that the Cubbies have won, I think Cleveland currently holds the title of the team that has gone the most seasons without winning the World Series.) Will La Dodgers finally succeed with all the money they have been throwing at the problem? (The Dodgers are estimated to be spending $234.9 million on payroll in 2017...the next highest team is the Detroit Tigers at a "mere" $199.6 million.)
A little nod to international baseball as well. First, congratulations to the Brisbane Bandits, who this weekend secured their second straight Australian Baseball championship. My beloved Sydney Blue Sox did not even make the playoffs!
Also, this year another World Baseball Classic (the fourth) will be played in March. Japan won the first two, and Dominican Republic won the last one. USA has never shown too well in this competition. The timing is always awkward, being placed fairly early in Spring Training and the clubs always a little reluctant to risk hurting their stars in the WBC. Nevertheless, it is something to watch until MLB games start in April. The WBC starts with four pools of teams and the top two teams in each pool advances to the next round:
POOL A: Israel; Korea; Chinese Taipei; Netherlands. These games will be played in Seoul. My expectation is that the Netherlands and Korea will advance. These games will played between March 6 & 10.
POOL B: Cuba; Japan; China; Australia. These games will be played in Tokyo. I expect Cuba and Japan to emerge from this group. Their games will be played between March 7 & 11.
POOL C: Canada; Dominican Republic; Colombia; USA. These games will be played in Miami. The defending champion, D.R., will almost certainly advance. I hope USA advances as well, but a slow start could doom them. Canada is certainly capable of slipping in. The games will be played from March 9 to 13.
POOL D: Mexico; Italy; Venezuela; Puerto Rico. These games will be played in San Diego. This is a tricky pool to predict. I don't think Italy has any shot at it, but as far as I am concerned it is a bit of a coin flip between the other three. I am going to predict Puerto Rico and Venezuela, and let Mexico prove me wrong. These games will be played from March 9 to 13.
Play ball!
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
The equipment trucks for the Red Sox and the Twins arrived here about a week ago. There is much excitement in this part of the country!
I remember a long, long time ago when Daughter-Unit and I could go to a Red Sox spring training game with excellent seats for about $6 each. Those were the days. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Hedgehog:
Will the Cleveland Indians win their first WS crown since 1948? (N.B.: now that the Cubbies have won, I think Cleveland currently holds the title of the team that has gone the most seasons without winning the World Series.)
Now that's an interesting question. If you're going by which franchise has gone the longest since its last title, then yes. Even if you go by which city has had its local team play the most seasons without winning a title, also still yes.* But if you're going by which city has gone the longest since last winning, then the city of Washington, who last won it all in 1924 with the Senators, take the lack of cake.
*Yes, it's a really awkward phrasing—DC was without a baseball team for many years between the time the Senators left and the Nats/Expos arrived, while Cleveland has had a team continuously since '48. So, if you don't count the years nobody was playing ball in Washington, Cleveland "wins;" if you do, DC does.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
Yes, I was thinking in terms of franchises rather than cities. I get your point that Washington D.C. has not had a World Series champ...but then, it hasn't always had a baseball team, which is kind of a requirement. So, for example,Milwaukee had a World Series champ in 1957, with the Braves, but it has never had one with the Brewers. So do we measure the frustration from 1957 or from 1970 (when the Brewers started in Milwaukee, although the franchise itself started the prior year in Seattle), and realizing that Milwaukee had no team at all from 1965 to 1969.
That's too complicated for me. In terms of franchises, the Indians are currently the ones who have waited the longest, since they last won a World Series in 1948. However, it is probably worth considering those franchises who have never won a World Series. There are currently eight of them: Astros; Brewers; Mariners; Nationals; Padres; Rangers; Rays; and Rockies.
Of those eight, the leader on the Frustration Chart would be the Texas Rangers (formerly known as the Washington Senators). The franchise began in 1961, so they have gone 56 seasons without winning it all. Right behind them is the Houston Astros (1962) with 55 seasons. After that, the Nationals (formerly Expos), Padres and Brewers are all tied as they all started in 1969, for 48 seasons without the crown.
Historically, though, even the Rangers are not anywhere close to the longest dry spell before winning one's first World Series. That is held by my beloved Philadelphia Phillies, who were formed in 1883, but did not win their first World Series until 1980--or for 97 seasons!
On the other end of the scale, the franchise that got a World Series crown the fastest would be (of all teams) the Boston Red Sox. Formed in 1901, they won their first World Series in 1903!!
[Clarification: I am treating the World Series as being a competition between the National League and American League. The American League did not exist until 1901, so any National League club older than that might have won "the Championship" but it wasn't the "World Series" as I have defined it. The Braves, for example, were formed in 1876 and won a championship in 1892, but I am treating their first World Series win as 1914. Likewise, the Giants (formed in 1883) won Championships in 1888 and 1889, but their first World Series was 1905. This does not really affect any of the info I have given...the Phillies still did not win the overall baseball championship until 1980, and no team that currently exists won the overall championship as quickly as the Red Sox.]
So, by my calculation, the Frustration Chart is as follows:
Cleveland Indians (68 seasons)
Texas Rangers (56 seasons)
Houston Astros (55 seasons)
Washington Nationals/San Diego Padres/Milwaukee Brewers (all 48 seasons)
Seattle Mariners (40 seasons)
Pittsburgh Pirates (37 seasons)
Baltimore Orioles (33 seasons)
Detroit Tigers (32 seasons)
NY Mets (30 seasons)
LA Dodgers (28 seasons)
Oakland A's (27 seasons)
Cincinnati Reds (26 seasons)
Minnesota Twins (25 seasons)
Colorado Rockies (24 seasons)
Toronto Blue Jays (23 seasons)
Atlanta Braves (21 seasons)
Tampa Bay Rays (19 seasons)
Arizona Diamondbacks (15 seasons)
LA Angels (14 seasons)
Miami Marlins (13 seasons)
Chicago White Sox (11 seasons)
Philadelphia Phillies (8 seasons)
NY Yankees (7 seasons)
St. Louis Cardinals (5 seasons)
Boston Red Sox (3 seasons)
SF Giants (2 seasons)
Kansas City Royals (1 season)
Chicago Cubs (0 seasons)
Yeah. I was bored.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by jedijudy:
...I remember a long, long time ago when Daughter-Unit and I could go to a Red Sox spring training game with excellent seats for about $6 each. Those were the days.
...I remember going to a regular-season Padres game for $2 when I was a student at San Diego State and it was bad value for the money - they were so horrible in the '70s!
...I saw the Angels in Anaheim shortly after the new stadium opened. I must have been in high school then because my late father still had some of his health left. I spent a lot of the time speaking with another young man about high school football - they were dead boring!
Looking forward to a couple of Dodger games at "Camelback Ranch."
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If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Writing is currently my hobby, not yet my profession.
Posts: 30517 | From: White Hart Lane | Registered: Oct 2002
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
In a move that will do my beloved Pirates no harm at all our starting outfield will participate in the World Baseball Classic. Andrew McCutcheon, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco will all be there while Francisco Cervelli, our catcher, will be there (for Italy).
We aren't good starters, maybe this will help.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
The Phillies will have six players playing in the WBC, mainly for Venezuela (center fielder Odubel Herrera, shortstop Freddy Galvis and pitchers Jeanmar Gomez and Edubray Ramos). Another pitcher(Hector Neris) will play for the Dominican Republic and pitcher Pat Neshek will pitch for (finally!) the United States.
Considering how bad the Phillies are right now, having that many Phils on the roster doesn't speak well for Venezuela's chances! ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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basso
Ship’s Crypt Keeper
# 4228
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
I remember going to a regular-season Padres game for $2 when I was a student at San Diego State and it was bad value for the money - they were so horrible in the '70s!
I remember driving past Candlestick Park on my way home one night in the 70s, seeing the lights on, and stopping on a whim.
I walked up to the ticket stand and asked for a box seat. The seller asked if first row, behind the plate was okay. (Sure!)
Those were the days when the Giants sometimes got only a couple of thousand, especially for a night game (Brrr!)
They were very, very bad in those days.
Posts: 4358 | From: Bay Area, Calif | Registered: Mar 2003
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
My Dodgers have some problems, but mass quantities of money are being thrown at them!
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If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Writing is currently my hobby, not yet my profession.
Posts: 30517 | From: White Hart Lane | Registered: Oct 2002
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
I just want to give a little nod of recognition to the passing of Ned Garver. One can be forgiven for never having heard of him, but he does have the distinction of being one of only two pitchers in MLB history to win 20 games in a season (1951) where his team lost 100 games. It is tough enough to win 20 games when you have a good team behind you, so it is even more impressive to do it with a bad one. No other pitcher on the squad won more than 6 games.
Garver memorably commented that, in that season, the fans did not dare boo the players--for the simple reason that the players outnumbered them!
In case you are curious, the other pitcher to win 20 games for a 100-loss team was the even more obscure Irv Young of the 1905 Boston Beaneaters (later re-named the Boston Braves, before moving to Milwaukee and, currently, Atlanta).
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
We are now less than 12 hours away from the start of the World Baseball Classic: Israel v. South Korea, in Seoul. Conventional wisdom suggests that Korea will win, but some have pointed out that Korea has had trouble scoring runs during qualifying and that Israel is starting former MLB pitcher Jason Marquis (who has World Series experience). And, after all, Israel managed to qualify for this tournament, so they aren't pushovers.
It is always tempting to root for the underdog, but I think the challenge of beating Korea in Korea will be too much for Israel.
I won't be getting up at 4:30am (my time) to watch, but I should be awake in time to watch the end of the game.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
See, this is why I don't bet on baseball.
Israel defeated Korea 2-1 in 10 innings. Israel jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st. Korea tied it in the 5th. It stayed 1-1 until the 10th. Israel's pitcher for the last three innings (and, therefore, the winning pitcher) was Josh Zeid, who (in real life) pitches for the Houston Astros.
Israel's reward? They get to come back onto the field in 13 hours for their next game, against Chinese Taipei.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
More Pool A results from the WBC:
Israel continues its winning ways by defeating Chinese Taipei 15-7.
Korea continues to struggle, as the Netherlands beat Korea 5-0. Korea's chances of advancing to the next round are looking really bad right now.
Pool B play has also started, with Japan v. Cuba. Japan won, 11-6. The last few innings were a bit crazy, but Japan were comfortably in control from the 5th inning on.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Prester John
Shipmate
# 5502
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Hedgehog:
More Pool A results from the WBC:
Israel continues its winning ways by defeating Chinese Taipei 15-7.
I saw this one last night. It was disappointing that a nation with a long history of professional baseball didn't seem to put up much of a fight. Nevertheless it was intriguing to watch the fan interaction. They seem really into the game with a myriad of organized cheers. It was an interesting look into a different baseball culture.
Posts: 884 | From: SF Bay Area | Registered: Feb 2004
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
Chinese Taipei put up more of a fight today, but the Netherlands ended up winning in walk-off fashion, 6-5.
As a result of that, both the Netherlands and Israel are through to the next round (both going into "Pool E"). To finish this round, they have to play each other, just as Korea and Chinese Taipei need to play each other, but those games will be more for pride than anything. For all practical purposes, Pool A is done.
Pool B is getting interesting. Cuba came back from its opening loss to Japan to defeat China 6-0 (a one-hit shutout, if I heard correctly). Meanwhile, Australia made a good showing against Japan. Japan ultimately won, 4-1, but it was tied 1-1 through 6 innings.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
Australia put up a good fight. They crushed China 11-0, which meant that the Australia-Cuba game would decide which of those two teams would advance. In the top of the 5th, Australia took the lead, 1-0. Cuba responded with 4 runs in the bottom of the 5th. Australia added single runs in the 7th and 8th to bring the score to 4-3...but they went down 1-2-3 in the 9th.
As a result, in the next round, Pool E will be Israel, the Netherlands, Japan and Cuba.
Meanwhile, play started in Pools C & D last night. Canada fell to Dominican Republic (who look really strong) and, in a shocker, Italy staged a 9th inning rally to come back from 4 runs down to beat Mexico 10-9.
The U.S. plays tonight against Colombia.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Mere Nick
Shipmate
# 11827
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Posted
I've been keeping up with it, too. Israel has been a big surprise and the Mexico-Italy game last night was very exciting. As for the Dominican Republic team, they are probably the best team that's ever been put together anywhere, anytime. They'd even drill the 1927 Yankees. If they were their own mlb team, they'd probably go 145-17 during the regular season and sweep the playoffs and series. I figured maybe 17 losses because they are still human and an opponent might actually play perfectly against them a few times.
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"Well that's it, boys. I've been redeemed. The preacher's done warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It's the straight and narrow from here on out, and heaven everlasting's my reward."
Delmar O'Donnell
Posts: 2797 | From: West Carolina | Registered: Sep 2006
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Mere Nick
Shipmate
# 11827
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Hedgehog:
Australia put up a good fight.
A very good fight, indeed.
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"Well that's it, boys. I've been redeemed. The preacher's done warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It's the straight and narrow from here on out, and heaven everlasting's my reward."
Delmar O'Donnell
Posts: 2797 | From: West Carolina | Registered: Sep 2006
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Mere Nick:
I've been keeping up with it, too. Israel has been a big surprise and the Mexico-Italy game last night was very exciting. As for the Dominican Republic team, they are probably the best team that's ever been put together anywhere, anytime. They'd even drill the 1927 Yankees. If they were their own mlb team, they'd probably go 145-17 during the regular season and sweep the playoffs and series. I figured maybe 17 losses because they are still human and an opponent might actually play perfectly against them a few times.
A true World Series ![[Devil]](graemlins/devil.gif)
(I've been trying without success to find TV coverage )
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Mere Nick
Shipmate
# 11827
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
A true World Series
(I've been trying without success to find TV coverage )
Yes, it is closer than what we have now. The thing is, baseball players make more in the US than anywhere else and that makes it from real hard to impossible to have a World Series based upon your regular season team. Many US players don't participate in the WBC because they are now in spring training getting ready for their paying job.
I looked for a couple of minutes through the WBC website and mlb.com, along with mlb tv and couldn't find live games online for where you live. You might be able to get the data without seeing the actual game. I do that sometimes.
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"Well that's it, boys. I've been redeemed. The preacher's done warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It's the straight and narrow from here on out, and heaven everlasting's my reward."
Delmar O'Donnell
Posts: 2797 | From: West Carolina | Registered: Sep 2006
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
Wow! The WBC has been intense this weekend. There have been so many good, close games that I can hardly keep track. The U.S. went to extra innings against Colombia on Friday before winning 3-2. Colombia has since proven that was no fluke by beating Canada...and they are currently in extra innings against the Dominican Republic (after just barely missing getting the winning run across int he 9th).
Meanwhile, the U.S. had taken a 5-0 lead against D.R. when they played on Saturday, only to see the Dominicans chip away and finally win it 7-5.
Meanwhile, Venezuela and Italy brought their bats (but not much defense) in a game that Venezuela won in extra innings 11-10 (this after BOTH teams scored 2 runs in the 9th).
And let us not skip past Israel beating Cuba 4-1!
And Japan and the Netherlands, where the Dutch staged a 9th inning rally to tie it in the 9th (and left the potential winning run on 3rd). These two teams not only went to extra innings but triggered the special rules by making it to the 11th (when each team starts the inning with runners on 1st and 2nd). This after, in the 10th, Japan had the bases loaded with only one out and failed to score. Japan finally won 8-6.
There are a lot of things wrong about the WBC, but you can't complain about the level of baseball being played.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
We have made it to the semi-finals of the WBC. The other night USA managed to knock the defending champion (Dominican Republic) out of the tournament. That came as a surprise, but honestly USA almost beat DR in first round play, too, before coughing up a 5-run lead late in the game.
So the first semifinal is tonight: Netherlands v. Puerto Rico. The other (which I think is scheduled for tomorrow night) is Japan v. USA.
I am not even going to pretend to predict the results.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Mere Nick
Shipmate
# 11827
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Posted
Marcus Stroman threw 6 innings of no-hit ball and the US whupped up on Puerto Rico 8-0 to win the WBC. I figured it would be either Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico to win it, but the US played strong when it had to. It's just a shame this only happens every four years.
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"Well that's it, boys. I've been redeemed. The preacher's done warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It's the straight and narrow from here on out, and heaven everlasting's my reward."
Delmar O'Donnell
Posts: 2797 | From: West Carolina | Registered: Sep 2006
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
Almost there! The season officially starts on Sunday (although only 3 games to watch). The first game on Sunday is Yankees-Rays. Considering that it is not only AL, but also Yankees, my interest level is pretty low. Still, I may watch some of it.
The second game is Giants-Diamondbacks. That's better. It is NL, for one thing, and it will be interesting to see how the Giants start out. The D-backs do not intrigue me, though. Still, I almost certainly will be watching.
The big match-up, though, will be the evening game: Cubs-Cardinals. WS champs against a major rival within their division. That is pretty much a must-see.
It is also time for me to do my traditional check on which teams is the last to lose a game this season, and which team is the last to win a game this season. My prediction (i.e., almost certainly wrong because when oh when have I ever predicted something about baseball correctly????): The Last to Lose will be La Dodgers. And the Last to Win will be the San Diego Padres.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Barnabas62
Shipmate
# 9110
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Posted
Groan! I watched Giants @ DBacks live (BT Sports ESPN in the UK) and it was a really exciting game. And MadBum hit two homers in the game, which was some kind of a record for a pitcher in a season opener. And pitched pretty well too. But it was close at the end, and the Giants bullpen and new closer didn't get it done. Too much of an echo of the second half of last season.
But I'm glad the new season has started and look forward to the next six months!
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Who is it that you seek? How then shall we live? How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
Posts: 21397 | From: Norfolk UK | Registered: Feb 2005
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
Yes, it is difficult to figure out what more MadBum could have done to win that game. If I heard correctly, it is the first time ever that a pitcher has hit two homers on a season opener.
But he does have the joy of currently being the top hitter (batting 1.000) and the home run leader in MLB.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Prester John
Shipmate
# 5502
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Posted
If you had a chance to watch the Cubs-Cardinals game you would have had the "pleasure" of witnessing the beginning of the demise of Western Civilization. I refer, of course, to the automatic walk. It was used on Yadier Molina in the 8th- I think. Obviously I'm slightly exaggerating but it just felt wrong watching it.
In regards to the Giants I had thought the bullpen issues were fixed in the offseason but I guess not. Plus, we've kept Cain! God bless him but I think he's past his sell by date.
Posts: 884 | From: SF Bay Area | Registered: Feb 2004
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
In the NL, my annual contest for Last to Win/Last to Lose is essentially over. The Washington Nationals were the only NL team to go 2-0. And then they lost their 3rd game. On the loss side, the Pirates are currently 0-2 and were rained out one game. Miami had also been 0-2 but then beat Washington to go to 1-2.
The AL is still up in the air. Two teams (Kansas City and Texas) are both 0-3. Two teams (Cleveland and Minnesota) are 3-0 and two others (Baltimore & Boston) are 2-0.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
The Rockies are 4-1 off of the strength of ... pitching? This team is supposed to win 12-10 sluggouts, not 2-1 pitching duels like they did yesterday. Best parts- the starter was a Denver native, and we had three relievers pitch three shut out innings to win it!
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
5-1 after becoming the first team to hit back-to-back home runs off of Clayton Keyshaw in the 10 years he's been in the bigs.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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RuthW
liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13
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Posted
Ugh!
Dodgers managed to hold off the sweep today, but it looks like lefty pitchers are going to kill them this year. Again.
Posts: 24453 | From: La La Land | Registered: Apr 2001
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
Noooooooo!
When I was a young man in Pasadena, in the San Rafael neighborhood, I was only three or four miles away from Chavez Ravine. I deserve better than that. Now where's my cap?
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If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Writing is currently my hobby, not yet my profession.
Posts: 30517 | From: White Hart Lane | Registered: Oct 2002
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
Bad news for the Pirates, as Starling Marte has been suspended for 80 games (i.e., basically half the season).
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Hedgehog:
Bad news for the Pirates, as Starling Marte has been suspended for 80 games (i.e., basically half the season).
Not our finest hour.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Barnabas62
Shipmate
# 9110
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Posted
Not even the end of April, but I am already in mourning. The Giants have had the worst start to the season for years, MadBum is out for about two months and the Rockies have just hammered them in a series. Plus loads of other injuries and problems with Bochy's health. Urghh!
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Who is it that you seek? How then shall we live? How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
Posts: 21397 | From: Norfolk UK | Registered: Feb 2005
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
The Madison Bumgarner injury certainly doesn't help. Part of the irony, though, is that MadBum declined to participate in the World Baseball Classic because he didn't want to risk getting hurt...and then he goes and wipes out riding a dirt bike.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
Here is a pretty cool story of the first African-born player to make it to MLB.
He got his first major league hit in his first at-bat, and he got to be part of the final play of the game, being the middle fielder in a 6-4-3 double-play.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
After the Marte fiasco it was heart-warming to see some good news from Pittsburgh.
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
A fifth of the way through the season, and the Rockies are still looking strong on the pitching front. They have a spectacular record in one-run games and games where they take a lead into late innings, two statistics where they got demolished last year.
Coming off of beating the Cubs in two out of three games (always satisfying, given the number of Cubs fans who come out of the woodwork for that series- the Rockies even sell Old Style in the stands to assist them in their Wrigley cosplay ![[Disappointed]](graemlins/disappointed.gif) ), we have a big four-game home series against the second-place Dodgers, who are a game and a half back of the Rockies at the moment. If I had any confidence in my daughter's ability to sit still through one out of baseball, much less a few innings, I'd be looking for tickets.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Prester John
Shipmate
# 5502
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
If I had any confidence in my daughter's ability to sit still through one out of baseball, much less a few innings, I'd be looking for tickets.
As a parent of two who are a bit older than your daughter let me drop some unsolicited advice-date night. It helps keep the marriage fresh, allows you to enjoy adult-oriented activities and permits you to take a well-deserved break from focusing on the wee one.
Posts: 884 | From: SF Bay Area | Registered: Feb 2004
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
And if I had any faith in my wife's ability to sit still for one out of baseball... (She's a football girl.)
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
2-2 split on the series. Not quite what I was hoping for, but we are still in first at the end of the weekend. The upcoming 10 day road trip (3 in Minnesota and Cinci, 4 in Philly) should be a good opportunity to find out if this is just another hot start that fades as June approaches, or if this team is the real deal.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
I may possibly be in attendance for the finale in the Colorado-Philly series. A few scheduling headaches to work out (it is a 1:05 EST start, so I first need to get off w-rk that day.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Hedgehog:
I may possibly be in attendance for the finale in the Colorado-Philly series. A few scheduling headaches to work out (it is a 1:05 EST start, so I first need to get off w-rk that day.
Re-set! I will NOT be at that game. My brother and I are going to the Phillies the next night, to see them play Cincinnati. I have to admit, that does relieve the scheduling headaches, so one less stressor for my life.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
The Rockies are 7-2 on the road trip, with one more to go in Philly, where they have been hitting the cover off of the ball so far. 8-2 would be amazing, 7-3 still gets them three our of three series wins on a traditionally rough road trip.
The boys are back in town tomorrow, and I'll be there with some old college friends to see them take on the Cardinals!
(I'm actually going to be in Philly next week for a wedding- second time this month that I have arrived in a city a few days too late to cheer on my team. Earlier this month, it was San Diego. I assume that my presence in the stands in a Rockies hat would have gone by a lot smoother there than in Philadelphia?)
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
The Rockies are 7-2 on the road trip, with one more to go in Philly, where they have been hitting the cover off of the ball so far.
I think Phillies fans are rooting for rain today.
quote:
I assume that my presence in the stands in a Rockies hat would have gone by a lot smoother there than in Philadelphia?
Not really. There is a dislike for Mets fans, but that's primarily because the Mets fans tend to be obnoxious when they come to Philly. If you are just sitting in the stands and cheering your own non-NY team on, there is no problem. If you start gloating that the Phillies are doing badly, then the fans might get ruffled--although, these days, we're more likely to agree that they are a bad team.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
The road trip ended with an 11-inning 2-1 loss, but I got to see the boys come back with style over the Cardinals, turning a 2-0 pitchers duel into a 10-0 blow out with a 8-run 8th inning. Some fielding gems as well, including an amazing diving catch and a couple really hard-earned double plays. It was the right game pick as my first of the season.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
In light of recent events, I thought Shipmates might be interested in a link to the history of the Congressional Baseball Game. It has not been a continuous history, as the game was cancelled several times over the years.
By the way, seems to indicate that currently both sides have the same record: 39-39-1!
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
Trigger warning for Giants fans, you might not want to read any further.
From Deadspin, The NL West is Competitive and Fun as Hell.
Three games against third place Arizona here in Denver starting today (thank goodness it's not in Phoenix- 120 projected high today! It'll be a mere 91 at first pitch here.), and then straight to Chavez Ravine for a series against the second place (by a half a game) Dodgers. It's still June, but it's starting to feel like do-or-die baseball already.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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