I can agree with that, especially in Comiskey Park. I mean, without the DH, that's an easy three outs.
this is getting a bit monotonous. Of course they were gong to regress towards the mean but did they have to get it all out of the way in a single week?
Eh, you'll be fine. Something tells me Camden Yards won't put up much of a fight. OTOH, I told you things were a little inflated by your schedule. Boston's going to make this an exciting chase.
I knew things were inflated, that was never the issue. the thing that those who cited the schedule didn't note was that most of the teams that win the AL East kick ass against everyone else and are .500ish within the division (sometimes excepting beating up on the O's) Hell, the Red Sox played WAY under .500 against NY, Tor, and Boston last year. and won 95 games and I still figure the Red Sox win the division, as much as I'd like to say otherwise. But I think we are solid candidates for the Wild Card
Well, it's a while since I checked in on this thread. My three team based surprises of the season so far: 1) Texas can pitch? Since when? 2) The Cubs somehow aren't the class of the N.L. 3) The Padres don't royally suck. There are lots of other minor surprises to me in the standings and team performances so far, but those stand out. And, on a completely random side note, it's nice to see Nick Johnson playing well after the latest injury. I was a big fan back when he was on the Yankees, ever since he posted an absurd .525 OBP with moderate pop in his bat in AA ball back in 1999. He might have the best batting eye of any player in baseball, and he'd really be a great player if he weren't so ridiculously unlucky with injuries.
1. Texas can't pitch. They're dead last in strikeouts. That's dangerous, especially in Arlington. 2. The Cubs are imploding. 3. The Padres do suck.
The Dodgers apparently don't need Manny Ramirez to win games. Pitching, on the other hand, is desperately needed.
So this is my current fantasy team (it's a non-draft, salary cap league): SP Justin Verlander SP Zach Greinke SP Chris Carpenter SP [Missing] (was Chad Billingsley) RP Jonathan Broxton C Victor Martinez (considering Joe Mauer, or Matt Wieters when he becomes available) 1B Kevin Youkilis 2B Aaron Hill (considering Brian Roberts; or Orlando Hudson) 3B Ryan Zimmerman (considering trading to Brandon Inge; Longoria is in a slump and expensive) SS Miguel Tejada (was Jason Barlett, but he's injured) OF Raul Ibanez OF Torii Hunter OF Adam Jones DH Miguel Cabrera I'm not looking for the long term, I'm looking for people who are on streaks and so forth.
Wow, this has been a rollercoaster of a month. But hooray, the Tigers are hitting (and pitching) again like the first place team they are!
Jesus Christ, I'm a bandwagon idiot. Let's see: AL East - Boston AL Central - Detroit AL West - Los Angeles WC - New York/Toronto/Texas NL East - Philadelphia NL Central - St. Louis NL West - Los Angeles WC - Milwaukee/San Francisco/Colorado American League: Boston - I don't see the Blue Jays or the Yankees surging to unseat the Red Sox, they're just a well rounded team. Detroit - Well, aside from this soon to be seven-game winning streak, they've demonstrated that not only can they hit and pitch, but that they've got the depth to promote from within. If Magglio can return, and there's signs for hope, they might not have to trade for power. Los Angeles - Again, a well rounded team based on good baseball. They've got hitters, runners, and while their pitching isn't first rate, it's second rate and gaining. Texas is a joke, and while I'm pressed with their pitching, the splits for Home and Away reveal how much they're relying on Arlington to keep them as contenders. Wild Card - Here's a big question mark, as not only do I have to predict who will win the division, but who will fare well against the rest of the league. The Yankees are traditionally late bloomers, and their hitters will make the best use of their new park, but Toronto still had that great opening to the season, one of the best pitchers in the game, and the Air Canada Centre, which can't be understated. Also the Rangers are strong contenders, as Arlington and their rotation have been keeping them vying with the Angels for first place in the West. National League: Philadelphia - Sure their pitching is awful, sure Raul Ibanez is out, but it's the NL East, not the AL. The Mets (much like their cross-town rivals) are in a stadium that's built against their strengths, the "Natinals" are very much the Senators' legacy, the Braves are building for the future, and the Marlins are middling like the other four teams in the league. Any one of these could take the division, but I'm a strong believer in inertia and that it's easier to maintain a lead than it is to take it. St. Louis - Here's a competitive division (once you get past Pittsburgh that is). The Cardinals had injuries, their lineup is still questionable, but they're the most complete team in the division in my experience. Milwaukee needs more pitching, and the Cubs need to figure themselves out. The Reds and the Astros are trying to avoid being dead last, but given the history of the Pirates, I don't think that'll be an issue. Los Angeles - Probably the only lock of the bunch. Now, while the Giants and the Rockies will make strong pushes for the wild card, the Dodgers are just too far ahead and have almost no weaknesses to exploit. San Diego and Arizona are only consoled by the fact that they're not Washington. Wild Card - An even bigger question than the AL; The Brewers have a good lineup, so-so pitchers (which they could trade for again). The Giants are reportedly close to picking up Matt Holliday from the A's, and the Rockies have turned a corner.
That second baseman just about cost the Nationals the game early on, there. Three blunders! Good thing Ozzie and Nelly were there to pull the game out.
Oh boy. Pairing up Steve Stone with Hawk Harrelson for the White Sox broadcasts this year brought some unintended hilarity with it. Everybody knows that when the Sox are playing badly, Hawk just gets grumpy and sulky and doesn't like to say very much, even though its his job to call the game. Stone doesn't care, and anyway his style isn't verbose, it's pithy. So just now there was a minute and a half of silence, Stone says something sarcastic, and that's the inning.
Oh well. looks like we're on our way to last place. If we can't beat the O's worst pitcher, we are in deep shit because the O's are the only non-contender left on our schedule. We have three guys out of 13 who remember what it is to hit a baseball occasionally.
Absent a significant change in circumstances, anyone who votes for anyone other than Joe Mauer for A.L. MVP should never be allowed to watch another baseball game for the rest of his life, much less write about baseball. That is all.
Ouch. What a way for the Cardinals to lose a playoff game. Up a run in the ninth, two out, no one on, error by Matt Holliday to extend the game, followed by a walk, a single, a walk, and another single. And I though it was funny when Luis Castillo dropped that pop up earlier in the year.
Well, that was the equivalent of suddenly calling Michael Jordan for travelling on a lay-up. Except they called the guy Jordan was defending on it.
He'd missed second base pretty badly on another double play earlier in the game. My guess is the umpire told him to touch the bag next time or the runner would be called safe. If the pivoting infielder on the double play has to protect himself from a baserunner then missing the bag is one thing, but otherwise missing the bag should result in a safe call.
And everybody should be called on travelling on a ridiculously long lay-up. And strikes should be called above the waist. Whatever you're going to do, be consistent. You may be on to something, though, about the umpire having warned him. I only came in in the bottom of the 10th, so I wouldn't know.
Randy Wolf drops down sidearm, tries to throw a fastball by Chase Utley with two strikes and first base open. That's the moment I knew the Dodgers would lose the series.
