The Official 2018 Major League Baseball thread

[rumpleforeskiin]

A few takeaways from the recent massacre in Boston, all of these coming from the pages of the NY Post:


They have swept this series because they have been better on offense, defense, starting, relieving, baserunning, trade-deadline acquisitions, attention to detail and even video review. At this point, perhaps the Yankees could win a congeniality consolation prize. The AL East is about gone from their grasp.

The cutter Eovaldi never refined or believed in as a Yankee has become a weapon. He walked one, Aaron Hicks on a full count to open the second, and erased that on the next pitch by inducing Gleyber Torres to hit into a double play. Eovaldi faced 25 other Yankees and never even got to a three-ball count.

The Yankees aren’t catching the Red Sox.
Boston didn’t clinch anything this weekend, but it is fair to state now, after watching the teams share a field for three days, that Boston doesn’t have an 8 ½-game lead due to some weird bounces and some odd luck. It’s not an accident. The Red Sox are the better team right now. There is no shame in that, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

Between now and the first week of October, the Yankees have to figure a few things out about themselves, and specifically about how they perform when they’re on the same field as the Red Sox. Which means there is very little of substance that will change between now and then: The only thing that matters is winning three out of five when it counts.

The AL East switch was probably off before the ninth inning of the finale. But the Yankees suffered the kind of loss at the end of the kind of lost weekend that makes holding onto the wild-card lead, and maybe any kind of wild-card spot, both the priority and more tenuous than at any point this season.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I watched the Jays-Mariners series on tv and it seemed the ballpark was full of Jays fans. It's been like this season after season ever since Seattle moved into their new ballpark. The Jays also seem to play better in Seattle since it's as close they'll get (away from Toronto) to a home game. The fan support in Toronto is still very good but i'm no longer a fan of their outdated stadium. It's still okay when the roof is open but i hate watching a game live when the roof is closed. However it's better to watch a game with the roof closed if it's too cold or raining outside. Seattle's ballpark looks absolutely beautiful. This is my idea of what a park with a retractable roof should be all about.

The Skydome/Rogers Centre was ahead of its time when it first opened in 1989. There was a lot of stuff going on there for the first 15 years or so. Of course the fact there was a hotel within the stadium was a great idea at the time. There was also the restaurant located in the outfield (Windows restaurant) which was later closed. The last time i went to a game (two years ago) there were people sitting there and having drinks. I believe it was converted into a VIP section/lounge a few years ago. But for me the highlight was starting the afternoon off at the Hard Rock Cafe which was located in right field. I'd head there during batting practice and watched the teams' practice outside in right field while eating chicken wings and having a couple of beers before the game. But the Hard Rock Cafe was closed down a few years ago (and same thing with the downtown location last year).

I stayed at the hotel last year and i hope never again. Not impressed. But maybe if i had stayed there during baseball season (while a game is going on) my opinion of it would be different. I stayed there during winter time and it was pretty darn cold outside which caused me to mostly want to stay indoors. And when it's off-season there's really nothing going on in that particular area or inside the hotel.

A new ballpark in Toronto (similar to the one in Seattle) would be a welcome addition. Hopefully the next one will be a bit smaller. I'd be happy with 39 000 capacity. And no more hotel. Strictly a ballpark and not an 'entertainment' facility.

On another note i can't believe the Yankees got swept by the Red Sox! I figured they'd win at least 1-2 games. I also can't believe they blew that game last night. But the minute i saw Aroldis Chapman warming up in the bullpen in the 8th i figured the Red Sox could very well mount a comeback in the 9th. And this morning i turn on the sports and guess what? The Red Sox mounted a late comeback against Chapman and later won in extra innings! Well done, Red Sox!!

The Boston Red Sox are my pick to win the World Series. That team is playing great ball and looks almost unbeatable.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

4. The pitching staff is way deeper than last year- both the rotation and the bullpen. Bullpenning games will be an available option when they get into the playoffs.

The Beav has said any number of laughable things in his 14,319 posts over the last 15 years, but this one is surely top 10. At this point, the Yankees have one reliable starter, the fragile Masahiro Tanaka. And I think it's reasonable to assume that one of CC Sabathia and Luis Severino will get straightened out by October, but it's certainly no sure thing. Beyond those three, they have squat. JA Happ and Lance Lynn are certainly arms, but hardly ones you'd want to count on in September. Lynn this year has a WAR of 0.2 and Happ has 1.4. Neither of them appear to be as good as Mike Fiers (3.1) who was acquired by the Oakland As this morning as Brian Cashman was apparently sleeping on the job. This is also significant as it appears more likely by the day that the Yankees will be traveling to Oakland for the Wild Card game, assuming that they manage to hold off both Oakland and the Seattle Mariners.

This appeared this morning from Mike Lupica, who has been covering the Yankees for decades.:

"Masahiro Tanaka pitched pretty well on Sunday night at Fenway Park, before so many bad things happened to the Yankees later that you thought the game had lasted long enough that it had landed them back in October 2004. But what is significant about what happened with Tanaka, on a night when he struck out nine, is that he still didn't make it through the fifth inning. This is the guy who suddenly feels like the Yanks' ace again.

Absolutely it was Aroldis Chapman, the closer, who couldn't hold a 4-1 lead in the ninth, before the Red Sox finished off a four-game sweep by winning in the 10th. The Yankees still have issues with starting pitching. If you're a Yankee fan, stop me if you've heard that one before.

If this year's non-waiver Trade Deadline reinforcements -- J.A. Happ and Lance Lynn -- don't pitch well the rest of the way, the Yankees might be flying to the West Coast for the American League Wild Card Game in October. The Yanks have been a sub-.500 team for nearly 40 games now, and they are starting to make last year's run to Game 7 of the AL Championship Series look like it was some kind of fluke.

Going into Monday night's game against the White Sox, the Yankees were 18-20 over their previous 38 games. That is nearly a quarter of a season. On June 21, the Yanks were 50-22 and 13 games ahead of the A's, who were 38-36 on that date. Now New York is 2 1/2 ahead of Oakland.

Obviously, the Yankees miss the injured Aaron Judge. But even with the bullpen they have, starting pitching is an issue. The Red Sox have more of it. You saw what happened this weekend, even with Boston ace Chris Sale missing a start. You see what kind of rotation the Astros have.

It's reached the point with the 2018 Yankees that when Luis Severino, who was the staff ace (at least before giving up 20 earned runs in his past 20 innings), made it to the sixth inning against the Red Sox on Friday night, it was as if he'd pitched himself to Monument Park.

The Yanks have had injuries hit their rotation this season, and they've had to use 10 starting pitchers so far. But the A's, who are chasing New York hard now for the top AL Wild Card spot, have had to use 12.

The Yankees have been brilliant at a lot of things over the past quarter-century. They haven't had a losing season since 1994, they hardly ever miss the playoffs, and they are loaded with young talent again. But they haven't won a World Series in nine years, and they've won one the past 18 seasons.

Starting pitching is always a big part of the story with them, and it is again. They haven't won the AL East since 2012.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Terrible news for Yankee fans. From MLBTR:

The Yankees announced today that outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has undergone surgery to repair the labrum of his left hip. He’s expected to require six months of recovery time.

Ellsbury’s season is now over before it ever began. The 34-year-old has been on the disabled list all year with a dizzying array of injuries. He did not appear in game action at any level.

The veteran outfielder joined the Yankees on a monster seven-year, $153MM contract that has not turned out as hoped. It runs through 2020 and also includes a $5MM buyout on a $21MM option for an additional season.

 

[EagerBeaver]

It’s not terrible news for the Yankees or the fans. Nobody expected him to play. The only bad news to anyone is for the insurer of that contract which hopefully isn’t the same one paying David Wright’s contract with the Mets. Although my guess is that contract was hard to insure. But Ellsbury is getting money for nothing so you really shouldn’t feel sorry for him. I doubted he would ever play again.

 

[GaryH]

This appeared this morning from Mike Lupica, who has been covering the Yankees for decades.:

Mike Lupica hasn't covered the Yankees for decades, he has been hating on the Yankees for decades. He is close friends with the Wilpons and a staunch defender of the Mets organization. He has never said a nice word about the Yankees and only crawls out of his hole now and then to kick the Yankees when they are down and shill for the Mets when they are down.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Lupica had a personal beef/issue with Yankees management way back in the day when George ran the team and is about the worst source imaginable for any real info on the Yankees.

 

[GaryH]

Speaking of idiots - Michael Kay quote -"When you're playing Luke Voit and Shane Robinson in important games, you know shame on the Yankees for not having the depth but again shame on guys like Jacoby Ellsbury for not getting healthy, shame on Clint Frazier for not getting healthy," Kay said. "Again you can't make them get healthy but if those guys are available it's a completely different animal." Is he blaming Clint Frazier for a concussion and migraines? He doesn't think Frazier is dying to be playing in the major leagues?

The more I hear Michael Kay talk, the less I like him.

 

[Doc Holliday]

The Yankees just got their asses kicked by the lowly NY Mets in the first game of their series held at Yankee Stadium. Lifelong Yankee fan and current Buffalo sportswriter Sal Maiorana just tweeted this:

"That was a disgusting performance against a lousy team. Embarrassing. Yankees have major flaws in every facet right now. No ace, not even close. Overrated bullpen and in which not one guy can truly be relied on. Injury depleted and slumping lineup."

I could not agree more.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

The ESPN announcers were making a big deal about the Yankees record with and without Aaron Judge. It seems that they're 8-8 without him and like 30 games over .500 with him. What they were unaware of is that the Yanks decline started way before Judge got hurt. Their record over their last 46 games is a measly 24-22. Their stellar record is a reflection of the team they were in April, May and June. They have not been a playoff caliber team since the beginning of July.

Doc is right. Their "ace" is pitching like Sonny Gray. Their number 2 is erratic. Their number 3 is on the DL with knee problems. Their closer has tendonitis in his knee. Thanks to an easy schedule the rest of the way, they will still most likely make the playoffs, though it might very well require a trip across the country to Oakland for a one game play-in game.

 

[hungry101]

Geeze The Tigers split a series in the Bronx and we just had been swept by lowly KC and lost to the White Sox today. They really should have won the series in NY. This feels like a different team Yankees than last year. Sanchez killed us last year and he looks like he should be the Tiger's catcher this year. With Gregorius, Chapmen, and Judge gone...they are going to need an easy schedule. I think Oakland is a better team. The Yankees look very beatable right now.

 

[GaryH]

Girls - Baseball - Cell phones . Do they really go together? This clip is funny.

https://videopress.com/v/8pNNzVqz

 

[Robert 21]

Red Sox Mookie Betts 30/30 Man

[URL="https://articles.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2018/09/mookie_betts_in_30-30_club_out.amp”]Mookie Betts[/URL] in 30/30 Club, joins Jacoby Ellsbury as only Boston Red Sox to reach milestone.
The Red Sox Record is currently 106-51.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Yankees Tie MLB Season HR Record

Judge's homer ties MLB record for Yanks

https://es.pn/2y0T5O0

 

[EagerBeaver]

Video on Brian Cashman and Yankees Analytics Team

Brian Cashman, GM of the Yankees, has won many awards and widespread praise within baseball for his work the last few years, and this video on the MLB website provides an in depth analysis of Cashman and his analytics team:

https://www.mlb.com/yankees/video/behind-the-seams-the-blueprint/c-2506992083?tid=11061776

 

[EagerBeaver]

Last night the 116 mph exit velo on the Judge HR and the 117 mph exit velo on the Stanton HR were two highest exit velos on any postseason HR since Statcast invented the stat.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I predict that the Red Sox will sweep the Yankees and once again send the Yankees home prematurely proving that all the money they spent to improve the team this season was a big waste.

The Red Sox may just win another World Series. They are THAT good!

 

[hungry101]

Anyone catch the exit velocity of J.D.'s 3-run HR in the first inning? The Detroit Red Sox look pretty good. Houston will be a test.

 

[EagerBeaver]

proving that all the money they spent to improve the team this season was a big waste.

I have no idea what you are talking about. The Yankees payroll was under luxury tax threshold (unlike the Red Sox) and increased from $178 million to $192 million with their moves this season. Where does that increase equate to "all that money spent"? They improved their team on the field and went from a 90 win team to a 100 win team with what the numbers say are cost efficient improvements, while the Red Sox spent more, won more and paid tax:

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...boston-red-sox-washington-nationals-threshold

The Red Sox got lucky last night because their middle relief could not throw strikes and the Yankees loaded the bases two straight innings but got nervous at bats from their rookie players and did not get the job done. Brasier and Workman were as wild as Heath Ledger's Joker was in the Batman movie. The concern was not whether they could get the ball over the plate, but whether Sandy Leon was going to have a spinal injury from all the jumping around he had to do to prevent almost every other pitch from going to the backstop. I was worried one of the Yankees players was going to get beaned from those 2, who did not demonstrate major league type control even for borderline erratic middle relievers. To say the Brasier and Workman sucked donkey balls would be an understatement, although Workman did make a decent 3-2 pitch to Torres who unfortunately looked like the rookie player he is during that and his other at bats.

 

[smuler]

Anyone catch the exit velocity of J.D.'s 3-run HR in the first inning? The Detroit Red Sox look pretty good.

DRINK :tea:

Best Regards
Smuler