MLB Thread

[Bort]

Okay, I did snicker at Reds 1B Joey Votto’s nickname: 

[catlover79]

Speaking of the Reds, you knew it was only a matter of time before a certain pitcher opened up his mouth...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.letsgotribe.com/platform/amp/2019/8/25/20832437/trevor-bauer-says-he-doesnt-miss-much-about-playing-in-cleveland

[xaxat]

That black. . . is not so slimming for the big guys.

[ebk57]

Weather today was perfect!  Game was even perfect!  Players Weekend Menu item (mac & cheese and burnt ends) was pretty good.  Unis - awful.  Even if you could read the names on the back, you still didn't know who anyone was unless you knew the nickname.  And it was quite disconcerting seeing the visiting team in all whites.  I was confused...for about half an inning. 

[Harry24]

Aroldis Chapman looks like he's wearing high waisted jeans!

[MVFrostsMyPie]

10 hours ago, mojoween said:

The Dodgers asked if for one game the two teams could wear their regular uniforms this weekend and MLB said no.

I mean, I get why baseball is trying to do the Player’s Weekend stuff but they are sucking all of the fun out of it with so many damn rules.

I feel that way usually, but I'm all for MLB not giving the whiny dodgers what they want. 😆

[catlover79]

I think we are all happy that Players Weekend is over and that the regular uniforms are back!!! 😉😂

[Lantern7]

Mets are down 6-0 to the Cubs.

It's the first inning.

Maybe the magic is fading away?

[Jenniferbug]

Don't worry @Lantern7, the Cubs fall apart in later innings with alarming frequency. Oh look, back to back homeruns for the Mets! And we haven't even put in a relief pitcher yet. 

[Lantern7]

2 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

Don't worry @Lantern7, the Cubs fall apart in later innings with alarming frequency. Oh look, back to back homeruns for the Mets! And we haven't even put in a relief pitcher yet. 

The Mets still fell short. It's a mixed blessing . . . on the one hand, there's a feeling they're going back to old habits, and that finishing over .500 is a more realistic goal. On the other hand, the sense of hope is there. Down 10-1, and they had the tying run at the plate in the ninth. You would leave Citi Field early at your own risk of missing a comeback.

[Jenniferbug]

Yeah, as a lifelong Cubs fan, I know the feeling of thinking "well, back to normal" but also having that perpetual hope. My husband never really followed baseball closely, until I said very early in 2016 that we hadn't been watching much in the last couple of years and I missed it. We picked a good year to make it a point to watch Cubs games 😂 But it is funny to see his reaction when they just bomb a game, because it's like he can't wrap his head around it whereas I'm the opposite and feel like "yep, this is normal". 

Castellanos was the best thing that could have happened to the Cubs this season. He's been so solid, and it seems like since he showed up, others have started playing better too. Whether that's competitive nature or him being a good influence in the clubhouse, I don't know. Hoping they keep him around for a while but also hate to think who we'll have to lose to make that happen. 

[mojoween]

Tyler Skagg’s cause of death was determined to be aspiration of his own vomit after an overdose of fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol.  How sad.  

[roamyn]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

Tyler Skagg’s cause of death was determined to be aspiration of his own vomit after an overdose of fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol.  How sad.  

Terribly sad, esp considering all the accolades he got after his death.  It pisses me off when these athletes waste their talent like this.  That Marlins pitcher was another case where some fans made a martyr out of him, yet he caused (or was a cause of) two other people dying.

[Sew Sumi]

Did he have a chronic injury that would give him an excuse for taking the opioids? I didn't know much about him.

[Bort]

19 minutes ago, roamyn said:

Terribly sad, esp considering all the accolades he got after his death.  It pisses me off when these athletes waste their talent like this.  That Marlins pitcher was another case where some fans made a martyr out of him, yet he caused (or was a cause of) two other people dying.

Yeah, I really dislike the martyrdom that happens when a player dies senselessly like that and then also takes other people out with them. One of the numbers that’s retired for the Astros is a player who was drunk and fell asleep in his garage with the engine running and died from carbon monoxide poisoning. So did his two year old son, sleeping in the bedroom above. I loathe that number being retired for that. 

[Calvada]

I thought the statement from Skaggs' family was a bit odd, with the statement about not resting until it is known who supplied the drugs to him.  It almost reads like they believe he was tricked into drinking until intoxicated and ingesting oxy and fentanyl, or they seem to think of him as a child not responsible for his actions, like he was a 13 year old, convinced by the cool, big kids to try alcohol and drugs.  He was a grownup, who apparently decided to mix alcohol and opioids, a very bad decision.  The person who supplied the oxy and fentanyl certainly could (and should) face criminal charges, but unless Skaggs was roofied or held down as the booze and drugs were forced down his throat, he is responsible for his actions.  

[Sew Sumi]

I read that the fentanyl was the last drug in his system and is also the strongest. WTH was he thinking?

[Silver Raven]

Seth Brown has played five games since he got called up from Las Vegas by the A's.  In those 5 games (and today's game against the Yankees, he didn't come in till the 6th inning), he has 10 hits, 6 runs, and 7 RBIs.

[catlover79]

3 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Yeah, I really dislike the martyrdom that happens when a player dies senselessly like that and then also takes other people out with them. One of the numbers that’s retired for the Astros is a player who was drunk and fell asleep in his garage with the engine running and died from carbon monoxide poisoning. So did his two year old son, sleeping in the bedroom above. I loathe that number being retired for that. 

This op-ed from USA Today speaks along those lines. Hopefully his death won't be in vain, and that other baseball players will think twice before mixing alcohol with powerful drugs.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/2168053001

[catlover79]

In other baseball news, Tyler Naquin was carted off the field after making a crucial catch. This does not look good. How many more injuries/illnesses must the Indians endure?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mlb.com/amp/news/tyler-naquin-injured-making-spectacular-catch.html

[Crs97]

My heart plummeted when I saw him go down.  The number of injuries this season has been staggering.

[twoods]

14 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Did he have a chronic injury that would give him an excuse for taking the opioids? I didn't know much about him.

Yes, he had Tommy John surgery back in 2015 so likely got addicted to pain meds afterwards. I’m sure one of the staff was still giving him the oxy and fentanyl even after he got better (maybe one of the team doctors?) but this is still sad to see. This guy was likely suffering and it seemed like none of his fellow players knew. I hope this sheds more light on how anyone can get addicted to these pain medications and have it happen under the radar.

[catlover79]

7 hours ago, Crs97 said:

My heart plummeted when I saw him go down.  The number of injuries this season has been staggering.

Agreed. The latest:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fox8.com/2019/08/31/indians-tyler-naquin-out-for-remainder-of-season-jake-bauers-recalled-from-minors/amp/?fbclid=IwAR0pOIS781NAvEexcQmc2OfJbhN46UoTz-4WnhLXG-spLjmbA-k2FG5vVi4

[mojoween]

DJ Lamahieu comes up to bat in the bottom of the 11th.  Michael Kay laments how terrible of a day he’s had. First pitch, walk off homer by David John. Woot!

[Sew Sumi]

All four Skankee runs were via solo HRs. The bullpen of the A's stinks. 

[mojoween]

Yeah but Gary Sanchez knocked ‘em both off Homer Bailey, I think.

[Sew Sumi]

Yeah, Sanchez' homers were both off Bailey. But once he or any prohibited starters are done, it's anyone's ballgame. Rubber game should be interesting with Maenea coming back from almost a year off. I don't expect good things, and dipping into the bullpen early will mean a blowout for the Yankees. *sigh*

[Harry24]

Fun to see the Yankee IL well represented at the big Coco-Naomi match at the US Open tonight: Hicks, Sabathia (CC and Amber - who hopefully is not on the IL with all their children to look after), Stanton, plus Maybin to represent the able bodied Yanks.

[ebk57]

If you have MLB Network, you might want to turn it on. 

[xaxat]

Houston's pitching coach is really good. 

He fixed Charlie Morton. He got Gerrit Cole to pitch to his potential. And he managed to roll back the clock ten years on Verlander's career. 

[Bort]

Yeah, that last half inning of the game had me chewing on my fingernails, hoping Verlander could pull it off. Neat that the go ahead homer and the last out was made by the new guy. 

Also fitting? The double by Bregman and the homer by Toro were off former Astro Ken Giles, who ate the loss. I really dislike him. 

[smittykins]

Gardy goes Yardy and Mike is Ford Tough!

(I actually changed the channel when the A’s got ahead 3-0.  Maybe I should do that more often...)

[mojoween]

1 hour ago, smittykins said:

Gardy goes Yardy and Mike is Ford Tough!

(I actually changed the channel when the A’s got ahead 3-0.  Maybe I should do that more often...)

I fell asleep at 3-0, woke up confused at 4-0, woke back up for good when Didi was up and knocked in two.  I love this team.

Normally I am interested in no-hitters, but not that guy.  Sorry.

[JTMacc99]

15 hours ago, Harry24 said:

Fun to see the Yankee IL well represented at the big Coco-Naomi match at the US Open tonight: Hicks, Sabathia (CC and Amber - who hopefully is not on the IL with all their children to look after), Stanton, plus Maybin to represent the able bodied Yanks.

I had a message from CBS Sports on my phone come through the other day, “Yankees set record for most injuries in a season.”

We should probably say something nice about Cashman and the baseball people who put together the depth for this team at some point. 

On 8/31/2019 at 6:02 PM, Sew Sumi said:

All four Skankee runs were via solo HRs. The bullpen of the A's stinks. 

Lather, rinse, repeat. Until that happened yesterday, I was starting to wonder if the Yankees were ever going to get a win against the A’s. They have the Yankees number for the most part this year if not for the last couple of bullpen issues. 

[Crs97]

Great for Verlander, but here is the most important baseball story today:

Cookie pitched today

[Bort]

7 hours ago, xaxat said:

Houston's pitching coach is really good. 

Brent Strom is a GOD. Interesting bit of trivia: he was the second player to ever have Tommy John surgery.

[catlover79]

4 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Great for Verlander, but here is the most important baseball story today:

Cookie pitched today

That was the one bright spot of the Indians' dismal weekend. He is indeed an inspiration.

[Mittengirl]

Detroit Tigers AA catcher Chace Numata died after a skateboarding accident.  https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2019/09/02/detroit-tigers-minor-leaguer-chace-numata-dies-hospital/2192060001/

Many of the Tigers recent call-ups have played with Numata this season.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Mittengirl

[Lamb18]

The Twins broke the major league record for the most home runs in one season by hitting their 268th home run last Saturday. We has 6 home runs that game but still lost to Detroit. 

[mojoween]

The balls are juiiiiiiceeeeeeed.

[Lantern7]

Just caught the end of the Nationals' seven-inning rally in the ninth, topped off by a three-run walkoff homer. I'd be happy for them, but it was against the Mets. That's the team that scored five fucking runs in the TOP of the ninth.

I don't know who would die first . . . the bullpen for shitting the bed and wasting another deGrom effort, or the Mets fans in attendance. I think if any of the latter survived, it was only because they forgot which false tooth had the cyanide capsule.

Seven runs. As detached as I am, I still have to ask: "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?"

Edited September 7, 2019 by Lantern7

[mojoween]

I felt for you when I saw the stories about the comeback for the Nats, because the Mets keep giving you hope, and then yanking it right back.

[smittykins]

IKR?  I thought, “Oh boy, is @Lantern7 gonna be pissed...”

[xaxat]

There are brutal losses and there are brutal losses.

[DXD526]

Yeah, Diaz has to go. 0ip, 2r, 2h, L, and no W for a great game by deGrom. FFS?? Mets fans have to put up with a lot, but that was exceptionally brutal. 

[mojoween]

The Mets HAVE to be cursed because earlier in the day the Syracuse Mets blew three different leads to lose 13-14 in a one game tiebreaker to make the playoffs.

[xaxat]

Marlins' pitcher Brian Moran made his big league debut tonight. 

His first strikeout? Colin Moran, his brother.

[theatremouse]

I dislike the Nationals immensely but this whole Aaron Bennett thing had me crying hardcore.

[Moose135]

On 9/4/2019 at 8:46 AM, mojoween said:

...the Mets keep giving you hope, and then yanking it right back.

I've been a Met fan for 50 years (damn, that makes me feel old) you get to expect it.

[Bort]

Astros pitcher had a terrible start. Mariners scored 5 runs on him in the first inning and he was pulled before he even recorded an out. Then they scored two more. But the Astros actually managed to tie up the game and get it into extra innings, where they walked it off in the 13th, 11-9. They haven't won on a deficit that big since 1994.