Around Baseball 2018

[Spanky__99]

The colour guy in the Cards/Dodgers game just suggested that Jack Flaherty might have the best slider in baseball.

 

Yet have they said no hitter?

[Pendleton]

Jack Flaherty is doing unspeakable things to this Dodgers lineup.

 

So many swinging strikes

[Pendleton]

Yet have they said no hitter?

 

Unfortunately it's looking like he only has another inning or two left

[Abomination]

Yet have they said no hitter?

 

I don't think so, they're talking about food.

[Pendleton]

I don't think so, they're talking about food.

 

This crew is having a blast tonight

[Orgfiller]

This broadcast sounds like they're drunk out of their minds but you gotta give it to them, they have great chemistry together.

[Orgfiller]

This is an incredible pitching matchup. Grandal and Molina are making a huge impact as well with their framing talents.

[Spanky__99]

Heh... there goes that by Joc, lol.

[Abomination]

Kenley looks terrible out there.

[Brownie19]

Rockies have solved their OF issues. Matt Holiday has been recalled from AAA.

[John_Havok]

So Acuna goes yard in the game at Miami today, then gets robbed of a double by a great defensive play, 3rd AB gets HBP on a fastball up and in. Just a glancing blow and he stayed in but wtf is going on in Miami?

 

Newcomb retaliated and hit one of the Marlins, but no benches cleared. Warnings issued and nothing further developed.

[Spanky__99]

The witchhunt is real...

 

https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/1590278

[connorp]

The witchhunt is real...

 

https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/1590278

 

Wonder how long they’ve been deleted? I’m taking guys like King look these guys up right after the draft (of before) or when they show major league potential and then screen shot/save anything they find to use when they can think it will go viral

[connorp]

I have faith in humanity and bet the guy that first broke it on Twitter is getting a lot of hate. What a sad way to live

[BTS]

Still no word on a possible return for Mike Trout. I wonder how his teammates feel about him getting 10+ days off for something most players would get like 3 days for.

[Dr. Dinger]

Acuna is god.

[Dr. Dinger]

Still no word on a possible return for Mike Trout. I wonder how his teammates feel about him getting 10+ days off for something most players would get like 3 days for.

 

How did that dude die anyway? Reading between the lines it sounds like an OD or suicide.

[TheHurl]

Kopech was one of the 42 that I informed of the homophobic tweets ( i sent it to three emails i found for the Sox.) I did not take screen shots.

[Boxcar]

Kopech was one of the 42 that I informed of the homophobic tweets ( i sent it to three emails i found for the Sox.) I did not take screen shots.

 

Capital work, e-sheriff

[TheHurl]

Capital work, e-sheriff

 

Your accounts come up surprisingly clean.

[Orgfiller]

The Brewers optioned Corey Knebel to AAA because his ERA is too high and some bad HR/FB luck. Demoting your likely second best reliever in the middle of a playoff race seems like a great idea.

[Jonn]

The Brewers optioned Corey Knebel to AAA because his ERA is too high and some bad HR/FB luck. Demoting your likely second best reliever in the middle of a playoff race seems like a great idea.

 

Get it done Shatkins.

[P2F]

Mike Trout is back tonight.

[Brownie19]

The Brewers optioned Corey Knebel to AAA because his ERA is too high and some bad HR/FB luck. Demoting your likely second best reliever in the middle of a playoff race seems like a great idea.

 

Hader, Jefferies, Soria....but yeah.

 

Perhaps it's a mental break. Jon Grey's ERA has been significantly lower since his demotion.

[TheHurl]

The Brewers optioned Corey Knebel to AAA because his ERA is too high and some bad HR/FB luck. Demoting your likely second best reliever in the middle of a playoff race seems like a great idea.

 

He's also given up runs in 8 of his last 15 and can't get righties out. They are sending him down for 7 days and it's making room for a better pitcher in Soria. Who should they send down? Albers doesn't have options and drops to like the 7th/out of the game option. Burnes, Williams are fine options for the role that Knebel would have with Soria back. Your reaction is over the top for the 2 appearances max where Knebel (who's been like the 5th or 6th best pitcher) would have appeared.

[Orgfiller]

Hader, Jefferies, Soria....but yeah.

 

Perhaps it's a mental break. Jon Grey's ERA has been significantly lower since his demotion.

 

Knebel projects better than anyone not named Hader. Gray's ERA is probably significantly lower because...he was never bad to begin with so it's just normalizing like it would have regardless; as a matter of fact his FIP and xFIP since being recalled are noticeably worse (3.13 vs 3.52 FIP, 2.85 vs 3.61 xFIP) and his K rate has sharply declined, but that's just regression to the mean.

[Orgfiller]

He's also given up runs in 8 of his last 15 and can't get righties out. They are sending him down for 7 days and it's making room for a better pitcher in Soria. Who should they send down? Albers doesn't have options and drops to like the 7th/out of the game option. Burnes, Williams are fine options for the role that Knebel would have with Soria back. Your reaction is over the top for the 2 appearances max where Knebel (who's been like the 5th or 6th best pitcher) would have appeared.

 

That's just a small sample size. Matt Albers has been complete garbage all year, doesn't project very well and is 35 years old. If you don't mind keeping him around because he'd pitch in low leverage spots, wouldn't you prefer to have actual good reliever Corey Knebel be pitching in those spots and supposedly "regain" his confidence against MLB competition?

 

Also this given up runs in X of his last Y games is exactly the reason why I'm criticizing this move. He's been fine overall and was an elite reliever for them last year, you certainly shouldn't be demoting him when you can just play him in low leverage spots, it's not like the Brewers have a Yankee-esque bullpen.

[Brownie19]

Knebel projects better than anyone not named Hader. Gray's ERA is probably significantly lower because...he was never bad to begin with so it's just normalizing like it would have regardless; as a matter of fact his FIP and xFIP since being recalled are noticeably worse (3.13 vs 3.52 FIP, 2.85 vs 3.61 xFIP) and his K rate has sharply declined, but that's just regression to the mean.

 

I was joking about Gray's ERA.

 

But that said - it truly could be a mental break. As much as I love the advanced stats - it's a drain when you're giving up runs all the time. I suspect it's difficult to convince yourself it's all bad luck (when the advances stats tell you it is). It's like the caddy in Tin Cup.

 

Take out all your change and put it in your left hand pocket

Tie your left shoe in a double knot

Turn your hat around backwards

Take this tee and stick it behind your left ear

[Orgfiller]

I was joking about Gray's ERA.

 

But that said - it truly could be a mental break. As much as I love the advanced stats - it's a drain when you're giving up runs all the time. I suspect it's difficult to convince yourself it's all bad luck (when the advances stats tell you it is). It's like the caddy in Tin Cup.

 

Take out all your change and put it in your left hand pocket

Tie your left shoe in a double knot

Turn your hat around backwards

Take this tee and stick it behind your left ear

 

I get it, there's definitely a mental aspect. But wouldn't it be more demoralizing to get sent down to AAA while your team is in a playoff run rather than to just be dropped to low leverage spots for a while until you "figures it out"? I can't see any good reason that Albers should be on the roster over Knebel unless he's injured or he just completely hit a roadblock in his performance, and given his peripherals, this really doesn't seem to be the case.

[TheHurl]

That's just a small sample size. Matt Albers has been complete garbage all year, doesn't project very well and is 35 years old. If you don't mind keeping him around because he'd pitch in low leverage spots, wouldn't you prefer to have actual good reliever Corey Knebel be pitching in those spots and supposedly "regain" his confidence against MLB competition?

 

Also this given up runs in X of his last Y games is exactly the reason why I'm criticizing this move. He's been fine overall and was an elite reliever for them last year, you certainly shouldn't be demoting him when you can just play him in low leverage spots, it's not like the Brewers have a Yankee-esque bullpen.

 

And if you don't have a situation where there is a low leverage spot? In the minors you can have him do exactly what you want him working on and pitch him as often as you want. He never commanded the fastball well, but now it's being hit hard too. Maybe there is nothing wrong, but likely there is something they want him working on. It's a lot like the situation the Astros faced with Giles last year in the playoffs. You know he's better than the options over long term...but if he's not better that day it doesn't matter.