MLB Thread

[DaveWadding]

Some of that info the Cards supposedly got by hacking like scouting and player reports can easily have been gotten from regular places since everyone reports about those. Wonder why just the Astros though.

Figured the Astros being good this year is more of the AL West being a bit weak and their young/cheap guys finally developed well. Past several years the jokes have been about them being a "minor league" quality team because of how cheap the new owner was.

Every team evaluates differently. Lunhow was also a vital member of their organization so they likely value both his and his staff's opinion.

Pretty much this. Apparently the 2 systems were exact copies of one another (Luhnow brought it with him to Houston from St. Louis) and even the passwords were exactly the same, so Cards brass just logged in using the same passwords that were used before.

Info per Deadspin (http://deadspin.com/everyone-involved-in-the-cardinals-hacking-scandal-seem-1711682201)

[Droford]

I feel bad for Screech

[Droford]

Jeff Francoeur of all people pitches for the Phillies 123 inning lol

[screech]

Well you don't need to rub it in, Droford :(

[Droford]

8th homer off Francoeur new Os single game record

[Droford]

If the Red Sox had lost this might have been a top 5 best baseball night ever with the Rays and Yankees getting blown out

[Droford]

I signed up this past weekend for the mlb.com dunkin donuts 140 runs on tuesday promotion and there were 140 runs scored as of now so woooo for that too

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Picked a great game to go to last night. Harvey.</font> :love:

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>lol jesus christ. The Mets' bullpen had been getting taxed over the past week or so, and a bunch of the big league ready relievers were injured. So they called up a 22 year old kid from Single A just because he was already on the 40-man roster. The idea would be he'd just be the 8th man in the bullpen for a week or so but would only pitch in a blowout or if there was a crazy extra innings game.

Instead, Collins decides to put the Single A pitcher in with the Mets only down 3-0. Against the Toronto offense. Gave up 5 runs in 2/3 of an inning. The poor kid's confidence is probably completely shattered.</font>

[Bad News Gertner]

That's better. Lol as soon as I saw Morris walk Donaldson I thought "this kid is going to get slaughtered".

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Yep. No idea what Collins was expecting to happen. Morris has great stuff and has been dominating the lower levels so far, but kids at that level just haven't learned to locate yet.</font>

[Bad News Gertner]

Danny Valencia hit a home run off a right hander in Morris. That says it all lol.

[Bad News Gertner]

Just think what the Jays will look like with Travis at 2nd. Fuck that offence is good. I really wish they'd deal a couple of their 1000 pitching prospects for a God damn closer or a starter.

[Bad News Gertner]

Really wish the Jays hadn't dealt Thor for R.A. Dickey. Fuck he looked amazing Monday.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I think the Cardnials need a distraction for the rest of the world.

Do people want to know the terrifying truth? Or see some Dingers?!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxszN_1k6fQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

DINGERS!

[Evil Vito]

Really wish the Jays hadn't dealt Thor for R.A. Dickey. Fuck he looked amazing Monday.

<font color=goldenrod>I'm not really sure why Dickey hasn't panned out in Toronto. I mean his 2013 and 2014 seasons weren't atrocious, they were serviceable numbers for a back-end starter, but they were expecting him to be an ace. Can't blame it on age for a knuckleballer. And it's not like his 2012 Cy Young year was a fluke either, he was very good for the Mets in 2010 and 2011.

Maybe it's just the AL being more used to knuckleballers in general because of having to deal with Tim Wakefield for ages.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>But yeah the trade was a heist. Thor has some nasty stuff and the makings of a top flight-caliber guy.

d'Arnaud's also finally put together his offensive game since getting recalled last June. Only thing I worry about him are injuries, although his injury this year he got hit with a pitch and broke his hand so that isn't his fault.</font>

[Bad News Gertner]

A theory is, Dickey pitches in a dome stadium a lot of the time, which means there's no wind to make his knuckler dance.

[RoXer]

Thu, Jun 18 Pablo Sandoval is being benched Thursday for violating the Red Sox's social media policy.

Advice: Sandoval was "liking" provocative photos of a woman on Instagram during Wednesday's loss to the Braves. He acknowledged to reporters Thursday that he grabbed his phone before taking a between-innings bathroom break. "I let my teammates down," said Sandoval. "It ain't going to happen again. I'll take the punishment." Travis Shaw is starting at third base for the Red Sox in Thursday's series finale with Atlanta.

More: Tim Britton on Twitter (https://twitter.com/TimBritton/status/611621591701716993)
<cite id="yui_3_10_3_2_1434658945099_3295">(Rotoworld.com)</cite>

[Nicky Fives]

Fuck the Jays need to deal for a closer. Cecil just isn't one.

Castro may be the answer a few seasons down the line, but they have no choice but to make a play with the offense this team has.... barring a lot of injuries, they need to "bet the farm" on this season and maybe overpay for an established closer....

[Emperor Smeat]

Panda likely facing a punishment from the MLB besides what he got from the Red Sox for breaking phone rules.

Sox rules is all cellphones have to be off 30 minutes before a game.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Farrell notes that Sandoval was in violation of MLB policy prohibiting use of social media during a game. MLB likely to discipline him</p>&mdash; Gordon Edes (@GordonEdes) <a href="https://twitter.com/GordonEdes/status/611643807008952321">June 18, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Frank Drebin]

Must've been some hot pics

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol Vito Cruz might denounce the Mets if they lose today. R.A Dickey has 5 walks through 4 innings and hasn't allowed a hit or a run.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>They probably will lose. 1 run is often times insurmountable for these Mets. They're fortunate to be where they are in the standings right now...but if they don't trade for a hitter soon (and all indications are that they won't) the lack of offense is gonna wind up burying their season.

The "Pitching wins championships" mantra only works in the playoffs...and you need hitting to get there first.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>They have like the 2nd or 3rd best home record after YEARS of playing horribly in Citi Field...but the 2nd worst road record in fucking baseball. What a waste.

3-0 now. Game over.</font>

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol I really want to see how many Dickey will walk today.

[Bad News Gertner]

This about to get ugly

[Bad News Gertner]

And Joey Bats makes it 6-0

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>At this point I'm ready for the NL to adopt the DH just because it's the only way Wilmer Flores has any real value on this team. He's got good power for a guy his age and he's had some big hits this year.

But he's fucking atrocious at SS. And with Dilson Herrera the long-term solution at 2B and Wright signed at 3B through 2020...Flores has no other place to play.</font>

[Bad News Gertner]

Duda leads the Mets with 29 rbi.

Pillar
Bautista
Donaldson
Encarnacion
Martin
All have more than 30 rbis

Goins, Travis, Colabello and Smoak all have more than 20 rbi's.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Wilmer Flores has 32 RBIs. Duda and Murph have 29 each, Cuddyer has 27.

But yeah...still terribad.</font>

[Bad News Gertner]

Oh wow, didn't realize Flores had that many.

Lol send Harvey and Thor our way

[Bad News Gertner]

Logan Verrett. This should be interesting.

[Bad News Gertner]

Well ya look at that.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Dillon Gee has to have had the most mentally defeating season of all time:

-Gee, a career starting pitcher arrives to camp, assigned to bullpen because the Mets rotation is stacked
-2 weeks into camp, Wheeler gets TJS, Gee to rotation
-Opens the year in the rotation, sucks, and the fans call for Thor or Matz
-Lands on the DL, Thor comes in his spot and beasts
-About to rejoin the staff as a reliever, is suddenly asked to start extra rehab games so the Mets can go to a 6-man rotation
-Makes his first start off the DL, gets absolutely rocked
-Not even a week into the 6-man rotation, is told that the experiment is ending and he's going to the media
-Vents to media, telling them he feels useless to the team and he's given up trying to figure out the team's plans for him
-Makes his first relief appearance during the Chris Heston no-hitter, gets rocked
-Lands on the bereavement list for the death of his grandmother
-Comes off of the bereavement list, is asked to make a spot-start out of nowhere, gets rocked
-Designated for assignment so the team can call up a 22-year old rookie from Single-A
-3 days after being DFA'ed, and still technically in the organization...the #35 he had worn for 6 seasons is immediately re-issued to rookie Logan Verrett

I mean...god damn. How can you not feel bad for the guy?</font>

[Evil Vito]

:lol:

<font color=goldenrod>Yankee fans seriously believe that Sam Dyson intentionally pitched around A-Rod in the 8th inning to avoid being the one to give up hit #3000.

The Yankees were up 5-3 at the time and already had a runner on first with no outs. The game was still in striking distance for the Marlins. Any pitcher who purposely pitches around a guy in that spot just to avoid being on the wrong side of history needs to be sent down or released immediately.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

fuck off arod

cunt

[screech]

Word

[Bad News Gertner]

All aboard the pain train Droford

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol Baltimore just walked in two straight batters. Tremendous.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>A no-name rookie for the Braves has thrown 5 scoreless innings on the Mets so far, of course.

Mets have scored 1 run in their last 28 innings. Fuck my life.</font>

[Droford]

Blue Jays are on manager #3 after gibbons and hale got tossed lol

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Flores with another mental error and suddenly deGrom is in line to take a big fat loss. This team sickens me.</font>

[screech]

Gdammit, Phillies. How do you walk 7 guys in 4 innings? I don't think I'll make it to September.

[Emperor Smeat]

:y: Eduardo Rodriguez.

Won today to go to 3-1. Rebounded nicely after getting shelled by the Jays last time. Maybe could have been 4-1 had the Sox scored more in a no decision he had (lost that game 0-1).

Just a rookie but he's been the best consistent pitcher for the Sox this season.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Red Sox beat the Allstar Team.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>lol the guy who caught A-Rod's 3,000th hit is getting all kinds of crap for deciding to keep it.

Who can blame him? I'd probably give back a milestone like a 500th HR or something...but something as rare as 3,000 hits? I'd be hard pressed to. The guy who caught Jeter's 3,000th hit and gave it back wound up getting showered with gifts from the Yankees...which in turn caused him to lose thousands of dollars in taxes.

At least if you were to sell it on e-Bay or something, you'll still get taxed on your earnings but you'll still wind up making thousands on it.</font>

[screech]

:y: Eduardo Rodriguez.

Won today to go to 3-1. Rebounded nicely after getting shelled by the Jays last time. Maybe could have been 4-1 had the Sox scored more in a no decision he had (lost that game 0-1).

Just a rookie but he's been the best consistent pitcher for the Sox this season.

Dude has been filthy so far. Fun to watch

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Max Scherzer hits a batter with 2 outs in the 9th inning of a perfect game against the Pirates. Nats announcers bitching and moaning that the hitter leaned into it.

Gets the next guy out to settle for the no-hitter instead.</font>

[Simple Fan]

Damn 2 outs in the 9th and Scherzer beams the guy. Still got the no hitter though.

[Corndad]

That was the most Jose Tabata thing Jose Tabata ever did. Breaks up a Perfect game getting hit by pitch lol

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Tabata should probably be on the bench tomorrow. There's at least a halfway decent chance that Gio Gonzalez will try to hit him for real.</font>

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

<font color=goldenrod>Tabata should probably be on the bench tomorrow. There's at least a halfway decent chance that Gio Gonzalez will try to hit him for real.</font>

Probably. Not saying anybody deserves a ball thrown at him, but come on. He didn't even try to get out of the way. Ump could have called it a ball/no HPB. Benched or no he's going to get comeuppance sooner or later. Better for them to wait so it doesn't seem that obvious.

[Simple Fan]

Crazy thing is 2 HBP in the college would serise have been reversed for the batter no doing enough to avoid it.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Jesus fucking Christ the Mets infield makes me want to blow a fucking gasket. The infield defense gives away multiple outs every game. Every single one.

Fucking Little Leaguers would be benched for some of the fuckups the Mets have pulled in this past week. So how is it acceptable to run the same shit out day in, day out on Major League team?</font>

[Emperor Smeat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THIS JUST IN: Diamondbacks acquire infielder Phil Gosselin from Braves for Bronson Arroyo and Touki Toussaint. <a href="http://t.co/vYFMAn2YG8">pic.twitter.com/vYFMAn2YG8</a></p>&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/612474520759324672">June 21, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Frank Drebin]

Kinda sorta bitch move by Tabata. Sucks for Scherzer, but I'm sure the $200 mil makes things not so bad. Craig Biggio and his giant elbow armor are somewhere smiling.

[Droford]

Orioles scored a touchdown vs Toronto in the 2nd inning lol

[Droford]

Toronto responded with 2 FGs, 7-6 now

[Droford]

2 out of 3 from the Jays, we'll take it

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol as you can see, Brett Cecil sucks

[Droford]

He almost blew the first game friday too

[road doggy dogg]

what the hell is a FG, racking my brain right now.. need more medicine

[Droford]

I was joking about the score being like football

[Bad News Gertner]

Half the Jays score resemble a football game. Fuck do they ever need a closer, and Gibbons should be smacked for starting Copeland. He's never been good. They basically threw a game away

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Was one run away from a clean sweep (13 stats to 0) in a fantasy baseball league. Had to stick with winning 12-0.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Mets losing 1-0 in the top of the 9th. Granderson singles. Lagares bunt singles. Duda flies out, runners can't advance. Cuddyer up. Told my dad Cuddyer would GIDP to end it. He nodded in agreement. Cuddyer then, in fact, GIDP'ed to end the game. We both laughed at how sadly predictable this team has become.

Fuck the Mets.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Can we just get rid of the fucking wins stat? Poor Harvey and deGrom should easily be in the double digits by now if there was anybody on this offense remotely competent.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

that's why I hate fantasy leagues with Wins as a category. Quality Starts all day long

[road doggy dogg]

I was joking about the score being like football

oh lol.. get it now

brain running at 40% efficiency sorry

[road doggy dogg]

Cool stat for @Vito Cruz (via this Grantland article (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mlbs-vexing-voting-how-sub-replacement-level-players-found-their-way-to-the-mvp-ballot/)):

Bartolo Colon has more WAR (0.1) as a hitter than he does as a pitcher (-0.2) this season.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Love Big Bart. He got the big screw in his last start tho which probably wound up causing him to go negative.

Flores botched a pretty routine play on the infield that still got ruled a hit. Like 4 runs came around to score as a result. None should have been earned.</font>

[DaveWadding]

that's why I hate fantasy leagues with Wins as a category. Quality Starts all day long

Quality Starts is kind of a basic stat too. If a guy pitched 6 innings every time and gave up 3 runs every time, his ERA would be 4.50. That's not very good.

[road doggy dogg]

I guess you have a point, though a sabermetrics fantasy league sounds like literally the most unfun thing of all time so whatever

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Shit. RIP Darryl Hamilton.</font> :(

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ex-mlb-player-darryl-hamilton-dies-apparent-murder-164206317--mlb.html

[Emperor Smeat]

According to ESPN's Outside the Lines report, a notebook was recently discovered that proves Pete Rose did bet on his own games while as a player. The book itself had been court sealed until recently with the Feds for years trying to connect his betting habits with the New York mafia.

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/13114874/notebook-obtained-lines-shows-pete-rose-bet-baseball-player-1986

[BigDaddyCool]

Vote the Royals into the All Star Game, fuck Mike Troutsniffer.

[Frank Drebin]

I guess you have a point, though a sabermetrics fantasy league sounds like literally the most unfun thing of all time so whatever

When I was a fan, I really wanted to try a league with stats like FIP, wOBA and the like. Felt like playing fantasy baseball gave me a great perspective when I played in competitive daily leagues and an idea of saber stats before I realized what they were. Putting that to use with the actual data rather than using it to exploit categories like batting average and ERA would be interesting.

[Damian Rey]

After that statement Frank, will you marry me?

[Bad News Gertner]

Roberto Osuna is fucking tremendous.

[Frank Drebin]

After that statement Frank, will you marry me?

How much money do you have?

[Damian Rey]

About 50k a year, not including profit sharing.

[Frank Drebin]

Pass:p

[Damian Rey]

My heart will never love again.

[screech]

Maikel Franco, fuck yeah

[road doggy dogg]

Oh yeah, Pujols is definitely done. Right, everybody?

[Frank Drebin]

Depends which substances are banned

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>MLB scrubbed about 60-65 million All Star ballots. Despite that, most of the Royals still lead although some of the races are now very tight. Moustakas, Infante, and Morales all lead by very slim margins. Cabrera went back ahead of Eric Hosmer at 1B.

3B is the real shocker. Moustakas was ahead by a mile but Josh Donaldson (who has had a few celebrities campaigning on his behalf) got 5 million votes in the span of a week. He now has like 9 million votes to Moustakas' 9.3 million.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

If Infante starts the all-star game they should just cancel it and cancel the season and cancel baseball

[road doggy dogg]

And I say this as someone who kinda likes Infante and his super bushy eyebrows

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Feel like Altuve will probably pass him now that voters are actively trying to boot out the Royals. Jason Kipnis is the real guy who should be starting, but he's not even close.

Ideally it'd be Kipnis starting with one (or two) of Altuve/Pedroia/Dozier as backups.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

I'd love to see Altuve start, but yeah Kipnis should be the rightful starter

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Love Altuve in general. Probably the only player in the league shorter than me.

Luckily for him he's not white. Therefore he can avoid the obligatory "scrappy" label that every short white player in history has gotten.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Come to think...it's probably time for me to get started on my annual "ASG Projections" that I do every year out of sheer boredom.</font>

[Emperor Smeat]

The reason that you can vote so many times is the throwback from when All-Star voting occurred at the ballpark. There are approximately 35 home games played during the balloting process, so the idea was, fans that came to games during that period could file the paper ballots.

Had always wondered why MLB decided on the number 35 for votes allowed.

Also supposedly MLB has been scrubbing fan votes for years but this year was the first time ever anyone bothered to ask them about it.

[Ruien]

<font color=goldenrod>Feel like Altuve will probably pass him now that voters are actively trying to boot out the Royals. Jason Kipnis is the real guy who should be starting, but he's not even close.

Ideally it'd be Kipnis starting with one (or two) of Altuve/Pedroia/Dozier as backups.</font>

Ya. I assume many people will be voting for the person going against the Royal player in every ballot.

[DaveWadding]

Nobody cares, but here's the ballot I put in 35 times:

AL:

C - Vogt
1B - M. Cabrera
2B - Kipnis
SS - Bogaerts
3B - Donaldson
OF - Trout, Brantley, A. Jones
DH - Cruz

NL:

C - Posey
1B - GOLDschmidt
2B - Wong
SS - Tulo
3B - K. Bryant
OF - Harper, Stanton, J. Upton

[Frank Drebin]

Absolutely beautiful day for a ballgame at Wrigley. Excited to see Joc for the first time. Has Puig been leading off alot for the dodgers this year?

[Damian Rey]

No. Puig was injured for a bit. Peterson has been their primary leadoff guy.

[Frank Drebin]

This was pretty fun to see. Really cool when the crowd gave the guy a standing ovation when they saw the replay. Only thing better would have been if the ball was in the stands and he took the out away, legally, from Gonzalez.

<iframe width="1280" height="750" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2K5-jOPAsog" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[screech]

Franco does it again! Goddamn this dude is fun to watch rn

[road doggy dogg]

Nobody cares, but here's the ballot I put in 35 times:

AL:

C - Vogt
1B - M. Cabrera
2B - Kipnis
SS - Bogaerts
3B - Donaldson
OF - Trout, Brantley, A. Jones
DH - Cruz

NL:

C - Posey
1B - GOLDschmidt
2B - Wong
SS - Tulo
3B - K. Bryant
OF - Harper, Stanton, J. Upton

Bogaerts over Iglesias? awful

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>I have a feeling Iglesias will wind up getting snubbed, unfortunately.

Escobar is way ahead in the fan voting. The players elect a backup at each spot. Feel like the players generally do a good job but I could see a lot of guys just looking at the stat lines (which don't include defense) and being like "oh...only 9 RBI? pass" even though RBIs are mostly a product of luck.

Bogaerts probably makes the team in any scenario because Boston needs a rep and there aren't too many guys from that team with a real case to be there. I could argue for Mookie Betts but the outfield options are way stronger than SS.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

Yeah I guess, it makes sense. As long as Miggy makes it I'm happy. Don't understand the votes for Avila at all though. VMart I can kinda get just based off his last year's numbers, even though he is entirely undeserving of it this year.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>In the projections I'm working on, the Royals wind up only having 4 starters but still end up with 8 guys on the team.

Escobar, Perez, Cain, and Gordon as starters.

Morales as backup DH (should be Fielder but he's listed as a 1B on the ballot for some reason and the players ain't picking A-Rod).

Moustakas, Wade Davis, Edinson Volquez as managerial selections (Moose is top 10 in the AL in WAR, Davis definitely deserves to go, and Volquez...eh. There are like 5-6 AL SP on the fringe with nearly identical numbers. Could see Yost just going into FU mode given how salty he was about the voting controversy)</font>

[Evil Vito]

Yeah I guess, it makes sense. As long as Miggy makes it I'm happy. Don't understand the votes for Avila at all though. VMart I can kinda get just based off his last year's numbers, even though he is entirely undeserving of it this year.

<font color=goldenrod>I think the Tigers get at least 3 players. Miggy should start but even if the fans get Hosmer back into the starting spot, Miggy will be the elected backup. Price and Cespedes should get a lot of love from the players too.

Iglesias is the only wild card. I hope he makes it but I'm not sure he will. The players love to vote for guys with "reputation". Like I'm almost willing to bet Kershaw makes the NL squad despite the down year even though you could easily argue for a bunch of other SP in the pitching-heavy NL.

Not that Kershaw is awful this year, mind. But the players are definitely gonna pick him just because of what he did last year.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

I do think ARod probably "deserves" to start at DH for the AL, but agreed, not a chance in hell he gets voted as such

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Yankees should wind up with at least 2 reps in Miller and Betances. The back-end of that bullpen is just absurd.

With A-Rod not likely to receive support the only Yankee hitter I could see making it is McCann. Figure Perez and Vogt will be there, but there usually are 3 catchers to minimize injury risk. Yost would need to pick between McCann and Martin.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>"All I know is we're not executing shit."
-Terry Collins

Funny he should say that, because I think I'd be okay with the Mets executing Terry.</font>

[DaveWadding]

Bogaerts over Iglesias? awful

That was a tough choice. I know how good Iglesias has been.

[RP]

Josh Donaldson just made the greatest defensive catch of all time.

[road doggy dogg]

To preserve a (at the time) perfect game too. Estrada took no-hitters into the 8th in back-to-back games. First time since Dave Stieb did it, apparently.

[RP]

Donaldson may have killed a young child making that catch, but I'm fine with it.

[road doggy dogg]

<iframe src="https://vine.co/v/e5pPEqEbaXX/embed/simple" width="600" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe><script src="https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>A young fan sitting in the outfield seats just yelled "I hate you Bautista!" to which Bautista replied, "I hate you too."</font>

[road doggy dogg]

reminds me of my favourite picture of all time that my sister took

http://i.imgur.com/yLzRHMA.jpg
Randi: FUCK YOU BAUTISTA!
Baustita: Love you too, princess.

[Bad News Gertner]

I think Martin should go over Vogt

[Damian Rey]

Other than being bias I cannot possibly fathom how Martin would be a better option than Vogt.

[road doggy dogg]

I dunno about over Vogt, I wouldn't be upset to see it happen though. I think those are #1 and #2 in either order though

[Bad News Gertner]

Other than being bias I cannot possibly fathom how Martin would be a better option than Vogt.

Vogt isn't in Martin's league defensively this year.

[Damian Rey]

They're even on defensive runs saved. Martin has been with more defensively but Vogt is far ahead of him offensively. Honestly you can't go wrong with either, I'd just take Vogt because I prefer offense.

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol Vogt also doesn't have to catch R.A Dickey.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>And the Mets are now under .500 after getting 2-hit by Jimmy Nelson.

I feel sick. Everybody from Sandy to Terry and right on down the line with the players went on about this year being different, and how there was a swagger with the team that hasn't been there since 2006. Instead they allowed their shit-hot start completely disappear.

And now there's not even a point in trading for a hitter. They waited too long. When they were up on the Nats by 7 games and guys started going down with injuries...that was the time to strike. Now the Nats are shit hot and are going to win the division by a mile and Sandy doesn't have the balls to trade assets to try and make a Wild Card run since it's too much of a crapshoot.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>And even though I think Collins is a fucking SHIT manager and it's not exactly his fault that the team has no offense to speak of...at a certain point don't you have to lay the blame on somebody? The team has given up.

If the Yankees had gone from 13-3 to 36-37, Girardi would have been out on his ass.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

Oh yeah, Pujols is definitely done. Right, everybody?

Interesting read on Pujols here (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mlb-albert-pujols-home-runs-los-angeles-angels-2015/).

Over the past month he's been on the best 25-game streak of his career. Pretty remarkable

[screech]

Love Pujols. Pumped he's fucking shit up again.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>I'm glad he's doing a lot better. Was depressing to imagine him playing badly through the rest of his contract.</font>

[Damian Rey]

Lol Vogt also doesn't have to catch R.A Dickey.

Which is meaningless. Vogt doesn't control what pitchers his team employs. That's outside of his control. That's like holding it against Martin that he plays in a band box while Vogt plays in an offensive black hole.

[Bad News Gertner]

I wouldn't say it's meaningless

[Damian Rey]

In terms of evaluating a player based on sole individual performance, it indeed is. You're giving credit to Martin for something Vogt doesn't have the opportunity to do, which is something he can't control. Sure being able to catch Dickey has value specifically to Toronto, but on a grand scale of comparative analyses it's a meaningless trait.

[ClockShot]

Ryne Sandberg resigns as Phillies manager.

[Damian Rey]

The captain found a life boat to flee the titanic. Not sure how he was as a tactician, but it's never a good sign even your manager resigns with no viable openings elsewhere. Amazing how the Phillies turned into one of the worst franchises seemingly overnight.

[Bad News Gertner]

Encarnacion with 2 bombs including a grand slam. Adam Rosales now pitching for Texas. Travis back from the DL. So the Jays offence just got even better.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Mets managed to win tonight despite only getting 2 hits thanks to Thor being the man.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>and Matz is getting the call-up on Sunday. fuck yeah!

the offense is still terribad but at least deGrom, Thor, Harvey and Matz all pitching in a row is really sexy</font>

[screech]

The captain found a life boat to flee the titanic. Not sure how he was as a tactician, but it's never a good sign even your manager resigns with no viable openings elsewhere. Amazing how the Phillies turned into one of the worst franchises seemingly overnight.

Not exactly overnight, but it was a quick drop from 102 wins to 81, and now it's spiraled into the shitter with (likely) 3 sub-.500 years in a row. Frustrating because it was avoidable.

Gonna be a bit before the team is competitive again, and Ruben Amaro is...well, Ruben Amaro. Bet he extends Domonic Brown for 8 years after dealing Maikel Franco for David Ross.

[Evil Vito]

<iframe src="https://vid.me/e/FuFE?stats=1" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe>

<font color=goldenrod>LOL wow</font>

[Damian Rey]

Lmao Bob fucking Costas is the man. I'd love to hear him call one more world series.

[Frank Drebin]

Damn...you'd think it was John Rocker on the mound

[Bad News Gertner]

Matt Boyd getting his first start today for the Jays. He's tore up the minors thisvyear. Pretty excited to see this.

[Droford]

Giancarlo Stanton broke his hand.

Bob Costas is an asshole

And the AL East is 4 teams separated by 1 game for first place

[screech]

Lol Bob Costas is great

[screech]

Fucking rain. Was pumped to see Strasburg pitch tomorrow.

[screech]

UPDATE: I did get to watch Strasburg today. It was wonderful.

Phillies lost :(

But it was a good game at least.

[DaveWadding]

Bob Costas :lol:

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Steven Matz becomes the first pitcher in MLB history to get 4 RBIs in his big league debut. Also the first Met to ever do it regardless of position.

Fuck the DH.</font>

[Damian Rey]

He should play third on his days off. Mets could use that kind of production.

And go DH!

[Droford]

Orioles are going to be in first place shortly

[road doggy dogg]

Have a real bad feeling Tigers are going to be sellers at the trade deadline. Oh well, at least have the next 8 years of Miggy being the best hitter in the world on shitty teams to look forward to

[Ruien]

Love the AL East right now. No one is super awesome but everyone, besides Boston, is above average.

[Emperor Smeat]

Baring some small possible tweaks and vote changes, schedules for next season are already done.

Red Sox's opener is away like this year with the twist being they start next season the same way they end this season (away at Celevland). Interleague is NL West + Braves for next year.

[Bad News Gertner]

Jays bats should destroy Boston this series.

[screech]

Feel like almost anyone's bats could destroy Boston rn

[poopfromweiner dude]

Clay buttholez

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>The final All Star ballot update for both leagues came out today and the player ballot has been distributed, so I did some last-second tweaking for my predictions for the rosters that will be revealed in the next week. I’m doing this keeping in mind the convoluted voting process: starting position are voted by fans, players vote in a backup at each spot along with 5 SP and 3 RP, manager fills out the rest of the team making sure every team has a rep and there have to be a minimum of 13 pitchers. 33 players named plus 5 final vote candidates, and then of course injury subs and all that shit comes afterwards.

<b><u>American League</u>

Elected Starters</b>

C: Salvador Perez, Royals
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B: Jose Altuve, Astros
SS: Alcides Escobar, Royals
3B: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
OF: Mike Trout, Angels
OF: Lorenzo Cain, Royals
OF: Alex Gordon, Royals
DH: Nelson Cruz, Mariners

Today’s ballot showed Donaldson and Cruz pulling ahead of Moustakas and Morales, and I expect it to stay that way as fans attempt to overrun the Royals. Infante still leads at 2B right now but only by like 300k votes. I can only assume people are voting for Infante as a joke at this point but I feel like he’s bound to get surpassed, or MLB will cleverly manage to veto some of his votes to avoid the embarrassment. I’d argue that there are better starting options on the bench than Perez, Altuve, Escobar, and Gordon – but I don’t object to any of them being on the team so whatever. Way better than the 8-Royal lineup of a month ago.

<b>Player Ballot</b>

C: Stephen Vogt, Athletics
1B: Albert Pujols, Angels
2B: Jason Kipnis, Indians
SS: Jose Iglesias, Tigers
3B: Manny Machado, Orioles
OF: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
OF: Yoenis Cespedes, Tigers
OF: Adam Jones, Orioles
DH: Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays
SP: Chris Archer, Rays
SP: Sonny Gray, Athletics
SP: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
SP: Dallas Keuchel, Astros
SP: David Price, Tigers
RP: Zach Britton, Orioles
RP: Wade Davis, Royals
RP: Glen Perkins, Twins

As of last week I had Iglesias getting snubbed off the team due to his low RBI totals which aren’t his fault, but the more I’ve read the more it sounds like his amazing glove and high BA aren’t lost on the players, so I’m glad to fit him in. Vogt and Kipnis get some much-deserved love as the best hitting players at their respective positions. Machado feels like the clear-cut choice to back up Donaldson. Pujols, Cespedes, and Jones all have good numbers as well as a reputation. Bautista is another reputation pick, guys will likely overlook his low BA in favor of the really good power numbers. Backup DH is weird. Fielder would be the easy pick if he weren’t listed as a 1B on the ballot. A-Rod would absolutely warrant the pick based on numbers but I imagine him being a giant cunt will cause him to lose votes. Morales is probably the best all-around DH left but I wonder if all of this Royals voting controversy has created a bias amongst the players…so I just went with another big low BA power bat in Encarnacion.

Archer, Gray, Keuchel, and Price all feel like total locks based on their numbers alone. Felix hasn’t been quite his normal self but is still having a strong year in a pretty weak league for pitching in the AL, plus he has the reputation to get player support. Perkins and Britton are in as the current AL saves leaders. Set-up men have been elected by players in recent years and Davis’ ERA is so comically low it jumps off the page, so I think he’ll be voted in by his peers.

<b>Managerial Selections</b>

C: Russell Martin, Blue Jays
1B/DH: Prince Fielder, Rangers
UTIL: Brock Holt, Red Sox
SP: Chris Sale, White Sox
SP: Edinson Volquez, Royals
RP: Dellin Betances, Yankees
RP: Huston Street, Angels

Fielder is the easy choice to represent the Rangers. I figured Bogaerts would be Boston’s rep and I wouldn’t object to that, but looking at the numbers Holt plays most days, is a very good role player, and his ability to play anywhere makes him a more attractive option for the bench. Martin is tabbed as the third catcher over McCann for his defensive acumen.

Sale is the slam-dunk option for the White Sox rep. Weird to realize there’s not a Yankee rep by this point either, and Betances would have been a criminal snub anyway. Feel like Yost will want to carry one extra “official” closer so Street gets the nod. The remaining starting pitchers on the board are kinda “samey” so Yost uses his token homer pick on Volquez.

<b>Final Vote</b>
SP: Carlos Carrasco, Indians
SP: Michael Pineda, Yankees
RP: Brad Boxberger, Rays
RP: Will Harris, Astros
RP: Darren O’Day, Orioles

Yost probably still has a beef with Kazmir from the Royals/Athletics incidents earlier, so he is left off. Odorizzi and Andrew Miller would have been considered but are currently on the DL and might not be available for the game anyway, so Boxberger and Pineda get the chance to give their teams a second rep instead. Yost seems old school enough to still think the wins stat actually matters for pitchers, and he already has Pineda on there despite the 4+ ERA, let’s thrown on Carrasco as well with his 9 wins. Yost loves his specialists, so Harris and O’Day seem like sensible candidates to round off the field.


<b><u>National League</u>

Elected Starters</b>

C: Buster Posey, Giants
1B: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
2B: Dee Gordon, Marlins
SS: Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals
3B: Todd Frazier, Reds
OF: Bryce Harper, Nationals
OF: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins*
OF: Matt Holliday, Cardinals*

The only change I have from the fan ballot released today is Frazier going in over Matt Carpenter. Frazier gained huge ground in the last week and I think he’ll end up getting the nod and rightly so. He’s having an amazing year and I feel like it’s a real shame when the host team doesn’t get a starter in the game. Holliday has actually pulled away from Aoki a bit so I figure he’ll hang on to his elected spot but it really doesn’t matter as he and Stanton are hurt and will need to be replaced in the lineup anyway.

<b>Player Ballot</b>

C: Yadier Molina, Cardinals
1B: Joey Votto, Reds
2B: Kolten Wong, Cardinals
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
3B: Nolan Arenado, Rockies
OF: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
OF: Joc Pederson, Dodgers
OF: Justin Upton, Padres
SP: Madison Bumgarner, Giants
SP: Gerrit Cole, Pirates
SP: Zack Greinke, Dodgers
SP: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
SP: Max Scherzer, Nationals
RP: Aroldis Chapman, Reds
RP: Mark Melancon, Pirates
RP: Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals

Same rules apply as with the player voting in the AL really, it’s about more than just numbers – a well-known guy with a reputation having a good season usually has a better chance than a less-known guy having a slightly better year. Molina, Votto, Tulo, McCutchen, and Upton all qualify as guys that would be getting the reputation vote, but I certainly wouldn’t object to any of them making it. McCutchen probably winds up starting at CF with 2 outfielders out. Arenado is ridiculously underrated but I think the players will recognize the brilliance of his numbers. Pederson’s power numbers would make him an alluring choice for the players. And I guess Wong gets the 2B slot over Panik in a very close call.

Ignore Kershaw W-L record and what the media is trying to tell you about him coming back to Earth this year, he’s still leading the league in K’s and even if he didn’t, do you really think the players aren’t going to vote the reigning MVP in? Similarly, Bumgarner is deserving to make the team anyway but last year’s heroics get him voted in outright. Scherzer, Cole, and Greinke are locks. Melancon is leading the league in saves. Rosenthal’s overall numbers are the best of any closer in the league. Chapman has a boatload of K’s in the pen and a reputation of a guy nobody really wants to face.

<b>Managerial Selections</b>
C: Derek Norris, Padres
1B: Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
SS: Brandon Crawford, Giants
3B: Kris Bryant, Cubs
OF: Nori Aoki, Giants
OF: AJ Pollock, Diamondbacks
SP: AJ Burnett, Pirates
SP: Jacob deGrom, Mets
SP: Shelby Miller, Braves
RP: Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies
RP: Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers

Normally Bochy would make 9 selections here, but since Stanton and Holliday are going to be out I’m sure he already has an idea of who he’d take with the extra 2. Rizzo is a must-have, and since this gives the NL 3 1B I figure you can allow Votto to play his normal position for his home crowd in relief of Goldschmidt later in the game, freeing up Rizzo to be in the starting lineup as the DH. Pollock is having an incredible under-the-radar season. Norris is in for his power. Nothing against Matt Carpenter, but the Cubs really feel like a team that should have a second rep, and Kris Bryant is a guy people will want to see and is therefore "best for business". Bochy is left with 2 spots and has 3 of his own guys I could justify making it: Crawford, Aoki, and Panik. In the end, he goes with Aoki and Crawford. I could easily see him starting Aoki in left with Holliday not playing.

4 teams left without reps at this point. Miller and deGrom are really easy picks for the Braves and Mets. If I may go on a homer rant of my own, it fucking sucks that I have Jeurys Familia not making the team. He’s clearly a top 3 closer in the NL this year. But alas, the “every team needs a rep” rule rears its ugly head as K-Rod and Papelbon are basically the default Brewers and Phillies reps. Burnett rounds off the field as he’d seem to be having way too good of a year to ignore – if he were to get squeezed out of the roster somehow it’d probably be for a guy like Michael Wacha.

<b>Final Vote</b>
1B: Freddie Freeman, Braves
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
2B: Joe Panik, Giants
3B: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals
OF: Starling Marte, Pirates

With the 13 pitcher requirement met I assume he’d just load up the ballot with position players of different types and let their respective fan bases settle it. I can’t really argue against any of these guys being considered for what amounts to the 34th spot on the roster. If Bochy does leave the door open for a 14th pitcher to be added, the aforementioned Familia should be on the poll. Drew Storen or another Bochy guy, Santiago Casilla could also warrant consideration. If he wants to go outside the box he could even nominate a utility guy (Justin Turner) or a set-up guy (Tony Watson or Kevin Siegrist).</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>NL was way harder to pare down than the AL. NL has a ton of guys that could be viewed as snubs simply because the league seems pretty deep with talent. There are always a bunch of guys who have to back out with injuries, and the NL seems pretty well prepared to replace guys if needed.

In the AL, the biggest snubs are probably Hosmer and Moustakas, which is kinda funny given everything that happened with the voting this year. Hosmer is just in a deep position with no fewer than 3 guys who feel like locks ahead of him. Moose's best chance is probably if Bogaerts is elected over Iglesias, then Holt's spot could potentially go to Moose over Iglesias (which is how I had it going down as of last week). Could also make a case for Josh Reddick. Oh and Brett Gardner. Really weird to imagine the Yanks possibly only having one rep...must've been decades since that happened.</font>

[ClockShot]

CC Sabathia is 3-8 on the season. Who would have thought it got this bad?

Now starting to see the Yankees maybe grabbing a starter at the trade deadline. But don't want Cashman to purge the farm for what could be a rental.

[Emperor Smeat]

Angels expected to fire their GM soon with the main reason due to the constant heated arguments between him and manager Mike Scioscia regarding how the team should play and player moves.

Last straw was a recent meeting that soured quickly with the coaches and then followed that by sending an ultimatum to the owner which backfired badly.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13178960/jerry-dipoto-appears-as-los-angeles-angels-general-manager

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Mets were shut out last night for the 8th time this season. It was also their 4th 1-0 loss of the year.

Cannot even imagine the level of pressure this young (plus Colon) rotation puts on itself knowing that giving up 1 run at any point might mean a bump in the L column.</font>

[screech]

Speaking of the Mets, happy payday to Bobby Bonilla!

[poopfromweiner dude]

@big Vito pls rank the bomb ass mets arms

-Harvey
-Syndegaard
-deGrom
-Wheeler
-Matz
-Montero

???

[road doggy dogg]

COLON #1

[road doggy dogg]

awwww sheeit son

Matt Moore and Jose Fernandez both starting tomorrow. 'ell yeah

So many D&D moves to make

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Brockstar is an All-Star! Probably taking Pedrioa's rightful spot.

[Evil Vito]

@big Vito pls rank the bomb ass mets arms

-Harvey
-Syndegaard
-deGrom
-Wheeler
-Matz
-Montero

???

<font color=goldenrod>If we're talking what they've done in their career to this point...I'd actually put deGrom at #1. He actually has had better overall numbers than Harvey through the same number of starts. Pretty scary to think about.

Long-term though, I still have to view Harvey as #1. I've seen enough of deGrom to slot him in at #2. Syndergaard at #3 with ace potential. Matz a dynamic lefty at #4. Wheeler is mainly #5 because I worry about how he will do in his TJS recovery and I wonder if he'll revert back to the beginning of his career when he struggled mightily with command. And Montero is easily #6. He picked up a shoulder injury and seems to have vanished into the Springfield Mystery Spot.

Worst part about Montero's injury is that if he were healthy he could be a legit trade chip. As it is right now, nobody has any reason to not demand one of the Mets' current "big 4" in exchange for a big bat because everybody knows they're desperate for offense.</font>

[Evil Vito]

Speaking of the Mets, happy payday to Bobby Bonilla!

<font color=goldenrod>What often gets overlooked is that the money saved by not buying out Bonilla outright they freed up money to justify trading for Mike Hampton, who was brilliant in helping the Mets reach the 2000 World Series. Then the compensatory draft pick the Mets got from Hampton signing with the Rockies wound up being David Wright.

So without the Bonilla buyout, they may have never wound up with the best hitter in franchise history.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

really excited for Fernandez vs Cain tomorrow

If I wasn't already planning on skipping out of work early Friday I'd take an extended lunch tomorrow too :fu:

[ClockShot]

Angels canning DiPoto was a bit a dumb move. Not even 2 days on the job he does the impossible and brings in Albert Pujols off of free agency.

So I guess this means Scioscia is safe for a little while longer since there's been whispers over the past few seasons his time there was drawing to a close.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>I've never heard Keith Hernandez get this annoyed watching a game. Straight up groaning at every fly ball hit by both sides as both teams continue to be inept at scoring any runs. Then capped it off with an "oh, great..." under his breath as the Mets grounded out with 2 outs in the 9th.

0-0 in extras. my god.</font>

[Damian Rey]

DiPoto didn't sign Pujols, CJ Wilson and Josh Hamilton. That was Moreno getting far too involved in player acquisitions. The farm was crippled and had zero depth, and DiPoto did his damndest to fix that. Re acquired Tyler Skaggs, got Hector Santiago and Andrew Heaney.

Supposedly Scioscia and his coaching staff are impossible when it comes to taking statistical data and passing it along to the players. Apparently the out of touch Scioscia wins again.

Bad press for the angels. No would be gm is going to take that job when old school stubborn dinosaur of a manager rules the roost.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Thor, deGrom, and Matz are legitimately the best hitters on the bench for the Mets. But Collins never ever considers using a pitcher to PH. Instead he just throws out Eric Campbell, Darrell Ceciliani, and Johnny Monell who all look completely hopeless at the plate.

At this point I can only assume Sandy has told Collins he can't PH his pitchers. All because of that fluky Wainwright injury.</font>

[Droford]

Orioles still in first place. Yeah

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Mets July schedule after this series is over:

3 @ Dodgers
3 @ Giants
3 vs. D-Backs
3 @ Cards
3 @ Nats
4 vs. Dodgers
3 vs. Padres

Fucked.

Bombing out this month might be the best thing that could happen. Would pretty much guarantee Collins gets fired, and might actually make Sandy (who only acquired 2 of the "big 5" pitchers both on no-brainer deals and has whiffed on every single free agent he's signed) realize that you need more than just pitching to get to the playoffs.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

Carrasco gets one out away from a no-hitter

Have him on two of my fantasy teams. So close :'(

[Frank Drebin]

deGrom/Arrieta tomorrow after 1-0 and 2-0 (11 innings) games.

[Frank Drebin]

<font color=goldenrod>Mets were shut out last night for the 8th time this season. It was also their 4th 1-0 loss of the year.

Cannot even imagine the level of pressure this young (plus Colon) rotation puts on itself knowing that giving up 1 run at any point might mean a bump in the L column.</font>

1 run in 29 innings this series vs Cubs. Cubs sweep all 7 games vs Mets. Sorry, Vito.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>And the Mets face Kershaw and Greinke in the next 2 games. I will be shocked at any run that scores against those 2.</font>

[ClockShot]

Cardinals ax their Scouting Director for his involvement in the Astros hacking scandal.

This goes deep, apparently.

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol Matt Boyd's starting pitching line for Jays tonight:

0 innings, 6 hits 7 runs 1 walk.

That is incredible.

[road doggy dogg]

That might be the worst line I've seen since Porcello got lit up by the Angels a couple years ago. Think he managed to get an out though lol

[road doggy dogg]

@Gertner going to Jays/Tigers game tonight. My buddy from Hamilton is a huge Jays fan and he got tix so we're headed down for the game. I fear that y'all gonna whoop us

[Evil Vito]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FmjRr9uiuj4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<font color=goldenrod>lollllllll god I hope they do more of these. The possibilities are endless.</font>

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol Tigers were up 8-0 with a no hitter going and the Jays have just put up 6 runs

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Thor gives up a solo shot to Gonzalez in the 2nd inning. Dodgers have a 1-0 lead with Kershaw pitching.

Game over.</font>

[Bad News Gertner]

Brad Ausmus is a terrible manager

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Jeurys Familia</font> :love:

[Emperor Smeat]

Miguel Cabrera out 6 weeks because of a calf injury.

[Bad News Gertner]

The Rays have a -4 run differential. The Jays have a +90. They have the same record at 42-40.

Fuck my life.

I hope ISIS takes out R.A Dickey.

[Droford]

The Orioles haven't scored a run in like 24 innings and now they're being no hit through 5..

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Oh shit, didn't realize Greinke could opt out of his deal after the season.

Feel like he'll wind up staying with the Dodgers anyway, but at an even higher price. They'll probably just sign Price too, making the early 2000s Yankees' spending habits look like the minor leagues.</font>

[Emperor Smeat]

They might splurge higher than the Yankees but doubt they'd go years in a row with the heavy spending like the Yankees did until recently.

[Bad News Gertner]

The Jays rotation is so fucking awful. Hutchison and Dickey have been nightmares. They really need to deal one of their thousand pitching prospects for some help before this gets away from them.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Predicted the All Star starters spot on:

AL
C: Perez
1B: Cabrera
2B: Altuve
SS: Escobar
3B: Donaldson
OF: Trout
OF: Cain
OF: Gordon
DH: Cruz

NL
C: Posey
1B: Goldschmidt
2B: Gordon
SS: Peralta
3B: Frazier
OF: Harper
OF: Stanton
OF: Holliday

Already knew Stanton and Holliday would be replaced, but now Miggy will too with his injury.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Well I'll be damned, Mets put up 8 runs today.</font>

[Droford]

Manny Machado is better than Donaldson

[Bad News Gertner]

Now let's not get crazy

[road doggy dogg]

Donaldson easily best 3B in the AL right now. Not even close

[Damian Rey]

Donaldson
295/352/529/143
Avg/obp/slg/ops+

Machado
302/357/527/144

Per baseball reference, Machado has 17 defensive runs saved to Donaldson's 8. Donaldson is 4.3 bwar to Machado's 4.5.

So, homer Droford isn't right. But saying "it isn't close" is, ironically, not close. They're about as even as it gets offensively with Machado having the better glove.

[Frank Drebin]

Interested to see what the Cubs do this month. In years past, ownership has said they were going to stick to a plan, then barfed cash because they could. They already broke one of their major unwritten organizational rules this season (no matter the prospect, he needs a full seasons worth in AAA).

Since it looks like they'll be playing for the one-game wild card, it seems crazy to make a big trade now for a top starter lest they wind up like Oakland last year. I hope they stay the course and get a innings eating 3rd or 4th starter who will cost less but could still help give them a slight bump for the regular season and get to the one game playoff. They currently have 4 starters in the top 25 in the NL in FIP and WAR, but because of the hole in the 5th spot, people seem to think they absolutely need a front line guy but I don't see the urgency.

[Droford]

Donaldson
295/352/529/143
Avg/obp/slg/ops+

Machado
302/357/527/144

Per baseball reference, Machado has 17 defensive runs saved to Donaldson's 8. Donaldson is 4.3 bwar to Machado's 4.5.

So, homer Droford isn't right. But saying "it isn't close" is, ironically, not close. They're about as even as it gets offensively with Machado having the better glove.

Donaldson is also about 6 years older. He's 29, Manny turned 23 today.


Machado also ranks in the top 10 among all major leaguers before their 23rd birthday since his debut in 2012, according to STATS. He's second in doubles behind the Angels' Mike Trout (99) and ranks third in hits, home runs, RBIs and runs. He's also sixth in steals and ninth in average.
Dan Hirsch, creator of TheBaseballGauge.com, provided the following list of "Most WAR by a third baseman through their age 22 season":
1. Eddie Mathews 18.5
2. Manny Machado 15.0
3. John McGraw 15.0
4. Buddy Lewis 12.6
5. Freddie Lindstrom 12.5

Keep in mind that includes the fact he missed 1/2 of last year with his 2nd knee injury. He'd probably have even better stats had he not gotten hurt last year (ignoring the first injury he had at the end of 2013 when he only missed like 3 games).

I don't see Donaldson's name on that list, because he didn't even make it to the majors full time until he was 26.

[Droford]

Manny just led off the game with a homer to dead center in Minnesota.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Rosters are officially in:

AL Starters (fan vote)

C Salvador Perez, Royals
1B Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (injured, will not play)
2B Jose Altuve, Astros
SS Alcides Escobar, Royals
3B Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays (leading vote-getter overall)
OF Mike Trout, Angels
OF Lorenzo Cain, Royals
OF Alex Gordon, Royals
DH Nelson Cruz, Mariners

AL Reserves

C Russell Martin, Blue Jays
C Stephen Vogt, Athletics
1B Albert Pujols, Angels (will start in place of the injured Cabrera)
1B Prince Fielder, Rangers
1B Mark Teixeira, Yankees (replaces injured Cabrera on roster)
2B Jason Kipnis, Indians
SS Jose Iglesias, Tigers
3B Manny Machado, Orioles
OF J.D. Martinez, Tigers
OF Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
OF Adam Jones, Orioles
UTIL Brock Holt, Red Sox

AL Pitchers

RHP Sonny Gray, Athletics
RHP Felix Hernandez, Mariners
RHP Chris Archer, Rays
LHP David Price, Tigers
LHP Dallas Keuchel, Astros
LHP Chris Sale, White Sox
RHP Dellin Betances, Yankees
RHP Brad Boxberger, Rays
RHP Kelvin Herrera, Royals
RHP Wade Davis, Royals
RHP Darren O'Day, Orioles
LHP Glen Perkins, Twins
LHP Zach Britton, Orioles

AL Final Vote Candidates

SS Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
OF Yoenis Cespedes, Tigers
OF Brett Gardner, Yankees
2B Brian Dozier, Twins
3B Mike Moustakas, Royals

NL Starters (fan vote)

C Buster Posey, Giants
1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
2B Dee Gordon, Marlins
SS Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals
3B Todd Frazier, Reds
OF Bryce Harper, Nationals (leading vote-getter in NL)
OF Matt Holliday, Cardinals (injured, participation questionable)
OF Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins (injured, will not play)

NL Reserves

C Yadier Molina, Cardinals
C Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers
1B Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
1B Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
2B DJ LeMahieu, Rockies
2B Joe Panik, Giants
SS Brandon Crawford, Giants
3B Nolan Arenado, Rockies
3B Kris Bryant, Cubs (replaces injured Stanton on roster)
OF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (will start in place of the injured Stanton)
OF Joc Pederson, Dodgers
OF Justin Upton, Padres
OF A.J. Pollock, Diamondbacks

NL Pitchers

RHP Max Scherzer, Nationals
RHP Zack Greinke, Dodgers
RHP Gerrit Cole, Pirates
RHP Michael Wacha, Cardinals
RHP Jacob deGrom, Mets
RHP Shelby Miller, Braves
RHP A.J. Burnett, Pirates
LHP Madison Bumgarner, Giants
RHP Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals
RHP Mark Melancon, Pirates
RHP Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies
RHP Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers
LHP Aroldis Chapman, Reds

NL Final Vote Candidates

RHP Johnny Cueto, Reds
RHP Jeurys Familia, Mets
LHP Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
RHP Carlos Martinez, Cardinals
SS Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

---

Pretty much killed it with my predictions last week. Only misses on the AL position player side were JD Martinez over Cespedes and Prince over EE, and the latter was only because I didn't know if they'd have Prince correctly listed as a DH on the Player Ballot.

I knew that the starting pitching in the AL was weak and was struggling to decide on a 7th name, but Yost just said fuck it and loaded up on the relievers. Kelvin Herrera wound up being the homer pick over Volquez. Had Boxberger and O'Day on the Final Vote ballot so that helps offset Street not making it.

NL I didn't do as well on the position players. Panik making it instead of going to the final vote makes sense. Somewhat surprised at LeMahieu over Kolten Wong but that's not a bad choice. LeMahieu basically replaces my prediction of Tulo making it. Grandal over Norris is whatever. A-Gon over Votto is genuinely surprising to me given the game is in Cincy. Aoki didn't make it as he just got injured, plus it sounds like Holliday is actually gonna try to play in the ASG anyway.

Basically killed it with the NL pitchers. Got 12 of 13. Saw Familia getting snubbed coming from a mile away because of how the process works. Only miss was Kershaw not being a Player Vote choice and Wacha going in instead. Poor Familia has to try to beat Kershaw in the Final Vote. Not gonna happen.</font>

[DaveWadding]

Interested to see what the Cubs do this month. In years past, ownership has said they were going to stick to a plan, then barfed cash because they could. They already broke one of their major unwritten organizational rules this season (no matter the prospect, he needs a full seasons worth in AAA).

Since it looks like they'll be playing for the one-game wild card, it seems crazy to make a big trade now for a top starter lest they wind up like Oakland last year. I hope they stay the course and get a innings eating 3rd or 4th starter who will cost less but could still help give them a slight bump for the regular season and get to the one game playoff. They currently have 4 starters in the top 25 in the NL in FIP and WAR, but because of the hole in the 5th spot, people seem to think they absolutely need a front line guy but I don't see the urgency.


Was going to text you about this. Who you got? Kazmir? Dan Haren (my personal choice)?

[Frank Drebin]

Haren I would be happy with if they gave up nothing for him. I think he would be a great 5th, but I just don't trust him. In order of who I would want depending on who they have to give up: Kazmir, Gallardo, Samardjia, Latos, Haren. Not sure how likely any of those actually are, but they seem plausible. I know they want someone who would be under control for next year, but if you want to aim high with Hamels or Sale (!) they would need to deal Schwarber, and I'm not sure how keen they are on doing that. Baez, Almora and Castro were great chips at one point but their stocks are down bad.

[DaveWadding]

Haren will cost way less than the other guys and I know he'd give better innings than what the Cubs have crapped out there so far.

[Corndad]

So Happy Burnett got the Nod this year.

[Emperor Smeat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a great pickoff attempt ... to absolutely no one. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBGIFs">@MLBGIFs</a>) <a href="http://t.co/rTk3iHp88F">http://t.co/rTk3iHp88F</a> <a href="http://t.co/KLZVZOKPeZ">pic.twitter.com/KLZVZOKPeZ</a></p>&mdash; SB Nation (@SBNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBNation/status/618273276373114880">July 7, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Frank Drebin]

Haren will cost way less than the other guys and I know he'd give better innings than what the Cubs have crapped out there so far.

I would really like for them to have traded for him last month, to see if they needed to make a bigger deal later if he wasn't the answer or an injury occurred. Guessing the way the market is working, with zero deals going down at this point, that the asking price was too high for him or they have too many other preferred options and feel that they wouldn't make another deal if they had him already.

As it stands, they're going to try and catch lightning in a bottle with Clayton Richard (who literally cost them nothing to acquire) before they make any kind of real deal which is probably the best option right now.

[Frank Drebin]

Cubs finally going to win a game vs cards. If they take both games today they build some solid momentum but a loss in game 2 followed by another tomorrow would be pretty standard here.

[Corndad]

Cutch does it all lol Even the Grounds Crew hahaha...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">new head groundskeeper <a href="http://t.co/xHp54sZMHy">pic.twitter.com/xHp54sZMHy</a></p>&mdash; Forbes to Federal (@ForbesToFederal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForbesToFederal/status/618566875803447296">July 7, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Damian Rey]

One of their grounds crew guys got completely engulfed in the tarp, like a wave collapsing on a surfer, after a massive gust of wind.

[Emperor Smeat]

:eek: Red Sox actually managed to win 3 games in a row this season. Been slowly getting better the past 2-3 weeks but building momentum from wins has been a big issue so far this season.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>leadoff Granderson triple, Tejada pops one out to right field in foul territory. Pence, in his first game back all season makes a diving catch, stands up, spins, and fires a perfect strike to home plate to nail Granderson.

lol it's astounding how many situations the Mets can fail to score runs in.</font>

[DaveWadding]

Hunter Pence likes warm beer.

[DaveWadding]

Justin Upton is a tank. I miss him.

<iframe src='http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=239222283&topic_id=6479266&width=400&height=224&property=mlb' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>

[Damian Rey]

Who's your team Dave? I'm sure the Padres will be trading him shortly.

[DaveWadding]

Cubs and DBacks, neither team will need him. He's still my favorite player even though he's been gone from Arizona for 2 years. :'(

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Last night Jonathan Herrera couldn't find his batting helmet. He wore Mike Baxter's but looked really distraught the entire at-bat, looking to the dugout after each pitch. 3 pitches in the bat boy brought him out his helmet and he singled.

He took off his helmet at first base and held it up like Lion King...only to be even more upset when he realized that it was Chris Coghlan's helmet.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>That's like Space Jam when the Tune Squad played better after having the Secret Stuff only to find out it was just water. He had it in him all along.</font>

[Emperor Smeat]

MLB decided to shuffle their gameday lineup for the All-Star game concert with starting singer Ariana Grande being benched in favor of relief singer Demi Lovato.

Unofficial reason likely related to the recent weird incident involving Grande and a doughnut shop.

[Frank Drebin]

....what??

[Emperor Smeat]

MLB dropped the singer that was planned for the All-Star game concert in favor of a new one. Supposedly the original singer was involved in a really weird incident at a doughnut shop that involved her and her friends licking doughnuts while complaining about how she hated America.

Store ended up selling those licked doughnuts to customers by mistake since nobody was around when they did it.

https://www.yahoo.com/music/ariana-grande-out-as-mlb-concert-headliner-after-123564890776.html

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Jacob deGrom</font> :love:

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Red Sox win 4th straight.

[road doggy dogg]

Porkchop finally wins one

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Alex Gordon will be out for 8 weeks. Probably opens up a spot on the All Star team for one of Brett Gardner or Yoenis Cespedes even if they don't win the Final Vote.</font>

[ClockShot]

MLB dropped the singer that was planned for the All-Star game concert in favor of a new one. Supposedly the original singer was involved in a really weird incident at a doughnut shop that involved her and her friends licking doughnuts while complaining about how she hated America.

Store ended up selling those licked doughnuts to customers by mistake since nobody was around when they did it.

https://www.yahoo.com/music/ariana-grande-out-as-mlb-concert-headliner-after-123564890776.html

Ariana Grande?!

Whoever had her booked should be fired.

[road doggy dogg]

Wait, the MLB would never blow some total non-story out of proportion. What is going on here?

[Emperor Smeat]

<font color=goldenrod>Alex Gordon will be out for 8 weeks. Probably opens up a spot on the All Star team for one of Brett Gardner or Yoenis Cespedes even if they don't win the Final Vote.</font>

Brett Gardner ended up getting picked as the replacement.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Matz with a lat strain, will not throw for at least 3 weeks.

Unreal. The Mets cannot catch a goddamn break with these motherfucking injuries.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>He reported soreness in his lat after his Major League debut. Mets let him pitch his next start anyway and he was great but then they discovered the tear.

So the Mets managed to get one of their prized pitching prospects hurt by letting him pitch through an injury when in a six-man rotation. This organization is so incompetent.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Thor was fucking filthy tonight. 8 IP, 1 R, 13 K.</font>

[road doggy dogg]

After tonight's game I don't think I'm watching any baseball for a month or so now. I don't care about the all-star game. Oof.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>It's astounding that the Tigers continue to have bullpen problems year after year no matter what they do or who they get rid of.</font>

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Mike Moustakas and Carlos Martinez with the Final Vote. Kershaw finished 3rd behind Martinez and Cueto. How the goddamn reigning MVP isn't on the team when he's still having an amazing year everywhere beyond the W-L column is astounding.

He might have one last chance to make it. Scherzer is slated to start tomorrow, so he can pull out of the game if he wants. MLB doesn't force pitchers out if they pitch the Sunday before anymore, but they do limit them to 1 inning. Given he was the favorite to get the start he might opt to just pitch the 1 inning and then Bochy can use someone else for 2 innings.</font>

[Damian Rey]

Well it's that time of year where I begrudgingly give my thoughts and predictions as to who the Padres will move in trades as the deadline approaches. I'll start with the most likely to least likely.

JUSTIN UPTON
While he's been Justin Slumpton the last month or so, he still may be the most attractive bat available this month. Even with the prolonged slump, he's still posting a 116 wrc+, and is more likely to surge the second half and play at a better clip. His value is limited due to his impending free agency, and because any team acquiring him will not receive draft pick compensation if he walks.

CRAIG KIMBREL
Arguably the greatest closer,at bat per at bat, to this point in his career, Kimbrel is still in his prime, has some years left on his contract, is decently priced compared to Papelbon, the other big name closer on the trade market. I personally feel he's the Padres strongest trade chip because he's not a 2 month fix and could fetch a better package of players.

WILL VENABLE
Excellent 4th outfielder or platoon bat who's progressed back to his career line after a terrible 2014. Nothing pops off the charts for him, but his defense is solid, specifically as in left or right field, with solid base running and occasional pop.

JOAQUIN BENOIT
Add another solid season to the seemingly ageless Benoit. A 159 era+ has Benoit again looking like a solid mid season trade chip who has an option year for 2015 and could easily fill in as a closer.

YONDER ALONSO
This is my wildcard pick. Yonder is posting a career year, similar to former Padres third baseman Chase Headley did in 2011 in that his walks are way up, and in turn,has produced an above average year despite lacking homerun power. He could be on an upswing in production and has two more years of control beyond this season, where he could continue to develop and post career best numbers.

There's been mutterings of James Shields being shopped but his $21 million per year salary kicking in next year will probably slow if not halt any trade talks. The Padres could move Andrew Cashner or Tyson Ross, but both have control through next year (Ross is controlled through the end of 2017 I believe), and it'd be selling low on two under performing arms who could be 2starters or better.

[DaveWadding]

Well it's that time of year where I begrudgingly give my thoughts and predictions as to who the Padres will move in trades as the deadline approaches. I'll start with the most likely to least likely.

JUSTIN UPTON
While he's been Justin Slumpton the last month or so, he still may be the most attractive bat available this month. Even with the prolonged slump, he's still posting a 116 wrc+, and is more likely to surge the second half and play at a better clip. His value is limited due to his impending free agency, and because any team acquiring him will not receive draft pick compensation if he walks.


Gotta tell you, as someone who loves Justin Upton and has watched him for a long time, he gets on these ridiculous streaks on both ends. He'll be super hot for like a month, hit 350 with 9 HRs, then the next he'll hit 240 with 3 HRs. IT happens every damned year and it's the most consistently astounding thing I've ever seen. And it's not like it's the same pattern every season, either. Sometimes it's April and September, sometimes it's June and July, this year it's May and ????

[Damian Rey]

This year he was shit fucking hot for 2months. Had like 12 or 13 homers the first few months. Then he just stopped. I know this is just how he is. Adrian Gonzalez was like that here in San Diego. Just an absolute beast, then would tank in the summer. From what I'm told that hasn't changed since he was traded.

[DaveWadding]

I draft Upton in fantasy every year in the TPWW league because I'm a homer. He was great for me to start but I have him on the bench now.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Matt Harvey becomes the second Mets pitcher to hit a dinger this year as the pitching staff continues to outperform much of the Mets' bench at the plate.

Fuck the DH.</font>

[Evil Vito]

WILL VENABLE
Excellent 4th outfielder or platoon bat who's progressed back to his career line after a terrible 2014. Nothing pops off the charts for him, but his defense is solid, specifically as in left or right field, with solid base running and occasional pop.

<font color=goldenrod>The more I think about it, Venable is exactly the kind of guy the Mets should be targeting. Yes, their lineup is spotty and prone to slumps - but there are few superstar bats out there for trade and the ones that will be floated will almost certainly cost the Mets a guy like Thor.

But their bench is straight up dreadful night in night out, and it's hard to rest any of the starters when you have nobody else to trust off the bench. Hell I've been saying for months now that Collins is probably better off using guys like Thor, deGrom, and Harvey as pinch hitters on their off day than some of the clowns on the bench now and yet he refuses to do it. At least Venable might give you a nice at bat here and then and probably won't cost a lot in trade.</font>

[DaveWadding]

you know what the Mets need?


Micah Owings.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Joey Bats pulled out of the ASG, so Brian Dozier took his spot. Interestingly this leaves the AL with only 5 OF (Trout, Cain, Jones, Martinez, Gardner). I mean I guess Holt can play there too, but still only 5 true OF.

Trout playing the whole game would be #bestforbusiness</font>

[Corndad]

NL Central won't be decided till last week of the season. What a game between Buccos/Cards tonight.

[Damian Rey]

<font color=goldenrod>The more I think about it, Venable is exactly the kind of guy the Mets should be targeting. Yes, their lineup is spotty and prone to slumps - but there are few superstar bats out there for trade and the ones that will be floated will almost certainly cost the Mets a guy like Thor.

But their bench is straight up dreadful night in night out, and it's hard to rest any of the starters when you have nobody else to trust off the bench. Hell I've been saying for months now that Collins is probably better off using guys like Thor, deGrom, and Harvey as pinch hitters on their off day than some of the clowns on the bench now and yet he refuses to do it. At least Venable might give you a nice at bat here and then and probably won't cost a lot in trade.</font>

They could easily stick Venable in left 80% of the time and that'd be a upgrade for you guys. I'm not sure what the Mets have that they'd part with for Venable. I know Conforto and Nimmo are off limits, as are the plethora of arms. I doubt Venable has more value than a low cost reliever or similar backup/platoon type bat.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Yeah, I don't think the Mets would consider including Conforto or Nimmo in a deal unless they were getting a legitimate star bat in return (nor should they), and my impression is that Sandy doesn't want to part with those guys for a rental anyway. And trading Thor would be insane given how good he's been and now with the uncertainty of health for guys like Wheeler, Montero, and now Matz.

Cuddyer has been playing better the past few days, but still he needs his off days and replacing him late in a game is never a bad idea. I'd feel more comfortable having Venable around.

If a low cost reliever is the price the first name to pop into my mind is Vic Black. Was really good in the Majors last year. He got hurt in ST and only just started pitching in games like a month ago. He's been getting absolutely TORCHED in AAA this year but in fairness it's a small sample size and nearly everybody gets torched in the Pacific Coast League. Might be a decent guy to take a "flyer" on. If not there are a couple of other relievers the Mets have in AAA who seem to be good but I'm not sure they'll ever wind up cracking their 40 man roster given the depth they've assembled.

I'd also happily drive Alex Torres to the airport if you wanted him back for a bag of balls.</font>

[Damian Rey]

I'll give you guys back Corey Mazzoni and we can call it a wash.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Well, Kirk Nieuwenhuis must have heard the Will Venable talk, as he just became the first Mets player to hit 3 home runs in a single home game. What the shit.</font>

[Damian Rey]

He's just getting his season total out of the way now before they send him back down.

Meanwhile, in Arlington, Will Venable ran out a 200 ft triple that never made it to the right fielder. Odor missed the ball on the ground and Choo was either not paying attention or he couldn't see (insert Asian joke) what was going on and Venable made it all the way to third.

Bummed the Padres have tanked so bad. Venable was a bust last year, and of course regains his solid form when the team's out of it and will likely sell. Fucking Padres leading me on.

[Frank Drebin]

Why is the futures game being played at the same time as all the other Sunday MLB games? Are they trying to hide it?