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Bub13 · 11-22-2017, 04:56 PM

August 14-16 vs BALTIMORE
A 15-9 July hasn't helped the Orioles get out of the basement, as they're still tied with the Yankees at 55-63, 16 games behind Toronto. Team defense is 2nd, and they've hit 161 home runs, 5th in the AL. Everything else is subpar: 15th in AVG (although 9th in runs, probably due to all those HR), 12th in runs against. Four starters have topped 20 HR, led by catcher Juan Jimenez with 34. Also consider Ayahito Yoshimoto, a former Islander prospect who has the lovely combo of an elite curveball with horrible overall movement. He's given up 34 HR in 107 IP this year, 2.9 HR/9.

HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (8-7, 4.72) / Rob Hart (6-4, 3.86) / Leon Casillas (11-8, 3.67)
BAL pitchers: Miguel Moreno (11-9, 4.35) / Adam Branch (8-5, 2.72) / Ayahito Yoshimoto (2-12, 6.46)

#120: LOSS 3-5 ... it's all on Kieffer this time, but we blow another lead, and suffer another injury...Baltimore managed just 5 hits
#121: WIN 8-4 ... Hart yields just 2 ER, and Hunter has 3 hits, Groff 2...McArthur knocks a 2-run HR in his return to the lineup
#122: LOSS 4-11 ... Casillas gives up 9 runs in 2.1 innings...we manage 0 home runs off the long ball gift machine that is Yoshimoto

We're now 4-10 in August, including 2-9 against teams with losing records.... McGowan suffers a concussion in the first game, is on the shelf for two weeks. That's six players on the DL currently, although two of them were suffered before the season, and weren't regulars, so maybe they shouldn't count.... We're now 14th in runs against; it's hard to believe we were top five earlier this season. It's also hard to believe that we're still in a playoff wildcard spot, if the season ended today. Magically, we're also just 3 games behind the A's.... ELSEWHERE: Pittsburgh is still in first place, but is 5-9 this month, and losing players faster than us: All-Stars Mike Blough and Jordan Shields are dtd for weeks, All-Star Brendan Glenn is out for the season, and three pitchers are also on the shelf.

August 17-19 vs NY YANKEES
The Yankees are part of the logjam at the bottom of the AL East, with just 1.5 games separating the bottom four teams. Currently, they're 57-63, in fourth place; let's see if we can't help them out a bit, eh? Injuries have killed them too: six batters are either on the DL or playing through moderate/major dtd plights. That's just killed their hitting, putting them in the bottom quarter of nearly every category, and forcing them to put a .192 hitter in the leadoff slot. Pitching has been average, but the one-time big spenders refused to re-sign star SP Tony Villarreul (who went to the hated Red Sox), and attendence has dropped well below last year's lowlight, from 29K to 23K per game. They're getting badly outdrawn by the Mets (43K), who are actually good, something the Yanks haven't been in over a decade. (The last time they had consecutive playoff appearances? 2020-22, all wild cards.)

HAW pitchers: Billy Heine (10-6, 3.87) / Eric Jones (7-6, 4.62) / Jim Kieffer (8-8, 4.77)
NYY pitchers: Pat Teer (7-7, 3.84) / Daniel Brooke (3-2, 5.21) / Rafael Aragon (0-0, 2.42)

#123: WIN 8-3 ... Mercedes FINALLY hits his 40th, Wiggins his 1st, and for once we make a game look easy...except: Heine injured, pending diagnosis
#124: WIN 10-1 ... Hunter with 3 hits, including his 45th double...Jones makes his monthly stellar start, and Groff suffers a dtd injury
#125: WIN 5-4 ... Kieffer Ks 12, the bullpen snuffs a late rally, and we even score two in the eighth to send everyone home happy

Quite shocking, really. Plus, more good news: Heine's and Groff's injuries are just dtd and nearly over. Phew.... Mercedes now has 40 HR, 100 RBI, neither a career high (he had 45/102 with the White Sox in 2035).... btw, Casillas' career high ERA prior to this season? his rookie season of 2032, when it was 3.48.... ELSEWHERE: Pitchers get pulled so fast these days that you never see anyone lead the league with, say, more than 3 shutouts. Two is the usual number. Which makes Gary Florence's year so special: he just tossed his seventh shutout, which is a freaking miracle really. He also still has a decision in every start: 25 starts, 19-6 record.... Pittsburgh has lost five straight, and their lead over the Cubs is down to a single game.

August 20-22 @ BOSTON
Off to Fenway to face the perennially cranky Sox (although they're up to "Unhappy" now, somehow), who must just manufacture reasons to be bitter. Yes, they're 58-64, and their bottom-tier hitting has been, oh, let's call it "problematic." And yes, they've wasted excellent efforts by their pitching staff, in particular the above-mentioned Tony Villaruel, who's 15-6 with a 3.86 ERA and 208 strikeouts. (The less said about the other off-season big bucks signing, Japan's Kaz Matsuoka, the better. He lasted 11 starts, with a 5.67 ERA, and may miss the start of next season with a blown out ulnar nerve.) Still, you're ahead of the Yankees, so quit griping.

HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (7-4, 3.72) / Leon Casillas (11-9, 4.10) / Billy Heine (10-6, 3.82)
BOS pitchers: Robby Liantonio (5-7, 4.68) / Ryan Galletto (6-4, 3.09) / Manny Gomez (5-6, 4.30)

#126: LOSS 3-13 ... every pitcher gave up more runs than innings pitched, quite a feat...Hunter blithely keeps hitting, 3-for-5 today
#127: WIN 5-4 ... so, so close: we give up four in the eighth inning but a last-second appeal to Cthulhu saves the day...for now
#128: LOSS 5-7 ... with a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the 7th, I duck out early..."What a fool I was"

Man oh man, is karma this nasty? And yet, as I keep saying, much to my amazement: Oakland is boffing it up too, and we're still just two games behind them. And 7.5 behind the Tigers in the wild card race, while just three up on the Marlins. Oh boy.... Ian Albring, brought up two weeks ago, has given up no runs. In just two appearances. Meanwhile, Jay "8.18 ERA in August" Yates keeps getting trotted out there like he's got blackmail photos on us. Is there a "use never" button to push?.... ELSEWHERE: Up 7-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the 41-win Washington Nationals, desperate for something fun to talk about, say "naah" to that and pull pitcher Antonio Morales with two outs while he's pitching a no-hitter. They do win the game, but not before his replacements give up six hits and five runs.... Don't look now, but both Brooklyn (one playoff app in 17 seasons) and New Orleans (zero in six) are both in the playoff hunt. I expect both to miss, somehow, and give the Cubs yet another one-and-done wild card playoff appearance.

......

Any racing fans out there? F1 in particular? Ever see your favorite team just look like rank amateurs during pit stops? (Ferrari pre-Schumacher were the gold standard for this, for example.) Some nights I look down at the dugout during the late innings and I swear I can almost hear the hamster wheels turning in my coaches heads.

11-22-2017, 04:56 PM	#96
Bub13 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 748	August 14-16 vs BALTIMORE A 15-9 July hasn't helped the Orioles get out of the basement, as they're still tied with the Yankees at 55-63, 16 games behind Toronto. Team defense is 2nd, and they've hit 161 home runs, 5th in the AL. Everything else is subpar: 15th in AVG (although 9th in runs, probably due to all those HR), 12th in runs against. Four starters have topped 20 HR, led by catcher Juan Jimenez with 34. Also consider Ayahito Yoshimoto, a former Islander prospect who has the lovely combo of an elite curveball with horrible overall movement. He's given up 34 HR in 107 IP this year, 2.9 HR/9. HAW pitchers: Jim Kieffer (8-7, 4.72) / Rob Hart (6-4, 3.86) / Leon Casillas (11-8, 3.67) BAL pitchers: Miguel Moreno (11-9, 4.35) / Adam Branch (8-5, 2.72) / Ayahito Yoshimoto (2-12, 6.46) #120: LOSS 3-5 ... it's all on Kieffer this time, but we blow another lead, and suffer another injury...Baltimore managed just 5 hits #121: WIN 8-4 ... Hart yields just 2 ER, and Hunter has 3 hits, Groff 2...McArthur knocks a 2-run HR in his return to the lineup #122: LOSS 4-11 ... Casillas gives up 9 runs in 2.1 innings...we manage 0 home runs off the long ball gift machine that is Yoshimoto We're now 4-10 in August, including 2-9 against teams with losing records.... McGowan suffers a concussion in the first game, is on the shelf for two weeks. That's six players on the DL currently, although two of them were suffered before the season, and weren't regulars, so maybe they shouldn't count.... We're now 14th in runs against; it's hard to believe we were top five earlier this season. It's also hard to believe that we're still in a playoff wildcard spot, if the season ended today. Magically, we're also just 3 games behind the A's.... ELSEWHERE: Pittsburgh is still in first place, but is 5-9 this month, and losing players faster than us: All-Stars Mike Blough and Jordan Shields are dtd for weeks, All-Star Brendan Glenn is out for the season, and three pitchers are also on the shelf. August 17-19 vs NY YANKEES The Yankees are part of the logjam at the bottom of the AL East, with just 1.5 games separating the bottom four teams. Currently, they're 57-63, in fourth place; let's see if we can't help them out a bit, eh? Injuries have killed them too: six batters are either on the DL or playing through moderate/major dtd plights. That's just killed their hitting, putting them in the bottom quarter of nearly every category, and forcing them to put a .192 hitter in the leadoff slot. Pitching has been average, but the one-time big spenders refused to re-sign star SP Tony Villarreul (who went to the hated Red Sox), and attendence has dropped well below last year's lowlight, from 29K to 23K per game. They're getting badly outdrawn by the Mets (43K), who are actually good, something the Yanks haven't been in over a decade. (The last time they had consecutive playoff appearances? 2020-22, all wild cards.) HAW pitchers: Billy Heine (10-6, 3.87) / Eric Jones (7-6, 4.62) / Jim Kieffer (8-8, 4.77) NYY pitchers: Pat Teer (7-7, 3.84) / Daniel Brooke (3-2, 5.21) / Rafael Aragon (0-0, 2.42) #123: WIN 8-3 ... Mercedes FINALLY hits his 40th, Wiggins his 1st, and for once we make a game look easy...except: Heine injured, pending diagnosis #124: WIN 10-1 ... Hunter with 3 hits, including his 45th double...Jones makes his monthly stellar start, and Groff suffers a dtd injury #125: WIN 5-4 ... Kieffer Ks 12, the bullpen snuffs a late rally, and we even score two in the eighth to send everyone home happy Quite shocking, really. Plus, more good news: Heine's and Groff's injuries are just dtd and nearly over. Phew.... Mercedes now has 40 HR, 100 RBI, neither a career high (he had 45/102 with the White Sox in 2035).... btw, Casillas' career high ERA prior to this season? his rookie season of 2032, when it was 3.48.... ELSEWHERE: Pitchers get pulled so fast these days that you never see anyone lead the league with, say, more than 3 shutouts. Two is the usual number. Which makes Gary Florence's year so special: he just tossed his seventh shutout, which is a freaking miracle really. He also still has a decision in every start: 25 starts, 19-6 record.... Pittsburgh has lost five straight, and their lead over the Cubs is down to a single game. August 20-22 @ BOSTON Off to Fenway to face the perennially cranky Sox (although they're up to "Unhappy" now, somehow), who must just manufacture reasons to be bitter. Yes, they're 58-64, and their bottom-tier hitting has been, oh, let's call it "problematic." And yes, they've wasted excellent efforts by their pitching staff, in particular the above-mentioned Tony Villaruel, who's 15-6 with a 3.86 ERA and 208 strikeouts. (The less said about the other off-season big bucks signing, Japan's Kaz Matsuoka, the better. He lasted 11 starts, with a 5.67 ERA, and may miss the start of next season with a blown out ulnar nerve.) Still, you're ahead of the Yankees, so quit griping. HAW pitchers: Rob Hart (7-4, 3.72) / Leon Casillas (11-9, 4.10) / Billy Heine (10-6, 3.82) BOS pitchers: Robby Liantonio (5-7, 4.68) / Ryan Galletto (6-4, 3.09) / Manny Gomez (5-6, 4.30) #126: LOSS 3-13 ... every pitcher gave up more runs than innings pitched, quite a feat...Hunter blithely keeps hitting, 3-for-5 today #127: WIN 5-4 ... so, so close: we give up four in the eighth inning but a last-second appeal to Cthulhu saves the day...for now #128: LOSS 5-7 ... with a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the 7th, I duck out early..."What a fool I was" Man oh man, is karma this nasty? And yet, as I keep saying, much to my amazement: Oakland is boffing it up too, and we're still just two games behind them. And 7.5 behind the Tigers in the wild card race, while just three up on the Marlins. Oh boy.... Ian Albring, brought up two weeks ago, has given up no runs. In just two appearances. Meanwhile, Jay "8.18 ERA in August" Yates keeps getting trotted out there like he's got blackmail photos on us. Is there a "use never" button to push?.... ELSEWHERE: Up 7-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the 41-win Washington Nationals, desperate for something fun to talk about, say "naah" to that and pull pitcher Antonio Morales with two outs while he's pitching a no-hitter. They do win the game, but not before his replacements give up six hits and five runs.... Don't look now, but both Brooklyn (one playoff app in 17 seasons) and New Orleans (zero in six) are both in the playoff hunt. I expect both to miss, somehow, and give the Cubs yet another one-and-done wild card playoff appearance. ...... Any racing fans out there? F1 in particular? Ever see your favorite team just look like rank amateurs during pit stops? (Ferrari pre-Schumacher were the gold standard for this, for example.) Some nights I look down at the dugout during the late innings and I swear I can almost hear the hamster wheels turning in my coaches heads.