I think he meant more so how ryan dempster has pitched in the American League in his career. Have you seen it? "It aint purrty"
2013 Official Major League Baseball Thread.
- Thread starter Special K
- Start date
Yes, he has been consistent. And he was consistently throwing between 94-95. Now he's consistently at 89-90. That's what has the press (and Sabathia himself) freaking out.
You mean like Justin Masterson who they torched for five runs the other day? Or perhaps you mean David Price who they knocked out in the third inning last week. I suppose this dynamic is what has the Sox third in the league in runs scored. That's the difference between us DD. I look things up before saying foolish things.
I suppose you're referring to the five consecutive years where his ERA was between 3.01 and 3.85. That's the difference between us DD. I look things up before saying foolish things.
Dempster has started 22 games in the American League and allowed less than three runs or less 13 times. Inconsistent yes, but he keeps his teams in games. And, of course, unlike the fading Sabathia, Dempster is his team's number 4 pitcher.
By the way, DD, I've been saying all season that the Yankees have been doing it with smoke and mirrors. Now George King, who watches them every day, home and away, says exactly the same thing. No comment from you. Why am I not surprised.
Lol, rumps. You look things up, not.
Let's look at Sabathia, who you say is pitching like dog shit (your words) and Lackey.
Sabathia has pitched 72.2 innings this year and has an ERA of 3.96. His career ERA is 3.52. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/4553/cc-sabathia
Lackey on the other hand has pitched only 39.2 innings this year while he has an ERA of 2.72. However, Lackey has a career ERA of 4.07. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/5203/john-lackey
Putting this together rumps, Lackey has a higher career ERA 4.07 than Sabathia has so far this year, 3.96.
So there you have it rumps. Sabathia this year has pitched better than Lackey all of his pathetic career.
Looks like you have egg, sorry, I mean dog shit on your face as usual, rumps.
I look things up before I post, rumps. :lol::lol::lol:
Well, the Yankees have been winning games. And they have been doing it with their second string, so to say. It can only be a tribute to hustle, guts and determination and good managing. You have to credit the players they have for winning. I am not sure what King means by smoke and mirrors. Magic?
You sure do, DD. You look things up, cite the irrelevant, and post them without thinking.
I cited Lackey's five best years, before he was injured and after he'd established himself in the big leagues. You ignored that, in similar fashion to which you ignored the facts in your signature. At least you're consistent, remarkably so.
And what doe's Sabathia's year this year have to do with Lackey's entire career? Absolutely nothing, another fact you choose to ignore. You do like to compare apples and oranges, again, just like you did in your signature. At least you're consistent, remarkably so.
DD, you are correct with this comment, but I would also add in very good pitching. In the history of baseball we have seen teams that were not all that great offensively win with hustle, guts, and a heavy dose of good pitching. Perhaps the primest example would be the 1969 Mets. This is a team that had HOFers Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan, a HOF manager in Gil Hodges and a most unimpressive offense. I believe Cleon Jones was their only .300 hitter. In a famous incident during the summer of 1969, Hodges benched Cleon Jones mid-inning for not hustling after a ball in a rain-slickened outfield. What Hodges did was walked out to left field, and walked back to the dugout with Jones. It's never happened in baseball since then to my knowledge. Jones later said his "feet were hurting" and that is why he did not go all out after the ball. Major league managers today are pussies and they would never have the balls to do what Hodges did. But Hodges sent a message to the team that no stat can quantify: if you want to play, then you better play with pride, hustle, guts and determination. The rest of that season the Mets busted their asses and in the World Series their outfielders made one spectacular catch after another, and they were all due to all out hustle.
Girardi has instilled the same philosophy using more subtle methods. One thing that is incurring the wrath of some Yankees fans is that Girardi has a tendency to over-reward hustle and grit. For example, Chercherfemmes has mentioned to me, and I agree, that Girardi has way overplayed Jayson Nix. This is due to a man-crush on the overwhelming amount of grit that this backup type talent plays with. However Reid Brignac has the better glove yet he did not play at all this weekend while Nix started at shortstop. In situations like this sometimes the GM has to step in and release the overplayed player, but Cashman has some of the same values as Girardi. They are attracted to players with high character and high PGD quotients. That is why Wells, Overbay and Hafner were all acquired and why it should not be a surprise that all have performed well.
Last edited:
Results that conflict with the underlying performance by the players. King, like most intelligent followers of the game, knows that the Yankees need to step up their individual performances significantly if they hope to maintain the level of their results. That's what smoke and mirrors means.
BTW, have you noticed that Vernon Wells has turned back into Vernon Wells? .911 in April .647 in May, with an astonishing .261 on base percentage.
Absolutely, the same pride, guts and determination they've used in the playoffs in the 21st century.
Hello Gentlemen,
Wow, if I didn't know this was the sports thread I'd think it was crying about a bad couples breakup by one member. You should go back and look at the litany of dirty insults you've hurled mr. insult virgin. You're incredibly disconnected from what you do and say.
(AIMDA expected)
Q: Who's in first in the AL East?
A. the Boston Red Sox
Alfredo Aceves:
When I heard Clay Buchholz was going to be out briefly with some soreness and Aceves was coming up to replace him I thought it was the worse trade-off I had heard of in years. Then Alfredo, with an MLB ERA over 8.5, goes and throws 6 innings giving up only 1 run. That's 10 wins in the last 13 games. To top it off, after the Yankees performed wonderfully with many injured starters since the beginning of the year, their great up and coming reliever Robertson blows a save for the team. Ohhhhhhhh, the Yankee gods are not happy with him.
Also, yeah it's a very small sample, but if Ellsburys last couple of games are any sign of a break out back to his potential production this race is going to get very interesting.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/aceves-delivers-bostons-9-3-024702228--mlb.html
BOSTON (AP) -- Alfredo Aceves only got another chance to start for the Boston Red Sox because Clay Buchholz woke up feeling soreness in his shoulder.
He may have earned himself another turn in the rotation.
Aceves (2-1) held the Phillies to one run over six innings in his best outing of the year, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 on Monday night.
''He took tonight as an opportunity to make an impression,'' Red Sox manager John Farrell said. ''He made a solid one. It's a night-and-day difference.''
Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli homered in the first inning as Boston jumped out to an early lead off Tyler Cloyd (1-1) and coasted to victory. Jacoby Ellsbury had hits in each of the first three innings to help the Red Sox earn their fourth consecutive victory and their 10th in the last 13 games.
Ellsbury also chased down Freddy Galvis' line drive to deep center field with the bases loaded in the sixth to end the inning and protect an 8-1 lead
''In this ballpark, when you're down four, maybe five runs, there's still a chance. But when it's 8-1, it's in another zone,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ''The ball Freddy hit when it was 8-1 might have gotten us close, but the guy made a pretty nice play on it.''
Aceves was sent to the minors after allowing seven runs in an April 23 start against Oakland that ballooned his ERA to 8.66. But he was sent back to the mound on Monday because Buchholz had irritation in his shoulder and collar bone from sleeping awkwardly on his side.
Farrell would not say whether Aceves will get another turn in the rotation, but Buchholz is expected to miss only a few days and Franklin Morales is eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday.
continued...
BTW...speaking of the Sox game on Sunday, when you send 8 batters up while down three runs in the 9th and every batter makes an important contribution...IT'S NOT LUCK...it's working the pitcher with skill.
Cheers,
Merlot
Wow, if I didn't know this was the sports thread I'd think it was crying about a bad couples breakup by one member. You should go back and look at the litany of dirty insults you've hurled mr. insult virgin. You're incredibly disconnected from what you do and say.
(AIMDA expected)
Q: Who's in first in the AL East?
A. the Boston Red Sox
Alfredo Aceves:
When I heard Clay Buchholz was going to be out briefly with some soreness and Aceves was coming up to replace him I thought it was the worse trade-off I had heard of in years. Then Alfredo, with an MLB ERA over 8.5, goes and throws 6 innings giving up only 1 run. That's 10 wins in the last 13 games. To top it off, after the Yankees performed wonderfully with many injured starters since the beginning of the year, their great up and coming reliever Robertson blows a save for the team. Ohhhhhhhh, the Yankee gods are not happy with him.
Also, yeah it's a very small sample, but if Ellsburys last couple of games are any sign of a break out back to his potential production this race is going to get very interesting.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/aceves-delivers-bostons-9-3-024702228--mlb.html
BOSTON (AP) -- Alfredo Aceves only got another chance to start for the Boston Red Sox because Clay Buchholz woke up feeling soreness in his shoulder.
He may have earned himself another turn in the rotation.
Aceves (2-1) held the Phillies to one run over six innings in his best outing of the year, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 on Monday night.
''He took tonight as an opportunity to make an impression,'' Red Sox manager John Farrell said. ''He made a solid one. It's a night-and-day difference.''
Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli homered in the first inning as Boston jumped out to an early lead off Tyler Cloyd (1-1) and coasted to victory. Jacoby Ellsbury had hits in each of the first three innings to help the Red Sox earn their fourth consecutive victory and their 10th in the last 13 games.
Ellsbury also chased down Freddy Galvis' line drive to deep center field with the bases loaded in the sixth to end the inning and protect an 8-1 lead
''In this ballpark, when you're down four, maybe five runs, there's still a chance. But when it's 8-1, it's in another zone,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ''The ball Freddy hit when it was 8-1 might have gotten us close, but the guy made a pretty nice play on it.''
Aceves was sent to the minors after allowing seven runs in an April 23 start against Oakland that ballooned his ERA to 8.66. But he was sent back to the mound on Monday because Buchholz had irritation in his shoulder and collar bone from sleeping awkwardly on his side.
Farrell would not say whether Aceves will get another turn in the rotation, but Buchholz is expected to miss only a few days and Franklin Morales is eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday.
continued...
BTW...speaking of the Sox game on Sunday, when you send 8 batters up while down three runs in the 9th and every batter makes an important contribution...IT'S NOT LUCK...it's working the pitcher with skill.
Cheers,
Merlot
Sox suck, Yanks suck, Jays suck, Rays rule......
That's my baseball report for this week. Thank you. :amen:
That's my baseball report for this week. Thank you. :amen:
Just wait until Santos(best slider in all of baseball I am told), Reyes(batting champ just two short years ago) and Johnson who are all supposed to come back soon, this team will rock and roll and you will be singing a different tune, this team is just starting to find it's groove, meanwhile another "Lights Out" performance by Kuroda tonight in New York, could surprise everybody and win the CY this year, no glaring controversies surrounding this guy that's for sure.
Also, Buchholz is right on schedule and is starting to breakdown as predicted/expected, I swear, the guy is made out of plastic.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...tebook_id=48885320&vkey=notebook_bos&c_id=bos
He'll be back just in time to shut down the light hitting Yanks and shaky Mariano! Hahahaha.
Both the Phillies' pitchers and hitters are better than they are performing.
Don't you understand that players and teams collectively can under perform? Blue Jays are under performing so far this season.
Players are not robots. I think rumps you think players are robots. Players and teams have slumps and hot streaks. And these slumps and hot streaks can last a few weeks or months. My opinion is on paper, the Phillies have a decent team whose players are under performing.
You're right, players are not robots. In fact, like other humans, they get old. The Phillies had a nice run, but now they're old. When they get old, they are more likely to get injured. Roy Halladay. Chase Utley. Ryan Howard. These guys were very good players, but they're not any more. The Phillies are done. They'll be sellers at the break.
Last edited by a moderator:
Chase Utley is 34. Ryan Howard is 33. Michael Young is 36. Jimmy Rollins is 34. Dominic Brown is 25. Ben Revere is 25. Delmon Young is 27.
Some are older, getting old and some are young.
I was told that decline in muscle mass can start at age 25 but really substantial decline starts around age 40. Athletes can be competitive in their 30s.
Some are older, getting old and some are young.
I was told that decline in muscle mass can start at age 25 but really substantial decline starts around age 40. Athletes can be competitive in their 30s.
Yes, athletes can be competitive in their 30s, though it varies tremendously by sport. It has, however, been proven that the prime of a baseball player's career typically run between 27-30.
As for the guys you mention, Chase Utley has been diminished by a long series of injuries and is back on the DL. Ryan Howard suffered a severe achilles injury late in 2011 and still hasn't completely recovered; players of his body type typically don't play well into their mid and late 30s. Jimmy Rollins is an oft-injured shortstop who is, as you say, 34. Shortstops typically diminish early, Derek Jeter notwithstanding. Dominic Brown was a top prospect, just starting to live up to his billing. Ben Revere is a fine, fine defensive player; he's never hit in the major leagues or minor leagues. There's no reason to think he will now. Delmon Young sucks as a baseball player, has always sucked as a baseball player, and likely always will. He's one of the great disappointments of the last ten years.
The fact that the Phillies suck as an offensive team comes as no surprise. That Roy Halladay may have seen his best years compounds the Phillies decline.
As for the guys you mention, Chase Utley has been diminished by a long series of injuries and is back on the DL. Ryan Howard suffered a severe achilles injury late in 2011 and still hasn't completely recovered; players of his body type typically don't play well into their mid and late 30s. Jimmy Rollins is an oft-injured shortstop who is, as you say, 34. Shortstops typically diminish early, Derek Jeter notwithstanding. Dominic Brown was a top prospect, just starting to live up to his billing. Ben Revere is a fine, fine defensive player; he's never hit in the major leagues or minor leagues. There's no reason to think he will now. Delmon Young sucks as a baseball player, has always sucked as a baseball player, and likely always will. He's one of the great disappointments of the last ten years.
The fact that the Phillies suck as an offensive team comes as no surprise. That Roy Halladay may have seen his best years compounds the Phillies decline.
The real definition of pride, guts and determination: Dustin Pedroia. Pedey's been playing with a torn UCL in his thumb all season.
From Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald
The Red Sox played Game No. 53 last night.
Same with Dustin Pedroia.
Given what we now know about what Pedroia has been dealing with since the first game of the season — a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb — last night could have been Game No. 2 for Pedroia.
For most players, it would have been and should have been No. 2. A torn UCL in the thumb takes about eight weeks to heal.
Last night marked the beginning of the ninth week of the season.
To Pedroia, the idea of missing April and most of May with an injury he considers nothing more than a flesh wound was repugnant.
So was hearing that his previously unknown injury was going to become public knowledge.
“People shouldn’t know if you’re 100 percent or not. It is what it is, and it’s my responsibility to perform well,’’ Pedroia said before taking his usual spot at second base against the Phillies. “My mindset is if I’m nicked up, I have to find other ways to perform. That’s the way I think about it. Maybe I’m crazy.’’
Pedroia did not make the best baseball decision of his career in the ninth inning of Opening Day on April 1 at Yankee Stadium, where he slid headfirst into first base in the ninth inning with the Red Sox up by six runs. He jammed his thumb on the bag and the next day had an MRI. It revealed more than a nick.
Pedroia said he was told he had a complete tear of the UCL, although it was impossible to say if it was a pre-existing tear or the result of that slide. The soreness and discoloration were real, however. Doctors told Pedroia he could play through the injury if he could withstand the symptoms and that he would not risk doing long-term damage.
The first part of the equation was easy for Pedroia. Once he heard the second part, the decision entered no-brainer territory.
“Yeah, I’m smarter than a lot of people think I am,’’ Pedroia said. “I understood. You go and come back in eight weeks — that’s a lot of ballgames without one of the team’s best players, so my job’s to go out there and do the best job I can to help the team win. That’s the way I look at things.’’
Principal owner John Henry recalled how distraught he was when he heard the news of the complete tear.
“It would have taken the heart and soul out of that club on Opening Day,’’ Henry said. “We already had lost (David Ortiz) and we didn’t know when he was coming back. It just meant so much to that club to have Dustin in the lineup every day.’’
Henry was well aware of the magnitude of the injury news. He knew that as bad as the impact to the team was on so many levels, the long-term health of Pedroia meant more.
He tried to make sure Pedroia understood there was nothing wrong with taking the conservative route in order to allow the thumb time to heal.
“I had two or three talks with him during the time about what he should do. I kept talking about it’s a long season and he kept talking about not missing a game,’’ Henry said. “The guy played through the pain, through the swelling, the discoloration. He played through it, and no one ever knew. And he’s hit what, .330?’’
General manager Ben Cherington mentioned that Pedroia played through a broken finger at the end of last year, so what happened this time around is not necessarily an aberration. Still, he appreciates what it means.
“It’s a great credit to Dustin’s character, his toughness and his commitment that he didn’t want to miss a single inning and was able to do that and ultimately played very well,’’ Cherington said.
It’s impossible to say if the thumb injury has been behind a slight drop in Pedroia’s power numbers. His slugging percentage heading into last night was at .448, 30 points higher than it was through his first 53 games last year but 12 points below his career average. He had five home runs at this point last season, and he has three now.
He has raised his slugging percentage 60 points since the beginning of the month and has hit two of his three home runs in the past two weeks.
“You could speculate that’s why his power is down, or that he’s not driving the ball as much. The thumb may not be painful, but there could be some mild instability,’’ said Chris Geary, chief of sports medicine at Tufts.
For a right-handed hitter, left thumb instability is not necessarily the worst spot for such an injury as far as bat grip is concerned. Still, the possibility exists that Pedroia will need the ligament to be corrected via surgery after the season ends.
Pedroia had as much interest in elaborating about how his injury has affected his swing or the possibility of offseason surgery as he did in letting this story get out.
“It’s a player’s decision to shut it down or play,’’ Pedroia said. “Players play.’’
And Pedroia’s a player.
An everyday player.
From Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald
The Red Sox played Game No. 53 last night.
Same with Dustin Pedroia.
Given what we now know about what Pedroia has been dealing with since the first game of the season — a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb — last night could have been Game No. 2 for Pedroia.
For most players, it would have been and should have been No. 2. A torn UCL in the thumb takes about eight weeks to heal.
Last night marked the beginning of the ninth week of the season.
To Pedroia, the idea of missing April and most of May with an injury he considers nothing more than a flesh wound was repugnant.
So was hearing that his previously unknown injury was going to become public knowledge.
“People shouldn’t know if you’re 100 percent or not. It is what it is, and it’s my responsibility to perform well,’’ Pedroia said before taking his usual spot at second base against the Phillies. “My mindset is if I’m nicked up, I have to find other ways to perform. That’s the way I think about it. Maybe I’m crazy.’’
Pedroia did not make the best baseball decision of his career in the ninth inning of Opening Day on April 1 at Yankee Stadium, where he slid headfirst into first base in the ninth inning with the Red Sox up by six runs. He jammed his thumb on the bag and the next day had an MRI. It revealed more than a nick.
Pedroia said he was told he had a complete tear of the UCL, although it was impossible to say if it was a pre-existing tear or the result of that slide. The soreness and discoloration were real, however. Doctors told Pedroia he could play through the injury if he could withstand the symptoms and that he would not risk doing long-term damage.
The first part of the equation was easy for Pedroia. Once he heard the second part, the decision entered no-brainer territory.
“Yeah, I’m smarter than a lot of people think I am,’’ Pedroia said. “I understood. You go and come back in eight weeks — that’s a lot of ballgames without one of the team’s best players, so my job’s to go out there and do the best job I can to help the team win. That’s the way I look at things.’’
Principal owner John Henry recalled how distraught he was when he heard the news of the complete tear.
“It would have taken the heart and soul out of that club on Opening Day,’’ Henry said. “We already had lost (David Ortiz) and we didn’t know when he was coming back. It just meant so much to that club to have Dustin in the lineup every day.’’
Henry was well aware of the magnitude of the injury news. He knew that as bad as the impact to the team was on so many levels, the long-term health of Pedroia meant more.
He tried to make sure Pedroia understood there was nothing wrong with taking the conservative route in order to allow the thumb time to heal.
“I had two or three talks with him during the time about what he should do. I kept talking about it’s a long season and he kept talking about not missing a game,’’ Henry said. “The guy played through the pain, through the swelling, the discoloration. He played through it, and no one ever knew. And he’s hit what, .330?’’
General manager Ben Cherington mentioned that Pedroia played through a broken finger at the end of last year, so what happened this time around is not necessarily an aberration. Still, he appreciates what it means.
“It’s a great credit to Dustin’s character, his toughness and his commitment that he didn’t want to miss a single inning and was able to do that and ultimately played very well,’’ Cherington said.
It’s impossible to say if the thumb injury has been behind a slight drop in Pedroia’s power numbers. His slugging percentage heading into last night was at .448, 30 points higher than it was through his first 53 games last year but 12 points below his career average. He had five home runs at this point last season, and he has three now.
He has raised his slugging percentage 60 points since the beginning of the month and has hit two of his three home runs in the past two weeks.
“You could speculate that’s why his power is down, or that he’s not driving the ball as much. The thumb may not be painful, but there could be some mild instability,’’ said Chris Geary, chief of sports medicine at Tufts.
For a right-handed hitter, left thumb instability is not necessarily the worst spot for such an injury as far as bat grip is concerned. Still, the possibility exists that Pedroia will need the ligament to be corrected via surgery after the season ends.
Pedroia had as much interest in elaborating about how his injury has affected his swing or the possibility of offseason surgery as he did in letting this story get out.
“It’s a player’s decision to shut it down or play,’’ Pedroia said. “Players play.’’
And Pedroia’s a player.
An everyday player.
Somewhere, off in an alternate universe far, far away, in the baseball thread on merb.alternateuniverse, Joe.T, the alternate universe Red Sox fan, just announced that the alternate universe Red Sox were just about to acquire the alternate universe Cliff Lee.
Hello everyone,
This thread has gone seriously off the rails and is now closed. I will take a closer look and do some cleaning later today and will re-open the thread at that time. Once the thread is re-opened, any insults or personal attacks will result in a very long suspension. I suggest that some members take a look at a mysterious function that no one seems to bother to use, the IGNORE LIST, and learn to use it.
M8
This thread has gone seriously off the rails and is now closed. I will take a closer look and do some cleaning later today and will re-open the thread at that time. Once the thread is re-opened, any insults or personal attacks will result in a very long suspension. I suggest that some members take a look at a mysterious function that no one seems to bother to use, the IGNORE LIST, and learn to use it.
M8
25 posts have been removed from this thread and I am sure that I could remove may more if I cared enough to take the time to go back further in the thread.
The next insult or personal comment directed at another member in this thread will result in a suspension from the baseball thread for the rest of the year for the offender. The same awaits anyone who attempts to instigate such comments.
Everyone here is supposed to be an adult and as such you should be able to address a member's post without any such comments. If you want to toss shit at each other, start a Free For All thread or go live in the monkey cage at the zoo. Do not do it in this thread.
Thread open for posting.
Mod 8
The next insult or personal comment directed at another member in this thread will result in a suspension from the baseball thread for the rest of the year for the offender. The same awaits anyone who attempts to instigate such comments.
Everyone here is supposed to be an adult and as such you should be able to address a member's post without any such comments. If you want to toss shit at each other, start a Free For All thread or go live in the monkey cage at the zoo. Do not do it in this thread.
Thread open for posting.
Mod 8
Similar threads
