2016 Official Major League Baseball Thread

[Doc Holliday]

I just checked Stub Hub and the cheapest seats for tomorrow night's Jays-Orioles game is $136 and they are way up there

I was in Toronto last year for their entire home series against Texas and i wound up watching the game on tv since i didn't feel like overpaying or falling mercy to the ticket sellers. I must admit that i did regret not attending the last game where Bautista hit his memorable homerun to give the Jays the lead.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Dave Stewart, Chip Hale Fired By Diamondbacks

Is it their fault that Zach Greinke did not pitch well and Shelby Miller was a total bust? You can't fire the players, so someone else has to go:

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-manager-chip-hale-fired-arizona-diamondbacks

 

[EagerBeaver]

Marlins Fire Bonds As Hitting Coach

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17708060/miami-marlins-fire-barry-bonds-hitting-coach-1-season

 

[hungry101]

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17708060/miami-marlins-fire-barry-bonds-hitting-coach-1-season

LOL...I like what Al Kaline said about hitting coaches. He said a hitting coach is like having your own private cheerleader. He laughed about a hitting coach making any real difference with a professional baseball player and he said "Shame on you. Shame-shame on you if you are a major leaguer and believe that you need a hitting coach."

I believe this. If the guy gets tot he majors than there is probably some minor tinkering they can do and confidence building and maybe give out a few tips but the time for aggressive coaching has passed.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jays win in dramatic fashion and are off to Texas!!

What a game last night!!! What a blast by star Edwin Encarnacion to send the Orioles home!!!

I still can't believe that possibly the league's top reliever (and pitcher?) Zack Britton wasn't put into the game by Buck Showalter and he chose to go with Ubaldo Jiminez instead, but that's baseball!

It should be quite a series between the two rivals....Toronto vs. Texas. These are two teams who truly dislike one another!

 

[hungry101]

That was great. I was rooting for your team Doc. What an atmosphere.

The Britton thing was puzzling to the talking heads on MLB after the game. I agree. Because of this stupid thought process the best reliever in the American League does not get into the post season. If these coaches are going to follow a formula so strict why even waste money on them? Just have lap top or something that looks like a stock ticker that tells you what to do.

I guess you guys know how I feel about the Save stat as the worst stat in baseball so i won't go on. I would have put Britton in after the 2nd hit. He would have pitched until he was tired in this situation.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Although Zach Britton was a lights out closer, he is lefthanded and that part of the Jays batting order features a succession of extremely difficult and powerful right handed hitters all in a row. However I was surprised Britton did not get in the game at all. He could have been used up to 2 innings. I find it hard to second guess Buck Showalter as he is easily among the best 5 managers on baseball and has proven this over many years with different teams.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Totally Agree!

Toronto is a hockey town first and foremost but wow what atmosphere for all the Jays playoff games past and future, incredible.

Imagine a Leafs Stanley Cup game however, the pandamonium would cause a earthquake!


GO JAYS GO!

That was great. I was routing for your team Doc. What an atmosphere. .

 

[hungry101]

Although Zach Britton was a lights out closer, he is lefthanded and that part of the Jays batting order features a succession of extremely difficult and powerful right handed hitters all in a row. However I was surprised Britton did not get in the game at all. He could have been used up to 2 innings. I find it hard to second guess Buck Showalter as he is easily among the best 5 managers on baseball and has proven this over many years with different teams.

It is so easy to 2nd guess these guys. But we are left with a situation where arguably the best pitcher in the game didn't get in the game. If he is a closer (remember I hate that role) it doesn't matter which hand they are batting because that doesn't seem to matter for the closer. No one has a closer for right-handed batters and another for lefties. I do believe in match-ups but this guy is lights out. He needs to pitch in the post-season, no?

 

[EagerBeaver]

I would not have used Britton in that situation but perhaps to start the 9th inning and then for 2 innings. I am only speculating as to the reasons why Showalter did not use him in that spot, because he is more assiduous in left on left and right on right matchups than most managers. Showalter obviously hoped to get a lead and then use him to get the save, which in hindsight was not the correct strategy.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I really like the pitching matchup tonight of Madison Bumgarner, who is no Bum, against Noah Syndegaard. Two of the best pitchers in the NL. In games like this each team has to scratch for runs. Mets manager made the right call in starting Loney at 1st base over Lucas Duda. Although Duda has the more powerful bat, neither of these guys is gonna hit Bumgarner, so go with the better glove in Loney. This game could be another nailbiter.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Andrew Miller Defends Showalter

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...re-orioles-manager-buck-showalter-knows-doing

 

[EagerBeaver]

The Giants have not touched Noah Syndegaard tonight through 6 innings, one single and virtually no contact. Total dominance, but Bumgarner has matched zeroes even without the same dominance. This is exactly the game I thought we would have, with both teams fighting to even sniff a run.

Was glad to see Granderson make a great catch in CF to end the top of the 6th. He is a class act, has played well in NY for both Yankees and Mets and one of the few players who actually gets away with living in Manhattan and going out in the city. Nobody recognizes him for some reason.

 

[hungry101]

He broke into the league with the Tigers and played 6 years with them and only 4 years for the Yankees. I see him as a Tiger. Nice kid.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Totally Agree!

Toronto is a hockey town first and foremost but wow what atmosphere for all the Jays playoff games past and future, incredible.

Imagine a Leafs Stanley Cup game however, the pandamonium would cause a earthquake!


GO JAYS GO!

I agree. But considering the current demographics, Toronto is barely hanging by a thread to be still considered a hockey town first. Toronto is now a largely immigrant-based population and the majority of them never grew up with hockey or baseball. Basketball & soccer have risen in local popularity. It now seems that you see as many Raptors jerseys around Toronto as you see Jays or Leafs jerseys. The Raptors are among the league leaders in attendance year after year. I'm not a big soccer fan, but BMO Field seems fairly full every game i happen to check out. As for the Jays, they're Canada's team, not just Toronto's team. It seems there are as many Jays fans when they play in cities such as Seattle, Cleveland, Detroit and Minnesota. Many when they play in Boston, NY and Baltimore. It's the only team in MLB that represents an entire country.

I don't expect the Jays to get past Texas, but i'm still pulling for them: "GO JAYS!!!" :thumb:

 

[EagerBeaver]

The Raptors have a good team. They beat the Golden State Warriors in a preaseason game last week- a game in which Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson all started and played good minutes. Dwayne Casey has done a nice job with that team.

Getting back to baseball last night's game showed the flip side to the Buck Showalter controversy: the Mets put their closer into the game in a non-save situation, he clearly didn't have his command almost from the start, and then you can't take him out because a guy who has saved 51 games must be allowed to finish what he started because that is what he does. And I could see Familia was off and perhaps rusty, because he didn't seem to know where the ball was going. And I knew something bad was going to happen because they couldn't relieve him and he was fighting himself out there and then it just ended with one bad pitch. And what a stud, horse-like shutout from Bumgarner. I love Bumgarner in terms of he is a David Wells- like horse, you just get on and ride and enjoy the ride.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Grrrrrrrrrreat game in Cleveland tonight, didn't see much of it but the good guys won. Tuned in just in time to see dusty pedroia mad about a correct call by the ump to end the game, priceless!

 

[EagerBeaver]

Beer Tossing Jays Fan Charged With Criminal Mischief

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...f-allegedly-tossing-beer-orioles-hyun-soo-kim

 

[Doc Holliday]

Beer Tossing Jays Fan Charged With Criminal Mischief

I saw that this morning. I've met this person in the past. However, i don't believe they charged the right person. I've seen other video which appears to show a blond girl throwing that beer onto the field. And there's more video showing the same person throw another beer onto the field right after Encarnacion hit his game-winning homerun.

I've also seen a picture of Pagan holding a glass of beer and he's claimed all along that he did drink beer during the game, but that he drank it from a glass.

The wrong person may have been charged in this incident.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Doc,

This is a case where a statement will be made. I am guessing that the culprit who is identified as the offender will have his or her attendance privileges terminated permanently as part of the resolution. MLB will monitor the prosecution as an interested party and be asked to be kept informed by the prosecutor of any proposed deals. You can't allow fans to throw things at players especially when they are in the process of fielding a live ball.