The Official 2018 Major League Baseball Thread

[Tank]

9 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

Lou Malnati's is definitely one of the best pizzas in the US.

While you're out in Chicago, stop by the Purple Pig.  Another excellent place to eat out there.

I'm  vegetarian. Will that matter at the Purple Pig?

[Warfarin]

4 minutes ago, Tank said:

I'm  vegetarian. Will that matter at the Purple Pig?

Oh okay, then never mind.  It's a mediterranean joint, so there are some vegetarian options, but the best decisions involve some kind of seafood/meat.

[Tank]

Thanks for the heads up.

[WeatherWonk]

Classic RS-Yankees battle. This game will be on the other side of 12:30am, and it still may finish in 9 innings.

[Warfarin]

7 minutes ago, WeatherWonk said:

Classic RS-Yankees battle. This game will be on the other side of 12:30am, and it still may finish in 9 innings.

If the Red Sox pull it out, the Yanks will effectively be buried in the AL East.  There's even a chance Oakland could catch and surpass them for WC1.

[Troll Daddy]

6 minutes ago, WeatherWonk said:

Classic RS-Yankees battle. This game will be on the other side of 12:30am, and it still may finish in 9 innings.

You’re not really a baseball fan if you can’t get excited about this rivalry 

great game 

[Lou]

36 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

Oh okay, then never mind.  It's a mediterranean joint, so there are some vegetarian options, but the best decisions involve some kind of seafood/meat.

@Tank hates Mediterraneans

[WeatherWonk]

2 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

You’re not really a baseball fan if you can’t get excited about this rivalry 

great game 

Nothing I said indicated that. The word CLASSIC is golden to me, if you're familiar with my posts.

Yeah, a fan who doesnt care about this matchup, would still be up, at this hour in MDT.................

[Lou]

wow, up at 11:40?

talk about burning the candle at both ends 

[WeatherWonk]

2 minutes ago, Lou said:

wow, up at 11:40?

talk about burning the candle at both ends 

A little math challenged, but not surprising. Does make me look better, though.

Now, go bust those guys, earlier, who continued to talk pizza. Who do they think they are, ex-mods or something?

Hard to figure a bigger error than that rook making a throwing error with two outs in the ninth in a BOS-NYY game. At least a regular season error. He makes that throw and the Yankees win.

 

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, Tank said:

 Had a revelation tonight: Pujols is going to request a trade to the ChiSox, and the deal will happen.

why? I'm in Chicago this week and tonight I met some friends for dinner at Lou Malnatis. Their pizza was insanely good, btw. As I'm talking to my buddy Jeff, behind him on the wall in huge six foot tall letters and bright lights were the following letters

M A N G

it was a clarion moment, as if Lou Malnati himself was extending a personal invite to number five to come to the Windy City. 

Make it happen, eppy. The writings on the wall. 

Plus, Pujols has a dog named Obama.

[tdawg87]

26 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

You’re not really a baseball fan if you can’t get excited about this rivalry 

great game 

I hope both teams die in a plane crash.

Please shut the F*ck up. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

1 hour ago, Warfarin said:

If the Red Sox pull it out, the Yanks will effectively be buried in the AL East.  There's even a chance Oakland could catch and surpass them for WC1.

I watched most of this game (wife is a Yankee fan and there were no other games on). Something was wrong with Aroldis Chapman. He was sweating like no one who had been in the game before. Sweat was literally dripping off the underside of the bill of his cap.

Shane Robinson sighting tonight, in the lineup for New York. Judging from the stat line, raking just like he did here.

[Anaheim Ohtanitrouts]

3 hours ago, WeatherWonk said:

A little math challenged, but not surprising. Does make me look better, though.

Now, go bust those guys, earlier, who continued to talk pizza. Who do they think they are, ex-mods or something?

Hard to figure a bigger error than that rook making a throwing error with two outs in the ninth in a BOS-NYY game. At least a regular season error. He makes that throw and the Yankees win.

 

I thought the throw could have been better but imo it was more on Bird for not digging it. That was a pretty standard play for a ML first baseman, one that I think even marte/valbuena would have made.

[Angel Oracle]

A’th have been stupid good for almost two months now.

Didn’t see that coming.

Treinen and Trivino have a combined 1.05 ERA and sub 1.00 WHIP.   Crazy stat: in 111 innings combined, only FOUR HRs allowed 

Petit has been kicking arse recently, ERA down to 3.10 and WHIP right at 1.00, just like a year ago here.

Dipotos are 9-18 in past 27 games, and lost some 12.5 games to the A’th in less than two months.

They have been 1995’d, just not by the Halos.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

11 hours ago, Warfarin said:

That's the high stakes game Dipoto plays and routinely loses.  He goes all-in to win now at the cost of the future.  If you look at the current "blue bloods" of baseball and see teams that have built perennial contenders (Yankees, Astros, Dodgers, etc), you see teams who invest a ton of money into drafting and developing talent, so that they can be successful now AND in the future too.

Dipoto's Mariners look likely to fall short of the playoffs this year, and since he has traded just about all of their minor league talent, the team is doomed to get progressively worse in future years.  And, to make matters worse .. they just signed him to an extension!

I wouldn't include the Astros in that list. Until 2 or 3 years ago they were terrible for years. The others have large payrolls. So they can afford to keep their farms and buy FA as well as making trades. The A's, and KC, and to some extent the Mariners need to rely mainly on their farms. Once their farms become depleted they will be bad for years.

[Warfarin]

45 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

I wouldn't include the Astros in that list. Until 2 or 3 years ago they were terrible for years. The others have large payrolls. So they can afford to keep their farms and buy FA as well as making trades. The A's, and KC, and to some extent the Mariners need to rely mainly on their farms. Once their farms become depleted they will be bad for years.

I included the Astros as more of a "new" entry into the blue bloods of baseball.  Their CBT entering the season was actually 4th highest of all MLB teams, so I'd say they are certainly spending money.  They have the second best team in baseball AND a top 10 farm system.  They will be a team to be reckoned with for awhile.

[Angelsfan1984]

Athletics designated LHP Jeremy Bleich for assignment.

The move clears a spot for the newly-acquired Mike Fiers on the 40-man roster. Bleich, 31, has made two appearances in the majors this year and owns a 2.91 ERA and 42/11 K/BB ratio over 43 1/3 innings in Triple-A.

 

I wonder if this is someone Billy kicks the tires on?

[Taylor]

31 minutes ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

Athletics designated LHP Jeremy Bleich for assignment.

The move clears a spot for the newly-acquired Mike Fiers on the 40-man roster. Bleich, 31, has made two appearances in the majors this year and owns a 2.91 ERA and 42/11 K/BB ratio over 43 1/3 innings in Triple-A.

 

I wonder if this is someone Billy kicks the tires on?

Can't wait until we all say "Blech!" whenever he comes in.

[Angel Oracle]

He's 31, and milb stats are underwhelming in general, aside from improved control since 2016.

There's others to look at first. 

[m0nkey]

 

[Angel Oracle]

18 minutes ago, m0nkey said:

 

Soto, for a 19 year-old, is having a true rookie season (no previous MLB at bats) for the ages, with a .980 OPS in over 250 PAs so far.  

[m0nkey]

2 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Soto, for a 19 year-old, is having a true rookie season (no previous MLB at bats) for the ages, with a .980 OPS in over 250 PAs so far.  

Best teenage season ever?

[Angel Oracle]

10 minutes ago, m0nkey said:

Best teenage season ever?

If holding up, it would be.    The most recent comparable teenage season was 54 years ago, by 19 year-old Tony Conigliaro (137 OPS+) in 1964.

Soto's OPS+ is currently 166, which would be the highest ever for a teenager. 

[T.G.]

I am loving the Mariners recent struggles, but I hate the idea that the A's are a possible play-off team.  This is really a crappy baseball season.