Good defense is nice, but...

[Glen]

Having only three guys in the lineup hitting is killing us. Kinsler sucks. Cozart sucks. Calhoun sucks. Pujols sucks. Valbuena sucks. Maldonado sucks. Upton sucks. That's a lot of sucking.

I'm looking forward facing some bad pitchers again sometime soon.

Edited April 28, 2018 by Glen

[Docwaukee]

Of qualified players on the team, Pujols has the 3rd highest OPS.  

 

Agree on the suckage going on though.  No margin for error.  

[JustATroutFan]

Looks like quite a few people are now turning on Upton and Calhoun. Remember when everybody were praising these two guys!? Damn, time can change.

[Glen]

10 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

Of qualified players on the team, Pujols has the 3rd highest OPS.  

 

Agree on the suckage going on though.  No margin for error.  

Including Pujols was a knee-jerk reaction. He's sucked the least out of all of them.

[Docwaukee]

why do I have to pretend to be happy about a guy making millions who's hitting below .200?  

sure they're likely to turn things around, but right now it's costing the team wins.  

[101halo]

11 minutes ago, Glen said:

Having only three guys in the lineup hitting is killing us. Kinsler sucks. Cozart sucks. Calhoun sucks. Pujols sucks. Valbuena sucks. Maldonado sucks. Upton sucks. That's a lot of sucking.

I'm looking forward facing some bad pitchers again sometime soon.

I wish we wouldn't use the word "sucks." They are all under performing, but to say they suck kind of implies that they lack talent.

Kinsler and Pujols might continue at this pace due to age. Maldonado isn't being paid for his bat anyway. Valbuena is concerning because last year wasn't up to his standard and is looking more like real decline than injury/fluke. Same with Calhoun. 

Cozart none of us should have assumed last year was going to be 100% replicated (his contract doesn't, either), but I think is just slumping. He started super hot, then went really cold. Reasons for believing he'll snap out of it. 

With Upton my guess is that he's just in a funk. Was fine to end the year last year and had a great year overall. Lots of players struggle first month or two after signing new contracts with a new team. Let's give this one till mid June before we worry TOO much. 

Ohtani, great. Trout = Trout. Simmons looking like his improvement last year might be sustainable. A number of the injured starters from 2017 showing progress, even if slow and throwing too many pitches.

I think there is still reason for optimism, even if it's once again more likely we'll get a wild card spot than the dream of the division we got thanks to the amazing start. And that's fine. 

[Glen]

Jabari Blash is screaming to be called up. Kole needs a DL visit.

[OregonLAA]

I get your point but this was posted on a night where an error led to a run and the closer didn’t do his job

[101halo]

4 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

why do I have to pretend to be happy about a guy making millions who's hitting below .200?  

sure they're likely to turn things around, but right now it's costing the team wins.  

I don't think we have to be happy about it, and Pujols to me is the most concerning because if we don't get a decent bounce closer to 2016 than 2017 it's going to get insanely bad over next 4 years. But most of the rest I think we shouldn't get too low OR too high on as they go through slumps or hot stretches. 

[Docwaukee]

here's something that will piss people off.  If Kole doesn't celebrate his catch and get the ball back to 2b right away, that run doesn't score.  

[101halo]

2 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

here's something that will piss people off.  If Kole doesn't celebrate his catch and get the ball back to 2b right away, that run doesn't score.  

That's very valid and pissed me off too. Also would've been nice if Simmons would've touched 2nd sooner, too. One of the rare times I'd say that Aybar would've made a play Simmons failed to. Aybar always had a nose for those "special/weird" situations like that. 

[Ohtaniland]

3 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

here's something that will piss people off.  If Kole doesn't celebrate his catch and get the ball back to 2b right away, that run doesn't score.  

Yep he had a “look at me, I robbed a home run” mental lapse. 

[Ohtaniland]

3 minutes ago, 101halo said:

That's very valid and pissed me off too. Also would've been nice if Simmons would've touched 2nd sooner, too. One of the rare times I'd say that Aybar would've made a play Simmons failed to. Aybar always had a nose for those "special/weird" situations like that. 

Simmons was trying to just get the third out. He had no idea that Didi slowed up approaching home plate. Missed opportunity for a big win at home. 

[Docwaukee]

Just now, 101halo said:

I don't think we have to be happy about it, and Pujols to me is the most concerning because if we don't get a decent bounce closer to 2016 than 2017 it's going to get insanely bad over next 4 years. But most of the rest I think we shouldn't get too low OR too high on as they go through slumps or hot stretches. 

I don't care about slumps.  I'm a fan.  It's not my job to be patient and understanding.  I root for the team to win.  I get annoyed when they don't.  Especially when they should have.  

You play professional sports and make 8.5 mil per year?  you rock a .415 ops through your first 100 at bats?  I pay money to see the games?   You want a little slack?  fine.  I'll give you a week.  You want any more than that and you can pay my cable bill.  

[101halo]

5 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I don't care about slumps.  I'm a fan.  It's not my job to be patient and understanding.  I root for the team to win.  I get annoyed when they don't.  Especially when they should have.  

You play professional sports and make 8.5 mil per year?  you rock a .415 ops through your first 100 at bats?  I pay money to see the games?   You want a little slack?  fine.  I'll give you a week.  You want any more than that and you can pay my cable bill.  

I appreciate and share your passion, if I didn't I wouldn't follow the team as it'd be a massive waste of time. One of the things that it took me a LONG time to come to terms with is how damn streaky the sport is. Mike freaking Trout batted .237 last September when we still had a wild card chance (yeah, I didn't quote his OPS after I realized it was still 890, ha).

Point being, weird shit happens in baseball. Reggie Willits looked like an All Star leadoff guy for 400 PA in his rookie year. Giavotella looked like an answer long term at 2B for a while. Josh Hamilton looked toast after his first 50 PA. And then his next 600 PA (OK, bad example, ha). 

Weird for me to try to play the role of level-headed-turn-the-page guy, I'm usually pretty high strung. But, in this case, I think we've all gotten both too high AND too low so far this year (myself included). 

[stormngt]

36 minutes ago, Glen said:

Jabari Blash is screaming to be called up. Kole needs a DL visit.

And the Yankees would have had two or three more runs tonight.

[stormngt]

36 minutes ago, OregonLAA said:

I get your point but this was posted on a night where an error led to a run and the closer didn’t do his job

And the ump may haven them a run.

[101halo]

2 minutes ago, stormngt said:

And the Yankees would have had two or three more runs tonight.

Probably true. Would've been nice to have him at the plate instead of Valbuena to replace Ohtani, though. 

[stormngt]

28 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I don't care about slumps.  I'm a fan.  It's not my job to be patient and understanding.  I root for the team to win.  I get annoyed when they don't.  Especially when they should have.  

You play professional sports and make 8.5 mil per year?  you rock a .415 ops through your first 100 at bats?  I pay money to see the games?   You want a little slack?  fine.  I'll give you a week.  You want any more than that and you can pay my cable bill.  

At least your honest.

[stormngt]

1 minute ago, 101halo said:

Probably true. Would've been nice to have him at the plate instead of Valbuena to replace Ohtani, though. 

Ok I am confused.  Are you saying you would have preferred Calhoun to replace Ohtani? Or are you referring to Marte?

[Glen]

6 minutes ago, stormngt said:

And the Yankees would have had two or three more runs tonight.

And we might have too.

[stormngt]

Just now, Glen said:

And we might have too.

Fair enough

[101halo]

39 minutes ago, stormngt said:

Ok I am confused.  Are you saying you would have preferred Calhoun to replace Ohtani? Or are you referring to Marte?

I was agreeing with you about Blash, would've been a downgrade defensively tonight but would've loved to see him PH. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

Upton is hurting us, but he'll wake up. Cozart likely isnt last year, but im willing to give him a little rope with the league change and it being april.

The offense needs to wake the fuck up though. 

[Ohtaniland]

The guy that got F’d last night was Heaney.