Duren, Duren

Bobby Shantz. 5'6", 139 pounds. That's why all references to him were about "little Bobby Shantz " But looking at the record books, he was quite an effective left handed pitcher. 16 years MLB career, 1949-1964. 1952 A.L. MVP. Went 24-7 with a 2.48 ERA on the Philly A's. Later on he was a useful reliever on some pennant winning Yankee teams. From what I've read in old magazines and seen in a few videos clips he relied on slow breaking stuff and was best against left handed hitters. Good luck finding many pitchers today who can play 16 years. Of course the financial incentives was important in the old days while many current pitchers can retire comfortably in half a dozen years or so.

When judging individuals you can't neglect the trends in the sport itself. For instance, here is an interesting analytic/stats based comparison between this year, last year and beyond. Seems hitters are worse off despite the rule changes. Batting averages the lowest since 1968! Maybe all the bad stats on the Angels hitters are just normalized examples found throughout the game now. https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/offense-is-down-across-mlb-and-rob-manfred-cant-be-happy

Gotta protect the established system and the people in it and with vested interests. At all costs. Politics by any other name. Look at the Reggie Bush stupidity. I don't even want to go deep into that 'protect the establishment' scenario. And irony of ironies. When the system breaks down because of it's own internal hypocrisies they revise history a couple of decades later. After all the damage and humiliation. It wasn't just an ethical decision, but one to avoid even more derision. Baseball protecting the umps has been common forever. But with technologies available now for proof checking they've crossed the line from judgment fallibility to pure reflex systemic protection.

I never overlook the betting angle. Not a conspiracy theorist, but you just never know. Who is 'New York' anyway? Some guys we know nothing about. So easy to just make a call on a close play go the way you want. Blatant mistakes raise red flags. Close plays just a shrug and soon forgotten.

Too bad the rally fell a run short. It could have been a different game without the decision to use Suarez in that situation. Adell showed good discipline in a tough spot. But his base running is still an adventure. Beat that by an inch, barely. But New York must have bets on the Orioles. Baseball losing credibility every day. Glad Randazzo and Gubi didn't mince criticism.

4 runs on 3 homers. Not the greatest value per homer. It would be nice to actually see runs scored in other ways than the long ball. And it would add some excitement too.

Neto going beyond the warning track finally.

Now if only Suarez could have been better or another reliever was used the game would be closer. Finally some good wood on the ball. But they dug such a deep hole that it will be hard to come back all the way. Trout pads his solo homer stats. Hard to be critical but it would be nice to see men on base sometimes. Not his fault for the empty bases, but in other situations he can't seem to get the decisive hit. Pitchers don't have the pressure of being precise with their pitches with no one on base and can afford to challenge him more.

Fans giving Suarez the business. Pretty rare home reaction. But well deserved. Realistically he should never see the mound again for this (or any) team. Four innings left for the hitters. Time for a 7 plus run rally and hold by the bullpen.

Oh well. No big Suarez surprise. Batting practice for Baltimore . Another series on the verge of being lost.

And now the bullpen circus begins ... Against a weaker team maybe Anderson was good enough to be in position for a win but the O's are so deep and patient. But with lethargic bats hard to beat anyone.

Anderson not sharp but hanging in. Sano getting more impressive in the field than at bat. Bats seem cold again.

Hopefully Anderson remains consistent going forward. They need as much stability as possible from the starters.

Nice game against a good team. Canning making steady progress. Garcia effective in his inning plus. Surprising power production from 6 - 9. Hope it's a sign of more hitting depth coming around. First Rendon. Now Trout. Talk about non traditional leadoff hitters. Hardly the Fletcher model or the typical prototypes. I don't see this lasting long, but more a wakeup call to break the slump. A bit of desperation maybe, but why not? At least short term. But what happens when Rendon returns? Adell needs to start consecutive games for a couple of weeks at least. I think that more everyday play will sharpen his read on pitchers and help his steal percentage. It's about more than speed. Getting a good jump is mostly about timing the pitching delivery and knowing their pickoff moves for an optimum lead. He's still raw with that. A win tomorrow could start some positive momentum.

In today's game using the bunt is not a priority. And the skill isn't worked on enough by many players. But it could be a useful weapon with the right player. The sacrifice is the most conventional bunting situation. Mostly moving the runner from first to second. Virtually all inner diamond fielders expect it in obvious situations. And position themselves accordingly. But it also puts pressure on the defense to execute the play properly. An excellent bunter (very few around) can direct the ball to a trouble spot for a fielder if he gets it right. So many bunters foul off their first try. And often don't bunt down on the ball. That's why we see so many pop ups. Fair and foul. A bunter with speed could use the drag bunt. Remember those? Putting more pressure on the defense. And with a man on third there is the option of the safety squeeze. Or a delayed double steal. Remember the hit and run? Don't see much of that anymore. One of the options was to fake a bunt, pull the bat back and swing at the pitch. Often just chopping at it (used to be called 'butcher boy' technique). You can get the fielders out of sync and force errors or leg out hits. Small ball is an art and requires specialized skills. Not all players are suited for it, but some on every roster should be better at it. And serious practice and teaching never hurt either. Check out the 'Go-Go' White Sox of 1959 for a pennant winning example. Especially the keystone combo of Fox and Apparicio. Anyways, it would be a breathe of fresh air to see proper technique and execution of strategies besides waiting for the long ball. And maybe take the pressure off Trout though he's paid to come through more often than not.