4/27 - Make Staats Cry in Tampa

[Thumper]

How the f*** do you get swepted by Tampa Bay? I mean honestly there's no excuse for these past three games. We got a day of rest coming up, they better use it wisely and start pulling out some wins!

[Jayhawk Bill]

How the f*** do you get swepted by Tampa Bay? I mean honestly there's no excuse for these past three games. We got a day of rest coming up' date=' they better use it wisely and start pulling out some wins![/quote']

 

The Rays are a good team, especially with Longoria contributing. They outscored Boston by five runs in three games. No need to panic.

 

If Big Papi is hurt, I'd sure like to see Chris Carter join the team for a couple of weeks while Ortiz tries to get his knee healed properly.

 

With the zone Shields was getting late, they should have swung at anything that looked hittable.

 

I'll try to find the time to pull the Pitch f/x stats tomorrow. Beckett got a couple of strikeouts, too: the zone might've been large but "fair," although widening the strike zone actually hurts Boston badly because our batters have the best discipline in MLB.

[ORS]

I'll try to find the time to pull the Pitch f/x stats tomorrow. Beckett got a couple of strikeouts' date=' too: the zone might've been large but "fair," [b']although widening the strike zone actually hurts Boston badly because our batters have the best discipline in MLB[/b].

Which is why a "fair" but incorrect subjective interpretation of the strikezone is never fair. Aggressive swinging teams always gain an advantage because their hitters are accustomed to putting pitches out of the strikezone in play. Teams that teach and utilize patience at the plate are always penalized because their hitters are accustomed to putting balls in play that are only within the strikezone defined by the rules.

 

With the new technology available to MLB, they have the potential to really push for accountability within the umpiring ranks. One would hope they regularly review umpire performance, particularly their performance behind the plate, and that there is the potential for disciplinary action, be it suspension of their turn behind the plate in the umpire rotation or even suspension of their participation in games, when they have consecutive reviews that reveal performance below an established standard. However, I doubt this happens.

[Jayhawk Bill]

FWIW, Beckett was cheated on ball-strike calls a net of three times (5-2), MDC's pitches were all called right, and, excepting Lowrie, Shields had been cheated a net of two times (5-3).

 

Both outside pitches to Lowrie in the eighth inning missed the rulebook strike zone by roughly half a foot. For some reason, Dale Scott just wanted to give Jed Lowrie a strikeout--this was no accident.

 

The rest of the game looks more or less fair and accurate.