moonslav59

JD has almost caught Betts in OPS. SOX OPS Leaders after tonight's game: 1.068 Betts 1.060 JD 1.051 Pearce .887 Bogey .875 Beni .797 Moreland .719 Devers .704 Holt .703 Kinsler .693 JBJ .654 Nunez .577 Leon .558 Swihart .548 Vazquez

Which is why I chuckle when someone makes it seem like we can't win it all with our pen. Like everyone else's never implode or have rough stretches.

We can be ice cold to end the year and catch fire in October. Since we have "caught fire" more often than any other team, I like our odds better than anyone else's. What more can we ask for? Thanks, DD (and Ben).

Okay, all the short sample sizers should now be proclaiming we sweep through the playoffs.

I'm not sure how some are able to get numbers over very specific time frames, but I do know this: JBJ's OPS .653 June .811 July .826 August He was at .563 on June 23rd and ended June at .619, so he must have been over .800 for that stretch. Also, he was at .510 before the game on May 13th and ended up at .600 after May 31st, so I'm pretty sure he was over .800 for that stretch. My guess is, he's over .800 from May 12 to today (3+ months), or he is at least in the high .790's. For those who jumped to conclusions based on his first 6 weeks, what do they have to say about his last 12 weeks? Again, I'm fine with JBJ playing GG defense and hitting .600, so this is all gravy.

This is what is wrong with replay. Just make the right call and get it over with.

Wish he got that hit earlier.

Just proves you don't need all stars at every position to win big.

Come on JBJ! What was that???????

Hee hee hee!

Time for the bats to bust loose and shut down the doom and gloomers.

Here's a closer look at Hembree. Games with less than or equal W+H to IP (If the one hit is an HR, I don't count it.) Games with (More of the first number is good) 8/12 April 5/11 May 11/12 June 7/11 July 4/7 August 35/53 Total (66% of the time he does okay or well. That's not very good, but it's not really all that bad either. Let's compare him to your #4 guy, Kelly... 9/11 April 12/14 May 6/11 June 7/12 July 4/8 38/56(68%) Look at June to August only: 22/30 Hembree (73%) 17/31 Joe Kelly (55%)

I'll take a dozen for a buck-twenty, then.

Word was the Guardians were after JBJ on more than one occasion. Now, they don't need him.

I agree. I'd expand interleague play, so we play every NL team 2 games (2 x 15=30). We play other AL teams 6 games (6 x 10=60). We play our own division 18 games (18 x 4=72). The schedule would still be unbalanced, but at least the interleague part would not be so.

17 Games (18 IP) in the 32 games he's been with us Scoreless innings 15 out 17 games. 2 hits just twice. 2 Bbs just once. Inherited runners scored: 20% (team is at 29%). IS% 0% Johnson, Thornburg & Walden 7% Barnes 17% Hembree 20% Braiser 31% Kimbrel 33% Kelly 44% Velazquez 50% Workman 60% Smith 75% Poyner

Kelly & Brasier look okay.

I didn't hear doom & gloom 3 days ago.

Agree. Brasier's sample size is still a bit too small to get all worked up over, but he's getting there. Barnes is basically 3rd in OBP against (larger sample size players) and first in SLG against (ahead of Sale!). He's slipped up a little over the last month, but all RP'ers do. This is not just a 2018 thing, either, he's been very good for 2 years. 2017-2018 (151 RP'ers qualifying) MLB RP'er WAR 3. Kimbrel 4.4 17. Barnes 2.5 His 1.19 WHIP places him 56th.

1. I'd have more interleague play. 2. Yes. 3. Just have balls and strikes called by a computer. 4. I like having a game every day. That's one great thing about baseball. 5. I've always thought the roster should be 27 (3 x 9 positions). 6. Might be going too far. 7. Disagree. Many plays could lead to runs or no/less runs. They are just as important, though not as memorable. 8. Something needs to be done. The AS game is a joke and has been for decades.

I don't like the following: 1. instant replay - which isn't instant It does slow the game down, and it doesn't always get the call "right." I do think getting the call right more often outweighs the negatives, but it's a close call by me. I think they should try to speed up the process. In this high tech age, it shouldn't be too hard. 2. the potential concept of relying on robots to ultimately replace umpires I'd like to see balls and strikes called by a robot and maybe plays at 1B. 3. a homerun or a strikeout with a de-emplahsis on many of the things that some baseball fans still love such as bunting, hitting and running, and stealing bases. Sacrifice bunting is really not a good strategy almost all the time, except when a weak hitter is up, but yes, this is hardly even taught anymore, even to those who are weak hitters. 4. pitdhers not pitching to conatact Their loss. I've always felt K's were over-rated. (I'm not a fan of FIP or xFIP) As the game changes, i don't think that it is the old folks that you have to worry about losing. My question is whether the changing game is what is not pulling younger people in. I have my doubts. Numbers have always been important to the game and will continue to be. If the numbers dictate change, I hope that they are the types of changes that the average fan wants to see. I don't think that the game is as entertaining as it once was and I don't think that I am alone in feeling that way. Numbers cause the shift to be used more. Is the shift driving fans away? Would disallowing the shift be a remedy? (They used it on Ted Williams way back when.) I'm not pretending to know the answers. I'm not sure what can be done to get young people more interested. There may be no solution short of radically changing the game.

In this context, maybe the best trade of all time.

I'm trying to understand. Are the fans that "believe", love or trust in "numbers" being turned away? Or, are the fans who have a disdain for numbers being turned away, because they are being overly inundated with numbers, stats and metrics? Personally, I don't think a single fam has walked away based on the proliferation of numbers. There is a lot more entertainment available to the average person/kid than when we were young. The game is slow, and we live in an era of impatience and instant gratification. I also think about two-thirds of teams' fans think they have little to no chance at winning a ring due the massive unbalance of skill between the best teams and the rest. I love the fact that the game is slow, but as the years go by, I have been partially sucked into the media blitz of choices. I often watch the game on tape delay and fast forward through commercials and pitching changes. I also am on the computer as I watch and multi-task. I don't do that watching football or hockey or NCAA basketball. I hope baseball doesn't become a game for just old folks to watch, but I just don't see any way that fans who like to use numbers and stats to bolster their positions is driving anyone away.

OPS Against as a SP'er: .518 Sale .659 ERod .672 Wright .684 Porcello .708 Price .727 Johnson .728 Eovaldi .763 Velazquez .925 Pom As RP'er .409 Brasier .555 Barnes .575 Wright .608 Kimbrel .624 Kelly .666 Workman .703 Pom .714 Hembree .729 Velazquez .744 Smith .754 Johnson .759 Thornburg

If our pen can pitch like their seasonal numbers, we could be alright. OPS against .409 Brasier .555 Barnes .608 Kimbrel .624 Kelly .635 Wright .666 Workman