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Not to mention throw on left-handed gloves and work outta the pen!!

Ben Christensen…

Worth noting Barnes’ collapse was several weeks after MLB banned sticky substances. In fact, he was better after the ban than before it for several weeks…

So should Eovaldi come back out?

While I get your point, I was listening to a couple talking heads on MLB radio on Sirius, and they were conjecturing that while starters throw many fewer IP than maybe 40 or so years ago they were still throwing more pitches. and I can see this as true because pitchers just throw a lot harder than they did even 10-15 yeas ago, and therefore hitters simply find more pitches more difficult to hit and lay off of them. The valuation of the BB as a skill rather than a matter of happenstance also could be a factor, as GM's started preferring OBP to BA. So even with fewer IP from pitchers, it is possible they need even more durability than some of the Stalwarts of the Past that they get compared to unfavorably. Maybe those comps are flat out wrong in many cases...

You're absolutely right. The problem is, while SP might not be as important as it once was, it is still as expensive as ever. And relief pitchers are significantly cheaper. So it is extremely possible one or both of Houck and Whitlock end up in the rotation...

No, but maybe it's also not the time to make Nick Pivetta the game one starter, either...

Yes. Very big puzzler to me, too. While Renfroe is not as effective vs RHP as he is vs LHP, his .777 OPS against them still dwarfs Santana and his corresponding .594 OPS. I considered that move so dumb, I assumed Renfroe had to be hurt at the time. There is no other possible situation where it makes sense. But I haven't heard anything...

Chris Sale has also only pitched 46 innings in the past 26 months. Did people just expect him to be as sharp as before immediately?

And remember, it used to be worse back before there were 3 divisions. Lose your division? Season is over. The 1978 Red Sox won 99 games and had to go home and watch the 92-70 Royals advance. Heck, the Milwaukee Brewers (also in the AL East back then) won more games than the Royals. Heck, the 1993 Giants went 103-59 and missed the post-season altogether. Is that format really preferable?

Also. it's not a play-in game; it's actually considered a round of post-season play.

Heck let's go all NBA and let half he league into the post-season, make sure there are never two games going on at once, and see if we can drag these games out until January. Then after a couple of weeks of off-season, pitchers and catchers can report and we start the whole thing all over again...

Bottom line is, whoever your opponent and whatever their record, you have to win the series. I might agree more if they gave out silver medals in MLB, but they don't...

Problem is, there is no rule defining when it is a swing. Most umpires just look to see if the head of the bat crosses the front of home plate as their criteria, but that's not the rule. Much like many things in baseball that we think of as "rules", most of them are simply umpire discretion. Like in the 2008 ALDS Sox vs the Angels, when the Angels tried to score the go ahead run via squeeze play and Varitek ran Reggie Willits back to third and tagged him amidst a fall/diveg, and then in the process dropped the ball. But the umpires ruled Willets out anyway. Why? Because there is no rule that says if the fielder drops the ball during a tag play that the runner is safe. And there is no rule that says the runner is out if the balls is dropped. Control of the baseball in this case is 100% umpire discretion. The same goes with the nearly impossible call of check swings. All a swing is per the rule book is an attempt to offer at a pitch that is not a bunt. Did Flores offer at the pitch? Not to mention these calls are made from 90-100 feet away by an umpire trying to judge the distance for a bat traveling some 75-80 mph for maybe a fifth of a second. I've seen calls before I did not agree with. Heck, I did not agree Flores swung. But that doesn't mean they were bad calls that violated the rules of the game...

Point?

Is this Dodger team better than last season? Last year the Braves took them to game seven of the NLDS with a staff largely armed by inexperienced rookies.

When in doubt, blame the third base coach..

I do think it might be fun if, on the first home game, Fenway had a "trash can lid and hammer" giveaway night and the fans all pounded on them every time Altuve, Bregman and Correa came to bat. At least, it might be fun for like 2 innings...

NEVER wish an injury on an opposing player. Screw karma! I just want to beat them when they are at full strength and take away those excuses!

Te only one that might be worth anything to someone in a trade is Hernandez, because he has a ridiculous triple-digit fastball and 5 years of control. The downside is all he can do with that fastball is walk people at 100mph...

While I agree with that plan, I would be surprised if it happened....

But Margo said he liked to keep them on!!

So how about Cleveland gets Gilberto Jimenez, alleviating their 40-man roster crunch a bit while helping their farm system Cincinnati gets Andres Gimenez, giving them an actual starting SS Boston gets 5Gold favorite Lucas Sims to help out that bullpen Works per BTV...

I'll take Tomase over Gerry Callahan or Tony Massarotti...

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