the Official Baseball thread

[YelseyKing]

This year, the Tigers either have a really good losing streak or a really good winning streak.
So far, they've had a good winning streak after having a big losing streak.
We've won today's game.
I can smell it...we're going to lose horribly again.

"Win a bunch, then lose a bunch, then win a bunch, then lose a bunch, repeat" and/or "sweep or be swept" seems to be the overall trend this year for *every* team. I've noticed it happening to the Red Sox, Braves, Tigers, Mariners, Angels, Cardinals, Yankees, Brewers, Blue Jays, Giants, Dodgers, Athletics... Heck, the only ones it really *hasn't* happened to are the last place teams, who are just consistently *bad*.

[RedMageSusie]

Fangraphs is the best

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-wors ... pitches-3/

[Bean]

Cubs win a few in a row, trade away a couple of their best pitchers, lose by 13 the next day. 8/

[InsaneIntentions1]

On a less sour note the Braves 9 game win streak comes to an end today

[YelseyKing]

Man. This year's Home Run Derby was pretty underwhelming, and I'm... not sure about this new format. For a rule that was supposed to keep the players with the most total homers in the first round "fresh" by guaranteeing them a spot in the semi-finals, it sure as heck didn't help either Jose Bautista or Giancarlo Stanton, who were both swiftly eliminated when they batted a second time (the latter not even hitting a single homer!). Also, the winner was someone from the A's, who as a Mariners fan, I don't really like, since he beats up on the Mariners all the time. Sigh.

[pholtos]

I've found home run derby's and the all star game to be rather boring.

[InsaneIntentions1]

I just want home field advantage if we get the chance

[RedMageSusie]

I hate that home field advantage garbage. It's an exhibition game. It shouldn't be given artificial meaning. I want it to be free so players can feel like they can do stupid showoff-y things without caring about blowing the game.

[YelseyKing]

I hate that home field advantage garbage. It's an exhibition game. It shouldn't be given artificial meaning. I want it to be free so players can feel like they can do stupid showoff-y things without caring about blowing the game.

Agreed. The only reason they even made it "matter" was because of the outrage of 2002's game ending in a tie, because both sides ran out of players. Personally, I think home field advantage in the World Series should go to the team with the better record. Simple as that.

Besides, "home field advantage" seems like a very arbitrary "prize" for winning the All-Star Game. It just feels silly when, hypothetically speaking, the Dodgers gain home field advantage over the Tigers in the World Series later in the year because, in the All-Star Game in mid-July, someone from the Reds hit a game-winning homer off an Orioles pitcher.

[InsaneIntentions1]

Thanks Cardinals pitchers.... I blame you, pholtos

[YelseyKing]

Thanks Cardinals pitchers.... I blame you, pholtos

Wahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Sorry, Bean (and pholtos?), but like I said, I loathe the Cardinals, and loved seeing their two pitchers get whomped.

[Bean]

Home field's actually a pretty big deal with baseball, but it's so silly to determine it in a game where every team must have one representative. They still do that with MLB, right?

[InsaneIntentions1]

Well the Braves finally released Dan Uggla

[InsaneIntentions1]

The Bluejays are demolishing the Red Sox

[YelseyKing]

The Bluejays are demolishing the Red Sox

The Jays beat the Sox 14-1. I suppose that'd be payback for the Sox beating the Jays 14-1 like, a week or so ago.

[YelseyKing]

Well. It's trading season again. I knew the Red Sox were *bad* this year, but they... traded away four of their five primary starting pitchers! At least they got some decent players in return instead of the usual "minor league maybes", but yeesh.

I'm just glad the Diamondbacks didn't trade away Paul Goldschmidt. He's like the only good hitter that team has, and god knows they *need* offense. And pitching. But yeah. They... are not a good team this year.

[InsaneIntentions1]

But the Diamondbacks did trade Martin Prado :/

[RedMageSusie]

Yeah, but Prado's only had one good year in the last 4. I mean, it's possible he bounces back, but I dunno.

Looks like the Sox are all in for 2015. I know it's been a brutal year for Sox fans, but at least ownership is making a statement. I'm not sure if trading Lackey was really beneficial though. Maybe Craig finds his stroke down again. I've been wrong about this kind of thing before. But at least they got a better return than the Rays did for Price. Holy crap are their fans pissed off.

[InsaneIntentions1]

I wonder if the Orioles can keep up this miraculous season

[RedMageSusie]

If they could keep up 2012, I wouldn't doubt it.

[Bean]

The AL East isn't what it used to be, so yeah, they could win the division. I'd be bummed if the Yankees somehow pulled it off, though. I'm as tired of them and Boston as most of you all are with the Cards, mainly because of all the media attention the former two teams get.

[YelseyKing]

The AL East isn't what it used to be, so yeah, they could win the division. I'd be bummed if the Yankees somehow pulled it off, though. I'm as tired of them and Boston as most of you all are with the Cards, mainly because of all the media attention the former two teams get.

Yeah, as much as I love the Red Sox, even I can acknowledge that they receive *way* too much media coverage. In fact, if you look at ESPN, FOX, and other stations that carry national games, it seems pretty clear that they *heavily* favor ten team: Red Sox, Yankees, Giants, Dodgers, Cardinals, Angels, Tigers, Braves, Phillies, and Mets. Seems like *every* game shown on those channels *must* feature one of those ten teams, or they don't bother showing it. The exception is early season, where you'll sometimes see an oddball series, like Pirates vs. Rockies or something like that.

I can understand the bias. I mean, they're big market teams with large fanbases, and TV is all about ratings. But the infuriating part is that they *stick* with this set of teams, even if they're not in contention. Again, I know it's all about popularity and ratings, but it's kind of silly when they hype up a Dodgers vs. Giants game in mid-September when the two teams are a distant third and fourth, and the NL West is being dominated that year by the Diamondbacks and Padres. I'd just think that, if they wanted these smaller market teams to *become* bigger market teams, they'd start introducing them to new audiences. I mean, I became a fan of the Braves and Cubs because, when I lived in Phoenix years back, we got TBS and WGN, which carried the two teams' games, respectively. Oh well. At least there's MLB.com's scoreboard, which lets me follow all 30 teams.

[Bean]

NL Central race is still ridiculously tight. Four teams, separated by a grand total of four games in early August.

[InsaneIntentions1]

Meanwhile the Braves are on a huge losing streak

[InsaneIntentions1]

The terrible losing steak ends :')