BASEBALL 2018---BRING IT ON!

[GrouchoTex]

I have been wondering if it hasn't been purposefully made so by the league controllers.

Okay, @Bigun, I know you've posted a great piece tying all the players and their connections in the Clinton/Obama/Trump cases, which was wonderful.
Very informative and eye-opening.

C'mon now, this is baseball.
I don't believe the 1919 world series is going on all over again.

However, if anyone can find it, it'll be you.

 

[Bigun]

Okay, @Bigun, I know you've posted a great piece tying all the players and their connections in the Clinton/Obama/Trump cases, which was wonderful.
Very informative and eye-opening.

C'mon now, this is baseball.
I don't believe the 1919 world series is going on all over again.

However, if anyone can find it, it'll be you.

 

All I'm going to say is that ticket sales are going to be a lot higher for AL west games going forward than they otherwise would have been.

[GrouchoTex]

All I'm going to say is that ticket sales are going to be a lot higher for AL west games going forward than they otherwise would have been.

True.
I remember during those hundred loss year seasons, I got a lot of free Astros tickets, and couldn't find people wanting to go.
Now, the free tickets have disappeared, and I when I buy tickets, everyone wants to go.

Do you think this Astros will ever settle on a 7th-8th-closer pitching situation?
I know Hinch has a lot of combinations he can throw out there, some (obviously) working better than others.....

[Bigun]

True.
I remember during those hundred loss year seasons, I got a lot of free Astros tickets, and couldn't find people wanting to go.
Now, the free tickets have disappeared, and I when I buy tickets, everyone wants to go.

Do you think this Astros will ever settle on a 7th-8th-closer pitching situation?
I know Hinch has a lot of combinations he can throw out there, some (obviously) working better than others.....

I know I'm gonna piss people off by saying this, but getting Osuna integrated is the key IMHO.

[dfwgator]

I have been wondering if it hasn't been purposefully made so by the league controllers.

There's a real chance that an AL team could miss the post-season and have a better record than any NL team.  Right now Seattle would have the best record in the NL, but they would be out of the AL Playoffs.

[EasyAce]

I know I'm gonna piss people off by saying this, but getting Osuna integrated is the key IMHO.

@Bigun
The news just came out---A.J. Hinch named Roberto Osuna the primary closer down the stretch.

[Bigun]

@Bigun
The news just came out---A.J. Hinch named Roberto Osuna the primary closer down the stretch.

Thanks @EasyAce!   I hope it works out for the team.

[GrouchoTex]

@Bigun
The news just came out---A.J. Hinch named Roberto Osuna the primary closer down the stretch.

@Bigun
@EasyAce

No surprise there, since that's what we got him for.
I'm thinking:

Pressley, Rondon, Osuna, 7,8, and 9,  with Devenski and Sipp going into face the one-offs (or mop up, with Will Harris)?

Peacock and McCue, earlier/long relief?

What do you y'all think?

[Bigun]

@Bigun
@EasyAce

No surprise there, since that's what we got him for.
I'm thinking:

Pressley, Rondon, Osuna, 7,8, and 9,  with Devenski and Sipp going into face the one-offs (or mop up, with Will Harris)?

Peacock and McCue, earlier/long relief?

What do you y'all think?

You would be hard pressed to find a better long relief guy than Colin McCue IMHO.

The rest looks about right as well.

[GrouchoTex]

You would be hard pressed to find a better long relief guy than Colin McCue IMHO.

The rest looks about right as well.

Although it hasn't looked so good lately, it is one of the better bullpens in the Majors.
I saw it ranked at #2 in some article recently.
The luxury is, if one goes south, there's back up.
Hopefully, they all don't go south at once.

[Bigun]

Although it hasn't looked so good lately, it is one of the better bullpens in the Majors.
I saw it ranked at #2 in some article recently.
The luxury is, if one goes south, there's back up.
Hopefully, they all don't go south at once.

The VAST majority of the Astros recent losses have not had anything to do with the pitching staff.  You have to score to win ballgames I don't care who is on the mound.

[Cyber Liberty]

The VAST majority of the Astros recent losses have not had anything to do with the pitching staff.  You have to score to win ballgames I don't care who is on the mound.

QBS, eh?  (Quiet Bat Syndrome.)

[GrouchoTex]

The VAST majority of the Astros recent losses have not had anything to do with the pitching staff.  You have to score to win ballgames I don't care who is on the mound.

Not all were due to silent bats- 3 games lately, starting with Sunday the 12th through last night, 3 late inning home runs did us in.
2 were blown saves, followed by 10th inning home runs, last night, a 3-run blast in the 8th.
I suppose if we had larger leads in all of these, it would have made a difference, of course.
You gotta close the close ones.
Maybe now, if Osuna does well, that starts to happen, but he was one of the guys who gave up a walk-off in the 10th.
I do think it's wise for Hinch to name him the closer, although I'm not thrilled that he's here.
If it settles the situation, maybe that's all it will take.
 

[Bigun]

QBS, eh?  (Quiet Bat Syndrome.)

To say the least!   

[Bigun]

Not all were due to silent bats- 3 games lately, starting with Sunday the 12th through last night, 3 late inning home runs did us in.
2 were blown saves, followed by 10th inning home runs, last night, a 3-run blast in the 8th.
I suppose if we had larger leads in all of these, it would have made a difference, of course.
You gotta close the close ones.
Maybe now, if Osuna does well, that starts to happen, but he was one of the guys who gave up a walk-off in the 10th.
I do think it's wise for Hinch to name him the closer, although I'm not thrilled that he's here.
If it settles the situation, maybe that's all it will take.
 

I just hope that A. J. can get his regular lineup back together and gelled before it's too late.

[Bigun]

QBS, eh?  (Quiet Bat Syndrome.)

When Tyler White is the best hitter you have you are in trouble.

[GrouchoTex]

When Tyler White is the best hitter you have you are in trouble.

IS Altuve back tonight?
I hadn't had a chance to look yet.
Springer was in the opening line up last night, but got scratched due to quad soreness.
QBS, Yeah, that, too.

QBS-Symptoms may included restless nights, head shaking, and finger pointing......

[EasyAce]

The Nats just traded Daniel Murphy to the Cubs and Matt Adams to the Cardinals.

OK, what did they do to piss off GM Mike Rizzo? Remember, his M.O. this year is that if you get into his doghouse, you get traded to contenders. Kind of like the father who punishes his son for driving under the influence by buying him a new 'Vette.

[GrouchoTex]

The Nats just traded Daniel Murphy to the Cubs and Matt Adams to the Cardinals.

OK, what did they do to piss off GM Mike Rizzo? Remember, his M.O. this year is that if you get into his doghouse, you get traded to contenders. Kind of like the father who punishes his son for driving under the influence by buying him a new 'Vette.

Imagine that you get into your bosses doghouse, and he talks a better company into hiring you.
We should all have a boss like Rizzo.

[DCPatriot]

The Nats just traded Daniel Murphy to the Cubs and Matt Adams to the Cardinals.

OK, what did they do to piss off GM Mike Rizzo? Remember, his M.O. this year is that if you get into his doghouse, you get traded to contenders. Kind of like the father who punishes his son for driving under the influence by buying him a new 'Vette.

I've been watching Murphy closely.   @EasyAce  While his bat is 'steady eddy', his defense has disappeared.

Why not trade him to a contending AL team with a DH?   I don't get it.   Murphy was as surprised as anyone. 

Adams, I understand.   Zimmerman is FINALLY back and platooning doesn't seem to be Adams' cup of tea (0-20 streak going)

[DCPatriot]

Imagine that you get into your bosses doghouse, and he talks a better company into hiring you.
We should all have a boss like Rizzo.

LOL!  Maybe Dennis Murphy and Bryce Harper will be teammates again as CUBS.

[catfish1957]

As I had posted on another thread, the AL west and the NL west are getting interesting.
As an Astros fan, more interesting that I would like.

Yep, case study of what happens when your 3 best players go down with an injury at the same time. 

If they don't return in earnest soon, it is not out of the question that we miss the playoffs.   The M's game last night proved that.

[catfish1957]

I know I'm gonna piss people off by saying this, but getting Osuna integrated is the key IMHO.

It sure didn't help.  Whether it soured the clublhouse this badly?  I'd sure hope not.

[EasyAce]

I've been watching Murphy closely.   @EasyAce  While his bat is 'steady eddy', his defense has disappeared.

Remember, @DCPatriot , defense was never really Murphy's calling card. His bad defense was a big reason the 2015 Mets blew a World Series they could have won.

Why not trade him to a contending AL team with a DH?   I don't get it.   Murphy was as surprised as anyone.

Why deal a pair of serviceable relief pitchers to contenders just because you only thought they were malcontents and didn't bother trying to ascertain the actual truth? The only shock is that Rizzo didn't trade Murphy or Adams to the Red Sox, last seen still running away with the American League East.

[DCPatriot]

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24450643/mlb-stephen-strasburg-rough-return-sends-red-flag

Stephen Strasburg's rough return overshadows Nats' walk-off win


WASHINGTON -- Don't let the crazy finish fool you.

Yes, the Washington Nationals defied the odds, overcoming a rocky return by Stephen Strasburg to beat the Phillies 8-7 in dramatic fashion. Sure, Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off, replay-review, two-run homer off Philadelphia closer Seranthony Dominguez helped the Nats clinch a huge series between NL East rivals. Indeed, it's the first time since mid-May that Washington has taken a series from a team with a winning record.

But that's all window dressing. The cold hard truth -- the tummy-turning takeaway for a Nats squad that's trying to go all Cinderella down the stretch -- is that much like the rest of Washington's season, Strasburg's return did not go according to plan.

The hope was that Strasburg, making his first start in more than a month and only his second since June 8, would show no ill effects from the shoulder and neck issues that have plagued him, and would provide the Nats with a much-needed boost. But that's not how it went down.

....."I don't really know," Strasburg said when asked what might have led to his decreased velocity. "I saw it too. I'd like to think that it's -- I don't know if it's rust. I think it's just endurance. Hopefully that's what it is."

continued at link.

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