This recent article, which may be subscriber-protected, calls attention to the pitcher issue under discussion.
The ‘Mini-Bombs’ Blowing Up the Elbows of Top Pitchers The ‘Mini-Bombs’ Blowing Up the Elbows of Baseball’s Top Pitchers - WSJ
Ok. So, what’s the alternative? You said “out of gas rookie pitchers”. Is that on a per game basis or cumulative because they’ve surpassed innings totals from last year and/or set career highs?
Yeah, it’s behind a paywall. Can’t get to it.
If you go through Brown’s starts since 8/20, by the end of the third inning:
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down 6-0 vs. Seattle (lost 7-6)
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up 1-0 vs. Detroit (won 9-2)
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down 3-0 vs. NYY (lost 5-4)
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down 5-0 vs. San Diego (lost 11-2)
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up 4-0 vs. Oakland (won 6-2)
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down 5-0 vs. Baltimore (lost 9-5)
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down 6-0 vs. Kansas City (lost 6-5)
If Dusty goes and gets him after 3, you’re asking the bullpen to cover 5-6 innings and give up zero runs. Sometimes, the offense can’t even make up the deficit.
I like Brown, but his command is awful and has been for a while. He may be out of steam and it’s negligence by Dusty to keep trotting him out there to get shelled.
I understand what you’re saying, but Brown is digging a hole so quickly with terrible command.
How about Brantley as DH? At least against RH SPers. Yordan can handle LF.
At this point, I’d try anything. I’m in full on Dusty mode.
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It would be interesting to know if the pitch clock has created any more interest in MLB from previous.
My guess is not only No but Hell No. Fuck Manfred and the horse he rode in on.
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I kind of like the less fucking around with batting gloves, and the less stepping off the rubber, and less of the batter calling time, and less of the pitcher throwing over to first. But I also hate that they can’t do it because I understand and appreciated the gamesmanship that went on.
Last I checked attendance was up about 10% across the league so you’re out of luck on that one.
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Getting rid of the shift bothers me more than a pitch clock.
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A wide net of causes was cast upon the injury problem, which means nobody knows. It might be a seasonal outlier or aberration. The orthopedic surgeons cited believe there is an increase attributed to something.
It’s true that Manfred wanted more offense in hopes of increasing viewership and attendance so they limited players shifting, and he wanted shorter games in hopes of increasing viewership and attendance so they instituted a pitch clock. It likely true that how these changes might physically affect the players was never considered.
I got a survey from MLB today about the new rules and other things, including betting on games etc. I answered pro–pitch clock and anti-gambling. My suggested gameplay change was faster infield grass across the league.
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The problem is you could say the same thing about Cristian Javier since mid June, and every other starter has had their share of bad starts since August. Framber Valdez allowed 7 runs to the Royals, and Justin Verlander allowed 5 to the A’s in the last two weeks.
Short of having bullpen days all the time, which isn’t feasible, what can you do? The starters have to perform better and be much more consistent.
The games they do pitch well enough, like JP France on Saturday, the offense doesn’t do its part. Until the Astros start playing well in multiple phases of the game every night, this is what you get.
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The only game they won last week they scored 2 runs.
Losing 3 of your planned opening day 5 starters for most or all of a season is a fucking killer. They never have been able to really overcome it.
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And it’s still the case that the last time a pitcher recorded an out while leading in a game was the 7-1 win in Kansas City, over a week ago, Sunday September 17th. Today is the 25th.
In fact, during that stretch they’ve only thrown six pitches while leading.
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The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal with this excerpted pox on both houses story
Ken’s Notebook: Astros, Mariners battle for final wild-card spot
When the Astros visit the Mariners for three games starting tonight, someone has to gain the upper hand, correct?
As the Battle of the Collapses continues, one cannot be certain. By stumbling in September, the Astros and Mariners have all but ceded the AL West to the Rangers and the second AL wild card to the Blue Jays. The remaining “competition” between them is for the third wild card, and in that race, the Astros lead the Mariners by a half-game. The Yankees and Red Sox, both already eliminated, ought to be embarrassed. They couldn’t catch these AL West pretenders?
Actually, I shouldn’t be too harsh. Just 10 days ago, I declared The Athletic’s Andy McCullough was right when he deemed the Blue Jays “paper tigers” early in the season. Maybe I should have held off. Next to the Astros and Mariners, the Blue Jays are the baddest men on the planet. At least until they teeter again.
The expanded playoffs are endlessly forgiving, which is why teams can fade, rally, fade again and still be in the postseason picture. The Astros deserve to be relegated after going 2-7 against the Royals and A’s, the two worst teams in baseball, over the past two weeks. Instead, even after getting swept at home by Kansas City over the weekend, they remain in playoff position.
On Sept. 6, the Astros completed a sweep of the Rangers on the road, seemingly regaining control of a division they have won in each of the last five full seasons. Since then, their playoff odds have dropped from 98 percent to 60 percent, their chances of winning the AL West from 67 percent to 11 percent. Incredible, considering their poor competition of late.
Not that the Mariners have been much better. Remember their 20-4 run in August, which increased their playoff odds to 86 percent? Since then, the Mariners have gone 9-15, including getting swept over the weekend in the first of two showdown series against the Rangers. Their playoff odds are down to 49 percent.
The Mariners, at least, control their fate, facing both teams they are trying to catch, the Astros and Rangers, during their final homestand. The Rangers, now leading the division by 2 1/2 games, visit the Angels before heading to Seattle. The Astros, after finishing with the Mariners, close on the road against the Diamondbacks.
Which team do I like to grab the final AL wild-card berth? Neither, really. But after Sunday, the final day of the regular season, one of these hot messes will be in the playoffs. The Battle of the Collapses is going to produce a survivor, like it or not.
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