now

You're right, it's no biggie to give McKenna some reps there. I just got triggered by the old trope, "You have to carry a third catcher for emergencies." If McKenna's needed as fourth-stringer at 2B, doesn't every position need backups four deep?

Emergency 2B? WTF? Like Urias, Mateo, Westburg isn't enough?

Without looking at splits, I was impressed by Suarez's determination, in a recent pregame interview, to be a starter. He signed here for that opportunity and has done well to seize it and run with it. A shame to mess with what's working. I guess the majority of pitchers (e.g., Wells and Hall) would say they prefer starting. The Orioles gave Hall his chance--elsewhere--and Wells may be destined for the pen now due to durability issues. But for now I'd favor keeping Suarez in the rotation as long as he's having success there.

Good idea batting him behind Kjerstad... like a big brother to show how it's done.

It's a trick question, since a run (A) is a run (B) is a run (C). That said, chicks and I dig the long ball (and also the base hit).

Interesting to see Elias's draft pecking order playing out in the priority of new additions to the roster. Heavily leaning on the #1's, while the others wait in line. Observe the departed ones too (Ortiz, Hernaiz), lower down the ranks (and expect Mayo to be the exception). Granted, Stowers already had his initial shot too, but now sits in limbo. BTW, I notice both Mountcastle* and Akin were former round 2's, and Hays and Baumann "suspects" at round 4. *Mountcastle technically round 1 (36), but selected after DJ Stewart (25).

True. I've never seen hype like that before from MLB.com. Seems like, all spring, two days out of every three, Holliday's picture featured on the front page with an article touting his otherworldly greatness. Has to weigh on the kid. Especially given he looks so much the part of "a boy among men."

OMFG

That's a fair point, though on the replay it appears there was time for the out if Akin could have beat the runner to the bag. So, marginal as an error, yet still kind of a subjective last straw.

For those who say JH isn't costing games, I went along until the game-changing play in the field last game. Inning 6, Orioles down 1-0. flyout, walk, walk, flyout. Akin relieves, gives up run-scoring single to Melendez, 2-0. Valazquez walks to load the bases. Then Massey hits a ground ball to Holliday that squirts past his glove and it's 4-0 KC, soon to be 6-0 before the inning ends. So it's tempting to think, "Hmm, I bet Norby (or Urias) would have made that play."

People keep talking about Norby's flawed defense, meanwhile Holliday is looking pretty bad out there. Small sample size, I guess! But how long is the leash?

Boston, 11 April. Cowser be like, "Jackson who?"

Same. After the third or fourth blown ball/strike call in one inning, I was like, why bother even caring, when the game is hijacked like that?

Not only that, they (and Gunnar) showed the newest kid how it gets done--with kind of a coming out party for both of them, as well as JH. Like, "See, it's not that hard. Remember how we mashed our way through the minors?"

Realizing you probably are making this up for fun (even 10 days after April 1), it's still conceivable (edit: sans the dab)! People are funny sometimes, what motivates them or triggers them; the psychological subplot. I'm not trying to support this fictitious speculation, more just the stance of "Who really knows?" and "Why not?"