BRobinsonfan

I think you're proving Frobby's point. We're not even to September yet. If pitcher Y is ineffective in September then maybe he should be replaced by pitcher Z. But let's at least see how Y does in the rest of August and part of September first.

It's weird. It's almost like the better an opposing team is the more difficult it is to beat them. I'm not sure what could explain this phenomenon.

I swear he was blinking "T-O-R-T-U-R-E" in morse code with his eye lids.

We should look to acquire pitchers who get strong run support. I'll bet that's an undervalued metric in trade talks and free agent negotiations.

Where did you hear this?

Kevin Brown = The Kardashians?

Down goes Anderson! Down goes Anderson!

If your premature excitement lasts more than four hours please call a doctor. (Sorry, I have the sense of humor of a 13 year old).

I voted B-/C+ but I wish C/C+ had been an option. We marginally improved our situation for this year without giving up too much, and perhaps that's the best thing to do, given that we have the second best record in baseball.

You broke my heart Mike Mussina!

I obviously have the power of the reverse jinx. I post the above on Saturday and then Sunday Cano dominates with 3 KOs for a perfect inning. You're welcome!

And yet we've had the 2nd and third best record in all of MLB for most of the year. Yes, success at AAA doesn't always translate to the same success at the Major League level. But our whole system of player development is based on learning and developing at each level before moving up. Here's an interesting article on using minor league success to predict major league success. https://rpubs.com/alexdasilva/PredictMLBwOBA

Here's a study by Keith Law showing that experience doesn't matter for much. http://www.espn.com/mlb/playoffs2000/2000/1006/803589.html

I rank "playoff experience" right up there with "veteranisity" and "chemistry." I suppose there's some usefulness to them but they seem very overrated and impossible to quantify. The rules in the post season are still the same. You still win by scoring more runs than the other team. Playoff games are just high leverage games and by the time these guys make it that far they've played in plenty of high leverage games from college to the minors to a 162 game season to get to the playoffs. I'm sure there's more excitement and pressure, but that comes with the territory. I just don't understand what wisdom the players with playoff experience are imparting to the newbies. "Stay loose?" "Play the game one out at a time." "Shake it off? (after a botched play). "Keep your head in the game?" I realize this may come off as snarky but that's not my intent. I acknowledge that there's a value to experience. I just sometimes think these terms get overused and their importance inflated because they really are so hard to quantify and actually measure.

He obviously was never going to be able to sustain his early season magic, but he seems very hittable right now, and much less suited for high leverage situations with runners on base. I'm thinking the acquisition of Fuji had a lot to do with his struggles over the last couple of months.

I was just a kid when he was playing... but in my youth my capacity for consuming all things Orioles was endless so I remembered him immediately. I actually saw him during his last season in 1977... coincidently the last season for Brooks Robinson. I'm amazed he was able to play parts of 7 season - over 10 years - with his limited ability. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

Wait... are you talking 1969 Shopay or 1967 Shopay? Big difference ya' know.

Holy heck! The man is a curse. I knew he was struggling but I had no idea he was dragging down the entire team in this way!!! It's not enough that we send him down. Whatever OBP killing contagion he's suffering from we can't risk him spreading it to Norfolk. We must trade him now, and if we can't trade him we must release him!!! My tongue is planted firmly in my cheek.

I simply mean that I think Ortiz is better than Mateo at this point. When you're in the middle of a pennant race with a legitimate chance at the postseason I think you play the odds.

Clubhouse reasons? Seriously? You know what really hurts morale? Losing out on making the postseason because you kept the anemic hitting shortstop with the .259 OBP who can't hit right-handers to save his life instead of bringing up the hard-hitting, slick-fielding phenom from AAA because the other guy was "well-liked."

You're not wrong. Their Pythagorean record is 55-45. Hyde must be doing a few things right.

I see your Hayden Penn and raise you one Jennings Poindexter. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/poindje01.shtml

Yeah, but isn't it funny how the guys who are "clutch" are always players that are normally high-level performers?

Give some examples of how you define "clutch" and who you think is "clutch." It's pretty much all measurable.

I think we can all agree on the basics. Giving % - Much better to have someone giving 110% than dogging it at 100% or, god forbid, 95% Vetranisity % - More is better Good Baseball Name Quotient - Tough sounding/syllables (Gunnar Henderson a lock for HOF)