InsideCoroner

That makes sense since homers happen, on average, about 10x (or 9x) more often than triples the last few years. I agree it’s a lot more exciting watching Mateo trying to beat the throw to third base than it is watching some Steve Balboni type get winded going between first and second on his lazy home run jog.

Bundy allowed 7 runs in his first four starts, and 9 runs last night. And just like that, his ERA jumps from 2.95 to 5.76.

What the game yesterday highlighted to me is how the deeper LF wall has distanced the SS, LF and CF positions. Two pop-ups last night with decent hang time between the three that felt like they would have easily been caught last year, and they were both trouble. Mateo made one of the best plays of the year to catch one over his shoulder, and one that he hit which fell for a double.

So far they’re doing what I had mentioned I wanted to see in another thread, which is to lose games less badly. They’re in most games to the end. I’m cautiously optimistic about the pitching, which is doing surprisingly well overall even without the benefit of Means, GRod or Hall.

My only memory of the bathroom at CBGB was that the only toilet in there was raised on a doorless platform brazenly facing the sink and urinals. (shudders) On yesterday’s game, as ineffective as Pivetta was, that game could have been so much worse for the Sox. He left at least five absolute meatball breaking balls that landed right in the middle of the zone, which we either missed or fouled off.

I think it was easier to overlook when nobody on the team was hitting. His hard hit percentage and line drive percentage this year are both the highest in his career. He’s likely to look red hot with those hits miss some gloves.

He's OPSing .837 at Norfolk this year. Not that I expect that to carry over against MLB pitching (in fact, I would be shocked if he OPSed .650), and SSS, but it's about as well as he's ever hit.

Tough loss yesterday to the Halos, but there were some encouraging signs in there on a game that looked like a lost cause early on. First, giving up six runs in the first inning made it look like this could easily be the sort of day where Bemboom winds up on the mound to mop things up. Starer Chris Ellis didn't retire a batter in the first (3 walks, HBP, single), but said afterwards he had shoulder discomfort. Although Lakins inherited the bases full with no out and gave up a grand slam to Adell, the pen held them in check from the 2nd inning onwards, and we finally saw some offense from Mancini and Hayes, who each hit homers, while Mullins got on base four times (a double, bunt single and two walks). The O's managed to tie the score before giving up a run in the bottom of the 7th. Baumann loaded the bases with two outs in the 7th, and Bautista was brought in to try and escape the jam, but he walked Taylor Ward on a full-count pitch. Ward said after the game he had a feeling he wouldn't get a strike there so he was taking even if the pitch was right down the middle, and unfortunately he was right. Once again pretty solid defense from the regulars, Chirinos is still a breath of fresh air blocking balls behind the plate in the aftermath of Severino (and Chirinos threw out the only runner that tried to steal, which was Ohtani), and the bullpen did their job. Let's see if the bats can continue to thaw in New York this week.

That just sounds like too much of a loophole to me. "Assingment or sale of the club shall mean the forfeit of all Nats TV rights, unless you figure out that you can just sell 99.99% of the club, keep the Angelos family involved for a 0.01% share, and that the new owner can retain lucrative broadcast rights in perpetuity."

I imagine the same would apply if the Angelos family doesn’t sell the team outright, but if they merely give up a controlling interest? I’m sure people would exploit any loophole possible if it meant keeping control of the Nats’ brosdcasting rights.

Strat-O’s-Matic

I watched the whole game on replay this morning without knowing the score… quite a win. There were several times I was convinced it was over but the bullpen stuck it out, and Mountcastle came to the rescue (twice). Credit where it’s due to Watkins as well. Trout tagged him twice for solo shots, but he did really well with Ohtani and the rest of their line up for five very solid innings.

Whether it’s the A’s or AAA’s, we know that it doesn’t take a good team to make our pitching look awful. The last few years it feels like we would have walked seven guys, missed a few balls in the field, and lost that game by a couple runs.

“Bust” or not, I do remember D.J. hitting three homers over back-to-back wins against the Yanks in September of 2020 (including shots off Cole and Tanaka). He had a few moments in the sun. Too few, for most, but enough to make for some good stories in the bar in the coming decades. I feel he had his chance, and didn’t capitalize on it, but I also don’t think he was the complete fiasco some make him out to be.

Ellis pitched as well as you could have hoped. Maybe it helped calm his nerves only playing in front of an announced attendance of 3,748.

I think at the very least, anyone handed the closer role should be able to grow out a big, scruffy beard for the duration. If you come into the clubhouse and there’s an electric razor in your locker, then you know you’ve lost the gig.

I greatly enjoy this forum and am so glad that Tony decided to keep it going for st least another year. It’s a place that doesn’t suffer fools gladly, or bold statements without corresponding data to back up any egregious claims. I just wish the team was as good as the board that supports it. I only get to see maybe one game a year live (at best… my last game was over 3 years ago), but one of my favorite recent memories was attending the 2014 game against the Jays where they clinched winning the AL East. Ironically, sitting in a left-field bleacher seat that no longer exists. Will people react better when Adley and Grayson are here? Not from their presence alone. People will still complain about service time manipulation, or how Adley is “no Weiters” (while Weiters was already never “Mauer with power”). They’ll only react better once we’re winning more games than we lose. It’s incredible what an 85- to 90-win season can do for the soul. Especially after the many dark years we’ve all had to endure these past 39 years since our last trophy.

“But dad, I don’t care if it’s only a dollar, all this guy has is warm cans of Diet Slice. I don’t even know what that is, but I know I’m not drinking it.”

Not to bash, as I believe both these guys love the team snd announcing, but he’s definitely better than Garceau or Hunter for PBP.

I hope that catchers will get to liven up things by using celebrity voices for the pitch call, like Morgan Freeman. Or Gilbert Gottfried.

…your ST stats are so off the charts that your name is immortalized by one of the forum’s top contributors.

The mlb.com site says any attempt to circumvent a blackout results in immediate termination, a $100 fine, and that you may be subject to legal action and they may also notify the authorities. Then again, this is the same organization that decided to black out Giants and A’s games in Guam (a decision which surely was a boon to their walk-up sales). Personally I would never use a VPN to circumvent a blackout (because that would be wrong), but sometimes I do enjoy streaming games through servers based in other parts of the country. It just makes me feel so traveled.

If you are using the VPN to skirt blackout restrictions, then technically, yes.

The cheapest answer is probably a good VPN with an mlb.tv subscription. mlb.tv is the most expensive part (I just paid $157 for a year including tax) but a solid VPN will only you back like $40-60 a year.

I questioned including it myself but that was how a website listed them and I merely carried it over.