We Are Who We Are - a .500 team

[eddie83]

This is how a .500 team plays

The whole league is around .500. Teams will separate at some point. Bad game tonight, sloppy and a bad loss. We usually don't play sloppy.

[Ommaculate]

This is how a .500 team plays

And the 15 million pitcher acquisition who if he pitched like we were hoping is sitting in the dugout, smiling laughing telling jokes whenener they put him on camera. He should be p!ssed and training, he's a failure and a bust.

[O's84]

This team is never on the same page. If the offense is going they can't pitch. If the pitching is going they can't hit. The only time they are on the same page is when they can't hit or pitch. I apologize if I'm being harsh but its so frustrating and to be fair that is what has happened so far this season. I hope this team can turn it on and not just be a .500 team, especially because the division this year seems weak in comparison to what it has been in prior years.

[Jonesy10]

They're 1 game over .500 with the following:

Wieters missing half the season

Davis being hurt

Machado being hurt and terrible

Hardy being hurt and not having a HR

Tillman pitching terribly

Hunter pitching terribly

Flaherty, Lough, Schoop playing terribly

The offense in general being terrible

9-11 record at home

Yeah I used the word a lot, but they really have been terrible and (try to) give away the game seemingly every night. Yet they're over .500 and just 1.5 back of first. The Blue Jays aren't good. Every batter in their lineup besides Reyes is playing (way) over their head. They were like 5 games under only 2 weeks ago. They did the same thing last year...went on a run then reverted back to their normal terrible selves.

Bottom line is there's no doubt in my mind, if this team performs even close to what they're capable of, they can easily gain 1.5 games on the Jays the next 117 games and win the division. They're the best team in the division. The only question is are they going to wake the hell up and stop playing like hot garbage.

[brianod]

This team is never on the same page. If the offense is going they can't pitch. If the pitching is going they can't hit. The only time they are on the same page is when they can't hit or pitch. I apologize if I'm being harsh but its so frustrating and to be fair that is what has happened so far this season. I hope this team can turn it on and not just be a .500 team' date=' especially because the division this year seems weak in comparison to what it has been in prior years.[/quote']

There has been nothing done in the last 2 years to make that happen. If I was DD, I would be thinking of radical changes. The core isn't good enough and the role players are failing. (Lough, Flaherty, both catchers, any reliever not named Britton) Chen and Gonzalez are fine #4 starters. Tilman needs rest. Patton and Matusz have been horrible. Nick is a below average rf. Jones is an average cf. We have no lf. Cruz is a fine DH but shouldn't play the field. Schoop is a fine prospect, but he is unproven. Flaherty is a backup. Manny's O is a question mark. JJ is aging, injury prone and hasn't hit a home run all year. Davis has had one great year but he doesn't look like he's worth 20 million per year at this point. Bottom line is that we have put a lot of faith in the core group and they aren't good enough.

[Mirko Crocop]

And the 15 million pitcher acquisition who if he pitched like we were hoping is sitting in the dugout, smiling laughing telling jokes whenener they put him on camera. He should be p!ssed and training, he's a failure and a bust.

The only failure is this post. You expect him to be dour in a competitive game? Perhaps he was trying to keep players relaxed. Some guys do that. It isn't as though we were down 30-3. And to call any player a bust in mid may is silly. I realize most of your posts are hyperbolic because you find it cute, but no one else does.

[Ommaculate]

The only failure is this post. You expect him to be dour in a competitive game? Perhaps he was trying to keep players relaxed. Some guys do that. It isn't as though we were down 30-3. And to call any player a bust in mid may is silly. I realize most of your posts are hyperbolic because you find it cute, but no one else does.

We lost lost 7 out of 10 games he started and he was signed to do the opposite. Until he proves other I predict losses when he pitches and he is our #2, and the hope is he comes back like he did in Cleveland, as if that is likely to happen twice.

[calmunderfire]

Team has been average this year, but I see them playing better. I mean at some point Machado and Hardy will stop playing liketotal crap right? Tommy Hunter is gone. The pitching staff looks to be settling in after a rough start.

[eddie83]

There has been nothing done in the last 2 years to make that happen. If I was DD, I would be thinking of radical changes. The core isn't good enough and the role players are failing. (Lough, Flaherty, both catchers, any reliever not named Britton) Chen and Gonzalez are fine #4 starters. Tilman needs rest. Patton and Matusz have been horrible. Nick is a below average rf. Jones is an average cf. We have no lf. Cruz is a fine DH but shouldn't play the field. Schoop is a fine prospect, but he is unproven. Flaherty is a backup. Manny's O is a question mark. JJ is aging, injury prone and hasn't hit a home run all year. Davis has had one great year but he doesn't look like he's worth 20 million per year at this point. Bottom line is that we have put a lot of faith in the core group and they aren't good enough.

Toronto is in first after a couple of bad years, should they just of blown things up? The whole league right now is mediocre except for a couple of teams. We contended deep into the season last year. This isn't like 1984 when the Tigers ran away with the division and there were no wild cards.

[brianod]

Toronto is in first after a couple of bad years, should they just of blown things up? The whole league right now is mediocre except for a couple of teams. We contended deep into the season last year. This isn't like 1984 when the Tigers ran away with the division and there were no wild cards.

Toronto is a far better team then we are. They were last year and they are this year. You have to make judgments based on talent. We aren't good enough. Of the two teams, they have a much better chance of going on a run and taking the division.

[Guest]

Toronto is a far better team then we are. They were last year and they are this year. You have to make judgments based on talent. We aren't good enough. Of the two teams, they have a much better chance of going on a run and taking the division.

Toronto is loaded on O. I bet they trade for a starter in a month.

[25 Nuggets]

Toronto is certainly not FAR better than we are, not as constructed, but they do look like the best of the mediocre lot right now. There are still significant holes in their pitching staff.

Who are they going to trade when they destroyed their farm last off season?

[brianod]

Toronto is certainly not FAR better than we are, not as constructed, but they do look like the best of the mediocre lot right now. There are still significant holes in their pitching staff.

Who are they going to trade when they destroyed their farm last off season?

They have a much larger budget than we do. All they have to do is wait for salary dumps and spend some money. Even if they don't make moves, they'll finish ahead of us imo

[Jonesy10]

Sorry. Toronto isn't good. Not even close to better than us. This is pretty much as good as they can play, and they're barely better than we are when we are playing terrible. Look at their lineup. Bautista, Encarnacion, Lind, Cabrera, Fransisco, Rasmus, and Lawrie are all overperforming either based on their advanced stats or their production so far. Hutchison isn't this good and Buerhle's ERA is half of his xFIP. Hell, even with the overperforming offense, if Buerhle pitches like he does last year (which the peripheals suggest he is doing), they aren't even a .500 team. That's not even taking into consideration that Francisco, Cabrera, Lind, Rasmus, and Lawrie are not going to be nearly as productive as they have been.

Remember when Toronto swept us last year? What did they win? 10 in a row? They looked like they were gonna make a run then but they reverted back to their mediocre selves, just like they will do this year. They were well below .500 a couple weeks ago but just went on a nice run.

[eddie83]

Toronto is a far better team then we are. They were last year and they are this year. You have to make judgments based on talent. We aren't good enough. Of the two teams, they have a much better chance of going on a run and taking the division.

How are they far better? Hutchinson is pitching well but given his youth will he make it through the year before he gets shut down? The rest of their rotation outside of Buehrle isn't great. They are hitting better no question but who says we won't get going? It is possible they are better, of course by they certainly aren't far better.