April 23rd at Seattle

[Ozone]

Beltre actually caught the third strike to Nick.

[wickedwitch]

Somebody is going to get thrown out of this game for arguing balls and strikes.

Frankly, I almost hope several guys get thrown out for arguing balls and strikes, because this is completely absurd.

[HeatherC12]

That's what I said a couple pages back, only I implied he was paying for his date.

Luke, get your gun! This is ridonkulous!

She must charge by the hour at rate this game is going tonight, LOL

[Jagwar]

It's both of those things.

Silva is also hitting the glove. I guess the umpire thinks that means it must be a strike.

Are all of Silva's K's looking?

[blueberryale77]

It's both of those things.

Maybe he just feels extra confident knowing that as long as he doesn't hit the dirt or the backstop it'll be a strike.

[Marvin]

DCab is gonna get squeezed like an orange now for Trembley coming out again.

[McNulty]

Be sure we add Brian Rungie (sp?) to the C.B. Bucknor list of crappy umps.

[blueberryale77]

Frankly, I almost hope several guys get thrown out for arguing balls and strikes, because this is completely absurd.

Heck, if he's going to steal the game from us anyway, let's just get so many guys ejected that we have to forfeit!

[McNulty]

Silva is also hitting the glove. I guess the umpire thinks that means it must be a strike.

Are all of Silva's K's looking?

All 4 of um.

[rolliefingers]

Dude, the only way we're winning this game is if some Mariner plunks 5 guys in a row. Runge basically just decided that there's no way we're winning this game.

[Jagwar]

Beltre actually caught the third strike to Nick.

I was going to say it was Joe Mauer... who is playing in Oakland

[wickedwitch]

Even the Seattle commentators are talking quite a bit about the strik zone, saying Markakis and Roberts are not the type to argue. They also pointed out how ball 2 to Lopez was right down the middle.

[fansince71]

DT had about a 2 minute convo in between innings with the dumb ass ump. prolly telling him dude you suck!

[RShack]

You stop. You can be a Luis apologist if you want. And if you want to take me literal you can. But you know what i'm saying. He sucks, and i'm sick of people acting like he brings value to this team in some way shape or form when he does not at all.

I said he's goofed up too much... so I guess putting it on him makes me an apologist ;-)

Look, the very same people who were dissing him last year despite his brilliant D, and were doing it because of the "small sample size" are now saying he's lousy based on a sample size about *half* of last year's. So, if the sample size last year was too small, how can you trust the much tinier one so far this year? That's just beating up on the guy.

[SteveA]

None of that is statistically significant. That's like saying Luis Hernandez is a natural .290 hitter based on last year's performance. Random fluctuations...

I would disagree....I would say that 240 games is a pretty reasonable ized statistical sample...and *IF* Runge's stats showed consistency over 240 games (like John Hirshbeck's do as a pitcher-friendly ump, or like Ed Montague's do as a hitter-friendly ump), I would say there would be significance to them.

But the fact is that Runge's stats are all over the place with no consistency so yes, I would say there is no conclusion you can draw from them. I examined them to see if he did have a large sample of games with a consistent tilt towards overs or unders...and found he did not.