A few thoughts as spring training starts to get serious

[Luke-OH]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

Here’s a few thoughts on today’s game:

1.   Wright was Wright.   First inning, there was a botched 3-1 play scored as a hit, but it should have been an out.    I couldn’t tell whether Mancini’s throw wasn’t accurate or Wright just dropped it, but he was there before the runner.   The runner ended up on 2B but then got doubled up when the next hitter took off on a line drive caught by Jones.    Another runner got caught misreading a liner to Jones in the third inning and was doubled up.    Later that inning, a runner scored on a single to RF when Gentry’s throw was offline to the RF foul side, but Sisco caught the runner rounding first.   So, Wright only got one out that inning, but the fielders/baserunners bailed him out twice.    In the fifth, after allowing a single and a walk, Wright balked the runners over and then allowed a two-run triple.   Typical Wright, he was rattled.   The next guy hit a grounder to Sardiñas, who was playing in, but his throw home was head-high and Sisco didn’t get the tag low enough and the runner slid under it for the fourth run.    Overall, not a sharp outing by Wright.   He topped out at 93, I think.  

Joely Rodriguez came in with two out and his first pitch was clocked at 100 mph.   He got one out to end the inning and that was all we saw of him.   

Mesa threw two innings and was sitting 90-91; I saw him hit 92 once.  He threw mostly breaking stuff and it looked decent; he got one batter to look foolish striking out on an 82-mph pitch that was either a slider or a change.   Mesa also botched a comebacker and allowed a stolen base that didn’t even draw a throw (Sisco bobbled it, but it didn’t matter as the runner was practically standing on 2B).

O’Day pitched the 8th and struck out the side very easily.   I think he faced three minor leaguers and they all looked helpless.

Scott closed it out and didn’t have his good fastball or great command.    He sat 94, topping out at 95, with his slider in the 85-86 range.    He broke off about 2 good sliders but missed badly with several, including one that didn’t break and nearly beaned a guy.   A run scored on a grounder to Adrian Marin at SS, who bobbled the transfer and had to settle for an out at first instead of trying to nail the runner at the plate.    

I’ll put some comments on the hitters in a separate post.

I should add, my seats were beyond 3B in the upper section, but I spent 1.5 innings visiting with Bruce (vatech1994) who was sitting 5 rows behind home plate.   He may have some comments on the pitchers from that vantage point that I couldn’t give from where I sat most of the time.   Awesome seats for Bruce!

 

100 from Joely is some serious stuff. It’s hard to believe the gun is hot with Scott in the mid 90s. 

Mesa t92 is an improvement from where he was his first couple outings, but still three ticks off last year as a starter. He is a guy who can pitch backwards a lot.

[Legend_Of_Joey]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Alas, this is just a Thursday-Monday trip, so the only games I’ll see are today’s and tomorrow’s.

Wright allowed a lot of hard contact today, I thought.    Only one extra base hit, but he got squared up a lot.    As mentioned, Jones caught two liners that were smashed and turned them into DP’s, and the other DP was on a hard hit grounder that was right at Valencia, playing 3B.

The others weren’t hit too hard.   Only Mesa allowed any hits (2), one of which was a swinging bunt that he fielded but botched the throw.  

Thanks. Guess I won't see you when I head down Wednesday.

[Frobby]

A few thoughts on the position players today:

1.  Gentry walked in the first, advanced to 2B and was thrown out trying to score on a single where he never should have been waved home.    He made a valiant effort to slide around the tag, but had no chance.    As I mentioned, he also had a chance to throw a runner out at home but his throw leaked to the 1B side of home.

2.   Jones’ homer was blasted, and probably carried 390-400 feet, aided a little by a breeze blowing out.   

3.   Santander hit a double in the LF gap that short hopped the wall and was really crushed.   

4.   Mullins got to show his speed three times, coming in on a sinking liner in the short RF gap, reaching on an infield single and then zooming around to score on what turned out to be a triple.    The guy can fly.   

5.   Reyes came in at 3B late and had no at bats or fielding chances, but he’s an impressive physical specimen and looks to be in great shape.

6.    Sisco had a clean single but struck out twice.    Was overmatched once.     Defensively he caught a runner who had rounded 1st too far on a throw home, made a semi-poor tag on a runner who slid under it to score (though the throw was head high), and had no chances on the one stolen base against him.    He’s pretty good at receiving, very quiet back there.   

7.   Presley turned on a pitch and drilled a triple into the RF corner.   It wasn’t well played by the RF and might have been only a double if handled better, but Presley showed good speed getting around to 3B.

8.   Neither Sardiñas nor Vielma look like they can hit at all.

Overall, it wasn’t much of a day with the bats, and the defense had its ups and downs.    Two guys scored who probably should have been cut down at the plate, one on the throw by Sardinas and the other on a bobble by Marin in the 9th that forced him to go to 1B rather than home.    And, a better throw from Gentry to the plate might have gotten a runner, too.   Overall, I’m glad this game didn’t count.

 

[Frobby]

59 minutes ago, Legend_Of_Joey said:

Thanks. Guess I won't see you when I head down Wednesday.

That’s a shame.   

[wildcard]

19 minutes ago, Frobby said:

A few thoughts on the position players today:

1.  Gentry walked in the first, advanced to 2B and was thrown out trying to score on a single where he never should have been waved home.    He made a valiant effort to slide around the tag, but had no chance.    As I mentioned, he also had a chance to throw a runner out at home but his throw leaked to the 1B side of home.

2.   Jones’ homer was blasted, and probably carried 390-400 feet, aided a little by a breeze blowing out.   

3.   Santander hit a double in the LF gap that short hopped the wall and was really crushed.   

4.   Mullins got to show his speed three times, coming in on a sinking liner in the short RF gap, reaching on an infield single and then zooming around to score on what turned out to be a triple.    The guy can fly.   

5.   Reyes came in at 3B late and had no at bats or fielding chances, but he’s an impressive physical specimen and looks to be in great shape.

6.    Sisco had a clean single but struck out twice.    Was overmatched once.     Defensively he caught a runner who had rounded 1st too far on a throw home, made a semi-poor tag on a runner who slid under it to score (though the throw was head high), and had no chances on the one stolen base against him.    He’s pretty good at receiving, very quiet back there.   

7.   Presley turned on a pitch and drilled a triple into the RF corner.   It wasn’t well played by the RF and might have been only a double if handled better, but Presley showed good speed getting around to 3B.

8.   Neither Sardiñas nor Vielma look like they can hit at all.

Overall, it wasn’t much of a day with the bats, and the defense had its ups and downs.    Two guys scored who probably should have been cut down at the plate, one on the throw by Sardinas and the other on a bobble by Marin in the 9th that forced him to go to 1B rather than home.    And, a better throw from Gentry to the plate might have gotten a runner, too.   Overall, I’m glad this game didn’t count.

 

Sounds like Buck will welcome back Flaherty.

[Luke-OH]

32 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Sounds like Buck will welcome back Flaherty.

Go get Nate Orf! He’ll make everyone forget about Flaherty.

[El Gordo]

9 minutes ago, Luke-OH said:

Go get Nate Orf! He’ll make everyone forget about Flaherty.

Still don't see why we need Flaherty. If Valencia doesn't work out take your pick of Tejada, Sardinas, Vielma

[Il BuonO]

7 hours ago, El Gordo said:

Still don't see why we need Flaherty. If Valencia doesn't work out take your pick of Tejada, Sardinas, Vielma

Vielma certainly looks good fielding the ball. Tejada has been reassigned.

[Aristotelian]

8 hours ago, El Gordo said:

Still don't see why we need Flaherty. If Valencia doesn't work out take your pick of Tejada, Sardinas, Vielma

I don't know why we need any of them on the 25. Beckham and Schoop can cover any position in an emergency. These guys will be a phone call away.

[weams]

10 hours ago, Luke-OH said:

Go get Nate Orf! He’ll make everyone forget about Flaherty.

http://www.orioleshangout.com/2017/11/24/rule-5-target-nate-orf-utility/

[weams]

 

[Can_of_corn]

11 hours ago, wildcard said:

Sounds like Buck will welcome back Flaherty.

Not since Markakis has left have I seen folks so enamored with a former player that is employed by another team.

I'm not going to have to read let's trade X to the Phillies for Flaherty posts all year am I?

[bobmc]

18 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Not since Markakis has left have I seen folks so enamored with a former player that is employed by another team.

I'm not going to have to read let's trade X to the Phillies for Flaherty posts all year am I?

So are you ranking "Flash" up there with Davies and the lefty we "gave away" for Bud?  I'm thinking we see these reveries a lot also, but agree with you on the last question above.  And oh btw, is this "fan tampering"?

[weams]

No cuts today per  Rich Dubroff BB.com

[wildcard]

43 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Not since Markakis has left have I seen folks so enamored with a former player that is employed by another team.

I'm not going to have to read let's trade X to the Phillies for Flaherty posts all year am I?

I haven't heard any trade talk about Flaherty.  Only if he gets released.  And then the O's probably wait until he passes through waivers because the O's probably will not pay him 1.9m plus incentives.