Means has arm fatigue (Milone starts opening day)

[Tony-OH]

I will not be surprised if we don't see more "tired arms" and injuries this year. They have never had this kind of layoff so they're in unchartered waters.

[Philip]

When I read this initially, it sounded horrible. Horrible as in the career is over and the arm has suffered some permanent injury and now it is just a rubber band.

Is it something like that, or is it just the guy’s tired? And if it is just fatigue, Why? It’s July, normally he would’ve worked a lot more by now, although presumably he has still been doing his regularly scheduled workouts?

[SteveA]

2 minutes ago, Philip said:

When I read this initially, it sounded horrible. Horrible as in the career is over and the arm has suffered some permanent injury and now it is just a rubber band.

Is it something like that, or is it just the guy’s tired? And if it is just fatigue, Why? It’s July, normally he would’ve worked a lot more by now, although presumably he has still been doing his regularly scheduled workouts?

Well, either:

   -- he didn't pitch much during the hiatus, and this is the normal "tired arm" that pitcher's get about the 3rd week of spring training, when strenuous workouts take their toll on arms that are coming off a period of disuse

Or

   -- he threw a lot during the hiatus and this is normal fatigue and soreness that hits a guy who has been pitching regularly from February to July.  Means missed a start in July last year

Take your pick.

[Moose Milligan]

Well, of course.  

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

No Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer, and now Means is looking iffy for the beginning of this abbreviated season.

[spiritof66]

5 hours ago, atomic said:

So is the rule you have to pitch to 3 batters scrapped as well? With a 16 man staff these games could be pretty much unwatchable.

Not to worry -- unless the season washes out early, there will be plenty of unwatchable O's games.

[UpstateNYfan]

8 hours ago, SteveA said:

Well, either:

   -- he didn't pitch much during the hiatus, and this is the normal "tired arm" that pitcher's get about the 3rd week of spring training, when strenuous workouts take their toll on arms that are coming off a period of disuse

Or

   -- he threw a lot during the hiatus and this is normal fatigue and soreness that hits a guy who has been pitching regularly from February to July.  Means missed a start in July last year

Take your pick.

In my mind (weak as it is), I thought these type of things would happen in the second or third week of the "season", guess my timing was off. I think you'll see blowouts in the first 20-25 games, until pitching gets settled in...lot of relief, AAA, AA types. It will be something to watch, but just barely.

[Roll Tide]

Quote

“John Means has just got a little bit of a dead arm, a little bit of fatigue, so we just want to hold him off just to be sure,” Hyde said. “Obviously, the two-month season is the most important thing, so we want to be overly cautious with him”

Honestly Overly cautions is the term Hyde used. I’m betting he still goes in the opener

[Moose Milligan]

Already have fatigue from this team and they haven't even started their 60 game "season."

[Just Regular]

Maybe it is opening week enthusiasm and the adrenaline of short sleep/impending AL-only roto auction, but this hits me a little bit like Buck hiding guys from Eastern teams in spring training.  I think Means is enough of a worker he's perhaps put a sufficient amount in already, and this is like skipping a guy in the summer swelter.

 Last year to my roto dismay Atlanta did not pitch Soroka much at all in the spring leading to a painful overlook...and then BAM.

(Or Means blew himself up cultivating those extra 1-2 MPH we were buzzing about).

[Oriole1940]

3 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Already have fatigue from this team and they haven't even started their 60 game "season."

Yes, as the years go by, the endurance, or lack thereof  for MLB players would be funny if it were not so pitiful.  Are there no Bob Gibsons left in MLB?    

[Can_of_corn]

15 minutes ago, Oriole1940 said:

Yes, as the years go by, the endurance, or lack thereof  for MLB players would be funny if it were not so pitiful.  Are there no Bob Gibsons left in MLB?    

More hitters hit 40 HR in 2019 than hit 30 in 1968.  More hitters hit 30 HR in 2019 than hit 15 in 1968.

Sixty-four players hit double digit homeruns in 1968.  The three players tied for 64th most HR in 2019 hit 28 (28 would have been 10th most in the league in 1968, one behind some guy named Aaron).

It's a lot easier to go deep into games when only a couple of guys in the opposing lineups are power threats.

[Aristotelian]

16 hours ago, Philip said:

When I read this initially, it sounded horrible. Horrible as in the career is over and the arm has suffered some permanent injury and now it is just a rubber band.

Is it something like that, or is it just the guy’s tired? And if it is just fatigue, Why? It’s July, normally he would’ve worked a lot more by now, although presumably he has still been doing his regularly scheduled workouts?

Very common. It is not even considered an injury. Sometimes they pitch through it without even missing time.

[weams]

2 hours ago, Oriole1940 said:

Yes, as the years go by, the endurance, or lack thereof  for MLB players would be funny if it were not so pitiful.  Are there no Bob Gibsons left in MLB?    

Raise the mound. Take Second Base, Shortstop, and Catcher out as offensive positions. Bunt every time through the order.  Bob was one of the best pitchers of All Time. Best. 

[Philip]

2 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

Very common. It is not even considered an injury. Sometimes they pitch through it without even missing time.

That’s a relief, thanks