Play Ball! the 2013 Baseball Thread

[babaganoosh13]

Ah, classic first pitches.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2013 by babaganoosh13

[Keyrock]

Ah, the Bababooey first pitch.  Classic.

 

Sawx got blanked last night but lost no ground since the Rays have gone into all out tailspin mode.  5 1/2 games at this point in the season is a fairly secure lead, but the 3 game set at The Trop still looms on the horizon, so nothing is set in stone.

[Guard Dog]

Tailspin might be an understatement Keyrock. They have lost 9 of 10 and have yet to score more than two runs in any game in that stretch. They need to pull out of this because now Cleveland & NY are catching up in the WC race.  

[Keyrock]

Great W for the Sawx tonight.  Just beating the Tigers is nice in itself, but beating Scherzer is a great bonus.  Uehara was once again phenomenal in the 9th to save it.  He's as dominant as any closer in the game right now.  The guy is straight up unhittable at the moment.  He's on a 22 game scoreless streak and has retired 21 straight batters.

 

I'm really torn on what's happening to the Rays.  On the one hand, the very thought of the Yankees making it into the postseason is borderline vomit inducing.  On the other hand, the Rays are the team that scares me the most, outside of Detroit, in the AL, because their pitching staff can go straight up lights out.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Keyrock

[LadyCrimson]

I don't know what makes me more sad, that SF is dead last, or that the Dodgers are first. Although to be honest, I rooted for the Dodgers for a brief period, because of Orel Hershiser - I loved watching him pitch.

 

...and yeah if the Ray's can get out of the tailspin, I fear them more than the current Yankees.

[Keyrock]

Man, Sawx brought the lumber tonight.  They absolutely went off on the Detroit pitching staff to the tune of 20 runs (20!), including 8 round trippers.  It got to the point that I was almost rooting for them to get outs because I was feeling bad for the Tigers.  The Sawx have the best home record in the AL, so getting the best record, and the home field advantage that goes with it, would be significant.  This wraps up an impressive 9 game home stand where they went 7-2.  Next up, 3 at Yankee Stadium, then 3 at The Trop.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Keyrock

[kgambit]

Tailspin might be an understatement Keyrock. They have lost 9 of 10 and have yet to score more than two runs in any game in that stretch. They need to pull out of this because now Cleveland & NY are catching up in the WC race.  

 

Rays get a chance to recover against the Halos who have all but given up on the rest of this season.  

 

Rangers on the other hand have seen their bi-polar offense throw a fit.  They lose 2 of 3 on road to CHW, sweep the Mariners On the road, then lose 2 of 3 to Twins and 2 of 3 to A's (both at home).  Still tied for first, but this offense is painful to watch.   Beltre is carrying the offense.   If I was facing the Rangers, I would not let Beltre see a hittable ever.

[Guard Dog]

My boys have found the mojo again it seems. Even Helickson is back in form. Oh, and Keyrock, that 20-4 victory only counts as one win!   

[Keyrock]

My boys have found the mojo again it seems. Even Helickson is back in form. Oh, and Keyrock, that 20-4 victory only counts as one win!   

Yeah, I know.  I wish the Sawx could save 15 of those runs for some other games.   A 3 game set at The Trop, perhaps?

[Keyrock]

Sawx won a wild one at Yankee Stadium last night.  They were up by 5 entering the 7th, proceeded to give up a 6 run inning to go down 1, were down to their final strike in the 9th with Mo on the mound, battled back to tie the game, then won it in the 10th.  Beating the Yankees is always sweet, giving Mo a blown save is an extra bonus.  Coupled with the Rays' loss the Sawx now have the division firmly in hand.  Getting swept at The Trop would be the only way they could give Tampa any shot at the division.  Sawx are essentially playing for home field advantage now.

[kgambit]

Sawx won a wild one at Yankee Stadium last night.  They were up by 5 entering the 7th, proceeded to give up a 6 run inning to go down 1, were down to their final strike in the 9th with Mo on the mound, battled back to tie the game, then won it in the 10th.  Beating the Yankees is always sweet, giving Mo a blown save is an extra bonus.  Coupled with the Rays' loss the Sawx now have the division firmly in hand.  Getting swept at The Trop would be the only way they could give Tampa any shot at the division.  Sawx are essentially playing for home field advantage now.

 

That's six blown saves for Mo now.  That puts him tied for 4th in the AL. 

 

Wish the Rangers had kept Uehara (and Napoli too).    

[Keyrock]

 

Sawx won a wild one at Yankee Stadium last night.  They were up by 5 entering the 7th, proceeded to give up a 6 run inning to go down 1, were down to their final strike in the 9th with Mo on the mound, battled back to tie the game, then won it in the 10th.  Beating the Yankees is always sweet, giving Mo a blown save is an extra bonus.  Coupled with the Rays' loss the Sawx now have the division firmly in hand.  Getting swept at The Trop would be the only way they could give Tampa any shot at the division.  Sawx are essentially playing for home field advantage now.

 

That's six blown saves for Mo now.  That puts him tied for 4th in the AL. 

 

Wish the Rangers had kept Uehara (and Napoli too).    

 

Napoli has been fairly mediocre, he has had his moments, though.  Uehara has been spectacular, he's a godsend.  

[kgambit]

 

 

Sawx won a wild one at Yankee Stadium last night.  They were up by 5 entering the 7th, proceeded to give up a 6 run inning to go down 1, were down to their final strike in the 9th with Mo on the mound, battled back to tie the game, then won it in the 10th.  Beating the Yankees is always sweet, giving Mo a blown save is an extra bonus.  Coupled with the Rays' loss the Sawx now have the division firmly in hand.  Getting swept at The Trop would be the only way they could give Tampa any shot at the division.  Sawx are essentially playing for home field advantage now.

 

That's six blown saves for Mo now.  That puts him tied for 4th in the AL. 

 

Wish the Rangers had kept Uehara (and Napoli too).    

 

Napoli has been fairly mediocre, he has had his moments, though.  Uehara has been spectacular, he's a godsend.  

 

 

We want Uehara back.  We're claiming a do-over on the trade.  LOL

[Guard Dog]

Just another heartbreaking loss to a bad team last night. These last two weeks watching the Rays has been like watching a landslide in slow motion.

[Keyrock]

Just another heartbreaking loss to a bad team last night. These last two weeks watching the Rays has been like watching a landslide in slow motion.

Sawx keep trying to help the Rays out by breaking the Yankees' backs...  Who am I kidding, helping out the Rays is an unintended side effect, breaking the Yankees' backs is a labour of love.

 

While no definitive announcement has been made, there were no setbacks in Buchholz's final rehab start and he showed good velocity and command.  Presumably, he'll make his return on Tuesday. 

[Guard Dog]

That series with the Sox at the Trop is the whole season in three games. a sweep will not put the Rays in first but losing even 2 of 3 will put the division crown out of reach for good and all. But for God's sake you can't just lay down to the M's that way. The Yanks can't be counted on to make these losses a victimless crime!

[Keyrock]

Realistically the division crown is already out of reach for the Rays, you just don't make up 7 1/2 games in 3 weeks.  Mathematically it could still happen, but the chances are exceedingly slim.  The way I see it, the Sawx are heading for 97 wins (11-8 in their final 19 games seems realistic and maybe even somewhat conservative), that number is definitely out of reach for the Rays (they would have to go a blistering 20-2), especially if they keep pulling a 2011 Sawx (it's a painful joke to make, but one I had to).  Only sweeping the Sawx would give the Rays even the smallest glimmer of hope.  Presumably it will be Buchholz starting for the first game of the series (nice way to get tossed right into the fire in his return), who would the Rays be sending out on Tuesday?

Edited September 7, 2013 by Keyrock

[Guard Dog]

Ugly loss last night. Just terrible. Yeah, forget the division title, now i'm just hoping they hold on to the last wildcard spot. Not looking good right now. This road trip has jut killed the season.

[Keyrock]

Sawx won game one of the final series with the Rays and for all intensive purposes clinched the AL East tonight.  Far more importantly, Buchholz pitched very well in his return tonight.  He was efficient, he didn't give up any runs, and there were no setbacks.  He only pitched 5 innings, but that's because John Farrell pulled him after the 5th and 74 pitches, he could have gone 7 or 8 the way he was pitching.  I can't blame the manager for being very careful with Buchholz.  The most important thing is that he looked just like the pre-injury Buchholz.  Before he got injured he was arguably the best pitcher in the majors, so it's a major boost to get him back in the rotation. 

[Leferd]

I'm kinda amazed but there hasn't been much buzz about Koji Uehara throwing a "perfect game."

[Leferd]

Or that Uehara's was the second of this season - after Shelby Miller.

[Keyrock]

Uehara has been amazing.  He's now gone 28 1/3 straight scoreless innings and retired his last 31 batters.  31 straight batters without a hit or walk!  The guy is untouchable right now.  He's not just getting batters out, he's making them look silly.

[Leferd]

Yep. He's been amazing.

[kgambit]

Bonds Loses Appeal for Obstruction conviction

 

A federal court upheld the conviction of long-time big leaguer Barry Bonds on Friday, according to the Associated Press. He was convicted of obstruction of justice in connection to his grand jury testimony about performance-enhancing drugs.

 

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/23629487/report-barry-bonds-conviction-upheld-by-appeals-court

[Hurlshort]

Somebody should go after the prosecutors for a colossal waste of taxpayers dollars on the Bonds case.