MLB Game Chatter

[Guest MikeSC]

Maybe that explains why Clement has been decidedly mediocre for the past 5 weeks.

 

Cubs need a win tonight because the Astros are continuing to pound the ball, 5-2, in the 4th over Cincy with Oswalt on the mound tonight and Clemens tomorrow.

They need a new manager. God only knows the damage to the young pitchers that Dusty Baker has done.

-=Mike

...Who's respect for Leo Mazzone has skyrocketed after thinking about how Dusty pissed away the Cubs' guys...

[the max 0]

Damon looks good to me...homers on the second pitch of the game.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Mike Remlinger sucks. This joke comes in with two on and one out; loads the bases and then proceeds to walk in two runs. Expos lead 5-3. If they go ahead by HITTING, I'm fine with it, but walking in two runs is embarrassing and makes me question why he has a job.

[treble 0]

Somewhere along the way, it seems as though David Bush has become Dave Bush. Not quite as weird as Angel Martinez suddenly deciding he wanted to go by Sandy Martinez, but still a little strange.

[cabbageboy 0]

Ah, good to see the Cubs had no problem filling that Farnsworth void of suck with Remlinger.

[the max 0]

I love Bill Mueller...in a strictly hetero way. He's been a house of fire since his return from the DL, and he's been awesome on defense lately.

 

3-0 Red Sox after 3 Damon and Gabe Kapler have homered.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Another start, six more earned runs for Schmidt. He was doing fine until the 7th, where he loaded the bases and gave up a grand slam. Giants are fucked without the Schmidt we all know.

[Bored 0]

*sigh* I'm starting to think the A's are incapable of getting any sort of revenge against teams that bounce them in the playoffs. I guess that goes well with the incapable of winning Game 5 thing.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

This Cubs game shall end when the Expos score or when the Cubs homer. It's clear they have no clue how to drive in runs with runners in scoring position. They've left 15 men on tonight and have had runners in scoring position five of the last six innings and haven't been able to capitalize. There've been about six balls hit in the last few innings that would usually have a chance, but not with this howling wind blowing in.

 

I also think this is a perfect example of how there's no such thing as a clutch hitter. Good hitters are going to come through more times than poor hitters. Everyone talks about how clutch Alou is. He's a great hitter, but if he were truly clutch, this game would be over, as he's had two realistic chances to end the game tonight and couldn't get the job done. I think it's like postseason play: the more chances you get, the more the numbers reflect your overall numbers.

[Mik 0]

Well, Cubs lose. So do the Giants, and it appears the Padres are on their way to another loss. The NL wild card just got a whole lot tighter as only the Marlins and Astros won tonight.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

This Cubs game shall end when the Expos score or when the Cubs homer.

Damn I'm smart.

 

Expos took the lead in the 12th, plating two. The real kicker: Corey Patterson homered in the bottom of the inning. Yep, good thing they can hit it out of the park when it doesn't matter. But alas, this game should've been over before extra frames were even needed. It was the Cubs' inability to score runners from second and third base that kept the game going.

 

It's just one game, but it's more annoying to know that the team would've won were it not for little things like Remlinger walking two runs in or Lee, Ramirez and Alou all failing multiple times to score the winning run. Oh well. The Giants lost, which means they and the Stros are only a half game behind the Clutchless Cubbies.

[strummer 0]

They showed a stat tonight on YES, something around 45% of the Cubs runs this year have come off the home run ball, tops in the majors. That is really an unbelievable stat.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Yeah, it's a blessing at times, but it'll be their downfall still, if tonight wasn't evidence enough.

 

The Yankees aren't exactly strangers to relying on the longball, either, though.

[KingPK 0]

And the Sox win again, keeping the gap at 2 1/2.

 

The Sox rely on the HR ball a lot themselves, but it does seem that, since the Nomar trade, they're manufacturing more runs. Hey Al, there's a topic for a column: how the Red Sox have altered their game since trading Nomar (better defense, using a bit more "small ball").

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Hey Al, there's a topic for a column: how the Red Sox have altered their game since trading Nomar (better defense, using a bit more "small ball").

 

I'll bite. I may have been wrong on the trade. I honestly can't tell without looking over the statistics, however. I will put together a piece in the column however and then you all can pass judgement on me.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Although I would like to note that Nomar leads Cabrera/Mientkiewicz in Win Shares since the trade, 4 to 3. Alex Gonzalez also has three win shares for the Expos.

[the max 0]

Well, Cabrera/Mientkiewicz were traded for to give good defense and keep the offense in the game. Nomar was traded for to give the Cubs offense from the shortstop, so I don't think they can be compared.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Sure you can. It's simple, has Cabrera saved move runs with his glove than Nomar would have contributed with his bat?

 

Without conclusions let, here are a few numbers. Batting average on balls in play, that is, batting average with strikeouts removed. The Red Sox allowed their opponents to hit .315 before the All-Star Break, compared to .313 in August. Meanwhile, their K:BB ratio, a defense independant stat, has risen from 2.28 to 4.2. A 4.20 K:BB ratio. The next best in August was 2.82, from the Minnesota Twins Now, judging from those stats, is Boston's recent upsurge the result more of the improved fielding, or the improved pitching?

[cabbageboy 0]

I'm starting to think the Astros are going to win the WC. Every night I turn on the TV to see that they put up 9 or 10 on someone. Wouldn't they play the Braves the first round? If so, they're screwed. Houston is the one team in the NL that never seems to do anything against ATL in the playoffs (Phillies, Marlins, Padres, Cardinals, Cubs have all taken out the Braves).

[sfaJack 0]

The problem I see for the Astros is that they're unlikely to remain as white-hot offensively over the next three and a half weeks as they are right now. They're 19-3 over their last 22 games, and have scored 169 runs during that span, or 7.6 per game.

 

To make a simple point using only one stat, their team ERA during those 22 games is 4.80, so the pitching has hardly been outstanding. The question instantly becomes, if the offense cools off and they go back to scoring only 4 runs a game, will they still win enough to beat out, say, the Marlins who've been on a pretty good roll as of late?

 

I'll give the Astros credit for taking advantage of a light schedule and slaughtering the lambs...something a certain team 1,200 miles north of them can't seem to do.

[Guest Staravenger]

I'll give the Astros credit for taking advantage of a light schedule and slaughtering the lambs...something a certain team 1,200 miles north of them can't seem to do.

Chicago Cubs? I'm not good with geographic estimation in miles.

[Guest MikeSC]

I'm starting to think the Astros are going to win the WC. Every night I turn on the TV to see that they put up 9 or 10 on someone. Wouldn't they play the Braves the first round? If so, they're screwed. Houston is the one team in the NL that never seems to do anything against ATL in the playoffs (Phillies, Marlins, Padres, Cardinals, Cubs have all taken out the Braves).

Well, this year, Atlanta will either win the WS --- or lose in the 1st round. If they get out of the wildcard round, they're going to be brutally hard to stop.

-=Mike

[cabbageboy 0]

An Atlanta/St. Louis NLCS is what the doctor ordered. Mind you, I'd rather see Cubs/Cards but do you seriously think the Cubs will get the WC AND also win a series?

 

I dunno, I've never been totally sold on the Braves this year. After all, if they couldn't win titles with Maddux and Glavine, why would they start now? Besides, if anyone other than the Cardinals gets to the Series out of the NL it'll be a farce, a sick joke.

 

Cardinals vs. Yankees...draws money. Cardinals vs. Red Sox...there's some history there, draws money. Cardinals vs. A's even draws money with the LaRussa connection.

[Guest Staravenger]

Yankees/Braves could be interesting. Yankees won the last 2 World Series meatings, and maybe it's three times a charm for Atlanta.

[Brett Favre 0]

Personally, I'd like to see Yanks/Cardinals. A bunch of 10-11 games.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Well, this year, Atlanta will either win the WS --- or lose in the 1st round. If they get out of the wildcard round, they're going to be brutally hard to stop.

That's every year.

 

I still think the Cubs hold on in the wild card because the Astros will cool off and there's no fucking way the Giants fall ass-backwards into the playoffs again. But the World Series probably won't be Cardinals-Yankees.

[sfaJack 0]

Jesus Christ.

 

The Astros hit FOUR home runs out of their first six batters against Acevedo today and Beltran's not even in the lineup. This power surge is unreal.

 

5-1, Astros with Clemens on the hill. Cubs better win today if they want to hold onto that wild card lead.

 

Reds' pitchers have now allowed 200 home runs on the season.

[Guest MikeSC]

An Atlanta/St. Louis NLCS is what the doctor ordered. Mind you, I'd rather see Cubs/Cards but do you seriously think the Cubs will get the WC AND also win a series?

 

I dunno, I've never been totally sold on the Braves this year. After all, if they couldn't win titles with Maddux and Glavine, why would they start now? Besides, if anyone other than the Cardinals gets to the Series out of the NL it'll be a farce, a sick joke.

 

Cardinals vs. Yankees...draws money. Cardinals vs. Red Sox...there's some history there, draws money. Cardinals vs. A's even draws money with the LaRussa connection.

The Braves, somehow, win. God only knows how. I know I didn't expect more than 2nd in the NL East (anybody who truly thought the Phillies would be great needed to have their heads examined).

That's every year.

 

I still think the Cubs hold on in the wild card because the Astros will cool off and there's no fucking way the Giants fall ass-backwards into the playoffs again. But the World Series probably won't be Cardinals-Yankees.

More so this year than the others. The pitching staff is either excellent --- or unmitigated crap. And you never know until they start to throw.

 

Heck, who saw Hampton ending up with a decent record after his atrocious start?

-=Mike

[Guest Smues]

I think the bigger shock is Jaret Wright. 14-6 with a 3.19 ERA?? What the hell. This is a guy who had an ERA over 7 last year when we got him. Wowie wow.

 

Anyway, As a Braves fan it's hard to get up any faith of escaping the first round. I would love an Atlanta/ St. Louis NLCS though. That could be a fun series. Atlanta could possibly just maybe beat St. Louis in a 7 game series. Probably not, but just possibly.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Hitting in a bandbox will certainly help the power numbers. This is how the team should've been hitting all season. Not to discredit the team, but when you've got the likes of Bagwell, Beltran, Biggio, Kent, Berkman and Lamb and you're not putting numbers up at home, you're simply playing way under your heads.