MLB Game Chatter Thread

[The Man in Blak 0]

How much longer is left on Dusty Baker's contract again?

 

And what in the hell happened to Oliver Perez?

[2GOLD 0]

Lemme get this straight.

 

Baker gets the Cubs, THE F*CKING CUBS, one game from the World Series and now one year later when the team slips up the fans immediately want him fired.

 

Nevermind the bullpen is a joke. Nevermind the starters have been on and off the DL and mentally are very unsure of themselves. Nevermind Sosa looks frustrated and confused. And nevermind Alou hasn't been able to get his head out of his rear all season.

 

So obviously, all of this is Baker's fault? What the hell is this, the NHL?!?!

 

Sosa has always been an average fielder if that, Alou has no arm, and shortstop is usually platooned by guys who can't play it. Baserunning mistakes are a two person thing; the runner and the base coaches. Should they be fired as well?

 

Next thing I'll hear is "Bring back Don Baylor". So the Cubs lost, big freaking deal. Zombies will rise before the Cubs win a World Series. And no one could have predicted the Cards run.

 

And yes, I AM a Cubs fan and I'm tired of this. This "BLAME BAKER! FIRE HIM! GET A REAL MANAGER!" is just sad and so much like the bitter version of Red Sox fans.

[The Czech Republic 0]

You're exactly right. I blame him for the destruction of Mark Prior.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Mark Prior pitches in just about an hour and a half from now. Bold prediction: ungodly quantity of walks given up in the 4 2/3 innings he pitches when he hits 100 for the day, with maybe about four runs, one unearned.

Well, at least five...I stopped paying attention

5.1 innings, 106 pitches, I was close

Five runs, all earned, but I think someone advanced on a Martinez error

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Czech's prediction was frighteningly on target. The wind blowing out hasn't helped much, although I'd say it's affected Perez more than Prior.

 

And 2GOLD, I see what you're getting at, but I tend to look at it another way. Look at what Dusty had to work with last season in comparison to year's past.

 

In 2002, the Cubs basically had Sosa and nothing else. They made some key additions in 2003, got a healthy Moises Alou and had Prior and Zambrano for a full season. Look how bad the team was before the deal with the Pirates. These additions clearly put the Cubs on another level.

 

It wasn't necessarily what Dusty was doing. It was just what he had to work with and that was a lot in comparison to the Cubs team of 2002. This season should be proof that he's not a great manager. Injuries or not, the Cubs haven't lived up to their potentional and some of that blame has to go to the guy leading the ship. Take a look at someone like Bobby Cox who's putting it all together yet again, despite having considerably less to work with than last year.

 

Baker's got a lot of great tools, but he doesn't know how to fully utilize them. It's seasons like this that prove he's not so much of a great manager as he's just a guy who's been lucky with the talent he's had at his disposle all these years.

[mike546 0]

Did anybody see Jeter's home run? What a bomb. It hit the video screen in left center.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

The Cubs are such bums sometimes. Perez loses all semblence of the strike zone, walking the bags full with one out and proceeds to get out of the inning untouched thanks to Barrett and Mark Grudzielanek refusing to take a single pitch.

[OldSchoolWrestling 0]

It should be noted here that the fan that got hit with the chair was a female fan located behind the fans arguing with the Rangers' bullpen. As far as I could tell from the video, she was not actively harassing the players.

 

And as bravesfan stated, Francisco was arrested, and indications are he will be charged with aggregated battery. I think the US Court System will do more with this case than MLB needs to.

Funny thing about this though is the woman that got hit was the wife of the guy who started it all. So if he wasn't acting like an ass, she wouldn't have been hit. But i'm sure they'll collect big, so they can pay for her nosejob.

[Brett Favre 0]

And they said they got the tickets to heckle the players. I mean, you can do that, and it's nice and all, but karma is a bitch.

[Mik 0]

In what I can only term as devestating, the Marlins are about to lose both games of a doubleheader to the Expos. It's only the 4th inning, but they are down 9-3 after already losing Game 1 6-2. Not good times.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I'm just upset that Pavano got the loss, but not about them dropping both games.

[The Czech Republic 0]

In what I can only term as devestating, the Marlins are about to lose both games of a doubleheader to the Expos. It's only the 4th inning, but they are down 9-3 after already losing Game 1 6-2. Not good times.

I'd say it's devastating, myself.

 

Millar just homered to make it 6-4, miraculously giving Wakefield a potential win. Unfortunately, this fine Red Sox game will be periodically interrupted so we can see Barry Bonds get walked by the piss-poor Milwaukee staff.

[Guest Staravenger]

Devil Rays DID tie it at 6, but the BoSox have 2 on, with no out and 3-1 count to Jesus. (last I checked on Yahoo at least)

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Arizona leads Colorado, 2-0 in the fifth. Randy Johnson has struck out eight batters, tying him with Steve Carlton for second on the All-Time strikeout list.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Sorry, 3rd. I forgot about Roger Clemens.

[strummer 0]

Bad news for Padres fans, Khalil Greene is out the rest of the season with a broken right index finger

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Johnson Ks two in the seventh, and is now 3rd all time in strikeouts.

[KingPK 0]

The Sox game was one of those "whew" games, in that they overcame a shaky pitching performance (Wake is starting to concern me, to be frank) to win the game and keep pace with the Yankees. Hopefully with Schilling on the mound the Rays get crushed and we can get it on at the Stadium.

 

However, with Ivan, it might rain all weekend in NY. Three doubleheaders next weekend in Boston, baby!! Really, if MLB could do it, they would.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Well, the local weather here in PA said a high pressure system would stall Ivan, so the effects of the rain in NY could be minimal.

[Bored 0]

Yet another poor outing by Mark Mulder is in progress. I have no idea what has happened to him as he's just completely fallen off a cliff the last five or six weeks.

[Guest GreatOne]

Three doubleheaders in Boston? I think AngleSault will kill this whole board

 

The M's are unbelievably keeping the Halos from gaining on the A's. They're a win tomorrow night away from winning just their third series against a West rival all year and currently need to win only eight of seventeen to avoid 100 losses, thus setting a new modern record of going from 100 wins to 100 losses in the quickest time.

[Vern Gagne 0]

And what in the hell happened to Oliver Perez?

Dead Arm. Younger pitchers who have a large increase in innings from one season to another develop it.

 

More importanly. I think Perez is still a fastball pitcher. So has hard as he can throw, hitters will eventually be able to hit him. When Perez's off-speed stuff is fully developed he can become one of the elite pitchers of the game.

[Mik 0]

AJ Burnett will miss his next start due to elbow inflammation.

 

The entire wildcard race is falling apart before my very eyes.

[Cuban Linx 0]

Whenever i think the Rangers are finally falling out of the race this season they manage to keep hanging in contention. Back to 4 games behind Oakland in the division, and suitably enough there's 4 games left this year between the A's and Rangers as well as a bunch left with the Angels, the AL West looks like it'll still be a three team race down to the wire.

[The Man in Blak 0]

 

And what in the hell happened to Oliver Perez?

Dead Arm. Younger pitchers who have a large increase in innings from one season to another develop it.

 

More importanly. I think Perez is still a fastball pitcher. So has hard as he can throw, hitters will eventually be able to hit him. When Perez's off-speed stuff is fully developed he can become one of the elite pitchers of the game.

Actually, looking at the line in the box score, it just seems like he wasn't very sharp (4 BB, I believe), which has happened to him occasionally. Before this year, his command was the primary thing holding him back - he's had great stuff, back when he was with the Padres.

 

The three home runs in the first inning thing just kind of blew my mind.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Rangers have a shot, but realistically they NEED to win the next two games to stay in the race.

[Guest Anglesault]

However, with Ivan, it might rain all weekend in NY. Three doubleheaders next weekend in Boston, baby!! Really, if MLB could do it, they would.

Without batting an eye.

[Mik 0]

Dontrelle has 112 pitches through seven with a one run lead. The pitcher's spot is due up first in the inning. Automatic here, right? You let him finish the inning and then pitch hit. Well, no, the Marlins let him hit, wait UNTIL AFTER he gets a single and then put in a pinch runner.

 

He might not have kept up his early season pace all year, but it's the little things like that that make Dontrelle one of my favorite players.

 

EDIT: And Aramis Ramirez just hit his 3rd HR of the night, providing all of the Cubbies O.

[mike546 0]

I'm watching the Yanks/Sox 13 inning game on YES right now, and its got me pumped for tomorrow.

 

It better not fucking rain.

[Mik 0]

Livan Hernandez: Rubber arm, genetic freak, or chronically overused pitcher?

 

He's at 131 in Miami and still trucking along like nobody's business. I'd be curious if someone could give me his pitcher abuse number and just by how much he leads the league? (And if he doesn't lead the league, I'd be shocked.)