MLB Opening Day Thread

[DMann2003]

The Reds are going to taunt me with another great start before falling apart yet again this year.

 

It is early to say the Mets signings are busts but they should be able to take 1 game from the Reds.

The last time they started the season this good though was 1990

[mike546]

I thank the the Phillies for taking him away from the Yanks. He was a cancer.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

I thank the the Phillies for taking him away from the Yanks. He was a cancer.

How so?

[Bored]

He was a tumor?

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I thank the the Phillies for taking him away from the Yanks. He was a cancer.

How so?

He's just another scapegoat.

[Vern Gagne]

Didn't Lofton complain about playing time and his spot in the batting order? He wanted to lead off, but Torre had him batting like 8th.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Phillies/Nationals are going into extra innings. The Phillies have left an obscene amount of people stranded on base.

[mike546]

Didn't Lofton complain about playing time and his spot in the batting order? He wanted to lead off, but Torre had him batting like 8th.

Yep. He complained about everything. And his complaints weren't even valid, as he really didn't have a good season. His D wasn't even that great. He cost us at least two games last year not getting to balls in CF. I mean, I could have understood his anger when Jeter was struggling early, but when Jeter just got MAD hot in May, and A-Rod finally fit in the two spot, where the hell else would he bat?

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Once again, the Phillies are an exercise in patience. It is very frustrating watching Lofton when the Phillies have TWO better center fielders in their organization. Jason Michaels, their best hitter on the bench, received no at bats this series. Charlie Manuel almost used him in the 9th, but decided to use Tomas Perez instead when Lieberthal reached base. Why? To execute the dreaded sacrifice bunt.

[the pinjockey]

It is really irritating seeing Michaels on the bench now. The one knock against him was his defense (defense that was perfectly acceptable IMO), but Lofton has been atrocious so far. The other big thing with Lofton is they want the "OMG speed on basepaths wreaking havoc" and then they put him in the 6 hole?!? That makes sense.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Thome has to be one of the worst clutch sluggers I've seen. His batting average sucks when there's runners in scoring position. I wasn't surprised at all when he got a quick out with the bases loaded today.

[the pinjockey]

2002 - RISP - .342 BA (38 points above average that year)

2003 - RISP - .277 BA (11 points above average that year)

 

He had a bad year last year and a bad three games. That is all.

[Mik]

Hey Al, after reading a list of all of Charlie Manuel's medical problems in the recent ESPN the mag, are you even 100% certain he will survive the season...literally?

 

And for the record, even I think ESPN the magazine's baseball preview was wrong for picking the Marlins to win the world series and Miguel Cabrera as NL MVP.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Any reason they pulled Madson after 1 inning today? Pitches a scoreless inning, and they turn the next over to Worrell, who promptly blows it again. Yeah, he's supposed to be the set up guy, but he's done. He & Cormier are going to kill the Phillies this season in the bullpen.

 

And any idea how the Utley/Polanco situation is going to shake out?

 

Staring off 1-2 at home against the Nationals. Not a good omen for the season.

[Guest Posada20]

I thank the the Phillies for taking him away from the Yanks. He was a cancer.

Yes he is. Does this guy even have a ring? It seems like every team he is on makes it to the post season and lose. He seems to be bad luck.

[Vern Gagne]

He won with the Braves in 1995.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Actually he was on the losing Indians side of the WS in 95.

[iggymcfly]

Yes, the Orioles are on ESPN tonight! It's kinda tough finding a lot of games living in the northwest, so when there's national coverage like tonight, I'm happy.

[Bruiser Chong]

The term "cancer" is used far too freely when used in the context of particular athletes and the teams they play on. Calling Lofton a cancer for the Yankees is ridiculous. Are you really suggesting that Kenny Lofton's complaining had a significantly damning effect on the way the Yankees played in 2004? Please. That aside, he signed under the impression that he was going to be more than a role player, which is what he quickly became.

[Vern Gagne]

Actually he was on the losing Indians side of the WS in 95.

[MarvinisaLunatic]

Jay Gibbons

 

Steve Kline

 

1-2 going to NY! ugh.

[mike546]

Maybe its because I'm just looking for good news, or maybe because hes actually right, but I thought Buster Olney made some good points in his blog on Rivera. I know most of you aren't fans of his, but here it is.

 

 

Some observations:

 

  1. Rivera missed a portion of spring training because of a sore elbow, and did not get as much work as he usually does. Maybe this is the reason why his cut fastball does not have the same kind of dramatic movement in the first games of the year. Rivera's cutter, in the past, was a 94 mph scythe, veering sharply in and down on left-handed hitters and often chewing up bat handles. There was no other pitch in baseball like it: The hitters knew it was coming and would try to open up at the start of their swings and anticipate it, and it didn't matter; the movement was so nasty and so late in the journey toward home plate that they had no chance. He dominated baseball with that one pitch from 1998-04.

 

      The last two days, Rivera's cutter has been flat. The velocity is down, 92-93, rather than 94-95, but when the ball nears the hitting area, it's staying on the same horizontal plane, rather than diving downward. The Red Sox hitters have been looking for it, and they've been handling it.

 

      Could be that Rivera needs a little more time to build up arm strength, to make up for the time lost in spring training. But he's not the same pitcher without that movement on the cutter.

 

  2. The Red Sox hitters were definitely in his head on Wednesday. Rivera was trying to make adjustments, becoming much more conscious of throwing to the outside corner against lefties, and he walked Bill Mueller to open the inning. First time I've ever seen Rivera confused about what he wanted to do. He has never, ever worried about the identity of the opposing hitter, or what adjustment that hitter might be trying to make. His attitude was, here's the cutter, and you can't hit it.

 

      When it looked like Rivera might get out of the inning, his velocity ticked up to 94 mph, a burst of adrenaline that might have come with hope. As soon as the Red Sox took the lead, however, his velocity dipped to 89, as frustration manifested itself.

 

  3. He'll be fine, in the big picture; I bet he does get the movement back soon. But the Red Sox have nicked the Yankees' Teflon man, undoubtedly.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Thome has to be one of the worst clutch sluggers I've seen. His batting average sucks when there's runners in scoring position. I wasn't surprised at all when he got a quick out with the bases loaded today.

 

Pinjockey answered this. Thome is a career .278 hitter with runners in scoring position.

 

Hey Al, after reading a list of all of Charlie Manuel's medical problems in the recent ESPN the mag, are you even 100% certain he will survive the season...literally?

 

No clue. At this point, I see no reason to fret about Manuel's health.

 

Any reason they pulled Madson after 1 inning today? Pitches a scoreless inning, and they turn the next over to Worrell, who promptly blows it again. Yeah, he's supposed to be the set up guy, but he's done. He & Cormier are going to kill the Phillies this season in the bullpen.

 

Probably because Madson's spot came up in the lineup, and the Phils used Utley as a pinch hitter in that at bat.

[Precious Roy]

Eric Young made an AMAZING catch to rob a Pirates homerun a couple minutes back, and seperated his shoulder in the process

[Vern Gagne]

Even though he's probably earned a trip to Cooperstown, with pretty much one pitch. Why didn't, or doesn't Mariano Rivera learn to throw another pitch?

[mike546]

He kinda did. He added a two seam fastball last year, which I hate. Its not done a damn thing for him, beside giving him worse control.

 

At this point in his career, whats he going to add. Maybe somthing that goes down in the zone, a sinker or a change.

[strummer]

Tom Glavine has won over 260 games and has only used 2 pitches his entire career, fastball and change up. I don't think Rivera is going to start using new pitches after he has had a dominating career using the cutter.

[Vern Gagne]

It would have to be an off-speed pitch, you can't really add a fastball. Either you have the velocity to throw and effective fastball, or you're able to put great movement on it, which Rivera's cut fastball does.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Probably because Madson's spot came up in the lineup, and the Phils used Utley as a pinch hitter in that at bat.

Gotcha. Didn't see the game, only checked out the boxscore. Doesn't change the fact that Worrell is terrible.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Tom Glavine has won over 260 games and has only used 2 pitches his entire career, fastball and change up. I don't think Rivera is going to start using new pitches after he has had a dominating career using the cutter.

Glavine throws a fastball, circle change, curveball, slider, and added a cut fastball in 2000.

 

And Rivera has always thrown two pitches. A regular fastball, and a cut fastball. Many, many relievers throw mainly two pitches. Billy Wagner does, as does Francisco Rodriguez.