MLB Thread

[Matt Young 0]

I'm doing 2 weeks for this one since the last thread didn't get many replies. In fact, I haven't had the opportunity to watch much baseball myself, or else I would have contributed. Anyway, discuss.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Phil Hughes showed alot of promise tonight. 6 innings, 2 hits, 6 k's against the Tigers.

[Live Free or Battlenuts 0]

It was a damn good outing but right now consistency is the only thing to get excited about. Guaranteed, once the pitching comes around, the hitting with runners in scoring position average will miraculously go up with it.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Rays have definately come back to earth this year. Kazmir has been horrible so far and the team is on the verge of starting out 8-14. Toronto has traded places with them.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Something special is happening so far between the Rays and Red Sox tonight. I do not want to say what it is because I do not want to jinx it.

[Live Free or Battlenuts 0]

Got a battle in the bronx going. We were up 4-0 after a quick 4 in the first until the 6th, when Petitte couldn't hide the fact that he was having a bad game any more and gave up 6. 3 more in the next inning and we're suddenly down 9-4 after leading most of the game. But after a couple of singles with the bases loaded and a rbi out by Jeter it's 9-8 heading to the ninth. If we hold them in the top we got the heart of the order coming up.

 

I'm feeling optimistic.

[Live Free or Battlenuts 0]

How fitting it was Posada. I almost punched my TV when Tex didn't come around on Cano's single, but knowing Jorge was coming up made it easier. If he ran for mayor of new york tomorrow on a platform of legalizing rape I'd vote for him.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

How fitting it was Posada. I almost punched my TV when Tex didn't come around on Cano's single, but knowing Jorge was coming up made it easier. If he ran for mayor of new york tomorrow on a platform of legalizing rape I'd vote for him.

 

 

Teix had to hold up. There were no outs and the ball was floated up in the air. You do not want the tying run either being doubled off of second or thrown out at home with no outs.

[Live Free or Battlenuts 0]

Yeah I'd buy that but it wasn't the hardest ball to read. You're down by one with nobody out and Cano's getting everything to drop in the right places, if it was a little higher ok, but he should of been able to tell it was dropping in.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Just want to post some ideas regarding the Yankees 13-14 start. Brian Cashman needs to be fired for this 200 million dollar mess. I cannot blame Girardi due to Nady, Bruney, A Rod, Posada all being injured and Wang being a head case. I will blame Cashman due to the Yankees having by far the worst Bullpen and Bench in all of Baseball. It's sad when the Nationals, Mariners, Reds, Pirates, Royals all have better talent in the pen on and on the bench.

 

The Yankees with a 200 million dollar payroll are praying that the likes of Pena, Molina (the worst one of the 3), Cody Ransom, Brett Gardner, Angel Berroa can all fill in and help out. The bullpen has the likes of Jose VerASS, Phil Coke, Abaldejo etc all being run fairies. Whenever they come in a run is given up.

 

It's even more frustrating when I have to watch the new $180 million dollar free agent pop out with the tying run sitting on 3rd base with 1 outs down by 1 in the 10th inning. I hope that this team can turn around with A Rod coming back but that still wont solve the bench and the lack of quality arms in the bullpen.

[Live Free or Battlenuts 0]

And yet if they get timely hitting they could be 17-10 or better. Plus you can't exactly get on Tex for that game when he drove in the only runs we scored. Expecting him to single-handedly win games for us is a little ridiculous even for a $180mil player.

 

It's the same problem as last year, not enough fight, not getting those hits when they really count. We really need to stop getting so worked up by a shitty strike zone too.

 

If you told anyone the Yankees would be at .500 without A-Rod, and all three of the big free agents having poor starts going into May, they'd think you were crazy. Once we get more consistency from the rotation and the bullpen doesn't have to worry about trying to win games, everything will fall in place with it.

 

April's over, yeah, but it's not exactly time to be slamming down on that panic button.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Bob Melvin out in Arizona according to espn.com This is what happens when you blow the 2007 NLCS, have a huge start in 2008 and tank the full season. Going 12-17 this year doesn't help either.

 

 

I am sure Joe Girardi is the next to be on the hot seat with the way things are going in the Bronx.

 

 

Yankees were down 6-4 in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs and nobody on. Jeter gets on base and Damon hit a 2 run homerun to tie the game up. Joe Girardi brings Mariano out for the ninth who promptly gives up back to back homeruns to Carl Crawford who hadn't homered in 250 at bats and Evan Longoria who is on an absolute tear. This Yankees team finds a way to cock tease you all night and then punch and kick you in the balls right after. If this were 1989 and not 2009, Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman would have been fired immediately by The Boss.

[fairtoflair7 0]

8 HR's tonight at Yankee Stadium. I don't think its a fluke.

[Matt Young 0]

I know that the deal has been discussed, but I wanted to share.

 

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks fired Bob Melvin on Thursday, hoping a new manager will be able to get the most out of their talented core of young players.

 

The Diamondbacks will make A.J. Hinch, their vice president for player development, Melvin's replacement on Friday, according to a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity because the announcement had not been made.

 

The 34-year-old Hinch is a former major league catcher with no professional managerial experience. His promotion was first reported by radio station KTAR.

 

[+] EnlargeBob Melvin

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport/US PresswireBob Melvin has been fired by the Diamondbacks.

 

The 47-year-old Melvin's firing comes after a disappointing start by the Diamondbacks, who entered Thursday 8½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Melvin, who went 337-340 in four-plus seasons, had one year left on a contract he received after being the 2007 NL Manager of the Year.

 

"This is a difficult decision, but I feel that our organization needs to move forward with a new voice," general manager Josh Byrnes said in a statement.

 

Hitting coach Rick Schu also was fired, and pitching coach Bryan Price resigned.

 

Melvin's stock rose when he guided a youthful but talented group to the NL West title two years ago. He was dismissed because many of the same players have failed to live up to expectations based on that season, when the Diamondbacks posted an NL-best 90-72 record despite being outscored by 20 runs across the season.

 

Justin Upton, Arizona's 21-year-old right fielder, is off to a solid start, but some of the team's other young players have struggled. Conor Jackson went 1-for-3 in Arizona's 4-3, 10-inning loss at San Diego on Thursday and is batting .191 on the year. Mark Reynolds has struck out 36 times in 102 at-bats.

 

"We're counting on everybody to develop further," Melvin said in an interview before the season. "We don't rely on one guy to hold up the brunt of this thing. We expect them all to develop and score more runs."

 

Arizona's few veterans also did little to help Melvin.

 

Eric Byrnes is hitting .139 in the second year of a three-year, $30-million contract. Melvin this week decided to bench Chad Tracy, who is hitting .221.

 

Speculation about Melvin's future grew with every 1-2-3 inning by the Diamondbacks' hitters. Arizona entered Thursday with a .225 batting average, by far the worst in baseball.

 

Team president Derrick Hall, speaking on KTAR on Thursday morning, called the team's play "unacceptable."

 

Making matters worse for Melvin, the Diamondbacks have been beset by injuries.

 

Ace Brandon Webb went on the disabled list with a shoulder injury shortly after his opening day start and has yet to return. Then Stephen Drew went on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Reliever Tom Gordon, acquired over the winter to shore up the bullpen, is already on his second DL stint.

 

This is the second time in their 12-year history that the Diamondbacks have changed managers in midseason. In 2004, the Diamondbacks fired Bob Brenly after a 29-50 start and replaced him with Al Pedrique on their way to a franchise-worst 51-111 record.

 

That disaster paved the way to Melvin's return to Arizona, where he had served as Brenly's bench coach on the 2001 World Series champions.

 

Melvin's hiring as the Diamondbacks' manager came under bizarre circumstances. The club had selected Wally Backman as manager, but Backman was dismissed four days later following revelations he had been arrested twice and struggled with financial problems.

 

Arizona then turned to Melvin, who was out after two seasons in Seattle, where he went 156-168.

 

Melvin made an immediate impact in the desert. He led the 2005 Diamondbacks to a 77-85 record, a 26-win improvement.

 

Two years later, the Diamondbacks made a surprise run to the NL West title despite scoring 20 fewer runs than they allowed -- a fact that led many to praise Melvin's ability to squeeze the most out of his lineup.

 

Melvin was honored as the 2007 NL Manager of the Year, and soon after the club extended his contract through 2010.

 

"I am grateful for all the success and memories associated with Bob," Byrnes said. "Bob has done great things for this organization. Having worked with him for nearly four years, I have a great deal of respect for his character and skills."

 

Arizona opened its NL West title defense last spring by bolting to a 20-8 record. But after leading the division for most of the season, the Diamondbacks faltered and were caught in the stretch by a Los Angeles Dodgers squad energized by the arrival of slugger Manny Ramirez.

 

The Diamondbacks came into this season expecting to make another run at the division title.

 

Like most of the coach firings in the NBA this past season, this was quite premature. But I hope the D-Backs lose all remaining games, anyway, so more power to the possibly inept replacement.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Dom Dimaggio passed away at the age of 92. He was a great player in his own right for the Boston Red Sox in the 40's, 50's.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Update

 

The wheels are starting to come off a little for the Dodgers. They blew a huge lead and lost their first home game to the worst team in baseball (Nationals) on Thursday. They now lost another game to Barry Zito of all people. Dodgers started Chad Billingsley.

 

The Yankees finally win a game. Arod hit a 3 run homerun on the first pitch that he sees and CC throws a complete game shutout against the Orioles. CC has started to pick it up his last several starts after starting the season pretty mediocore.