2011 MLB Thread
 

Ok, I think it's time to start the season thread.

Prediction: Wow, are the Royals going to suck...

SI

Go Jays. 3rd place here we come.

Sigh.

Prediction: Injuries are going to decimate the Rangers starting rotation, causing Nolan Ryan to come back and throw his 8th no hitter. In Game 7 of the World Series.

Almost time... Almost Time.... ALMOST TIME!!!!!!!

:banana:

I'm going to predict that it's going to be more like 5th. :(

...For rainouts!

NY - 70% rain
DC - 80% rain
KC - 50% rain

Reds and Cards are looking at 40s/50s for highs. LA is the only game with good weather.

Low 50's I would put in the "good" half of weather overall for Opening Day in Cincy. There have been a lot of cold or rainy or windy (or all 3) days.

I don't think Cincy is going to reach 50 today. I'm an hour south and we're headed for low-mid 40s at best (and 2 softball games tonight, yay!).

I have a horrible feeling that the Phillies are going to disappoint this season.

Praying that is true. :D

I'll make my safe (but hopefully wrong) predicition. Chipper is going to have a hot start to the season, but will end his season/career by June. :(

I hope Ron Roenicke doesn't plan on Carlos Gomez batting 2nd all year if Carlos Gomez is still Carlos Gomez.

Actually, I hope Ron Roenicke doesn't play Carlos Gomez period if Carlos Gomez is still Carlos Gomez.

Wil Nieves is Brewers opening day catcher. Yuck. Mark Kotsay is the starting right fielder. Yuck.

Hopefully Corey Hart and Jon Lucroy are back soon or this is one ugly lineup when you consider Yuniesky Betancourt is also slated to play every day.

My prediction for today's Cardinals/Padres game:

Padres 42
Cardinals 3

Best Red Sox team of my lifetime, I see about 100 wins and then losing in 3 straight in the ALDS.

We need to exorcize this feeling.

The power of Clarlie compels you, the power of Charlie compels you...

Finally get to open a season as the defending champs :D

Time to move forward now and pound the bums the next 4 days.

I'm hoping this horrible lineup stays in place as long as possible, so the Brewers are forced to move Grienke this summer.

Lemme see here ...

NL: Phillies, Reds, Padres + Braves
AL: Red Sox, Tigers, A's + Rangers

Reds over Red Sox

Same here. They may make the playoffs, but this team is far from the sure thing everyone assumes. This was all put in motion with the Ibanez signing, sticking with Lidge, then throw in Utley's injury, Rollins falling off, etc. Even the long-term signing of Howard, while it doesn't impact this year, still feels like a bad omen that's going to turn a potential mini-dynasty into a shit sundae.

Yay, let's play ball!

Greinke is under contract next year. The only one they may be forced to trade is Prince Fielder.

Funny line: "Chipper is now leading the league in doubles." :)

They could disappoint (relative to some expectations) and still win the division, which is the basis of my prediction of them to do so.

I expect the Braves to struggle offensively once Chipper inevitably gets hurt again, Heyward remains mortal, Freeman struggles throughout & terribly once he's been around the league once or twice, and the bench ends up weaker than last year. The pitching will discover that they're one reliable veteran in the pen too short, that Jurjenns simply can't get/stay healthy for any length of time, and that rookie starters often have days where they look like rookie starters.

Seems like everyone and their mother is picking the A's and Rangers for the AL West.

Obviously, I am a homer, but don't sleep on the Angels. Anyone really think one year out of the playoffs means they're done? They'll be in the mix this year. They have a better offense and defense than the A's, and better pitching than the Rangers.

I expect the AL West to go down to the last week of the season.

And now Heyward leads the league in home runs. :)

Do the Nationals plan on hitting Werth 2nd all year?

That's the new plan, as of a week or so ago apparently (Google is my friend).

Due to the higher OBP of Werth & Zimmerman, they're now 2 & 3, with LaRoche & Morse at 4 & 5. That replaced the plan of Werth 3 & Zim 4 ... probably about the time Riggleman realized he didn't have a #2 isn't sure he has a #1 either.

Nice start by Volquez.

Oh and BREAKING NEWS! Jermaine Dye retired.

I think the Dodgers have been rained out, like, twice since leaving New York. If there's a sucker prop bet in baseball, it's "rainouts in LA."


From your lips to the baseball gods' ears.


The last time the Dodgers opened the season as defending champs, the Giants won the pennant. Does it get to go the other way this time? :)

Re: 4 days of bum poundage - You might get three, but I think Opening Day, at least, is going to be a pitcher's duel. Could go either way.


I have a tough time picking the Padres over the Giants with Adrian Gonzalez gone and with the Giants getting a full season of not-Molina behind the plate. Especially if Sandoval really is back in 2009 form.

I think the Padres will be competitive, but I think the Rockies have a better chance of knocking off the Giants than the Padres do. The Dodgers need bounceback years from Loney, Kemp and Ethier and for the rotation to be solid to be in the postseason discussion at all, never mind the division crown race.


I never count the Angels out, just because Mike Scioscia is a fantastic manager. I think the A's are probably a paper tiger.

I still think the Rangers win this division again unless the Mariners get their shit together.

Uh, yeah - I'll take that bet, and give you odds on it - the Angels are a good 10 wins off the pace in the AL West when all is set and done. And the Angels have 3 starters (Weaver, Haren, Santana) who I'd have any degree of faith in - and a bullpen full of expensive veterans. I bet Texas ends up pitching and hitting better than them. :D


On the bright side, I for one am looking forward to the WORLD CHAMPION San Francisco Giants playing today - somewhat surprised that they didn't do opening day in SF, instead of LA.

Predictions (all which will be wrong anyway)

AL: Red Sox, Twins, Rangers, Rays (WC)
NL: Braves, Brewers, Giants, Phillies (WC)

Hardest call for me is NL Central - The Reds are probably a better team, but DUSTY is going to lose them a few games himself. On the NL West, I think Colorado is probably 50-50 with the Giants, and I could see them beating out the Phillies for the WC. The Phillies have amazing pitching, but this is an old team - and one worries that this is the year they breakdown.

1) I suspect the schedule was done before the Giants won the World Series.

2) ESPN *tried* to get MLB to move Opening Day to SF. The MLBPA, quite rightly, told them to get bent. One team winning the World Series is not sufficient grounds to monkey with their opponent's schedule just for TV purposes - and I'd say the same thing if the Dodgers had won the Series, been scheduled to open in San Francisco this weekend, and ESPN had wanted to move it to LA.

Soriano to Rivera is going to be a bitch for opposing teams all year.

That's ok. I'm just curious if the Dodgers PA announcer will announce them as the World Champion SF Giants. :D

I think the Giants have a better chance of repeating than of the Dodgers' PA guy ever acknowledging the first one. ;)

Touche, Sack. Should be fun - Kershaw vs. Lincecum - Pedro Cerrano would not enjoy this.

I wonder if we can get Pablo Sandoval to say "Straight balls, I hit very much. Curve balls, bats are afraid."

Axford is going to blow the save for the Brewers today I predict.

I'll give this a try:

AL: Yankees, White Sox, Oakland, Red Sox (WC)
NL: Phillies, Cardinals, Giants, Reds (WC)

I'm just glad it's not "Twinkies, I eat very much. Working out, body is afraid."

AL: Red Sox, Twins, Oakland, Yankees (WC)
NL: Braves, Reds, Giants, Phillies (WC)

Red Sox, Twins, Angels, Yankees(WC)
Phils, Brewers, Rockies, Giants(WC)

WS Champs=Philly

So far so good. First two runners on.

Torii Hunter rolling back the years, hits an absolute bomb to center field in KC. The crowd reaction was something to hear, everyone knew instantly it was gone

This is kind of an odd opening day schedule. Traditionally you had every team playing on opening day (which I liked better), then you had the primetime high-profile game kicking of the season - but what the hell is this? 12 teams play on opening day and everyone else waits for tomorrow - I wonder what the logic behind that is.

Walk off homer by Bruce would be funny as hell. Bases loaded nobody out and Reds down three.

I dunno, but it's fucking stupid.

His control issues are bad. With his spring training Im shocked he kept the job.

Axford I am referring too;)

Walk off in Cinci. Four runs in the bottom of the ninth capped off my Hernandez 3 run jack.

Oh, hey, Axford is my fantasy closer. Whee!

Wonderful. 1 game in and the Brewers bullpen has already blown a win for one of my fantasy starters.

Something happened with 1st and 2nd, 0 outs in which they called it batter reaches on fielders choice. Must have been some sort of defensive screw up. The bases were then loaded with 0 outs.

Should any of them runs have been earned?