MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals swept by Phillies

Cardinals (63-45) were swept over the weekend by Phillies and after the Brewers swept the Mets, now find themselves 3.5 game out of first. The Cards still hold the 2nd wildcard spot by 1.5 games over the Braves.

This was a series to forget. Jack Flaherty was scratched from Friday's start due to a bruised hand, forcing the bullpen to get burned out a 2nd game after Odorizzi left in the first of his start the day before. Levi Prater got knocked around but endured 7 1/3 innings to spell the bullpen to give them rest, but got very little offensive help. Max Scherzer got the ball Sunday only to let a 3-0 lead evaporate as he got rocked in the middle innings. Yadier Molina left Saturday's game with an injury.

And Joey Gallo has zero hits in 18 at bats and has struck out 14 times. To say frustration is growing amongst the clubhouse would be an understatement.

The Cardinals are mercifully off on Monday as they travel to Arizona for a 3 game series before returning home next weekend to host the Twins.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals place Yadier Molina on 10 Day IL

The Cardinals have placed Yadier Molina on the 10 Day IL due to a strained bicep. Molina suffered the injury in the 8th inning of Saturday night's game in Philadelphia.

Molina has struggled at the plate this year hitting just .223 and a high strikeout percentage. But he continues be one of the best defensive catchers in the game.

Andrew Knizner will be recalled from Memphis to take his roster spot. Victor Caratini will likely be the everyday backstop until Molina returns.

[decga]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Brutal yes! But so true to life for Gallo. He struggled with the Yankees after the trade this year.

Pretty brutal beginnings for both your newly acquired talents.

Sent from my SM-A125U using Operation Sports mobile app

[decga]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

I gave it a like, but ouch my man. Hopefully your new additions pan out soon!

Cardinals swept by Phillies

Cardinals (63-45) were swept over the weekend by Phillies and after the Brewers swept the Mets, now find themselves 3.5 game out of first. The Cards still hold the 2nd wildcard spot by 1.5 games over the Braves.

This was a series to forget. Jack Flaherty was scratched from Friday's start due to a bruised hand, forcing the bullpen to get burned out a 2nd game after Odorizzi left in the first of his start the day before. Levi Prater got knocked around but endured 7 1/3 innings to spell the bullpen to give them rest, but got very little offensive help. Max Scherzer got the ball Sunday only to let a 3-0 lead evaporate as he got rocked in the middle innings. Yadier Molina left Saturday's game with an injury.

And Joey Gallo has zero hits in 18 at bats and has struck out 14 times. To say frustration is growing amongst the clubhouse would be an understatement.

The Cardinals are mercifully off on Monday as they travel to Arizona for a 3 game series before returning home next weekend to host the Twins.

Sent from my SM-A125U using Operation Sports mobile app

[Itsma806]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

2021 Baltimore Orioles August 5th-September 2nd Update

Overall record:78-55 (1st AL EAST)

Orioles, Yankees will battle for AL East Crown in September

The Baltimore Orioles (78-55) and New York Yankees (78-56) are set for a pivotal three game series in New York. The two squads have been battling for the top spot in the AL East all season long. Fittingly, that battle will come down to the last month of regular season baseball. Both teams will have a chance to separate themselves from the other as the teams will have two series in September. The aforementioned three game series in New York and another three game series in Baltimore September 14th-16th.

The season series has been won by the Yankees so far (8-5). But despite the Yankees being much better on paper, the Orioles have massively over achieved a appear to be poised to make their first playoff appearance since 2016. The Orioles offense will have to show up and the pitcher will have to perform well against the dangerous lineup of the Yankees. One fun thing to watch would have been Giancarlo Stanton and Rio Ruiz as they battle for the home run crown in the American League however, Stanton has pulled away over recent weeks and now sits at 44 compared to Ruiz's 37.

Projected lineups (VS RHP W/DH)

Yankees
1.Kevin Vizcaino-SS .265 AVG 14 HR 27 RBI
2.Gio Urshela-3B .254 AVG 12 HR 41 RBI
3.D.J. LeMahieu-2B .330 AVG 17 HR 58 RBI
4.Aaron Judge-RF .263 AVG 26 HR 87 RBI
5.Gleyber Torres-DH .280 AVG 26 HR 64 RBI
6.Luke Voit-1B .269 AVG 22 HR 71 RBI
7.Giancarlo Stanton-LF .304 AVG 44 HR 118 RBI
8.Clint Frazier-CF .190 AVG 9 HR 23 RBI
9.Kyle Higashioka-C .228 AVG 5 HR 25 RBI

Orioles
1.Freddy Galvis-SS .248 AVG 20 HR 58 RBI
2.Michael Brantley-CF .271 AVG 6 HR 38 RBI
3.Ryan Mountcastle-1B .285 AVG 14 HR 55 RBI
4.Trey Mancini-LF .225 AVG 16 HR 56 RBI
5.Anthony Santander-RF .268 AVG 25 HR 64 RBI
6.Rio Ruiz-3B .236 AVG 37 HR 79 RBI
7.Pat Valaika-DH .235 AVG 33 HR 73 RBI
8.Jahmai Jones-2B .265 AVG 10 HR 40 RBI
9.Pedro Severino-C .266 AVG 12 HR 54 RBI

Projected Starters
Game 1
Yankees
Jordan Montgomery 13-5 90 SO 3.36 ERA

Orioles
Matt Harvey 14-4 115 SO 3.70 ERA

Game 2
Yankees
Gerrit Cole 15-6 173 SO 3.40 ERA

Orioles
Grayson Rodriguez 4-1 41 SO 3.19 ERA

Game 3
Yankees
Luis Severino 11-10 152 SO 3.31 ERA

Orioles
John Means 10-10 123 SO 3.42 ERA

P.S. Countryboy your going to catch up to me and Im still in Year 1! Love reading your stuff though

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals take series against Diamondbacks

The Cardinals (65-46) took 2 of 3 from the Diamondbacks in Arizona and now are 4 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead and are tied with the Braves for the 2nd wildcard.


The Cardinals won the series opener Tuesday and the finale Thursday via shutout. On Wednesday the Cards were shutout. Very odd series.

The Cardinals will now head home for a 7 game homestand beginning with 3 against AL Central leading Twins this weekend followed by a 4 game series with the Reds.

[Gagnon39]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread



August 11, 2020 | CINCINNATI, OH

Kyle Hendricks went the distance as the Cubs took the first game of a two-game set over the Reds in Cincinnati Wednesday at the Great American Ballpark. The Cubs got a pair of runs in the top of the third with a two run homer by Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs slugger added a second two-run shot in the top of the eighth in what was a 5-0 win over the Reds.

Kyle Hendricks kept the Reds off balance all game, shutting out the Reds in a complete-game effort. Hendricks improved to 12-4 on the year. Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani lost only his second game of the year, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings of work.

The Cubs will wrap up the quick two-game series tomorrow sending Yu Darvish (14-3, 4.05) to the bump. The Reds will toss Jose De Leon (0-0, 5.03) and look to stay in the Wild Card hunt. With the win the Cubs improve to 73-46 on the year and maintain a healthy 8.0 game lead over the second place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League central division.

[Gagnon39]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread



August 12, 2020 | CINCINNATI, OH

For the second straight game, Kyle Schwarber belted a pair of homers as the Cubs swept a quick two-game series from the Reds at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. Yu Darvish tossed seven strong innings, allowing just two runs while striking out eight. Darvish earned his 15th win of the year, currently tied for the most in the Majors. Jose De Leon took the loss for the Reds, going just 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits.

The Cubs are off tomorrow but will wrap up their road trip with three games in Toronto as they fact the Blue Jays over the weekend. The Cubs are just .500 since the All-Star break, going 12-12 but have won four of their last six games. With their 75th win of the season the Cubs sit 8.0 games atop the National League Central division and Cubs skipper David Ross feels good about the last month and a half of the year.

"We're definitely right where we want to be," said Ross. "At the start of each year you always hope to be in the hunt late in the season and right now we've got a good lead in the division but we all know we have to keep our foot on the gas pedal. It's a marathon and we're in the last stretch and we don't want to let up now, that's for sure."

[Itsma806]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

2021 Baltimore Orioles September 3rd-5th

Overall Record:80-56 (1st AL East)

Orioles take two out of three from Yankees

The first game of the very important series between the Orioles and Yankees couldn't have gone much worse for Baltimore. Matt Harvey gave up 10 hits and 9 runs before leaving the game with neck stiffness after just 4.1 innings of work. Baltimore's offense was also lacking as the team managed just 4 hits in a 11-1 rout.

In game two, twenty year old rookie pitcher Grayson Rodriguez came as close as he could to a perfect game. He pitched 9.2 innings of perfect baseball before Yankees Catcher, Kyle Higashioka hit a weak grounder right up the middle and into center field. Cesar Valdez came in after the hit and recorded the 27th out and his league leading 44th save of the year. The Orioles offense again only managed two hits but that was enough as two sacrifice flys in the top of the 5th gave them the 2-0 victory.

Game three saw another impressive pitching performance by a Baltimore starter as John Means pitched seven innings while giving up five hits and one run. The Orioles offense woke up a bit as they were able to get nine hits two of which were solo home runs by Freddy Galvis and Anthony Santander. The Orioles took game three 5-1.

The Orioles increased their AL East lead ever so slightly and now lead the division by one and a half games over the Yankees.

The Orioles will now return home for a ten game home stand which starts tomorrow with a four game series vs. the 55-82 Kansas City Royals.

[LowerWolf]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

We are into August in my Braves franchise, which means we've passed the trade deadline. The final day was a bit of a bummer with just one move. The penultimate day wound up being the major day.

The NL Central has gotten interesting. The Brewers and Reds have jostled back and forth for the division lead most of the season. But Cincinnati has gone into a bit of a tailspin while St. Louis has gotten hot. The Cardinals have passed the Reds for second are just four games behind Milwaukee now.

Perhaps feeling the pressure, the Brewers made the biggest deal of the deadline, acquiring Joey Gallo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa from Texas. Gallo was hitting just .234 but has 20 homers and should give Milwaukee some more pop in its lineup. Texas received five prospects in the deal, but none of them are considered sure things.

Cincinnati upgraded its outfield getting CF Ian Happ from the Cubs for pitcher Nick Lodolo. Happ is having an outstanding season, hitting .295 with 24 homers and 67 RBIs.

The White Sox also upgraded their outfield, getting RF Mike Yastrzemski from San Francisco. Yastrzemski is hitting .295 with 20 homers and 70 RBIs and should help the Sox cause to catch Minnesota in the AL Central. The rebuilding Giants got a pair of solid prospects in 19-year-old future ace Matthew Thompson and CF Luis Gonzalez.

The final move of the trading period was made by, appropriately, the Red Sox. Boston, the most active team in July, upgraded its rotation getting Sandy Alcantara from Florida for a trio of mid-level prospects.

[FluffyTonka]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

I restarted my franchise. I really couldn't get into the latest rosters. half the teams are gutted and rebuilding, the other seem overloaded. the results 1 month into the season were just killing realism. So, downloaded the original 1st patched rosters and running with them. And it's so much better.

Plus, i get to use the giants. I did boost gausman, wood and logan webb's stats making them 88, 83 and 80 rated. i took away stats from yamstrezki and basically gave them to crawford. At the end of all that, they came in to start the year as the 13th ranked team

3rd contact 16th power
9th pitching 20th defense.

Traded some prospects for CF Jasson dominguez and started.

Swept the 1st series against the Mariners ... all by one run and all three games included blown saves from both teams, the 3rd game going to 14 innings before Alex Dickerson blooped one over 3rd Base for a RBI single.

Game 1 against the Padres at Petco was a cagey affair.

Paddack Vs Webb. Both starters pitched well and going into the 6th inning the Giants held a 1-nil advantage, despite having 10 hits in the game.

Dickerson once again was the hero with a sweet line drive to the back RF wall, where pinch runner Domingez scored from 1st heading into the 9th inning where Jake McGee got the save after loading the bases.

If all my games are like this, i'm not sure how i'm gonna cope. All 1 run games and all going down to the final pitch.

I really need a closer with some clutch and K-out ability and a middle of the lineup guy with some clutch to bat in runs, go yard and capitalize on all these hits. The second game Vs the mariners I left 11 batters on bases, which will burn me eventually in such a competitive division.

[LowerWolf]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Trade Deadline Recap

HIGH FIVES

Red Sox
Boston entered July well under .500 and seemingly out of the race. But give them credit for not folding. The Red Sox made more moves than anyone else. They bolstered their rotation (Sandy Alcantara and Jon Gray) and outfield (Starling Marte and David Peralta). They may not catch the Yankees, but the Sox are right back in the thick of the wild-card race.

Marlins
The perpetually rebuilding Marlins are well ... rebuilding. But this is how you do it. They received seven prospects, all graded at least a B, highlighted by center fielder Gilberto Jimenez.

Braves
Most of the top contenders stood relatively pat, but not the Braves. They upgraded in the outfield, going from a platoon of Ender Incarite/Guillermo Heredia to one of Joc Pederson/Adam Duvall. But their sneaky acquisition of Diego Castillo may turn out to be the best move by anybody. The hard-throwing right-hander has yet to allow a baserunner in eight appearances with Atlanta.

White Sox
The White Sox have flown under the radar with the Twins, Yankees and Astros in the AL. So it makes sense their moves flew under the radar as well. Nick Solak has been a huge upgrade at second and expect the same from Mike Yastrzemski in right.

Brewers
Milwaukee's hold on the NL Central is a bit tenuous. The Brewers added some thump to their lineup with Joey Gallo and added even more versatility with Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

LOW FIVES

Rangers
Even now, the Rangers are technically in the middle of the wild-card race. So it's a bit hard to swallow going into sell mode, especially right after opening a new stadium. But it's not so much the selling as it is the lackluster return. Relief pitchers Dylan File and Thad Ward are the best of what the Rangers have to show for moving on from Gallo, Kiner-Falefa and Eli White.

Rockies
Free-agent-to-be Trevor Story should have been one of the biggest names moved at the deadline. But rival GMs said the Rockies wouldn't even listen to offers for the All-Star shortstop. Instead, they moved right-hander German Marquez, exactly the kind of cost-controllable star they should be building around.

Pirates
The worst team in baseball, the Pirates should have been active. They made one move, dealing away center fielder Brian Goodwin. Gregory Polanco, having a career year, could have brought back some pretty nice pieces for the rebuild.

Mariners
At least the Pirates made a move. The rebuilding Mariners did literally nothing. Although that may be a good thing for Seattle fans, since rumors persisted the Ms were shopping reigning Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis.

Mets
Another team that did nothing. Maybe the Mets have conceded the NL East to the Braves. But when you play in the nation's biggest market, you're expected to make some noise at the deadline.

TBD

Cubs
Rival GMs said the Cubs never entertained the thought of trading Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez or Kris Bryant - the heart and soul of their 2016 World Series team. Instead, Chicago made some moves around the fringes, parting ways with Pederson and Ian Happ. If they're able to re-sign at least two of their star FAs, then standing pat will look good. If not, well next season won't be too fun on the north side.

[Gagnon39]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread



August, 14, 2020 | TORONTO, ON

Jose Quintana struggled early, giving up six runs in the first inning as the Cubs fell behind early at the Rogers Center in Toronto Friday afternoon. However, after trailing 7-0 after two and 10-4 going into the top of the seventh, the Cubs bats came alive in what was an impressive come-from-behind victory over the Blue Jays. Anthony Rizzo hit a pair of homers, including a go-ahead home run in the top of the 10th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned the save, his 33rd of the season and the Cubs pushed their modest winning streak to three games.

Quintana, who has had his fair share of struggles through 2020, completed just two innings, surrendering eight runs on as many hits. Alex Mills and Tim Mayza carried most of the pitching burden in relief as Mayza notched his third win of the year.

Blue Jays closer Brian Giles surrendered an RBI single an a solo homer to Ian Happ in the top of the ninth, blowing the save.

"It was a pretty wild game," said Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo. "We know that we're never out of a game and we've had a lot of come-from-behind victories this year. This game was proof that we never quit."

The Cubs will look to win the three game set against the Blue Jays tomorrow when Jon Lester (9-7, 3.97) takes the bump for the Cubs. Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-7, 3.74) will start for the Blue Jays. The Cubs will wrap up their road trip Sunday night before being off Monday. They will face the Los Angeles Dogers in a four-game series back at Wrigley next week which is sure to be a great matchup and possible playoff preview.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals have won 13 of their last 14

The Cardinals (74-47) have won 13 of their last 14 games and now trail the Brewers by 1 1/2 games in the Central, the Mets by 1/2 game for the top wildcard and lead the Braves by 4 games for the 2nd wildcard spot.

The Cardinals have been playing great baseball of late and are one bullpen meltdown against the Reds from having won 13 straight games.

The Cardinals started off by sweeping the AL Central leading Twins at home and followed up winning 3 of 4 against the Reds, before travelling to Atlanta this past weekend for a 3 game sweep of the Braves.

The Cardinals will now travel to Chicago for a 4 game series with the Cubs.

Cardinals activate Starling Marte from IL

The good news keeps coming as the Cardinals have activated OF Starling Marte from the 60 Day IL. Marte has been on the IL for 2 months due to a shoulder tear he suffered in June. Marte started slow for the Cards but has now increased his average to .242 and is hitting the ball extremely well, or was until his injury.

It's likely that Marte will return to the club as an option off the bench for the immediate future as the Cardinals re-acquired Harrison Bader from the Nationals while Marte was out. The Cards also landed Joey Gallo in a trade with the Rangers at the deadline.

Justin Toerner was optioned to Memphis to make room on the active roster and recent waiver acquisition RHP Dennis Santana was placed on outright assignment waivers to make room on the 40 man roster.

[Gagnon39]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Franchise Discussion Thread



August 16, 2020 | TORONTO, ON

The Chicago Cubs completed a sweep in Toronto over the Blue Jays Sunday afternoon with a 4-1 victory at the Rogers Center. Jharel Cotton earned the win, his first of the year, in his second start with the Cubs. The Cubs hurler, who was called up from Triple-A Iowa last week to replace the injured Tyler Chatwood, tossed six strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits.

Kris Bryant continued to swing a hot bat, finishing the day 3-for-4 including a solo homer (his 22nd of the year) in the top of the fourth. The Cubs tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to give Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel some cushion. Kimbrel recorded two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth en route to his 34th save of the year.

With the win the Cubs now move 9.5 games ahead of the second place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League central division but will face a tough task as they head home. Waiting for the Cubs Monday night will be the Los Angeles Dodgers, who currently hold the best record in baseball at 84-42. Clayton Kershaw (14-4, 2.98) will take the hill for the Dodgers in the first of a four-game set at Wrigley Field. The Cubs will turn to Kyle Hendricks (12-4, 3.99) in the first game of the series.

"It's getting later in the year now and we're in for some real exciting baseball down the stretch," said Cubs manager David Ross. "We're in a good position as the season get's close to the last month and the series against the Dodgers will be a good challenge for us. We're looking forward to it."