MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

[jcar0725]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

May 5-7: FLAGSTAFF (25-8) @ ROSWELL (12-21)
Stadium: Greater New Mexico Field (Capacity: 5,602)

May 5: Hops 5, Aliens 0
May 6: Hops 4, Aliens 2 (11)
May 7: Aliens 5, Hops 3

Roswell, NM (AP) - Flagstaff opened up a six-game road trip by taking two of three from the Roswell Aliens. The Aliens managed to rally in the finale to avoid a sweep as they sit in last place in the ML Central.

In the opener, Shoe-Lace O’Tying tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits, while striking out seven, as the Hops defeated the Aliens 5-0.

The Hops would take a 1-0 lead in the fifth on a Robbie Westbrook sacrifice fly, scoring Roberto Geronimo. They would add four more in the sixth. Roberto Geronimo lined a two-run single to center, then Arturo Mardones and David Benitez lined RBI singles to make it 5-0.

The Hops had 11 hits but hit into a team record five double plays in the game.

DeSean Gardner (1-3) took the loss for the Aliens. He only went five plus innings, allowing two runs on five hits.

On Saturday evening, the Hops rallied late to tie it and then won in extra innings as they defeated the Aliens 4-2. Emmitt Hampton hit a two-out, solo home run to tie it in the ninth and Josh Ortega hit an RBI double in the 11th to put the Hops in front for good.

Roswell scored runs in the first and second off of Ryan Pressley to take a 2-0 lead, but Pressley settled down and did not allow a run the rest of his outing and only allowed one more hit. He pitched eight innings but was not involved in the decision. Pedro Macias (4-0) came on in the ninth after Hampton tied it and he struck out the side. He then sent down the Aliens in order in the tenth.

In the 11th, Art Mason singled and stole second. He scored on the Josh Ortega double. Robbie Westbrook would then add a big insurance run with an RBI single to score Ortega.

Vic Miller sent down the Aliens in order to earn his 11th save.

Justin Gellman went 3 for 5 with a double, triple and home run in the losing effort for Roswell.

In the finale, the Aliens hit three home runs and pulled out a 5-3 victory to avoid a sweep. Joe Gallagher went 2 for 4 with a home run to help lead the home team to the win.

Oscar Aleman got things going in the top of the first with a solo home run to right, his eighth on the season, off of Adam Hendricks.

The Aliens would get that back on the first pitch in the bottom half as leadoff hitter Howie Saunders blasted one over 400’ down the line in left to tie it up. I Leandro Lugo RBI single in the top of the second put the Hops back in front. But Joe Gallagher got that back in the bottom half with a towering home run to right center to tie the game at 2-2.

It would remain that way until the sixth when Danny Watson hit a two-run home run to right to put the Aliens in front. It was Watson’s third on the campaign and put the Aliens in control. They would get an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Hudson.

Flagstaff would get one back in the top of the ninth on an RBI single from Phillip Choi, but it wasn’t enough.

Skyler Lyons went 3 for 4 with three doubles and two runs scored for the Hops.

The Hops (25-8) will now head to Rio Rancho (17-17) for a three game series to wrap up the road trip.

Around the League: Henderson ended Chandler’s 13-game winning streak on Friday night with a 12-2 victory for the Silver Knights. The Silver Knights hit five home runs with Alfonso Pacheco hitting two and driving in four. Rollie Flingers (3-3) tossed a complete game, four-hit shutout as Rio Rancho defeated El Paso 7-0.

Fred Roberts hit two home runs and drove in seven as St. George crushed Albuquerque 11-0.

Colorado Springs (14-21) hit five solo home runs in a 5-3 victory over West Texas. Salt Lake drew ten walks in a 3-2 extra innings walk-off win over Prescott. J.P. Grant’s RBI double in the 12th walked it off for the Chukars.

Las Vegas’ Junior Lima extended his hitting streak to 28 games as he went 1 for 4 in a 12-2 loss for the Nuggets.

<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52644799274_dd7dcf1c31_o.jpg" width="720" height="405" alt="Series11_23">
Roberto Geronimo flashed some leather on Sunday afternoon, robbing the Aliens of extra bases.

Great photo.

[dragster646]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

Anybody else considering keeping their 22 franchise alive instead of starting over with 23?

Me, I'm not going to buy 23.

Quick update on my franchise. I haven't been playing these past two days due to a busy schedule, but the Nationals split with the Orioles and have taken the first game against the Marlins. Backup-turned-starting catcher Wilmer Perez hit his first career home run against the Marlins, and the Nationals offense would pound Joey Wentz after starter Brendan Rodgers had to leave the game after being hit in the ribs on a line drive. The Nationals would win 7-5, although three of the Marlins' runs came in the ninth with two outs.

I'm currently entering the ninth inning on game two, and the Marlins have spoiled Cade Cavalli's great start by scoring four runs after his departure to tie the game at 5. I'll give a further update after the series...which I'm hoping doesn't take as long as my last update.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals take series from Brewers in Milwaukee

The Cardinals (54-42) took 2 games of a 3 game series against the Brewers in Milwaukee as the first half of the season concludes. The Cardinals will take a 1.5 game lead into the All-Star Break.

The Cardinals won on Friday night and Sunday afternoon both behind excellent pitching performances. Reid Detmers was roughed up Saturday

The Cardinals will now use the All-Star break to rest, refocus and also look over their roster and decide what moves need to be made to make this team strong in the 2nd half as they seek to return to October.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

May 8-10: FLAGSTAFF (26-10) @ RIO RANCHO (19-18)
Stadium: Intel Field (Capacity: 5.796)

May 8: Owlz 5, Hops 2
May 9: Hops 7, Owlz 5
May 10: Owlz 10, Hops 2

Rio Rancho, NM (AP) - The Flagstaff Hops ran into a red hot Rio Rancho team to end the road trip as they dropped two of three.

The Owlz grabbed the opener 5-2 thanks to a fast start and some nice pitching. Merton Bannerman went 3 for 4 with a home run to help Rio Rancho move back over .500.

Rickey Ferreira got the put the Owlz in front in the first inning with a two-run home run off of Sam Herzog. Elvis Velasquez made it 3-0 in the second with an RBI double. Merton Bannerman would add a solo home run in the third to put the Owlz up by four.

Flagstaff would get one back in the fourth on a Roberto Geronimo RBI single that scored Art Mason. Skyler Lyons lined an RBI single to right in the seventh to cut the Rio Rancho lead to 4-2.

Phil Riebow hit a solo home run in the eighth off of Pedro Macias to seal it. It was Riebow’s fifth on the season.

Sam Herzog (4-2) did not have his best stuff on Monday evening. He only lasted five innings, allowing four runs on 11 hits. Homer Guevara (1-4) earned his first victory in 2023 with 6.1 innings of work. He allowed two runs on eight hits and struck out two.

On Tuesday evening, the Hops rallied for a 7-5 victory to end their two-game losing streak. Art Mason continued his torrid hitting, going 3 for 5 with a double, home run and four RBIs to help lead the Hops to the victory.

Arturo Mardones got the Hops off on the right foot with a solo home run off of Ryne Rodriguez in the first inning.

Rio Rancho would take the lead in the second thanks to RBI singles from Olsen and Cooper.

The Hops would retake the lead in the third with an Arturo Mardones sacrifice fly and Josh Ortega RBI single. They would extend that lead to 4-2 in the fifth on an Art Mason RBI single. The four runs allowed was a season high against Ryne Rodriguez, who came into the game with an ERA of 0.85 and a (4-0) record.

The Owlz would tie it up in the bottom half of the fifth off of Farmer with back-to-back RBI doubles from Diaz and Darrick Larkin. They would take the lead in the sixth as Elvis Velasquez hit a solo home run off of Angelo Chacin.

That set the stage for Art Mason to come through, again. In the seventh he blasted a three-run home run to center to give Flagstaff the lead 7-5. It was his team leading ninth deep ball on the year. He is hitting .436 to lead the Mountain League in batting.

The Hops bullpen would then put this one on lockdown as Mark Worth, Aldo Osuna and Vic Miller all pitched scoreless innings to make this one stand up. Miller earned his 12th save on the season. Angelo Chacin (1-1) picked up the win in relief of Farmer. He pitched one inning and did give up a home run.

In the finale, the Owlz jumped all over the Hops, grabbing a six run lead in the second and cruising to a 10-2 victory. Rickey Ferreira doubled and homered, driving in two to lead the Owlz to the series win.

Ferriera homered in the first inning off of Shoe-Lace O’Tying to put the Owlz up 2-0. They would add four unearned runs in the second after an error from first baseman Josh Ortega that blew this game wide open.

The Owlz would add four more runs in the eighth off of relievers Sam Varela and Samuel Espinoza.

Donnie Roland remained red-hot, going 2 for 4 with a two-run home run. Art Mason extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a ninth inning double.

Rollie Flingers (4-3) tossed eight innings, allowing two runs on rights hits. He struck out four. Shoe Lace O’Tying (4-1) lost his first game on the season, allowing six runs (two earned) on six hits in six innings of work. He struck out eight and walked two.

The Hops (26-10) will now return home to face Fort Worth (18-19) for a four game weekend series beginning on Thursday evening.

Around the League: Vernon Arnez tossed a complete game two-hitter as Mesa pounded Yuma 10-1. Arnez allowed one run and struck out eight, while walking just one.

Junior Lima’s 29-game hitting streak came to an end on Tuesday evening as he went 0 for 5 in a 4-3 victory for Las Vegas over Glendale. The Nuggets (15-22) scored three runs in the top of the ninth to rally for the win on an Enrique Lima three-run home run.

Shortstop Chris Richardson went 2 for 4 with a home run and drove in all four runs for the first place Fire Frogs as they defeated Amarillo 4-2. Gilbert defeated San Antonio 3-2 in 14 innings for their second straight extra innings win against the Javelinas. Trevor Weaver hit a solo home run for the Barnstormers that proved to be the game winner.

<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52645224682_93fd307212_o.jpg" width="720" height="405" alt="Series12_23">
Art Mason is making an early case for MVP of the Mountain League.

[kinsmen7]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

Anybody else considering keeping their 22 franchise alive instead of starting over with 23?

PS5's are *finally* starting to be available in my area, but I can't imagine that I'll rush out to upgrade unless there's some sort of deal that pops up (or there's some sort of massive change to franchise mode...a guy can dream, right?!?!).

'22 is fine for now.

[JoshC1977]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

Anybody else considering keeping their 22 franchise alive instead of starting over with 23?

I'll do you one better, I am strongly considering not even buying '23. I'll be finishing up season 4 of my franchise (I play every game/pitch) within the next week or two and then right into year 5. I've never been this invested in a franchise....like, ever, and that feeling isn't something that can be simply replaced by a new game.

I've seen the pain others have gone through when they waffle between an existing franchise and doing one in the newest game. Depriving myself that option by not even buying the new game should help to avoid that situation until I am truly ready to move on.

[jcar0725]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

I am having a total blast with my '22 franchise on the PS5. Best time I've ever had with this game has been the past year and I've played this game since MLB 06, The Show.

But I'll be real and say unless there are very few improvements for '23, I'm probably buying it early release. I'm that guy

[kinsmen7]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

Blue Jays Franchise: 2023

Spent the weekend snowed in at home, so I got a ton of games in, but not much updated...I'll do a solid roundup in a couple of days when I wrap up April.

A handful of things:
-We're now 18-7. Blowouts from either side, comebacks, bullpen blowouts...everything you could hope for!
-Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah have been lights out so far. Both have had 4 good starts, and 1 rough one, but they're both 4-0 so far.
-Chris Bassitt has been "meh". He's got a mid-4 ERA right now, and seems to just allow runs in spurts, putting up a bunch of zeroes with a 3 or 4 run inning tossed in between.
-Jose Berrios is having a solid bounce back. His ERA is in the mid-3's, and he's managing to keep the ball in the park.
-Mitch White is being Mitch White. I knew that the 5th spot in the rotation was something that I'd probably need to address, and it continues to be clear. The issue is that there's not much out there on the trade block right now, so it's probably something that I'll have to fix internally for the time being. Kikuchi has been borderline terrible, and the AAA depth guys haven't been much better, aside from 1 player-Nate Pearson. I'll probably wait until the end of the month, or at least try and line up their starts, but unless something else pops up, it's a neccessity at this point.
-Vlad Jr. was hitting .390/.480 with 6 HRs at one point...he followed that up by going hitless for 7 consecutive games. Not ideal.
-Cavan Biggio was a trade chip coming into this season, and a border line candidate to be non-tendered in the offseason, but he's now hitting over .400, with 5 HR and a whole bunch of doubles. Allstar season?!?!
-Jordan Romano is now 9/9 in save situations. The pen has been *reasonably* reliable, but Romano has been lights out.
-The wildest thing? The Oakland Athletics are now 1-25 to start the season. ONE AND TWENTY FIVE! Everyone knew Oakland was going to be bad this year, but that's a historically bad start. The craziest part about it, is that while I did manage to sweep them a week or so ago, there were two 1 run games in the series, with the wackiest one being a game where I blew a 6-1 lead, only to see the A's put up 4 in the top of the 10th, followed by a 2 out 2 run HR by Kevin Kiermeier in the bottom of the inning to tie it up again, with a walk off in teh bottom of the 13th. CRAZY!

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals trade Adam Duvall to Astros for Cristian Javier

The Cardinals and Astros have made a trade during the break. The Cardinals will acquire RHP Cristian Javier from the Astros in exchange for OF/1B Adam Duvall.

The Astros already made a splash this July by acquiring Trevor Story from the Red Sox after losing Alex Bregman for likely the year. Now with Duvall, the Astros fulfill another need as Duvall will either play RF or 1B, or could potentially be the Astros DH.

The Cardinals get back Cristian Javier as they look to strenghten their bullpen for the 2nd half of the season. Javier is also controllable next season so the Cards build this depth beyond just the final half of the season.

It may be a surprise to some that the Cardinals dealt Duvall, but the Cardinals have options to fulfill the vacancy he leaves. They can either slide Tommy Edman to left and let Nolan Gorman play second base which would put another left handed bat in the lineup, or they could call up Joshua Baez from Memphis where he is currently hitting .323 with 13 home runs and 56 RBI's. If Baez pans out then the Cards could potentially walk away from Tyler O'Neill after this season given his injuries the last two years.

The Cardinals likely aren't done, but not sure if they have any big time moves left. They struck one of their bigger deals in June when they acquired Kyle Schwarber from the Rays in exchange for Jake Odorizzi and prospects.

[franch1se]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

We are now on an 11 game win streak. Only issue is the Dodgers also don’t lose much so we’re only 2 games up. 25-7 vs 23-9.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[JoshC1977]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

The Cardinals and Astros have made a trade during the break. The Cardinals will acquire RHP Cristian Javier from the Astros in exchange for OF/1B Adam Duvall.

I grabbed Javier in my O's franchise a couple seasons back; hope he is as good for you as he has been for me! Really nice arm that has done a good job of often filling 2-inning stints.

[dragster646]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

The Nationals would end up losing their last two games against the Marlins. As previously reported, they won the first game singlehandedly, despite a late Marlins rally. In game two, the Marlins would come back and win in the 10th. The finale saw Josiah Gray have his best start of the year (maybe his career), going 6.1 innings, giving up five hits and three runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. Most of that damage was done in the top of the sixth, and he was charged with a run after his departure. The Nationals were only able to get 2 runs despite having eight hits.

A slight letdown, as the Marlins aren't that great of a team despite having a record of 74-77. The Nationals did not have to face Sandy Alcantara in this series, and had plenty of chances to win every game, but just couldn't string hits together or get a hit in a key moment.

The Nationals now sit at 53-97 and will travel to Atlanta to face the Braves (89-60), who are trying to regain control of the division. They find themselves two games behind Philadelphia, and both teams will make the playoffs whichever way they finish the regular season.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals shock baseball world..send Nolan Arenado to Diamondbacks for Zac Gallen

You may want to sit down for this one Cardinal and baseball fans. The Cardinals have shocked us all by sending 3B Nolan Arenado to the Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Zac Gallen.

I'll let you get over the initial shock before continuing.

Now to explain:

Arenado who missed most of the 2023 season with an injury, isn't having the bounce back season the club had hoped for in 2024. Arenado is hitting .229 with 12 homeruns and 38 RBI's, hitting in the clean up spot. He's striking out at 20.4% clip and has hit into 13 double plays this season. The Cards were hopeful that he would bounce back after the All-Star Break, but he's 0 for 13 with 6 strikeouts since the 2nd half started. Couple that with the fact that guys like Nolan Gorman (.278 - 8HR - 27 RBI) and Edmundo Sosa (.305 - 20 RBI - .399 OBP) are more productive while playing platoon roles, and well you can kind of understand the reasoning.

In addition to that, the Cardinals are desperate for pitching. Zac Gallen is 8-6 on a bad team with a 3.13 ERA and WHIP just over 1. He's also controllable next year. He would join Jack Flaherty, Luis Castillo, Reid Detmers, and Dakota Hudson in the rotation, and with Flaherty and Castillo provide a pretty hefty trio of arms at the top of the rotation.

What do the Cards do at 3rd base. Well they have several options. The could put future 3rd baseman Nolan Gorman at the hot corner and add a lefty bat to the lineup. They could slide Gio Urshela to 3rd and insert Edmundo Sosa into the lineup. Or they could look at the trade market since the trade of Arenado frees up a lot of money ($32.5M salary) and make an addition that way.

I know its a shock and it wasn't an easy decision to come to, but the belief is the Cards can get just as much offensive production from other players, while at the same time fulfilling one of the biggest holes on the roster, all without sacrificing top end prospects.

Lets hope this works out.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

May 11-14: FORT WORTH (19-22) @ FLAGSTAFF (29-11)
Stadium: AutoZone Park (Capacity: 9,577)

May 11: Kings 7, Hops 4
May 12: Hops 6, Kings 5
May 13: Hops 7, Kings 0
May 14: Hops 4, Kings 3

Flagstaff, AZ (AP) - After dropping the opener, the Hops won the final three games of a four game weekend series over the Fort Worth Kings. The Hops are now (29-11) at the quarter poll of the season and look to be the best team in the Mountain League.

In the opener, the Kings hit five home runs and defeated the Hops 7-4. The loss was the fourth in five games for the suddenly slumping Hops.

Cal Velasco got the Kings going with a solo home run in the second inning off of Ryan Pressley. A Harris solo home run to open the third and a Moran RBI single put the Kings up 3-0.

Flagstaff would finally get the offense going in the fifth inning as David Benitez hit a two-run home run down the line in left to cut the Fort Worth lead to one.

But the Kings would get a two-run home run from Moran in the sixth, then back-to-back home runs from Carlisle and Graham in the seventh to put this one on ice at 7-2.

The Hops would get a couple back in the bottom of the seventh and then got two runners on in the ninth for pinch hitter Art Mason, but he flew out to the warning track in left to end it.

Ryan Pressley (4-1) took the loss and was not that sharp. He pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three home runs. Pressley left the game with a groin injury and will be evaluated and the club is hoping that he avoids a trip to the injured list. Pedro Macias struggled also, allowing two home runs out of the bullpen,

Ken Wilson (3-4) worked six innings for the Kings to pick up the win. He allowed two runs on just three hits and he struck out six. Wyatt Nelson picked up his first save of the season as he tight-roped into and out of a jam in the ninth.

On Friday night, the Hops jumped out to a big lead, then held on for a 6-5 victory. Leandro Lugo went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs in the victory.

Cal Velacso would put the Kings up 1-0 in the fourth with his eighth home run on the season, and second in two games in the series. Leandro Lugo would tie it up in the bottom half with a solo home run, his first on the season and the Hops first hit of the ball game.

Flagstaff would take the lead in the fifth as Art Mason tripled home Forrest Owen. Arturo Mardones would single home Mason and Leandro Lugo singled home Mardones to put the Hops up 4-1.

They would add a couple of huge insurance runs in the seventh when Donnie Roland singled home Arturo Mardones and Robbie Westbrook with the bases loaded and the Hops led 6-1. But nothing has been simple lately for Flagstaff and in the top of the eighth, Terence Harris hit a grand slam off of Aldo Osuna to cut the Hops lead to 6-5.

Vic Miller would come on in the ninth and sent the Kings down in order to pick up his 13th save.

Juro Yamaguchi (2-2) pitched six innings, allowing one run on eight hits. Oliver Benedict got five outs but left with the bases loaded in the eight. Aldo Osuna would give up the grand slam.

Jose Lema (2-4) pitched 4.2 innings for the Kings, allowing four runs on five hits. He struck out four and walked five.

On a rainy Saturday afternoon, the Hops took care of business with a 7-0 victory over the Kings. Josh Ortega led the way offensively, going 3 for 4 with a double, home run and three RBIs.

The Hops grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a Josh Ortega two-run double. They would extend that lead to 5-0 in the third. Arturo Mardones and Josh Ortega hit back-to-back home runs and Donnie Roland lined an RBI single to center that scored Robbie Westbrook.

In the fifth, Robbie Westbrook singled, stole second and scored on a Donnie Roland ground out. David Benitez would homer in the seventh to make it 7-0. It was his third on the year.

Sam Herzog (5-2) pitched six shutout innings, allowing five hits, walking one, and striking out five. Sam Varela and Mark Wirth would get the final nine outs. Varela had to leave the game with an apparent groin issue. He will be evaluated in the morning.

Former Hops pitcher Steve Hubbard, was shellacked by his former team on Sunday afternoon. He only lasted 2.2 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits as he took the loss to drop to (1-5).

On Sunday afternoon, the Hops rallied late for a 4-3 victory to win the series over Fort Worth. Art Mason went 3 for 4 with two home runs including the big one, a solo home run to put the Hops in front in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Flagstaff would hit four solo home runs in the finale to pull out the victory. Art Mason lead off the first with a home run to right. Donnie Roland homered in the second to put the Hops up 2-0.

The Kings would get single runs back in the third and fourth to tie the ballgame. But Robbie Westbrook would put the Hops back up 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, his eighth on the year.

Fort Worth would push across a tying run in the sixth thanks to a Percy Mays RBI double.

That set the stage for Art Mason to homer in the eighth, his 11th on the year to put the Hops in front. They had a chance to add on as they loaded the bases, but Oscar Aleman grounded into a 4-6-3 inning ending double play.

Vic Miller would come on a send the Kings down in order to pick up his 14th save.

Also Osuna (4-2) picked up the win out of the bullpen. Alex Farmer went five innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Mark Wirth got a blown save as he allowed the tying run in the sixth. Pedro Macias would come on and record five out without allowing a hit.

The Hops (29-11) will host surprising second place Salt Lake for a three game series beginning on Monday evening.

Around the League: Third baseman Rolando Powers hit three home runs and drove in four, but Scottsdale lost 8-7 at home to Long Beach. Third baseman Frank Green went 3 for 5 with two home runs and five RBIs as Tucson pounded out 20 hits in a 15-4 win at Albuquerque.

Mesa’s Matthews hit a walk-off two-run home run as the Solar Sox rallied to defeat Salt River 4-2 in the opener of a big three-game series. Mesa had just five hits in the game, but three were home runs.

Diego Viña tossed 8 2/3 Innings of shutout baseball, allowing three hits and striking out eight, as red-hot Chandler defeated Surprise 6-0. The Chiefs are (18-2) in their last 20 and lead the DL East by three games over Mesa. Every team in the DL East is over .500.

Amarillo rallied and then walked it off in a 6-3 victory over slumping San Diego. Bradley York went 2 for 4 with two home runs and drove in five, including the game-winning walk-off three-run home run in the ninth to send the Seals to their 15th loss in their last 19 games.

Chandler’s Carlos Vargas (5-0) tossed a complete game four-hitter, striking out three and walking three, as the Chiefs defeated Surprise 1-0. Stanton Brickman hit a solo home run in the second for the only run of the ballgame.

<img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52650681559_a828e5dee7_o.jpg" width="720" height="405" alt="Series13_23">
A gorgeous spring evening at AutoZone Park in Flagstaff.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: MLB The Show 22 Franchise Discussion Thread

Cardinals shock baseball world..send Nolan Arenado to Diamondbacks for Zac Gallen

You may want to sit down for this one Cardinal and baseball fans. The Cardinals have shocked us all by sending 3B Nolan Arenado to the Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Zac Gallen.

I'll let you get over the initial shock before continuing.

Now to explain:

Arenado who missed most of the 2023 season with an injury, isn't having the bounce back season the club had hoped for in 2024. Arenado is hitting .229 with 12 homeruns and 38 RBI's, hitting in the clean up spot. He's striking out at 20.4% clip and has hit into 13 double plays this season. The Cards were hopeful that he would bounce back after the All-Star Break, but he's 0 for 13 with 6 strikeouts since the 2nd half started. Couple that with the fact that guys like Nolan Gorman (.278 - 8HR - 27 RBI) and Edmundo Sosa (.305 - 20 RBI - .399 OBP) are more productive while playing platoon roles, and well you can kind of understand the reasoning.

In addition to that, the Cardinals are desperate for pitching. Zac Gallen is 8-6 on a bad team with a 3.13 ERA and WHIP just over 1. He's also controllable next year. He would join Jack Flaherty, Luis Castillo, Reid Detmers, and Dakota Hudson in the rotation, and with Flaherty and Castillo provide a pretty hefty trio of arms at the top of the rotation.

What do the Cards do at 3rd base. Well they have several options. The could put future 3rd baseman Nolan Gorman at the hot corner and add a lefty bat to the lineup. They could slide Gio Urshela to 3rd and insert Edmundo Sosa into the lineup. Or they could look at the trade market since the trade of Arenado frees up a lot of money ($32.5M salary) and make an addition that way.

I know its a shock and it wasn't an easy decision to come to, but the belief is the Cards can get just as much offensive production from other players, while at the same time fulfilling one of the biggest holes on the roster, all without sacrificing top end prospects.

Lets hope this works out.

Some may say it is unrealistic, but that is totally on brand for the DBacks. Just a trash organization