5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

[Sportsforever]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

You basically don't want anyone, even Clayton f'ing Kershaw, facing a batter for the 4th time in a close game. And yes, that holds true even if your middle relief is not very good (like ours). The times-through-the-order penalty is very steep.

Except that Clayton Kershaw is not held to the laws of baseball...this year batters the 4th time through the order have a 188/235/250 slash line for a 485 OPS. Small sample you say? In his career the number is 210/253/273 for a 526 OPS in over 300 PA's. I'd rather have Clayton Kershaw facing any hitter in a tough spot at any point in the game than anyone...and definitely anyone in LA's bullpen!

[Chip Douglass]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Love this number. The no-hitter is so overrated.

I don't think Arrieta's no-hitter was overrated, since the guy is a weak-contact machine. It's more to the point that Arrieta, in his single best start this season, basically walked as many guys as Clayton Kershaw has in 2 months.

I didn't think there was any room for Kershaw to improve above and beyond his 2014 season when he had one of the lowest FIPs in the game's history, but yeah, the guy really has gotten better. It's ridiculous.

[Blzer]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

I don't think Arrieta's no-hitter was overrated, since the guy is a weak-contact machine. It's more to the point that Arrieta, in his single best start this season, basically walked as many guys as Clayton Kershaw has in 2 months.

I didn't think there was any room for Kershaw to improve above and beyond his 2014 season when he had one of the lowest FIPs in the game's history, but yeah, the guy really has gotten better. It's ridiculous.

I'm not saying he didn't have a dominant pitching performance, I'm just saying no two no-hitters are alike (in that one-hit and two-hit performances can be more dominant and should be recognized), and furthermore perfect games are far more accomplishing and should not ever be placed in the same sentence as no-hitter.

Arrieta is a beast, as is Kershaw. Anything they do, they earn. But if a status such as a no-hitter is achieved by walking many (or throwing many out of the zone in hopes that they'd offer), I don't feel it to be the same as a no-hitter where the only batter to reach base is on an error in the 8th inning. I will acknowledge his pitching performance for what it was, but not because it was a no-hitter, like that has some magical place above a one-hitter.

It's like saying Fred McGriff, owner of 493 career home runs, was a far inferior home run hitter to Eddie Murray who had 504, just because he didn't reach the 500 HRC milestone.

[Sportsforever]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

It's like saying Fred McGriff, owner of 493 career home runs, was a far inferior home run hitter to Eddie Murray who had 504, just because he didn't reach the 500 HRC milestone.

Haha...you edited that quick...I was about to point out that Galarraga only had 399 homers and when I hit quote it popped up with McGriff in there.

BTW - McGriff has his best season interrupted by the 1994 strike. He would easily have eclipsed 500 with the 48 games missed in 1994 and the 18 missed from 1995.

[Blzer]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Haha...you edited that quick...I was about to point out that Galarraga only had 399 homers and when I hit quote it popped up with McGriff in there.

I jacked that up.

[Chip Douglass]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Except that Clayton Kershaw is not held to the laws of baseball...this year batters the 4th time through the order have a 188/235/250 slash line for a 485 OPS. Small sample you say? In his career the number is 210/253/273 for a 526 OPS in over 300 PA's. I'd rather have Clayton Kershaw facing any hitter in a tough spot at any point in the game than anyone...and definitely anyone in LA's bullpen!

I actually did check his 4th time-through-the-order stats on baseball-reference and saw how impressive they were. But 1) 300 PAs over 8 years is not a very large sample size at all and 2) there's a selection bias effect, since you're only going to pitch to the same batters a 4th time if you're dominating everyone.

Kershaw was starting to look mortal the 3rd time-through-the-order: Cabrera took him deep on a hanging breaking ball, he gave up a leadoff single in the 8th, and he was starting to fall behind in counts. Bottom line: it's better to have a quick hook and take your starting pitcher out before the trouble starts than to take him out after the rally has already begun.

[Jr.]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Bottom line: it's better to have a quick hook and take your starting pitcher out before the trouble starts than to take him out after the rally has already begun.

Words to live by as a coach. You'll get burned much less often taking a guy out too soon rather than too late.

[DamnYanks2]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Those Mets uniforms are where it's at. They should just keep wearing the retros.

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[Blzer]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

So today, Mitch Moreland hit a home run that was in the same ballpark (no pun intended) as Nomar Mazara's shot three days ago (that supposedly went 491 feet).

Moreland's shot

Mazara's shot:

<iframe src='http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=737619983&topic_id=8878736&w idth=400&height=224&property=mlb' width='400' height='224' frameborder='0'>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>

So, how far do you think it landed? Do I have any takers for 475 feet??

For those who care, Hittrackeronline estimates Moreland's home run at 440 feet.



Now, do people still believe that Mazara's home run really went 491 feet and leads all of the MLB for longest home run this year (and therefore Moreland's would likely be second longest of the year), or is it possible that Statcast screwed up Mazara's shot this year, as well as Bryant's last year?

I'm all for this system, but if I can't deem it reliable then I don't know how much faith I can put into it giving out correct numbers. Furthermore, I wonder why no one (including MLB Network) has been bringing up Moreland's home run, even though it was just several feet behind Mazara's. Because they don't have Statcast numbers?

Weird.

[DamnYanks2]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

I was thinking the same thing when Valencia hit his home run that supposedly went 457 ft a couple days ago. Dead center is 400 ft. He hit that beam above the wall, there is no way that went 457 ft or even close.

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[PhilliesFan13]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Can any Brewers fans recommend any good food options at Miller Park?

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[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Don't know about you guys, but I'll start to worry a bit when Clayton Kershaw walks his 6th batter of the season sometime in June. Have to watch out for that wildness...

[PhilliesFan13]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

I made it!



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[DieHardYankee26]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Kershaw situation was strange I guess, I probably would've left him in but if not, I would've made the move for my closer to get 4 outs. Lefties have a .364 OPS against him this year as well. Seems like he just outsmarted himself. Then again it's all results and the guy he brought in was good against lefties as well, but he chose the most unnecessary of the 3 options.

[Mabster]

Re: 5/16 - 5/29 Game Discussion Thread

Twins and A's get an ESPN spot today?!

Whoa.