<p>Anybody attend/watch opening day? What do you think about the new addition of replay?</p>
<p>Pitching in the NL Central got off to a pretty amazing start yesterday.
Pirates 1, Cubs 0 in 10 innings; Cards 1, Reds 0; Brewers 2, Braves 0.
The division has a combined ERA of 0.39.
Meanwhile, in Texas, the Phillies and Rangers combined for 24 runs and 31 hits, and five of the 10 pitchers used walked out of there with ERAs in the double digits. Cliff Lee’s ERA is 14.40 – and he somehow got the win after giving up eight runs and blowing a 6-0 lead.</p>
<p>Want to make predictions?</p>
<p> AL East: Rays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: A’s</p>
<p>I’d love to see the Red Sox repeat as champions. No team stands out yet so it’s anyone’s year. A cold springtime usually means lots of players go on the disabled list. I think I’ll like replay until it costs my team a victory. It’s not easy standing there for three hours and making only 5 or 6 calls like some third base umpires do.</p>
<p>I don’t make predictions because, IMHO, one of the great things about baseball is the individual games and individual at bats don’t matter except cumulatively. That means, to me, it’s fun to think about 2nd guessing but without the insane level so much “discourse” in Boston reaches: fire John Farrell: he batted Jackie Bradley in the 9th after pinch running for Napoli, etc., etc., etc.</p>
<p>I really like the way the batting/pitching statistics roll over at the beginning of the year: from Chris Davis, 53 HR’s, etc. to Chris Davis, 0 HR’s in the next few games. </p>
<p>A few things I’m looking for this year:</p>
<ol>
<li>How good is Tanaka? Japanese league pitching is, per players, much better than the hitting. Interesting to see how he translates.</li>
<li> Miguel Cabrera. To me, as a Tigers fan, the big, necessary move was they needed to get Mig off 3rd base. You can’t have that kind of player break down because you have a guy at 1st who can’t do anything else. With Victor Martinez, they had no way even to rotate Mig into the DH. Now they can protect his body and rest him. Will that pay off in stats? </li>
<li>Albert Pujols. What happened? Can he be Albert Pujols again?</li>
</ol>
<p>I was at Safeco Field last night for Mariners’ Opening Day party for the fans. We watched the game (played in Anaheim) on the Jumbotron. It’s hard to pass up free beer.</p>
<p>Pujols looks like he’s not been taking his supplements, a little saggy, and may have a mediocre year, but I think the Angels win the AL West. Felix Hernandez has a way of making good hitters look bad, but they still looked pretty good last night.</p>
<p>I totally disagree that the pirates are going to make the playoffs. As a pirates fan, I was following them all off season and they made little improvement compared to division rivals. McCutchen is the only batter that has proven consistency. The bullpen was superb last year, but all will return to “normal” this year. I still think pitching will be above average, but I’m gonna have to get used to those 1-0 games since hitting will be non-existent.</p>
<p>I see the braves taking our spot in the wild card. With the the pirates finishing 3rd behind the cards and reds.</p>
<p>Impressive debut by Toro Tanaka in debut at Toronto, gave up leadoff home to Cabrera and had shaky second inning; got it together for first ‘W’ with this seven inning, 97 pitch effort: </p>
<p>3 runs (2 earned), six hits, zero bb, 8 k’s.</p>
<p>and he passed the eyes test. Wow some serious stuff. consistent 91 mph on fastball, topped off at 94.</p>
<p>Was it the full moon or the pull from the eclipse?
Weird game in Philly.
Braves led 2-1 entering the eighth, then the teams decided to play home run derby.
Braves go back-to-back-to-back in the top of the eighth to go up 5-1.
Phillies scored five runs in the bottom half, the last three on a home run by Dominic Brown, to take a 6-5 lead.
Then Dan Uggla hits a grand slam in the top of the ninth to put the Braves back in front.
So, if you’re keeping track, the Braves won 9-6 and the teams ended up combining for 12 runs and five home runs in the last two innings.</p>
<p>And all that happened after I turned over from watching the Pirates and Reds finish hitting 10 home runs in six innings in a drizzle.</p>
<p>With the Pirates getting three sets of back-to-back home runs!!!</p>
<p>question: did you realize they must have "re-interpreted"the transfer rule? Anybody heard?
Was it because of video review, specifically on the neighborhood play?</p>
<p>Seemed like the re-interpretation applies to every ball caught anywhere?</p>
<p>In the Mariner’s vs Texans game the other night: Bases loaded, ball bounced back to the Texas pitcher. He throws home, the catcher snags it with his foot on the plate, but drops ball as he reaches into mitt to try for the double play.</p>
<p>M’s Lloyd McClenden challenges call, and on replay review, they rule the runner safe at home. Washington comes out to argue and is immediately tossed for challenging a replay review.</p>
<p>I’m no umpire, the process of catching the ball for the force out, then reaching into the glove to throw it is two separate things, right? The Seattle runner should have been forced out at the plate. The catcher caught the ball cleanly with his foot on the base; the fact he couldn’t grab it cleanly to make a throw doesn’t change the fact the runner was forced out.
The Mariners had two last weekend that they dropped on the transfer, and the A’s had stopped running because the ball was so clearly an out based on the previous 100-plus years of baseball.
</p>
<p>Ever seen someone knock the cover off a ball?
Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado hits a grounder to third. As soon as he hits it the cover starts coming off the ball. Pittsburgh’s Pedro Alvarez fields the ball and throws to first and the ball basically dies halfway there and Maldonado beats it out. Never seen anything like it.
Check it out on video:</p>
<p>I agree on those crazy fly out then ball dropped on the transfer calls. Every baseball player since time immemorial has been dealign with that rule and learning to play the game that way. You have to tag up then leave at your own risk after the catch. Yes, it’s nice to have it not be an out in the field, but the lead runner ends up being out at 2nd because they went back to tag up. Stupid. It it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.</p>
<p>They finally reversed the transfer interpretation back to the way it was!</p>
<p>Tanaka is great. Time will tell whether hitters are able to adjust as they see more of him, Interestingly, I heard the other day that he’ll only face, I think, two teams more than once before the All-Star break.</p>
<p>Nice FanGraphs look at how Johnny Cueto is vying to turn in the best season since Bob Gibson:</p>
<p>I went to the Angels game.Crazy, staying there about an hour and a half afterward, watching the feed from Oakland on the video board as the Rangers scored 6 runs in the ninth after the A’s didn’t score with the bases loaded and no outs in the eighth.
Then the players came out and partied on the field and spewed champagne on everyone in the front rows.</p>
<p>Who do you think is in line for the AL and NL MVP?
I like Kershaw over Stanton.</p>
<p>Who are you cheering on for the wild card games? Any pickets for the playoffs? I was letdown by my Rays, and the Redsox and Yanks.
I still like the Nationals. And let me trade the Rays for the David Price Tigers in the series.</p>
<p>AL Wild Card Game
Oakland A vs KC Royals
Winner gets the LA Angels
Baltimore Orioles vs Detroit Tigers </p>
<p>NL Wild Card Game
Giants vs Pirates
Winner gets the Nationals
Dodgers vs Cardinals</p>
<p>As a Halos fan, I do NOT want to see the Orioles, for whatever reason.
11 Royals with 100 innings played or 50 innings pitched weren’t alive when KC last made the playoffs.
Royals: 1st team ever to make the playoffs after finishing last in baseball in homers and walks.</p>
<p>Anybody else got their Peanuts and Crackerjacks for tonight? I just opened a new growler.
I got the A’s what about you?
I am not selling the Royals short. They have the best defense and probably the best back end of the bullpen in baseball. Their starting pitching is also pretty good. Yes, they can’t hit, however each team has warts.</p>
<p>That said Lester has owned them. If this were a series I’d pick the Royals. In one game, against Lester, I don’t see KC winning. Oakland also has a good pen. A 1-0 game wouldn’t surprise me.</p>
</p>