2014 MLB Thread & Pissing Match

[NavinRJohnson]

BTW, your willingness to hand pick and oversimplify numbers is maddening. Brewers record by month...

April: 20-8
May: 13-15
June: 18-10
July: 9-16
August: 13-12 (15-12 after the weekend  )

That below .500 record since your hand picked 20-7 start is obviously the result of a dreadful July. Other than that, they've been pretty consistent (after an admittedly hot start). That's baseball. Run these numbers for the Pirates, Cardinals, Dodgers, etc., and you'll see a similar picture. The beauty of it is they all play one another the rest of the way so it will be decided on the field. If the Brewers play better than .500 in Sept, they will more than likely win the division.

Definite concern about Peralta, but I really don't like the looks of Jimmy Nelson right now. I'm putting Garza in that spot, and giving Peralta a little extra rope. Hoping he's not out of gas, as he has hit some rough spots like this before, both this year and last.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

White Sox trading the house.

[brandx]

Dunn is the (Out)house

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Brewers get help in the bullpen in the form of Jonathon Broxton. A little expensive, and I saw that is BABIP is likely to regress to norm, but still a nice addition.

[ChicosBailBonds]

White Sox trading the house.

I'm at the Halos game right now....don't understand why the A's want Dunn, but whatever. 

[ATWizJr]

And the side continues.  I fear that the season has lasted 25 games too long for the Brewers.

[chapman]

Brewers call up 1B Matt Clark (.976 OPS), 1B/3B Jason Rogers (.947 OPS), SS Hector Gomez (.808 OPS and good defense).  They'll spend most of their time in the dugout making fun of Reynolds somehow having 21 home runs but a .690 OPS, Overbay and his .352 slugging percentage, and wondering where rock bottom is for Segura.

[buckchuckler]

White Sox trading the house.

I can't believe they seemed to get actual players back for Dunn and De Aza.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Brewers director of scouting died suddenly last night in Vegas.  RIP

[buckchuckler]

and wondering where rock bottom is for Segura.

I don't know, I think having your infant son die is probably rock bottom.  Maybe he should be cut a little slack. 

[🏀]

I don't know, I think having your infant son die is probably rock bottom.  Maybe he should be cut a little slack. 

Then he and/or RR should remove him from the lineup.

[chapman]

Then he and/or RR should remove him from the lineup.

Ron's about to remove himself from the organization.  Not that it's all his fault that his team is getting blown out every game.

[buckchuckler]

Then he and/or RR should remove him from the lineup.

And who would you suggest he play instead? 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Ron's about to remove himself from the organization.  Not that it's all his fault that his team is getting blown out every game.

He's a good man, hope that doesn't happen.  Enjoyed my time working with him back in the day.

[NavinRJohnson]

He's a good man, hope that doesn't happen.  Enjoyed my time working with him back in the day.

It won't, nor should it. Only so much a manager can do. Braun's injury, Gomez's injury, LuCroy stopped hitting....they're just a train wreck right now, but there isn't a damn thing a manager can do about it. I would consider dropping Braun down in the order, but what's the alternative at the top? They just have to start hitting again.

[GGGG]

It would be absolutely moronic to remove RR from the organization.  He is a good manager.  This isn't a Ned Yost like meltdown from the top.  This is a team that has been batting inconsistent all year, and just happens to have gotten cold when the pitching is wearing down.

[🏀]

And who would you suggest he play instead? 

Don't know, don't care, just tired of hearing that.

His WAR suggests any replacement level player would be acceptable.

[chapman]

Don't know, don't care, just tired of hearing that.

His WAR suggests any replacement level player would be acceptable.

Hector Gomez (just called up) is probably the only possible candidate.  Nice season at AAA and good defensively.  Herrera's bat is adequate, but he's bad defensively whether he's in the infield or...

 

It would be absolutely moronic to remove RR from the organization.  He is a good manager.  This isn't a Ned Yost like meltdown from the top.  This is a team that has been batting inconsistent all year, and just happens to have gotten cold when the pitching is wearing down.

Yep, not a 2008 thing where the manager's idiocy is far and away the reason for the collapse.  The Narrons can go away though.

[wadesworld]

It won't, nor should it. Only so much a manager can do. Braun's injury, Gomez's injury, LuCroy stopped hitting....they're just a train wreck right now, but there isn't a damn thing a manager can do about it. I would consider dropping Braun down in the order, but what's the alternative at the top? They just have to start hitting again.

You forgot the quotes around "injury" for Braun.  Braun slumps, so all of a sudden Braun is "injured."  Braun hits 3 dongs in a week and all of a sudden he's feeling great.  Braun slumps again and he has to miss a game with a sore thumb again.  He is who he is.  A slightly above average left fielder.  A .280 hitter with 20-25 homers and a lot of RBIs.  He's not an MVP, he's not a .330 hitter, and he's not a 35 homer guy.  Unless he decides to risk it and use PEDs again, which I don't see happening given that he's going to be paid $20 million/year either way, so why risk dropping that down to $0/year either way?

And Gomez stopped hitting even moreso than Lucroy did even before he got injured (in the way that has caused him to stop hitting, swinging for the fences in a blowout game as your leadoff hitter).

Earlier in the year I would've loved to see Braun moved down in the lineup.  Too late to do it now.  When the team was going right other than Braun, I would've loved to see a lineup of 1) Scooter, 2) Gomez, 3) Lucroy, 4) Ramirez, 5) Davis (he was hot at the time, he's stopped hitting too), 6) Braun, 7) Reynolds, 8) Segura, 9) pitcher.  Maybe my personal dislike of Ryan Braun clouds my view, but earlier in the year all 4 of those top 4 hitters were hitting much better than Braun.  Now Gomez and Lucroy are not so it is what it is.

[GGGG]

Don't know, don't care, just tired of hearing that.

So he should do something simply for the sake of doing something, but you don't know what that something is?

[NavinRJohnson]

You forgot the quotes around "injury" for Braun. Braun slumps, so all of a sudden Braun is "injured."

...Maybe my personal dislike of Ryan Braun clouds my view,

It does. The guy cannot hit a fastball right now. He has feasted on fastballs his entire career, and the first half of this year. Pre- and post-All Star break splits bear that out. Unless you are suggesting he was taking PEDs in the first half, but then stopped, you're only kidding yourself. If you look at his ABs, and you don't think there is anything to that thumb thing, you're blind. Was he taking PEDs in April and May? According to your simplistic theory, that would seem to be the only possible explanation for a .322 average and .950 OPS in that time frame. Interesting how his numbers have declined as the season has worn on, huh? Don't just look for the easy answer (PED), look for the correct one.

I happen to think that the whole thumb/nerve thing will ultimately shorten his career dramatically. Not being able to swing a bat or hit a ball without it hurting, probably isn't too good for a baseball player.

Now, side commentary...if there is a "PED" that could help with the thumb thing that could be legally prescribed by a doctor, why shouldn't Braun or any other player not be allowed to take it? This is why PED use doesn't bother me. Im still of the opinion that they are "all" still taking something, but it doesn't bother me. I'd rather have them out on the field playing. I'm ok if you want to do away the HGH and things like that, but I don't suspect that stuff is really the drug of choice in MLB any more anyway. The NfL on the other hand...

[🏀]

So he should do something simply for the sake of doing something, but you don't know what that something is?

If the tragic event is truly effecting his play, then pull yourself.

If not, people shouldn't use it as a crutch to explain why he's playing poorly.

As discussed before, it's likely a regression to the mean of what type of MLB player he is compared to last season.

[wadesworld]

It does. The guy cannot hit a fastball right now. He has feasted on fastballs his entire career, and the first half of this year. Pre- and post-All Star break splits bear that out. Unless you are suggesting he was taking PEDs in the first half, but then stopped, you're only kidding yourself. If you look at his ABs, and you don't think there is anything to that thumb thing, you're blind. Was he taking PEDs in April and May? According to your simplistic theory, that would seem to be the only possible explanation for a .322 average and .950 OPS in that time frame. Interesting how his numbers have declined as the season has worn on, huh? Don't just look for the easy answer (PED), look for the correct one.

I happen to think that the whole thumb/nerve thing will ultimately shorten his career dramatically. Not being able to swing a bat or hit a ball without it hurting, probably isn't too good for a baseball player.

Now, side commentary...if there is a "PED" that could help with the thumb thing that could be legally prescribed by a doctor, why shouldn't Braun or any other player not be allowed to take it? This is why PED use doesn't bother me. Im still of the opinion that they are "all" still taking something, but it doesn't bother me. I'd rather have them out on the field playing. I'm ok if you want to do away the HGH and things like that, but I don't suspect that stuff is really the drug of choice in MLB any more anyway. The NfL on the other hand...

Bat speed isn't there.  Is it the injury?  Maybe, I guess.  But maybe the lack of being on PEDs for the first time since early in college (at the earliest) is causing more injures.  And why is the thumb only a problem when he's slumping?  If it's a chronic problem it hurts regardless of whether he is performing well at the plate or not.  If he needs a day off because of the pain in the middle of a slump, then he would also need a day off in the middle of a hot streak due to the pain.  The pain doesn't just pick and choose when it comes and goes with a chronic injury.  It's always there.  Either man up and accept the fact that you aren't playing well and work your way through the slump, or take your days off when you're hot too.  It's incredibly predictable when the thumb is going to "flair up" for him.  Go 0-4?  Well, if he has another 0 fer the next day you can all but guarantee that thumb will be hurting bad enough for him to need a day to rest it the following day.  But if somehow he goes 0-4 and follows it up by a 2-4 day with a homer and double, no problem.

[NavinRJohnson]

If the tragic event is truly effecting his play, then pull yourself.

Come on! More to the point/question that was asked? What is the alternative? If it isn't better (it isn't), what's the point?

[🏀]

Come on! More to the point/question that was asked? What is the alternative? If it isn't better (it isn't), what's the point?

The point is, quit using the excuse as fans. If it was affecting his play, he would not be playing.