2016 MLB Regular-Season Thread

Maybe you should try counting cards. Think of the money to be made.

 

You gotta be willing to put it out there to make any money at that (I'm a bit player when it comes to gambling), and besides, that's too much like work.

 

Stop watching white sox games.

 

Question for SJ Giants fans:

I know the bullpen has been a disaster. Why hasn't Will Smith been given something of a shot at the ninth inning? I see he hasn't been scored upon since mid-late August, but it looks as though he's only being used to get one or two outs. Are they using him exclusively as a lefty-on-lefty specialist? He was supposedly going to be a co-closer with the Brewers before hurting his knee in spring training.

 

Every post and I'm the one who is delusional? You're funny. I'm really sorry you can't just admit your argument failed and move on.

 

Exactly. I don't mind a team that isn't a contender dealing its closer, but doing it in the middle of a pennant race? That is a different story.

 

Somebody doesn't like having his dishonesty exposed. Poor guy.

Pirates before dealing Melancon and doing little to add help at the deadline: Three games over .500.

Pirates since the Melancon trade: Six games below .500.

Simple numbers that illustrate what did happen rather than dressing up vague assertions to look like complex statistical analysis.

 

He got off to a horrible start here after the trade and I think that impression set in. Bochy has used him situationally since then, mostly against lefties, and I think they've concluded that's where he belongs.

I'm up for anything at this point, but I think they're right to see if Romo can handle it before they try Smith.

 

Has he gotten the bite back on his slider?

 

Not extraordinarily so, I guess, but it's there more than it was.

Feels like he has been lined up almost always against lefties, so don't know if he's closer material. But I didn't break it down and can't say for certain. (Disclaimer inserted because who the hell knows what's going to launch that one guy into a seven-page thread derailment anymore.)

 

He really had closer stuff two years ago. They called it his "back-foot" slider because it was devastating to right-handed batters who would swing at it and then it would end up right by their back foot. And he was absolutely unhittable for lefties during that stretch.

I don't know if he got worn down a little, and the knee injury this year didn't help, but that devastating stuff seems to have become a bit more hittable. I just wondered if he's starting to get his stuff back.

 

Yeah, that last bit wasn't an attempt to bait "that one guy." Next time somebody wants to blame any one guy for the crap on this thread, please consider things like this. Thank you.

On topic, I thought your responses were a pretty good analysis of why the Giants were trying Romo first.