Running 2017 MLB regular season thread

How many times do I have to explain this to you?

Early last year, while he still was winning games and was the toast of the town, I noticed that he was disconcertingly lacking sharpness and running up his pitch count. I thought he was due for a decline. I was correct.

I did not, watching Jon Lester early this season, have any of these same concerns, for various reasons. I am not obligated to view every slow start the same way. That's my entire point.

 

Your point last year at first was the decline. Hell, everybody knew his numbers weren't going to match 2015. I acknowledged that all along, too. But the sky wasn't falling. His overall numbers for last season weren't nearly as bad as you make them out to be.

This year, your point was to troll. The point was you went on and on about Arrieta, thus supporting my claim that your goal is to troll, while paying little or no attention to the rest of the staff getting off to a slow start. I agree that Lester's slow start was less concerning than Arrieta's last year. That would have been a good point to make if your interest was simply a useful discussion of the World Series champs.

 

Goodness, gracious, lord have mercy.

In June, he still had a sub-2.00 ERA. But he was failing to pitch deep into games because he wasn't throwing strikes. I noted that, calling him "Five-Inning Jake." The point was that he wasn't pitching as well as his back-of-the-baseball-card numbers indicated.

His monthly ERAs last year, starting in June:

June: 3.54
July: 4.88
August: 3.21
September: 4.60

Dude, I was right. I was right.

Sometimes I'm wrong. Very wrong, in fact. But in this case, I was right.

Fuck almighty. Lester has a 3.10 ERA. Hendricks has a 3.35 ERA and an 88 mph fastball. In his last five starts, he's 3-1 with a 1.82 ERA.

What fucking concerns am I supposed to be expressing?

 

Lester's ERA was more than a half run higher at the time I posted that. Hendricks also had a higher ERA at the time. If you had made the point that they will come around at the time, that would have been a great point. You didn't. You were too busy trolling about Arrieta.

All I said was last year's performance wasn't nearly as bad as you were making it out to be and at the time, you used inaccurate and misleading statistics to support your point. I never said anything either way about his performance beyond 2016, yet you continue to drag this out.

 

What the fuck do you not understand about this?

For the last time:

I did not see cause for concern about them. So I didn't discuss it. I figured they would come around. They have.

The point with Arrieta was that he was still carrying a sterling ERA, but not pitching well.

 

#Troll

 

You're an idiot.

 

Your opinion, like your trolling, is noted and given the lack of respect it is due.

But at least we can find common ground in cheering Lester's success. My fantasy team needs the help.

 

"Trolling" by discussing a Cy Young Award winner from two years ago, pitching in my city, who is going to be a free agent this offseason, having a 5-plus ERA.

OK, pal.

 

Posting over and over about it, often dishonestly, for the sole purpose of taking a shot at another poster is trolling.

His performance this year is not more relevant to the season than what the Cubs are doing as a team.

 

Don't flatter yourself.

I don't understand what you are even trying to argue. A Cy Young Award winner from two years ago who is going to be a free agent after this season and who has a history of control issues has an ERA over 5.00. That's not interesting enough to talk about as a standalone topic on a what has already been ghetto-ized in a running thread?

This is like arguing that we shouldn't discuss Manchester because it "is not more relevant" than terrorism as a whole.

 

Actually, you did start an entire thread about Arrieta, one truly dedicated to your trolling effort, but that didn't get enough attention so you drew it all back here. Your intent is clear, regardless of your inability to be honest about it.

And the Manchester analogy you offered is absurd.