MLB 2018 regular season thread

Batting pitchers higher than ninth isn't as rare as it used to be. Joe Maddon has done it with the Cubs. The Mets do it. The Cardinals have done it.

One reason the Angels use the DH for Ohtani when he pitches may be what Dick suggested, that they don't want to overwork him. They usually don't have him in the lineup the days before and after he pitches. Another reason is that he usually is going to be out of the game before it ends, forcing them to let relief pitchers bat or use pinch hitters.

 

He is only going roughly six innings, so then you have a pitcher batting (or pinch hitters) for the rest of the game.

 

I suspect that list will grow longer.

Strikeouts are killing baseball

I'm surprised Strasburg didn't do it.

 

Fuckers almost sound human.

For the last three years, the Yankees have been quietly sending flowers to the families and police departments of slain law enforcement officers across the country.

‘With Our Deepest Sympathy, From the New York Yankees’

 

On opening day, March 29, he tripled and had a home run. He still has 1 triple and 1 HR as of this morning. He does not have a double this year.

No extra base hits since Opening Day.

How is that possible?

 

At this point I would gladly trade him straight-up for Jeff Mathis. Or Mo Vaughn.

 

You can't tell what a guy's up to after only 136 PAs.

 

The Death Star has learned human emotions and how to pile up top prospects through trades. We're all fucked.

 

Calhoun is also* making the worst kind of outs -- double plays, strikeouts with runners on third and less than two outs. Last week they sat him four games in a row, even against righties.

*edit typo

 

That really is the bottom of the barrel for a player, isn't it? The guy who you just hope strikes out so he doesn't hit into a double play.

 

Along similar (though non-MLB) lines, Royals catching prospect Chase Vallot got his first single of the year on Friday in A ball. Through then, he had five homers, two doubles and 21 walks in 101 plate appearances. He's slashing .094/.284/.294.