MLB '24 Regular Season Thread

Pacific Northwest programming note: Tonight’s game starts a half hour later than the normal 6:40 PDT first pitch time to make sure it’s dark enough for the postgame fireworks show.

Yes, at this time of year it’s not really dark out here until after 10 p.m.

 

Also, he never came back from that ass-tanning Jose Ramirez gave him.

 

Local minor league soccer club is playing at 8 because the game is on CBS Sports Network so I'll be getting home right in time for first pitch. Love the 4:10 EDT start tomorrow.

 

Which explains why the fireworks show is tonight. Too bad you (and I, as I’m working) can’t make it to the game — will be beautiful weather for day baseball.

 

Our fireworks show is tonight also, and yes, the game starts 40 minutes later than normal.

In 2015 we had a 17-inning game on Fireworks Night. Started at 7:15 p.m. on the 3rd, ended at 12:29 a.m. on July 4. Then we shot the fireworks off. Got some blowback but it was fun. Started playing fun songs the longer the game went on, like "After Midnight,", "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is," "I Don't Want to Go Home," etc.

We should have won the game in the 9th but the ump missed a call at first base, called a guy out who was safe so the winning run didn't score from third.

 

He’s cut his home run rate by more than half. The rest of his advance numbers are really good, too. What I’d be concerned about is he was really good in the first half for Philly last year and then absolutely plunged off a cliff.

 

I'm not sure anybody embodies the volatility of closers more than Kimbrel. He had a 2.74 ERA & 42 saves in 2018 for the Red Sox, then lost his closer's job by posting a 5.91 ERA during the run to the title. He was awful for the Cubs in 2019-20 (6.00 ERA), then great for the Cubs in 2021 (0.49 ERA & 23 saves), then terrible for the White Sox (5.09 ERA), albeit as a set-up man. His first half/second half splits for the Dodgers in 2022 were vast (4.35 ERA, .252 BAA in the first half, 3.10 ERA, .196 BAA in the second half). His second half splits were pretty wonky last year...a better ERA (3.09 vs. 3.41) but a worse BAA (.193 vs. .171) and K/BB ratio (2.64 vs. 4.07). His K/BB ratio also dropped from the first to second half in 2022. And he's already lost his job once this year.

tl;dr I would also be concerned he's going to go sideways at the worst possible time. He's as volatile as the late Doug Jones, except he's not getting by with a 45 mph screwball. And I think down the road, this is going to hurt him in the Hall of Fame balloting, b/c Rivera, Eckersley & Hoffman were much steadier.

 

That was his line of demarcation, wasn't it. He went directly in the shitter after that.

 

I've got to admit ... I don't hate the idea.

 

Why would Henderson be leading off when Steven Kwan and his .362/.420 are available?

 

Skenes spot in the rotation comes up the final Sunday before the break. He won’t be available for the AS Game. Either he pitches that day or the Pirates are giving him a long stretch off before the second half.

 

I'm assuming the Tigers' only representative will be Skubal, unless he opts out. Then they'll take Jason Foley. No way Riley Greene breaks through a logjam of AL outfielders.