MLB '24 Regular Season Thread

The Yankees could not have afforded a DL like this. The Dodgers couldn't have; the Phillies couldn't have.

There is no dismissing the fact that a huge part of that ballclub is wounded.

 

The Dodgers pitching staff is a mess

They have had 11 guys make at least four starts.

25 -- done for the season
22 -- done for the season
18
16
14 -- has a 5.54 ERA
13 -- has a 8.52 ERA
10
8
7
6
4

 

Bradish, Wells, Means, GRodriguez.

Bautista.

Mountcastle, Westburg, Urias, Mateo.

I suppose we should feel fortunate that JWebb, Eflin, and Kjerstad returned.

 

Emmanuel Clase has entered the chat.

 

The problem is encouraging everyone to be the same as the best that ever was expects the results to be the same. In reality, there’s a reason very few will ever reproduce what they did.

The emphasis on the three true outcomes discourages situational hitting. I know the RBI is a devalued stat, but it still a measure of hitting with people on base. Striking out doesn’t drive the run in nor does swinging from your heels and whiffing. There were so many greats who knew how to adjust when the situation called for it.

You can have power. You can have walks. Those help win. But so does hitting. So does putting up crooked numbers.

But we get players who won’t swing with two strikes because they couldn’t drive the pitch and would rather strike out.

 

Tigers sweep the Royals* in Kansas City and the Twins get walked off in Cleveland. DET trails MIN by 1/2 game (minus the tiebreaker) for the last Wild Card spot and is bidding to be the first team that was eight games under .500 in August (55-63 on Aug. 10) to make the postseason since the Ya Gotta Believe Mets. Royals are two back and I believe also have the tiebreaker.

Everything's going right for the boys these days (this was from Tuesday):



*Just realized that tonight was KC's last regular-season game against an AL team. They finish Giants, at Nats, at Braves. In case you were wondering, Tigers finish at Orioles, Rays, White Sox; the Twins still have one more in Cleveland before going at Red Sox, Marlins, Orioles.

 

They might need a refresher course on how force outs work.

 

America's funniest 90-year-old is still having a blast, though “There is no one who epitomizes being a champion like this man does" tells me, 1964 Series aside, that Murphy is not familiar with Bob's bit.

Also, for the record, Bob was a DNP-coach's decision in all seven games of that series.

 

Brewers have hit a real sweet spot I never thought I'd experience as a fan.

They have their sixth playoff appearance in seven years. That was well nigh unbelievable as recently as ... seven years ago. Particularly in a division where the Cardinals seemed eternal and where the Cubs, mid-2010s, looked like they might finally flex the financial muscle advantage they should have in this division.

While they've been at the top, the Brewers basically flipped themselves while remaining competitive. This is a young-ass team. Contreras, Turang, Ortiz, Chourio, Perkins, Mitchell are one hell of a young core that's under control for quite a while.

The Brewers, as an organization, are so underrated. We're the model small-market franchise, something that not only seemed well nigh unbelievable in the worst of the Selig years, but you sometimes questioned whether the Brewers would continue to exist.

I love every bit of this. And, yeah, I want Uke to finally get his star turn in the World Series. If there's a freaking God in heaven, I hope he gets that opportunity.

 

I'm pretty sure I'm going to lean on Dean Kremer loading the bases with nobody out while protecting a lead.

I am so over Dean Kremer, it isn't even funny.

 

Best part of the Brewers celebration…

 

Clase has been ridiculously good, but it is difficult for a reliever to win the Cy Young, especially when there is a deserving starting pitcher like Skubal.