Baseball Thread V

Wily Mo for Arroyo ... can't think what landed them Phillips, though. Great offseason.

 

The Mets got shut down by a good pitcher last night. It happens. I don't think there's cause for particular concern, though. They've got a well-balanced lineup with plenty of speed and enough power in the middle that you can't pitch around any one guy. They're not the best at being patient and working counts, but their lineup is plenty good enough to win in the postseason. It's the pitching I worry about. Can Willie avoid blowing out the bullpen and will Glavine and Pedro have anything left by October? Those are much bigger concerns than the offense.

 

I have zero rooting interest in any team. I'm just trying to be objective here, fan boys. The Mets and Tigers have clearly been the best teams in baseball so far -- because they've had the best pitching. The Mets have a staff better suited for the long haul and the postseason. You midwesterners can get all jacked up about the AL Central (the White Sox and Tigers are good teams) but, again, you're kidding yourselves. The Royals suck. The Twins suck, and the Indians pitching has been awful.

 

Cranberry, I love the Royals and Pirates. Don't care about anyone else, really. I can't stand teams in the Central divisions, outside of those two. Hate them with a passion, for obvious reasons.

That said, it's way too simple to explain a team's success by saying, "Chicago is very good but the AL Central remains baseball's worst division. Detroit and Chicago get more opportunities to beat up on the Royals and Twins, and the Indians it appears were way overrated, too." They don't boast the best two records in baseball based on chance, determined by divisions. They do it by winning night after night.

The Tigers are 9-1 in their last 10. They didn't play an AL Central team in that stretch.
The Twins are 9-1 in their last 10. They didn't play an AL Central team in that stretch.

If your theory were true, the Tigers and Twins should not have gone on hot streaks the moment they left the division. Royals suck, yes. But the Twins are a .500 team that's caught fire. The Tribe obviously have the talent, based on last year's finish, but haven't put it together yet.

I don't think me, zeke or Hank Scorpio are kidding ourselves. We're not the fanboys you want to believe we are, either. We just see things for what they are a little more clearly than you do.

 

Yes, but they did play the Cubbies.

I'm just sayin'.

 

As a Metsfan I can honestly say the NL East sucks.

However, the NL West wa supposed to be so much improved this year and the Mets just went on the road and put a four-game pummeling on the then-division leading D'Backs after taking 2 of 3 in LA.

I'm not sure there realy is a deep, consistently good division anywhere in baseball.
One thing to be said for the NL East (and every division other than the Al Central, for that matter), is that no team sucks ass like the Royals.

 

Oz, maybe rooting for the Royals and Pirates for so long can do this to you, but are you really prepared to say the Twins are better than the Red Sox because they swept them in June?

 

No, but I am willing to say the Twins play in a tougher division than the Red Sox.

 

Phillips was for a player to be named later, who was named last Tuesday.

Also, don't forget the David Ross for Bobby Basham trade. All Ross is doing is hitting .337-10-24 in 89 ABs this season.

 

Can't bash 'em for that deal :

 

AL Central the worst division in baseball? Absolutely ridiculous. Time will tell if it stacks up with the AL East this season, but there's not a division in baseball that clearly is better.

Frankly, there are a few that easily are weaker.