MLB 2014 season thread

Great breakdown on Samardzija's repertoire.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/pitchcraft-jeff-samardzija-the-accursed-ace/

 

Almost 24 hours later, and nothing on last night's events at Fenway?
The umpires blew this one badly by not ejecting Price for drilling Carp in the fourth AFTER warnings had been issued for the plunking of Ortiz in the first. Hey Orpheus, it's never over between these two teams.
I'm only surprised Gomes wasn't a target after last Sunday's brawl at the Trop.

 

Moddy tweeted this out earlier. Has its roots in the playoffs last year:

http://mlb.si.com/2014/05/31/red-sox-rays-david-ortiz-david-price-ejections/?eref=sihp

 

Astros lost today but finished May 15-14 -- their first winning month since September '10.

 

And the Red Sox & Rays have a long history. It goes back to when Gomes was a D-Ray.

 

Gosh, it goes back to 1999 or thereabouts, when a hooley broke out in a game at Tampa where Pedro was pitching.

 

@TimesofIsrael: Tigers roar with Jewish duo Ausmus and Kinsler http://dlvr.it/5rRY7z

Mah nishtana halailah hazeh!

 

Brock Holt 4 for 4 with 4 doubles, Sox sweep Rays, win 7th straight.

 

Just the 11 innings for the Mets and Phils today.

 

Yeesh. From the AP story:

 

Tim Hudson walks two today, bringing his total to eight for the season against six wins. Still shuts out the Cardinals for seven innings.

His ERA is down to 1.75, he leads the majors in BB/9 and pitches per IP, and he is in the top 10 in the NL in HR/9 -- all while rarely if ever topping 90 mph.

At age 38 and coming off an injury, he is having a year not from his own prime but from Greg Maddux's prime.

 

Jones on Buehrle, who won his 10th today in a 134-minute game.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10975569/toronto-blue-jays-pitcher-mark-buehrle-key-success-moderation-espn-magazine

I liked this:

He does not have a conditioning program. ("I'm not a guy who goes into the weight room and has a regimen.") Nor does he follow a rigorous between-outings routine. ("I do just enough to get ready for my next start.") Not surprisingly, his winters could best be described as restful. ("I don't throw much.") He doesn't watch video of himself or anyone else. ("Why would I want more in my head?") He doesn't read scouting reports on opposing hitters. ("Never. I don't really see a need to.") He very rarely shakes off his catcher. ("Who's to say I'm right over him?") He does sometimes mourn what he remembers as his high-powered youth ("Of course I'd love to go back to when I was 25 and throwing 86 or 87"), but these days he's more than willing to match his cutter or sinker against even batters who like breaking pitches. ("If a guy hits off-speed well, what, am I going to just pump heaters down the middle?")