MLB 2018 regular season thread

I noticed his rough start last night (after cursing a blown save that forced me to adjust the agate page). Maybe it's nothing, but other than a handful of greats (Rivera, Hoffman, etc.), it's got to be tough on closers to keep bringing the heat 60-plus games every year. At least starters have a regular pattern of work.

 

Even Rivera and Hoffman had brief stretches in which they struggled, though the drop in velocity could be an issue. Maybe he just needs to keep throwing to crank it up fully or maybe something is really wrong. It's tough to tell with such a small sample size.

There have been quite a few meltdowns by quality closers so far this season. They look uglier because they don't have a string of dominant outings to contrast the ugly one or two, but that doesn't mean the dominance isn't coming again.

 

Weird play. The ball hit the yellow stripe on the padded wall just below where the foul pole starts. It caromed into fair territory along the warning track. Upton thought it was foul and didn't chase it. Then he finally went after it and missed both cutoff men with his throw.
It was obviously fair, but there was a guy wearing Dodgers gear with a mitt in the front row, a couple of seats in foul territory. He reached for it but the TV replays didn't show if it hit his glove. No replay challenge from the Angels. They were probably too embarrassed that Upton didn't chase the ball.

 

Through 40 innings this season, the Giants now have three runs on home runs by Joe Panik and have not scored otherwise.

 

"And now we have a ballgame. And Longoria has an average."

2-run homer rallies 'em to 6-3.

 

Ohtani with a three-run homer!

 

OK, he's legit.

 

What if I told you Buck Showalter brought in a Rule 5 guy who had never pitched above High A with the bases loaded in Houston and Josh Reddick up in a one-run game?

What if I told you it was a five-run game approximately three minutes later?

What if I told you that baseball is still flying toward San Antonio?

Gonna be a long, long season in Birdland. They'll struggle to win 70 games.

 

I wonder when they are going to run out of stuff like this.

 

90 career wins and 700 career home runs.