Running 2017 MLB regular season thread

Weird that it only took 76 years after Lou Gehrig's death for MLB to get involved in this:

MLB Fights ALS campaign unveiled

 

Mets trade Lucas Duda to the Rays.

 

"Doo-dah to the Rays.............Doo-dah to the Rays..........Camptown race track 5 miles long..........Doo-dah to the Rays"

 

Hardly the first time the Mets have dropped a Duda in midseason.

 

The Cubs, who gave up more first-inning runs than any team in baseball before the All-Star break, have yet to surrender a first-inning run after the break.

 

Jon Lester in three starts since the All-Star break:

22 IP, 20 SO, 2 BB, 2.25 ERA

What's funny is that after all this talk where I took the position that Lester was having bad luck this season, his FIP is now higher than his actual ERA. (4.00 to 3.88.) His xFIP, which normalizes HR/FB rate by utilizing the league average rate, is 3.64 as compared to 3.47 last year. SIERA is 3.85 as compared to 3.61 last year.

SIERA pretty much has it nailed, I guess. He is what his ERA says he is, a 3.8x pitcher this season, to this point. In fact, this is who late-career Jon Lester is basically. Last year, again, he had a 3.47 xFIP and a 3.61 SIERA. He's the Jon Lester of 2011-13. He was just really, really fortunate last year to pitch in front of a great defense and benefit from some luck along the way, as well.

 

No doubt. He had a stretch of great starts since that beating by the Pirates right before the break. Now hopefully he will keep it up and avoid the massive stinkers that made him a big part of the Cubs' problem the first half of the season.

 

Dodgers just won their 50th consecutive game in which they've held a lead at any time.

It also was their 30th come-from-behind win this season.

The are 37-6 in last 43 games, 24-3 in last 27 at home.

I know that means nothing come October, but it's been a fun season to watch so far.

 

We got ourselves a horse race in the A.L. Central. This could be fun.

 

As a Royals fan, it would be nice if Cleveland would lose a couple. Takes some of the shine off a nine-game winning streak when they still can't catch 'em.

 

Not to be pedantic, but aren't all wins by definition ones where teams have held a lead at any time? You must hold the lead when the game ends in order to win ...

 

True, but it's also possible to take a lead and then lose the game. Giants and Twins did so the past two games vs. LA