MLB 2011 Season

[AntAltMike]

The Orioles are doing a nice job of keeping the Red Sox's division crown hopes alive.

Varitek and Saltamacchia project to 29 homers, 94 RBI and 89 runs scored from the catching position, batting typically in the eighth slot. I'll take that production in a heartbeat.

Scutaro meanwhile is up to .291. If the Red Sox don't pick up his $6 million option for next year, he will get to spend a couple more well paid years as a very serviceable stopgap for some other team that has a shortstop prospect in its pipeline.

 

[AntAltMike]

Lackey left with a leg injury after three innings tonight (5 runs, 15.00 ERA), so with Beckett out, if the playoffs started tomorrow, the Red Sox rotation would be Lester, Bedard, Aceves and Doubront. Yech!

 

[AntAltMike]

Tampa Bay has already thrown eight pitchers at the Red Sox in their desperation bid to close what is now just a 5-1/2 game deficit for the wild card spot. Papelbon has pitched two innings of perfect relief. He had only pitched as many as 1.1 innings twice previously this season, but since he has only thrown 16 pitches in those two innings, he could even pitch a third inning without overexerting himself.

Ellsbury and Salty hit back to back homers in the top of th ninth to tie the game...

 

[Jimbo]

I haven't kept track of it much, but at the beginning of the season, Papplebon was considered a explosion waiting to happen.
Now that were almost thru the season, how is he doing this year, has he had a good year, been reliable or still apt to blow saves ?

 

[AntAltMike]

I think he has only one blown save all year. He might have had eight last year. Tonight, he got six batters out on just 16 pitches with no strike-outs.

Early last season, Papelbon had some incredible stats regarding how few times batters swung and missed pitches he threw. Like, they made contact against him more than against any other closer in the league. I'd like to see those stats for this year. Maybe he has learned to "pitch to contact". Maybe he is throwing to different spots on different counts to make up for the fact that he is no longer the fastest gun out there. For the first few months this year, he put on so many baserunners even in his saves that he gave everyone fits.

Note that the Los Angeles Angels are just two games behind Texas, and just one in the "all important loss column." Given the starting pitching situation among American League contenders, you could make the case that as of this moment, the Angels are the most likely team in the American League to win the penant.

 

[Jimbo]

I too have noticed that the Angels are making thier move.

 

[AntAltMike]

On the fourteenth day of Strasmas,
my pitcher gave to me:

Pitcher   IP  H R ER BB SO HR  PC-ST ERA 
Strasburg 3.0 3 1  1  0  4  0  57-39 1.13

Under the "old" rules, a starting pitcher who did not complete the fifth inning was ineligible for the victory. One of the Washington Nationals television announcers read a portion of the new scoring rules and, based on his interpretation of the excerpt he cited, he concluded that a starter can be given a win in this circumstance, but I just looked up the rule and I disagree. As I read the rule, Strasburg cannot be given the win.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/official_scorer_10.jsp

Under the old rules, if a starting pitcher left a game with the lead before pitching five innings and the lead was never relinquished, the win used to go to the pitcher who pitched the final out of the fifth inning. I remember that back in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the Red Sox were involved in a suspended game and one pitcher of record was traded to the other team before the game was completed, and so if that pitcher had then pitched the third out of the fifth inning for his new team, he could have won and lost the same game, but apparenlty, his manager didn't think that was as cool an idea as I did, so it never happened.

 

[BillD1984]

Heads should roll after the Red Flops (a)pathetic performance in St. Petersburg this weekend! Totally disgraceful across the board!

 

[AntAltMike]

I find it amazing that the Fenway boo-birds have so far been light on Carl Crawford.

In an unrelated matter, I found it amazing that the Red Sox didn't buy or rent a right handed bat. I mean, they have a payroll of over $160 million, but all the can come up with when they need a righthanded pinch hitter is .200 hitting McDonald.

 

[raoul5788]

On the fourteenth day of Strasmas,
my pitcher gave to me:

Pitcher   IP  H R ER BB SO HR  PC-ST ERA 
Strasburg 3.0 3 1  1  0  4  0  57-39 1.13

Under the "old" rules, a starting pitcher who did not complete the fifth inning was ineligible for the victory. One of the Washington Nationals television announcers read a portion of the new scoring rules and, based on his interpretation of the excerpt he cited, he concluded that a starter can be given a win in this circumstance, but I just looked up the rule and I disagree. As I read the rule, Strasburg cannot be given the win.

Official Rules | MLB.com: Official info

Under the old rules, if a starting pitcher left a game with the lead before pitching five innings and the lead was never relinquished, the win used to go to the pitcher who pitched the final out of the fifth inning. I remember that back in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the Red Sox were involved in a suspended game and one pitcher of record was traded to the other team before the game was completed, and so if that pitcher had then pitched the third out of the fifth inning for his new team, he could have won and lost the same game, but apparenlty, his manager didn't think that was as cool an idea as I did, so it never happened.

A starting pitcher must complete 5 innings to be eligible for a win. It's that simple.

 

[Jimbo]

On the fourteenth day of Strasmas,
my pitcher gave to me:

Pitcher   IP  H R ER BB SO HR  PC-ST ERA 
Strasburg 3.0 3 1  1  0  4  0  57-39 1.13

Under the "old" rules, a starting pitcher who did not complete the fifth inning was ineligible for the victory. One of the Washington Nationals television announcers read a portion of the new scoring rules and, based on his interpretation of the excerpt he cited, he concluded that a starter can be given a win in this circumstance, but I just looked up the rule and I disagree. As I read the rule, Strasburg cannot be given the win.

Official Rules | MLB.com: Official info

Under the old rules, if a starting pitcher left a game with the lead before pitching five innings and the lead was never relinquished, the win used to go to the pitcher who pitched the final out of the fifth inning. I remember that back in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the Red Sox were involved in a suspended game and one pitcher of record was traded to the other team before the game was completed, and so if that pitcher had then pitched the third out of the fifth inning for his new team, he could have won and lost the same game, but apparenlty, his manager didn't think that was as cool an idea as I did, so it never happened.

I didn't know that rule had changed ?
Is that a new Strasburg rule ?

 

[AntAltMike]

No, it changed several years ago. The official scorer picks the relief pitcher that pitched most effectively and, as the link I funrished above shows, there are certain codified guidelines regarding how the official scorer assesses he relative effectiveness of the relief pitchers.

 

[AntAltMike]

A starting pitcher must complete 5 innings to be eligible for a win. It's that simple.

I'm not sure it is that simple. I think that if a game is called after five innings, the starting pitcher can now be given a win if he pitched four innings. I'm going to have to spend some more time digesting this rule.

 

[raoul5788]

I'm not sure it is that simple. I think that if a game is called after five innings, the starting pitcher can now be given a win if he pitched four innings. I'm going to have to spend some more time digesting this rule.

It is that simple. If the game is called after 5 innings, the starting pitcher has pitched 5 innings!

 

[Neutron]

Really hoping my Rangers can keep the AL West and hopefully have another shot at the WS this year.... It's going to be tough though with the Tigers and Yankees/BoSox/Rays.

 

[SandraC]

Really hoping my Rangers can keep the AL West and hopefully have another shot at the WS this year.... It's going to be tough though with the Tigers and Yankees/BoSox/Rays.

As a Yankee fan I would like the Rangers to hold off the Angels too! The Rangers would be a tough out, but facing the Angels in a five game series, with Santana and Weaver, is pretty scary.


Sandra

 

[AntAltMike]

Good news for the reeling Red Sox: they scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning against Toronto.

Bad news for Red Sox fans: it only took Tim Wakefield 5 pitches in the top of the second inning to give up a double, a single, and then a three run homer...

 

[AntAltMike]

Man, is this exciting or what?

     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R  H  E 
TOR  0 3 2 0 0         5  5  1  
BOS  2 2 0 2           6  6  1

My feeling is, if Wakefield can just hold them through the top of the fifth, then take him out, hang on to the lead for dear life, and then hold the combined 200th win/retirement party right there after the game.

 

[BillD1984]

Man, is this exciting or what?

     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R  H  E 
TOR  0 3 2 0 0         5  5  1  
BOS  2 2 0 2           6  6  1

My feeling is, if Wakefield can just hold them through the top of the fifth, then take him out, hang on to the lead for dear life, and then hold the combined 200th win/retirement party rght there after the game.

Retired? He's gotta go for his 300th win first!

 

[Jimbo]

Retired? He's gotta go for his 300th win first!

I thought he was at 299 now ?