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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 6, 2024 19:26:59 GMT -5
I was coming here to mention that about Gausman. No command at all, his control shot. He does look like another candidate.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 6, 2024 10:10:18 GMT -5
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 6, 2024 0:48:44 GMT -5
Well, Uehara's pitches rarely got above 89 and that didn't phase him. Can't go giving teams five outs in an inning though, without expecting bad stuff to happen. Didn't matter tonight (tomorrow morning for some of you) since they bombed LAA pitching with HRs. Comparing Koji to Kenly is unfair though. Kenley doesn't have another out pitch to go to. Koji had a bugs bunny split changeup. Kenley is a guy who needs all the advantages he can get on the one pitch he throws. That includes velocity. His cut fastball is still a killer, not as good as his LA days but it still works. I thought he was through a few years back, but he keeps on closing games out. He was fine tonight.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 6, 2024 0:43:41 GMT -5
On top of everything else that sucked in this game, I thought this was Cora's first poorly managed game of the year. Weissert throws 2 pitches and Campbell throws 6, but he leans on the geriatrics, Martin and Jansen, for the third day out of four? What it means for me is that they have Weissert, Campbell, and Slaten available for tomorrow. That's not a bad thing at all since this is a three game series.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 6, 2024 0:30:46 GMT -5
Kenley is such a weird pitcher between his delivery/build/unique cutter - idk how many other relievers see their velo drop to 89 and get 3 saves in 4 days Well, Uehara's pitches rarely got above 89 and that didn't phase him. Can't go giving teams five outs in an inning though, without expecting bad stuff to happen. Didn't matter tonight (tomorrow morning for some of you) since they bombed LAA pitching with HRs.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 5, 2024 19:47:59 GMT -5
Watched a bit today. He made one outstanding and one very good play.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 3, 2024 18:22:00 GMT -5
Small sample size rules, huh?
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 3, 2024 13:38:36 GMT -5
I agree with this but the catch and the relatively relaxed effort and the little leap at the end just speak to his intuition and anticipation. That he immediately rebounded to hit the cutoff man only makes it more sublime. The kid is impressive by any measure.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 3, 2024 12:33:05 GMT -5
I'm of two minds with the above quotes about A's ownership. On the one hand, he is definitely tanking, and working hard to get out of dodge. And on the other, the situation in Oakland has been pretty bad for a long time. The ballpark itself is terrible, and not in a very good part of the city in that it is surrounded by parking lots and industry. And the city itself has all kinds of problems from historic mismanagement, to geographic factors to unlucky timing. Just look at the growth of the area in general over the last 5-30 years, versus the stagnation of Oakland really since 1950. It is a sprawling car-centric city in a desert, prone to natural disasters. That doesn't mean it couldn't be great, but a lot of things have conspired to make it bad. Don't forget that the other two pro sports teams have left in recent years as well. Again, I don't mean to absolve the owner of wrong-doing, nor to encourage cities to spend ungodly sums on ballparks to keep their teams around. The right owner could have collaborated with the Warriors to build in an up and coming area, create a vibrant district, profit off the real estate, and be a part of the solution rather than the problem. But I the owner is also in an awful situation that likely cannot support a sports team without significant investment. He's getting a sweetheart deal in another city, and why wouldn't he take advantage. ADD: I selfishly don't want them to leave the name in Oakland. I love that the A's are a nomadic team, which has brought MLB to ever deeper frontiers. The name is city-agnostic anyway. Maybe they leave behind the green and yellow color-scheme? Maybe they should even consider a partial barnstorming season before they move? You fail ecology 101. It isn't even close to a desert. The climate is Mediterranean with a strong maritime influence: fog. The average annual rainfall is 24".
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 2, 2024 23:59:28 GMT -5
He can start the club since he's the first member and will most certainly not be the last.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 2, 2024 11:31:40 GMT -5
Well, these two dovetail nicely... It took a bit of imagination and analytical inclination to see the road to this staff being a success. Pete Abraham does not fit that bill, so offering up the thoughts of your typical casual fan here is what I would expect from him. Pete Abe having the curiosity level of a kiwi is unsurprising - but the fact that Andrew Bailey was saying for months "we should be in the upper echelon of pitching staffs in baseball", and not a single beat writer seemed to ask the basic follow up question of, "Hey Andrew, why do you think that?" is insane.Again, it's still very early - but Bailey was adamantly optimistic about the rotation all spring, and it seems the folks covering team chucked that up to bravado or him putting on a brave face instead of actually looking into it. That post really got me thinking about what's been lost. Here's the relevant information that insanity cost them... Really interesting article in The Athletic on Bailey's approach to pitch mix. There seems to be a lot of buy-in from the staff. A few blurbs: “Every pitch we make in a game is a bet,” Bailey said over the weekend. “You’re trying to drive a positive outcome. Off-speed pitches generally reduce damage and generate more swing and miss. So every pitch we throw is a business decision. Every pitch we throw is a bet that we’re betting on decreasing damage and reducing contact. So most times, you want to leverage your best off-speed weapons, understanding that you know there is room to use your fastballs when needed.” These are all things that were studied and implemented in previous years, but pitchers this season — at least in the early going of spring training and at the start of the regular season — seem to have a greater understanding and ownership of their plans. Throughout the spring, several pitchers complimented the structure of Bailey’s Run Prevention Unit with the amount of information given to them. It was a digestible plan and easy to follow. Most importantly it allows them to remember the info once they’re in game action where the pitch clock is counting down and there might be pressure from runners on base. “It gives you a little bit more of a concrete plan,” Pivetta said this spring. “(Bailey) gives you the right amount of information and it’s very structured about how they give it to you so that you’re not getting bogged down by everything because that can get overwhelming as a player.” “I think the history of baseball suggests that when you’re in disadvantaged counts, your best strike pitch is a fastball from an ability standpoint and I don’t think that’s true,” [Bailey] added. “I think pitchers are able to leverage off-speed weapons, if not similarly or slightly above, with some certain pitch types and depending on feel and all that, that can be a learned skill. So as long as strike-throwing is in line and our process stats are in line, our ability to leverage our best pitches in and around the zone is vital to the success of our pitching staff.” theathletic.com/5384077/2024/04/02/red-sox-fastball-off-speed-pitch-usage/Anyone who's been reading these threads for a while knows the "modern" media is my whipping-boy. Stuff like this really drives home what's been lost. I know it's too much to expect these people to be Peter Gammons. I mean the guy is in the HoF for a reason. His dogged pursuit of sources, the constant digging, cultivating the people who actually make the game go... that's real work. Alex Speier seems to be on that trail. But some of these people really need to decide what they want to be when they grow up. Is the goal a Jon Heyman apprenticeship? Here's my take: that guy doesn't belong in the sports section at all. He's a business writer catering to the dialog between Boras, his acolytes, and ownership. How about hearing from the people who actually make the game what it is? Bailey surely fits the bill. Focus on where the real work actually gets done, please. Otherwise you've missed the boat to Cooperstown.
Add: A shout-out to Jen McCaffrey for doing some of that digging...
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 1, 2024 1:30:43 GMT -5
I'm repeating myself but that was the highlight. Consider that as a group they outpitched one of the best rotations in MLB. They won two, should have had three, and could have had four if everything fell right.
A few more observations; Rafaela just radiates baseball smarts in the field on the basepaths, and even at the plate; the additions to the relief corps are a game changer (of course); it's early but the trade for O'Neill looks like it may have been grand theft.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 31, 2024 9:53:24 GMT -5
As good as the Mariners' starters are, the Sox' group has matched them just about step for step. That has to be the takeaway so far.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 31, 2024 0:42:09 GMT -5
Well that crushed my hope for a series win. Like Pivetta last evening, Crawford was outstanding and Campbell, Martin, and Weissert were lights out. I did cringe when I saw Rodriguez warming up and mentioned to my wife possible problems. After his debacle I felt bad for him, his head was down as he walked off.
The starters have looked good, and there's serious talent in the pen. But that was a tough way to introduce Slaten to the big leagues. Julio Rodriguez used the first few pitches to get a handle on how they were working him. He's such an intelligent hitter he just reached out and served a pitch to right center - no need to to anything more than that.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 29, 2024 2:26:03 GMT -5
Hey just wanted to give a big public shoutout to fellow moderator Oregon Norm who is hooking me up with opening day tickets for tonight. Your Pac Northwest Soxprospects representatives will be attendance and cheering on the away team! Thanks for that. Had the extra tickets and I couldn't imagine a better set of eyeballs to get those to. I'll bet you enjoyed that at least as much we did. So the team seemed to transition seamlessly from spring training, bringing all the energy from the games that didn't matter to this one that did. It's just one win but it counts! That's a strong lineup I believe: patience, speed, some power... and the defense brings tears of joy after last year's painful performance. I was hoping for at least a series split. Maybe I need to reset the expectations!
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 28, 2024 9:31:01 GMT -5
Probably best to start a new thread for this to keep it out of the Gameday talk.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 26, 2024 17:35:08 GMT -5
Just my take, but it seems to me that Abreu's timing is slightly off. He's also hit a few hard shots that were directed right to fielders. I think he'll be fine when he catches up to the pitching.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 26, 2024 14:27:07 GMT -5
Guess Fitts is gonna sleep with a smile on his face. 0ER and 3K vs the WS winners real lineup...must feel good Seemed very comfortable in his interview afterwards. Great radio/tv voice if he wants to move on later.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 25, 2024 10:48:22 GMT -5
Campbell had the best showing of all.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 24, 2024 15:27:09 GMT -5
It's the Samson effect - cut the hair, lose the flair.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 23, 2024 23:34:48 GMT -5
I'm still trying to figure out who the Sox should have tried to acquire, what it would have cost the team, and how it would have helped. And please don't say Yamamoto for $400M.
The defense is far superior, the offense at least as good and maybe better and the bullpen is loaded with talent. While the starting pitching will require the kind of luck, good health, and lack of deadwood they didn't have last year, I'm greatly encouraged that the oldest one is Pivetta. That's the biggest question mark but if that group can avoid serious injuries I see at least 85 wins.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 23, 2024 14:26:15 GMT -5
Weissert has to be very difficult to hit against - all his stuff moves. And my impression from having watched Campbell with Seattle last year hasn't changed. Very good acquisition.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 23, 2024 0:24:46 GMT -5
That first game he definitely looked overmatched. What surprised me was how his command deserted him at crucial times. Nerves perhaps.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 22, 2024 23:59:51 GMT -5
It isn't about generosity it's an answer to the question and nothing more. For context it was one of three scenarios laid out by Silver including the idea that it was Ohtani's bet. Please read his entire narrative. Next question...
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 22, 2024 22:40:37 GMT -5
I take note of the last paragraph: the basic fact of the matter is that $4.5 million was transferred from Ohtani's account to a bookie. Occam's razor leans in the direction that Ohtani was gambling. For those with a banking background, how exactly would a person steal money via wiring from someone else’s account, which is what Ohtani’s people seem to be alleging? Life if I use a shady ATM to withdraw 100 bucks my bank will text me to make sure it’s me - how would Ohtani not get notified about 4.5 MILLION dollars in bank transfers? Ippei was an interpreter, not an accountant? If you read Silver's piece, he explains it clearly. His relationship with the interpreter was very close, very personal. If he trusted him enough to have him acting as a personal secretary with access to the account, that's all it would take.
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