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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 12, 2021 14:59:52 GMT -5
I'd guess the decision to play tomorrow is tentative. As many of you have pointed out, it could be just as volatile then. It's a holding pattern nothing more.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 12, 2021 13:32:26 GMT -5
The weather delay has given the Twins time to address what's going on in the streets. The MLB website is posting 6:35pm ET as the start time. We'll see if that changes postponed.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 12, 2021 13:19:17 GMT -5
I understand. The Twins feel they have to deal with this in their own way. I'm listening to Baldelli right now.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 12, 2021 13:13:12 GMT -5
The fans have seen the movie already.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 12, 2021 11:28:14 GMT -5
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 11, 2021 14:56:36 GMT -5
Sheesh... this is what he was like with Arizona a few years back.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 11, 2021 14:26:59 GMT -5
Why? He's one of best analysts in broadcast. He does know how this works and it hasn't changed all that much despite League warnings. The pitcher not Palmer Gotcha...
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 11, 2021 14:06:52 GMT -5
Jim Palmer didn’t like the brush back pitch to Xander. He said an Oriole is gonna get hit. Poor dude shouldn’t even be out there anymore too Why? He's one of best analysts in broadcast. He does know how this works and it hasn't changed all that much despite League warnings.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 11, 2021 13:26:03 GMT -5
Please use another term. It has a very specific meaning.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 11, 2021 10:19:35 GMT -5
(The purpose of the ball alterations was to increase BABIP on line drives and ground balls but reduce homers, i.e., the extra drag easily more than offsets the boost in EV. Unfortunately, it has also increased pitch velocity and hence strikeouts.)
Are you telling me that, in their wisdom, MLB engineered a ball that will lead to more strikeouts, thus exacerbating the single biggest problem with the contemporary game? MLB's insistence on screwing with the ball has meant that player stats are useful relative measures for within season comparisons, but increasingly useless for between season comparisons. How long till each individual year is it's own "era"?
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 11, 2021 9:20:58 GMT -5
The scoop was clean enough, that I thought Baltimore would certainly pull off the DP. But Dalbec beat it easily. That was a revelation.
I hope we get to see more of Cordero as the season progresses.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 10, 2021 11:50:31 GMT -5
Blood on the floor... yanksgoyard.com/2021/04/05/yankees-rookie-pitchers-traded-widener-whitlock/They lost seven players in the Rule 5, but they've also traded talent they could use. I'd wager that Whitlock will loom larger and larger in fan discussions. I watched Kluber pitch and he is not the same guy. Fastball hovered around 89-90, and the breaking pitch is a shadow of what it was.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 9, 2021 11:52:56 GMT -5
Whitlock was being reported as one of the best available on the Rule 5 lists by all accounts. That the Sox were able to select him is one of the few upsides to their difficult 2020 season. It was a direct consequence of having the fourth pick because of their record.
The change-up is just a devastating pitch when matched with the velocity he can bring up in the zone. That it wasn't seen as an above-average offering when he was acquired says a bit about his makeup and how quickly he's been able to pick it up from Andriese. If he can bring the slider into play, that raises his stock even more.
There's a starting pitcher in there, but the team is going to have to be careful with the guy given his surgery and the lost minor league season. Using him to spell Rodriquez who has himself finally emerged from virus-land is a great idea. Just having him in the pen ready to spell the starters and even take it up a notch is invaluable.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 8, 2021 11:23:56 GMT -5
Board was ate up with multiple folks wanting him moved for prospects, mostly after it was rumored he was available last year towards the deadline. i stand by same line you don't move one of the very best, all around catchers in the league, who is underpaid unless get back a whole lot more than he is really worth and by that? A supposed front end SP prospect, or star level regular prospect as part of the return. Guys like CVaz, because he's a 30yo catcher seem to be under valued and under appreciated and guys like Dalbec over hyped and too many think is some next Dave kingman. Well, I would like CVaz moved if they're not competing this year mainly because he is 30 and the return should be astronomical. I like the player, but if they're not competing he's a guy who can help reload the system and catchers don't age as well as other positions. You'll want to read this... blogs.fangraphs.com/catcher-aging-is-a-curve-not-a-cliff/
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 7, 2021 23:23:34 GMT -5
Thanks for the video link. Here you go (click to expand)...
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 7, 2021 19:19:49 GMT -5
Vazquez has been so impressive. Christian Vazquez is a professional hitter. He made himself that way just as did Bogaerts, who's in the same class. They worked to figure out how to hit to the opposite field first. Bogaerts did that for an entire year! Once that skill was in the toolkit they felt free to use their power stroke and club pitches middle in. It seemed like half the board was in on a Vazquez trade over the winter. Good defensive catchers aren't that common. Good hitting catchers are rare. To have a guy who is both on an ultra-reasonable contract is a gift, one I don't believe the team will be trading anytime soon. As his value on the field and apparently in the clubhouse soars, if anything they should rip the old one up and get him a new one that keeps him around longer. Catchers are in that rare group that age well. Years back, Yadier Molina made the point of asking people to be patient, that Vazquez would hit. He knew something we're all seeing now.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 7, 2021 8:55:11 GMT -5
Nice win for the Sox. Many encouraging signs this season so far despite the hitting not showing up aside from JD. The extra innings rule gimmick is atrocious. I'd way rather see ties. What is the objection to a tie game anyhow? Is it due to gambling? As we know football and hockey had ties for decades and no one really was upset about that. Vazquez is hitting .400 and he saved the win with a home run. Cordero has had two doubles in limited playing time and Bogaerts has already had a 4-hit game. The season has just started so patience.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 7, 2021 0:42:28 GMT -5
I like the color scheme quite a bit, the combination of the pants and the jerseys. I know there's some symbolism involved, but the design alone appeals to me. Sorry, but I could care less about what they wore in the past.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 6, 2021 23:45:46 GMT -5
Yeah, that was good. As I said, he’s one of their best players. And then... keystone kops. Hey, all wins count. And like I said, it looks like 3rd place is a lot more likely. Those are both good things. Were you even watching the same game? Cordero played really well, hitting and saving the game with the catch. Martinez is back with the bat, Perez gave them another solid pitching performance, Barnes was lights out... That keystone kops stuff ignores all of that. Did Martinez misjudge the hit to right? You bet. I've misread almost every fly ball hit in the air and so have others. And wild pitches happen almost every game. The season has just started, and it's cold out there which probably doesn't help. They hung in and they won. On to the next game.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 6, 2021 1:07:26 GMT -5
In San Diego Tatis took a wild swing that ended with him on the ground writhing in pain. He was holding his left arm which had mild soreness during spring training. This looked anything but mild. It appeared that he ripped or tore something from the way his arm torqued behind his back still holding the twisting bat, but that is just my take. Add: My amateur diagnosis was wrong. It's a partial shoulder dislocation. He's had recurring shoulder problems and now this. He'll be evaluated to see if there's damage beyond the subluxation. No knowing how long he'll be out till that happens. www.mlb.com/news/fernando-tatis-jr-injured-on-strikeout
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 5, 2021 22:32:07 GMT -5
Cordero is going to put a lot of dents in the wall. He can get to pitches on the outside part of the strikezone. Very controlled swing. That might have pitchers feeling him out middle in. But he's got the strength to make that difficult also. Should be interesting.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 5, 2021 12:01:15 GMT -5
Watched the early part of he game. Richards had no command at all, just a stark contrast to the first two starters. On the upside, while I was busy and didn't get to watch, Whitlock looks like the real deal from the numbers he posted. And while it's great that Martinez seems to have climbed out of the hole he was in last year, the offense better find it's footing soon. It isn't going to get any easier against Tampa Bay.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 3, 2021 13:12:59 GMT -5
Betrayed again...
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 3, 2021 12:11:18 GMT -5
Watched the game on and off yesterday and Eovaldi was impressive. I saw all of the 6th and so was Andriese. No pitcher should have to watch four outs go by the board but that's baseball. I've been leery of the automated strike zone, but yesterday was as strong an argument for it as I've witnessed. He struck out Mancini and Vazquez easily threw out the runner. Then a missed double play opportunity and a wall-ball double and that's the game. He was about as effective as you could ask for but betrayed in multiple ways. Time to tighten things up.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Mar 31, 2021 22:37:11 GMT -5
The US Weather Service has the rain clearing out by 9 am. Cloudy after that with the temperature in the low 40s at game time. So there's hope!
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