MLB 2011 Season

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:24 pm

It seems every year there's a doomsday 3-way scenario in the last week but all that ever happens, if anything, is a play-in game.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:32 pm

El Guapo wrote:heh, I wouldn't worry about that - the Red Sox will happily take themselves out of contention.

Yeah, really.

Remaining Schedules -

Team	.....	Home	.....	Away
Red Sox				3xNYY, 3xBAL
Rays		3xNYY, 3xTOR		1xNYY
Angels		3xOAK, 3xTEX		1xTOR

They're done.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:36 pm

It's conceivable that the Red Sox could stay ahead of the Rays. The Yankees are good and they've been thumping the Rays this week. So it's perfectly plausible that the Yankees will win 3 or 4 of their games against the Rays next week. Given that, even if the Red Sox get thumped by the Yankees (probable), then they'd really only need to remember how to play baseball for the last series against the Orioles.

But staying ahead of them AND the Angels? Not going to happen.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:48 pm

I grant you anything is possible, but...

We are throwing out

Lester v. Garcia
Wakefield v. Burnett
Lackey v. Nova
Bedard v. Hunter
Beckett v. Britton
Lester v. Simon

Lackey and Bedard will lose. There is no score too high or too low that I would not believe for the Wake/Burnett game. It will probably come down to the bullpen, which (recent history suggests) will be a loss.

That leaves 3 games the Sox should win. .500 should be enough to get in. But absolutely nothing has been working for them this month, so it seems unlikely they pull it off.

But then again - who knows. If the bats suddenly return, the could just as easily put up 10+ runs per game. They did it only 2 months ago - why not now? Were Papi and Youk really the only thing between that team and a 5-20 month?

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:56 pm

Baltimore is playing a great spoiler. I wouldn't count on a sweep there.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:28 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:Baltimore is playing a great spoiler. I wouldn't count on a sweep there.

I'm not. Lester has 2 games left - 1 v NYY, 1 vs BAL. Then Beckett has 1 @ BAL. I'm confident Bedard will lose the third one.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 7:29 pm

stessier wrote:I grant you anything is possible, but...

We are throwing out

Lester v. Garcia
Wakefield v. Burnett
Lackey v. Nova
Bedard v. Hunter
Beckett v. Britton
Lester v. Simon

Lackey and Bedard will lose. There is no score too high or too low that I would not believe for the Wake/Burnett game. It will probably come down to the bullpen, which (recent history suggests) will be a loss.

That leaves 3 games the Sox should win. .500 should be enough to get in. But absolutely nothing has been working for them this month, so it seems unlikely they pull it off.

But then again - who knows. If the bats suddenly return, the could just as easily put up 10+ runs per game. They did it only 2 months ago - why not now? Were Papi and Youk really the only thing between that team and a 5-20 month?

oh, I'm not counting on the Red Sox to win anything against the Yankees. I think they'll probably get swept, though there's a reasonable shot at the Sox pulling out one win (theoretically they should probably win the Lester v. Garcia game). But I think there's also a fair chance that the Yankees also sweep the Rays, or at least take 2 out of 3. So even if the Red Sox finish 2-4 I think there's a reasonable shot that they stay ahead of the Rays.

I'm more worried about the Angels, I think. I haven't been following them all that closely, but it seems like they're likely to win most of the games against Oakland / Toronto, and do at least passably against Texas, isn't it?

Also, the bats haven't been the problem for the Red Sox - they're usually scoring like 4 - 6 runs a game (not withstanding the occasional 1-0 loss, but those have been rare). The problem is that the Red Sox rotation has had an ERA close to 7 in September. The problem is that their starting rotation is all either dead or incompetent (except, mostly, for Beckett).

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 7:40 pm

This pretty much tells the story:

Nowhere has that been more apparent than with the starting rotation, where depth issues have led to a historically bad September.

The Red Sox have just one quality start in their last 15 games, a span in which they've gone 3-12.

After Josh Beckett's late collapse (six earned runs in 7 1/3 innings pitched) Wednesday, Red Sox starters now have a 6.82 ERA in September. That's the worst in the majors this month, and the worst for any rotation in September since the 2008 Tigers (7.12).

History might remember this September for Boston's collapse, but the rotation is achieving an infamy of its own.

This is on pace to be one of the worst months for a starting rotation in Red Sox history. Boston starters never have had a higher ERA in September. Worse yet, it's only ever been higher twice in any full calendar month (min. 20 games), according to Elias. Those would be a 7.02 ERA in August 1997 and a 6.95 ERA in June 1996. (Note: In April 1931, Boston's rotation posted a 7.89 ERA, but in just 10 games.)

...

Boston played its final home game of the season Wednesday. The rotation finished Sept. 3-7 with a 7.21 ERA at Fenway Park.

Only Jon Lester (3.52) has an ERA below 4.00 this month as a starter. Meanwhile, Kyle Weiland (9.26), John Lackey (10.70) and Andrew Miller (15.63) have combined to start nine of Boston's 21 games.

...

That's led to Weiland starting vital games down the stretch. Weiland's 7.99 ERA would be fifth highest in the last 70 years among Red Sox pitchers with five or more starts. The worst in the span is 9.20 by John Leister -- no relation to Jon Lester -- in 1987.

Meanwhile, Lackey will soon close the books on one of the worst seasons for a full-time starter in club lore. Prior to this season, only one pitcher in franchise history made 25 starts while compiling an ERA over 6.00: Ramon Martinez' 6.13 ERA in 2000. Through 27 starts, Lackey has a 6.49 ERA. Since World War II, only five American League pitchers have had a higher ERA while throwing at least 150 innings.

If Boston does make the postseason, it will most likely mean that the current 6.82 ERA for the rotation in September falls to a more tenable level. According to Elias, the highest September ERA for a postseason-bound rotation was 5.89 by the 2004 Dodgers (lost in the division series in four games). That's nearly a run lower than Boston's current rate.

The rotation is averaging just shy of five innings per start in September. That has taken a toll on the bullpen as well. In nine of 21 games this month, the Red Sox have used five or more pitchers.

...

Though the bullpen has performed relatively better (5.03 ERA), the staff as a whole is on track for one of its worst months ever. Consider the group of Weiland, Lackey, Miller, Daniel Bard and Dan Wheeler. Those five have combined to go 0-11 with 10.59 ERA in September.

The staff's 5.98 ERA this month would be the highest for the Red Sox in a calendar month since World War II.

Can the pitching get it together to salvage the season? The Red Sox close it out with six road games. They've lost five straight on the road, compiling an 8.29 ERA in that span.

It's *epic*, really. THAT'S how you wind up with a .238 winning percentage despite a good offense.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 7:46 pm

And the Rays are up 5-0 in the 2nd. Ugh.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 9:18 pm

stessier wrote:And the Rays are up 5-0 in the 2nd. Ugh.

13-2 bottom 6.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 12:22 pm

Great, I need[ed] saves from this guy for my fantasy championship. Figures:

CBS wrote:(CBS/AP) MIAMI - Florida Marlins closer Leo Nunez has been playing under an assumed name, and the issue prompted him to return Thursday to his native Dominican Republic, two people familiar with his immigration status said.

Both people said the Marlins have been aware of the issue for several months. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Dominican and team officials haven't made any public comment on the case.

One of the people said Nunez's real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo and he's 29, a year older than listed in the team media guide. The Marlins placed Nunez on Major League Baseball's restricted list, and he isn't expected to pitch in the final week of the season.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:22 pm

Ouch, sidelined with a broken alias. That may take a while to heal up.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:38 pm

Freezer-TPF- wrote:Ouch, sidelined with a broken alias. That may take a while to heal up.

He'll probably have to ICE it down for a few years.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:17 am

Congrats to the Diamondbacks and Kirk Gibson.... from worst to first in his 1st year as manager. He will be manager of the year for sure.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:30 am

A play from last night's Nationals game was wild. Here's the box score's play by play description:

C Jones grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher, C Jones out at second, M Bourn to third, M Bourn scored advancing on throw.

Yes. Michael Bourn scored from SECOND on a fielder's choice to the pitcher, where Chipper Jones was out at second!

They scored it 1-6-5-3-4 at the park. Henry Rodriguez picked up the grounder and caught Bourn going on contact halfway between second and third. He started running towards Bourn, threw to Ian Desmond, Bourn starts going to third. Desmond throws to Ryan Zimmerman, who drops the throw. At this point, Bourn winds up back on second, and Jones is just about at second. Jones starts running back to first, and Zimmerman throws to Chris Marrero. At this point, Bourn takes off for third. Jones heads back to second after Marrero gets the ball; Marrero throws it to Espinosa to get the out.

Why didn't he go home, you ask? Because Wilson Ramos, the Nationals catcher, had vacated home plate to play backup during the rundown(s), and no one was there. Bourn scored, easily.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:31 am

and with that, the giants are done

So much for the repeat. Too many injuries to overcome

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:46 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:It seems every year there's a doomsday 3-way scenario in the last week but all that ever happens, if anything, is a play-in game.

Past performance is indicative of future results? I'd been following this page down the stretch, so I'd tend to agree that the 3-way tie seems rather unlikely this time around, but the MLB should try to incorporate a reasonable contingency plan for the year it finally does come to fruition.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:00 pm

Dear Tamp Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox,

You're welcome.

Sincerely,

Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:07 pm

rshetts2 wrote:Congrats to the Diamondbacks and Kirk Gibson.... from worst to first in his 1st year as manager. He will be manager of the year for sure.

Not if he doesn't play Goldschmidt, Hill, and especially Roberts on the last day of the season. [/my fantasy hopes]

The Meal wrote:
LawBeefaroni wrote:It seems every year there's a doomsday 3-way scenario in the last week but all that ever happens, if anything, is a play-in game.
Past performance is indicative of future results? I'd been following this page down the stretch, so I'd tend to agree that the 3-way tie seems rather unlikely this time around, but the MLB should try to incorporate a reasonable contingency plan for the year it finally does come to fruition.

MLB should definitely have a plan in place, but I'm talking about the hype. A 3-way is always talked about, talked up, and eagerly anticipated a few weeks before the end but it never happens.

Kind of like my weekends.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 3:04 pm

Part of me just wants the Phillies to put the Braves out of their misery tonight. Been painful to watch. I still don't understand why the Braves always have a bad batting lineup. We have some good hitters but yet each year their offense is limited. It's like they expect the pitching to win the game and it often does. But now that 2 of the starters are down for injury they don't know how to get the extra hits that are needed. Frustration.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 3:35 pm

Lassr wrote:Part of me just wants the Phillies to put the Braves out of their misery tonight. Been painful to watch. I still don't understand why the Braves always have a bad batting lineup. We have some good hitters but yet each year their offense is limited. It's like they expect the pitching to win the game and it often does. But now that 2 of the starters are down for injury they don't know how to get the extra hits that are needed. Frustration.

They've always been above normal defensively. That enhances/leads to great pitching. You will usually have to sacrifice some batting for better defense. Or vice-versa (see Uggla).

I hated the Braves during the 90s glory days but I've really appreciated what they've done the last two years. I don't think they have any regulars over .300 or 100RBI. They might not have anyone over .290/90.

Inverarity · Post by **Inverarity** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 3:37 pm

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:29 pm

Inverarity wrote:

The Mets pulled Reyes (their leadoff hitter) after his first at-bat (a bunt single), presumably to preserve his batting title lead. I hope Braun goes 4-4 tonight.

Meanwhile, the White Sox fittingly end their season with a blown save and a loss.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:33 pm

Ozzie Guillen, your new manager of ... The Florida Marlins!

Ozzie Guillen was introduced as the Florida Marlins' manager at a news conference before their final game of the 2011 season and last ever at Sun Life Stadum.
...
A source told ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine that Guillen will receive a four-year deal with the Marlins.

The Marlins are staggering to a last-place finish in the NL East. With the team moving to a new ballpark and making a push to become a contender, Loria wanted an experienced manager.
...
Manager Jack McKeon said Monday he planned to retire at the end of the season. Hours later, Guillen announced he was leaving the Chicago White Sox after eight seasons, including a run to the World Series title in 2005.

Guillen had a year left on his contract. The Marlins will send two minor leaguers, including right-handed reliever Jhan Marinez, to Chicago, the source told Levine. MLB.com reported that infielder Osvaldo Martinez is the other player.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:40 pm

We traded an Ozzie and got an Ozzie and a Jhan. Win!

For the Marlins, it's a great marketing move. They are trying hard to woo local hispanic fans and Guillen will do well for them, I think. If not, at least he'll keep the Marlins in the local headlines.

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:07 am

This has been one of the most stupefying nights of baseball I've ever seen.

Sorry, Kelric but Go Rays!

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:34 am

Went out to wallow in my 2nd place fantasy finish and ended up enjoying one of the best regular season nights of all time.

Wow.

Congrats Cards fans, you got to enjoy it too.

Koz · Post by **Koz** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:48 am

The Red Sox make me laugh. I'm glad I'm not a serious fan anymore.

GungHo · Post by **GungHo** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:52 am

Koz wrote:The Red Sox make me laugh. I'm glad I'm not a serious fan anymore.

Is that whole city on suicide watch right now?

Gotta hand it to baseball, they can do drama.

theohall · Post by **theohall** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 6:25 am

LawBeefaroni wrote:Went out to wallow in my 2nd place fantasy finish and ended up enjoying one of the best regular season nights of all time.

Wow.

Congrats Cards fans, you got to enjoy it too.

Absolutely Amazing!!! I thought the Cardinals had almost no chance at winning considering how they had played prior to September. 10 1/2 games behind at the end of August and winning the wildcard??? Consider me humbled.

And it turns out the Cardinals are 6-3 vs the Phillies this season (unlike the past several seasons), so they have a real shot at reaching the LCS.

triggercut · Post by **triggercut** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:27 am

J.D. wrote:COLBY RASMUS!!!!

*dances around happily in his cube*

Wait, who did we give up for him?
*checks list of players*
Meh!
*continues dancing*

I've already got tickets to Jays game tomorrow night (bought them months ago) so I may get to help welcome him to T.O. in his first game!!

Enjoy him. If the Cardinals don't trade this dipshit, they're not in the postseason. Edwin Jackson did exactly what they wanted from a middle-rotation starter. Dotel and Scrabble have been heavy contributors out of the bullpen. Corey Patterson just sucks, and may not make the postseason roster; the Cardinals have become enamored with The Collider (rookie Adron Chambers) as a lefty bat with speed and defense for late innings.

Meanwhile, how's Colby been in Toronto? His slash line as a Blue Jay is vomit-worthy:

.177/.206/.323 That's a .529 OPS. Colby went on the DL in August with a jammed wrist. Came off on September 18th...and went 4-for-42 in the month of September.

And then there's this.

I hope the kid can pull it together, but seriously, he seems like baseball's equivalent of Todd Marinovich. Just doesn't seem to be having any fun playing baseball, doesn't want to work at it, seems sort of bored by the entire enterprise. If the Blue Jays can coax a couple of good seasons out of him, they'll have worked a small miracle.

theohall · Post by **theohall** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:36 am

triggercut wrote:
And then there's this.

That article is completely nuts. Were I a GM and read the crap Rasmus said, I would want him as far away from my team as I could get him as soon as possible.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 8:19 am

1) Keep Epstein but tell him he can never sign a free agent for more than $50M a gain.
2) Fire Francona.
3) Cut John Lackey / trade him and tons of money for anything you can get.
4) Bring back Ortiz on a one year deal if you can.
5) Bring back Wakefield on a one year deal.
6) Let Papelbon walk. Don't pay $15M a year for a closer.
7) Keep Salty as the catcher of the next few years.
8) See if you can re-sign Erik Bedard.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 8:31 am

Texas played great down the stretch and nipped the Tigers for the 2nd seed. In a way Im glad, I figure we were going to face the Yankees sooner or later, may as well be now.

What an amazing nite last nite. Boston is winning and Tampa losing and in about 5 minutes time everything flipped. Grats to Tampa, your fans have to be thrilled. A walk off in extra innnings vs the Yankees, cant get much more dramatic than that! You all need to send Baltimore a fruit basket or something as well. Down a run and with 2 outs in the 9th, they string together enough hits to send Boston home and Tampa into the playoffs.

Grats to the Cards, whos unlikely run the the playoffs was kind of over shadowed by the Tampa/Boston battle. Very similar though in that the perennial winner in the NL, the Braves, collapse just enough for them to catch them and slip by.

Big kudos to the Tigers, who were fighting for their lives in August only to end up winning the division by 15 games. They had a stretch run of 30-9 and ended the season with both the apparent Cy Young winner in Verlander and with Cabrera winning the batting title with a 344 average. They arguably have the best pitching staff in the majors right now and have been hitting the hide off the ball down the stretch.
I like their chances against anyone right now but they do have their work cut out for them. They have the Yankees, who had the best overall record in the AL first and then would face either Texas or Tampa. Both of which have been playing great down the stretch. Texas was 9-1 in their last 10 games! Im curious to see if Tampa can carry the emotional rush through the playoffs or if they used it all up to get there. Should be a fun post season for the AL. GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont follow the NL as much but the Phillies look dominant over there. Ill leave it to someone more familiar with the teams to explain why someone else will be playing in the WS.

Baroquen · Post by **Baroquen** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:27 am

Crazy night of baseball. Was watching the local feed of the O's game, and they hadn't even finished celebrating the walk-off single before Longoria hit his homerun. The hometown Baltimore fans cheered as much for that as they did for the win over Boston. Yeah, I know the O's suck, and nothing against real BoSox fans but the yuppies who creep up to Camden Yards out of Northern Virginia (and usually don't even watch the game) drive me crazy. As often as NYY and BOS have mounted late innings come-from-behind wins against us, it made these last couple games a little sweeter. (Almost made the "Mother's Day Meltdown" worth it).

But yeah, not only the BAL/BOS walk-off win, but two extra inning games with two playoff spots on the line? And the Rays coming back from what.. 7-0? Yeah, insane. Playoffs will probably be boring compared to last night.

Koz · Post by **Koz** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:34 am

Today is one of the greatest days in Boston sports media history.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:38 am

Koz wrote:Today is one of the greatest days in Boston sports media history.

Talk radio must be almost tape worthy in Boston today.

J.D. · Post by **J.D.** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:54 am

triggercut wrote:
J.D. wrote:COLBY RASMUS!!!!

*dances around happily in his cube*

Wait, who did we give up for him?
*checks list of players*
Meh!
*continues dancing*

I've already got tickets to Jays game tomorrow night (bought them months ago) so I may get to help welcome him to T.O. in his first game!!

Enjoy him. If the Cardinals don't trade this dipshit, they're not in the postseason. Edwin Jackson did exactly what they wanted from a middle-rotation starter. Dotel and Scrabble have been heavy contributors out of the bullpen. Corey Patterson just sucks, and may not make the postseason roster; the Cardinals have become enamored with The Collider (rookie Adron Chambers) as a lefty bat with speed and defense for late innings.

Meanwhile, how's Colby been in Toronto? His slash line as a Blue Jay is vomit-worthy:

.177/.206/.323 That's a .529 OPS. Colby went on the DL in August with a jammed wrist. Came off on September 18th...and went 4-for-42 in the month of September.

And then there's this.

I hope the kid can pull it together, but seriously, he seems like baseball's equivalent of Todd Marinovich. Just doesn't seem to be having any fun playing baseball, doesn't want to work at it, seems sort of bored by the entire enterprise. If the Blue Jays can coax a couple of good seasons out of him, they'll have worked a small miracle.

Meh. I still like the deal. The Jays gave up nothing of value in terms of what they were going to keep going into 2012 and there was a decent chance (and still is) that Rasmus will turn out to be good. It worked when the Jays got Escobar at SS, worked when they pried Lawrie out of Milwaukee, and would have been nice if this worked out too. But there's still time for him to turn it around. We'll see. At best he start contributing, at worst the team is no worse off than they were before the trade. I'd do it again.

It worked out nicely for the Cards though, so congrats on that.

Steron · Post by **Steron** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:22 am

As an O's fan, last night made me laugh.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:22 am