2024 MLB Season (4 Viewers)

[Robert Crawford]

So many times the last 2-3 months I've wanted to express--?--frustration, I guess, with the Dodgers, what with unbelievable injuries to so many players sidelined for weeks/months like Betts, Muncy, Rojas, Kershaw, Yamamoto, bullpen meltdowns, 5 run leads disappearing in the 9th, unforseen (but forgiveable) issues (Freeman) and new pitcher after pitcher and the like, but I look at the standings and they're still in 1st place, although a 4 game lead now instead of the 9-10 range it had been, but still in 1st place, so I shut up. But last night when relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol made his 1st appearance of the season in a game with the NL leading in wins Phillies, and after pitches is now OUT for the season, I just...well...WTF!

Just about all of the top teams in MLB have gone through the same issues that have plagued the Dodgers which is why they're in their current position in the standings. It's been a weird season even for the best teams.

 

[MartinP.]

I didn't even mention the possum on the field last night, nor the earthquake in the middle of the 7th inning.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

????

MLB unveils plans for 2025 Bristol Motor Speedway game: Here's what field will look like for Reds vs. Braves

The iconic NASCAR venue holds more than 150,000 fans for racing events

www.cbssports.com

From the article.
"Aug. 12, 2021 and Aug. 11, 2022: Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa"

I really wished they still played that.

 

[Osato]

From the article.
"Aug. 12, 2021 and Aug. 11, 2022: Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa"

I really wished they still played that.

I think the field of dreams game will come back eventually. The field and area is being expanded so I’m sure it has a lot to do with that.

The A’s could’ve played there for a few seasons too!

White Sox lost today.

Arizona sweeps Cleveland on the road!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Arizona sweeps Cleveland on the road!

Yeah, dem Snakes have been sneaky good (even though Carroll continues to be pretty awful w/ his bat apparently due to significant nagging injuries/ailments)... and threatens to chase down the Dodgers alongside the Friars -- they're both just 3 behind after last night...

So many times the last 2-3 months I've wanted to express--?--frustration, I guess, with the Dodgers, what with unbelievable injuries to so many players sidelined for weeks/months like Betts, Muncy, Rojas, Kershaw, Yamamoto, bullpen meltdowns, 5 run leads disappearing in the 9th, unforseen (but forgiveable) issues (Freeman) and new pitcher after pitcher and the like, but I look at the standings and they're still in 1st place, although a 4 game lead now instead of the 9-10 range it had been, but still in 1st place, so I shut up. But last night when relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol made his 1st appearance of the season in a game with the NL leading in wins Phillies, and after pitches is now OUT for the season, I just...well...WTF!

They probably should never count on Graterol much anyway given his track record -- he's really not quite that good even when he's healthy. And of course, Kershaw also can't be relied upon anymore either.

They might essentially need to switch to a 6-man rotation once they have enough serviceable-to-good SPs available for that since Yamamoto's the only one who's thrown (significantly) over 150 IPs last year (or the year before too)... and he was used to getting rested in Japan more like he might in a 6-man rotation AFAIK... NVM that some are also (or will be) coming back from rather substantial, recent injuries/ailments. River Ryan, their sorta sleeper, rising star prospect arm (I had been tracking and rostered for my dynasty fantasy league), probably also can't handle quite that much work given his (lack of) MiLB track record and workload buildup... especially if they also want to be able to use him for the postseason...

I'm sure they're praying hard that both Glasnow and Flaherty continue to hold up all the way thru the postseason...

_Man_

 

[Robert Crawford]

So the White Sox fired their manager today. They did him a favor. What a pitiful organization from ownership on down.

 

[Jeffrey D]

So the White Sox fired their manager today. They did him a favor. What a pitiful organization from ownership on down.

Strange timing- what’s the point in firing him now? If the brass wasn’t a fan of his, he should have been canned before the all-star break.

 

[MartinP.]

Last night Dodgers ahead 4-3 in the 6th. Umpire Hunter Wendelstadt calls interference at 3rd by Miguel Rojas. Same umpire that threw out Yankees manager Boone for yelling at him when it was a fan in the stands. There is no way that UNREVIEWABLE call was right. Dave Roberts gets ejected. Joe Kelly comes in, melts down and Schwarber hits home runs. Phillies pitcher intentionally hits Gavin Lux. Phillies win 9-4. Dodgers only 2.5 games ahead of Padres and 3 ahead of the D'backs.

So, hey, MLB players! if you're sliding into a base on a close call, aim for the players foot. You'll be called safe!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

So the White Sox fired their manager today. They did him a favor. What a pitiful organization from ownership on down.

Strange timing- what’s the point in firing him now? If the brass wasn’t a fan of his, he should have been canned before the all-star break.

This seems like fairly common, if silly/stupid, practice in MLB not specific to the Chisox. They always feel the need to scapegoat somebody (highly visible), and the manager is usually the first to get that treatment, if not some of his coaching staff already.

Of course, this is one of the lamer examples since everyone knew the Chisox were gonna be one of the worst, if not necessarily the worst, team going into this year...

He's probably better off fired in this case, so he can possibly move on to a better situation instead while that team continues its deep rebuild, which they tried to hold off for some time (w/ incremental/partial rebuilds in the past)...

_Man_

 

[Robert Crawford]

The root cause for the White Sox troubles is poor ownership. It's the same root cause for any sports organization that loses continually over several years. I'm not talking about a period of 2-4 seasons but a team that doesn't have a winning record over a long period of time like a decade. The owner isn't spending enough money on the right assets and/or hiring the wrong people to run his organization. I think just about every sports fan has experienced poor ownership in some regard.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Yeah, dem Snakes have been sneaky good (even though Carroll continues to be pretty awful w/ his bat apparently due to significant nagging injuries/ailments)... and threatens to chase down the Dodgers alongside the Friars -- they're both just 3 behind after last night...



They probably should never count on Graterol much anyway given his track record -- he's really not quite that good even when he's healthy. And of course, Kershaw also can't be relied upon anymore either.

They might essentially need to switch to a 6-man rotation once they have enough serviceable-to-good SPs available for that since Yamamoto's the only one who's thrown (significantly) over 150 IPs last year (or the year before too)... and he was used to getting rested in Japan more like he might in a 6-man rotation AFAIK... NVM that some are also (or will be) coming back from rather substantial, recent injuries/ailments. River Ryan, their sorta sleeper, rising star prospect arm (I had been tracking and rostered for my dynasty fantasy league), probably also can't handle quite that much work given his (lack of) MiLB track record and workload buildup... especially if they also want to be able to use him for the postseason...

I'm sure they're praying hard that both Glasnow and Flaherty continue to hold up all the way thru the postseason...

_Man_

Uh oh, don't look now, but they might possibly lose River Ryan for at least a little while w/ what could be an ominous forearm strain (as such tend to be). Actual severity, etc TBD probably w/ further diagnosis over the next several days or so... but they did at least remove him from the game quite quickly to try to preempt/prevent it being too serious while he seemed to try to convince them to let him stay in the game -- he does also have track record of being a tad injury prone, so...

_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Uh oh, don't look now, but they might possibly lose River Ryan for at least a little while w/ what could be an ominous forearm strain (as such tend to be). Actual severity, etc TBD probably w/ further diagnosis over the next several days or so... but they did at least remove him from the game quite quickly to try to preempt/prevent it being too serious while he seemed to try to convince them to let him stay in the game -- he does also have track record of being a tad injury prone, so...

_Man_

In the post game interview, sounds like they may have avoided something serious, but he'll definitely need some more exams w/ plenty of caution.

Interestingly, Ryan himself volunteered his thoughts on the pitch clock (even though he wasn't asked at all) suggesting that could make pitchers more susceptible to injuries because they aren't allowed as much time to bounce back between pitches...

Obviously, nobody's gonna blame the pitch clock being the sole/main cause for increased injuries, but it certainly could be a meaningful factor even if not the biggest one...

_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

^Welp, there might be more coming, maybe whatever 2nd opinion, etc, but Ryan's apparently done for the season and won't be able to help dem Dodgers any further this year. For now, they're calling it a "UCL strain", instead of sprain or tear -- think that might be a first. Sounds mildly promising I guess... that he might not miss any time next year, if it doesn't become an actual tear as they investigate and/or treat it some more...

_Man_

 

[MartinP.]

Another one bites the dust. Yup!

Dodgers promising rookie pitcher River Ryan will miss the rest of the season

A Sunday morning MRI exam confirmed that River Ryan’s right forearm tightness was significant enough to sideline him for at least the next two months.

www.latimes.com

 

[Malcolm R]

Thin-skinned Jarren Duran (Red Sox) in trouble again for responding to heckling fans. He's had issues with this in past years, when he'd turn and respond to fans in the outfield bleachers who would say stuff when he's out there. I was watching the game and heard this when it happened, but didn't think it was Duran that said it until I saw the news reports today. I thought it was just another remark from someone in the crowd.

https://www.mlb.com/news/jarren-duran-apologizes-for-directing-insensitive-remark-to-fan

 

[Jeffrey D]

Team suspended him for 2 games. I wonder if our resident Yankees fan remembers this- pitcher Jack McDowell was being roasted by the fans while walking off the mound after a poor outing. He responded by flipping them the bird. The gasp from the crowd was audible when he did that. The team fined him a few thousand, if memory serves.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Team suspended him for 2 games. I wonder if our resident Yankees fan remembers this- pitcher Jack McDowell was being roasted by the fans while walking off the mound after a poor outing. He responded by flipping them the bird. The gasp from the crowd was audible when he did that. The team fined him a few thousand, if memory serves.

He lasted only the 1995 season.

 

[Jeffrey D]

He lasted only the 1995 season.

Wow- I thought this incident was in the 90s, but he couldn’t have picked a worse time to
be combative with the fans. That was a dark time for baseball- a lot of disgruntled fans, due to the strike the previous season.

 

[Jeffrey D]

The White Sox beat up on the Yanks last night, to pull within 41 games of them.

 

[Malcolm R]

I'm always amazed how good teams seem to struggle against the worst teams in the league. Seems to happen often in all sports.