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curlkelse
Jul 27, 2021
In General Discussions
participant may well kickstart a refreshing method throughout baseball. Locating a twin possibility, the participant who can possibly pitch and strike, might turn into a precedence for groups striving towards improve relevance and adaptability. Shohei Ohtani, even with going through Tommy John Surgical procedures the moment the conclude of the 2018 time, may well comprise adjusted the route the Angels feeling 2-course avid gamers relocating in advance. Despite the fact that Ohtani will place the 2-route point upon retain this yr as a bat-simply participant, there are other gamers inside the Angels company that will attempt toward each pitch and strike.Possibility Jared Walsh, who strike 29 property operates throughout a few degrees within just 2018, may well be the following Angels participant of take note in direction of either pitch and strike https://www.laagear.com/jared-walsh-jersey. Walsh far too tossed 5 2/3 innings closing period and the Angels observed sufficient toward check out in the direction of diversify his skillset. In the course of a handful of months of Spring Working out, Walsh includes presently built 2 appearances upon the mound, exhibiting the makings of a insightful pitcher. Jared Walsh providing in opposition to a minimal a few-quarter arm slot, essentially utilised fastball that he blew all through two times upon Adam Moore (be aware: Facebook was 88-92 closing calendar year within just minors), some truly feel for curveball, seem for strikes - suitable inning upon groundout and 2 flyouts upon 13 pitches #AngelsTaylor Blake Ward February 28, 2019Walsh is not the just member at Angels camp who is seeking in the direction of pull off the exact stunt. Kaleb Cowart, at the time paying some period in just both equally Tigers and Mariners camp, created his course again toward the Angels very last 7 days and will offer pitching a move once more. Following pitching within a “Bsport upon Saturday and allegedly sitting down within just the very low-90, Cowart started off towards the White Sox upon Monday and did this:Welcome back again @KalebCowart #LAASpring pic Wade Boggs Jersey.twitter.com/p9l3OEKuwILos Angeles Angels March 4, 2019Spring Working out or not, it wonderful amazing toward view somebody pitch, return 2 times later on as a hitter and smash a shift forward grand slam. Cowart record as a hitter (job .177/.241/.293 line) is instead poor still his earlier mentioned-normal security at quite a few infield work opportunities provides intrigue in direction of his opportunity power in the direction of pitch. Alongside with Cowart and Walsh, there are 2 other Angels potential customers hoping in direction of pull this off. 27-calendar year-outdated Bo Direction is mentioned as the two an outfielder and pitcher inside camp nevertheless includes however toward generate an physical appearance upon the mound. William English, the club 2018 5th spherical choose, will test in direction of both of those strike and pitch this time just after showing strictly as a hitter final 12 months Babe Ruth Jersey. MLB Pipeline mentioned English as the organization 25th most straightforward chance and his progress will be attention-grabbing in the direction of monitor. Even though the Angels glance in the direction of be at the forefront of manufacturing the 2-path participant appropriate, they aren the merely club who seems to be fascinated in just this procedure. A heritage 48 point gamers pitched within 2018, a selection that may possibly transfer up this time if further and even further groups come across really worth within just this method. Upon supreme of this, Tampa Bay Rays opportunity Brendan McKay is a legitimately excellent chance who exhibits previously mentioned-common applications the two upon the mound and at the plate. With pitcher damage upon the increase, locating point gamers who can both pitch inside of any time known as on could possibly turn out to be a bonafide resolution. With a 26 guy roster in all probability coming in the direction of baseball within just the long run, it prospective groups impression 2-direction gamers as that suitable preference for the 26th location. This could possibly all particularly be a lower blip upon the radar and groups uncover that it unattainable in the direction of obtain 2-route gamers and make use of them in the direction of their finish upcoming. Probably a handful of gamers just take upon this part within just the foreseeable potential. Who appreciates? Both route, it will be a interesting procedure toward keep an eye on spread.
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curlkelse
Jul 27, 2021
In General Discussions
Milwaukee Brewers have taken their second JUCO pitcher on Day 2 of the 2021 MLB Draft https://www.laagear.com/shohei-ohtani-jersey, this time going to Florida to find Carlos Rodriguez from Florida SouthWestern State Luke Maile Jersey. With the 177th selection of the 2021 #MLBDraft, the Brewers select RHP Carlos Rodriguez from @FSWBucs. pic.twitter.com/UQIYqXcajU— Milwaukee Brewers July 12, 2021Rodriguez pitched in just one JUCO season but was impressive enough to as a 19 year old to convince the Brewers he was worth taking a shot on. During his lone campaign with the Buccaneers Justin Topa Jersey, he posted a 2.11 ERA across 47.0 innings pitched. Rodriguez struck out 62 batters versus just 12 walks.The right-hander was not ranked among Baseball America’s top 500 draft prospects, but according to Prep Baseball Report, Rodriguez throws a fastball that tops out at 93 MPH along with a curveball, changeup, and slider. Some notes from that website suggest that Rodriguez has a “[l]ean, athletic, up tempo delivery, intent. Some effort, inconsistent release. Young arm, a lot to like as there is more in there to come.”The slot value for pick #177 is $279,500.
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curlkelse
Jul 27, 2021
Miami Marlins taking "three true outcomes" approach An interesting tidbit came about during a recent
In General Discussions
Miami Marlins broadcast and during my interview with Kyle Lobner prior to the start of the Milwaukee Brewers series. The Marlins' offense, which has surprised many during this regular season, lead all of baseball in walks and strikeouts heading into this past weekend's series with the Brewers. This is a surprising number given that last season, Miami was a fairly nondescript 23rd in baseball in walks and 10th in the league in strikeouts. The team has boosted its ability to get on base, but struck out a lot more along the way.Whenever you get into a discussion about walks and home runs, it should be mentioned that those are "true outcomes," or outcomes that are independent of defensive or fielding play. The Marlins actually excel in the third part of that category as well: home runs. The Fish garnered a major power surge in 2014, tied for fifth in all of baseball with 54 homers so far this season. This is also a far cry from last year, when the Fish were dead last in home runs with just 93 to their name.With that, it is clear that Miami has been emphasizing the "three true outcomes" in 2014, with a huge share of their offense covered by strikeouts, walks, and home runs. In fact, the Marlins are sixth in baseball in three true outcomes percentage (TTO%) this year.Rank Team, 2014 K% (Rank) BB% (Rank) HR (Rank) TTO%1Minnesota Twins22.5 (T-5)10.3 (2)36 (25)33.42Houston Astros23.2 (3)8.3 (13)54 (T-5)32.2T-3Boston Red Sox21.5 (9)9.9 (T-3)39 (20)32.0T-3Chicago Cubs23.4 (T-1)8.1 (16)42 (19)32.05New York Mets22.2 (7)8.6 (T-8)33 (28)31.5T-6Miami Marlins22.5 (T-5)8.8 (7)54 (T-5)31.430Kansas City Royals15.2 (30)7.1 (T-24)20 (T-30)22.6The Marlins are getting a lot of each of the results, as they are the only team in baseball ranked in the top 10 of every category in the three true outcomes. The Fish have ridden a patience-and-power approach to a top-10 offense that ranks fourth in baseball when not including pitcher hitting.How are the Marlins accomplishing this feat? The club is surprisingly not doing it with an over-the-top patient approach. Miami ranks 18th in swing rate and 15th in swing rate on pitches outside the zone. This means the team is pretty solidly middle-of-the-pack in terms of plate discipline and selection. The reason for their strikeouts is still obvious, as Miami is third to last in contact rate.It turns out the crucial difference this year is the percentage of pitches inside the strike zone. Miami's zone percentage is second to last in the majors, ahead of only the San Francisco Giants. The Fish are getting very little to hit, which is a huge difference from last season. Last year, due to the Fish boasting a horrific lineup for most of the year, the team ended up with the eighth-highest zone percentage, having seen about three percentage points of pitches in the zone more than this year. That huge chunk of extra strikes has made the difference in the Marlins' walk rate despite the team's average plate recognition. To some degree, that is understandable; after all, Giancarlo Stanton is seeing the lowest number of strikes in baseball https://www.mmfanstore.com/luis-marte-jersey.But is the three true outcomes approach borne of this change in zone rate the actual reason why Miami is doing so well? As you will note, none of the other teams in the top six in three true outcomes have a top-10 offense like Miami's. The best of those teams is the Twins, who rank 20th in baseball when considering non-pitcher hitting. Miami is one of two teams in the top 10 in offenses with a strikeout rate above 20 percent as well, meaning the only negative true outcome is a rarity for teams at the top.It turns out Miami is helping to keep their offense afloat with their batting average on balls in play (BABIP), which is still third-highest in baseball at .321 for nonpitchers. But the fact that Miami is still depending on that is less relevant now than it would have been, say, last season. Miami's top marks in walks and home runs should help keep them afloat when the team's streak of good fortune on balls in play falters. When the balls stop dropping in bit by bit in Miami, the Marlins of old would have suffered because they had no power and could not get on base otherwise; last year's roster was filled with pop-less bats that needed singles to get aboard. This year, the additions of Christian Yelich full time, Derek Dietrich, Garrett Jones, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have added more power and more ability to get on base outside of base hits https://www.mmfanstore.com/adam-duvall-jersey, so the team should be better able to weather the storm.The three true outcomes approach itself is not what is making Miami a juggernaut offensively early in the season Trevor Rogers Jersey. But having that patience and the home runs should help the Fish do better even when their luck runs out. That is a far cry and a major improvement from last year.
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curlkelse
Jul 27, 2021
In General Discussions
setbacks to already injured players, the ragtag Mets have continued to find ways to win. The rain once again messed with the Mets’ schedule this week, reducing the number of games played to five from the seven that were scheduled. The Mets went 4-1 over those five games https://www.nymgear.com/aaron-loup-jersey, taking three of four games from the Rockies after dropping the series opener on Monday, including a doubleheader sweep on Thursday and executing a “mini-sweep” of the Braves on Saturday with their most decisive victory of the season. That laugher on Saturday propelled the Mets to a 126 wRC+ as a team over the past week, which is tied for the second-best mark in baseball. Especially notable is the breakout in the power department from the Mets. As has been the theme all season, the Mets’ victories included contributions from unlikely sources. We’ll start with the new face on this meter. On Tuesday, in what was truly an “emergency mode” move, the Mets traded for 26-year-old Brewers outfielder Billy McKinney. They had very little choice but to make a move like this, given the fact that Johneshwy Fargas (who had been performing so well as a fill-in) sprained his AC joint by slamming into the outfield wall and was placed on the (very crowded) injured list. That, combined with the fact that Cameron Maybin and Khalil Lee—who combined for one hit in a total of 19 plate appearances between them this week—continued to be pretty much automatic outs, created a dire outfield situation for the Mets that McKinney was meant to help remedy. The bar is low, to be fair, but McKinney has far exceeded it so far. Over his first ten plate appearances as a Met, McKinney logged two hits, including a home run in Saturday’s rout of the Braves, drove in three runs, and scored three runs. Although McKinney is likely far from a long-term solution for the Mets, he has already shown himself to be a significant upgrade over what they had. It is worth noting that Maybin did snap his historic hitless drought in Saturday’s game with a dribbler up the third base line that stayed fair. He also walked twice and scored two runs this week. Meanwhile, Lee also scored a run this week. But now that players are beginning to return from the injured list for the Mets, both players have found themselves off the roster. (Note that this meter does not include yesterday’s game, which will be reflected in next week’s meter.) Brandon Drury has thrived this week at the plate, with his ability to play multiple positions being a huge asset to the ailing Mets. In nine plate appearances this week, Drury had three hits, including two home runs—one in Tuesday’s 3-1 victory and one in Saturday’s laugher. His four RBIs for the week are tied for the team lead with two players who had far more plate appearances than he did. A player who had a promising career set back by a long battle with migraine headaches, it would be a great story for Drury to find a second life with the Mets. The two other players with four runs driven in this week are the Mets’ catching tandem: James McCann and Tomás Nido. With Nido heading into the week scorching hot with the bat and the Mets desperate to pack as many major league caliber bats into the lineup as they could, McCann was forced into service as a first baseman this week—a position he had not played at the major league level. Not only did he handle the position better than anyone could have possibly expected, his bat finally came alive this week in a big way. Other than Drury, he is the only Met with multiple home runs this week. One of them came in Monday’s loss and the other came in Saturday’s big win. Saturday was a huge day for McCann all around; he went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored Ron Darling Jersey. Overall, he posted a 235 wRC+ over 19 plate appearances this week, which earns him a much-deserved fireball. Hopefully it’s the beginning of breakout for McCann, who had struggled so mightily early in the season. Meanwhile, Nido’s bat has cooled off a bit, but he still contributed this week. His two-run homer was the decider in Tuesday’s victory, snapping a sixth-inning tie in support of Jacob deGrom in his return from the injured list. He also had a two-RBI day on Saturday, contributing to the full team offensive explosion. But those two hits represent essentially his only production for the week. He had three hits in all over 14 plate appearances this week, good for a 77 wRC+. However, given his skills defensively behind the plate, Nido does not need to be hitting far above his head to help the team win. With Pete Alonso back at first base every day, it’s likely that Nido and McCann will continue to share time behind the plate more or less equally, with Luis Rojas riding the hot hand whenever he can. The Mets were able to play McCann at first base in Alonso’s absence because of the presence of walk-off specialist and third string catcher Patrick Mazeika on the roster. Mazeika did have two hits in five plate appearances this week, but with players (particularly Alonso) returning from the injured list, carrying three catchers was something the Mets could no longer afford to do and Mazeika was optioned to Triple-A yesterday. Jonathan Villar continues to thrive as the Mets’ everyday third baseman in J.D. Davis’ absence. Along with McCann, he earns a fireball for his 213 wRC+ over 20 plate appearances this week, in addition to continuing to play excellent defense at the hot corner. He leads the team in hits (6), walks (4), and runs scored (4) this week. The Mets will certainly take a .500 on-base percentage from their leadoff hitter, which is where he has been hitting every day of late. He narrowly missed a grand slam in Saturday’s win over the Braves https://www.nymgear.com/keith-hernandez-jersey, but later had his redemption, socking a solo homer into the well of the home run apple. Choose your favorite hitting metric—99 DRC+, 104 wRC+, 104 OPS+ overall for Villar in 2021—according to any of them he has been a solid replacement and has played a huge role in keeping the Mets afloat during the tumultuous month of May. Perhaps even more surprisingly, the same can be said for José Peraza, who has been playing second base every day while Jeff McNeil remains sidelined (along with Luis Guillorme, the primary backup infielder). He too has played slick defense and has contributed plenty with the bat. Thursday in particular was a huge day for Peraza. His solo homer was the difference in the game Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Rockies. And then in the nightcap, he drove in two runs—one on a single in the fourth and one on a bases-loaded walk in the sixth—en route to the Mets’ 4-2 win. Overall, he posted a 119 wRC+ over 16 plate appearances this week. Along with Drury as the utility man, Wilfredo Tovar serves as the backup infielder, but has seen limited playing time with others swinging a hot bat. Tovar was hitless in three plate appearances this week. It seems likely he will be the next player to be cut from the roster when the next position player gets healthy. The couple of everyday players in Francisco Lindor and Dominic Smith that remain in the lineup have continued to struggle with the bat, although both showed signs of life this week. Lindor really had a rough go of it early in the week, but did have a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday’s game. The hits finally came at the end of the week. He hit a single in Game 2 of Thursday’s doubleheader, but really had a big day on Saturday (as did many other Mets). Lindor had two hits on Saturday, including a two-run homer in the seventh inning. He also scored three runs on the day. And it goes without saying that he continues to play Gold Glove caliber defense at shortstop. But he still posted just a 54 wRC+ over 19 plate appearances this week. Hopefully his recent burst of power is a sign that he is breaking out. Dominic Smith has also been lacking in the power department, even when he is collecting his hits. All three of his hits in 14 plate appearances this week were singles and they, along with his one walk, add up to an 88 wRC+ for the week. Like much of the lineup, pretty much all of his production came in Saturday’s game, in which he collected his only RBI for the week. However, that RBI single came when the game was still close, putting the Mets up 2-0 at the time. Smith also scored a run in Tuesday’s victory; he came around to score on Tomás Nido’s game-winning two-run homer.
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curlkelse
Jul 27, 2021
In General Discussions
have a nice weekend? I sure hope so. The Orioles themselves had a pretty good one, even if it ended on a sour note yesterday. After racking up wins on Friday and Saturday, the team squandered a great start by John Means in a 1-0 walk-off loss to the Rangers. You can read all about that loss, if you must, in Paul Folkemer’s game recap. The Orioles hitters will have a chance to think about what they’ve done during today’s off day, the first of two they’ll have this week. Then tomorrow they start a two-game series with the Miami Marlins, their first interleague series of the year. One of the worst slumping hitters on the team is Anthony Santander, who had high expectations put upon him after his exciting 2020 season. But he’s had just 10 hits this season despite being a regular in the lineup. Just three of those hits have gone for extra bases, including a double yesterday. And he’s only drawn two walks. It’s been pretty brutal. Brandon Hyde was asked about Santander as documented in the link to Roch’s blog below, and he used a lot of words to say that the league was able to figure Santander out some last year and they’re using that to their advantage so far this year https://www.baltimoregearshop.com/anthony-santander-jersey. That’s not encouraging! But Hyde assures us that he’s working hard to change his approach to turn things around. I sure hope it works for both him and the rest of the offense DJ Stewart Jersey. LinksOrioles’ Trey Mancini enduring mixed start to comeback season: ‘He’s just trying so hard’ - Baltimore SunIt's no secret that Trey Mancini has been frustrated with his struggles this year. But Brandon Hyde (and I) think he'll be fine.Sunday Notes: Cesar Valdez’s Powerful Paralyzing Perfect Pachydermous Percussion Pitch | FanGraphs BaseballThis week's Sunday notes starts with notes of Cesar Valdez. David Laurila asked Tim Hyers, the hitting coach for the Red Sox, what advice he gives for batters about to face Valdez.Hyde on Galvis, Kremer, Akin, Santander and more - School of RochRoch Kubatko has Brandon Hyde's thoughts on a bevy of players, including Freddy Galvis, Dean Kremer https://www.baltimoregearshop.com/trey-mancini-jersey, and Anthony Santander.John Means throws seven scoreless but Orioles lose in extras to Rangers - MLB.comThe Orioles lost yesterday, but John Means pitched a heck of a game. If he can be close to this good for most of his other starts, we're in for a lot of fun.Birthdays and HistoryIs today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies. Flat Breezy himself, George Sherrill, turns 44 years old today. Ah, back when Orioles used to be older than me. Those were the days. It’s also the birthday of Willis Otanez (48) who played in 32 games with the Orioles from 1998-99 and Scott Kamieniecki (57), who was an Oriole from 1997-99. He made 30 starts for the wire-to-wire ‘97 team. On this day in 1996, the Texas Rangers beat the Orioles 26-7, including a 16-run eighth inning. Shortstop Manny Alexander pitched the final 2⁄3 of an inning, walking four and giving up five runs. It’s no 30-3, but still plenty embarrassing. Makes yesterday’s loss not seem too bad!
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curlkelse
Jul 27, 2021
In General Discussions
off-day after losing 6 of their last 7 games. A major reason for their lack of success is due to a pitching rotation that has been depleted due to injuries. For a team that recently traded away four starting pitchers and was already relying heavily on young players, starting the season with 4 starters on the disabled list was not ideal going into 2016. At long last, the Reds will finally get some some help in the starting rotation with Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani, and John Lamb all set to return from the DL in the next couple of weeks. Mark Sheldon of mlb.com spoke with Bryan Price about his returning starters and, to say the least, he is counting down the days. As you all know, the Reds have a pitching staff that has been knocked around for most of the season and has struggled to go deep in games. In fact, No. 2 prospect Robert Stephenson is the only starter to make it through seven innings in a game this season. I think at this point we're all looking forward to finally having some consistency in the starting rotation.Speaking of Mr. Stephenson, one of the main topics of conversation that has come up with his early appearances this season has been the issue of service time. Since today marks his 21st day in the minor leagues, he can not gain enough service time to be considered a full major league season. The next service-time issue that Reds' fans can watch out for is acquiring Super Two status https://www.crfanshop.com/brad-brach-jersey. Super Two status, in short, applies to guys with more than two but less than three years of MLB service-time and when they are eligible for arbitration https://www.crfanshop.com/cionel-perez-jersey. Zach Buchanan of The Enquirer gives a good explainer on gaining Super Two status and what it means for our top prospects. At the moment, Stephenson and Jose Peraza are the only ones where this becomes an issue because they are the only ones that have spent time in the major leagues.Continuing on the prospect theme, one pitching prospect that has Reds' fans excited is Cody Reed. Ever since coming over from the Royals in the Johnny Cueto trade, Reed has done nothing but impress pretty much every time he has taken the mound. The guys over at Baseball America have also noticed and go into detail about what has made him so successful, focusing mainly on his devastating slider. In the article he talks about what adjustments he has had to make since getting drafted and why his slider is so successful. They also have a few gifs of the pitch in action if you're into that sort of thing. It's definitely something to make us hopeful for the future of the Reds' pitching staff.Lastly, the 2016 MLB draft is only 6 weeks away, and MLB.com has updated it's top 100 prospects for the upcoming draft. This is one draft that Reds' fans will have a little more interest in since we own the #2 pick this year. The player cards are informative and give a good idea of each player's strengths, showing us who might be the one to lead us to the 2018 World Series. One prospect to note is #4 prospect Corey Ray from the University of Louisville. Not that they should draft based on geography, but it would be pretty cool to see a local kid leading this team to a championship https://www.crfanshop.com/tony-perez-jersey. Enjoy the off-day, everyone. Go Reds.
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curlkelse
Jul 27, 2021
In General Discussions
Internet, so by law I have to pretend that I do. The goons at MLB took away my first guess, which was to spend, spend, spend on international free agents and the draft. But my second guess would be to turn overvalued commodities into prospects. The difference between a great closer and a poor closer is usually just a handful of games, and rebuilding teams shouldn't worry too much about the difference between 70 and 73 wins.And two teams just might be inclined to agree. The Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics both have closers who are fine grist for the rumor mill. The Royals probably should have traded Joakim Soria a year ago, and they were probably muttering the same thing under their breath when he lost his job at the end of May, but he rebounded to have a pretty nice year. Andrew Bailey had a fine year for the A's, albeit an injury-shortened one for the second straight season.Both are locked up -- Bailey is entering arbitration for the first time, and Soria has a couple of team options at legit-closer rates. Both are effective-to-outstanding. Both aren't helping their current team do more than languish at the bottoms of their respective divisions. It seems simple, right? Remember, I am from the Internet. I know about these things.But bear with me for a list-making session. Here's a list of teams that are very, very unlikely to trade for a closer (and why):Diamondbacks - J.J. PutzDodgers - Javy Guerra/Kenley JansenGiants - Brian WilsonPadres - Huston StreetRockies - Rafael BetancourtCubs - Carlos MarmolPirates - Joel HanrahanCardinals - Jason MotteBrewers - John AxfordMarlins - Heath BellNationals - Drew StorenMets - Frank Francisco https://www.kcrgear.com/carlos-hernandez-jersey, povertyPhillies - Jonathan PapelbonBraves - Craig KimbrelMariners - Brandon LeagueRangers - Seventeen different possibilitiesIndians - Chris PerezTigers - Jose ValverdeRays - Kyle FarnsworthYankees - Mariano RiveraBlue Jays - Sergio SantosAnd with that Kevin Seitzer Jersey, over two-thirds of the potential trade partners just became unrealistic for a team looking to move a closer. That leaves seven teams that might be interested in a closer. The Astros, White Sox, and Orioles are among those teams, but you can be sure that they aren't interested in giving up prospects for a proven closer. For those teams, that would be like devoting resources to making an awesome dust jacket for a book that they haven't written yet https://www.kcrgear.com/hal-mcrae-jersey.Now we're down to four teams. And two of those teams have relievers on their staffs who earned more than 20 saves last year -- the Red Sox with Mark Melancon, and the Angels with Jordan Walden. Both of those teams are certainly interested in a late-inning upgrade, but both of them can afford to be cool. There's no need for them to panic.That leaves two teams, but the Reds might be fine with Aroldis Chapman or Nick Masset. And the Twins sure paid a lot to keep Matt Capps around. They might not want a closer at all.Oh, and there's a wrinkle. There are two closers still looking for new homes -- Ryan Madson and Francisco Cordero. In addition to those two, there are a couple of pitchers on the market, Brad Lidge and Kerry Wood, who used to be closers.And if there's a team that's scared of a long-term contract, and they want Francisco Rodriguez, I'm sure Doug Melvin would drive him to the airport.This isn't to suggest that the A's or Royals can't trade their closers. Despite having in-house solutions, the Red Sox and Angels in particular would love to get one of Soria or Bailey. Maybe the nightmares haven't stopped yet, and Jon Daniels will acquire more relievers because that's his only hope.But the point is that it's not quite that easy to trade a proven closer for a gaggle of prospects in this market. The A's and Royals don't have to trade anything. The closer-less teams around baseball have some options, and most of them don't involve trading away prospects. The Royals and A's might be rebuilding, but don't be surprised if they hold on to their closers while they're doing it.
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curlkelse
Jul 27, 2021
In General Discussions
of three from the Rays, their first series win at The Trop in two years. The Bombers are 11-4 over their last 15 games, and own a .682 winning percentage in the games since starting the season 5-10. The pitching has performed beyond anyone’s expectations while the offense has occasionally shown signs of heating up during this stretch of winning four-straight series. Now they head to Baltimore, where they last split a four-game series at the end of April. Given the divergent expectations and aspirations of the respective teams this season, the pressure is on the visitors to come away with at least a series win. Let’s take a look at the probable starting pitching matchups for this divisional showdown:Friday: Corey Kluber vs. Dean KremerKluber turned his season around starting with his previous outing against the Orioles. In his last three games — including that 6.2 inning start on April 27th — Kluber owns a 1.33 ERA, 2.06 FIP, and 21 strikeouts against only three runs and six walks across 20.1 innings. Incorporating the changeup as a strikeout pitch as well as largely abandoning the four-seamer for a sinker/cutter combo have been integral in Kluber’s rediscovered effectiveness, in addition to just better command overall. On the season, he is 2-2 across seven starts with a 3.06 ERA, 3.92 FIP, and 35 strikeouts in 35.1 innings. His opponent will be Dean Kremer, which I’m sure will cause Yankees hitters’ eyes to light up. He has allowed nine runs in two games against the Bombers, including six runs in 4.1 innings in the previous series. In six starts this year, he is 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA, 5.21 FIP, and 25 strikeouts in 26 innings. Saturday: Domingo Germán vs. Jorge LópezGermán’s best start of the year came against the Orioles the last time they matched up. He went seven shutout frames, giving up only three hits and one walk while striking out six. He remains the enigma of the starting rotation https://www.nyygear.com/lucas-luetge-jersey. On one hand, Germán’s performances are perfectly serviceable for a fifth starter — he hasn’t surrendered more than four runs in a game, and he’s also gone at least five innings in each of his last four starts. On the other hand, Germán is giving up more than two home runs per nine and has suspect command with the fastball. Across his six starts, he is 2-2 with a 4.02 ERA, 4.60 FIP, and 31 strikeouts in 31.1. innings.Jorge López has had one decent outing (four innings, two earned runs) and one rough outing (4.2 innings, four earned runs) against the Yankees this year. He started the last game between the two clubs, an embarrassing 4-3 loss in extra innings. Overall, López is 1-3 in seven starts with a 5.63 ERA, 5.38 FIP, and 30 strikeouts in 32 innings. Sunday: Jordan Montgomery vs. John MeansIt’s a battle of the southpaws in the series finale. Montgomery gets his eighth start of the year https://www.nyygear.com/hideki-matsui-jersey, and is coming off one of his best outings. He held the Rays to one run across six innings while striking out nine. In particular, he found success with the changeup and curveball, both registering whiff rates over 50 percent. All told, he is 2-1 with a 3.96 ERA, 4.05 FIP, and 37 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.Montgomery will face a stern test, as the Orioles’ ace John Means looks to defend home turf. He has established himself as one of the early contenders for the AL Cy Young Award, and has been the third-most valuable pitcher in MLB with 1.8 fWAR (yes, you read that right) after Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom. He threw a no-hitter against the Mariners on May 5th, and has not allowed a run in his last fifteen innings of work https://www.nyygear.com/thurman-munson-jersey. Means is 4-0 in eight games, owning a 1.21 ERA, 2.88 FIP, and 53 strikeouts in 52 innings.
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