Non-Twins 2019 season news

[SomeGuy]

The Giants are 19-14 since June 1st and 6-1 in July.  They are now just 4.5 games out of the playoffs.  It might not deter the selloff but it might raise the price on some of their players if they make it seem like the buyers need to convince them that they are out of contention. (I don't think they are serious contenders but they can make an argument that they are in it at 4.5 games back)

 

The Reds are at the same spot as the Giants, 4.5 games behind the 2nd wild card and many expect them to buy at the deadline (they are only 5.5 behind the division unlike the Giants who are 16.5 and the Reds have a very good run differential).  It should be fascinating to watch the NL play out over the next 3 weeks and the rest of the season.

[Mike Sixel]

The video of Isan Diaz hitting a home run while his dad is being interviewed is great....

[Vanimal46]

Mariners SS Tim Beckham suspended 80 games for PEDs.

 

Gonna be turning 30 next year, only one season at 2 bWAR in 2017. It's over for him, right?

[Vanimal46]

Joe Panik DFA'd in San Francisco.

[Vanimal46]

Does anyone still think the Mets don't know what they're doing? Seems like Brodie had the best trade deadline of all GMs...

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Does anyone still think the Mets don't know what they're doing? Seems like Brodie had the best trade deadline of all GMs...

The Mets have a bit of the Cleveland problem coming up -- they've got a tougher schedule remaining than some of their competitors.

 

But still, they've won 12 of 13. They are definitely taking care of business vs worse teams right now! And they're only 1 game out of the wild card (PHI), 2 games out of the wild card lead (WSN), with plenty of head-to-head matchups with those clubs. Even if they ultimately come up short of the postseason, they should be playing very meaningful games for awhile yet.

[Mike Sixel]

Not getting Stroman here, or signing Keuchel, is going to hurt the rest of the way. And Stroman for next year also. Didn't need them....... Much more important to have guys pitching here, maybe, in two or three years, when Sano and Cruz and Rosario are gone....

[Mr. Brooks]

Not getting Stroman here, or signing Keuchel, is going to hurt the rest of the way. And Stroman for next year also. Didn't need them....... Much more important to have guys pitching here, maybe, in two or three years, when Sano and Cruz and Rosario are gone....

It's possible that be rounds into form as the season rolls on, since he got a late start, but Kuechel has a 4.75 FIP in the national league so far. He's essentially been Martin Perez.

[Mike Sixel]

It's possible that be rounds into form as the season rolls on, since he got a late start, but Kuechel has a 4.75 FIP in the national league so far. He's essentially been Martin Perez.

He's given up more than three earned runs 2 of 7 starts. I'll take that. Once was four, once was five. Even four isn't going to kill this team. He's gone six innings five of his last seven starts.

[Otto von Ballpark]

It's possible that be rounds into form as the season rolls on, since he got a late start, but Kuechel has a 4.75 FIP in the national league so far. He's essentially been Martin Perez.

Keuchel has gotten good luck on balls in play it seems -- but he has had some bad luck on HR rate. His xFIP is only 4.06 which is much closer to his ERA and rest of season projection, and ahead of Perez.

[Mr. Brooks]

He's given up more than three earned runs 2 of 7 starts. I'll take that. Once was four, once was five. Even four isn't going to kill this team. He's gone six innings five of his last seven starts.

Well sure, I'd take that too, in the bank.

I don't expect it to continue forward though.

[Mr. Brooks]

Keuchel has gotten good luck on balls in play it seems -- but he has had some bad luck on HR rate. His xFIP is only 4.06 which is much closer to his ERA and rest of season projection, and ahead of Perez.

What are the xFIP's of our current rotation (including Pineda)?

[Otto von Ballpark]

What are the xFIP's of our current rotation (including Pineda)?

Is this rhetorical?

[Mr. Brooks]

Is this rhetorical?

No, I don't typically look at xFIP as I don't quite believe that every pitcher should be expected to have an equalized HR rate, so I have no idea how Kuechel compares to the pitchers we already have in that metric.

 

I can check myself though, when I get a spare minute or two, cooking now.

[Otto von Ballpark]

No, I don't typically look at xFIP as I don't quite believe that every pitcher should be expected to have an equalized HR rate, so I have no idea how Kuechel compares to the pitchers we already have in that metric.

 

I can check myself though, when I get a spare minute or two, cooking now.

No prob. Here's the link:

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=sta&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2019&month=0&season1=2019&ind=0&team=8&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2019-01-01&enddate=2019-12-31

[Otto von Ballpark]

I wasn't really arguing xFIP vs FIP superiority or anything, just noting it to give the FIP some additional context.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Well sure, I'd take that too, in the bank.
I don't expect it to continue forward though.

 

I'm curious why? He was decent to good last year......not great, of course. 

[Mr. Brooks]

I'm curious why? He was decent to good last year......not great, of course.

Because he didn't have a ST, and his k rate is down and his walk rate is up.

I haven't watched him pitch, but his numbers suggest he's been pretty lucky so far this year.

[Mr. Brooks]

No prob. Here's the link:

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=sta&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2019&month=0&season1=2019&ind=0&team=8&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2019-01-01&enddate=2019-12-31

My main takeaway from looking at that link would be that fans pining for Smeltzer to join the rotation had better be careful what they wish for, yikes.

[Mike Sixel]

Because he didn't have a ST, and his k rate is down and his walk rate is up.

I haven't watched him pitch, but his numbers suggest he's been pretty lucky so far this year.

Thanks. All fair.

[biggentleben]

 

Because he didn't have a ST, and his k rate is down and his walk rate is up.
I haven't watched him pitch, but his numbers suggest he's been pretty lucky so far this year.

 

He's taken the ball at least 2 times, and perhaps as many as 4 times, when the team needed him to go 6 or more innings after the bullpen was wrecked ahead of him. He took the hit to his ERA as he tired later in the game, but he kept pitching and getting guys to put the ball in play to his defenders.

 

For what it's worth, with Riley on the IL, Duvall/Inciarte/Acuna across the outfield is a very, very good defensive outfield, and Keuchel has traditionally been a guy to let his defense back him up.

[Danchat]

Not getting Stroman here, or signing Keuchel, is going to hurt the rest of the way. And Stroman for next year also. Didn't need them....... Much more important to have guys pitching here, maybe, in two or three years, when Sano and Cruz and Rosario are gone....

Interesting how you didn’t mean Kimbrel... I can’t imagine the fans would be happy if they landed him and he performed as he did.

 

I would go back and do the Kuechel deal, even though I was opposed to it at the time. I’m sure many teams would with how the trade market ended up.

[Otto von Ballpark]

The Mets took game 1 of a big series vs the Nationals last night; now only 0.5 games out of the 2nd wild card, and 1.5 behind the Nats for the top wild card.

 

Four teams separated by only half a game for that second NL wild card spot. Six teams within 2.5 games for both spots.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I would go back and do the Kuechel deal, even though I was opposed to it at the time. I’m sure many teams would with how the trade market ended up.

Interestingly, just after our most recent Keuchel discussion here, he was lit up for 8 runs on 10 hits (3 HR) in 3.2 innings by the Marlins! He'll need some more good performances to get his season numbers back to respectability now...

[Mike Sixel]

 

Interestingly, just after our most recent Keuchel discussion here, he was lit up for 8 runs on 10 hits (3 HR) in 3.2 innings by the Marlins! He'll need some more good performances to get his season numbers back to respectability now...

 

I have wondered if we are looking at starting pitching wrong.....since season numbers peanut butter what are pretty discrete events (starts). I wonder if WPA or something like (though not) quality start makes sense. Not to say how someone will do in the future, but to say how they did in the past.

[ashbury]

since season numbers peanut butter what are pretty discrete events (starts)

Quoted for truth.

[biggentleben]

 

Interestingly, just after our most recent Keuchel discussion here, he was lit up for 8 runs on 10 hits (3 HR) in 3.2 innings by the Marlins! He'll need some more good performances to get his season numbers back to respectability now...

 

He came out with no feel for his cutter. How he made it out of the first the way he was going is amazing, considering he was basically upper-80s fastball with a straight changeup.

 

What is insane is that Keuchel got through 3 innings with a walk and four strikeouts even after allowing the first three hitters of the game to score on a pair of home runs. He then opened the fourth giving up what would have really been 7 straight hits if not for Keuchel's own excellent defense at pitcher, turning a double play on a weak dribbler in "no man's land" that most pitchers aren't in the defensive position at the end of their delivery to even attempt to grab, and if he didn't make that play, it's an infield single and he allows two more runs before he's finally pulled after Brian Anderson's second home run.

[Vanimal46]

[Danchat]

An important piece of non-Twins news:

 

 

 

Corey Kluber (arm) was removed from Sunday's minor league rehab start at Triple-A Columbus after only one inning.
The right-hander never topped 90 mph with his fastball during his lone inning of work and consulted with the trainers after walking off the mound. While there's no certainty that this is a setback in his recovery, it's likely to push his return to the Tribe's rotation back at least an additional week.

 

Kluber topping out at 90 sounds like bad news to me - bad news for him and the Tribe.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Liam Hendriks shows his Twins heritage: he entered today vs Yankees with his team leading by 3 runs, and yielded 4 runs (2 inherited) for a walk-off Yankees win.