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ashbury

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Everything posted by ashbury

  1. ashbury
    Bad adoptive parent, bad, bad! I completely forgot to report here that Engelb was given the TD Minor League Player of the Week honors on June 29, for his four-game 7-for-15 performance at the plate. http://twinsdaily.com/topic/17772-twins-minor-league-awards-2015/?p=361418
  2. ashbury
    My wife phoned to say someone at work was looking to sell a couple of bleacher tickets at Fenway. So, mere hours later (well, 30 is "mere", no?), I was on the Worcester commuter train, getting off at Yawkey Station. Fun game versus the Marlins. Tied 1-1 for a long while, then the Sox starter Miley tired at around the 100-pitch mark and the score became 3-1 at the seventh inning stretch. But the home team came right back and loaded the bases against Cishek in relief of Haren, with a single, walk, and infield error, and (after LOOGY Dunn got what seemed a key strikeout) with two outs Xander Bogaerts fouled off several pitches from Carter "Not Matt" Capps before coming through with a single on a full count that cleared the bases for the 4-3 lead that turned out to be the final score. The eighth inning stretch (Sweet Caroline) is always fun, and with the Sox in the lead the mood was bubbly. Sandoval facing Haren: Kazoo, the Fenway fan: Mary and me:
  3. ashbury
    I doubt if the record would show he has been given highly favorable matchups. But he may have been spared a few highly unfavorable matchups here and there, and it takes only a few cherry picked plate appearances to change a pitcher's run-scoring results dramatically. That's all I'm suggesting. In effect, Molitor (aided by Allen) could be doing a very good managerial job with JR, and the stats can be interpreted to mean he's missing an opportunity instead.
  4. ashbury
    Sure, Mauer is one of the few batters who has been able to maintain a BABIP above .300. I'm not so sure we should get used to .392 though. And I don't know whether he can keep at his career norms for this stat either, anymore.
  5. ashbury
    First, as the xFIP points out, the ERA may be somewhat of a mirage. Second, with the manager deciding what batters this or any pitcher faces, it may be that the stats are better precisely because he's been "hidden".
  6. ashbury
    Not to drizzle lemonade on anyone's cornflakes, but with a BABIP of .392 in that period, you might not be wise to get too used to this.
  7. ashbury
    Not mentioned in this discussion is that for the past three seasons Achter has done well against right-handed batters but has done even better against lefties. I don't see a particular reason to call up a LOOGY like O'Rourke who is going to be limited to whatever lefties the opposing manager permits him to face, when someone with broader skills is equally available.
  8. ashbury
    It's almost impossible to get a reasonable return on investment, when the comparison is to the artificially low salaries paid to young players.
  9. ashbury
    It's the penalty a team pays when the minor league system doesn't produce all that's needed. Few teams can succeed without occasionally resorting to it, some teams have so much money that they do it without too much angst, but no team wants to, except to acquire the very highest caliber of talent.
  10. ashbury
    Yes, this is why HR Derby contestants tell their hand-picked pitchers to lob it up there slowly, so they can get less distance on the ball.
  11. ashbury
    ... impress the coaches with their approach as well as their results, particularly when facing the best the current league has to offer. Stats in the minors are useful but can disguise a lot if the player is fattening up against competitors he won't ever see again at the next level.
  12. ashbury
    Why bring up a LOOGY when you have a righty in AAA who is doing well against RHB but even better against lefties? / spoiler: AJ Achter
  13. ashbury
    I don't see him improving the bullpen any more than a guy like Achter could. Frasor's ERA looks like a total fluke. We'd be cursing him a week after we got him.
  14. ashbury
    So who will be new Buyers and who will be new Sellers at the coming trade deadline? In the NL, Phils and Marlins are obvious sellers, but that's been true for weeks. Brewers seemed to have expectations but I assume they'll listen to offers now. Rockies are probably sellers, I wonder if the Padres will punt now on this season and position themselves for next year as well? In the AL, nobody is really stinky; I guess you can count on Oakland to be open to any kind of random looking moves given their losing record at the moment.
  15. ashbury
    At the plate, JJ has remained on approximately the same pace since last report. In 50 games, his season BA stands at .215 and his other contributions lead to an OPS of .611. If I cherry-pick his last four to seven games, there is some glimmer of hope, but I'll just leave it at that for the time being and see where it may lead. The strikeouts remain high, about one per game on average. He's continued to play most at first base (or DH). It may be that he's being held out of catching as a precaution, or maybe that part of his career is seen by his manager as being in his past. That's a severe blow to his overall chances, unless he starts to hit a whole lot better. I wish now that I had provided a link to whatever it was that led me to think he once had a good defensive reputation behind the plate - because maybe I was simply in error.
  16. ashbury
    Ask and ye shall receive: Alex moved up and pitched his first game for Chattanooga on July 3. Two innings of spotless work, six up, six down, with one strikeout. The book on him in Ft Myers is hopefully closed for good. An ERA of 1.60, 42 strikeouts in 45 innings, only 13 walks and 1 homer.
  17. ashbury
    In 13 games since last report, a .413 batting average augmented by three doubles and six walks has raised his seasonal numbers to a less embarrassing level. He's now got a .254 batting average, one that is relatively empty but is still miles ahead of where it was a few weeks ago. This was accomplished with an unsustainable BABIP of .432 during the above period, but this amounts to just balancing out the previous bad luck, I think, as his season BABIP is now a more reasonable .291.
  18. ashbury
    Two more good starts since the last report. Six innings each, one earned run (and an unearned one) and none, six baserunners and five, five strikeouts and three, respectively. And no more home runs. Season ERA down to 2.20. Hip hip Jorge!
  19. ashbury
    It went pretty well for Tyler at first in Elizabethton, but he's currently mired in an 0-for-17 slump, counting the last three outs after singling in the first inning June 29. He's walking enough (5 in 42 PA) and he's gotten two home runs plus a double, in his 11 games, but his batting average is down to .176 and the OPS has slipped to .692 (from a brief high above 1.000). C'mon big guy!
  20. ashbury
    Well, it's too late in the evening for this transplated east-coaster. See you tomorrow.
  21. ashbury
    Even Nunez's helmet is faster than Sano. I agree about the risk of a lesser bat if it matters in the 11th. However pinch running for a rookie isn't quite the same as for an established slugger.
  22. ashbury
    Apparently Hunter felt likewise, and took steps to avert it.
  23. ashbury
    Tommy Hunter. Not closer Zach Britton. Standard 2015 strategy.
  24. ashbury
    Home game versus being on the road. You may disagree with the strategy. But it's not random. Let's see what Buck does in the bottom of the 9th, assuming Perk holds them.
  25. ashbury
    No, it doesn't. You stupid git. Score is 2-2, CBU. I blame (quickly checks the box score) Duensing, no wait, Fien.
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