Jays won 9-2 against the Angels last night and are up 15-3 in the 9th

Sign this kid up...

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Andy Pettitte Day at the Stadium today. Here's hoping the Yankees can split the series with Cleveland.

Mariners DFA Fernando Rodney.

Damn. What the hell happened with him?

He got old. He's almost 40 and relievers are liable to hit a wall at any time.

Thinking about the Dombrowski signing makes me wonder if he'll employ the same strategy A's Detroit, where he used the farm system as currency.

Gezzus....Kris Bryant is 3 for 3, 2HR, HBP so far. Hes one of the top 10 hitters in the NL (even though he isnt in the top ten in RBI and has a .253 Batting ave, ya know). Amazing.

I'm guessing the Angels pitchers won't be sad to see the Jays go. 9 runs the first night, 15 last night and 6 threw 3 innings.

Lol Jays win 12-5. Amazing. They scored 36 runs over the 3 game series with the Angels.

Yankees choke away the series to the Indians. And lose Sabathia to his haunting knee injury.

Back to the 5-man rotation it is.

Jorge Posada's number retired? I think Murderer's Row is rolling in their graves.

Yesterday. Andy Pettitte's today.

Fuck, the Jays had 48 hits over this past series.

Very worried about peaking.

Cubs have the 4th best record in Baseball and are 3rd in their division. Insane. Really cool to see them absolutely dominating the teams they should be dominating. Now they go on the road against SF and LA so this should be a good litmus test.

Peaking is a myth in my opinion. Teams that are truly mentally tough, won't worry about mythical factors such as that. They simply take one game at a time, and give it all they got.

Heymen, it's a joke about Dro ford saying Toronto was peaking to early about a month ago. Because Baltimore is, in theory, going to catch then because of said peaking.

Peaking too early? Droford is the guy who thought the standings in April mattered.

Kris Bryant does it again.

<font color=goldenrod>Mets were losing 7-2 after 3 innings in Philly. Wind up winning 16-7 with a team record 8 home runs.</font>

Heard David Wright went yard in his return. How'd that feel?

Wait...how many guys were on base for his home run? That will determine if it was a good at bat.

It was just a measly solo shot. But the Mets did win 15 RBI to 5. Consider that game quantified.

Go fuck yourselves

I don't mean that. Goddammit, Phillies

Paying $200 million for Heyward is still insane, btw. Great defense isn't enough to justify that for an average hitter.

Unless it's Ozzie Smith, obviously. How much would that be per backflip? Totally worth it.

Which means Amaro will do it in December after extending Dom Brown for 8 years.

Gem of a game between the Yankees and Astros last night. Pitchers duel all the way to the end. Yanks win with a walk off sac fly.

Pineda expected to start tomorrow

In my MLB The Show franchise, the Phils do indeed sign Heyward to a mega deal if thats any indication....:shifty:

It just seems like the perfect final move for him to make, assuming he's on his way outta town.

<font color=goldenrod>In my MLB The Show franchise I wound up with Josh Reddick, Dee Gordon, Troy Tulowtizki, and Chris Sale all at a fairly minimal cost of prospects. I am an excellent GM.</font>

I don't think you're getting that he's an above average hitter. Because he has been. His entire career.

That's because he hasn't been.

I'm not saying he's bad. But you're making him out to be on par with guys like Cabrera and Trout, which he is not and never has been.

266/351/431-Heyward's caree line

260/326/407-league average over his career

So all those numbers are above the league average. Thus , he's above league average. You can't seriously be this daft.

Lol nobody has compared to either of those players and this is the first that comparison is even being brought up, by you no less. Mike Trout is the best player in the game.

I don't get why you feel that there's any comparison to those players. Heyward is in that next tier and he's gonna get paid handsomely for it, maybe even overpaid, just like Trout would be if he hit the market and as well as Cabrera.

.266 is still not worth $200 million.

Also I did not say anyone compared him to those players, nor did I directly compare him to anyone. But you are making him seem better than he is, which is why I made the statement.

Why is this so difficult for you? To me, Jason Heyward is not worth paying $200 million, based on watching him do baseball things against the Phillies (and other teams) for 5+ years. But feel free to justify that contract however you want.

No we're not. What's lost in translation is,as you've already stated, you're hung up on counting numbers and using it as a basis to judge what Heyward is worth.

And nobody said he was better or is making him sound better than Trout. That's your own interpretation made by God knows what.

He's an excellent player. He does everything, EVERYTHING better, in many cases far better than a league average player, and he'll be paid handsomely. There isn't any one player except maybe Trout and Stanton, who are worth the gigantic contractual obligations. Heyward probably is not really a $200 million player, and honestly, he's likely not going to get that much. But he's for sure with lot of money regardless of you think he's worth it or comprehend why he's as valuable as he is.

It's an interpretation based on your claiming he's some kind of Godsend, which he is not. What's lost is that you think I'm only looking at stats. Sure, I don't give a shit about WAR (a pro is better than a scrub off the street - yay!).

But based on what I have watched him do on the field, combined with his numbers (since they do still matter, despite what you might think) he is not a guy who should get that much money.

It's not that hard to get. You think he's great and worth ~$200mil. I think he's just good and worth less. That's it.

Also today is Albert Belle's 49th birthday.

Fuck yeah, Albert Belle.

lol jason heyward

Can you point out where myself or anyone claimed him being a godsend? I believe that's just what you're interpreting but I've yet to see anyone praise him as anything other than a very,very good player who's about to get paid.

And yes, numbers do matter, nobody's using intangibles or hyperbole to describe him. They're using numbers.

http://deadspin.com/and-now-curt-sch...t-m-1726385341

<font color=goldenrod>Curt Schilling is such an asshole. How he only got suspended by ESPN for this is beyond me. Bill Simmons got fired for way less.</font>

whatever, he is still badass for going all vigilante on a bunch of Twitter scumbags for creeping on his daughter

Remember Vito, Curt needs money. Bad.

Probably begged for a suspension at the very least.

also, this definitely falls under pfwd's thread about the internet in general

OH MY GOD HOW COULD CURT SCHILLING SAY SOMETHING ABOUT MUSLIMS #hottake

Because he has cancer. I cannot see any other reason other than sympathizing for his recently conquered illness.

First off, you don't know what WAR stands for or at least comprehend the concept. If you did, you wouldn't say "a pro is better than a scrub off the street" because that's not what it means.

What Damian and I are arguing is that you're using antiquated metrics to quantify a players performance. We've given examples of why batting average is only a small piece of the pie. Ex: Kris Bryant is hitting .262 right now....if he were a free agent, what kind of contract do you think he would get this offseason? $200 mil would be a home town discount to put it mildly.

No one compared Hayward to Trout or Cabrerra. His scouting report was summed up and supported by data which all comes out to "hes getting paid very well" after this season.

<font color=goldenrod>I dunno...comparing an entire religion to Nazis kinda something that people can justifiably get angry about.

Much more than the minute bullshit people love to rave about online.</font>

Kris Bryant is so dreamy. Those eyes, tho! And yeah, he'd be getting Cano money if he was a free agent right now. Can you imagine what Bryce Harper is going to get? He might set a record.

Nah...Bryce Harper isn't even top 20 in RBI. He's just ok. I would take Kendrys Morales over him any day since he passes my eye test.

<font color=goldenrod>Harper will get like $300 million from the Yankees and he'll hit 50 HR a year into that Little League porch</font>

lol...he might make that during his arb years alone.

(thats a joke, screech)

<font color=goldenrod>Normally I'd groan at the thought of the Yanks getting a guy like Harper. But screw it. I don't want to have to watch him play against the Mets 18 times a year.</font>

I was being facetious with the WAR remark. I am not only looking at average and the like with this, that was just the first thing that came to mind, plus it's not something to be ignored (which you both seem to be doing in shitting on me for pointing to it).

Since you missed it, I'll say again: I did not compare Heyward to Trout or Cabrera, nor did I say anyone did. The point was that those guys have produced enough to be worth $200 million. From what I've seen from Heyward, which is quite a bit since he played for a rival for 5 years, he hasn't and isn't worth $200 million right now.

As much as I love Harper, he kills the Phillies so I'd be happy to see him leave the division.

Who doesn't kill the Phillies these days, amirite?


:(

Isn't Harper like a total headcase? If I were the Yankees, I'd pass on him.

Early on he was, but I think he's "grown up" a lot this year.

i.e. I haven't heard any stories lately.

Batting average has lost value and relevance in recent years because getting a hit is nice, but avoiding outs is more important. On base percentage is far more important and telling than batting average.

Red Sox working out Hanley at first base. I guess he can't do much worse than LF.

Should have done it earlier in the season had Cherrington not created a log jam at the position (and DH). Outside of some stretches, he's been pretty bad at LF compared to what they have available for that spot.

They signed him knowing full well he was pretty poor at SS and had someone better there nor could move him to 1B since a few guys already took that spot. Couldn't give him the DH spot either since Ortiz and 1-2 other guys were already set there.

Yes, but whats his batting average?

Need to know his BABIP to be positive.

It was really a matter of time before he was moved. Weren't they talking about trading him, or was that just a rumor?

Can imagine that conversation: "You suck at half your job. Go do it somewhere else."

Mostly just rumors and same about them trying to do another salary purge like a few years ago. Read somewhere a while ago that the money they currently have tied up already puts them in the Top 5 for the next several seasons.

If they wanted to trade Hanley or Panda any time soon, they'd have to be the "Dodgers" of any deal in the sense of them eating most of the salary and tossing in prospects. Already had to with the Napoli trade earlier in the month by sending cash to help cover what he's owed.

BABIP could help you predict his batting average.....:shifty:

Jays win again with 2 in the 9th!

:-\ NESN getting rid of the Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy commentary team after this season. Orsillo got officially fired today but staying till end of the season while Remy's own contract is up after next season so he could be next.

Those two were great together in the booth and made horrible seasons feel at least a bit more enjoyable with their comedy antics and stories.

It is, but being barely above average still doesn't make Heyward worth $200 million. He has been consistently good at everything. Not great (well maybe defense), not excellent, but good. Should he get a raise based on that consistency? Sure, but $200 million is a leap.

Phillies need 12 wins to finish with fewer than 100 losses on the year. This is what I have to be excited about

Also holy shit at how bad Jerome Williams has looked compared to the second half of last year. He was at least serviceable.

You should root for them to lose to ensure a better draft pick. Avoiding an arbitrary number of losses doesn't do any good.

I was hoping the Padres packed it in July but alas, they decided they could pretend they could still compete.

<font color=goldenrod>Never really understood how any fan could openly root for their team to lose. I understand the logic behind it but even if I were in a situation where losing would help my team I could never sit there and cheer when the other team does something good.</font>

I've convinced myself that the season won't be a waste if they lose fewer than 100. I had low expectations, obviously.

Plus I proclaimed on my show that they would not finish with the worst record in the league lol

Also what Vito said. I can't actively root against my team. I just can't. Especially since a lot of their remaining games are divisional.

I was rooting for the Cubs to lose the last few years. They were doing a top to bottom rebuild and were in no way competing anytime soon. They needed top draft picks. Sure, you want to see good things from some of the guys who might be around for the long run, but in hindsight I'm sure happy they lost those few extra games otherwise no Bryant or Schwarber.

Can't cheer for my team to lose no matter how lucrative the draft pick is.

I'd like to think at least the players on the team would be actively trying not to lose as well. You figure on top of everything else there'd also be the thought that, "Hey, if we lose more we'll have more chance of drafting a guy that will potentially replace me" so more incentive to keep winning

Players get paid regardless. From a player standpoint, winning 81 games instead of 75 doesn't do much for them neither financially or from a job security standpoint.

Maybe root was the wrong word. I am not rooting for the Padres to lose nor do I cheer when the other team gets the upper hand. However, if and when they lose I don't care and in th long it's better for them anyways. Especially if they furnish the bottom ten. They get a top ten pick and can sign free agents without surrendering their first rounder.

Gotta think long term of you're a losing team. For instance, what reason do the Phillies have for revoking Francouer from waivers? What benefit does he provide that they can't be without? The answer is nothing.

Only sport that seems ok to do is with basketball but even in the NBA it gets ridiculous at times with teams tanking right at the start. Then again they also have a lottery that feels more rigged than legit so no guarantees tanking would even be worth it.

Jeff Francouer is a hero and you will respect him as such

Plus the more he plays the less I have to see Domonic Brown, who is my least favorite player.

(maybe not ALL his fault, but that's another discussion)

I hope Francouer gets traded and Dominic Brown bats lead off for the rest of the season.

You sir, are the worst

Gertner is the greatest heel I've ever known.

Meanwhile in Texas, the Jays are kicking the shit out of the Rangers 10-2. Encarnacion with a grand slam.


Fuuuuuuuuck I love the Jays offence!

Lol oh God, Bautista up with bases loaded, no outs in the 7th.

JV still got it

<font color=goldenrod>Remember when the Mets traded for Eric O'Flaherty and I said "I don't care about his 5.91 ERA, the reason they're getting him is that he carves up lefties who are only hitting .186 against him"

In the 3 weeks since coming to the Mets, lefties are now hitting him at a .444 clip with a 2.70 WHIP :| He has a 15.88 ERA through 9 games with the Mets. Total season ERA up to an even 8.00. And in 2 of those games he came in with a huge lead and single-handedly allowed the other team to get back into the game.

It's a small sample size, but I've seen enough. I'd rather not have a lefty specialist at all than try desperately to get something out of him. He's just totally shot.</font>

all I'm reading is PHIL COKE PHIL COKE PHIL COKE

<font color=goldenrod>I'd rather have Phil Coke than O'Flaherty at this point.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>Hell I'd rather they call up this kid from Double A who got signed out of independent ball this year. Josh Smoker. Excellent name for a pitcher.</font>

Twins have activated their peak factor and took control of the second wildcard spot last night. Hope they didn't play their hand too early. Peak factor timing is everything these days.

While glancing at the standings earlier this morning on mlb.com I looked at the Wild Card list... they show the division leaders on top and then the WC race below. For whatever reason I never noticed this before but it's shown like this:

E - Toronto
C - Kansas City
W - Houston


E C DUB
E C DUB
E C DUB

I wanna see Donaldson put Yordano Ventura through a flaming table

Well, Jays have peaked. They lost to Texas. Probably will get passed by the Red Sox at this pace.

That's what you get!

<font color=goldenrod>Mets recover from an early 5-0 deficit, pull off the play of the year in the 10th inning, and win 9-5 in the 13th. They've hit a franchise record 43 home runs this month, and have scored a franchise record 73 runs in the past week.

This must be how Gertner feels watching the Jays.</font>

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/8879118...ild-deflection

200 million. Yeah, you guys can have the frosted shit brick back.

<font color=goldenrod>Baseball Prospectus playoff odds updated daily

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/odds/

Padres still have a 0.1% chance to rectify not being sellers at the deadline. Sorry, Damian Rey.</font> :o

It's okay. I've come to terms with that lousy decision. I'm hoping they indeed do not resign Upton to gain a draft pick, trade Kimbrel, Norris and Ross in the off season to try and reload the organization, and finish in the bottom ten do they can splurge on free agents without giving up draft picks this time.

These daft owners aren't going to mail it like they should've done this year with the all-star game coming. Wouldn't be shocked to see them be aggressive in adding cheap talent via trades and going for broke in the free agent market.

Jack Zduriencik....

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I knew it was only a matter of time.

Supposedly he faked being a sabermetrics guy to get the job and just paid lip service to it after.