They're WS favorites anyways. It's not like they're the Nationals right now, who are hoping for a hot streak. They're in first, they've been there virtually all year, and not much is going to change, seeing as, despite both Cleveland and KC getting better, they're not going to overthrow an immensely talented Tigers team.

Not to mention, Benoit has been absolutely dominating. 1.73 era, 11.4 k/9, 1.04 whip. By God, he's been fuckign amazing. Detroit doesn't need a closer. They just need to let Benoit pitch the 9th.

Then you make the rest of your bullpen weaker by taking him out of the 8th. They're not exactly running away with that division. Blowing 9th inning leads against KC and CLE will kill them.

<font color=goldenrod>Shaun Marcum done for the year. Finishes with a 1-10 record. Damn. Sandy may as well have wiped his ass with that $4 million.</font>

No Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Luis Castillo, et al... Love the Mets

Mostly because the Yankees are worse with moves like that but manage to get some championships and even playoff appearances.

Word going around is that MLB is going to hand out suspensions to Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, and as many as 20 others due to their involvement with the Biogenesis scandal.

Braun and A-Rod could be looking at 100 game suspensions.

From mlbtraderumors.com

Perfect timing.

According to ESPN, at least with Braun its because he still is refusing to answer any questions related to PEDs to the point MLB no longer wants to waste their time with him.

At least 10 guys are rumored to be getting the 100 games while the other 10 would just get the 50 games either because they admitted to it or didn't bother stalling.

Ill bitch about my tickets, but today I went to the park on a nice summer night and saw the next Mickey Mantle (Mike Trout), a future HOFer in Pujols, and a crazy story complete with comeback in Josh Hamilton.

Travis Wood was dealing again.

Travis "Gives Drebin" Wood

Fuck I hate my Jays. Can't even remember being this frustrated with my Leafs.

There used to be a time we could beat the Royals with ease. Even with a depleted roster.

I'm sure I have an old "We got Wood" tshirt from the Kerry Wood days around here somewhere. I'll wear it, and only it, just for you.

Break up the Cubs!

Oh wait. They're going to.

Win-win for the Phillies, right? That would be a terrible trade.

Jays got shut out last night by Ubaldo Jimenez

Yup. That happened.

Tigers gave up 23 hits to the White Sox.

At home.

With Verlander pitching.

Alex Rios had 6 hits.

Sports makes sense.

What happened to Verlander this year, rdd? Is his velocity down or just getting hit more?

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx...700&position=P

His K/9 is still very, very good. He is a power pitcher who still can throw it past guys better than almost anyone. The velocity IS down a touch but it clearly hasn't had too much of an effect. He can still dial it up to the high 90s if need be, even late in games. One of the "trademarks" of JV has always been his ability to almost seamlessly switch from a 98 mph fastball to 91 mph and back again, within 3 pitches. He hasn't lost that, though I don't think he's been throwing any 101mph pitches in the 8th inning this season (much like he did last year).

What is alarming to me is his BB/9 and BABIP stats. His walk rate is way above his normal.

The BABIP suggests bad defense, but that isn't exactly a startling revelation with this Tigers club. Though I think it shows more that he's been "unlucky" this season as opposed to seasons past where he's been much "luckier" in terms of balls hit in play. Interestingly, Scherzer has a .266 BABIP this season. Also oddly, Scherzer tends to get much better run support. Maybe the team just plays better when Scherzer's on the mound? /shrug Maybe JV is a dick.

I mean.. his home runs and ground ball rate are still very good. He hasn't even really been pitching badly. He had an issue with his mechanics earlier in the season that's supposedly been fixed with the pitching coach, and he has had a couple good outings since then (before last night).

I think it's mostly a combination of simple regression from human cyborg pitcher to just human pitcher, getting his dick wet with Kate Upton, and the millions upon millions of dollars he is swimming in. IDK. I'm not really worried, let's see how he pitches in September before raising any alarms imo.

God damnit, RDD. I offered nearly the same exact analyses a few pages back, you swine!

He's only walking one extra batter per 9. It's not like his walk rate has doubled. Maybe that one walk per is hurting him, but, like you said, k/9 is great, babip is high, walks are a bit. Nothing really wrong, imo.

Although, I find it funny how easy it is for nobodies like all of us to go on baseball reference, look at his numbers, and realise that walking an extra batter every 9 innings and seeing a spike in his babip is really the reason behind Verlander's "off" year, but, on MLB Network, schlub analyst Mitch Williams is busy breaking down three videos of Verlander's delivery that look completely identical, and reaching to show us "why" Verlander was different in each one. Schmucks, some of these guys are.

Oh, I tend not to really actually *read* these gargantuan threads, and maybe only check the previous 10 or so posts before chiming in with my ALMIGHTY VOICE OF REASON. It is a behavioural problem I have had since my internet forum posting infancy.

Anyway. I agree, I don't think anything is "wrong" per se, we're just so used to such a high standard with JV that him posting "pedestrian" numbers seems unnatural to what we're accustomed to. Compounded in that is the huge contract extension he just received, so people expect/demand him to keep up at an incredibly unsustainable pace.


And yeah, sportscasters in general are kind of dopes. It amazes me how some people get these jobs.

Have you ever listen to Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler contradict themselves 50 over a game?

Still better than Jamie Campbell.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>David Ortiz has broken the all-time MLB record for hits by a DH. Ortiz now has 1,689 career hits as a DH, 1 more than Harold Baines.</p>&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/statuses/355154872158519299">July 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Kawasaki!!!!

#LetsGoBucs

I would still take Edgar and Molitor in their primes over Ortiz in his

Paul Molitor was a pimp. Feel like this generation has largely forgotten him.

Undoubtedly. I remember as a kid watching him in Toronto and then Minnesota. Guy was about 40 and still lit it up at the plate.

Buck Martinez sounds exactly like Rockies color commentator George Frazier

it's super jarring whenever I watch Blue Jays broadcasts

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip, the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Minus the cold and dead part, JETERRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I admit to feeling really bad over sweeping the ALCS last year because of the Jeter injury. Nobody wants to win that way.

Eh don't worry, the rest of the team sucked. They finished the season hot, then the bats showed up ice cold for the playoffs.

It's pretty remarkable just how well they're playing this season, considering the injuries they've suffered and some of the god-awful talent they're fielding some days. That team would be scary if even one or two of those major injuries hadn't occurred.

The pitching is really what has kept them going. The 5-9 hitters could have been the worst 5-9 in the AL, 4-9 depending on if Hafner or Wells are in there.

SuperNova may have found his groove. Definitely a big + for the good guys.

IchiroJeter
Cano
Wells
Overbay
Almonte
Nunez
Cruz
Romine

Derek Jeter's the second best shortstop who wears the number 2 to make his glorious return today

Jeter singles in his first at bat, all is right.