*** OFFICIAL *** MLB 2021 Thread

[Sanlmar]

Blue Jays rookie Alek Manoah pitching well in his debut vs the Yankees.

Would be a nice addition to the starting rotation. Maybe grab one more pitcher via trade and then some bullpen help.

I spent more time on this game than any other. I flip flopped hard. In the end the Jays offense scared me straight.

Bo Bichette’s hair flowing in the sunlight during his home run trot. We flopped well. Two more streets to fade.

I was listening to the Yankees radio announcer John Sterling describe Menorah’s mother losing her mind in the stands.

John Sterling was also mercilessly ripping the Yankees offense starting in the 1st inning. “This cannot continue”. “Something must be done”. It’s so refreshing after accidentally selecting the Dodgers feed with the insufferable Dodgers fan boy Joe Davis. Always sounds like he’s officiating something historic. West Coast vs East Coast.

[padre33]

Blue Jays rookie Alek Manoah pitching well in his debut vs the Yankees.

Would be a nice addition to the starting rotation. Maybe grab one more pitcher via trade and then some bullpen help.

I spent more time on this game than any other. I flip flopped hard. In the end the Jays offense scared me straight.

Bo Bichette’s hair flowing in the sunlight during his home run trot. We flopped well. Two more streets to fade.

I was listening to the Yankees radio announcer John Sterling describe Menorah’s mother losing her mind in the stands.

John Sterling was also mercilessly ripping the Yankees offense starting in the 1st inning. “This cannot continue”. “Something must be done”. It’s so refreshing after accidentally selecting the Dodgers feed with the insufferable Dodgers fan boy Joe Davis. Always sounds like he’s officiating something historic. West Coast vs East Coast.

Safe turn card. Sweet MLB debut. Dodgers announcers suck. Yankees announcers are great especially when he goes, "SSSSsssseeeyaa!" for a dinger. I'm sweating Jays and under too.

Jays game 2 and over for insurance if Robbie Ray gets bombed.

[Sanlmar]

Dodgers Bauer really taught those Astros a lesson, didn’t he?



I know the Dodgers pen is awful but Roberts letting Bauer pitch 120+ In Bauer’s prior start was just Davey Boy being a players manager and not a boss. I think it cost the Dodgers a win.

We will watch Bauer going forward. Bauer is gonna need to hold his GoPro stick with his other hand.

Exactly how long before his team mates get sick of the self absorbed shit. I mean I like Bauer’s Vlog but if I were a team mate I’d be trashing him.

[Dan Druff]

To be fair, the Dodgers bullpen really blew that Bauer game. Bauer allowed 2 runs in 6 innings. The bullpen put them behind another 3.

Anyway, Muncy must read PFA. Right when I wrote about his psycholgoical problems with swinging the bat, all of a sudden he started swinging -- and connecting.

He's been the best hitter in the NL since then, and has an OPS of almost 1.000 overall, despite that miserable slump. He also now has 11 HR, many of them very clutch (including today's).

He's been the team's best hitter thus far. Turner carried them at the beginning, but he's slowed down considerably, which I kinda expected, given he's 36 1/2.

[padre33]

Padres about to be 4-1 in Extra innings games on the road. 1-2 @home. Its OK to be wrong sometimes Druff. Get off that home team has huuuge advantage in extra innings games stance before the end of season numbers shows nobody has that big of edge. Big fan of the new rule, only if it stays for playoffs. Which I think it does..

[Dan Druff]

Padres about to be 4-1 in Extra innings games on the road. 1-2 @home. Its OK to be wrong sometimes Druff. Get off that home team has huuuge advantage in extra innings games stance before the end of season numbers shows nobody has that big of edge. Big fan of the new rule, only if it stays for playoffs. Which I think it does..

Anecdotal!

I'm pretty sure that this new rule will be found to do two things:

1) Help bad teams

2) Help home teams, unless the visting team is substantially worse than the home team


Also, it's not MLB's problem, but this really wreaks havoc upon totals bets. Makes it super easy for a good under pick to get fucked.

[Dan Druff]

It's May 29, and Luis Castillo, thought to be a sleeper for 2021, has been a different kind of sleeper.

He's lost 8 games!

The Reds are over .500 in the games he hasn't pitched.

[Dan Druff]

You guys seen this?

[gut]

You guys seen this?

Yeah, it was funny but also....its the Pirates. Bless their hearts.

Fun fact: Will Craig (the 1B there) won a minor league gold glove in 2019.

That was just a classic bonehead maneuver you see probably too often. Guys forgetting the count, forgetting how many outs there are, umps forgetting both. Urshela on the Yankees drew a 3 ball walk the next night.

At the end of the day, a really smart play by Baez.

[Dan Druff]

Two excellent catches by young Cardinals outfielders saved the game for them... one in the 8th, one in the 9th to end it.

The Tyler O'Neill catch was amazing. Betts hit a rocket to LF which would've scored two (and maybe gone out anyway), and O'Neill made a running, JUMPING catch to the side.

Willie was watching it along with me, rooting for the opposite result I was. He said he also though the Caridnals lost there.

[Dan Druff]

Mike Marshall (the Cy Young pitcher) died this week at 78.

Here's an interesting article about him and his ahead-of-their-time pitching concepts.

In short, many of his ideas were eventually adopted into MLB, but his eccentricities and brusque personality prevented him from getting credit or properly monetizing them.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-mike-marshall

[Dan Druff]

Also, once again... LOL Mets

$341m for Lindor. Ouch.

[MrTickle]

LOL mets? 27-21 with half the team injured... I'll take that

[Dan Druff]

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/AaronGleeman/status/1401156213363073034

[BCR]

Go figure, the one game of the series I was able to watch was where we lost in extras.

Enjoyed watching Maeda (hurt, now we know) vs Bieber. But goddamn its scary vs that Indians team going to the 8th tied up knowing theyre trotting out Clase and then Karinchak...and we have.....shit.

Shit (aka Colome) lost it that game. Was glad to see the homer on Karinchak the next day though.

Regardless, the Clase & 'chak combo at the end is really terrifying.

We just brought this kid up. Another 24 year old from our Dominican Republic pipeline. Our dugout is basically Little Santo Domingo.

First game was that game you were blowing us out 10-0, but he struck out 5 in 2.1. Came in and looked like he had sick stuff again tonight. Throws 98, nasty curve. Big kid. It’s really early, but for any fantasy keeper guys, he looks like he might have a bright future. If we find a middle innings guy to go with the 2 you mentioned, it’s going to be really sick.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/40421

Indians stink right now, just injuries and so young and no offense, but this kid got a bullpen start last night. Threw 3 innings of one hit ball. Has pitched 8 innings so far, given up two hits, no runs, like 9ks. First time I saw him he looked like he had great stuff and might potentially grow into a starter. Still very early and this kid came out of nowhere. He’s not one of the kids I heard talked about as he had played single A, lost a year to a hip surgery, and then Covid, so he wasn’t one of the minors guys there was much talk about. Like what I see still.

[Sanlmar]

So Druff, are you and Dwai taking some joy in the Mookie Betts rough patch?

Diversity might explain the Dodgers struggles? 2019..... nods head

[Sanlmar]

Welcome to another edition of the Dodger Whisperer.

I have elected to post here as what I am about to confess is essentially past posting. I believe I can offer a teaching moment that should scare gamblers to safer wagers like AMC.

First the facts:
Parlay:
Baseball - 951 Los Angeles Dodgers -182 for Game
Tennis - 201020 Zverev, Alexander -753 for Match W

I knocked Dodgers down to -133.
I’m ALL IN. It’s Bitcoin time if I lose.
Am I happy? Not really. Beating the line is over rated. Being right matters.


Let’s talk about Walker Buehler. Perhaps we need to talk again about spin rates and cheating LAD aka Spin City.

I really don’t care about the cheating (it’s baseball) but the holier than thou bullshit is ridiculous from LA. Calling them out. It’s my job. I’m good at it and I play to my strength.

The Dodgers’ main four starting pitchers this season — Trevor Bauer, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urías — rank in the top nine for average four-seam fastball spin rates among qualified pitchers entering Saturday, according to Baseball Savant. Bauer is first, Buehler second, Kershaw eighth and Urías ninth.

A quick glance at Major League Baseball’s spin rate leaderboards — accessible for anyone with a computer and an internet connection — is all that’s needed to know that the Dodgers’ pitching staff spins baseballs better than any other.

Sports Illustrated took it one step further in a report this week, calculating that the Dodgers have increased their spin rate by 7.04% from last season to this season, more than any other team. The report referred to Los Angeles as “Spin City.”

Trevor Bauer is positively taunting the MLB. He is offering a Prima Facie case - before and after.

He gives zero fucks about the attention he is drawing to his team mates. His father was a pitching coach. Pitching “right” is his crusade. It’s his brand. That will be forever. Long after the Dodgers.

Bauer wants the attention. He will throw the ball over the center field fence and post vlogs daily. He is a Kardashian.


I believe the Dodgers and Buehler will throw the same shit until the league gives them a call. But has that call been made?

Dodgers against this righty gas can Brubaker for Pittsburgh should be fine. Pittsburgh has the bullpen edge and we will have to fade that.

Maybe Dodgers team total was the correct answer. I believe -130’ish is the right price not -200. Trying to luckbox a value pick with Pittsburgh is not winning baseball or gambling.

But enough about me.

I think the Dodgers and Spin City is the greatest story in baseball.

[Sanlmar]

and Buehler is a nice white kid - they all are

[Sanlmar]

Thinking about Bauer while they construct the gallows for me.... I recall Mike Doc Marshall of the Dodgers.

He was a pitcher who had eccentric ideas about pitching. I remember reading about him in Sports Illustrated when I was a kid. He was a difficult guy and he suffered a lot of criticism.

You see Trevor Bauer throwing weighted balls backwards in his Vlog - yup Doc Marshall in the 80’s

His methods resulted in Cy Young awards for a student or two if I am not mistaken . credit spin rate to his ground breaking ideas.

He will be immortal in pitching history.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-mike-marshall

I believe Doc Marshall offers some insight into Trevor Bauer’s psyche.

Trouble is coming. Bauer & I can’t wait. Just make it tomorrow.

[Dan Druff]

Bizarre.

Hayes of the Pirates hit what looked like a HR, but went off the high wall, so might have also been a double. Then they ruled it a HR very quickly.

Then the Dodgers challenged it, saying he didn't touch first when circling the bases. Indeed, he didn't, and he was out.

0-0 game.

Wow.