MLB - 2007 Season

[Arrian]

Feel free to gloat. I just see Gagme in pinstripes.

Farnsworthless for Gagme. I'd do that deal in a heartbeat.

-Arrian

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian


Right, so being the Dodgers' closer was no pressure - less than being a setup guy in Boston? No.

Gagme was the Dodgers' closer before his arm blew up, and the Dodgers' haven't been serious playoff contenders since '88. I'd say Delcarmen's and Timlin's roles have far more pressure than being a closer in LA - the fan intensity is orders of magnitude higher, the local press is 180 degrees different, and the overall expectations just aren't the same.

There's the "pressure" of being a celebrity in southern Cali, but the fans are more into beachball (I've been to a lot of games in Dodger stadium, and it's just not like other crowds), and very very few fans (or the LA press) really get down on players. Strawberry being one of the rare exceptions, but even that was a small minority of the crowd, and the heat on Strawberry didn't originate with LA.

The biggest problem with being a ballplayer in LA is figuring out what to do with all the (more often than not enhanced) C-cup and D-cup groupies and the party scene.

I did read a report from some unnamed "AL GM" who said, at the time of the trade, that Gagne's stuff just wasn't what it used to be and that he might get pounded. That guy is sounding pretty smart right now, obviously.

Gagne needs to get his change over for strikes. If he does that, he'll get outs.

-Arrian

The thing I find strange is that there were all sorts of pre-season rumors, back before it was settled that Paps would go back to the closer role, and Epstein & Co. didn't bite for Gagme then, even though they obviously had no problem throwing money Boras' way.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Arrian


Farnsworthless for Gagme. I'd do that deal in a heartbeat.

-Arrian

Funny, so would I. Finally something in AL east baseball on which we both agree.

[Arrian]

Oh, if only I were Yankee GM and you were Boston GM. We'd make it happen.

Actually, Gagne might not clear waivers. Farns already did.

-Arrian

[Imran Siddiqui]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070822&content_id=2163692&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

BALTIMORE -- The Rangers smashed their way into the Major League record books on Wednesday night with the most runs scored in 110 years.

Marlon Byrd and Travis Metcalf both hit grand slams, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ramon Vazquez hit two home runs each as the Rangers walloped the Baltimore Orioles, 30-3, in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Camden Yards.

The 30 runs were the most in the Major Leagues since 1900. The Boston Red Sox scored 29 runs in a game in 1950 and the Chicago White Sox matched that in 1955. Chicago of the National League scored 36 runs in a game in 1897.

The Rangers entered the game hitting .190 with 10 runs scored in their previous five games but ended up setting a new club record with 29 hits. The previous record for most runs came in a 26-7 victory over the Orioles on April 19, 1996.

Byrd and Metcalf, who was just called up from Triple-A Oklahoma, became only the second pair of Rangers to hit grand slams in the same game. The other was July 4, 2004, when Hank Blalock and Mark Teixeira went deep with the bases loaded.

Rangers left-hander Kason Gabbard picked up his second victory for the Rangers despite trailing, 3-0, after three innings. He ended up going six, allowing seven hits and a walk and striking out three. He is now 6-1 with a 3.65 ERA overall with both the Rangers and the Boston Red Sox.

Saltalamacchia had seven RBIs, including a two-run single to get the Rangers started in the top of the fourth. Vazquez followed with a three-run home run that gave the Rangers a 5-3 lead against Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera.

Saltalamacchia then hit a home run to lead off the sixth, the first of 10 hits the Rangers had that inning. That tied a club record set on May 17, 2001, against the Cleveland Indians.

Reliever Brian Burres replaced Cabrera and the Rangers loaded the bases on a single by Vazquez, a walk to Frank Catalanotto and a single by Michael Young. Byrd then crushed one high and deep into the left-field seats for a grand slam, the third of his career.

That gave the Rangers a 10-3 lead, but they didn't stop there. Burres struck out Jason Botts, but the Rangers followed with six straight singles to bring home four runs. The Rangers finished with nine runs that inning but did even better later in the game.

Metcalf entered the game defensively for Young and hit a grand slam in the eighth inning off Rob Bell. Saltalamacchia added a three-run home run in a 10-run inning.

The Rangers scored six more in the ninth with the help of a two-run double by Botts and a three-run home run by Vazquez.

HOLY ****!!

[SlowwHand]

Amazing, isn't it? Some nights, all clicks I guess.

[Berzerker]

glad I didn't pick up Cabrera

[Arrian]

That's ridiculous. What amuses me about it is that it was the first game of a double-header. They had to go back out there and play again!

Thanks to Andy Pettitte, the Yanks salvaged game 3 against the Angels (it's always really close with them. 7-6 loss in extras in the first game. Turn that around and it's a series win), and the Yanks are again 5 out in the division and 1.5 out in the WC. They catch a break too, since Sheffield is hurt again and will not be playing in the upcoming series.

-Arrian

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Arrian
They catch a break too, since Sheffield is hurt again and will not be playing in the upcoming series.

-Arrian

Ugh.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Didn't help much last night. I was working late, so figured I'd catch the tail end of the MFY game on mlb.tv, since the Sox had already swept their double header.

MFY kept giving chances to put it away, and when Guillen hit it, you just knew it was done.

I was pretty impressed with how many Tigers fans were still in the ballpark at 3:30 am...

Now hopefully it's time for Bonderman to pull it all together. Let's go Tigers... Gotta root for the Angels and Mariners, too.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Now that was a good four days of baseball.

I don't really look for the Sox to do more than avoid a sweep in NY. If the Sox at least win one, there's no big momentum shift and it feels like a case of too little, too late. If the Sox win two or three, then it's pretty much time to stick a fork in the Yankees.

Much as I enjoyed that ass-whoopin' last night, it's a fluke. NY had a terrible series, at a time when the Tigers got it going.

Same thing, you can't read too much into the Sox - those Sox sweep. ChiSox just had nothing at either end, and the Sox got hot. Now it's back to reality.


I figure back at home with their backs against the wall and playing the Sox, the MFY will likely come back pretty strong.

Should be some great baseball.

[Arrian]

The Yanks ****ed themselves by losing two very close games on that roadtrip - one to Anaheim, one to Detroit.

The Red Sox opened up a can of whoopass on Chicago, but then that was what I was expecting (whilst hoping the ChiSox could muster one win). The White Sox are awful and the Red Sox are one of the best teams in the league, if not the best (the Angels could be considered).

Last night was nice, but at this point it's really all about winning some games and catching Seattle (whilst fending off the Tigers as well). Unless the Yankees sweep this series AND the one up at Fenway (which, needless to say, is rather unlikely), there is no division race anymore. Had the Yanks kept it at 4-5 games, things would've been a lot more interesting.

That said, thank goodness for Andy Pettitte. He's been HUGE for the Yanks this year. Joba got through it, but his control was off. Phew. Mo was dealing.

It appears that Mike Mussina (who, if you read the quotes, just sounds utterly defeated) has been demoted from the rotation and the Yankees are actually going to call up yet another pitching prospect, Ian Kennedy, to take his next start. Pretty cool, IMO, that the turn through the rotation will look like this:

Pettitte
Wang
Clemens
Hughes
Kennedy

For better or for worse, things sure have changed in the Bronx.

-Arrian

[OzzyKP]

16-0

[Arrian]

Meh. Season series 4-4, right? Neither of us has bragging rights.

I'm thankful for the 16-0, actually. Not the loss - that game was gonna be a loss no matter what as your team threw a shutout. No, I'm thankful because that game finally closed the book on one Mr. Sean Henn.

-Arrian

[Imran Siddiqui]

There are 162 games, so one loss, no matter how bad, doesn't particular have much impact, aside from the fact that perhaps it may lead a team to re-evaluate certain things. A huge loss may actually be good at times, as a team may realize a certain pitcher (or more than one pitcher) just isn't right, and it's easier to do something about if you lose that way than if it ends up being a close game.