MLB Season Discussion - 2013

Random thoughts:

Troy Tulowitzki is the NL MVP for the first 1/3 of the season in my opinion.

Max Scherzer, Clay Buchholz, and Patrick Corbin... just WOW in the pitching department.

Jim Johnson has 5 losses and 20 saves for the O's

Joey Votto and Shin-Soo Choo have a combined 89 walks.

 

The Jays biggest problem is Manager John Gibbons. Whoever though this retread was a good idea outside of Alex Anthopoulous, raise your hand.

When he was re-hired, AA spoke about how he has this laid back persona and how the Jays will benefit from it. Heck, at that press conference, Gibbons even looked like he was going to burst into laughter that someone had actually given him this job back.

With so many high level talents, this team needed a manager who was going to be hands on and force players to be accountable. This team continues to hire managers that are glorified spectators most games.

 

And yet another great performance by Travis Wood gone to waste.

 

Who would you suggest? Sandy Alomar Jr.?

 

Jerry Manuel or Art Howe

 

Bobby Valentine.

 

Dig up Billy Martin?

 

Bravos rout the Dodgers 8-1.

Nice to see Uggs back to his ol' form. He usually gets hot about this time.

 

I've been happy with Heyward since his comeback from the appendectomy. He's actually going to the opposite field for the first time in three years. He had a really good series in LA and got his avg to 200. Hopefully he keeps it going. I still think the true franchise player on the Braves is Freddie Freeman. He is the most consistent hitter they have and has been an RBI machine.

Also, it looks like Medlan is starting to find that groove that made him so good last year. I swear the Braves refuse to give him any run support to though.

 

I heard nothing but great things about DeMarlo Hale and Don Wakamatsu. I don't know enough about baseball to know these men's intricacies, but I stand by the belief that a team with this much talent needed a manager that would let them play, but wasn't afraid to crack the whip and hold them accountable. Gibbons' reactions to losses always seem to be "Aw shucks, well, we'll get 'em next time!"

 

Puig: one of the most exciting new players in a decade, and the Diamondbacks try to take his head off. I have to believe that was intentional. It's just too much of a coincidence. Greinke shouldn't have been the one to throw that pitch retaliatory pitch though. I'm glad he's standing up for his guy, but he's really not too bright.

 

Good grief! Greinke again!! I know they're at the bottom of that division but are they trying to scrap with everyone in it. <_<

 

Actually this one wasn't Greinke's fault. He was right to plunk Montero, but that should have been the end of it. Ian Kennedy then decided to be a dick...

 

I'm just going to go ahead and chalk up the Braves and Giants series this weekend as a sweep for the Giants. They absolutely own the Braves.

 

The suspensions are in from the Dodgers/D-Backs Royal Rumble. Man, who the hell did Hinske piss off. 5 games? Even the Dodgers said he was part peacemaker part punching bag trying to keep people away from each other. Puig got nothing? I know he is the golden child right now but he was punching people over their shoulder. MLB is really bad at this.

 

I saw those suspensions and found them laughable. I guess they couldn't suspend their hot asset right now, which if that was the case makes the whole suspension thing a joke. They should take a lesson from the NHL Department of Player Safety, where if you hit someone in the shoulder, they can be suspended for the remainder of a playoff series.

As for the Giants game tonight, good win for the Giants and nice to see Madbum get a good start. Giants pitching this year has been suspect at best, so to see two good solid starts back to back from Cain and Bumgarner is a good thing.

 

What is even worse is it took them three days with multiple camera angles to sort it all out and they were still dead wrong. Take a look at Skip Schumaker. He did absolutely nothing and got two games. Puig took a blatant cheap shot at Hinske in the scrum as well.

 

Eh, sometimes I think they just randomly hand out suspension sentences... because there's no consistency to how they're handed out as is.

 

I had the same thought. I didn't even realize Hinske was out there until I read the suspension list. That Puig didn't get even a single game is ridiculous. He was the primary instigator of the second part of the melee. MLB needs an overhaul.

--Sran

 

Mark Teixeira is hurt again