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[Meier]

Man, I want Halladay to win the Cy Young just so your only reason to post in here is destroyed.

Edit: Damn it, that was directed at Puddles. You post about other stuff sometimes, Meier.

:lol Well, in his defense, Dodgers fans don't have too much to cheer for these days... Kershaw, Kemp and praying for the MLB to sell the team.

 

[RBH]

Win your own games, pal. Maybe Braves shouldn't have nearly got swept over the weekend.

It's a shameful thing.

 

[Meier]

Just looked at the Rays versus the Red Sox's remaining games.. ouch. Gonna be tough to envision the Rays not going fishing.

 

[Meier]

Aww bummer, Kershaw just gave up a HR. I was a little surprised that Mattingly sent him out since he was already around 100 pitches.

 

[Lambtron]

Remember when Lambtron thought they were making a comeback?

Man, that was funny.

I had like three weeks of fun baseball this season. Don't take that away from me, motherfucker.

Bill Smith's got to be shitcanned after this season, especially after trading J.J. Hardy to the Orioles for nothing and watching him hit 30 home runs.

Remember how I was melting down about this and you all laughed? God he fucking sucks.

Maybe at the end of all this the Twins end up with a competent general manager and Mark Appel, that would almost make it worth it.

Spoiler

Oh who the fuck am I kidding. Smith won't get fired, he'll give Cuddyer $60 million, CJ Wilson $85 million, they'll draft some finesse college arm who will immediately shred every ligament in his arm, Mauer will get AIDS, and Aaron Hicks will collide with Miguel Angel Sano in the outfield and they'll both break their necks. And I'll probably bump into eznark at Target Field and he'll kick the shit out of me.

 

[weekend_warrior]

Just looked at the Rays versus the Red Sox's remaining games.. ouch. Gonna be tough to envision the Rays not going fishing.

You'd think so, but man, you really got to watch the sox to appreciate how shitty they're playing.

 

[hemtae]

Anyone who doesn't vote for Kershaw as the Cy Young is a fucking idiot.

Eh, Kershaw and Halladay have been pitching pretty much at the same level this season. It isn't really that big of a gap to grant an indisputable winner

 

[The Frankman]

It's a shameful thing.

 

[darkside31337]

Spoiler

Oh who the fuck am I kidding. Smith won't get fired, he'll give Cuddyer $60 million, CJ Wilson $85 million, they'll draft some finesse college arm who will immediately shred every ligament in his arm, Mauer will get AIDS, and Aaron Hicks will collide with Miguel Angel Sano in the outfield and they'll both break their necks. And I'll probably bump into eznark at Target Field and he'll kick the shit out of me.

Man that's really negative, hard to read. You gotta look at all the positives for the Twins future like

Yeah it's bad.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

Well, thank god they traded Wilson Ramos to the Nationals for just Matt Capps. And gave nearly $200 million to Mauer. Mauer's not going to decline at all and they have no need for Ramos!

 

[rc213]

lol Moletran

 

[Meier]

Eh, Kershaw and Halladay have been pitching pretty much at the same level this season. It isn't really that big of a gap to grant an indisputable winner

It's a lot easier to be a great pitcher when your opponents have to prepare for a couple other aces and your team actually has an offense I'm guessing. Kershaw trumps him in every stat and has carried the Dodgers. He's going to basically be responsible for 1/4th our wins himself.

Phew, Kershaw got himself into a bit of a jam but then struck out Panda and Beltran back to back.

 

[rc213]

It's a lot easier to be a great pitcher when your opponents have to prepare for a couple other aces and your team actually has an offense I'm guessing. Kershaw trumps him in every stat and has carried the Dodgers. He's going to basically be responsible for 1/4th our wins himself.

Phew, Kershaw got himself into a bit of a jam but then struck out Panda and Beltran back to back.

Jansen K panda and moletran.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

It's a lot easier to be a great pitcher when your opponents have to prepare for a couple other aces and your team actually has an offense I'm guessing. Kershaw trumps him in every stat and has carried the Dodgers. He's going to basically be responsible for 1/4th our wins himself.

Phew, Kershaw got himself into a bit of a jam but then struck out Panda and Beltran back to back.

Jansen struck them out. Kershaw was lifted after the walk to Torres.

 

[hemtae]

It's a lot easier to be a great pitcher when your opponents have to prepare for a couple other aces and your team actually has an offense I'm guessing. Kershaw trumps him in every stat and has carried the Dodgers. He's going to basically be responsible for 1/4th our wins himself.

Phew, Kershaw got himself into a bit of a jam but then struck out Panda and Beltran back to back.

Halladay has the higher xFIP and fWAR. Also the Cy Young goes to the best pitcher not the most "valuable" which you seem to be implying.

 

[darkiguana]

Another nice outing by the Dutch Oven. Magic number down to 4 and we are tied with tigers now.

 

[rc213]

Jansen has really got his shit together after a bad start to the season.

Hope Guerra isn't shaky tonight, Secure that win for Kershaw.

 

[CajoleJuice]

It's a lot easier to be a great pitcher when your opponents have to prepare for a couple other aces and your team actually has an offense I'm guessing. Kershaw trumps him in every stat and has carried the Dodgers. He's going to basically be responsible for 1/4th our wins himself.

You could turn it around and say it's easier to pitch in a pitcher's park than in a bandbox. Or that teams lay down in the games against Kershaw since they figure they'll win other games, if we're just tossing shit out there. Also, Halladay and Kershaw have gotten the same amount of run support.

I've been waiting for Jansen to come around. His peripherals were always good.

 

[Meier]

Jansen K panda and moletran.

Ahhh, lying in bed now reading and didn't see the switch reflected on my phone. Hope Guerra can keep that guy from scoring..

 

[Meier]

Halladay has the higher xFIP and fWAR. Also the Cy Young goes to the best pitcher not the most "valuable" which you seem to be implying.

I hope I never learn what either of those mean. I can tell you that Kershaw has been the best and most valuable though so that's an easy call.

 

[Lambtron]

Well, thank god they traded Wilson Ramos to the Nationals for just Matt Capps. And gave nearly $200 million to Mauer. Mauer's not going to decline at all and they have no need for Ramos!

Yeah that was another shitty trade. I was mad about the idea of trading Ramos for half a year of Cliff Lee, thank god we got a year and a half of a mediocre relief pitcher instead.

Mauer's contract I won't get on his case too much about. They were in a no win situation; pay the man a shit load of money or let him walk. When a guy who might end up the best player to ever put on your uniform wins the MVP and is a free agent at the end of the next season, your first in a new ballpark, you have to pay him. The fanbase would've revolted if they didn't. His contract is enormous, no doubt, but he's a special talent and prior to this (injury plagued season) he has been a 5-6 win player year in and year out.

I think from a dollars standpoint, they should have plenty of money to fill out the rest of the roster with quality players even with Mauer making $23 million. However, Bill Smith and co. do not understand the idea of positional scarcity. This year they:

• Spent $20 million on two relief pitchers because they have shiny save numbers and filled in the rest of the bullpen with garbage.
• Spent $10 million on Michael Cuddyer (not to mention another $16 million on Young, Thome, and Kubel who should also DH).
• Re-signed Carl Pavano for $8 million despite already having 6 potential starters, leaving the two worst ones in the rotation to make room for Pav.

People bitch about Mauer's money, but I'm more concerned that they were so strapped for cash they had to unload one of the 10 best shortstops in the league, yet still paid around $55 million for two closers, four DH types, and a fifth starter. Jesus fucking christ. I'd honestly be shocked if the Twins let Smith go (they have way too much loyalty) but the man is clearly not cut out to be a general manager.

 

[sf2fanatic]

Kersh #20!!!!!!! 1 game over .500

 

[Meier]

Kersh #20!!!!!!! 1 game over .500

The thought of us finishing over .500 is crazy to me. Nice to see the team turn it around so well this second half.

 

[darkside31337]

Mauer's contract I won't get on his case too much about. They were in a no win situation; pay the man a shit load of money or let him walk. When a guy who might end up the best player to ever put on your uniform wins the MVP and is a free agent at the end of the next season, your first in a new ballpark, you have to pay him. The fanbase would've revolted if they didn't. His contract is enormous, no doubt, but he's a special talent and prior to this (injury plagued season) he has been a 5-6 win player year in and year out.

This is so ridiculous. The fanbase has already turned on him for one subpar year. There really isn't a single player outside of basically Albert Pujols who is the franchise. Overpaying a player for his past performance and not for the years the contract is actually covering is the sign of a bad GM. The Mauer contract was terrible before the ink even dried, and it's been a lot worse than anybody could have expected.

 

[CajoleJuice]

I hope I never learn what either of those mean. I can tell you that Kershaw has been the best and most valuable though so that's an easy call.

God I hate when other numbers I don't bother to understand go against my numbers. (Although I would not use xFIP in a Cy Young debate and I'm kinda lukewarm when it comes to pitcher fWAR. I'm a fan of splitting the difference between rWAR and fWAR, I guess.)

 

[hemtae]

God I hate when other numbers I don't bother to understand go against my numbers. (Although I would not use xFIP in a Cy Young debate and I'm kinda lukewarm when it comes to pitcher fWAR. I'm a fan of splitting the difference between rWAR and fWAR, I guess.)

Well I meant FIP, its late here and I just typed xFIP, what I said is true either way. Also I didn't know there was a big difference between rWAR and fWAR in regards to pitchers (or position players for that matter). Are there any circumstances where they would be the better choices

 

[Lambtron]

This is so ridiculous. The fanbase has already turned on him for one subpar year. There really isn't a single player outside of basically Albert Pujols who is the franchise.

First of all, the members of the fanbase who have turned on Mauer are mostly idiots. These are the same people who think Michael Cuddyer is a better player than Joe Mauer. Let that sink in. It doesn't help that team has a horrible medical staff and has completely bungled everything with regards to the offseason knee surgery he had. They let the surgery be delayed for months, and then they let him rush back. When it was clear he wasn't himself and they put him on the DL they came out with this "bilateral leg weakness" excuse instead of saying he was recovering from his knee surgery. Now Mauer is a Pussy in the eyes of all the knuckledraggers who only watch Twins baseball to kill time until the Vikings break their hearts again.

Overpaying a player for his past performance and not for the years the contract is actually covering is the sign of a bad GM. The Mauer contract was terrible before the ink even dried, and it's been a lot worse than anybody could have expected.

I agree with the first piece. I disagree with the second piece. I do think there would be an expected decline in his abilities as he ages. That's to be expected. I think if they should have front loaded the contract. I also think it was maybe two years too long. However, they paid him what the market would dictate, and it should be within their budget. I do not think you can say the contract is a disaster after one poor season. If Mauer never catches again, plays 80 games every year, and hits .280 for the next two or three years, sure. He was great again in 2010, and he's been great since he came up. I'm positive he has several more good years in him, and he'll show that starting next year. Maybe then I can stop hearing people call him a pussy. That would be nice.

 

[CajoleJuice]

Well I meant FIP, its late here and I just typed xFIP, what I said is true either way. Also I didn't know there was a big difference between rWAR and fWAR in regards to pitchers (or position players for that matter). Are there any circumstances where they would be the better choices

Yeah, Halladay does have the major advantage in FIP.

rWAR is based just on runs allowed, with park adjustments and also small adjustments for fielding. But like hitting, maybe the fielding for a particular pitcher is worse than for other pitchers on his team. rWAR averages out the fielding for a team, so that's a problem.

fWAR is based purely on FIP, which can create some big discrepancies between how a pitcher is perceived and how good a pitcher truly is. But my problem with using FIP in Cy Young discussions is how it completely factors out luck with regards to BABIP. Hitters definitely have much more control over their batted balls, but it's not like Fangraphs or anyone else tries to come up with an xBABIP using batted ball percentages to use that to calculate WAR for hitters. FIP is definitely a stat to use when it comes to analyzing true talent level, but I don't like focusing on it 100% to evaluate past performance, or perhaps results is the better word.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

Well, that about wraps it up for the Giants I think. 4.5 games back of the Braves now with only 7 games left on Atlanta's schedule.

 

[ConradCervantes]

Has there been a Triple Crown pitcher during the Cy Young Award era who didn't win that year? I don't think so off the top of my head, and that's a big nod towards Kershaw if he keeps up this level of play.

 

[sf2fanatic]

Well, that about wraps it up for the Giants I think. 4.5 games back of the Braves now with only 7 games left on Atlanta's schedule.

Come on now you think the Dodgers would give them a chance to get close to playoffs? They're done!!!

 

[rc213]

You could turn it around and say it's easier to pitch in a pitcher's park than in a bandbox. Or that teams lay down in the games against Kershaw since they figure they'll win other games, if we're just tossing shit out there. Also, Halladay and Kershaw have gotten the same amount of run support.

I've been waiting for Jansen to come around. His peripherals were always good.

Really glad to see him back to where he was when he showed up out of nowhere. Gonna need him next year since I doubt Kuo & Broxton will be back next year.

Jansen/Guerra in the 8th/9th gonna be good.

 

[CajoleJuice]

Really glad to see him back to where he was when he showed up out of nowhere. Gonna need him next year since I doubt Kuo & Broxton will be back next year.

Jansen/Guerra in the 8th/9th gonna be good.

Jansen with a 15+ K/9. That is fucking filthy. And yes, I'll quote FIP: 1.93. And I'll even go ahead and mention SIERA for Doytch and Sharp: 1.58. Awesome.

 

[sf2fanatic]

Really glad to see him back to where he was when he showed up out of nowhere. Gonna need him next year since I doubt Kuo & Broxton will be back next year.

Jansen/Guerra in the 8th/9th gonna be good.

Most likely Kuo will come back because we always need lefties and Brox he can get the steppin

 

[Lambtron]

Broxton on the FA market? Bill Smith cannot hide his erection.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

Playoff Odds at the end of September 20

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tigers  -- 100% (clinched AL Central title 9/16)
Yankees -- 99.9% (lead AL East by 6.0; 9 games remaining)
Rangers -- 98.8% (lead AL West by 5.0; 8 games remaining)
Red Sox -- 89.0% (lead AL Wild Card by 2.0; 7 games remaining)
Rays    -- 8.5% (trail AL Wild Card by 2.0; 9 games remaining)
Angels  -- 3.8% (trail AL Wild Card by 3.5; 8 games remaining)

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Phillies     -- 100% (clinched NL East title 9/17)
Brewers      -- 99.9% (lead NL Central by 5.5; 7 games remaining)
Diamondbacks -- 99.1% (lead NL West by 5.0; 8 games remaining)
Braves       -- 81.0% (lead NL Wild Card by 2.5; 7 games remaining)
Cardinals    -- 18.3% (trail NL Wild Card by 2.5; 8 games remaining)
Giants       -- 1.7% (trail NL Wild Card by 4.5; 8 games remaining)

 

[darkside31337]

Mets moving the fences in next season. About time.

Now all Mets fans will finally able be to acknowledge that all our hitters just suck. Has nothing to do with the ballpark.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

Mets moving the fences in next season. About time.

Now all Mets fans will finally able be to acknowledge that all our hitters just suck. Has nothing to do with the ballpark.

I'm glad they're filling in that stupid fucking nook in right field. Whoever designed that shit is an idiot.

 

[clemenx]

Mets moving the fences in next season. About time.

Now all Mets fans will finally able be to acknowledge that all our hitters just suck. Has nothing to do with the ballpark.

At least Wright will be happy now! Unless... he just sucks now too.

 

[darkside31337]

I'm glad they're filling in that stupid fucking nook in right field. Whoever designed that shit is an idiot.

Seriously. Must have been the same moron who thought the hill in Houston was a good idea. I have no idea how MLB approves that crap.

 

[Windu]

[B]Atlanta   88-67 - 7 games left[/B]

1 @   Florida
3 @   Washington
3 vs. Philadelphia

[B]St. Louis 85-69 - 8 games left[/B]

2 vs. New York
3 vs. Chicago
3 @   Houston

St. Louis 8-0 = 93-69
Atlanta   5-2 = 93-69

St. Louis 7-1 = 92-70
Atlanta   4-3 = 92-70

St. Louis 6-2 = 91-71
Atlanta   3-4 = 91-71

St. Louis 5-3 = 90-72
Atlanta   2-5 = 90-72

St. Louis 4-4 = 89-73
Atlanta   1-6 = 89-73

St. Louis 3-5 = 88-74
Atlanta   0-7 = 88-74

______________________________

[B]Boston    88-67 - 7 games left[/B]

1 vs. Baltimore
3 @   New York
3 @   Baltimore

[B]Tampa Bay 85-68 - 9 games left[/B]

3 @   New York
3 vs. Toronto
3 vs. New York

Tampa Bay 9-0 = 94-68
Boston    6-1 = 94-68

Tampa Bay 8-1 = 93-69
Boston    5-2 = 93-69

Tampa Bay 7-2 = 92-70
Boston    4-3 = 92-70

Tampa Bay 6-3 = 91-71
Boston    3-4 = 91-71

Tampa Bay 5-4 = 90-72
Boston    2-5 = 90-72

Tampa Bay 4-5 = 89-73
Boston    1-6 = 89-73

Tampa Bay 3-6 = 88-74
Boston    0-7 = 88-74

 

[eznark]

Mets moving the fences in next season. About time.

Now all Mets fans will finally able be to acknowledge that all our hitters just suck. Has nothing to do with the ballpark.

Wow. Despite playing in that park the Mets staff still gave up around 20 HR's this year apiece didn't they? Right around the same number the Brewers did.

Gonna be a case of "be careful what you wish for" as that park made awful pitchers like Capuano into serviceable options.

 

[Snaku]

Just looked at the Rays versus the Red Sox's remaining games.. ouch. Gonna be tough to envision the Rays not going fishing.

Seriously, the Rays finish out against the Yanks, and the Sox finish out against fucking Baltimore? I want to kick the schedule maker in the ballsack.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

Seriously. Must have been the same moron who thought the hill in Houston was a good idea. I have no idea how MLB approves that crap.

You mean, running full out, on an unlevel plane, not looking, is a bad idea?

 

[eznark]

Seriously, the Rays finish out against the Yanks, and the Sox finish out against fucking Baltimore? I want to kick the schedule maker in the ballsack.

Eh. The Rays are 5-6 against the Yankees and 9-9 against Baltimore. Doesn't seem like playing Baltimore would be doing them any big favors. In fact, how bout you blame your shit team for providing Baltimore with 16% of its victories?

 

[The Frankman]

Other changes likely to occur include moving in the right-field fence in what is currently referred to as the "Mo Zone" nook.

Third baseman David Wright, whose home run totals nosedived with the move from Shea Stadium to Citi Field for the 2009 season, would welcome changes.

"I don't know if relief is the right word," Wright said. "I think it's a great idea. I think when you go play in a park, you'd like for it to be fair. So I'm excited that's going to happen."

Alderson noted the premium for outfield defense naturally would diminish with decreasing the dimensions. He noted the area of the playing surface at Citi Field is currently 4-5 percent greater than the major league average.

"It's certainly been done in other ballparks," Alderson said about dimension modifications. "The one that jumps immediately to mind is Comerica (in Detroit), where they made some pretty significant changes almost immediately."

You know what other park had a significant change? PETCO Park... after Sandy Alderson had joined the organization after 1 year.

Good job. Please cut that 415 nook to at least 395.

EDIT: pics

DO IT.

 

[eznark]

Post saved for maximum hilarity when Mets pitchers get Colorado'd.

 

[The Frankman]

This idea that massive changes need to be made isn't quite true. Only the left field wall needs to be lowered from 16 ft. to 8 ft. (doesn't have to be brought in like the pic on the left) and the 415 nook brought in. Even if the Mo Zone is eliminated the park still has pretty deep dimensions. The idea that the park suddenly becomes a hitters' park is laughable.

If you think so you're not looking at the numbers. Or watch a Met game, which is understandable.

 

[eznark]

It doesn't need to become a hitters park. Mets pitchers aren't benefiting a ton from the ballpark. They're still giving up around 20 homer a piece. Naturally making the park smaller will increase those number.

 

[The Frankman]

It doesn't need to become a hitters park. Mets pitchers aren't benefiting a ton from the ballpark. They're still giving up around 20 homer a piece. Naturally making the park smaller will increase those number.

Or y'know, actually pitching better will change that also. Year of Johan and Niese, no Pelfrey, and RotY candidate Dillon Gee? Plus another 1-year signing of either Capuano or Young? WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!