the pitch clock is counting down to the MLB 2023 REGULAR SEASON THREAD

I guess if you’re going to give up a single hit it should be to Wander Franco.

cubs have eased back into mediocrity but their pitching is not bad, at least the steele/stroman/smyly chunk of the rotation

going to see them play the rays tonight with kyle hendricks pitching for the cubs so i'm anticipating a lot of hitting from the rays

Morel has been doing really well since the Cubs called him up! I watched the Cubs absolutely brutalise the Dodgers in that almost-a-perfect-game but they’ve had some injuries since. The pitching seems good as you say, though Taillon doesn’t seem to be doing very well (I say this only having glanced at his numbers, I haven’t seen any of his starts yet).

Btw i am also seeing the Cubs play next month, albeit in London, so hopefully Bellinger will be back for that

taillon is bad, hendricks was bad in his first start coming back from the IL and i don't have high hopes for him to improve

The Rays haven't had their own thread since 2015? Maybe I'm missing something--anyway, I'll post here, from mlb.com:

ST. PETERSBURG -- The most recent team to lead the Majors in home runs and stolen bases included a 36-year-old Jackie Robinson and a 24-year-old Don Zimmer. There’s still plenty of season left, of course, but the 2023 Rays have a chance to accomplish the same feat as those 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Rays entered Tuesday with 101 homers, 11 more than the Braves and Dodgers. Tampa Bay has also racked up 73 steals, 15 more than the second-ranked Pirates and 20 more than any other American League team. For what it’s worth, the last team to lead the AL in home runs and stolen bases was Cleveland in 1995.

I always assumed Don Zimmer was born 60 and bald.

Taillon is really disappointing for the cubs, after a slow start he got it together last season eventually while pitching for the yanks and had a very good K/bb ratio too, but he's just been so awful. They were hoping they lucked into another Arrieta but they got another 2023 Corey Kluber thus far.

(xpost) I was wondering how close the Big Red Machine came to doing that, and they came close a few times league-wide, and in '76, they indeed led the NL in both categories, 141 HR and 210 SB. But the Royals stole 218, and the A's stole 341 (!) that year. Three guys (Bill North, Campy, and--disconnect--Don Baylor) all stole more than 50. It's still the modern-day record for one team.

: /

always rooting for taillon -- i mean he's had testicular cancer and *two* TJ surgeries and is a really nice guy

they're gonna have to invent an injury for him, they can't keep running him out there like this

Morel has been doing really well since the Cubs called him up!

― TY FRANCE HATES TEXAS CONFIRMED (gyac), Tuesday, May 30, 2023 6:51 AM (thirteen hours ago)

As someone focused on the micro, he has been ice cold for what seems to be ages... 3 for his last 26 with no XBH. Prior to that he was on an absolute tear.

never ever say 'focused on the micro' steve shasta

:-O

the 200,000 foot view

never ever make me reference this passage steve shasta

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVixvOqWUAMZaqo?format=jpg&name=small

i still remember the baseball phrase mookie requested that i never use again.

it has to do with batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. an excellent version of it, for example would be

.300/.400/.500

and if you found yourself describing these three stats together, with the two slash marks in between, you might say, after a few drinks perhaps, that one had, say, slaaaaaa---

*ducks*

oh there will be no verbing

no verbing
no v erbing
no v e rbing
n o v e rbing
n o v e r bing
n o v e r b i n g
i n c e p t i o n

november rain, obvs

the guy leaping over the table represents the pirates

About a month ago I was on a junk ship somewhere near the coast of Northern Vietnam and Southern China. There was the ubiquitous karaoke programme which began at sundown to attract people to the bar to get them to pay for overpriced beers (which at <$1 USD wasn't really overpriced).

The ship's guide knew that I'd last lived in San Francisco so as I went to the bar to get a bottled water for the night, he became very interested in getting me to sing Metallica ("One" or "Enter Sandman") because obviously I'm from SF, I should love Metallica naturally. Some young Australian girl had picked "November Rain" and was doing a pretty horrible job as I was telling the guide that I was on my way back to my cabin to edit some photos.

The guide snatches the mic from the albeit willing Aussie gal's hand and throws it to me to finish it for her. Now admittedly I have not heard this song in 17 years or however old it is but I knew the melody as I'd studied the guitar solos (please don't ask for details behind this).

Aside from the long instrumental passages and corny lyrics it's not a horrible song. I'd never karaoke it again (my current staple is Bee Gee's "To Love Somebody") but it was kinda fun to give it a go.

― (*ﾟーﾟ)θ L(。･＿･)　　　°~ヾ(･ε･ *) (Steve Shasta), Sunday, July 5, 2009 9:21 AM (thirteen years ago)

shame on you for making me even consider posting a bill murray gif

last years aaron judge season might not have been a fluke

i'm told that he's now ahead of trout in career SLG

also his dog is incredibly cute

Aaron Judge graduated from the same high school as Stephen Malkmus (happy bday to Steve btw).

...sorry, they went to rival high schools. But Malkmus did write a song about Judge's HS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pPlos2i7Ys

texas never focuses on the micro

I would listen to a baseball broadcast by mookie and SS.

What the fuck business do the Atlanta Braves have losing two straight to the Oakland Athletics.

@mookieproof:

MICRO-management: Morel has lost his starting role! Despite SLASH-ing .286/.324/.714 since his call-up, he is now riding the pine with Hoerner at DH.

the Oakland A's record is blowing my mind right now, that shouldn't even be possible in the major leagues. And they're on a winning streak!!!

Submitted an ASG ballot today; I may submit one more closer to the deadline (or may not).

https://phildellio.tripod.com/asg.jpg

I went with Bichette over Franco and Perez over Rutschman because I always view ASG voting as a two- or three-year window (plus some hometown bias for Bichette); Franco and Rutschman will both be on the team and will start many games in the future. My outfield picks especially gave weight to résumé, although you still have to be having a good-to-excellent year. NL catcher was a coin toss--could have gone with Will Smith, or even Realmuto. Didn't realize till I filled this out how great a season Luis Arraez is once again having.

Arraez's career box:

https://phildellio.tripod.com/arraez.jpg

I don't know, I think he might be a .300 hitter.

he still seems underrated

Another triptych--I'm telling you these will be hanging in Cooperstown one day.

I thought of trying to get from Luis Arráez to Ty Cobb in three photos, but figured Tony Gwynn's death would make that impossible. But Arráez of course began with the Twins.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/tytedrodluis.jpg

Inspired by my triptych, Arráez went 5-5; hitting .390 through 200 AB.

Someone on FB gave me the idea for this: me to Cy Young in three photos. (If I have any more of these, I'll open up a new thread.)

https://phildellio.tripod.com/cytedjohnnyme.jpg

I'm thinking Ted Williams liked to get his picture taken.

the Rays are absolutely lethal

Frankly sick of their bullshit little bloops & homophobic bullpen

Arráez 3-4 tonight--.399! I was wondering about the last guy to make a serious run at .400 (Arráez still at least a month away from what I'd call serious), and it was, duh: Gwynn in the strike season, and Olerud a year before that. Gwynn never actually got to .400 after May 9, but when the season ended on August 11, he was up to .394 and coming off nine games where he hit .472. Olerud was hitting .400 at the end of play on August 2 (and .391 on August 27).

Semien's hitting streak up to 24 games. 30+ games this century (in-season only):

Jimmy Rollins - 36 (2005)
Luis Castillo - 35 (2002)
Chase Utley - 35 (2006)
Dan Uggla - 33 (2011)
Albert Pujols - 30 (2003)
Willy Taveras - 30 (2006)
Moisés Alou - 30 (2007)
Ryan Zimmerman - 30 (2009)
Andre Ethier - 30 (2011)
Freddie Freeman - 30 (2016)

Pretty detailed look at .400 threats since Williams (some not even remotely close):

https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-arraez-chasing-400

Two I really don't remember:

2000: July 20 (91 games) -- Nomar Garciaparra, BOS (.372). Garciaparra won his second straight batting title in 2000, becoming the first Red Sox player to win consecutively since Wade Boggs won four straight from 1985-88.

1999: June 28 (78 games) -- Tony Fernandez, TOR (.328). Fernandez’s average was the highest of his career, and it came in his age-37 season.

.401 for Arráez!

If anyone’s watching Brewers Orioles right now my wife won 2nd row tickets and my son is sitting right behind home plate lmao

tonight’s yankees-white sox game should not be played in these air conditions, but i bet it will be

A's winning 7-3 today. At 13-50, they're running four games behind the '62 Mets.

huh, they actually did postpone in the bronx (and philly)

meanwhile the pirates got absolutely rocked by the a's twice in about 18 hours

I, myself, remember the April 2023 Pirates.

I do realize how silly it is to be getting caught up in Arráez in early June--if anything's almost guaranteed, it'll be that he'll be doing well to hit .350 or better. But I am. He's 2 for 4 again tonight, and up to .403. He does, I would think, have a good chance to be in the MVP hunt by season's end, especially if Miami sneaks into the playoffs.