2018 regular-season game chatter

sometimes people ask what the definition is of a competitive at-bat pic.twitter.com/xUyQDLYwQx

— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) August 29, 2018

Tyler White's walk off HR was hit 96 MPH at a 44 degree launch angle... Hit probability 1%. Similar batted balls were HRs 0% of the time. #MinuteMaidSpecial

— Daren Willman (@darenw) August 29, 2018

yeah saw that live, I thought for sure it was a lazy fly to left

what is . . . ~bunting~

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-do-you-see-2

https://bastian.mlblogs.com/covering-the-bases-game-133-2e4f31d06dda

look at that shift lolol

Stanton is the fifth fastest (not youngest) to 300 HR: Ralph Kiner (1,087 ganes), Ryan Howard (1,093), Juan Gonzalez (1,096), Alex Rodriguez (1,117), and then Stanton (1,119).

Also the ninth youngest (28 years, 295 days).

is anyone else struggling with the mlb app's gameday audio lately (like over the past couple of weeks)? way more buffering and "playback failed" errors, to the point where it's almost unusable? or just me

yes, although that could just be my phone, since spotify has also been freezing up on my a lot recently.

but generally, i find the suite of MLB apps (including mlb.tv, and especially the mlb.tv app on PS4) to be some of the very worst, least reliable products out there. which is unfortunate when paying $100+ a year for this garbage

I know this is always the chimerical fantasy with someone like Donaldson, that a change in scenery will miraculously rejuvenate him, but I will point out that he's clearly unhappy with management right now:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/donaldson-perceived-rift-jays-theres-lot-can-say/

Which is all moot unless he can get reasonably healthy. If he can, though, I could see him putting up a big September in the middle of a wild-card race.

yeah, he's more capable of doing it than just about anyone else. i can't imagine him being happy with management, regardless. most of baseball is already talking about vlad, he's been injured most of the year, the team isn't contending, he knows he's not going to be returning to the blue jays next year (most likely, right?)

but generally, i find the suite of MLB apps (including mlb.tv, and especially the mlb.tv app on PS4) to be some of the very worst, least reliable products out there. which is unfortunate when paying $100+ a year for this garbage

― Karl Malone, Friday, August 31, 2018 12:19 PM (thirty-eight minutes ago) Bookmark

the app on apple tv is not the greatest but i find streaming on my iphone is always perfect

this is funny tho bcuz mlb spun off its streaming into its own business that is itself valued at billions of dollars

for anyone else frustrated there are no day games today, the bronze medal game of the women's baseball world cup between canada and the u.s. is live streaming on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMZW-93p0dc&feature=youtu.be

the app on apple tv is not the greatest but i find streaming on my iphone is always perfect

this is funny tho bcuz mlb spun off its streaming into its own business that is itself valued at billions of dollars

― J0rdan S., Friday, August 31, 2018 12:59 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

funny it’s the opposite for me — my roku app works pretty well but I seem to get kicked off my iphone app frequently

you ppl and yr apps

stay home and watch yr laptop

David:
If the yankees lose in the wild card game, will it force MLB to get rid of divisions?

Jeff Sullivan:
What?

Can’t tell which angle you’re asserting

If it’s the MLB-loves-the-Yankees one, the Yankees already lost a wild-card game in 2015

And if it’s the good-teams-shouldn’t-lose-to-worse-teams one, the Yankees right now have only four more wins than the A’s do. In 2012, the 88-win Cardinals knocked out the 94-win Braves

and if it's the good-teams-shouldn't-have-to-play-in-wild-cards one, the 2015 NL wild card game featured teams with the second- and third-best records in the majors

white sox will *not* call up eloy jimenez, who is hitting .365/.407/.615 in triple-a

jim kaat . . . otm?

Wish TV networks would stop using the assumed strike zone box .The angle of the center field camera must be off center because too many strkes are called balls and vice versa. The umpires don’t deserve that. Please Get rid of it. Its not 100% accurate

— Jim Kaat (@KaatJim) August 31, 2018

It's generally acknowledged that it's not 100% accurate, but I think it's a depth thing rather than "off-center". Jim Kaat still wrong about most things.

does the strike zone graphic they put in the corner have the same problems?

i think the one in the corner is PITCHFx, right?

i feel like most networks would adjust the strike zone box for camera angle... not that they're accurate or anything but i'd imagine they put a little more thought into it than that

https://i.imgur.com/BSMDd6K.jpg

Game Score of 96 for Syndergaard today.

Joe West's latest power play is nullified

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24558108/gabe-kapler-philadelphia-phillies-says-pitchers-allowed-use-cheat-sheets

SNITCH

.@SteveGelbs reveals the TRUTH behind the @FlavaFraz21 diving “catch” on Monday. Video don’t lie! pic.twitter.com/P4a1gBQIXe

— SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) September 5, 2018

I have to side with Joe West on this one. It's not like they don't have time to go over the scouting reports before the game or between innings, or get the coaches to relay signals from the dugout. Even if it doesn't delay the game, it feels unnecessary and kind of embarrassing. You're essentially broadcasting the fact that you're not properly prepared to play the game that day.

Seems only fair if the outfielders are consulting their defensive zone notes though.

the todd frazier thing seems really inconclusive, it's weird that everyone's "debunking" it. it looks like he catches the ball and then falls on top of a different ball, but you don't see him drop the real ball at any point.

how good can the last weekend of the season be?

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/team-entropy-2018-your-introduction-to-chaos/

Ozzie Albies' only enemy in baseball is his own helmet.

That is a very Todd Frazier play. He seems to have a knack for the weird one. I saw him hit a one armed home run off of Jamie Moyers.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2018/09/06/detroit-tigers-mario-impemba-rod-allen/1217312002/

Fox Sports Detroit continued searching for answers into a physical altercation between Detroit Tigers TV broadcasters Mario Impemba and Rod Allen on Thursday afternoon, conducting meetings with both men involved.

The pair was separated following Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox and sent home to Detroit after an incident described as “severe” by one person who was present.

i know which broadcast i'm going to listen to tonight during the STL/DET game!

They have the rest of the year off.

Michael Moore and Tom Selleck will be filling in.

as amazing as that sounds, i think i'm going to go see yojimbo instead

Rockies vs Dodgers series should be a good one.

The Rays are having an interesting year in that they traded or sold off almost all their "name" players, yet could easily/accidentally win 90 games and still miss the postseason by a mile.

gabe kapler is doing gabe kapler things with 39 players on his roster

pinch-running in the fourth!
pulling his starter with one out in the fifth, then using three relievers (so far) to get out of the inning!

well, his playoff odds are down to 14% (Fangraphs). Time to pull out all the stops.

i like this guy

The absolute unit that could. pic.twitter.com/r2a5uj9E7o

— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2018

i don't know much about him, but his plate discipline is weird! for the last 5 years running he's struck out less than 5% of the time and walked less than 5% of the time.

Willians Astudillo

i don't follow the twins closely, but they currently have two of the top ten prospects, plus this guy. let's go twins!!

Astudillo is a folk hero in the EW circles

rightly so...

FG has the Red Sox WS odds at 16.4%, while the Astros are at 23.7%. How does that make sense? Aren't the Sox a better team?

definitely the better team. that's odd. also, just yesterday on the radio (just a little sports round-up segment on chicago NPR) they were saying that the Red Sox's odds to win the WS were > 25%? maybe half the red sox got injured this morning

yea 538 has it as 28% Sox, 25% Astros. that's uh...a pretty significant difference. I think FG's methodology is more sophisticated than 538s, which IIRC is based almost entirely on ELO.

could it be based on match-ups in the first round