2010 MLB Season Discussion

[Moss]

Clearly those kids are an embaressment to the game of baseball. Taking pitches and getting walks is extending the game and ruining baseball. No wonder players do it, they've been doing it since little league. Someone should really do something about them.

Reminds me of the part in "Moneyball" about Scott Hatteberg, where he would get yelled at by his hitting coach for taking a first pitch strike. The philosophy really didn't change all that long ago.

[*Shinzon*]

I think the primary issue with most closers is that they can't ever really relax. Mariano just has that ability to put everything aside and focus on his pitch. It helps that Mariano has also had excellent control for most if not his whole career, but I think for the most part guys just get too worked up.

Only guys who mimic I think what Mariano does is Heath Bell, Brian Wilson, and Wagner, that I've ever watched. They just exude confidence and go after guys. Like I was there when Wagner came back to the Mets that game before he was traded to the Red Sox, and there was an obvious difference between watching him work and then watching Krod.

[Zoolander]

Pedroia to the DL again. Fuck this year

Thank god, Boston needs to go away already. You bitches keep hanging around.

And on the topic of closers, seriously who the hell would have known that Soriano and freaking Joaquin Benoit would be an incredibly lethal combo?

Benoit has a 0.61 WHIP, 1.23 ERA through 44 innings (same amount of innings as Rivera, although obviously in the 8th instead of 9th inning so less pressure). I have no idea where Benoit came from.

[jmc]

speaking of Boston........ Lester got rocked tonight.

2.0 innings pitches

8 hits

9 Earned runs

[Cephius]

Doing his best AJ Burnett impression, eh

[AshTS]

Reds with biggest lead since May 2002 now.

Also, Insider says Chapman coming up for Bill Bray on off day. If not, he was surely going to be on the 40 man roster anyhow with OranHarang and Juan Francisco.

[Trichocyst]

Kyle Kendrick sucks so hard. I miss Jamie Moyer. I wish the Phillies would show more patience against Strasburg (easier said than done, surely) since he's almost certainly on a pitch count.

[Trichocyst]

Well, that's one way to get Strasburg out of the game early. Give him the K. Wood.

[Pringles]

Just saw it on mlb.com gameday, but what injury did Strausberg get to be taken out? He was only at like 55 pitches in the 5th

[Akiyama]

Looks like some sort of wrist injury.

[Cephius]

Looked like he was grabbing at his elbow. Not good.

[*Shinzon*]

So much for the hype huh. Gonna end up another Kerry Wood indeed.

[Akiyama]

Looked like he was grabbing at his elbow. Not good.

Ah man, that really sucks. Read wrist in a couple spots, but if it's an elbow.. wow. Pitching really is a roulette.

[Pringles]

PHILADELPHIA -- Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg left Saturday's game against the Phillies because of an elbow injury.

With the Nationals leading, 5-1, Strasburg was facing Domonic Brown. On a 1-1 pitch, Strasburg threw a ball, but was grimacing in pain after the pitch.

Manager Jim Riggleman, pitching coach Steve McCatty and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz came to the mound to see what was wrong with Strasburg, who left the game a few minutes later. Craig Stammen came in to the game to finish off the inning.

Strasburg threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits, striking out six batters and walking none. He threw 56 pitches, including 38 strikes.

From mlb.com. At this rate, he'll never make it to free agency and to the Yankees =/. Least Boras got him a nice contract. How much would he actually get to keep if he ends up injured and out of the game by his 2nd year in the bigs?

[Akiyama]

The fuck do they make pitchers out of these days? twigs?

[*Shinzon*]

He was highly touted for being big, strong and durable and they've treated him as anything but really lol. Makes you really wonder about scouts.

[Weeks]

Ah man, that really sucks. Read wrist in a couple spots, but if it's an elbow.. wow. Pitching really is a roulette.

He looked at and made a motion to grab his elbow exactly where his UCL is. The guy needs Tommy John surgery, I guarantee.

BTW, plenty of people had concerns about his mechanics and workload. He was just good enough that people were willing to overlook the likelihood of injury.

[fren.]

He was highly touted for being big, strong and durable and they've treated him as anything but really lol. Makes you really wonder about scouts.

How? Pitch count restrictions are pretty much required, but he definitely should have been on the DL longer than a couple of weeks. But that's hindsight talk.

[*Shinzon*]

How? Pitch count restrictions are pretty much required, but he definitely should have been on the DL longer than a couple of weeks. But that's hindsight talk.

They put him through an accelerated minor league program and limited his innings. They didn't gradually increase the workload to test out what he could really handle. I mean it's no wonder he's been getting hurt. He was never tested in the minors like he has been tested in the major. None of the work he did in the minors meant anything because he wasn't down there long enough to be evaluated properly. The Nats thought they could baby their top prospect and protect him. Well they didn't know him well enough to be doing that.

[Soa]

This reminds me of an interview with Dr. James Andrews I heard on the radio recently. He basically said he thinks all these arm injuries are occurring because of kids throwing too hard at too young an age. He said the maximum speed someone under 21 should be throwing is 87mph, and that any more puts too much strain on the forearm and tendons.

Personally I think a lot of these problems stem from lack of throwing in the minors to condition your arm for the stress. JA Happ said he never once threw more than 60 pitches in the minors, and that the sudden increase in workload led to his arm injury.

tl:dr Nolan Ryan is right