2024 Baseball Season

[dr. b 492]

I dunno, I'm getting a bit skeptical of Cleveland now. They're certainly winning a lot of games here in September, but the AL Central is such a weak division. They've been playing some pretty bad teams (in and outside the division) this month. They might not fair as well when they start playing good teams in the postseason.

 

The Jays won last night, Vladdy walked it off in the 10th. And Judge didn't homer. Yay!

[dr. b 492]

Maybe Seattle actually is collapsing..?  You can't lose to the Rangers right now. Lucky for them, Baltimore also lost last night. The other AL Central teams are most liklely a non-factor now, so I think it's only Baltimore that have a chance of catching Seattle if they blow it.

[Eizan 126]

Mariners clinched!

 

Now it's just figuring out who will play who. Although the Mariners, Blue Jays and Rays all haven't played that great down the stretch. 

 

NL still has a lot of things to sort out, Braves and Mets are tied for the East right now and the other 2 Wild Card Spots are up for grab (How are the Giants still alive?) 

 

[dr. b 492]

Pretty much a perfect weekend for the Jays with a sweep of Boston. I think all they need is one more win, or an M's loss, to clinch home field advantage in the WC Series. 

 

The Red Sox got absolutely destroyed by their AL East rivals this summer. The just barely had a winning record vs. Baltimore (10-9) but it wasn't even close for Boston in the season series vs. Toronto, Tampa, and NYY. You should look up their season splits. It's pretty hilarious. 

[Eizan 126]

It's looking like it will be Seattle heading to Toronto to face the Blue Jays. 

 

I'm guessing the Mariners will start Castillo for Game 1.

[dr. b 492]

There's still a chance it's Tampa coming to Toronto, but, yeah, I think Seattle is more likely. Either way, bring it on! The Jays are playing really well right now.

 

If it's Seattle coming, then I would bet that the first game pitching match up is Manoah vs. Castillo. I expect Toronto to throw Gausman out for Game #2, but he did leave his start early this week due to a cut on his finger. If the Jays win Game #1 then they might take a chance on Stripling for Game #2, as he's pitched so well this summer too. If they can sweep the M's in two games then that buys a bit more time for Gausman's finger to recover. His middle finger is key to throwing his splitter, so if a cut or blister is bothering him then he might not be as effective as usual.

 

I'm thinking about trying to score a ticket for Friday or Saturday... not sure I can afford it though, even way up in the nosebleeds.

[Eizan 126]

Well it's no doubt Seattle now, so uhh yeah nice meeting you in the Playoffs. 

 

Although if I'm going to be honest I think the Astros are the best team going into the playoffs with Atlanta being 2nd best. Repeat World Series? 

[dr. b 492]

Bring it on, Seattle!

Game times:

• Friday 4:07 PM Eastern
• Saturday 4:07 Eastern
• Sunday 2:07 Eastern if needed

 

I'm cutting loose from work early on Friday  

[dr. b 492]

uuuuuuggggghhh this fucking Blue Jays team  I don't think there's going to be a Game #3 on Sunday...

[dr. b 492]

Fuck me I hate baseball   

[Eizan 126]

I went to bed thinking there was going to be a game 3. Although I wish the Mariners were going to go play the Yankees instead of the Astros. 

[Eizan 126]

That's great the Mariners actually got to Verlander, but blew the game. 

[dr. b 492]

I don't know this team very well, the bullpen and names of guys further down the depth chart, but I really didn't like what they did in the 9th last night. Sewald was awful in the game against Toronto on Saturday. I would have put anybody else out there instead of him. Then they brought in Ray, who is prone to allowing homeruns, with two runners on. And he's a starter that hasn't appeared out of the 'pen in a pretty long time. If it had worked then I suppose Servais would have looked like a genius, but to me that was a recipe for disaster.

 

I'm still cheering for Seattle, but, I won't lie -- it felt pretty damn satisfying seeing Alvarez hit that bomb  But, uh... go M's!

[Eizan 126]

I expect Seattle to be swept today. 

 

Anyways, NLCS could be Phillies vs Padres? 

[dr. b 492]

I think the M's still have some fight left in them, but it's probably better to expect the worst  

 

I am hoping that Atlanta comes back to knock out the Phillies. Something about the Phils, I just don't find them to be a very likeable team.

 

I am all aboard the Guardians and Padres bandwagons if they can do away with the Yanks and Dodgers.

[Eizan 126]

Technically Seattle played 4 games...

 

I think the Astro's will win it all, but I'd like to see the Padres win.

[dr. b 492]

I am all aboard the Dads' bandwagon!

 

It's a bummer about Seattle, but even though they got swept, that was not an easy series for Houston. The M's put up a good fight.

[Eizan 126]

Looking like its going to be a Houston and Philadelphia World Series. 

 

That doesn't seem like a WS you'd like. 

[dr. b 492]

Not really! I might have to cheer for the Astros... Ick.

[Eizan 126]

No-hitter in the world series. Javier shut down the Yankees and the Phillies this postseason. 

[dr. b 492]

Yeah, Javier's starts have been stellar in the ALCS and WS!

 

I think McCullers Jr. must have been tipping his pitches in the previous game. So many homeruns.

 

I've been pleasantly surprised by this World Series. I hope it goes the full seven games. I'm really enjoying it.

[dr. b 492]

Well, that's that. Baseball is over for another long winter  

 

I was happy to see the 'Stros win it in the end. They're clearly the better, more complete team. You never know what can happen in a best-of-7 series, and it is also fun to see the underdog upset the favourite, but something feels right to me about the "better team" winning. It was an entertaining World Series and the Phils gave them a run for their money! But if the Phils want to be legit contenders next year then they need to tighten up their defense somehow. They're pretty bad on that side of the ball. Winning games with a high-powered offense gets you through the regular season well enough, but in the postseason when you're playing all the top teams, the margin for error becomes so thin. Need to play good defense.

 

The biggest eye-opener for me from watching the ALCS and WS is that Jeremy Pena is one incredible player. He looks like a vet the way he carries himself on the field. Aside from the fact that he obviously looks young, you could never tell he's a rookie. What a talented a poised player.

[Eizan 126]

Rangers throwing more money at Free Agency. Signed DeGrom. 

 

They better hope he can stay healthy. 

[dr. b 492]

Yeah that's nuts. They won't be able to build a complete team through free agency though, no matter how much they spend. Player development has to go hand-in-hand with the FA signings. 

 

The M's traded for Kolten Wong.

 

Apparently the Phils are going hard after Trea Turner.

[Eizan 126]

Well, Correa going to the Mets instead of Giants now? Wonder how the Mets will choke it away next year. 

 

Wait, will the Mets have a bigger payroll than the Yankees now? 

 

 

[dr. b 492]

Check this out:

 

 

That is just nuts. This offseason has been crazy. And this latest situation with Correa is wild. 

[Eizan 126]

Correa back to the Twins now...I don't know if he stays healthy for a full season. 

[dr. b 492]

This whole Correa saga has been quite unbelievable! I hope he stays on the field and plays well in Minnesota. I'd like to see the Twins return to relevance again. They had a nice stretch of competitiveness in the 2000's. Those were some solid teams. But mostly losing seasons since 2010. Correa ought to be the best player on their team if he stays healthy. Buxton is also a player with lots of potential, and I think he's been a bit more consistent the last couple years. They have some other perfectly decent position players too. Seems like they can't develop pitching though, at least not in recent years.

[Eizan 126]

*edits title* 

 

So, 8 games in and the Rays already have a +46 run differential.

[dr. b 492]

They won’t be this good all summer, but wow the Rays are off to a hot start!

 

It’s nice to see the Pirates winning some games early on. The way that team has been run is quite pathetic. I want to see nice things for their fans. 

[Eizan 126]

Blue Jays up next to try and give the Rays their first loss. 

 

 

[dr. b 492]

The damn Rays…  They’ve mostly been playing bad teams, but still kudos to them for winning all the games. Toronto should give them more of a challenge—I hope  One problem is that the rotation is lined up such that Berrios, Kikuchi, and Manoah will be pitching this weekend. Berrios might just be bad now, Kikuchi is super unreliable, and Manoah is struggling to start this season. Yikes. 

[Eizan 126]

Remember when Seattle had a winning record, but a negative run differential because they won so many close games. This is the pay back for that season isn't it? They lose a bunch of close games? 

[dr. b 492]

Bummer about the injury to Ray for Seattle too  

[Eizan 126]

AL East is pretty stacked huh? 

 

Yankees in last place, would be in first in both Central divisions. 

[dr. b 492]

Yeah, the AL East is looking strong this year. The more balanced schedule is making it less of a bloodbath. They play each other a bit less, and play teams from weaker divisions more. Both Central divisions are quite bad. Especially the AL Central. Also, what's going on with the Cardinals  Anyways, I could see four 90-win teams in the AL East when all is said and done. Maybe all AL East teams in the Wild Card games! I expected the Red Sox to be the last place team though, not the Yanks.

 

When are your M's going to get back on track??

[Eizan 126]

I mean at least the are winning series against bad teams. The pitching is fine, but the offense could end up being a problem. 

 

It's a shame that with the way the scheduling is done now we only play the A's 13 times instead of 19-20. 

 

So uh you okay up there? Maple Leafs you know finally winning a playoff series, but then losing like they did to Florida. I mean to be fair the Panthers also beat Boston. 

[dr. b 492]

I'm not really a hockey fan anymore, and certainly not much of a Leafs fan even if I still watched hockey. So they don't faze me anymore   They always find a way to disappoint. I was more bummed about the Raptors this season. They have some talented players but they're an awful team. It was a terrible thing to watch. My Blue Jays might also disappoint me in the end this summer, but that could be more of an "out of their control" situation. The AL East is tough. They could win a ton of games and still come up short.

[Eizan 126]

 

 

You mentioned what's going on with the Cardinals and like that they sweep the Red Sox, take the series against the Brewers and pound the crap out of the Dodgers last night. Seems like they're fine. 

[dr. b 492]

The Cards got that devil magic, but they're still seven games below .500 and second last in a pretty bad division. There's still time left for them to go on a run and eventually win the division, especially because the other teams are not the greatest... I think the NLC comes down to Milwaukee or St. Louis. The Pirates were a fun story to start the season but I think it's all downhill from here for them  

[Eizan 126]

So, I don't think Seattle will be in post season contention. Rangers and Astros are better teams and well you know about the East, but the Blue Jays and Red Sox are slipping. 

 

It'd be nice to be in the Central right? 

[dr. b 492]

Yeah, the AL Central is so bad. Mix them into the AL East and they would all be in last place  

 

 

It's starting to get late pretty early here for both our teams. The Jays or M's could still go on a hot streak and get right back into the WC or division races... but they gotta get hot soon.

 

The Jays also lost a bunch of games to division rivals here in May, which hurts them in the standings. You get fewer chances against division teams now, so you have to make the most of the games you have against them.

[dr. b 492]

Well, Eizan, I don't think this is the year for either of our teams... I guess either of the Jays or M's could go on a run still in the second half and turn it around, and you never know when other teams could get bit by the injury bug or go on a slump... but it's not looking great.

 

In the AL East, the Rays and O's just look too strong. And the Yankees are still a solid team. Part of me is starting to feel like 2021 was the real window for contention for the Jays, the year that Vlad was on an MVP pace but they missed the postseason by one game. That was a really good team. Last year they petered out in the Wild Card games, and this year they are looking rather mediocre. That's a bummer.

 

The AL West is weird too. I expected the Rangers to at least be better than last year, but not this good! The Astros are still solid, and somehow the Angels are still seven games over .500 and we're getting pretty darn close to the mid-way point of the season. Have they finally figured out how to put a winning team on the field with Trout and Ohtani??? I dunno, maybe the collapse in the second half, but I expected them to have already collapsed by now.

 

I am also pretty surprised by the D-Backs. I listen to lots of baseball podcasts, and the D-Backs were a bit of a hipster sleeper / dark horse pick for some of the more analytically inclined baseball writers and podcasters, because they do have an interesting group of young and talented players. I thought maybe they would show flashes but it would still be too early for them to really look good. So far they're looking great!

[Eizan 126]

Yea, I expected the O's to continue success like they had last year, but not be this good. As for other division yea the D-backs are a surprise, want to see if they can keep it up going late in to the season. 

 

The Angels need Trout to breakout of his slump, but my god Ohtani has just been fire as of late. 

[dr. b 492]

As long as Ohtani can keep doing the two-way player thing like this, he should be MVP every year in whichever league he happens to be in. That dude is so incredibly talented.

[Eizan 126]

At least the NL Central is trying, the Reds and Cubs are playing well. While the AL Central might have a playoff team with a losing record. 

 

I think it will be interesting to see who the team that gets hot towards the end of September. 

 

[dr. b 492]

The Reds have been a great story. I'm happy to see them winning games! 

[dr. b 492]

Perfect game !

[Eizan 126]

11 years after the previous Perfect Game. Kind of crazy to remember there was 6 between 2009 and 2012. 

 

Who has been the biggest disappointment so far this season between the Mets and Padres? Consider you know both have made lots of moves. 

[dr. b 492]

I feel like the Padres are more of a disappointment. They've got a lot of young talent, at least on paper. Part of me could still see them bouncing back with a strong second half. The Mets should probably be thinking about blowing their team up.