The 2015 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread

[Shortstop]

I really like the Pirates acquiring Soria, Morse and Happ! I'm not so sure about Blanton, though...

However, I don't like seeing Tabata go.

Although he never lived up to his "potential" I think he could have really helped down the stretch...

[BarkingToad]

Wilmer Flores went from almost being traded to hitting 12th inning game winning homer for Mets.

[Chi_archie]

Wilmer Flores went from almost being traded to hitting 12th inning game winning homer for Mets.

still no crying in baseball

[BigSpoon]

If you're a fan, do you like what the organization is doing or are they putting all their eggs in one basket this year?

As a fan, I really like it. The core of the team is not getting any younger and we have the longest postseason drought in MLB. Having a fairly deep farm system allowed the club to go for it.

[MexicanStallion]

Just not ready to return yet. Really pulling for him though.

Matt Moore will be sent down to Triple-A Durham.

The move will be made official on Monday. Moore hasn't looked right since coming back from Tommy John surgery. In six starts, he's 1-3 with a horrifying 8.78 ERA. Opponents have hit .365 against him with four homers in 26 2/3 innings. For now, the Rays will go with a four-man rotation of Chris Archer, Nathan Karns, Jake Odorizzi and Erasmo Ramirez.

[Wrigley]

still no crying in baseball

Thats what he gonna be famous for when his career is done

[MexicanStallion]

Should not be surprising news, but Schwarber definitely should be staying.

Kyle Schwarber will remain with the Cubs after Miguel Montero is activated from the disabled list.

"We want his bat in the lineup," said manager Joe Maddon. Schwarber is still a work in progress behind the plate but it's hard to send him down to the minors when he's hitting .323 with a .523 slugging percentage. Schwarber has started two games in left field and could see more action there when Montero returns from his thumb injury later this week.

[EmpireMaker]

Should not be surprising news, but Schwarber definitely should be staying.

Kyle Schwarber will remain with the Cubs after Miguel Montero is activated from the disabled list.

"We want his bat in the lineup," said manager Joe Maddon. Schwarber is still a work in progress behind the plate but it's hard to send him down to the minors when he's hitting .323 with a .523 slugging percentage. Schwarber has started two games in left field and could see more action there when Montero returns from his thumb injury later this week.

They need his bat too badly, Maddon will make spots for him so that he can stay in the lineup. Probably a lot of left field and some catching.

[Chi_archie]

They need his bat too badly, Maddon will make spots for him so that he can stay in the lineup. Probably a lot of left field and some catching.

fun to watch

[BarkingToad]

still no crying in baseball

There is if you're about to be traded to Milwaukee.

[koz-man]

Toronto is 6 GB in the AL East and 2 GB in the AL Wildcard Race.

Even with all this movement, I honestly don't see them making the postseason this year...

Regardless, this is going to be an awesome last two months of the season!

Agree. I've seen it back-fire on so many teams in the past.

[koz-man]

What is up with these LA Dodgers pitchers...

Now It's Clayton Kershaw turn with 37 straight scoreless innings, and counting.

He pitched 8 scoreless last night vs LA Angels.

Kershaw (W, 9-6)	8.0	2	0	0	1	7	0	115-77	2.37
Jansen (S, 19)	1.0	2	1	1	1	2	0	24-17	3.04

Unreal!!!!

[Shortstop]

What is up with these LA Dodgers pitchers...

Now It's Clayton Kershaw turn with 37 straight scoreless innings, and counting.

He pitched 8 scoreless last night vs LA Angels.

Kershaw (W, 9-6)	8.0	2	0	0	1	7	0	115-77	2.37
Jansen (S, 19)	1.0	2	1	1	1	2	0	24-17	3.04

Unreal!!!!

Yeah, it's been amazing what Kershaw and Greinke have done this year.

On a side note, I have tickets to the Pirates/Dodgers game this Friday night.

Hopefully nothing changes between now and then because Kershaw and Cole are scheduled to face off.

It should be a playoff-like atmosphere down at PNC!

[Shortstop]

The "REAL" Charlie Morton showed up today in Cincinnati.

Another awesome weapon addition in the bullpen with Soria!

Morton (W, 7-4)	7.0	5	0	0	0	7	0	93-63	4.19
Watson (H, 25)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12-9	2.64
Melancon (H, 1)	0.1	1	0	0	0	0	0	13-8	1.29
Soria (S, 1)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3-3	0.00

[BarkingToad]

Jose Fernandez now has a career record of 15-0 in 24 starts at home.

[EmpireMaker]

Jose Fernandez now has a career record of 15-0 in 24 starts at home.

I know, I hope you didn't just Mush it.

[Chi_archie]

The "REAL" Charlie Morton showed up today in Cincinnati.

Another awesome weapon addition in the bullpen with Soria!

Morton (W, 7-4)	7.0	5	0	0	0	7	0	93-63	4.19
Watson (H, 25)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12-9	2.64
Melancon (H, 1)	0.1	1	0	0	0	0	0	13-8	1.29
Soria (S, 1)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3-3	0.00

Bucs desperately need Charlie to be at this level the rest of the year, the potential loss of AJ for the season is a killer

[koz-man]

Yeah, it's been amazing what Kershaw and Greinke have done this year.

On a side note, I have tickets to the Pirates/Dodgers game this Friday night.

Hopefully nothing changes between now and then because Kershaw and Cole are scheduled to face off.

It should be a playoff-like atmosphere down at PNC!

Sweet...

What a great pitching match-up and to be at the game is priceless....Enjoy!!!

[EmpireMaker]

Richie Shaffer, His 16 HR since his May 24 promotion to Durham led the IL. Tonight he will start for TB against the White Sox.

[BigSpoon]

Nice debut by David Price earlier this afternoon.

Price (W, 10-4)	8.0	3	1	1	2	11	1	119-80	2.45
Hawkins	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	10-8	0.00

[EmpireMaker]

Luis Severino will make his major league debut Wednesday against the Red Sox.
Advice: After dominating at every level, the Yankees are finally ready to see what their No. 1 prospect is made of. The 21-year-old was brilliant in his last start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, tallying 10 strikeouts over six one-hit innings. Bryan Mitchell will lose his spot in the starting rotation when Severino arrives.

[Shortstop]

Nice debut by David Price earlier this afternoon.

Price (W, 10-4)	8.0	3	1	1	2	11	1	119-80	2.45
Hawkins	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	10-8	0.00

No doubt! This outing has to get Toronto fans excited about the stretch run!

It seems like many pitchers are having strong first appearances with their new teams as of late...

[Shortstop]

Adrian Beltre hits for The Cycle as the Rangers out slug the Astros, 12-9 last night.

This is Beltre's third of his career! What an amazing record!

DeShields CF	2	2	0	0	3	1	25	.270	.368	.387
Martín CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.220	.265	.314
Odor 2B	5	2	2	2	0	1	17	.264	.327	.459
Fielder DH	5	2	2	2	0	0	16	.330	.399	.498
Beltré 3B	5	2	4	3	0	0	13	.270	.312	.417
Moreland 1B	5	1	2	2	0	2	28	.286	.336	.508
Hamilton LF	5	0	0	0	0	2	23	.235	.285	.426
Choo RF	3	1	1	2	2	2	25	.239	.324	.425
Andrus SS	5	1	2	0	0	0	18	.258	.308	.344
Wilson C	4	1	2	1	0	0	18	.190	.239	.206
BATTING 2B: Beltré (18, Fields); Wilson (1, Fiers) 3B: Beltré (3, McCullers); Odor (6, Fiers) HR: Choo (14, 1st inning off McCullers 1 on, 1 Out); Beltré (9, 5th inning off Fiers 0 on, 1 Out) RBI: Fielder 2 (61), Beltré 3 (30), Moreland 2 (56), Choo 2 (50), Wilson (7), Odor 2 (36) Rangers RISP: 6-14 (Fielder 2-3, Hamilton 0-2, Beltré 1-2, DeShields 0-1, Moreland 2-3, Odor 1-2, Andrus 0-1) Team LOB: 8
BASERUNNING SB: DeShields (17, 2nd base off Fiers/Castro)
FIELDING E: Wilson (1, catch)

[Otters27]

Price sure looked good yesterday. Blue Jays gave up a lot of prospects to get these players. I hope it pays off for them

[BigSpoon]

Price sure looked good yesterday. Blue Jays gave up a lot of prospects to get these players. I hope it pays off for them

Anything less than a wild card spot is a fail this season for them.

[koz-man]

Remembering the Ryan-Ventura fight

Nolan Ryan's famous fight with Robin Ventura happened 22 years ago today. Did you know that the 46-year-old wasn't ejected for throwing these punches? Other fight facts

[Chi_archie]

Remembering the Ryan-Ventura fight

Nolan Ryan's famous fight with Robin Ventura happened 22 years ago today. Did you know that the 46-year-old wasn't ejected for throwing these punches? Other fight facts

classic

[EmpireMaker]

These days, and possibly for the days to come in the 2015 season, it's good to be the New York Mets. Not only have the Mets surged past the Washington Nationals into first place in the NL East, but also they've come out of perhaps their toughest stretch of schedule all season in great position to add to their division lead.
According to data gathered from Stats, LLC and published in the Wall Street Journal, the Mets have the easiest schedule in Major League Baseball from here to Game 162. As of Monday, they had a league-low 14 games remaining against teams with .500 or better records, and the combined winning percentage of future opponents was a league-worst .455. The Nationals also have an "easy" schedule based on this metric -- their opponents have a combined winning percentage of .470 -- but they also have 19 games against .500-or-better teams, including 13 away from Nationals Park.
Juan Uribe's like, 'Looks like we got ourselves a winner here!' (USATSI)The Mets have just five away games against teams currently with records of .500 or better. Further, the Cubs and Giants -- who lead the Nationals (and Mets, hypothetically) in the wild-card race, have tougher schedules the rest of the way. Even if the Mets slip up in the division, there's reason to believe they could make a move on the wild-card spot as insurance.

NL East projections on July 31
Team	Wins	NL East title	Playoffs
Nationals	92.1	89.2 percent	93.2 percent
Mets	85.1	10.8	27.0
Source: Stephen Oh, SportsLine

NL East projections on Aug. 4
Team	Wins	NL East title	Playoffs
Nationals	89.4	57.1 percent	72.3 percent
Mets	88.4	42.8	59.6
Source: Stephen Oh, SportsLine

It's kind of amazing what the Mets did for their chances by sweeping the Nationals over the weekend at Citi Field. As Stephen Oh of Sportsline points out, the Mets would have been in a serious world of hurt had it been the Nationals who won two or three games.
Holy mother of pearl, we got ourselves a race here! And, from the Wall Street Journal, take a closer look at the weaker opponents the Mets are set to face.
But with the Nationals sweeping, look at the change in probability:

Not only will the Mets square off against baseball's bottom-feeders in their final 57 games, they will play them at the best possible time. Many of their upcoming foes sold off key pieces at the deadline, leaving them even worse off than before.
For instance, they have seven games left against the dismal Colorado Rockies, who just shipped their best player, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, to the Toronto Blue Jays. They have 10 games coming against baseball's worst team, the Philadelphia Phillies, who just traded their ace (Cole Hamels) and their All-Star closer (Jonathan Papelbon). The Mets have already won eight of nine games against the Phillies and seven of 11 against the Marlins this season.
More important, they've gone 7-6 against the rival Nationals, a departure from 2014, when they lost 15 of 19 to them. "The one thing I think we had to prove to ourselves is that we could play with the Nationals,” Collins said. "I think it was good for us to say, "Hey, look, we can play with these guys.' That was why I thought the last three days were huge for us.”

As the WSJ also points out, you can't take for granted that a team with a worse record will just roll over and lose against a team with the better record. It worked against the Mets in 2007 when playing the last-place Marlins, and New York lost a playoff spot after dropping two of three to the Fish. There are countless other examples, too, of teams with a paper advantage crumpling up and dying with the season on the line.
Paper or real, the Mets still have a much better chance of making the playoffs than they did on the final day of July.
(Wall Street Journal)

[MexicanStallion]

A lot of people seem high on Gray.

Jon Gray allowed three runs -- two earned -- over four innings in his major league debut on Tuesday.

Taking on the Mariners, Gray struck out four while giving up five hits and two walks. He didn't factor in the decision. The 23-year-old has huge upside but is pitching on a losing team that plays its home games in a hitter's ballpark. Gray will get a chance to pitch in a normal atmosphere when the Rockies travel to face the Mets on Monday.

[koz-man]

Luis Severino -- the Bronx Bombers' best pitching prospect in nearly a decade -- debuts tonight on Wednesday Night Baseball.

[Shortstop]

Jose Fernandez now has a career record of 15-0 in 24 starts at home.

WOW!

[Shortstop]

Remembering the Ryan-Ventura fight

Nolan Ryan's famous fight with Robin Ventura happened 22 years ago today. Did you know that the 46-year-old wasn't ejected for throwing these punches? Other fight facts

Hard to believe it's been that long ago...

I remember thinking is Ventura being brave or being stupid?!?!?

classic

Word!

[Shortstop]

Luis Severino -- the Bronx Bombers' best pitching prospect in nearly a decade -- debuts tonight on Wednesday Night Baseball.

I'm looking forward to seeing him throw, may have to set the DVR though...

[Shortstop]

These days, and possibly for the days to come in the 2015 season, it's good to be the New York Mets. Not only have the Mets surged past the Washington Nationals into first place in the NL East, but also they've come out of perhaps their toughest stretch of schedule all season in great position to add to their division lead.
According to data gathered from Stats, LLC and published in the Wall Street Journal, the Mets have the easiest schedule in Major League Baseball from here to Game 162. As of Monday, they had a league-low 14 games remaining against teams with .500 or better records, and the combined winning percentage of future opponents was a league-worst .455. The Nationals also have an "easy" schedule based on this metric -- their opponents have a combined winning percentage of .470 -- but they also have 19 games against .500-or-better teams, including 13 away from Nationals Park.
Juan Uribe's like, 'Looks like we got ourselves a winner here!' (USATSI)The Mets have just five away games against teams currently with records of .500 or better. Further, the Cubs and Giants -- who lead the Nationals (and Mets, hypothetically) in the wild-card race, have tougher schedules the rest of the way. Even if the Mets slip up in the division, there's reason to believe they could make a move on the wild-card spot as insurance.

NL East projections on July 31
Team	Wins	NL East title	Playoffs
Nationals	92.1	89.2 percent	93.2 percent
Mets	85.1	10.8	27.0
Source: Stephen Oh, SportsLine

NL East projections on Aug. 4
Team	Wins	NL East title	Playoffs
Nationals	89.4	57.1 percent	72.3 percent
Mets	88.4	42.8	59.6
Source: Stephen Oh, SportsLine

It's kind of amazing what the Mets did for their chances by sweeping the Nationals over the weekend at Citi Field. As Stephen Oh of Sportsline points out, the Mets would have been in a serious world of hurt had it been the Nationals who won two or three games.
Holy mother of pearl, we got ourselves a race here! And, from the Wall Street Journal, take a closer look at the weaker opponents the Mets are set to face.
But with the Nationals sweeping, look at the change in probability:

Not only will the Mets square off against baseball's bottom-feeders in their final 57 games, they will play them at the best possible time. Many of their upcoming foes sold off key pieces at the deadline, leaving them even worse off than before.
For instance, they have seven games left against the dismal Colorado Rockies, who just shipped their best player, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, to the Toronto Blue Jays. They have 10 games coming against baseball's worst team, the Philadelphia Phillies, who just traded their ace (Cole Hamels) and their All-Star closer (Jonathan Papelbon). The Mets have already won eight of nine games against the Phillies and seven of 11 against the Marlins this season.
More important, they've gone 7-6 against the rival Nationals, a departure from 2014, when they lost 15 of 19 to them. "The one thing I think we had to prove to ourselves is that we could play with the Nationals,” Collins said. "I think it was good for us to say, "Hey, look, we can play with these guys.' That was why I thought the last three days were huge for us.”

As the WSJ also points out, you can't take for granted that a team with a worse record will just roll over and lose against a team with the better record. It worked against the Mets in 2007 when playing the last-place Marlins, and New York lost a playoff spot after dropping two of three to the Fish. There are countless other examples, too, of teams with a paper advantage crumpling up and dying with the season on the line.
Paper or real, the Mets still have a much better chance of making the playoffs than they did on the final day of July.
(Wall Street Journal)

Very interesting read. Let's see if the Mets can capitalize on their remaining schedule.

Ironic that the Nationals have the next "easiest" remaining schedule.

Whichever team finishes second in the NL East can't blame the schedule makers!

[Chi_archie]

Pirates midle of the pack