[Checkerboard]

Cole going tonight, Jays hitting will need to be sharp.

[Otters27]

Orioles are Yankees and Red Sox killers

[stevenash]

^
Schwarber is a Red Sox killer.

[stevenash]

Mr. Cross sir.
The best the Cubs can do is 72-90, the worst the Royals can do is 72-90.
Since I have KC +0.5 wins in our friendly side bet, I do believe you are how do they say "mathematically eliminated"

[JMobile]

17 for the Cardinals, end this pain!

Cardinals will lose to the Dodgers

[Stallion]

I thought that they'd get that one with Ryu on the hill. Now it's a must that they take the next two against the Yanks.

Yeah they can't lose another game this season.

[EmpireMaker]

Tommy Pham’s time with the Padres hasn’t gone as he or the organization would’ve hoped at the time of his acquisition from the Rays. The 33-year-old outfielder missed a chunk of “Summer Camp” last July after testing positive for Covid-19, and he suffered a broken hamate bone mid-August, limiting him to just 31 games. Even more alarming was a frightening offseason scene in which Pham was stabbed outside a San Diego club — a life-threatening attack that required 200 stitches and left the outfielder with a footlong scar on his back.
Pham, remarkably, managed to participate in Spring Training and was able to take the field come Opening Day for the Padres. It marked an incredible recovery, but it’s clear that that wave of health issues has taken its toll on Pham. Through 150 games and 553 plate appearances, Pham has posted just a .229/.342/.383 batting line. He’s drawing walks at a career-high 14.1 percent clip, but he’s also striking out at high highest rate since 2018 (22.8 percent) and hasn’t matched the power he showed from 2016-19. Given that Pham is set to hit the open market at season’s end, the combined .226/.336/.370 slash he’s delivered in two years with the Padres is all the more disappointing.
In a postgame interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Annie Heilbrunn (YouTube link), Pham was candid in discussing his health, his own lackluster performance and the second-half collapse of his team. Asked about the Padres’ descent from what looked like a surefire playoff club to a team fighting to finish .500, Pham placed no shortage of blame on himself.
“I didn’t play well enough,” Pham said when asked what went wrong for the Padres. “…I’ve got to be a more consistent hitter. I’ve got to work on regaining my strength and speed this offseason. I have a lot to work on.”
Obviously, the Padres’ nosedive in the standings is related to far more than just a disappointing season for Pham, who couldn’t have anything resembling a normal offseason while recovering from surgery in the wake of that stabbing. However, Pham’s acknowledgement regarding his speed and strength (or lack thereof) is indeed borne out when looking at his Statcast profile.
Pham’s average exit velocity dropped by a hefty 1.9 mph in spite of the fact that his percentage of “barreled” balls improved from 7.3 percent to 10.1 percent. As Pham explains to Heilbrunn: “…even the balls I’ve been barreling, the exit velocity just ain’t there.”
From a speed perspective, Pham is still a better runner than the average big leaguer, but his sprint speed of 27.8 feet per second is down from last year’s 28.2 ft/sec and down more handily from the 28.7 ft/sec he posted in each season from 2016-19. It should be noted that Pham’s 90.9 mph exit velocity and 27.8 ft/sec sprint speed still rank in the 78th and 70th percentiles among big league players.
It’s all led to a stark downturn in performance for Pham, who from 2017-19 was among the game’s most underrated players. A 2017 breakout saw him post a huge .306/.411/.520 batting line with 23 homers and 25 steals in just 530 plate appearances/128 games. Pham largely sustained his production in his two subsequent healthy seasons, wrapping that three-year stretch up with a composite .284/.381/.475 line. He was worth 13.5 and 13.8 wins above replacement, respectively, in the estimation of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs during that time.
Had Pham reached the market on the heels of that three-year run, he’d have been extremely well compensated. But as a late-bloomer who didn’t get an earnest look with the Cardinals until 2017, at age 29, Pham will instead reach free agency headed into his age-34 campaign and on the heels of a pair of highly unfortunate seasons. He’s realistic about the toll these past two years have likely taken on his market.
“I didn’t have the season I was expecting,” says Pham. “I’m fully prepared to take a one-year deal and reestablish my market.”
[Related: 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List]
That’s a tough proposition for a player entering his mid-30s, however. Pham will be 34 next March, so even if he indeed reestablishes himself as a quality all-around corner outfielder, he’ll do so in advance of his age-35 campaign.
Given the manner in which teams are increasingly reluctant to sign mid-30s and late-30s players to lucrative multi-year deals, it’s fair to question just what type of ceiling would be placed on Pham’s earning power even if he does rebound in full. Michael Brantley inked a two-year, $32MM contract covering his age-34 and age-35 seasons after playing for three years at a roughly three- to four-win pace, however, so there’s some recent precedent for a corner outfielder in this age bracket commanding a rather lucrative multi-year pact.
Of course, any such talk is putting the cart before the horse. Pham’s focus in the offseason will be both getting back into peak physical condition and finding the best opportunity for the 2022 season. It’s not out of the question that teams would have some interest on a multi-year contract, given Pham’s prior excellence. Pham, however, sounded plenty confident in his ability to rebound from these past couple seasons and position himself for a stronger annual value in future trips to the market. Unsurprisingly, he made clear that he’d welcome the opportunity to do so with the Padres, though he gave no indication any such negotiations have taken place just yet.

[Cross]

Mr. Cross sir.
The best the Cubs can do is 72-90, the worst the Royals can do is 72-90.
Since I have KC +0.5 wins in our friendly side bet, I do believe you are how do they say "mathematically eliminated"

On the positive side of the ledger, I had your Royals tonight scoring 10 runs so I think that should get me $50 in Bitcoin! Well done on our side bet, Nostradamus!!

[mr. leisure]

Oakland just can`t beat Seattle .

[Otters27]

Oakland just can`t beat Seattle .

They can't. Have beat me multiple bets this year

[jrgum3]

Oakland just can`t beat Seattle .

Hard to believe that Seattle still has a chance to make the postseason. It's not likely but they aren't eliminated yet and are playing good ball at the end of the year.

[stevenash]

On the positive side of the ledger, I had your Royals tonight scoring 10 runs so I think that should get me $50 in Bitcoin! Well done on our side bet, Nostradamus!!

Both teams should have performed better though.

No rush on payment, whenever you have it is fine.
200 points will not make or break me, hardly.
(I do need to renew in October though)

[Cross]

I will send it soon Nasher, no problem. Dodgers late rally last night took that Bitcoin straight out of my hands!!!

[Stallion]

The Jays finally won a game.

[BigSpoon]

The Jays finally won a game.

Can't afford to lose anymore.

[JMobile]

Padres can beat the Giants for the last games of the season so that means the Dodgers can get the NL West

[EmpireMaker]

Dodgers outfielder AJ Pollock is in the midst of one of his best seasons, having posted an excellent .301/.360/.532 batting line with 19 home runs, 27 doubles, a triple and nine stolen bases. That production would position the 33-year-old as one of the best outfielders on the free-agent market this winter, but MLBTR has confirmed that Pollock will fall just a few plate appearances shy of the threshold necessary to trigger an opt-out clause in his deal.
Pollock’s contract, signed in Jan. 2019, was a four-year, $55MM deal that covered the 2019-22 seasons with a player option for a fifth year in 2023. However, the contract also allowed Pollock to opt out of the 2022 season and receive a $5MM buyout if he hit one of two plate appearance milestones: 1450 plate appearances combined from 2019-21 or 1000 combined from 2020-2021.
Last year’s pandemic-shortened season threw a wrench into vesting clauses such as this one, but the league and the players association agreed to prorate plate appearances and innings pitched for the purpose of calculations such as this one. Pollock’s 210 plate appearances last season are thus multiplied by 2.7, meaning they account for 567 plate appearances toward that threshold. (MLBTR’s Anthony Franco explored this possibility when Pollock returned from the IL last week.)
Pollock needed 433 plate appearances in 2021 to unlock that right to opt out, but he’s currently at 408 plate appearances with just four games to play. It’s nearly unfathomable that he’d manage to accumulate 25 trips to the plate in a span of four games. As such, it seems that a pair of hamstring strains for Pollock this season — one in his left leg in May and another in his right leg earlier this month — will cost him the opportunity to return to the open market in advance of his age-34 season.
Pollock will now be under contract for the 2022 season on a $10MM salary, after which he’ll have a $10MM player option or a $5MM buyout. To that extent, he’ll still control his own fate next offseason, but he’ll be doing so when he’s a year older and potentially coming off a weaker performance at the plate. Pollock’s contract does allow him to boost the value of that $10MM option as well; it’d increase by $1MM for reaching each of 400, 450, 500, 550 and 600 plate appearances next season.

[Checkerboard]

Can't afford to lose anymore.

Ace Ray tonight, hopefully they win tonight to take 2 of 3 from Yankees.

[Cross]

Peavy had the Dodgers for $100, solid Mr Maldonado!!

[EmpireMaker]

The Yankees announced that first baseman Luke Voit is landing back on the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation. Reliever Albert Abreu is up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his active roster spot.
Voit has been plagued by injuries for much of this season, with the left knee particularly problematic. He began the year on the IL after tearing the meniscus in the area. That initial stint cost him the first five weeks of the year, and he missed three weeks between July and August due to recurring inflammation. (Voit also missed time in May and June because of an oblique strain).
The series of health issues limited Voit to 241 plate appearances in a regular season that has now officially been brought to a close. His .239/.328/.437 line still checks in around 12 percentage points above league average by measure of wRC+, but it’s a significant drop-off from Voit’s first few seasons in pinstripes. The slugger entered this season with a .279/.372/.543 mark in 892 plate appearances as a Yankee, including a .277/.338/.610 line with a league-best 22 home runs in last year’s shortened season.
It seems likely the persistent health troubles impacted Voit’s productivity even when he was well enough to take the field. New York acquired Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs at the trade deadline to help cover for Voit’s health question marks, but the front office will need to decide how comfortable they are in Voit’s ability to return to his prior form moving forward. Rizzo is slated to hit free agency this offseason, while Voit will be entering his second of four years of arbitration eligibility. Whether the Yankees are comfortable enough with Voit’s knee to allow Rizzo to sign elsewhere remains to be seen.
In the interim, the Yankees will continue to pencil Rizzo in at first base with Giancarlo Stanton serving as the primary designated hitter. New York enters play tonight one game up on the Red Sox for the top Wild Card spot in the American League, a game and a half clear of the Mariners (the closest team just outside the current playoff picture). The Yankees didn’t provide a timetable for Voit’s return, so it’s possible he makes it back at some point during a potential playoff run. To give him that opportunity, the club will need to lock down a postseason spot and win the Wild Card game without his contributions.

[jrgum3]

Padres can beat the Giants for the last games of the season so that means the Dodgers can get the NL West

Giants will clinch this weekend because the Dodgers will lose at least 1 to the Brew Crew and even if they don't I think the Giants get 2 out of 3 from the Padres to finally lock up the division.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Peavy had the Dodgers for $100, solid Mr Maldonado!!

Thank you sir, how was Vegas? How did you fare in the tennis tournament?

[Otters27]

Giants will clinch this weekend because the Dodgers will lose at least 1 to the Brew Crew and even if they don't I think the Giants get 2 out of 3 from the Padres to finally lock up the division.

Brewer's really not reliable with the bats

[stevenash]

Brewer's really not reliable with the bats

Their pitching should carry them if the bats go soft.

[BigSpoon]

Ace Ray tonight, hopefully they win tonight to take 2 of 3 from Yankees.

Huge opportunity wasted. Still a slim chance with the Red Sox losing but it looks pretty bleak for the Jays.

[stevenash]

Huge opportunity wasted. Still a slim chance with the Red Sox losing but it looks pretty bleak for the Jays.

And the Sox catch the Nats this weekend who don't give a shit.
I do believe Washington has no shits left to give anyway, they gave half their team away too soon if you ask me.

[mr. leisure]

Going to be an exciting weekend for baseball with all the different playoff scenarios .

[Stallion]

Jays lose 2 of 3 to the Yankees, they must sweep the Orioles. Yankees play TB who have nothing to play for, Boston plays Washington, and Seattle plays LAA and Ohtani will not be starting. I can see a play-in game for the play-in wildcard game.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Jays lose 2 of 3 to the Yankees, they must sweep the Orioles. Yankees play TB who have nothing to play for, Boston plays Washington, and Seattle plays LAA and Ohtani will not be starting. I can see a play-in game for the play-in wildcard game.

Trying to knock the Yankees completely out of the playoffs and get to 100 wins is worth playing for.

[JMobile]

Giants will clinch this weekend because the Dodgers will lose at least 1 to the Brew Crew and even if they don't I think the Giants get 2 out of 3 from the Padres to finally lock up the division.

Dodgers have Kershaw on the mound tonight. Let's see if the Brewers can hit him

[stevenash]

How about a four way tie?


https://www.mlb.com/news/american-le...=1633094758877

[jrgum3]

Dodgers have Kershaw on the mound tonight. Let's see if the Brewers can hit him

The Diamondbacks got to Kershaw last time but I agree with you I expect Kershaw to be better this time around against the Brewers in a must win game.

[jrgum3]

Jays lose 2 of 3 to the Yankees, they must sweep the Orioles. Yankees play TB who have nothing to play for, Boston plays Washington, and Seattle plays LAA and Ohtani will not be starting. I can see a play-in game for the play-in wildcard game.

That Jays bullpen made me nervous and I'm not even a fan of the Jays. They managed to get it done but man you Jay fans must've been sweating in the late innings. It seems that is the case with most every teams bullpen these days.

[EmpireMaker]

The Pirates are planning to promote shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz to make his major league debut, reports Héctor Gómez of Z101 (Twitter link). The 22-year-old checked in as the game’s #50 overall farmhand on Baseball America’s midseason update. Cruz is already on the 40-man roster.

Cruz signed with the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic over the 2015-16 international signing period. Los Angeles included Cruz, who was then in Low-A, as part of a package headed to Pittsburgh for Tony Watson at the 2017 trade deadline. The left-handed hitter has spent the past four years climbing the minor league ranks, moving fairly slowly but posting big numbers at every level.
In 2018, Cruz hit .286/.343/.488 while spending the entire season at Low-A. He split the 2019 campaign between High-A and Double-A and was added to the 40-man roster that offseason to keep him from selection in the Rule 5 draft. Last year’s canceled minor league season obviously cost Cruz the chance to play in games, although he was part of the Bucs’ alternate training site group.
As Cruz has aged, he’s continued to fill out one of the bigger frames in affiliated ball. The 22-year-old is now listed at 6’7″, 210 pounds, and he’ll soon become the tallest shortstop in major league history. That atypical profile has led to some concern among prospect evaluators he’d eventually have to move off the position, but he’s worked there exclusively in the minors this year and has continued to hold his own. In their midseason report, BA pegged Cruz as a capable defender, and evaluators credit him with one of the better arms in the minor leagues. There’s still some sentiment he could wind up moving into the outfield eventually, but it seems he’ll at least get an opportunity to first try and stick on the left side of the infield.
While there may be some questions about his long-term defensive home, there’s no debate concerning Cruz’s power potential. His exceptional size and athleticism leads to some of the game’s biggest power projection, with Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs grading his raw power as a future 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. BA, meanwhile, pegs his power potential at a 70 on the same scale.
Cruz’s size has led to some trepidation about his ability to consistently make contact. Longer-levered players can sometimes have trouble synchronizing their swing mechanics, and Cruz indeed had some alarming strikeout numbers early in his minor league career. As he’s climbed the ladder, he’s ironed out those issues significantly. Cruz has taken 302 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this season, hitting .310/.375/.594 with seventeen home runs and a 22.8% strikeout rate that’s right in line with this year’s major league average.
With Cruz performing at a high level on both sides of the ball, the Pirates will give him a two-game cameo to close out the season. He can still be optioned to the minors in one more season, and he’s only played in six career Triple-A games. It’s certainly possible he starts next season back in the upper minors, whether for developmental or service time reasons. (Barring a change to the current service time structure in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement, the Pirates would only have to keep Cruz in the minors for a couple weeks to delay his path to free agency by an additional season). But whatever long-term plans the organization has, they’ll reward his consistently strong performance with his first big league call to close out this season, giving fans a glimpse at one of the most exciting young players in the organization in the process.

[Cross]

Thank you sir, how was Vegas? How did you fare in the tennis tournament?

Vegas was great, enjoyed the Wynn poker room and sports book! Tennis was fun, but maybe was a bit low on sleep to play how I would have liked.