Major League Baseball: 2017 Season

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Cincy is treading water, but then again, what's worse is the constant Toronto media hawks who keep fantasizing about a Joey Votto trade. It ain't happening with that albatross of a contract.
 
Silver Arrows
Cincy is treading water, but then again, what's worse is the constant Toronto media hawks who keep fantasizing about a Joey Votto trade. It ain't happening with that albatross of a contract.
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I like Joey a lot, but he's wasting away here. He's a hell of a player, and I'd be more than happy to see him go to a decent team and have a shot at winning. Plus, like you said, that would free up a TON of money.
 
Dolph Drago
I like Joey a lot, but he's wasting away here. He's a hell of a player, and I'd be more than happy to see him go to a decent team and have a shot at winning. Plus, like you said, that would free up a TON of money.
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It's sort of a chicken and egg scenario. First off, no team wants the contract, no matter what. So Cincy is playing behind the 8-ball already. Secondly, does he even want to leave there? I know that for Toronto at least, they cast a very bright light upon the Canadian born players. Only Russell Martin has really lasted any length of time here, and his skill set is rapidly diminishing as he gets older. People like Brett Lawrie and Michael Saunders got run out of town (some rightfully, some not) Maybe he enjoys the relatively low stress, low profile media environment that is Cincinnati.
 
Silver Arrows
It's sort of a chicken and egg scenario. First off, no team wants the contract, no matter what. So Cincy is playing behind the 8-ball already. Secondly, does he even want to leave there? I know that for Toronto at least, they cast a very bright light upon the Canadian born players. Only Russell Martin has really lasted any length of time here, and his skill set is rapidly diminishing as he gets older. People like Brett Lawrie and Michael Saunders got run out of town (some rightfully, some not) Maybe he enjoys the relatively low stress, low profile media environment that is Cincinnati.
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We had the same deal with Phillips, though his contract wasn't quite as much. He didn't want to leave, vetoing a couple of trades. I guess he enjoyed it here. When the deal for Atlanta (where he grew up) came up, he finally decided to accept the trade.
 
Meanwhile here in Houston...

3-0 was the score in Houston as the Houston Astros defeated the Seattle Mariners. Dallas Keuchel was the winning pitcher. He's the first Astros starting pitcher since the late '70s to win three successive Opening Day starts. For the losing Mariners, it was "King" Felix Hernandez taking the loss.


Congratulations to all other winners from games today and tonight.
 
The Tigers, great starter, powerful offense, good closer, horrific bullpen....it's going to be one of those years.
 
Joey D
horrific bullpen....



I wish Al would have made moves to help it instead of staying the course and letting the pen continue to suck, but it just wouldn't be Detroit baseball these days without having to wonder how long it'll take for the bullpen to blow the game.......
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It was 2-1 last night here in Houston as the Houston Astros won again against the Seattle Mariners. The win went to Lance McCullers Jr. on the Astros' side. Hisashi Iwakuma was the losing pitcher for Seattle.


My congratulations go out to all who won yesterday.
 
We took on the Seattle Mariners again. The Houston Astros ended up winning 5-3, but this one couldn't be settled in nine. This game required 13 innings for the score to be settled. Down 3-2 with two outs and a full count and runners and 1st and 2nd, George Springer belts a three-run walk-off jack to win the game. Springer dinger, baby! HOU's winning pitcher was Joe Musgrove. SEA's loser was Ariel Miranda.


Congratulations to the other winners from Wednesday, including the heart-breaking Grand Slam Cleveland delivered at the Texas Rangers in the Top of the 9th to win.
 
Tiger's back-end of the bullpen is already in mid-season form...which is to say terrible.

We played against Shields for godsake, we should have lit up the White Sox. That game was really depressing and unfortunately I don't see much hope for our next series against Boston. Although Fulmer is pitching and as long as he doesn't get a Sophomore Slump, he should be pretty good.
 
Surprisingly the Reds took 2 of 3 from the Phillies, though that doesn't really show how good we might be. We'll have a tough test on our hand as we head out to St. Louis for 3, followed by another 3 in Pittsburgh.

Fun fact: The Reds were the only team in the NL to not have a pinch hit home run all of last season. 3 games into this year and we already have one courtesy of pitcher Michael Lorenzen. Yes, the bench is so shallow that we put in a pitcher to pinch hit. At least he can he's capable.
 
The Houston Astros were looking to sweep the Seattle Mariners to improve to 4-0 on the season. Didn't happen. Our first fail of the season was a 4-2 loss at home. SEA's winner was Dan Altavilla, and he got a Save from Edwin Diaz. Ken Giles was HOU's loser. Oh, well. 3-1 is still a good start to the season.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... we welcome the Kansas City Royals for the weekend.


We didn't win, but congratulations to everybody else who did, such as the home wins by Cincinnati and the New York Mets.
 
Well thats interesting.💡

C80B1kJXoAAuCm6.jpg
 
Welcome to the first weekend of Major League Baseball for the 2017 season! It will be the first of many weekends of regular season baseball until either late September or early October. So go enjoy the weekend series!

On right now as of this post is the Boston Red Sox at the Detroit Tigers. Detroit currently up 4-0 in the Top of the 8th.


Of course, good luck to all of your favorite teams.
 
Ugly game at the end for the Tigers, but they at least managed to continue their Home Opener winning streak. Tigers beat the Red Sox 6-5.
 
AnthonyD1993
Ugly game at the end for the Tigers, but they at least managed to continue their Home Opener winning streak. Tigers beat the Red Sox 6-5.
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Tigers and Red Sox battle in a cage match of worst bullpens today.
 
It was funny that I stopped watching the BOS at DET game as the Tigers led 4-0. When I came out of the shower, BOS was up 5-4. Like... what the heck? Thankfully, the Detroit Tigers prevented embarrassment by winning the game. So... all sins forgiven, I guess.
 
JohnBM01
It was funny that I stopped watching the BOS at DET game as the Tigers led 4-0. When I came out of the shower, BOS was up 5-4. Like... what the heck? Thankfully, the Detroit Tigers prevented embarrassment by winning the game. So... all sins forgiven, I guess.
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As @Joey D said a day or two ago, the Tigers have a god awful bullpen and frankly have for years. It's been the signature weakness of the team, and it's part of the reason that so many fans were in shock that Al Avila didn't do anything about it this year.

The "Fire Ausmus" crowd was already making appearances in the Tigers Facebook page comments, but to me at least, firing him won't break the cycle of "Pick a bullpen choker" that is a gameday ritual for the team. It might eliminate his head scratching decisions he makes at times, but the pen will continue to suck regardless of if he is or isn't the manager.
 
Ausmus isn't that bad, he's not Leyland, but not bad. And when you're bullpen is full of chokers you just got to pray that the baseball gods give them a couple good innings and put one of them in.

And I am surprised Avila didn't do anything too.
 
The thing is, with the success Leyland had, how much longer is 'not bad, good enough' going to be, especially considering that the bullpen is, without fail, one of the worst in the AL?

The thing with a bullpen is that as soon as one props up, it can fail. Only need to look out at the Royals not just three years ago. And how everything basically fell out from under them. Now look at how Andrew Miller and the Indians are basically ripping up the notebook on bullpen usage. Even within the old school of thinking, and I know it's early, but look at how rock steady the Jays pen is, even with Osuna being out for a bit of time.

Something has got to give with the Tigers. Though I guess now the organization is in limbo with regards to finances with the death of Mike Illitch, and how he loved his Motor City Kitties to death.
 
I suspect if we are hurting real bad at the trade deadline they will sell the farm, bring in a ton of new talent, and just be awful for the next few years. The Tigers are a typical Detroit sports team, old, overpaid, and mediocre at best...but us as fan will continue to support them no matter what, I mean most of us are Lions fans and still supported them during the 0-16 year.
 
Joey D
I suspect if we are hurting real bad at the trade deadline they will sell the farm, bring in a ton of new talent, and just be awful for the next few years. The Tigers are a typical Detroit sports team, old, overpaid, and mediocre at best...but us as fan will continue to support them no matter what, I mean most of us are Lions fans and still supported them during the 0-16 year.
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This isn't meant to be rude, but...what farm? http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2692449-mlb-farm-system-rankings-pre-2017-spring-training-edition

Bleacher Report has the Tigers at 25th of 30 for the entire system, and I'm fairly certain Keith Law had it around the same bottom half as well.
 
Silver Arrows
This isn't meant to be rude, but...what farm? http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2692449-mlb-farm-system-rankings-pre-2017-spring-training-edition

Bleacher Report has the Tigers at 25th of 30 for the entire system, and I'm fairly certain Keith Law had it around the same bottom half as well.
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Oh I meant it as a figure of speech. Like sell off Verlander, Kinsler, J.D. Martinez, etc. I know our farm system isn't the best since we sold all of it to chase a World Series.
 
Joey D
Oh I meant it as a figure of speech. Like sell off Verlander, Kinsler, J.D. Martinez, etc. I know our farm system isn't the best since we sold all of it to chase a World Series.
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That makes more sense, but of those, I could only see teams biting for Kinsler. I seriously doubt Verlander wants to leave, he seems to be the loyal soldier type.

Besides, he's earning $20 Million + for the remaining of his contract. And it doesn't end until 2020. Not only that, but he'll be 37 by that time.

If the guy does get put up on the block, chances are he ends up the same as Joey Votto: no one will want that much money wrapped up in a game north of 35.
 
The following bullpens somehow managed to look horrible today:
Tigers (this is normal so I'm not sure if they looked horrible or the same), the Phillies (saved by a walkoff), the Braves (lost on a walkoff), Nationals (tied game only to lose on walkoff next half inning).

Those were all bad, but the Mariners struggling to hold onto a 6 run lead in the 9th inning and giving up 7 runs to lose 10-9 is downright embarrassing.
 

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