MLB - NEWS & NOTES

Red Sox sweep Yankees to go 45 games over .500 - how is that even possible?

 

And in spite of Heath Hemorrhage's best efforts to hand a game to the Yanks, to boot.

 

they just swept the fish Will. Crazy. on paper they're awful but their hitters are good with OBS and grind out hits. their front 4 are 2 solid guys and 2 other guys - Eflin and Velasquez who are coming on strong and looking very solid. Bullpen got restocked with 2 injured guys coming off the DL and another one is coming soon. They added a AA guy who is the fastest guy in all of minor leagues to their roster - Roman Quinn, so he was like getting a traded player for free. He has been in their plans for years but is always hurt. Now he's healthy. Good slap hitter who likes to steal bases. Their OF is solid. Infield is getting better. Still wanted an extra trade or two for the stretch run. With the free money, low contracts and low money owed and a top 5 farm system, they could be very good for years to come. GO PHILS.

 

solid team, young players and they acquired the new AL MVP in Martinez and Chris Sale of course. haha.

 

I miss JD... Avila and the owners in Detroit are tarted.

 

Also, Cora > Farrell.

As impressive as they've been playing, I still worry whether this Sox team can really make a run in October...I'm not sure there's a pitcher I truly feel confident in in the playoffs, not even Sale who's been prone to running out of gas at the end of the year or Kimbrel who was not great in the ALDS against the Astros last year, and they've gotten very little production out of the 6-9 spots in the order pretty much all year. If they can hold serve on HFA that could be huge in a hypothetical ALCS with Houston, though.

 

Yankees should make the WC and with their hitters, they could be tough to stop. Will be a fun October for sure.

 

Pitching should be good enough as Houston might have dropped of a notch also, but still, pitching will be the difference. Come October its hard to win a series by out-slugging the opponent. I still like Houston's pitching better, but maybe because of experience, the Red Sox can build on what went down last season. They (Boston) are definitely going to need some good mojo from the arms.

 

Watch out for the Athletics... where the hell did they come from?

 

HEADLINES...

Athletics acquire Mike Fiers from Tigers

Angels outfielder Mike Trout is considered day-to-day after receiving a cortisone injection in his ailing right wrist.

Astros place George Springer on DL

 

Mookie Betts hits for the cycle against Blue Jays...

Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts hit for the cycle on Thursday night against the Blue Jays. It’s the 320th cycle in baseball history. Betts is the first member of the Red Sox to hit for the cycle since Brock Holt on June 16, 2015 against the Braves.

Betts singled to lead off the game, tripled in the second inning, and doubled in the fourth. He wouldn’t complete the cycle until the ninth inning, however, when he belted a solo homer off of Ken Giles. Despite Betts’ effort, the Red Sox lost 8-5 to the Blue Jays.

Betts, 25, is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season. After Thursday’s action, he’s hitting .347/.434/.668 with 27 home runs, 59 RBI, and 95 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases in 440 plate appearances. Betts’ Red Sox also own the best record in baseball at 81-35.

 

Phillies acquire first baseman Justin Bour from the Marlins
The Marlins will receive a minor league pitcher in return ...

 

^^ odd move with santana. bour is signed for 2-3 yrs for cheap. i don't mind him off the bench if needed. i wish the NL had the DH.

 

Brandon McCarthy to retire after the season...

Braves pitcher Brandon McCarthy said he will retire at the end of the 2018 season, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports. McCarthy has been on the disabled list since June 25 due to tendinitis in his right knee. He is hoping to contribute out of the bullpen down the stretch.

McCarthy said, “I’m done after this. This is it. The offseason is the rest of my life. If I was going to keep playing, a month and a half ago I would have had the surgery that cleans the [knee] and I’d be back next year just a little bit after spring [training].”

In 15 starts this season, McCarthy posted a 4.92 ERA with a 65/21 K/BB ratio in 78 2/3 innings. He would be eligible for free agency after the season. The Braves acquired McCarthy along with Charlie Culberson, Scott Kazmir, and Adrian Gonzalez from the Dodgers in December in exchange for Matt Kemp.

McCarthy has spent parts of 13 seasons in the majors with the White Sox, Rangers, Athletics, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Dodgers, and Braves. Altogether, he has won 69 games with a 4.20 ERA across 1,223 2/3 innings. Nice. (NBC Hardball Talk)

 

Joe West moves into second place on the all time games-umpired list...

Last night everyone’s favorite umpire, Joe West, worked his 5,163rd game. That, according to the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, tied him at second place on the all-time list for most games worked. Bruce Foremming worked that many as well. Tonight West will be on the field again and will take sole possession of second place.

As long as his health and desire holds up — and depending on the number off off-days he gets — he seems poised to break the all-time record really early in the 2020 season. That record is 5,369, help by Bill Klem. Kelm — known as “the Old Arbitrator,” who made the Hall of Fame in 1953 — has held that record since he retired following the 1941 season.

A lot of people have strong opinions about Joe West and I think it’s fair to say those opinions are well-earned. No one, however, can say that the guy didn’t show up for work, and that’s not nothing in this world. (NBC Hardball Talk)

 

what was hundley's beef with him that he took a swing in the air out of anger ? did he almost hit hundley? I didn't get why they were mad at each other?

 

well he showed up for work alright, but he never got better in his craft. he played favorites, held grudges, tossed players too soon, and did whatever he wanted as an Umpire. nice to be in 2nd place, but that's all the praise I give him.

 

Because Puig lol.

 

@jphoornstra 14h14 hours ago

Yasiel Puig (via interpreter): “(Hundley) told me to stop complaining and step back in the box ... he just kept coming after me and kept complaining. I wasn’t going to let them disrespect our house.”


So, yeah...Puig being Puig.