Catching up with … Monday’s game notes

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Belated happy 82nd birthday, Willie! May 6 is otherwise a dull day in MLB birthday history: no one else had more than Dick Wakefield’s 56 HRs, 315 RBI or 334 Runs, Walton Cruise’s 644 hits or 49 SB, or Mike McCormick’s 748 games (the ’40s OF, not the pitcher). Gerardo Parra and Jose Altuve, you have something to shoot for.

To the games we go!

@Padres 5, Marlins 0: The longest and best game of Andrew Cashner‘s stop-and-start career gave the Padres a 9-3 stretch and dug them out of the cellar for the first time since game 3. Each side had just 5 hits, but Miami added to its misadventure log with this PU/E-2 that scored Everth Cabrera from 2nd base in the 1st inning, then failed to cash a man from 3rd with 1 out in their next raps, and went downhill from there. SD rook Jedd Gyorko knocked his 3rd HR, all in the last 6 games; Nick Hundley‘s nifty slide beat a strong throw from Marcell Ozuna; Dale Thayer induced a DP to maintain Cashner’s goose egg; and the Pads moved to 14-12 against [not-Colorado].

Cashner has been in pro ball since 2008, but has just 347 innings, with a season high of 111.
5th shutout loss for the Fish, tied for the MLB lead; they were the leading blank-eteers last year with 17.
Marcell Ozuna‘s career-starting hit streak died at 6 games, 2 shy of the club record.

Phillies 6, @Giants 2: You had to figure Cliff Lee would shake his little slump here. In 6 regular-season starts against the Jints, he’s now 5-0 with an 0.88 ERA, 0.71 WHIP (5 of the 6 in that park) — and the game he didn’t win, he went 10 scoreless.

Michael Young is batting .333, but with (now) 10 GDPs in 24 chances (42%) — the NL rate is 12%. So even though he has solid “clutch” splits, his season WPA is in the red
First rough game for Madison Bumgarner , but SF’s 11th SP outing with 5+ runs. They had 29 last year.
Get on up [HUNH!] … splash on down with Do-MON-ic Brown!

White Sox 2, @Royals 1 (11): Pity James Shields (8 scoreless, 2 hits). But if you don’t like a game-winning HR by a guy who came in to pinch-run (and botched his assignment ), you don’t like baseball! (Or you might be a KC fan.) No walks in 11 IP by the ChiSox — a team first since 1977 . Chris Sale’s 4th straight start of 7 IP and 2 ER or less.

We rag on his bat, but Frenchy plays a sweet corner .
Is it fishing season yet? Catch and release , boys.
The ChiSox made how many outs on the bases ?

Blue Jays 8, @Rays 7: Speaking of substitutes who failed in the initial instance … J.P. Arencibia‘s last-ditch dinger, a laser-pointer off Fernando Rodney‘s fastball, completed Toronto’s comeback from a touchdown deficit. It’s the biggest rally of the year, the Jays’ largest since 2007, and perhaps their biggest win of the year. Arencibia had popped out as a PH in the 6th, but still wound up with the 2nd-highest WPA this year for a player who entered in the pinch.

Tampa tattooed Mark Buehrle in a 7-run 3rd, but Toronto chipped and chopped — 3 here, 2 there. Joe Maddon summoned his closer with 1 away in a nettlesome 8th, and Rodney just preserved the lead against the big boppers, despite a run cued up on a replacement’s E-6. But Rodney made his own trouble in the 9th, walking leadoff man Adam Lind (who still hasn’t homered). A pinch-steal + overthrow put the tying run on 3rd with no outs. Rodney almost escaped — strikeout, groundout, 2 strikes — but he misplaced the 2-strike pitch, and J.P.’s always ready for a fastball, inner half.

Rodney’s walked 9 in 10.2 IP (15 BB all last year), served 2 HRs and blown 2 saves to match his 2012 totals, and yielded 6 ER (5 last season).
Rays have allowed 41 runs in their last 6 games (with just 1 QS), raising their season average from 3.88 to 4.45.
Despite the bombshell 3rd, Buehrle lasted 6, retiring 11 of his last 12 batters.

Braves 7, @Reds 4: How potent is Atlanta’s lineup if Andrelton Simmons has truly “powered up”? Sunday was his first game ever with 2 extra-base hits (doubles), now Monday he slugs 2 HRs. He had 5 prior HRs in 296 PAs, and 6 in 1,042 in the minors.

Evan Gattis in LF now, with the regulars back at C and 1B … this could be interesting. He did play 37 games there last year with just 1 error, but not a lot of plays made.
Great reaction play by Simmons (h/t to bstar) … but isn’t that a balk by Luis Avilan? His foot lands at least 8-10″ in front of the rubber, with no definitive step towards 1st base. Rule 8.05(c) comment: “A pitcher is to step directly toward a base before throwing to that base….” (emphasis added; see overhead view at 0:27 of the clip).
Reds righty Alfredo Simon delivered the year’s first “six up, six fanned” performance, throwing downhill from his 6′ 6″ height. It’s the first time he’s gotten more than 4 outs without a baserunner.
Just for fun: At bat, Atlanta pitchers have a 33% K rate — the same as their CFs and 2Bs combined. B.J. Upton went right to the brink of his first 5-K game, but he walked on a full count.

@Cubs 9, Rangers 2: Scott Feldman followed his 12-K, 3-hit CG by blanking his former friends on 2 singles through 7, but a hand cramp stole the chance to go for his first shutout. Anthony Rizzo drove in 4 with a HR and a double, his 9th of each.

Feldman plated the first of a 5-run 4th, their biggest inning this year, matching their prior total for the 4th stanza. (Their Southside neighbors are still looking for a 5-run inning.)
Derek Lowe has known the pinnacle (winning the ’04 WS and ALCS finales), and now he’s mopping up. It’s still the big leagues, though, and another chance to go all the way.

@Indians 7, Athletics 3: Asdrubal Cabrera continued his climb from a brutal start with a pair of HRs as Cleveland got back over .500. His surge coincides with his shift to the #3 spot, where he’s 16 for 46 with 12 RBI (8 for 57 hitting 2nd). Second

straight winning start for Ubaldo Jimenez , a first since last May; he went 4-16 between the “streaks.”

AL-best 10th HR for Mark Reynolds (sans doute!), now batting an even .300. His K rate is down to 23% — practically normal, and 10 points below his prior average . He’s gone 38 straight games without whiffing 3 times, a career best.
Sign of the times: Through roughly 30 games, we had 14 hitters with 8 HRs or more, but the leaders had 12 and 10.
Did you pick the AL Central as this year’s strongest division? They began the day 9 games over .500, tied for #1 with the AL East.
John Jaso led off as DH and drew 2 walks. He’s walked in 20% of career PAs as a DH (50/254), but just 11% while catching (92/831). His BA is about the same for each.
Just for fun: Carlos Santana‘s OPS is 1.129. Manny ’00 holds the club record of 1.154, edging Belle’s 1.152 in ’94.

@Red Sox 6, Twins 5 (11): A 2-out infield hit by Jarrod Saltalamacchia, on an 0-2 pitch, started something that ended in Boston’s longest win since 2011; they were 0-5 last year in games of 11+ innings. The Twins led 3-0, then the BoSox built a picket fence from the 4th through 8th and brought a 5-4 lead into the 9th. But Joel Hanrahan was back on the big stage, and Brian Dozier panned the act. Hanrahan gave a 2-out walk, then left with a forearm thingy. Think he has any chance left to make friends with the Fenway faithful?

For a struggling hitter on a new team, there’s no balm like a 4-hit binge with a tying HR and a walk-off cherry on top. Drew’s still hitting just .225, but some hi-lev success has him battling Napoli for the team’s WPA lead (.805-.800).
First HR and 2 singles for Shane Victorino . Remember when he had a little pop? Vic slugged .491 in 2011, with 60 XBH. This year, a dinger and 2 doubles in 25 hits.
Dustin Pedroia spoiled a few before launching a go-ahead HR , his first (and Boston’s first from the #3 hole). That stopped a career-high 48-game tater famine. Ten pitches ties the longest HR-AB this year.
Papi got his’n.

D-backs 9, @Dodgers 2 : Carl Crawford’s solo HR nearly offset the 2 runs from his misplay on Trevor Cahill ‘s “triple.” Chris Capuano was knocked out with no outs in the 5th by back-to-back HRs from Goldschmidt and Cody Ross (his first? ), and the Snakes dealt LA a 5th straight bummer. Capuano was effective last year, but his stuff is right on the edge, and he’s been killed in 2 starts this year. Arizona is 13-6 in Dodger Stadium since 2011 began.

Goldschmidt (5-1-4-3) is slashing .316/.411/.530. The only “3-4-5’s” for Arizona were by Luis Gonzalez (1999/’01/’03).
First career extra-base hit for Cahill, who was 9 for 88 … unless the scorer comes to his senses. Crawford was charged with a 2-base error later on.
Cahill is still just 25, and working on his 5th straight qualifying season. Brett Anderson broke in with Cahill at the same age in 2009 and seemed the better prospect by paper measures, but he’s totaled just 260 IP since. Health is all.
Matt Reynolds worked a 3-man 8th when it was still a game. Reynolds (16.1 IP) and James Russell of CHC (13.0) are the only ones left with no runs charged and 10+ IP. Reynolds had a hellacious HR rate the last 2 years even by Colo standards, but AZ must have seen something; they gave up a decent AAA prospect.
Someone tell this Dutchman it’s not supposed to be that easy!
Sign of pressing: Matt Kemp thrown out trying for a double with the play right in front of him.
Turnstiles slowing? LA averaged 47,000 for their first 12 home games, but 36,000 for the last 4.
May 27-30, Dodgers-Angels play a split 4-game set. I’m feeling a visitors’ sweep.

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11 years ago

Finally I get to gripe about what happened in the Indians-A’s game. A’s pitcher Jarrod Parker gave up two first inning home runs and then later in the first hit Mark Reynolds. Now if this sounds a bit similar, a few weeks ago Jonathan Sanchez of the Pirates also gave up two first inning home runs and then hit a batter in the first. For his efforts, Sanchez was tossed from the game and given a six game suspension. So obviously the same thing happened to Parker right? Nope. He wasn’t tossed from the game and I doubt a suspension… Read more »

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Ed, I hear you. But look at it this way — wasn’t the Reynolds moonshot more satisfying for coming off Parker instead of some replacement?

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

John – As an Indians’ fan, sure. But as a baseball fan, I care a lot about consistent enforcement of rules. And I want MLB to at least pretend to care about the same.

Thanks for the hint re: the video links. I use Chrome as well.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

P.S. to Ed — For direct links to MLB video, right-click on the little thumbnail and choose “Copy link address.” (That’s what it says with Google Chrome; I think it says something different with other browsers, but you’ll find it.)

Abbott

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Parker has been erratic all season, and had no reason to hit Reynolds. You could tell by the look on his face. The Indians retaliated by hitting Donaldson on Tuesday. No big deal.

Fireworks

11 years ago

JA I rarely comment on your recaps but I’m thinking (if no one has suggested this already) it’s maybe time to consider if you can do this as a podcast, if that is feasible in the necessary regards. I don’t really listen to podcasts but I would listen to one of your recaps.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Fireworks

Fireworks, I appreciate the suggestion (which I take as a compliment 🙂 ). But I’ll always be a text guy — it’s my nature.

Doug

11 years ago

In the Jays-Rays game, shades of last week’s As-Angels disputed home run that wasn’t (and resulted in a 10-inning game going 19 instead). Didn’t affect anything that happened in that 7-run 3rd inning, but it might have. With runners at first and second and nobody out, the Rays’ Kelly Johnson hit a fly to deep centerfield that Colby Rasmus tracked to the warning track before turning his back on it, supposedly to watch it fly out. Except the ball landed a few feet away, short-hopping the fence. Maddon protested that the ball hit something and should have been a home… Read more »

bstar

11 years ago

A general question for B-Ref fiends: is there anywhere on the site I can find a list of the longest errorless streaks at each position? Specifically I’m looking for something like an all-time top 10 list for shortstops, as Andrelton Simmons of the Braves now has a streak of 54 consecutive games without a miscue (going back to July of 2012).

In fact, I can’t find a list anywhere on the ‘net. There’s only mention of Mike Bordick’s all-time best 110-game streak.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to bstar

I don’t *think* B-R has that, b. I often find those kinds of records by googling Baseball Almanac, but this time couldn’t get exactly what we want. Here’s something on Wikipedia, fwiw — but expressed in chances, not games:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_individual_streaks#Fielding

bstar

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Yep, I saw that page last night. Thanks for sniffing around, JA.

11 years ago

Adeiny Hechavarria made a couple of nice plays in that Marlins game. Coupled with the fact that his name is quite fun to say and I was all set to like him. However upon closer inspection it appears that he finds it necessary to play whilst wearing a particularly garish golden necklace, of a size Flavor Flav would no doubt approve. It genuinely surprises me that despite all the ways coaches and managers look to fine-tune the peformance of their players, they still allow them to wear clunky pieces of metal around their necks.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to RJ

His name *is* fun to say … but I keep thinking of Andy Etchebarren.

deal

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

His name makes me think of 4A type player Angel Echevarria

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/echevan01.shtml

Who I once see have a 3 HR gm v the Reading Phillies. Never had that kind of success at the big league level though.

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

If you’ll allow me a linguistic tangent, can you guess which New York Met of the last couple of years has a surname whose meaning is the same as Hechavarria?

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to RJ

OK, I give up — all I got was “hecho” means “made,” and that’s not even the right spelling. Whatcha got, RJ?

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Well, after your Andy Etchebarren comment, it occured to me that the name Hechavarria was in fact putting me in mind of the Basque footballer Joseba Etxeberria. Hechavarria is one of the many Spanish variants of Etxeberria, which in Basque means… “new house”. Does that remind you a a certain Dutch sounding, slightly disappointing Mets outfielder?

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

RJ, of COURSE Nieuwenhuis is the first interesting Mets name I thought of, but I couldn’t find any way to match it with Hechavarria.

And I swear this is true — after fooling around with Google Translate for a while, I was gonna make some crack about the secret name being BASQUE!

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Haha, always a good rule of thumb: when it doubt, guess Basque.

I just did a bit of pottering about on the interwebs and seemingly Teddy Williams had Basque ancestors. I had no idea.

11 years ago

So Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ has been carried off the field on a stretcher after being hit in the head with a line drive. Two years in a row this has happened.

Does someone need to die before this gets addressed???

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Ed, just for clarity — Do you want pitchers to wear helmets?

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

John – I’m not a scientist nor am I a pitcher. So I don’t feel like I’m in a position to say what the solution is. MLB did test some padded caps earlier this year but said they were inadequate though they really didn’t say why. And they said even if they found something that was adequate it would still be optional. Again, I’m not a scientist but it doesn’t seem like it should take that long to develop a product. And the whole optional thing doesn’t cut it in my opinion.

Mike L

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Having had a fairly serious concussion when I was a boy (I was unconscious for a couple of hours) I’m on Ed’s side of the argument. Protect heads. You only get one.

RichW

11 years ago

Reply to Mike L

I don’t disagree, but in his press conference today Happ expressed more concern for his knee than his head.

John Nacca

11 years ago

I can’t believe no one has commented on Ned Yost’s decision to pull Shields after 8 incredible innings (and only 102 pitches). Isn’t that why the guy was signed in the first place, to be their ace? Once again……..OVER-MANAGING!!!!………ESPECIALLY with the idiotic quote/rationale Yost gave after the game.

11 years ago

Reply to John Nacca

John N – Check out this article from Joe Pos:

http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2013/05/hes-either-going-to-win-it-or-lose-it.html

In response to the Yost decision, Pos looked at starters vs. relievers in the 9th since 2010 and basically found no difference. It’s nothing definitive but it’s interesting nonetheless.

John Nacca

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Just read it actually!

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to John Nacca

John, it’s frustrating seeing a pitcher’s gem get marred. Also frustrating seeing him lose it himself, as happened to the Mets’ Jeremy Hefner last week against Miami. Ultimately, who’s a better bet for one inning: James Shields, on a good day but after 102 pitches, facing guys for the 4th time, or a fresh Greg Holland (career 3.03 ERA)?

John Nacca

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

If I am the manager, with a young team trying to gain some traction, I send out the ace to make a statement. Plus who are we talking about in relief? Not Mo, not Hoffman, not Gossage, Sutter, Eck….Greg Hollland. Yes I know he has been pretty damn good, but GUARANTEED if it was Joe Girardi for example, he sends CC out for the 9th.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to John Nacca

John, I’m not trying to change your mind. But your last point goes against some evidence: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA201209210.shtml And yeah, there are differences — 113 pitches for CC, and he had bags full in the 8th, and maybe Rafael Soriano is more established than Holland — but he sure ain’t Mariano, either. CC’s 2 CG last year began the 9th with leads of 6-1 and 6-2. More broadly … Since the start of 2012, there have been five 1-0 CGs — 4 by Felix Hernandex (including a no-no), 1 by Justin Masterson. Only one of those went beyond 113 pitches. P.S.… Read more »

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Even without pitching in the 10th, Harvey gets the highest Game Score for the Mets in over 21 years.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

@30, birtelcom — And tied their 2nd-best ever in regulation.

Still wanted him to get the dubya. 🙂

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Harvey’s was the highest Game Score for a pitcher who did not get the W since Randy Johnson’s 20-K game (also 97 Game Score) twelve years ago.

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Has anyone had a Game Score higher than 97 prior to their 17th career start?

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Brooklyn Mick – The record for highest game score within the first 17 starts is 112. It’s been done twice, first by Eric Erickson in 1918 and later by Rob Gardner in 1965. Gardner was making his 4th career start and went 15 innings. No details on the Erickson start but it looks like it was somewhere within his first 10 starts (and also went extra innings). If we limit it to 9 inning games, then Harvey’s is the 4th highest within the first 17 games. The highest is Kerry Wood’s one hit, 20 strikeout, no walk game on 5-6-2008… Read more »

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

REPLY TO #45: In his 4th start on 10-2-65 Rob Gardner of the Mets achieved a game score of 112. He pitched 15 innings of scoreless ball, giving up 5 hits, 7 SO and 2 BB. The game ended as a 0-0 18 inning tie. There may be more players who did it, I’ll check.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Follow-up to post #47:

Here are the remaining pitchers with a game score of 98 or more within their first 17 starts.

Name, game score, start no., date and team
Eric Erickson 112 7 5-24-18 Tigers
Bob Turley 106 4 9-5-53 Browns
Kerry Wood 105 5 5-6-98 Cubs
Dick Fowler 101 6 6-5-42 A’s
Jesse Flores 100 2 4-27-43
Don Wilson 99 12 6-18-67 Astros
Kevin Millwood 98 11 4-14-98 Braves

Wood, Wilson and Millwood did it in 9 inning games.

Editor

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

That 18 inning 0-0 tie (#47) was in the second game of a double-header on the last day of the season. Makes you wonder why it ended in a tie – did the last-place Mets and 6th place Phils just decide they’d had enough and it was time to call it a day (and a season). Incidentally, Gardner at 20 years, 287 days is the second youngest pitcher with a 100+ game score, 76 days older than Orioles’ Jerry Walker’s 111 when Walker shutout the White Sox 1-0 in 16 innings on Sep 11, 1959, also in the second game… Read more »

Brooklyn MIck

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Thanks Ed and Richard. I don’t know how I forgot that Kerry’s 105 was so early in his career.

bstar

11 years ago

Reply to John Nacca

John N, to Yost’s credit, I did hear him say last night that had the score been 2-0 or 3-0 that Shields would have started the ninth.

John Nacca

11 years ago

Reply to bstar

And a run makes that much difference to the team’s best pitcher, and the guy you gave quite a bit of money to, after you traded your teams best prospect for him? I am not a KC fan so I have zero interest vested, but heck, even Harvey tonight came out for the 9th at least, withOUT the pitchers spot due until the 10th. He had 105 through 9. But no, these managers HAVE to use the closer in a save situation, or their nards will fall off. I admit I am VERY old school when it comes to pitchers… Read more »

John Nacca

11 years ago

Reply to bstar

Found it…it actually was Saturday night….ok I’ll give you it was 20 year old Jose Fernandez of Miami, and he threw 82 in SEVEN innings. Still, I send him out for the 8th for sure. Gotta toss these guys to the fire sometimes. Look at guys like Glavine and Maddux. Yeah I know the caliber of those guys, but they took a beating the first couple of years in the league. Their teams still kept running them out there until they eventually learned how to pitch.

Editor

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to John Nacca

To your point, John, some examples of the way young pitchers were once handled in comment #51 above.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

No G.N. tonight, gang, but I’ll say this — I still can’t understand how Mesoraco could hit *that* pitch from Kimbrel over the wall in right-center. It’s right at his knees. I know it’s a cheap-HR park, but sheesh — I just don’t see guys driving knee-high the other way and gone.

bstar

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

No one’s talking about it yet, but Kimbrel’s lost 3-4 MPH of velocity since last year. He sat at 98-99 last year and is more like 95-97 this year. So fastballs in the zone are getting hit (hard) instead of batters swinging right through them. Kimbrel is not the same guy right now.

Editor

Doug

11 years ago

Tonight (Tuesday), Casey Janssen joined four other relievers with a streak of 8 consecutive relief appearances of at least one inning and allowing no baserunners. The only longer streak is by Bobby Jenks with 13 straight in 2007. Rk Strk Start End Games GF SV IP SO Tm 1 Bobby Jenks 2007-07-19 2007-08-12 13 12 8 13.0 11 CHW 2 Rafael Betancourt 2011-08-28 2011-09-24 8 8 4 8.0 10 COL 3 Mike Adams 2011-04-05 2011-04-18 8 0 0 8.0 5 SDP 4 Jeff Montgomery 1997-07-19 1997-08-06 8 8 4 9.0 7 KCR 5 John Wetteland 1995-09-19 1996-04-09 8 8 6… Read more »

donburgh

11 years ago

Looking at today’s action…Felix Hernandez pitches for the first time in Pittsburgh. (Mariners haven’t been in town since 2004) Considering the unpredictability of pitcher’s health and also of the interleague schedule, this may be the only time King Felix pitches at PNC. And…it’s on a Wednesday businessperson’s special in May, while the kids are still in school. This is not a criticism of the Mariners, BTW. It’s just funny to me how interleague was sold as a way to see stars in person, and this is how Pittsburgh gets to see Felix Hernandez. But then, interleague play was never really… Read more »

brp

11 years ago

Reply to donburgh

I’ve never understood the backlash against “interleague” play. Every other major team sport does this and always has, and they didn’t have some separate word for it. Now I don’t agree with all the moves MLB has made, especially the ASG changes and the playoff formats (5 teams, really?), but I’ve advocated moving the Astros to the AL West for a decade and was extremely happy to see it occur.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to brp

“Every other major team sport does this and always has”

But the other sports don’t really have a strong “conference” identity, even in their championship games. And I don’t know anyone who identifies as an “Eastern Conference fan” of the NBA, NFL or NHL. I don’t know a football fan who, when watching a Super Bowl where his team’s not involved, automatically roots for his home conference.

It’s a meaningful difference to me.

brp

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Sorry JA, I have to disagree. Likely the first reason people prefer NL or AL is the DH Rule. Once that inevitably goes in the wrong direction – don’t try to tell yourself the NL won’t have a DH within the next decade or so – then there just won’t be a real difference. So why are they separate? I appreciate tradition, but not playing 1/2 of the teams in your sport is just silly. The second reason people cares about one conference more than the other is simply the team they root for. If you’re an Oakland A’s fan… Read more »

Dr. Doom

11 years ago

Reply to brp

As a Milwaukee-born Brewers and Packers fan, I think we have a lot of points of agreement. I do generally root for the NFC over the AFC. But comparing football scheduling to baseball scheduling is apples and oranges. Football teams don’t even play all the teams in their own conference, much less the teams in another one. There is plenty of time for every MLB team to play one another. Plus, in the age of ubiquity in TV coverage of football, it’s not like you have to wait 4 years to “see,” for example, the Dolphins; just DVR their game… Read more »

11 years ago

Reply to brp

My problems with interleague play are two fold: 1) It was clearly done as a cynical money grab by the owners. There was no grassroots clamoring coming from the fans. Had the motives been better, I might be able to get behind it. But they weren’t. 2) There aren’t enough games to make it worthwhile. Football has 25% of their games as inter-conference. Basketball is something like 36%. Baseball on other other hand is barely 10%. Either have interleague play or don’t have it. But this kind of “dipping the toes in the water” thing drives me nuts. Also not… Read more »

bstar

11 years ago

Reply to brp

I’m with brp on this one. I’m a Broncos and (somewhat) Titans fan, and I definitely like the AFC more than the NFC. All things being equal, I will root for the AFC team in the Super Bowl virtually every time. I’m also a National League guy to the core, quite fiercely. But I love interleague play. I don’t think it’s diminished the World Series even 1%. Attendance at interleague games is higher than intraleague games. I get a real kick when the Braves play in an AL stadium that they never or rarely play in. The casual fan in… Read more »

Dr. Doom

11 years ago

Reply to brp

@48 bstar,

That’s how it’s always been. You get your geographic matchup (Mets-Yankees, Brewers-Twins, Cubs-White Sox, Giants-A’s, and some weird ones, like I think it’s Rockies-Mariners or something), which MLB calls the “natural rival,” I believe. And then you play your way through another division, rotating each year.

Dr. Doom

11 years ago

Reply to brp

And by “always,” I mean since 1997.

bstar

11 years ago

Reply to brp

I stand corrected. It just *seems* like the Braves have to play the Yankees and Red Sox every year.

So if they’ve been rotating divisons all along, that makes the whole “interleague play unbalances the schedule” argument even more questionable (in comparison to quality of division opponents).

Doug

11 years ago

In Monday’s and Tuesday’s games, the Rays lost both when leading after 7 innings, to total 3 such losses for the season, matching their season’s total for 2012.