2011(and beyond!) MLB thread.

[sillystou]

If the Blue Jays can remain healthy, then perhaps they'll make some noise... And I forget who said this, but you're right about the yanks and the red sox getting old....

[Cubecubed]

And yet the lineup isn't much upgraded from last year - the only major difference is swapping in Prince Fielder to replace Victor Martinez, who is no light-hitting guy. I don't see how the offense is much better than the team the Rangers throttled in the ALCS last year (and again this weekend).

Pitching remains a question mark apart from Verlander, though. Both Porcello and Scherzer have gotten dismantled at least once already (Scherzer not looking that good in any of his starts), Fister's hurt, but they're finding a surprising bit of depth with Smyly, Wilk, and Below (and that's with Turner still in the minors). None of the young guys are likely to be anything other than a 4 or a 5 at this point, which makes getting Scherzer and Porcello back on track of paramount importance, or possibly try dealing for somebody else.

Of the bullpen, Dotel's been good, Villarreal has been competent as a mop-up guy, and Coke is continuing where he left off in late 2011, but Valverde's been questionable, Benoit's been scary, Balester is still getting used to AL hitting, and the less said about Schlereth and Weber the better.

I do think next year's team should be very scary for opposing pitchers, with V-mart being back.

[M_Robbins5]

I wonder how much more the Braves need to see before Jair Jurrjens gets sent to the minors.

Apparently they have seen enough now.
He's been sent down.

[JBlack240]

Apparently they have seen enough now.
He's been sent down.

Yeah I saw that a few minutes ago, maybe he can eventually make it back before one of the rookies take his spot. Unlikely though.

[pizzzapizza]

If the Blue Jays can remain healthy, then perhaps they'll make some noise... And I forget who said this, but you're right about the yanks and the red sox getting old....

not always true though

[clashcityrocker10]

Reyes returns to Citi Field tonight. I wish I could be at the game, but it'll be interesting to see his reception regardless. My guess (and hope, I suppose) is that it's mostly a positive one. The whole video montage thing is a little strange, though.

Well, the reaction ended up being mixed, but the most telling fact about it is how there just aren't a lot of people in the stands. The weather isn't particularly good tonight, but I would have expected more people at the game.

[darkwinterbeast8]

I watched the perfect game from the MLB.tv archives. Taking nothing away from Humber and his filthy slider, the Mariners should be embarrassed with their approach. An 8-pitch inning and two 6-pitch innings? That's not even working the count enough in a ****ing baseball video game. Meanwhile, Jesus Montero and his .629 OPS (yeah I know, small sample size, shut up) wave at Michael Pineda's fat ass as the trade seems to have been mutually detrimental to both parties. Montero's walk-up music at Safeco Field is "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West. Except...he doesn't.

The Mariners should be embarassed by that performance and also should be booed by their hometown fans as a result. That being said, we are talking about the team that keeps setting the worst single season runs mark since 1900 each season for the past 3 years now so it isn't unexpected for a perfect game to happen. I'm actually more surprised that it doesn't happen often.

Also, perhaps Montero should change his walk-up music to "Jesus Saves" by Slayer. That song does contain the line "Jesus Saves... NOTHING!!!"

What was the book on Montero when we got him? Ridonkulous opposite-field power? Well...his two home runs this season were both to straightaway center. And sure, that's impressive, especially in cavernous Safeco. But his spray chart shows the majority of his hits this season have been dead-pulls to left. He's had lots of flyouts to right, and it's at this point that I say "LOL Yankee Stadium." Just about anyone can hit the ball out to right field in Yankee Stadium. I generally trust the people paid more money in one year than I will make in my entire lifetime to make these decisions, but damn I hope they weren't suckered in by that joke of a right field porch.

I think that people were praising Montero because he was wearing the Pinstrips in NY. That being said, they should play Montero at catcher every game, I don't want to see Olivo bat for the Mariners again. He is a guarenteed strike out for the opponent.

It's almost enough to make me want to renounce my fanhood. I never will, but the feeling sure isn't a nice one. I firmly believe that I will never see the Mariners make the playoffs again. I'm as sure of that as I am that the sun will rise in the morning. It's odd when people talk about the Mets and the Padres being the only teams without no-hitters, because the Mariners' two came when I was 4 and 7 years old and while I can't say I have no memories from when I was 7, I certainly wasn't a baseball fan yet. So it's just one of a number of special things I've never seen and will never see. At Freddy Garcia's peak, it felt like he put up 5 or 6 hitless every fourth or fifth outing, and I was all but certain he'd eventually turn the trick. Never did. Felix Hernandez has only twice come close doing it, tossing a one-hitter in Fenway Park and also taking a no-hit bid into the eighth against Texas at home a few years back (it was broken up by a home run). As always, I'd love to be proven wrong, but I just don't think it'll happen.

That is pretty bleak. And that is coming from me.

People are saying right now that the Mariners are gonna be so awesome in 2014 or 2015. I'm guessing in 2014 people will be saying the Mariners will be awesome in 2017 or 2018. And so on and so forth until I'm dead.

2014? Are these people on crack? Where are the Mariners going to get hitters from in the next 2 years? I'm saying 2024 at the earliest is when the Mariners will look like a complete Major League Baseball team that could compete for the playoffs. By 2018 I might be saying "by 2036 the Mariners will be playoff contenders" though.

Also, there's a very good chance Hultzen and/or Paxton could get called up to the club this year. Will they be "beastly" this year?

Maybe, but even a pitcher with an ERA of 1.00 or less is still going to get mostly losses for the Mariners since those games will likely be 1-0 or 2-0.

If the Blue Jays can remain healthy, then perhaps they'll make some noise... And I forget who said this, but you're right about the yanks and the red sox getting old....

I believe I was the one who said this.

[darkwinterbeast8]

Also the Tigers didn't look like WS contenders tonight, losing to the Mariners and having them almost double the runs Detroit scored.

[Cubecubed]

Also the Tigers didn't look like WS contenders tonight, losing to the Mariners and having them almost double the runs Detroit scored.

Good thing seasons are 162 games, eh? I think there are a few issues, to be sure, but there is too much talent in Detroit to not have a deep playoff run.

[killer_roach]

Good thing seasons are 162 games, eh? I think there are a few issues, to be sure, but there is too much talent in Detroit to not have a deep playoff run.

Offensively, the Tigers have fallen off a cliff the past week and a half or so.