caulfield12

Not to mention Severino is about a month away from returning...

Mariners are better, Angels obviously worse. Out of those top 8 AL teams (well 7 + Sox), we have yet to take on the AL East, cream of the crop in West...meaning the Astros and A’s. So arguably the most impressive wins are over the Indians.

They’ve got the starting pitching, but not sure I would take that offense over even CLE.

https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds Yankees, Astros, White Sox the 3 favorites in the AL Red Sox, Blue Jays, Athletics, Rays bunched up for spots 4/5, Cleveland on the outside looking in Dodgers, Padres, Mets in the NL Brewers, Giants, Braves, Cubs and Phillies fighting for two remaining spots

Cobra Kai?

Sentimentality, but not the massive numbers jump. It's a great story. By that argument, it could also be Eduardo Rodriguez.

Can pretty much already award AL Comeback Player of the Year to...JD Martinez of the Red Sox.

And yet hardly surprising if you follow the minor leagues...the diminished number of players drafted last year that would be expected to fill out a roster (especially advanced NCAA D-1 selections from upper tier programs) of a Low A team the following April. That's where the gap in talent is, along with cutting back on their short-season teams (Great Falls, used to be Bristol as well in the APPY League) over the past couple of seasons.

Who's even looking down at the 3B coach for signs in the first place in that situation? I think TLR simply meant some kind of "common wisdom" meant that there was an automatic take sign IMPLIED...the example of 577 pitches with 3-0 counts and 10+ run leads in the last twenty years and nobody swung away. The Tatis situation with a 7 run lead in Texas (FWIW) was earlier in the game, same 3-0 count, but pretty big difference between 7 and 10-11 runs IMO...and we all know from watching Sox games there how quickly runs can pile up in Texas from June through early September.

FRI, 6 p.m. Carlos Rodon vs. LHP Jordan Montgomery, 2-1, 4.75 ERA, 41 K's Carlos Rodon LHP 5-1, 1.47 ERA, 49 SO After five starts and five decisive victories, Rodón lost for the first time in 2021 during his last trip to the mound Saturday against the Royals. Rodón has 49 strikeouts against 12 walks over 36 2/3 innings this season. Jordan Montgomery LHP 2-1, 4.75 ERA, 41 SO Montgomery struggled Sunday against the Orioles, going just three innings and allowing five runs -- his shortest outing and most runs allowed this season. Before that, he had put together two consecutive quality starts to begin May. SAT, 12 p.m. Dylan Cease vs. RHP Gerrit Cole, 5-2, 2.03 ERA, 85 K's Dylan Cease RHP 2-0, 2.41 ERA, 50 SO In parts of three seasons, the right-hander has never pitched at Yankee Stadium or even faced the Yankees. Cease only has two career starts against the American League East. He has fanned 50 batters over 41 innings in 2021. Gerrit Cole RHP 5-2, 2.03 ERA, 85 SO Cole had an uncharacteristic start Monday against the Rangers, allowing five runs in five innings for just his second loss of the year. It was his shortest outing and most runs allowed this season, and he will look to prove that was merely an aberration. SUN, 12:05 p.m. Dallas Keuchel vs. RHP Jameson Taillon, 1-3, 5.73 ERA, 46 K's The White Sox have scored 13 runs and 16 runs, respectively, in each of Keuchel’s last two starts, which not surprisingly, both ended up as victories. Keuchel is 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA over five career starts at Yankee Stadium. Taillon is looking to find his footing in the early going, having compiled a 5.73 ERA in eight starts this season, with 46 strikeouts against only 10 walks. He has faced the White Sox only once in his career, going 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision in 2018.

Larnach hit his first MLB homer. Looks like the Twins are going to end up a DHer split.

Nobody can prove that he did or didn't. McEwing hasn't said much one way or the other, not wanting to be seen as second-guessing his own manager. There's absolutely no video evidence that LaRussa came to the top of the dugout steps as the pitch was about to be made shouting "take, take, take!!!" It's just his word. Not to mention how fast Astudillo was getting the ball and throwing it, and the fact that MOST MLB teams don't even give signs anymore in that type of "blowout" scenario where the only goal is just to get to the end of the game as quickly as possible without any injuries, even to back-ups.

Kapler, Francona and Bob Melvin are much more deserving of accolades with their teams. Heck, would much prefer Dusty Baker, even.

So much MORE likely to get killed on a 95+ mph fastball lined up the middle at 105-120 exit velo (see Shohei Ohtani).

I just think they've moved on from the Bumgarner Era....fresh approach, brought in a lot of interesting pitching talent like Gausman and Desclafini, Alex Wood, even Aaron Sanchez. So far this year, they've collectively been remarkable, and have given Posey a reason to get excited to come out to the park, having so many experienced vets to work with again. Their everyday starting line-up looks like a hot mess, but somehow they keep getting it done. Yes, sitting out 2020 and getting 100% healthy for Buster was a KEY factor...but they used to push him to play every year because the GM was constantly "rebuilding on the fly" (see KW) and they needed his presence in the line-up to remain competitive.

He's considered to be the perfect blend (by some) of old school or traditional beliefs mixed with a more modernistic, analytics and nutrition based approach to maximizing performance. Faidi, the GM, is definitely on the cutting edge of many emerging trends in the sport...and has completely revitalized that organization, especially Buster Posey playing like an MVP candidate again.

Another Rick Hahn Special.

Someone wrote earlier of having a high school/traveling team coach ORDER him to hit another team's batter. Destroyed his spleen. Just look at the recent hit by pitch incidents this week, especially Kevin Pillar. When you're throwing 95+, it's almost assault with a deadly weapon. It's not often you see a manager so publicly critical of his own player as La Russa has been of Mercedes, and the saga has turned into another referendum on the White Sox's much-criticized decision to hire a 76-year-old unwritten rules stickler to coach one of the most exciting and diverse rosters in baseball. While La Russa has held firm on his position, some White Sox players — including star shortstop Tim Anderson and starting pitcher Lance Lynn — have indicated their support for the teammate. Meanwhile, players outside the organization have been much more aggressive in siding with Mercedes. https://www.yahoo.com/sports/twins-tyler-duffey-suspended-white-sox-yermin-mercedes-controversial-hr-215927207.html

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/cc-sabathia-rips-tony-la-russa-over-hr-controversy-he-shouldnt-be-fing-managing-that-team-152234601.html Sabathia rant ends up on the front page of Yahoo News, lol...

Someone on the board really dislikes the guy, can't remember off the top of my head. Leury Garcia, btw, has moved up to a 0.0 fWAR.

1. White Sox +10 +73 RS/RA differential -2 (under performance of expected win-loss) 2. Houston +8 +66 -2 Boston +41 E 4. TBR +7 +38 E Oakland +7 +5 6. NYY +6 +15 +1 7. TOR +5 +40 -2 Cleveland +5 +9 +1 1. SFG +12 +57 -1 2. SDP +10 +51 -1 3. LAD +7 +61 -3 St.Louis +20 +1

They're too busy getting beaten up by the Trout-less Angels...and have such a poor record nobody really cares all that much about their reactions or deep thoughts.

But that's the average demographic (almost) of MLB, aging white Social Security-collecting dudes. Marketing brilliance by Brooks Boyer to appeal directly to this segment of the fanbase.

LaRoche Family Dynasty tweeting from Thailand where they have anti-trafficking work on-going. Well, not exactly sure what Drake's up to now. He was an honorary clubhouse member, after all.

And Baltimore using Stevie Wilkerson to pitch in a 10-1 deficit to Rays, too. Wendle homered on a 1-1 pitch and Kiermaier singled down 0-2 in the count. Wilkerson also was throwing 45 mph curveballs. Also noteworthy is it’s the last game of series, getaway day, etc.