Jose Abreu

Now we all know what happens next. Ricky sends him out for the 8th, he allows a walk and a single and leaves, then the reliever allows a homer and Giolito's line goes from 7 IP, 0 R to 7 IP, 2 R

Yeah, great command, swinging strikes, you name it

Abreu of all people with a defensive clinic today

Yeah, I'm one of his biggest supporters on here but it seems like all the progress he has made throughout the season in terms of his approach comes and goes. This won't be a good series for him, especially with a bunch of hard throwing, strikeout-happy relievers

Gotta protect there, Yoan

Hard for me to hold back from a check the boxes joke, but getting awfully close to the ".400 batting average" box

Anderson has been getting some pretty good swings on the ball lately but not much luck

I guess they're not doing anything nearly as revolutionary as Tampa, but it was a pretty big deal that they hired Gabe Kapler (very pro-advanced stats) as their manager and it seems as though he's using interesting lineup constructions and new ideas on when to pull his starters/deploy relievers

Every time I start to become more ok with the idea of Eloy not getting promoted in the coming days, he starts getting his average closer to .400

Also, Giolito looks good.

I love what the Rays and Phillies are doing this year with their acceptance of advanced metrics. Not surprised that the Rays, with a pretty bad roster, are seeing more wins than expected.

it shouldn't really be viewed as a "race", IMO, stuff like that just degrades the quality of the board as people would start posting for likes rather than sharing actual opinions in a mature/concise way

Narvaez

I see it more as the chances of Harper/Machado outright re-signing with their current clubs without testing the market are slim, and the chances Arenado/Rendon get extensions earlier are larger

As long as it's not Jimenez, Robert, Adolfo, or Basabe, sign me up. If we miss on the Machado type 3Bs, I can see a Blake Rutherford/Luis Gonzalez/Steele Walker for a top 3B prospect type of move

I actually got the opposite impression from listening. He seemed to imply that there are no guarantees that the 2019 guys even reach free agency, so they want to be aggressive with the potential fits who are indeed available.

I will say, the number of people who were completely fooled by his yearly slump was surprisingly high

Moncada: 2-3, HR, BB *crickets* Moncada: 0-4, 4 K HE'S A TOYOTA COROLLA AND IS ONLY GETTING WORSE

But why sign a 31 year old with 0 MLB innings at third base to be your starting third baseman? I understand thinking that we won't get Machado, but any of the other options you listed could be better than a guy who might not be able to even play third

Such a poorly managed game for both teams

I'm not a fan of how Moncada high fived his teammates in the victory line. Very concerning IMO. Send him to Winston-Salem for a few days, teach him a lesson.

He looked fine here. When you don't like a player, you REALLY don't like him...

I hope @Lip Man 1 saw that Leury play!

Wow, that's absolutely pitiful. The whole organization sucks! Move their sorry asses to Tampa!