Jose Abreu

Barons are back tonight

Well said. It's always like this- when things are looking good (as in heading into the ASB), many are happy but there are far fewer posts/threads than there are when things are bad. A week or two from now we'll probably swing back in the other direction.

Correct, and many have floated the idea, but Robert has little incentive to sign an extension because he got such a big signing bonus relative to Eloy/other young players who signed extensions. It's the same reason I don't see us extending Moncada (or at least not until he hits the open market)

They could, but I'm curious as to what their excuse will be for keeping him down. They can't really blame defense, plate discipline, etc. so by promoting him prior to August, they put themselves in an uncomfortable situation

Paging @ptatc

I doubt it. I'm sure he's in the dugout + I don't think they could've kept it under wraps, i.e. a reporter or blogger would have tweeted it by now

I already see it being discussed on Twitter!

Yes, but his numbers (park and league adjusted) are pretty bad.

Engel, Palka, Escobar, and Mendick all in the lineup

Palka is playing too. Interesting (?)

Our manager doesn't check the standings so it's possible that he just doesn't know whether we're playing well or not

I really like Josiah Gray but if we're including Bummer, I need a top 100 guy coming back.

I know it's a super unpopular opinion but ever since Eloy returned from injury in May to yesterday, I don't think he was bad in LF

Not yet but he's almost at 40 hits! Nevermind the .578 OPS and 57 wRC+.

It's crazy. Everyone knows that the best hitter in the organization is Alcides Escobar.

No, anyone watching these last 5 games, as well as the first half of the season, knows that this is a low point and there's no way the team plays like this for the rest of the season.

Yikes

He's Cuban so he'll be the headliner coming back to us in the trade

Pretty meh trade. I've been reading online reaction and nobody seems to like it or dislike it. I'm in that boat as well. I actually liked Anisimov but it's nice to have some more flexibility

No way we get either of those guys without including Bummer, or perhaps more

Johnabiell Laureano home run. Another really interesting young OF.

0-0, 2 BB for Bailey. OBP up to .526, and he has far more PAs than the other guys who come close

This is so perplexing. You spent a lot of last season telling everyone that Giolito was interesting and may become something good, and props to you for that. Now he's having an all-star season, and as one of his "biggest fans" (which you kind of aren't, if this is your opinion on him), he's now "nothing more than a 3-4"? That's ridiculous, he isn't the 1.5 ERA guy he was in May but he also isn't suddenly a #4 pitcher. Long-term I think he's a very good #2 or low-end #1 but two bad starts (and really just two bad innings, if we're being honest) doesn't take a guy from future ace to #4.

We need a win, so naturally I decided to post tonight's game thread. Dylan Cease versus Glenn Sparkman.