The OFFICIAL 2012 MLB Regular Season Thread

[Azure]

Best pitcher in baseball.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by troutman

Might be ok if Panda stays healthy.

I think Lincecum struggling is the biggest problem facing the Giants. If he could return to form, the offence is much better than 2010, and the Giants would be tough to beat.

They haven't been very tough for my nats to beat!

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

They haven't been very tough for my nats to beat!

Who hasn't? Nats have had a great season.


With Cabrera and Hernandez...nobody cares about the mutiny going on with the Red Sox having half the team trying to get Valentine fired. Not only does Valentine look like a wrestling promoter...he seems to be able to create the side show too.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Who hasn't? Nats have had a great season.

Yep, fun times for a guy who has endured being a fan of this franchise for over 30 years. They have been a fun team to watch, and a bunch of pretty likeable guys. Scary thing is, every one is young and under team control for years, so hopefully this success lasts a while.

[CofR]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

With Cabrera and Hernandez...nobody cares about the mutiny going on with the Red Sox having half the team trying to get Valentine fired. Not only does Valentine look like a wrestling promoter...he seems to be able to create the side show too.

Its my worst nightmare... There are so many things about Bobby V that remind me of Rex Ryan it makes me feel sick. I can't wait for this season to be over.

[troutman]

Time to say bye to Melky?

Melky Cabrera, what were you thinking?

SF Giants' Sabean must scramble again

Real news is that an athlete confessed

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by troutman

Might be ok if Panda stays healthy.

I think Lincecum struggling is the biggest problem facing the Giants. If he could return to form, the offence is much better than 2010, and the Giants would be tough to beat.

Although I was concerned about the wins for this year's team, I was more meaning that another Giant was busted for PEDs. Mota is almost done his 100 game suspension from earlier this year, and there was always the speculation about Bonds. Ironically enough, Bonds was at the game yesterday.

It's too bad they had to give up Schierholtz to get Pence, although it was the logical move. Pence could play left, Pagan in centre and Nate in right. Blanco has been struggling at the plate.

If the Giants get to the playoffs, it'll be interesting to see how they set their pitching rotation. I'd want to go Cain-MadBum-Vogelsong-Lincecum, but it would depend on a few things. Timmy pitches much better at home than he does on the road and it's tough to forget how dominant he was in the 2010 postseason. In the first round your opening pitcher is likely the guy who will start game 5 if it gets that far. I'm not sure I want Timmy doing either of those right now. If they get homefield in the first round they could go Cain-Lincecum-MadBum-Vogelsong, but I'd rather have Bum going in game #2 to break up the righties earlier on. Zito is not pitching. I'm sure of that.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by socalwingfan

My god was Felix ever filthy today!! The batters in the 9th didn't have a chance - fastball, slider, curve, change - he was throwing any of those at any count for strikes. He was simply amazing today

Only saw the last couple of innings, but I'm not sure how he didn't strike out 27 guys. Nasty nasty stuff.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

Although I was concerned about the wins for this year's team, I was more meaning that another Giant was busted for PEDs. Mota is almost done his 100 game suspension from earlier this year, and there was always the speculation about Bonds. Ironically enough, Bonds was at the game yesterday.

It's too bad they had to give up Schierholtz to get Pence, although it was the logical move. Pence could play left, Pagan in centre and Nate in right. Blanco has been struggling at the plate.

If the Giants get to the playoffs, it'll be interesting to see how they set their pitching rotation. I'd want to go Cain-MadBum-Vogelsong-Lincecum, but it would depend on a few things. Timmy pitches much better at home than he does on the road and it's tough to forget how dominant he was in the 2010 postseason. In the first round your opening pitcher is likely the guy who will start game 5 if it gets that far. I'm not sure I want Timmy doing either of those right now. If they get homefield in the first round they could go Cain-Lincecum-MadBum-Vogelsong, but I'd rather have Bum going in game #2 to break up the righties earlier on. Zito is not pitching. I'm sure of that.

Team's poor image

It's also time to consider the Giants' image - that is to say, rotten - when it comes to such tawdry issues.

Barry Bonds was at the core of the BALCO scandal, surrounding a federal government investigation into steroids in 2002, and will most likely be kept out of the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible this winter. His name is so irrevocably attached to steroid use - during the period of his record-breaking home run feats for the Giants - that he may never be enshrined.

The Giants took a chance two years ago when they signed pitcher Guillermo Mota, who had been suspended 50 games for a positive drug test in 2006, and he became a repeat offender under their watch, drawing a 100-game suspension in May. Similarly, Hensley had a blemish on his record before joining the Giants, having been suspended 15 games for using performance-enhancing substances in 2005 while a minor leaguer in the San Diego Padres' system.

The Giants were hammered in the Mitchell Report, the result of a comprehensive investigation released in 2007. The circumstances and allegations varied, but the report's 89-player list included Bonds, Marvin Benard, Bobby Estalella, Benito Santiago, Armando Rios and Matt Herges for alleged transgressions during their stints with the Giants. Two other players linked to the Mitchell Report, Jose Guillen and Miguel Tejada, were signed by the Giants in recent years with full knowledge of their past.


Right now, I think Zito gives the Giants a better chance to win than The Freak. It has been said that the Dodgers have a much tougher remaining schedule than the Giants.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by troutman

Right now, I think Zito gives the Giants a better chance to win than The Freak. It has been said that the Dodgers have a much tougher remaining schedule than the Giants.

I like Zito. I was ecstatic when he signed in SF. I thought he was going to dominate, but it didn't turn out well. What I like about him is he never bitches, complains or puts his teammates down. He prepares for every start and if he doesn't get runs, he says he should have pitched better. He contract is ridiculous, but it's not my money going there, and there is no cap, so it's not a big deal for me. I wish he was better, but as a fifth starter, he's fairly good. I just don't trust him in the playoffs over Timmy. I'm not saying either would win/lose a game, but if I have one game against a playoff caliber team and have to choose between the two, I'd pick Lincecum. I can clearly see the argument against him though.

The last three games of the season with SF vs. LA could be very interesting. With two wild card spots up for grabs this year, I'd guess they'll both make it in. I don't see Arizona being there at the end.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

I like Zito. I was ecstatic when he signed in SF. I thought he was going to dominate, but it didn't turn out well. What I like about him is he never bitches, complains or puts his teammates down. He prepares for every start and if he doesn't get runs, he says he should have pitched better. He contract is ridiculous, but it's not my money going there, and there is no cap, so it's not a big deal for me. I wish he was better, but as a fifth starter, he's fairly good. I just don't trust him in the playoffs over Timmy. I'm not saying either would win/lose a game, but if I have one game against a playoff caliber team and have to choose between the two, I'd pick Lincecum. I can clearly see the argument against him though.

The last three games of the season with SF vs. LA could be very interesting. With two wild card spots up for grabs this year, I'd guess they'll both make it in. I don't see Arizona being there at the end.

I'd bet on the braves and cards getting the wild cards

[Sylvanfan]

So what will the Nationals end up doing with Strasburg? He has the so called 160 innings limit for the season. They could be in a position where they don't really need him at the end of the season to win their Division...but things could still change.

As fotiu says...a lot of young talent that is all under team control, and when they need to spend they should have the means. But it's been since the ill fated 94 season that the team has been this good and in a position to be in the playoffs. I wonder if they won't consider letting him pitch into the playoffs, but try to limit him to a maximum of 25 more innings.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

So what will the Nationals end up doing with Strasburg? He has the so called 160 innings limit for the season. They could be in a position where they don't really need him at the end of the season to win their Division...but things could still change.

As fotiu says...a lot of young talent that is all under team control, and when they need to spend they should have the means. But it's been since the ill fated 94 season that the team has been this good and in a position to be in the playoffs. I wonder if they won't consider letting him pitch into the playoffs, but try to limit him to a maximum of 25 more innings.

Rizzo has been unwavering in saying he will shut him down. Might be more like 180 though. It would be too much of a jinx for a nat fan to talk about the possibility of September games being meaningless, but you do have to wonder about them keeping pitching if they have wrapped up the division. He also says that shutting him down and restarting him would cause more stress than pitching him through. And don't seem to think going to a six man rotation works either. I'd be more interested to see what would happen if gio or Zimmermann got hurt.

Strasburg is showing some signs of fatigue lately though. If it was up to me, I'd put him on the 15 day.

On the other hand, our 4 man rotation sans Strasburg isn't going to lose many games for us, and we'd be living and dying by our offence, which can be hot and cold,

[VERVE]

MLB is doing a trial "test (of) their viability for reviewing fair/foul calls." It has been a slow process interms of using the video replays for reviewing other calls besides home runs. ...It is using the "Hawkeye," the camera-based technology used in tennis."

"...commissioner Bud Selig has said he hopes to expand replay to include fair/foul calls and possibly trap/catch calls as soon as next season." I hope they will incorporate the replay system for calls at the plate as well. That is probably one of the most contentious area of calls-whether the runner was tagged or not sliding into home plate. Baseball in America is of course a very traditionalist sport with very little change to the game as a whole and this application is long over due.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/82...replay-systems

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

So what will the Nationals end up doing with Strasburg? He has the so called 160 innings limit for the season. They could be in a position where they don't really need him at the end of the season to win their Division...but things could still change.

As fotiu says...a lot of young talent that is all under team control, and when they need to spend they should have the means. But it's been since the ill fated 94 season that the team has been this good and in a position to be in the playoffs. I wonder if they won't consider letting him pitch into the playoffs, but try to limit him to a maximum of 25 more innings.

They should be more worried about cheap home runs to right field drying up, on cooler autumn evenings at Nationals Park.

[GirlySports]

Tommy John wasn't even shutdown after having Tommy John surgery!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...28ef_blog.html

Threw 207 innings.

[Azure]

#Felixing

Like Tebowing, but so much cooler.

[Azure]

So the Mariners traded away Ichiro, and since the allstar break they're the 2nd best team in the AL. Cool.

[GirlySports]

[transplant99]

Pretty shocking development in the Cabrera suspension....could be some big time trouble for the dummy.

San Francisco Giants star outfielder Melky Cabrera mounted a campaign to avoid his 50-game suspension that included a fake website featuring a fictitious product in an effort that was quickly uncovered by MLB investigators, the New York Daily News has reported.

Citing an anonymous source close to the case and an associate who told the newspaper he was "accepting responsibility for what everyone else already knows" concerning the fake site, the Daily News reported famed investigator Jeff Novitzky and agents from MLB's investigative arm have begun looking more closely at Cabrera and the scheme purportedly hatched in July as they seek the source of the synthetic testosterone found in his urine.


"There was a product they said caused this positive," the source told the Daily News. "Baseball figured out the ruse pretty quickly."

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/82...se-report-says