Series Thread: Rangers vs Mariners 8/25-8/27

[RevSader]

On the other hand... Jake Thompson had another good outing.
6.1 IP, 3H, 3BB, 0 ER, 6 SO.

He also pitched 6 inning with his fly down. He had a broken zipper.

 

[darrylgann]

What a nightmare it has been for Luke Jackson since being promoted. He was brought in relief tonight and got 2 outs, walked 4, and gave up 3 runs.

Crazy. Darryl beat me to it

Back to Double A, I suppose. Definitely not ready for the big league.

 

[saddles]

I still wonder if Luke Jackson is hurt.

 

[Justinkm83]

Elvis tries to take everything to RF and he sucks at it. I've always felt he's best when he's driving the ball to left center. He inside outs the pitch and makes poor contact when he tries to hard to go to right.

 

[RevSader]

Elvis tries to take everything to RF and he sucks at it. I've always felt he's best when he's driving the ball to left center. He inside outs the pitch and makes poor contact when he tries to hard to go to right.

I worry he has zero bat speed and will never find it...

 

[Justinkm83]

He also pitched 6 inning with his fly down. He had a broken zipper.

Break his zipper before every start. Maybe he needs a draft.

 

[Justinkm83]

I worry he has zero bat speed and will never find it...

If he doesn't find it we might have 3 long term disaster contracts on our hands. I think Choo will bounce back, and it's wait and see on Fielder. I've pretty much given up on EA progressing into a better hitter.

 

[terpsfball09]

On the other hand... Jake Thompson had another good outing.
6.1 IP, 3H, 3BB, 0 ER, 6 SO.

Seems to be developing VERY well so far

 

[Bmurph]

Appel seems to have gotten the best of the RR last night with 10 k's

 

[donaldson79]

If he doesn't find it we might have 3 long term disaster contracts on our hands. I think Choo will bounce back, and it's wait and see on Fielder. I've pretty much given up on EA progressing into a better hitter.

I believe he's hitting over .300 for the last 30 games or so.

What makes you think the team has given up on him progressing?

 

[donaldson79]

Eh 23 year old minor league catcher.

Who's hit very well this past season at both AA and AAA.

We've got about 30 games left, and we should have a pretty good idea in what we've got in Chirinos. We also know we need another catcher for next season. Preferably one who can play inexpensively.

Let Telis play some and let's see if he has any chance for the backup roll in 2015 IMO.

 

[RevSader]

Who's hit very well this past season at both AA and AAA.

We've got about 30 games left, and we should have a pretty good idea in what we've got in Chirinos. We also know we need another catcher for next season. Preferably one who can play inexpensively.

Let Telis play some and let's see if he has any chance for the backup roll in 2015 IMO.

Would rather them make a play for Evan Gattis.

 

[Justinkm83]

I believe he's hitting over .300 for the last 30 games or so.

What makes you think the team has given up on him progressing?

I never said the team has given up on him. I said I have pretty much given up on him turning into a better hitter. He might be hitting .300, but it's certainly not with runners in scoring position. His numbers end up just about the same every year.

 

[Justinkm83]

Would rather them make a play for Evan Gattis.

Me too. I was very interested when I read his name come up on MLB TR.

 

[donaldson79]

I never said the team has given up on him. I said I have pretty much given up on him turning into a better hitter. He might be hitting .300, but it's certainly not with runners in scoring position. His numbers end up just about the same every year.

Sorry I misunderstood.

I was looking at EA's numbers today and the one which really just jumps out is how his RBI production has fallen off the cliff.

He's been contributing 60+ for years, but this season he's on pace for 45 or so.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

lol former Athletic Chris Carter hit a 3 run bomb to give Houston the lead over Oakland.

Carter is bombing away this year. One strong dude right there.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

They really need to put Jackson back at Frisco to get things back in order. He can come back to RR later. No point to keep him at RR to get his rear end kicked everytime out.

 

[donaldson79]

this from DMN:

Robinson Chirinos, in his first year of semi-regular playing time, brought the newest Ranger to Safeco Field, got him situated and then, notebook in hand, took him to the video room to begin a crash course in handling big league pitchers.

“That’s Robinson,” pitching coach Mike Maddux said. “He’s all in on the job. He’s a caretaker.”
And that is what the Rangers most seek in a catcher for 2015.

The club’s long-standing motto under manager Ron Washington is that offense from catchers is nice, but not part of the job description. The job requires an educated approach to attacking hitters, a calming hand for pitchers and an ability to stop opponents from running.
That he has gone from third catcher to backup to starter to potential 2015 regular (in the wake of selling Geovany Soto’s contract to Oakland) is testament to the Rangers’ opinion that Chirinos, 30, has embraced all the requirements and shown significant aptitude for all of the duties.

The club still isn’t sure if he’s an 80-game platoon starter or a 120-game regular, but they know now he fits in a significant role. Given that he’ll earn somewhere in the range of $520,000 next season since he’s not yet arbitration-eligible, his presence also has an ability to impact the overall roster construction. Every dollar saved on the catching position, which is thin on free agents anyway, can be devoted to pursuing starting pitching and a power bat.

Chirinos, who had started 18 major league games behind the plate entering the year, made his 75th start Tuesday, and he’s shown those tools regularly. He began the day tied for second in the majors in the defensive aspect of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) among all catchers. Only 2013 AL Gold Glove winner Salvador Perez ranked higher.

He’s got an extra five weeks of regular work to get a head start on that project.

This more than answers my questions on why Telis isn't going to get any meaningful time behind the plate for the rest of the season.

 

[darrylgann]

They really need to put Jackson back at Frisco to get things back in order. He can come back to RR later. No point to keep him at RR to get his rear end kicked everytime out.

Definitely agree but RR and Friso's season is almost over too, isn't it? But I think it's worth sending him down for just a start or two.

 

[donaldson79]

Very interesting article in INSIDER re: relief pitchers

The union should think about this, about proposing rules on how relievers can be used. Such as: A pitcher who works for three straight days should not be asked to throw in a fourth straight game. Perhaps there can be an automatic trigger for a roster replacement, so that if a manager decides to use a reliever for the third day in a row, part of what he would have to weigh is that the reliever wouldn’t be available the next day, and would instead be replaced by somebody called up from the minors.

The handling of relievers should be the next frontier in baseball’s effort to protect players from injury.

But the handling of relievers has always been a murky practice, and really, the way Venters was used isn’t that much different from how a lot of bullpens have been operated through the years. For example, I’ll never forget how Venters’ pitching coach, Roger McDowell, kept taking the ball at the outset of 1996 as Baltimore manager Davey Johnson tried to hold the Orioles in the race. McDowell threw a staggering 40 innings in April and May, in 23 outings, a pace of about 120 relief innings.

McDowell disintegrated in June and July, and the last pitch he threw to Jeff Cirillo on Aug. 14, 1996 was mashed for a homer -- it was the final pitch of McDowell’s career.