Series Thread: M's vs Rangers - 4th-6th

[PolarVortex]

What a craptastic bullpen to start the season..

Yeah, my fantasy team was off to a good start until Tolleson imploded today.

 

[Destroydacre]

We overreact when the team isn't doing well early so might as well overreact when they do well... My god, this team is smacking the crap out of the baseball right now. And some of the guys Jerry brought in? A+.

Love it so far.

I hope they keep it up, I want this team to be good. I just can't believe though, not yet.

 

[Cloud]

I hope they keep it up, I want this team to be good. I just can't believe though, not yet.

I 100% agree with you. The baseball season is a marathon so I'll wait until June to form a solid opinion of this team as they've played enough games by then... I also approached this season as I've been for the past decade.... Cautiously optimistic! Because there is no reason not to due to the new season.

Let's just say I'm enjoying everything I've seen so far. Love it.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Robinson Cano hit 7 HRs in 57 spring training ABs and already has 4 HRs in 13 ABs.

Good to see he decided to juice to recover from his stomach ailment.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

 

[dude82]

Damn, that 8th inning was fun to watch. 3 absolute no doubt bombs, with the 3rd coming at the perfect possible moment. Sucks to have to rock the bartender like that, I like Tom, but man its been a long time since we lit someone up like that.

I don't get Bannister being so pissed. His guy got shelled then plunked a guy because he couldn't keep anyone from teeing off. What did we do apart from take 8th inning batting practice?

Seth Smith continuing his Spring so far, by the way.

Bannister's reaction confused me as well. Did he expect the M's to take an obvious beanball passively?

 

[cezero]

Bannister's reaction confused me as well. Did he expect the M's to take an obvious beanball passively?

I think it was more a matter of the M's pretty loud celebration after teeing off on Wilhelmsen. I'm betting the bartender and the Rangers dugout read it as semi-heckling.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Robinson Cano hit 7 HRs in 57 spring training ABs and already has 4 HRs in 13 ABs.

Good to see he decided to juice to recover from his stomach ailment.

Cano: "My trainer gave me something, but I'm not sure what it was!"

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

I 100% agree with you. The baseball season is a marathon so I'll wait until June to form a solid opinion of this team as they've played enough games by then... I also approached this season as I've been for the past decade.... Cautiously optimistic! Because there is no reason not to due to the new season.

Let's just say I'm enjoying everything I've seen so far. Love it.

As always for majority of baseball teams... it's who gets hot after the all star break. As long as you're hovering around .500 or so (even 5-10 games out), post all star break is when it's time to start even talking playoffs, next season, etc.

 

[cezero]

Every game matters.

Post all star break is when you figure out what to trade for short-term if the team you articulated the previous winter has been competitive Arp-Jun. Long way to go to find out that's what we're talking about with this team, and the focus has to be on consistently doing what they've been drilled to do by Servais/Dipoto. It's pretty exciting right now for sure.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Every game matters.

Post all star break is when you figure out what to trade for short-term if the team you articulated the previous winter has been competitive Arp-Jun. Long way to go to find out that's what we're talking about with this team, and the focus has to be on consistently doing what they've been drilled to do by Servais/Dipoto. It's pretty exciting right now for sure.

Course every game matters... just saying that the meat of the predictions and team performance comes post all star break.

My biggest concern this season is the pitching Ms bring to the plate. I really honestly think the hitting will be okay and I predicted that (see other thread on 15th ranked offense) well before the season kicked off. That said... our fielding/pitching is a different story. Felix will still be Felix but after that with injury potential it's a sharp drop unless Walker shows up this year to be the next Ace on our roster.

Lind, Seagar, Cruz, Cano is still quite threatening... other guys can hit for okay average and Iannetta I don't even care about his average. The guy got on base almost 25% more of the time than Mike, "the K" Zunino.

 

[NWinAZ]

Greg Johns ‏@GregJohnsMLB 6h6 hours ago


Rob Brantly has cleared waivers for Mariners. He's assigned to AAA Tacoma.

-------------------

Nice insurance.

 

[Anointed One]

Yeah, my fantasy team was off to a good start until Tolleson imploded today.

I drafted Carlos Correa and Robinson Cano #1 and #2 in both of my drafts... They're both on fire!

 

[Anointed One]

 

[wazzu31]

As always for majority of baseball teams... it's who gets hot after the all star break. As long as you're hovering around .500 or so (even 5-10 games out), post all star break is when it's time to start even talking playoffs, next season, etc.

Problem is there are two baseball seasons, even arguably 3 now with the extra WC team. There is the pre trade deadline season in which teams have to play well enough to be buyers, then there is the August trade deadline season, then the post season. I'll agree it's a marathon but just hovering to me is pointless and a lack of excitement simple enough you can't go all in for a WS run. I would really like them to be in a position to be able to go all in for the playoffs. I love Woody and think he is by far the best GM the M's have had but he gave it his best college try of going all in and it was a Jack Z type deal in trading one of the best prospects in the game for relief help

 

[cezero]

View attachment 104915

/season

 

[cezero]

replay on ROOT is about to go to the 9th

couldn't take the a's game anymore on espn because the commentators spent 10 minutes talking politics about cuba, and then started re-hashing the laroche and son situation

 

[wazzu31]

I agree, 8. I have no problem with Wilhelmsen plunking Iannetta in that situation. He hit him in the right spot where it wouldn't do much damage. If he had wanted to hurt him, he would have.

The Rangers are the ones that fucked up. The pitching coach should have come out after to the mound after Cruz' double and Wilhelmsen should have been pulled after Seager's double. It was a four-run game at that point and the Rangers still had six outs left, so the game was still within reach, albeit a long reach.

I can't see how anyone would have an issue with the attentional plunking.

A. Ianetta appeared to be expecting it.
B. The Mariners deserved it with their laughing at him with the Smith home run like
C. He got the leg, not the back or head with a what, a batting practice speed fastball. Ya, it hurts but not trying to hurt him and not going old school.

But the fault falls on the Rangers, don't know their pen situation but why bring in a rightie when 3 out of the next 4 were lefties.

 

[dude82]

I can't see how anyone would have an issue with the attentional plunking.

A. Ianetta appeared to be expecting it.
B. The Mariners deserved it with their laughing at him with the Smith home run like
C. He got the leg, not the back or head with a what, a batting practice speed fastball. Ya, it hurts but not trying to hurt him and not going old school.

But the fault falls on the Rangers, don't know their pen situation but why bring in a rightie when 3 out of the next 4 were lefties.

Well that would explain why the Rangers' players and coaches would be pissed, but unless there's some previously undisclosed animosity between some of the Mariners and Wilhelmsen or the Mariners players made it obvious that they were laughing at Wilhelmsen's expense, I can't imagine what would make them think that. I mean, it's not all that unusual to see players and coaches laughing and smiling in the dugout when they're in the process of putting up a big inning, but it would be pretty stupid of them to taunt a guy who can throw in the high 90's loud enough for him to hear when he's already pissed about getting shelled.

I haven't seen anything in the media to indicate that that's why the Rangers were pissed, but I'll be sure to look it up.

I do believe that Iannetta expected it, but only because those things tend to happen when a pitcher has just given up five runs in that short a stint and he wants to try to take back some control of the plate. That doesn't mean that Iannetta doesn't have the right to be pissed off about getting hit intentionally. About the only thing Wilhelmsen did right in that inning was aim for Iannetta's leg with the beanball and not somewhere more vulnerable.

 

[Anointed One]

About the only thing Wilhelmsen did right in that inning was aim for Iannetta's leg with the beanball and not somewhere more vulnerable.

It was the only time he hit his spot that entire inning...