April 2019
Sizzlers and Fizzlers, speaking Doc-eese.
Posted by moethedog on 04/29/19
Mallex Smith is a rusty gate: .165-.255-.247 and he's K'ing in 30% of his AB's.
However, Braden Bishop is at .271-.364-.447 in Tacoma. The other day he launched one into the parking lot. He's made 2 errors in CF, but then so has Smith.
Tim Beckham has made 11 errors at SS. .286-.359-.533 will make you ignore a lot of a .913 Fld. % at SS, however.
JP Crawford has made 3 errors for Tacoma and is hitting .291-.378-.419. OK, OK...much of that is due to a vL line of .387-.472-.581, but he is a career MLB .764 vR.
Kyle Seager will be ready in a bit.
Dee Gordon has returned to being the good... Read More
let's hit the other dugout one-handed
Posted by jemanji on 04/23/19
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Editor's note - going to hafta streamline the shtick a tad here kiddies. For a bit. Typing is a bit persnickety, so out go the wit wisdom and warmth, and in stay the acerbic abrasiveness and errors. May only streamline from 450 to 435 but it's the principle of the thing.
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MIKE LEAKE
The M's were skateboarding down the winning ramp like Galadriel down those stairs to the mirror fountain when Mikey took a 1x4 and broke it across our shins. Out goes the 16-8, in comes the 16-9. Which leaves us on pace for a measly 104 wins.
Did the M's have a bad pitcher going today, axs Dr. D's wife... Read More
Well, mPDI, actually
Posted by moethedog on 04/09/19
Fangraphs has a neat read, built upon a new metric, the Maddux Plate discipline Index. The mPDI is essentially the percentage of pitches thrown by any pitcher that are either outside the zone and swung at (with or without contact) or within the strike zone and taken.
The theory and name are based upon this quote: “The key to pitching is to have the ability to throw a strike when they’re taking and throw a ball when the hitter is swinging.” – Greg Maddux
Of course, we can all see the simplicity in this measurement. If you get hitters to swing at "bad" pitches, or not swing at "good"... Read More
Fangraphs goes to bat for Beckham
Posted by jemanji on 04/03/19
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BEST READ
If the Mariners have just pole-axed another hapless enemy, and you're looking for reading material of over-the-fold quality, you can do worse than to read the last night's Slack roundtable. It'll be chock-full of Denizens' insights, ideas and impressions of the game in real time.
I don't know how to direct you to it; somebody in the comments will bail me out. On a smartphone, though, you download SlackChat and then simply search Seattle Sports Insider or somesuch. One a' you Slackers :- ) finish up here.
(Sez Andrew: Here's the slack link: https://seattlesportsinsider.slack.... Read More
Dr. D basks in the M's glory
Posted by jemanji on 04/03/19
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ANTHONY SWARZAK
HQ -- only $15 digital download at BaseballHQ.com -- sez,
Missed 14 weeks to two different injuries (oblique, shoulder). In resulting short sample, control slipped but FpK history gives hope for recovery. While he appeared to hold Dom gains, SwK drop suggests 2017's surprise breakout is likely an outlier. Skills and age make him a fairly average bullpen arm.
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In other words, he had good excuses for 2018, as pitchers often do. BUT on the other hand don't take his star-making 2017 -- 10.6 strikeouts, 2+ walks -- as the gospel either.
At the M's site you get a good... Read More
Brandon Brennan's tunneled FB and change
Posted by jemanji on 04/02/19
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SHORT N SWEET Dept.
Your bleary author will keep this one tight, whattaya say. That was the best we've seen Felix look in months if not years.
His CTL was 4:0, he gave up no homers, his strike vs ball count was 60:32, and his #5 start spun us back around to Marc-O and Kikuchi unscathed. I seen worse :- ) and I seen worse box scores than 5.1 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, and 4:0 CTL.
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Going back over the game again at this link ... https://www.mlb.com/gameday/angels-vs-mariners/2019/04/01/566376#game_st... ... Felix was taking the fastball INSIDE with command, and then later was coming back outside to... Read More
not. so. fast. with that JRod and JKel shtick, kiddies
Posted by jemanji on 04/02/19
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Nothing April Fool's in here. Our fave ball players have been giving us that, on the field, for a week.
Normally you would have the right to expect a postgame with a Think Tank "favorite moments" to include a little obscurity, some weirdness and checked-swings and dives back to a bag. Unfortunately for you, your lazy author is going to do little more tonight than to ... describe the hits he liked. Ah well, isn’t that the accepted postgame convention anyway ...
;- )
Pile on bulk numbers for another week, let's say a 4-3 record against two weakies upcoming, and the M's record will be... Read More
streaking M's run their record to 6-1
Posted by jemanji on 04/01/19
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M's run totals seven games in: 9, 5, 12, 6, 6, 10, 6. Which totals 54 runs, divided by 7? equals 7.7 per ballgame. But which is more difficult? Running seven straight games with 5+ runs, or averaging 8? That was the question posed by the 2001 M's, who scored 5 runs in scads of games...
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1927 New York Yankees' game run totals at the same pernt .... WOW! NICE! 8, 10, 9, 6, 5, 14, 3. Totalling 55 runs for 7.9 per ballgame. Baseball history had no clue that the '27 Yankees' early blitzkrieg was an airhorn signalling their intent to finish 110-44 (109 even by Pythag), which woulda... Read More