Division-Watching

[sportsfan882]

Tonight -

Mets @ Marlins 7:10


that's it for division play.

Let's hope the Fish knock Pedro around and get their first win of the season. 

[NatsAddict]

just come on over to our side full-time, instead of pulling the double agent routine.

It's getting close to that.  It's rough rooting for anything related to the Marlins FO.  After every game you need a shower and to go to confession.

[spidernat]

It's getting close to that.  It's rough rooting for anything related to the Marlins FO.  After every game you need a shower and to go to confession.

Confess your transgression....





Cleanse yourself....






And embrace your destiny....

[sportsfan882]

Uggla with a 2-Run HR in the first! 2-0 FLA

[MrMadison]

Fish up 2-0

[Nat of the Living Dead]

I hear Pedro the Cockfighter is injured once again and will be out for awhile.

EDIT: Leg injury in the 4th.  Can't say I am upset.

[NatsAddict]

Woo Hoo!  Marlin's starters ERA is DOWN DOWN DOWN to 10.13!!!

Andrew "Strike Zone!  I don't need no stinkin' Strike Zone!" Miller takes the mound tomorrow night.  It should be a charity even.  If everyone on WNFF pledges a penny per walk, they'll raise millions!

[sportsfan882]

Woo Hoo!  Marlin's starters ERA is DOWN DOWN DOWN to 10.13!!!

Andrew "Strike Zone!  I don't need no stinkin' Strike Zone!" Miller takes the mound tomorrow night.  It should be a charity even.  If everyone on WNFF pledges a penny per walk, they'll raise millions!

Wow. It took Vanden Hurk 76 pitches to get through 3 innings? 3 IP 3 ER

[NatsAddict]

I hear Pedro the Cockfighter is injured once again and will be out for awhile.

EDIT: Leg injury in the 4th.  Can't say I am upset.

He hit the first batter he faced, Ramirez, on a fastball about 2 feet inside.  Typical Pedro. 

[NatsAddict]

Wow. It took Vanden Hurk 76 pitches to get through 3 innings? 3 IP 3 ER

You ain't seen nothin' yet.  More than half of Miller's ST IP were over 35 pitches.  He was far and away the most gawdawful of the Marlins starters, is about 2 years from being ripe, but Beinfest can't admit to a mistake.  He can't fool anybody, and 97% of the pitches at which batters swung the batters made contact.

[NatsAddict]

Pedro official report: Strained left hammy.

[sportsfan882]

You ain't seen nothin' yet.  More than half of Miller's ST IP were over 35 pitches.  He was far and away the most gawdawful of the Marlins starters, is about 2 years from being ripe, but Beinfest can't admit to a mistake.  He can't fool anybody, and 97% of the pitches at which batters swung the batters made contact.

Interesting. I thought he was going to be ML-ready especially after being up with Detroit a little last season. He's a college draftee I think? UNC if I remember correctly.

[NatsAddict]

Interesting. I thought he was going to be ML-ready especially after being up with Detroit a little last season. He's a college draftee I think? UNC if I remember correctly.

Yep, a Tarheel.  The ACC uses baseballs with very raised seams, making it easier to get spin on the ball.  His slider doesn't slide, and his fast has been on a rail since leaving the ACC.  He was demoted to single A before the Marlins received him in the Cabrera-Willis firesale.  I watched him 3 times in ST, and he just flat out stunk.  About 1 of 20 pitches is ever below belt-high, about 1 in 5 over the batter's head.  In a game in Dodgertown, they kept playing Bob Uecker's "Just a wee bit outside" sound clip.

Miller, in any other organization, would be in A or AA this year.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Well, at least they put Maybin in the minors.

[sportsfan882]

Dang it. Marlins strand a runner at 2nd with 1 out. FLA and NYM tied 4-4 going into the 9th.

[sportsfan882]

Uggla, you stupid ass!! Got thrown out in the 9th inning at second trying to extend a single into a double on a ball hit right to the CFer. Extra innings in Miami.

[sportsfan882]

Andino with his 1st career HR, a Walk-off Shot to beat the Mutts! 

[NatsAddict]

Andino's 1st MLB HR wins it in the bottom of the 10th.  Marlin win 5-4.

[sportsfan882]

NL East Standings
Washington 2-0
Florida 1-1
New York 1-1
Philadelphia 0-1
Atlanta 0-2

 

[MrMadison]

NICE. anytime the Mets (or Braves) lose, it is a wonderful evening.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

NICE. anytime the Mets (or Braves) lose, it is a wonderful evening.

QFT

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Way to go Fish!  The Nats and Caps take first place on the same night.  All is well.

[NatsAddict]

Here is the Fred's idea of a double switch.

Situation:
Bottom 8
#6 Slot - Luis Gonzalez RF - walks
#7 Slot - Treanor - SAC 1-3, Gonzalez to 2b, 1 out
#8 Slot - Amezaga, started in CF but now at 3B Ks, 2 out
#9 Slot - Carroll PH for Tankersley P, Ks, 3 out

So, who do you pull and where do you put the P in the batting order?  Why, you obviously keep Carroll in the game, replacing Gonzalez in RF, and move the P up to the #6 slot! 

Now, in the 9th, the Marlins go down 1-2-3, leaving the #4 slot to come up in the bottom of the 10th?  So, what do you do in the top of the 10th?  Do you keep your new pitcher in the 6 slot, and then just PH him in the bottom of the inning?  No, of course not!  Don't be a moron!  You put the pitcher in the #3 slot so you can get your #1 CF out of the game, and in the #6 slot put a guy in at 3B who's never played the position before in his pro career, take out your #1 defensive CF, replacing him with your #1 defensive 3B and #3 defensive CF.  So, defensively, you have your  starting 3B now playing 1B for the 9th time in his entire pro career, your 3B playing  that position for the first time in his career, your #3 CF in the game, in RF you have you #6 fielding OF thanks to your 8th inning fiasco, and your best two OF out of the game due to you being the Mother of All Wonder Dummies.  Your LF is your only decent fielding OF in the game, and you have Ramirez and Uggla up the middle.  It is the worst imaginable defense.  As a result, Schneider of all people, and with a sore hammy, gets and infield base hit.

[blue911]

The ACC uses baseballs with very raised seams, making it easier to get spin on the ball. 

 Are the conferences allowed to use different baseballs? A couple of years ago at the CWS they said that the NCAA ball had higher seams.

[NatsAddict]

Are the conferences allowed to use different baseballs? A couple of years ago at the CWS they said that the NCAA ball had higher seams.

A Rawlings raised seamed ball is standard in the CWS.  If you ever catch a raised seam ball, just holding it for a split second, you'll feel a notable difference.

The BBA article on the differences, from 2004, is now a dead link:   http://www.baseballamerica.com/leagues/NCAA/0007balls.html.  I'm trying to find and archive of the article, but when I enter a search, it only returns articles less than a year old.  It also looks like they've since added "/today" in the middle of all their links, and "NCAA" has been changed to "college"

If I recall properly, one reason many teams/conferences like the standard seam ball is that it reduces finger blistering.

FAU switched conferences about 2 years ago, and now in the Sun Belt they use the raised seam ball.  You can see the difference it makes from the stands as the pitches now often start their breaks much (as in about 5 to 10 feet) sooner.  The change did make for a good promo, though.  Now, if you return a foul ball, rather than a free hot dog or soda, you get one of the old (actually, its a new ball, never even rubbed down) Atlantic Sun Conference standard seam balls signed by all the players.