Cubs vs. Nationals: Take the under in Scherzer-Hamels battle The Nationals’ Max Scherzer is 2-4, but has still been dominant despite the record and should be involved in a solid pitchers’ duel on Friday with Cole Hamels and the visiting Cubs. Scherzer’s 3.64 ERA is over-inflated given that he has not had a very supportive…
DetailsTwins Place Nelson Cruz On IL, Promote Luis Arraez The Twins announced that they’ve placed designated hitter Nelson Cruz on the 10-day injured list due to a left wrist strain and promoted infield prospect Luis Arraez for his big league debut. Arraez’s promotion was initially reported by Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base (Twitter…
DetailsMLB weekend gives wagerers sneak peek of October in May A huge weekend in American League baseball begins Friday night when the New York Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Houston Astros visit the Boston Red Sox. According to betting markets, those are four of the five teams most likely to win the…
DetailsThe Marlins Are Bad Enough to Have a Shot at History Do you remember what you were doing last Saturday night, at about 7:45 pm Eastern? Perhaps it was a memorable occasion, a fancy dinner with your significant other. Maybe it was a round of drinks with your buddies to launch a raucous evening on…
DetailsMinor MLB Transactions: 5/17/19 We’ll track Friday’s minor move from around the league here… The Red Sox signed right-hander Dylan Thompson to a minor league contract, per an announcement from the independent American Association (Twitter link). Thompson had been slated to open the season with the AA’s Winnipeg Goldeyes before his contract was purchased by…
DetailsApril Fools’ turns into April win for Omaha When the Omaha Storm Chasers turned an April Fools’ joke into reality and became the Potholes for a day, they set a team attendance record and earned Minor League Baseball’s April Promotion of the Month. Source: https://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20190517&content_id=307202866&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb
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Are Plate Discipline Breakouts for Real? Earlier this month, I noted that hitters are chasing fewer pitches and seeking out fastballs in the zone. It’s one thing batters can do to fight back against the rising pitching talent and increased strikeouts. It seemed to me that every time I looked into a hitter potentially breaking…
DetailsMarcus Walden on the Slider that Resurrected His Career Marcus Walden is a 30-year-old rookie with a 5-0 record, a 1.46 ERA, and a spiked-grip slider that helped rescue him from minor-league purgatory. The story behind the pitch is one of avoidance-turned-desperation, with a healthy dose of studiousness thrown in for good measure. Walden has…
DetailsTexas notes: Padres’ Reed refines approach Buddy Reed may not have the batting average he’s hoping for after 33 games with Amarillo, but the Padres prospect is starting to see results — and flash some power — after adjusting his swing. Source: https://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20190517&content_id=307195182&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb
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Marcus Semien Is Getting Better at This Here’s the chart that got me interested in what Marcus Semien is up to: Marcus Semien’s Year of Discipline Season(s) PA wOBA BB% K% 2012-2018 1,934 0.311 7.9 23.2 2019 198 0.335 13.1 15.2 It’s the last two columns that should grab your attention. Semien is walking nearly…
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