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10/3: Rays Rays Rays!

Tiny by Jeff on in Game Threads

Lineup

Chicago White Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays

10/03/08 3:07 PM PDT

Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Rays
Orlando Cabrera - SS Akinori Iwamura - 2B
Nick Swisher - LF B.J. Upton - CF
Jermaine Dye - RF Carl Crawford - LF
Paul Konerko - 1B Evan Longoria - 3B
Jim Thome - DH Willy Aybar - 1B
Alexei Ramirez - 2B Rocco Baldelli - DH
AJ Pierzynski - C Dioner Navarro - C
Juan Uribe - 3B Fernando Perez - RF
Brian Anderson - CF Jason Bartlett - SS

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP
2008 - Scott Kazmir 12-8 27 27 0 0 0 0 152.1 123 61 59 23 70 166 3.49 1.27

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP
2008 - Mark Buehrle 15-12 34 34 1 0 0 0 218.2 240 106 92 22 52 140 3.79 1.34

 

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Balfourpumped_medium

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It's funny because yesterday a TBS announcer

congratulated the Brewers for trading Seth McClung.

9=8

by JI on Oct 3, 2008 2:25 PM PDT   0 recs

That whole at bat was so much fun.

Fuck Orlando Cabrera.

the other angels fan

by Eyebrows on Oct 3, 2008 2:28 PM PDT   0 recs

Grant Balfour is so much fun to watch.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 2:29 PM PDT   0 recs

Yet another reason Maddon is Manager of the Year:

With Percival not making the playoff roster due to injury, most managers would have automatically plugged Balfour into the “closer” spot and refused to use him until the 9th inning. Because “that’s the way it’s done.” Instead, Maddon nominally gave that “position” to the reliable (but not overwhelming) Wheeler and said he’d use Balfour — his true relief ace — at any time, in any inning, whenever he was needed the most.

Bases loaded, one out, game on the line…and he strikes both batters out. Dominance.

Anyone else remember when this guy couldn’t find the strike zone with a map last year?

B.J. Upton's new nickname = "Laggard McShambleslow"

by esoteric on Oct 3, 2008 2:32 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Ehh

Wheeler has been the closer for a while, and Borowski saw more high leverage situations than Betancourt last year.

9=8

by JI on Oct 3, 2008 2:35 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Where does the media get that Percival is hurt from?
Percival, 39, indicated he is healthy enough to pitch and believes the decision was made to get another player on the roster, not work around his previous ailments.

He was left off because he’s bad, not because he’s hurt.

Tools Whore

Sign Bonds!

by Tyler on Oct 3, 2008 2:54 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I would give anything for a high-quality pic of Balfour doing the finger point.

He’s probably in mid-“FUCK” as he does it, too.

That dude is crazy entertaining.

B.J. Upton's new nickname = "Laggard McShambleslow"

by esoteric on Oct 3, 2008 2:29 PM PDT   0 recs

This work?

[img]http://assets.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/17033/sitthefuckdown.jpg[/img]

Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.

by P Brady on Oct 3, 2008 2:33 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

God dammit, used to forums:

Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.

by P Brady on Oct 3, 2008 2:34 PM PDT to parent up   1 recs

AROUND THE WORLD, AROUND THE WORLD

Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.

by P Brady on Oct 3, 2008 3:04 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I wasn't aware. The Mariners started doing this mid-season.

Pirates of the Carribean in 2007 seemed luckier.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:05 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Which we won thank you very much

And it only cost us Erik Bedard’s shoulder!

by Robert on Oct 3, 2008 3:16 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Upton, Longo, Aybar, Baldelli, Navarro?

Carl Crawford had a 91 OPS+ this year. His OBP was .319…he’s not as bad as he’s shown this year but there are better #3 hitters in the very same lineup.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:07 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Aybar and Navarro are not good options

You don’t know what you’re going to get out of Baldelli, and quite frankly if you’re going to base that on this year’s performance you should check Pena’s splits.

9=8

by JI on Oct 3, 2008 3:09 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Better BB% (career and this year) lower K% (career and this year), better HR/FB, and equal LD rate with a BABIP 33 points worse.

He may not be a better hitter, but he’s had a better year, Crawford has been injured this year, and based on what Aybar’s responsible for, Aybar’s 2008>Crawford’s 2008 as a hitter. Crawford isn’t playing to his talent level but he’s also hurt, so it’s not crazy to think he’d play worse than his talent level right now.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:18 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

It's a bunch of nonsense

Willy Aybar is a utility player who is not even on the same planet as Carl Crawford. Crawford, along with several other Rays, would have to be severely compromised to make it seems like a good idea.

9=8

by JI on Oct 3, 2008 3:20 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Aybar's bat would make him the best utility batter in baseball then.

You still can’t refute the 20.5% LD rate and .267 BABIP, really. He’s not good, but he still had an acceptable season while getting about as unlucky as Beltre (21.7% LD rate, .279 BABIP) so he had some bad breaks this year. Aybar’s more of a hitter than his results show.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:24 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He’s not good

Then he shouldn’t hit third.

9=8

by JI on Oct 3, 2008 3:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

If you say so.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:34 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Willy Aybar is a league average hitter

and has no business hitting third on a team that wants to win and has better options: Longo, Baldelli, Upton, Crawford, Iwamura, Pena all have to die in a fiery plane crash before I entertain the idea the hitting Aybar third is a viable option.

9=8

by JI on Oct 3, 2008 3:37 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Look, I respect that you guys could be right, but rather than "that's just not true" I'd like to know why.

From what I’ve learned the past year, BABIP is largely dependent on luck. Aybar had a higher OPS than Crawford this year despite suffering terrible BABIP luck. He had a good LD rate (20.5) and a horrible BABIP (.267) His BB is higher. His K% is lower. His HR/FB% is higher. In most of these categories it’s better than Crawford’s for their career. Aybar hasn’t played as much so a lot of that could be SSS I guess.

I know I am still learning, but from what I’ve learned about balls-in-play and LD rate and all that, it seems like Aybar has gotten really unlucky and still had a better year, whereas Crawford was mildly unlucky and still had a worse year at the plate. All I’m asking for is more of a statistical response. I don’t like using numbers, even if they’re the wrong ones, and then being told I’m wrong without being told why. Tell me why the numbers I’m using are wrong. Jeff knows way more about baseball than me so yeah, he’s probably right. But give me a reason why here.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:47 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Well if he's a .737 OPS with bad luck, I don't know how much better, but at least a little better.

Same thing would happen to Crawford, but he was worse to begin with this year and he’s still a little injured. The Rays weren’t even sure he’d play in the ALDS at all.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:53 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He whines.

Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.

by P Brady on Oct 3, 2008 3:05 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He would probably throw at-bats away.

Not that you can tell the difference.

by R.J. Anderson on Oct 3, 2008 3:07 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Which is why you don't bat him 3rd

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:08 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Isn't it like 15 runs over a full season?

Small but not totally insignificant

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:09 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

The difference between batting Carl Crawford 3rd and batting somebody else 3rd is not 15 runs a season

and even if it were – which it’s not – that would mean less than one-tenth of a run per individual game.

by Jeff on Oct 3, 2008 3:10 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Yeah, I'm getting that number from baseball between the numbers, I think it was.

The example was Barry Bonds batting cleanup vs. leadoff. Obviously Crawford is not Barry Bonds.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:21 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Agreed.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:07 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He had to play center one day this year.

Pre-game he whined, during the game a line drive single to center, Mark Teahan scored from first. After the game Carl said he “forgot where he was.”

by R.J. Anderson on Oct 3, 2008 3:09 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

How does anyone score from first on a single?

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Oct 3, 2008 3:10 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Carl's arm is damon-esque/

Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.

by P Brady on Oct 3, 2008 3:10 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs