harkness99

Really liked his interview after the game. Wow what a game he had...

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 31, 2016 -> 03:15 PM) That perspective works both ways. Is it "perspective" or denial? I'm not saying I know for sure...but I have trouble (taking the last 4 years plus this losing streak) to not see it as denial.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 30, 2016 -> 10:15 PM) Can't believe we've turned a 7 game lead over KC into a 2 game deficit. Not even September of 2012 was this much of a collapse. It was 13 and -1, it's about to be 2 and 6. We've lost 11 games to .500 and they've gained 7. And Verlander's back to throwing darts...neither he or Chacin have given up a run in LA, tied 0-0 still. ehh really don't care what other teams are doing right now. We can't even win a game so its pretty much a waste of time to even pay attention to the standings.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ May 30, 2016 -> 09:12 PM) Runners on 1st and 2nd. No outs and close game-pitchers duel. Cabrera sac blunts and now two in scoring position. One out and your RBI man up. He couldn't deliver. Tgevplay was good. Now if it had worked we would saying how much of a genius Ventura was. Don't bunt and Cabrera grounded into a DP we would have heard how bad Ventura was because he didn't bunt. Bank on it If anyone (which I highly doubt) would have been asking for your 3 hitter to bunt .... usually your best of one of your best hitters. They would be smoking some good stuff. That just never happens.... I think I've seen it twice in 10 years. Do you really believe that?

I'll give you that.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 30, 2016 -> 10:04 AM) Sale is right. What has Ventura done to keep his job? Sale is saying what he should say... who knows what any of them really think.

Nothing will change until there are some changes at the top... we continue to get new players and its the same mentally weak team year after year. They need to start with Ventura... but that's probably not enough. But hey it's worth a try.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 30, 2016 -> 03:20 PM) The bullpen blows. I thought Nate had figured something out. I thought Robertson truly was elite. He's OK on most occasions but obviously not a big-game pitcher (see the Royals choke job). The pen is sub-par again. I'd give it a C- to D. right it's exactly a C- or D.

QUOTE (Blackout Friday @ May 30, 2016 -> 12:17 AM) I didn't get very far into this post. I stopped at Nate Jones being a one-pitch pitcher. Nate Jones has an elite slider, when it's on. Elite. Really? How many games have you watched him pitch this year where is slider was wiping people out? It has hardly happened... he didn't even throw it against KC. Weird to have an Elite pitch that you won't throw.

Robin is Goooooood.

He also bunts with his 3rd place hitter.... he does that well.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 29, 2016 -> 08:53 PM) I actually was loving our bullpen at 23-10. Coop needs to become Ned Yost and demand 7 innings from our starters. Just like every year in the Robin era, if our starter has to get yanked to start the seventh we're doomed. Nate - never liked him cause of his weird delivery/motion. You've all disagreed with me. Jennings - Just another guy. Gas can if he faces too many batters in a row. Albers - Pathetic. Needs to lose 20 pounds and we'll talk. Duke - Dogs***. One batter or two and pray the law of averages has him record an out? Putnam - Doesn't thrill me. David - Had been pretty damn good til that sickening outing. You really would think he was throwing the game. He was so bad. His biggest blunder was not knowing the defense and letting that grounder be an EASY DP. He goes for it and knocks the ball down. If he was throwing the game, that was the way to do it, interfere with an EASY DP. Know your defensive positioning, David. My gawd. Yep again look at what we have in the bullpen... its not exactly a fortress of ability.

of course he would say that...

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 29, 2016 -> 05:03 PM) Robertson with the Yankees as Mariano's apprentice/set-up guy and then full-time closer. That's about it. Putnam didn't last with the Cubs. Jones has flashed potential. Petricka the same, both failed starters. Duke has only been good for that one season in MIL. Jennings was "decent" for the Marlins. Albers has a pretty decent track record, but not of pitching like he did before that Baltimore series showed the crack in the dam. Right that's kind of what im getting at... our bullpen isn't filled with guys with a ton of success in their past. Bullpen pitching is very fickle but if you look at we got - there is a lot of vulnerability there.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 29, 2016 -> 05:00 PM) Technically, despite 11 runs allowed the first two games, they still entered as 4th or 5th in AL bullpen ERA entering today's games. Want to say 4th. But surely during this 4-14 stretch, it has to be the worst bullpen in the AL by a safe margin. Not enough to wipe out the first 33 games of good work though. Right... I'm just saying if you look at the group on paper - they look avg at best but potentially bad... now no one could have ever imagined this bad...

Who in the bullpen is great? or has a history of being great? Or even a history of being good?

If you honestly think about it... Nate Jones - good fast ball but no control, a one pitch pitcher with no control... not going to work well. Dan Jennings - avg stuff no control. Matt Albers - looked great early but never had over powering stuff or a lot of pitches to choose from. Zach Duke - had to re-invent himself to get a 2nd chance at the majors... not overwhelming stuff and never has gotten people out consistently. Zach Putnam - has been good lately but never been consistently good over the years. Robertson - is decent at times but wilts quickly when things are going against him. Good control and curveball but a very underwhelming fast ball for a closer with 2 pitches. There are some various no names that I left out here. But if you look at that bullpen, objectively - it's certainly not great, its average at best - with a capability to be horrifically bad wit the lack of control and stuff.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 29, 2016 -> 04:26 PM) Baffling that you can look at this and think the manager is the problem. s***'s going bad and it is a clearly a very multi-faceted problem There isn't one person who thinks it's just the manager. The manager is just one part of the problem... really don't see what it hurts to try something different. this team has been mentally weak for 4 years... they collapse in key moments - it's what they do.

lose lose lose lose and lose some more. Then when he talks it sounds like the teacher from Charlie Brown.

Shows you how fickle baseball is... Sale hit pretty hard the last two innings but no runs cross.

WTF are you swinging at Lawrie...

Stone smoking some goooood stuff... Said Sale been about unhittable since 1st inning. Not sure what game he has been watching.

well at least the offense has been tenacious the past few games... Now lets clench up and hope the pitching can hold steady.

Navarro's little league catching skills cost Sale two strikes there. Especially with this blind F****** umpire

problem is Avi had to take a strike for Navarro to reach 2nd. This team is so mentally fragile that even that little thing kills them.