Lets Give Floyd a Standing Ovation

[lostfan]

Yeah, I think there is going to be some post editing going on in that thread!

I don't recall posting in that thread... but I did save a lot of hating for Contreras and if he served me up a plate of crow I would eat it happily.

[CanOfCorn]

Don't feel like reading 6 pages, but the Mental Midget Arises! Two near no-no's in a month! Think Cooper knows anything about hitting?

[Controlled Chaos]

Yeah, this is my favorite!

I almost quoted that exact post....but just figured I'd let everyone read on their own.

[Harry Chappas]

Floyd was unhittable late in the game becasue of his curve. He just missed on the Mauer hit, Mauer's a good hitter, oh well.

 

I think Anderson makes an Indians game June, 2006 catch, remember that. For him to not be out there and Swisher in right is poor managing.

 

Taking out Floyd was unquestionably the right move. There was no shut-out and the team needed the win in easy fashion, oh and Jenks hadn't pitched in over a week. That was without a doubt the right move.

 

Think about this, if Quintin doesn't drop that ball, Mauer could've been batting with 2 outs in 9th, that would've been really cool.

 

Anderson needs to play more and Koneroko needs to find the DL.

 

Also in response to Floyd needing to strike out guys because he may give up more hits.....ok so his WHIP will not be under 1 and his ERA may be on the rise. Who cares, he is looking like a solid middle of the rotation guy at worst. He seems to bethe epitome of effectively wild and looks to be the kind of guy that can pitch down in the count and still be effective. His fastball and curve combination are front end material and at 25 the ceiling is on the rise as he learns how to pitch and find a third and fourth pitch.

[Chet Lemon]

My first game of the year last night! What told me it was going to be a good night was how Floyd got out of a shaky 1st in. against the middle of the Twins' lineup. Getting untouched in that inning really contributed to his confidence for each successive inning. You could really see it in how efficiently he began pitching.

[Gregory Pratt]

How to Flirt with a No-Hitter

From ESPN Page 2 (there is no available link to the article, as it's pasted on the front and not an article):

 

White Sox starter Gavin Floyd flirted with a no-hitter Tuesday night against the Twins, the second no-hitter he has flirted with this season. What a flirt! Want to be a successful flirt yourself? Follow my tips:

 

 

1. Get a little bit intoxicated

Flirting requires you to loosen up and let your guard down. It's not the time to be a teetotaler. So knock a few back. And if you doubt the value of this relaxed, inhibition-free approach to flirting with a no-hitter, then talk to David Wells. Or better yet, talk to Dock Ellis.

 

2. Don't try for the hottest girl at the bar

Everyone wants to take home the hottest girl at the bar. But be reasonable -- it's probably not going to happen. So set your sights a bit lower. Don't go after the Red Sox. Try the Twins, for example. Or if you're really hard up, the Giants.

 

3. Get in touch with your wild side

We all know that girls don't necessarily want a goody-two-shoes. So don't be hesitant to be a bit wild. Jim Maloney of the Reds had 10 walks in a no-hitter in 1965. A.J. Burnett walked nine in his no-hitter seven years ago. Nolan Ryan, the biggest no-hitter flirt of all-time, walked eight in 1974. Rawwwrrrr!

 

4. Have a wingman

You're in the zone now. You have that no-hitter smiling and laughing, and she has her hand on your leg. Don't mess this up. It's close. The last thing you need is for someone to walk up and jinx you with a reminder of how close you are. So get a wingman to keep others away.

 

5. Lean on your strengths

You have a pretty good job: your 95 mph fastball. You have most of your hair: your reliable 12-to-6 curveball. Don't blow this no-hitter at the end by stupidly throwing that screw-knuckle-slider you worked on for 20 minutes back in spring training: Don't tell her you still live with your parents. Oh, jeez. You choked and threw that pitch anyway. There goes your no-hitter. Your shutout, too. You are done flirting with that hot no-hitter. It's time to pass on just getting a little bit intoxicated. Now it's time to get really drunk and focus on taking home a win, even if it's ugly.

-- DJ Gallo

 

Hilarious.

[fathom]

Yeah, this is my favorite!

 

 

I still don't think he'll stay under 5. I'll gladly stick to my word.

Edited May 7, 2008 by fathom

[Kyyle23]

I still don't think he'll stay under 5. I'll gladly stick to my word. I do enjoy how so many people would rather talk about what other people say instead of actually focusing on the game of baseball.

 

 

If we didnt, this site would be boring

[fathom]

If we didnt, this site would be boring

 

 

I got rid of that statement from my post due to not wanting to even rehash the same old arguments about certain posters.

[southsider2k5]

I still don't think he'll stay under 5. I'll gladly stick to my word.

 

Nice edit.

 

Again.

[fathom]

Nice edit.

 

Again.

 

What in the world are you talking about? I didn't edit anything about Gavin. I just think it's stupid when people start bumping old posts.

Edited May 7, 2008 by fathom

[NorthSideSox72]

I still don't think he'll stay under 5. I'll gladly stick to my word.

He'd have to have a 6+ ERA the rest of the way for that to happen. Floyd will of course have his bad games, but I think its a huge stretch to think he'll go from 6 solid starts in 2007, to 6 stellar starts in 2008, to being among the worst pitchers in baseball. Anything is possible, but I'm not betting on winning the lottery either.

 

[southsider2k5]

What in the world are you talking about? I didn't edit anything about Gavin. I just think it's stupid when people start bumping old posts.

 

I am sure you do think it is stupid, because it usually involves you saying something negative about a player on the Sox.

[fathom]

I am sure you do think it is stupid, because it usually involves you saying something negative about a player on the Sox.

 

Yep, just like how we should go through every trade thread and say anyone who liked the Garland trade was stupid or who thought Swisher was a great acquisition was wrong. Of course, people that only comment on what other people have to say never have to worry about old posts being bumped where their opinion on a player was stated.

[fathom]

He'd have to have a 6+ ERA the rest of the way for that to happen. Floyd will of course have his bad games, but I think its a huge stretch to think he'll go from 6 solid starts in 2007, to 6 stellar starts in 2008, to being among the worst pitchers in baseball. Anything is possible, but I'm not betting on winning the lottery either.

 

What was Danks' ERA at this point last season? And please don't think I'm hoping he does bad. I'd love for him to prove me, and a lot of others, wrong.

Edited May 7, 2008 by fathom

[southsider2k5]

Yep, just like how we should go through every trade thread and say anyone who liked the Garland trade was stupid or who thought Swisher was a great acquisition was wrong. Of course, people that only comment on what other people have to say never have to worry about old posts being bumped where their opinion on a player was stated.

 

A little sensative today aren't we? My opinion is in there, in case you were worried

[NorthSideSox72]

What was Danks' ERA at this point last season? And please don't think I'm hoping he does bad. I'd love for him to prove me, and a lot of others, wrong.

I am not saying you want him to do badly - I am just questioning the likelihood of such a monumental collapse.

 

And to answer your question... if was 5.02 - about double Gavin's current number.

 

[SpringfieldFan]

The talk about Gavin needing more strikeouts reminded me of something I was going to show in a previous thread about the correlation of ERA and strikeouts. Bear with me in the explanation here. This graph is based on the final 2007 stats for every pitcher with at least 100 innings worked. In it, each pitcher is represented from left to right by a dot in order of his strikeout per inning rank. In other words, the dot on the farthest left represents Eric Bedard, who had the highest strikeouts per inning. Now, the vertical axis represents each of these pitcher's ERA. For example, Bedards was 3.16.

 

 

So, is there a correlation between K's and ERA? If so you should see the line connecting the dots increase (higher ERA) as you move from left to right (lower K rates). As I look at it I can see a *slight* average slope up, but really it is not very regular. There seems very little correlation to me; that you cannot predict ERA based on strikeout ability. What do you all think? By the way, I did a similar graph plotting strikeouts vs. win percentage and it yielded similar (lack of) correlation. Unfortunately, the tables I had to work with did not have WHIP stats, so I could not test that.

 

SFF

 

 

[RME JICO]

So, is there a correlation between K's and ERA? If so you should see the line connecting the dots increase (higher ERA) as you move from left to right (lower K rates). As I look at it I can see a *slight* average slope up, but really it is not very regular. There seems very little correlation to me; that you cannot predict ERA based on strikeout ability. What do you all think? By the way, I did a similar graph plotting strikeouts vs. win percentage and it yielded similar (lack of) correlation. Unfortunately, the tables I had to work with did not have WHIP stats, so I could not test that.

 

SFF

You can see the elite K pitchers have an advantage. If you think about it, based on probability, the opposing teams have less of a chance to score when the ball is not put in play. So there has to be some correlation.

 

It would be interesting to see the correlation between K:BB ratio and ERA or TBIP and ERA. I like TBIP the best because it takes into account XBH's which have the higher probability of a run scoring.

Edited May 7, 2008 by RME JICO

[Soxbadger]

I think that Floyd not going for k's and instead letting hitters get themselves out has been one reason why hes doing better.

 

Instead of trying to make perfect pitches, he makes good pitches.

[Steve9347]

Yep, just like how we should go through every trade thread and say anyone who liked the Garland trade was stupid or who thought Swisher was a great acquisition was wrong. Of course, people that only comment on what other people have to say never have to worry about old posts being bumped where their opinion on a player was stated.

To be fair, most people don't put something they love on the line with their guarantees. Judging by your absurd, near 40,000 post count, you'll go into withdrawal if you actually live up to your word.

[southsider2k5]

I think that Floyd not going for k's and instead letting hitters get themselves out has been one reason why hes doing better.

 

Instead of trying to make perfect pitches, he makes good pitches.

 

Great post. I would add one word, and that is consistant, good pitches. That in a nutshell is the Don Cooper philosophy for pitching. I really do believe it is why the Sox see so many fewer pitching injuries than most teams do, and I think it is why we seem to do pretty well in general with reclamation projects. Granted you can always point to specific failures, but no one can reach everyone (mike mcdougal I am looking at you). I think there is a reason the Sox target down on their luck "stuff" type pitchers. I can't say that I really argue with the results in the big picture.

[fathom]

To be fair, most people don't put something they love on the line with their guarantees. Judging by your absurd, near 40,000 post count, you'll go into withdrawal if you actually live up to your word.

 

Well, I guess if Gavin does well this year, I'll talk to my wife about having a baby with the extra time I'd have (yes, that's a joke).

[southsider2k5]

To be fair, most people don't put something they love on the line with their guarantees. Judging by your absurd, near 40,000 post count, you'll go into withdrawal if you actually live up to your word.

 

OK now I draw the line at questioning peoples post counts

 

[SpringfieldFan]

You can see the elite K pitchers have an advantage. If you think about it, based on probability, the opposing teams have less of a chance to score when the ball is not put in play. So there has to be some correlation.

 

...unless you consider Matsuzaka (#4). His ERA was nearly the same as Trachsel, the lowest rated strikeout pitcher. But yeah, the top dozen or so seem to get the K's and prevent the runs as well. I guess if you can be an elite pitcher, strikeouts are worth your consideration.

 

SFF