August MLB Game Thread

Max Power

thai good. you like shirt?
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DeadlySplitter

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This picture makes it seem like Merrifield could have slid to the outside part of the base, but...

This picture, a split second before the tag, shows Sanchez clearly in the basepath when Merrifield had already started his slide.
So when is Sanchez allowed to start blocking, the ball is almost there. I think the rule needs some tweaking, or teams need to go over the exact rule in spring training with catchers :p
 

dynomite

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Franmil Reyes DFA'd by Cleveland. One ex-Padre hack machine failed (Cordero) maybe the Sox should consider this one. :)
Update: Claimed by the Cubs.

Can someone help me understand how Waivers in MLB work? Is this from wikipedia correct?

If a player is waived, any team may claim him. If more than one team claims the player from waivers, the team with the weakest record in the player's league gets preference. If no team in the player's league claims him, the claiming team with the weakest record in the other league gets preference. In the first month of the season, preference is determined using the previous year's standings.
Since he was claimed by an NL team, does this mean the Red Sox decided not to claim Franmil Reyes?

And if so, can someone help me understand why not? He's making $4.5M this year and arb eligible in '23 & '24, had a 128 OPS+ last season with 30 HR, and is only 27. He can't really play the field, but given how desperate the Sox are for offense and how much of our 40-man roster is filled with AAAA types (hello Yolmer Sanchez and his -7 OPS+... yes, negative), it really feels like they could have made room for him. But maybe I'm misunderstanding the waiver rules?
 
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jon abbey

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And if so, can someone help me understand why not? He's making $4.5M this year and arb eligible in '23 & '24, had a 128 OPS+ last season with 30 HR, and is only 27. He can't really play the field, but given how desperate the Sox are for offense and how much of our 40-man roster is filled with AAAA types (hello Yolmer Sanchez and his -7 OPS+... yes, negative), it really feels like they could have made room for him. But maybe I'm misunderstanding the waiver rules?
I don't really understand the waiver rules either, but one thing is that it's possible BOS is actually under the tax line (everyone seems to think they are not, but have they confirmed that?) and so that $1-2M left on Franmil's deal this year is a big deal from that perspective.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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It's a shame that Franmil's hitting went so far off the rails. He seems like a great, outgoing guy and I know he wanted to stay in Cleveland because his wife is from the area – they met at a Lake County Captains game when he was playing the Midwest League. He's been so lost at the plate, I don't see him catching fire anytime soon and he was certain to be non-tendered in the off-season anyway. In the meantime, Nolan Jones and Oscar Gonzalez are both healthy and need at-bats, while they also need to figure out if they have anything with Will Benson. Add in Will Brennan, who might be MLB ready now and would need a spot on the 40-man roster and the arrival of George Valera next year… there's just no room any more for a strict DH if he isn't hitting 30+ home runs.
 

dynomite

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I don't really understand the waiver rules either, but one thing is that it's possible BOS is actually under the tax line (everyone seems to think they are not, but have they confirmed that?) and so that $1-2M left on Franmil's deal this year is a big deal from that perspective.
If true, this is why I and other Sox fans are relatively baffled and frustrated by this year’s roster construction. If you’re worried about spending, why eat up $20M of your discretionary payroll on JBJ and James Paxton? And at the deadline, why keep JD Martinez and his $8ishM remaining on his contract on the roster?

It's a shame that Franmil's hitting went so far off the rails. He seems like a great, outgoing guy and I know he wanted to stay in Cleveland because his wife is from the area – they met at a Lake County Captains game when he was playing the Midwest League. He's been so lost at the plate, I don't see him catching fire anytime soon and he was certain to be non-tendered in the off-season anyway. In the meantime, Nolan Jones and Oscar Gonzalez are both healthy and need at-bats, while they also need to figure out if they have anything with Will Benson. Add in Will Brennan, who might be MLB ready now and would need a spot on the 40-man roster and the arrival of George Valera next year… there's just no room any more for a strict DH if he isn't hitting 30+ home runs.
Wow, great context, thanks for this!

Look, obviously I am not trying to make a David Ortiz comparison here just because Franmil is a big dude who can’t play the field — Papi is one of one. But I point out the Sox signed Papi in 2003 for his age 27 season just to note that some power hitters don’t really “figure it out” until later in their career (JD Martinez is another).

I’m just confused. We would really rather keep taking a shot on Franchy Cordero — who is the same age as Franmil, has 17 career HR in 217 games, a career 79 OPS+, and also cannot play the field — rather than take a chance on Franmil, who has two 30+ HR seasons under his belt and never had a year below 111 OPS+ until this season?
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Franmil costs 4-5x what Franchy does, though. He only makes sense if you are willing to pay him what he gets via arbitration.
 

dynomite

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Franmil costs 4-5x what Franchy does, though. He only makes sense if you are willing to pay him what he gets via arbitration.
But we’re only talking about $1-2M this season, maybe $4M next season — again, for a player who has actually demonstrated he can hit major league pitching and serve as a middle of the order power bat as recently as all of last season, unlike Franchy and most of the in-house options. That seems worth taking a chance on for $4M next season — when the Sox have $100+M in available payroll. If you jettison Franchy and his $800K in the process, it’s only a net increase of ~$1.2M this year and $3.5M next year.

I’m not trying to say I’m obsessed with Franmil despite how much I’m writing about him. No other AL team took a shot on him if I understand waivers correctly. I guess I just continue to be confused by both the plans for the 2022 Sox and what the intentions are for the 2023 Sox.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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Look, obviously I am not trying to make a David Ortiz comparison here just because Franmil is a big dude who can’t play the field — Papi is one of one. But I point out the Sox signed Papi in 2003 for his age 27 season just to note that some power hitters don’t really “figure it out” until later in their career (JD Martinez is another).
I try to avoid Ortiz comps, but Franmil and Jesus Aguilar gave me that sort of vibe from what I saw of them in the Cleveland organization when they were out on the field with teammates and fans. Maybe a more attainable comparison would be that they're "Beeg Boys" like Rico Carty – large Latinos with a big bat and a bigger personality, but with shortcomings in the field – although Carty was reportedly a bit less popular with teammates than he was with fans. If they could reach the highest of their potential in front of a rabid fan base, they'd be hugely popular – and they'd deserve it. I'll always root for those two.
 

Heating up in the bullpen

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Is anybody else getting a 2014-15 off-season vibe from the Padres? Remember that year, when Prellar was new to the job and went crazy bringing in new players? Kemp, Upton, Shields, etc… So much buzz in the media. But so much suck on the field.
Prellar won the trade deadline this year, but I don’t think the Padres are going to win anything.
 

jon abbey

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BAL is 18-6 in their last 24 home games coming into tonight, they just took the lead on TOR in the 8th, 6-5.
 

Just a bit outside

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Hader with a possible meltdown. Comes in with a 3 run lead and goes walk, bloop, hbp, walk. Just gets a gift strikeout on a ball a couple inches outside. Orsillo and Jones gasping at how bad the call was.

And now he walks in another run. Only one out.
 

Just a bit outside

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And Hader gets pulled after being saved by Profar making a diving catch in left to hold the Giants to a sac fly and the game is tied at 4. Hader through 40 pitches before he was lifted.
 

brandonchristensen

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Seattle should have won this three times. NYY keeps shitting themselves with double plays, but it won't continue. You just know Judge will do something here.
 

brandonchristensen

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Andujar's at bat was one of the weirdest I've ever seen. Three swings where it looked like the bat was 100 pounds.
 

Tokyo Sox

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That was a fun game. The Yanks gave away three or four outs on the bases just in extras. I hope the M's make the playoffs this year.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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7 half innings in a row where neither team scored starting with a runner on second base seems kind of extraordinary.
 

jon abbey

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7 half innings in a row where neither team scored starting with a runner on second base seems kind of extraordinary.
There were almost no hits by either team the entire game, the two singles by SEA in the bottom of the 13th were the first hits by either team in extra innings.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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There were almost no hits by either team the entire game, the two singles by SEA in the bottom of the 13th were the first hits by either team in extra innings.
Yeah, sounds like great pitching and defense. Still, you don't even need a hit to score from second base with no out.

Tango run expectancy -- at least one run -- for second base and no out is actually lower than I would have thought -- about .62. At 38 percent percent per half inning, the odds of no run scoring in seven consecutive half innings is about .114%
 

jon abbey

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SD/SF game going on now is wild:

3rd inning by itself: 6-3 SD
6th inning by itself: 7-3 SD

13-7 SD after 6.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Don’t look now, but…

NYM 73-39
MFY 71-41

I have close Met fan friend who’s going through some heavy family stuff right now, so I may need to hop on this bandwagon.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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Since Tigers prospect Kerry Carpenter was mentioned earlier today... unless Detroit's fortunes turn around in the 9th. Carpenter's debut will go down as a rough one with an 0-fer-4 including the hat trick. James Karinchak was all over the place tonight, but with the bases loaded, two out and the Tigers trailing 3-2 in the 8th, Carpenter struck out looking at a curve ball.
 

jon abbey

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Coming into tonight, Joey Gallo's teams this season are 53-18 (49-18 for NY, 4-0 for LAD) when he starts, a 121-41 pace.

This is despite his 114 Ks in 247 ABs, a .615 OPS and a 0.0 bWAR for both teams combined. He plays good (not great) D, has a arm that deters runners and is a good baserunner, but still very confusing. I watched many of those ABs, he swings through more FBs in the zone than anyone I can remember, not a difficult scouting report to execute. All he does is win, evidently.