Gattis and Bregman came close to long balls early with both coming up just short, could have turned it into a shootout
Is it time to throw the Correa / A Rod comparison out the door? Not saying Correa isn’t great but you wonder if he would ever be that 40-50 HR guy.
nah, more like a .285/25/90 guy with great defense. Still good but will never live up to the Trouts of the world.
Told you guys on page 1 this game would be a disaster with Keuchel starting... wife and I always watch a movie when he pitches; so far no regrets.
I want to believe that a finesse pitcher like Keuchel can survive and thrive in today's MLB. Guy has a Cy Young. He did something very right a few years ago. But, man, it's such a risky style. If he's slightly off, he doesn't have high speeds to get by the batter anyway like Verlander, Cole, and Morton. He doesn't wicked off-speed style like McCullers. If he's slightly off with his pinpoint, ground ball style, he's just going to get wrecked. And we're seeing that this season. His games are also highly sensitive I've noticed on how balls and strikes are being called that day. If he's getting proper corner calls where the ball just clips the strike zone, he's in a good position. But if the ump is holding a tighter strike zone, that's enough to bring those balls close enough for batter to start whaling on them. This is troubling, and the patterns says his struggles this season are not isolated starts.
Don’t disagree their schedule has not been brutal. Tie against Boston. Lost season series to Yankees 5-2. Split in CLE won series here. Not exactly inspiring considering the starting pitching we have enjoyed.
Definitely could use a win today. Sorting out our outfield is another necessity. Kemp, after beginning 8/20 is now 4 for his last 26. Fisher wasn't setting the world on fire when he was playing and Jake is a black hole. Its been frustrating that we cant find a guy who can give us replacement level offense as a 3rd outfielder.
Well, he is elite defensively. He's at 0.0 WAR right now, so he's essentially playing at replacement level notwithstanding his offensive struggles. I think the FO thinks his hitting can only get better, and if it does, he's a better value than most other options. To the credit of the FO, they've given Fisher, Kemp, and now Davis a shot (although fairly limited for Davis), and none of them have shown much of a reason for playing them over Jake. I do hope each of those guys get more opportunities, but there's only so many at bats to spread around.
Over a full season, I don't think the difference between Springer in CF or Jake in CF would be statistically significant from a defense standpoint. Reddick getting injured is the only reason why Jake was up here because they really don't have an adequate backup CF or RF (and Springer can't play both at the same time). If Reddick is truly back, Jake goes back to being a 4th OF... which hopefully lessens his presence in the everyday lineup.
Yes, there's no dispute that Reddick and Springer are significant upgrades over Jake, all things considered. I was comparing Marisnick to Kemp, Fisher and to a lesser extent, Davis. Everyone wants to see less of Jake, but that means we'll see more of someone else in the outfield. My point is that the three guys we've seen more of, and in particular Kemp and Fisher (I don't believe anyone considers Davis to be a full-time outfielder), haven't really shown that they are ready for prime time. Kemp looked to be a plus in the lineup, but he's cooled off at the plate. And he's not a good outfielder. Fisher has killed it in the minors, but it hasn't yet translated to the big leagues.
Come on, they need to call up Ted. Or if not him, then give Davis, Reed, White, or Ferguson a chance. Anyone but the automatic strikeout machine.