Talk about the series here. Please no PBP in this thread. Unless otherwise noted all games are on CSN-H (for about 40% I guess). 8-25 Jeff Samardzija, RHP vs. Scott Feldman, RHP 7:10 8-26 Jason Hammel, RHP vs. Dallas Keuchel, LHP 7:10 8-27 TBA vs. Brad Peacock, RHP 7:10
Samardzija really hasn't been great in Oakland, so I think we can get to him. Not sure why TBA on Wednesday, that would appear to be Sonny Gray's start.
I'm not the one that usually complains about the broadcasters. I understand those who do, but for me it's just not as big of a part of the game as it is for others I suppose But damn, hearing Dierker on the broadcast tonight reminds me of how good he was/is at it. Sure with we had him back on an everyday basis.
He is for sure entertaining. I think I wouldn't mind the broadcast as much if we would not have been spoiled with JD. He is one of the best in the game.
Ashby is just horrific , I already like Blum a lot better . Of course Bill Brown gets points for being the senior broadcaster and when he is paired with a color man like JD then he knows how to complement the other Broadcaster well . Really I think they should do Blum and Brown alone and see how that works . The only clear thing is that ashby sucks.
Ashby is a mediocre color guy, and a down-right horrific PBP guy. Problem is, with Brownie doing less work, Ashby has done more PBP than ever... and unfortunately, its simply digging him deeper and deeper in showcasing how mis-cast he is in that role. Blum has actually shown a ton of improvement... much like JD did after his first few years (JD wasn't always as "quick and witty" as he is now... but that comes with time and confidence).
He should be forced to walk out of the bullpen to "Walk This Way" or "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" My immediate reaction to the 4 straight walks: Spoiler http://img.pandawhale.com/77053-Im-not-even-mad-thats-amazing-X713.gif
Yeah, I liked Ashby on the radio but on TV he's horrible. All he does is second guess decisions by players and coaches. It's highly annoying. I can't stand to listen to him babble on.
He seems to question every single play he can. If a fielder takes the out at first he always complains that they should have got the lead runner, even when it's obvious they didn't have a play. And he always comes across with that grumpy old man perspective that I can't stand. Blum's OK, better than Ashby. I miss JD
Singleton collected a few walks last night, and it seems as though this has been the brightest spot of his young career next to his obvious power. Here are his stats over the past month: Spoiler That is the past 28 games, and we are looking at 21 walks. I don't know if Singleton will have any 100 BB seasons, but that is rather impressive. This has led to a .348 OBP over the same period which would be an outstanding place for him to be, and there is room to improve. The "concerning to the eye" stat would have to be the .202 BA. When this is paired with his .260 BAbip it makes you believe that his average is bound to come up soon. He posted the following BAbip's over the past three years in the minors: .292 in 2014 at OKC .316 in 2013 at OKC .350 in 2012 at CC (wow.) Granted, I don't know if his average has taken such a hit due to the shifts that have put on or if he is just on a stretch of bad luck since getting to the majors, but his hard hitting is bound to pay off soon. The K's... 38 in 28 games is a lot, but he is walking at a rate that makes you wonder if it is already sustainable. Since the ASB, Singleton is fifth in the majors in walks (21) and third in K's (46). You have got to think that if the K rate just goes down to a 180 K or less rate per season, that the walks will make it worth it. Lastly, one thing that Singleton has done that is very impressive is his ability to score runs. His rate for the season has him on pace to score 82 runs over 162 games (good enough for 8th in the MLB last season among first basemen) and his past month's stretch has him on pace for 99 over a 162 game season (good enough for 4 off the ML lead for first basemen last season). ... I don't think anyone has given up on Singleton but I do think that it has been tough watching him struggle to put the ball in play as much as he has. I believe, though, with even this year's stats that we can see how he is going to be an extremely productive first basemen over the course of a whole season.
