You can’t spell ‘no big contracts’ without RSN: 2024 regular MLB season thread!

Up to now I've been pretty sanguine about Ronald Acuña's slow start at the plate, thinking at least when he does get on, he's turning that walk or single into a double via the steal. But now he's been picked off at 1B three times in 10 innings, yesterday and today. He just doesn't seem to have any focus.

His career splits by month are a real on/off switch: April/June/August excellent, May/July so-so (September's more of a mixed bag).

big papi continues to own New York:

Today in Albany, the New York State Senate will honor a man who can only be described as an Empire State folk hero:

...
...
...

David Ortiz pic.twitter.com/LWAjtKDaAF

— Jon Campbell (@JonCampbellNY) May 13, 2024

This walk off photo ruled:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GNljLR4WwAE0f67?format=jpg&name=large

The truth behind the photo wasn’t so elegant:

With the Red Sox luck, genuinely surprised Kutter Crawford’s leg didn’t snap in half here pic.twitter.com/tbWiFjgGBW

— Garrett Mashburn (@G_Mashburn) May 15, 2024

that is a pretty nice outing from paul skenes

6 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 11 K, 100 pitches, 22 swings-and-misses, 7 balls in play, 1 of them in the air, game score 82

Beauty to watch

🥵

...so the pirates could have had cole and glasnow on this squad in addition to skenes and jones?

Wasn’t Glasnow bad in Pittsburgh and didn’t the Rays sort him out when he went there?

He was awesome as a Pirates minor leaguer. I think he just needed more time and a better situation.

Yeah, same as Zack Wheeler not taking off with the Mets I guess

Should have put my Cy Young bet down on Detroit's Scooby-Doo.

...so the pirates could have had cole and glasnow on this squad in addition to skenes and jones?

the pirates were never gonna pay cole and glasnow what they could earn in free agency, so not really

(this does not excuse the pirates trading him *and* austin meadows *and* shane baz for chris archer in 2018. among the worst trades of this century, even if meadows and baz haven't exactly worked out)

also while i really like glasnow, and hope he does well, he is nowhere near cole

After 9 starts, Imanaga has an ERA of 0.84

!

Thing is, Ranger Suárez of the Phillies--whose name I don't recognize at all, even though I apparently watched him pitch in the World Series two years ago--is right there with him:

Suárez - 59 IP, 8-0, 1.37 ERA, 0.763 WHIP, 2.5 WAR
Imanaga - 53.2 IP, 5-0, 0.84 ERA, 0.913 WHIP, 3.0 WAR

It's really close.

i haven’t seen suarez pitch this year but i have seen imanaga and he is very, very impressive

i think you have to also factor in that the Cubs are being carried by their starting rotation so far this season - their bullpen has been bad, their offense and defense have been subpar, and they're still contenders. Javier Assad has a 1.49 ERA and somehow Jameson Taillon has a 2.20 ERA. Justin Steele's numbers aren't great but he hasn't been off the IL long.

In 1998, my first classroom ever, a grade 3 kid named Ranger Goyette told me that kids needed to feel the "flow of freedom." So I'm already a big Ranger Suárez fan.

if your team is in the NL East, ranger Suarez has been a constant fixture for the Phils for 5-6 years.

Ranger went undrafted in the ILB fantasy league which is a relatively deep league imho.

(xpost) I saw that when I checked his career log--even had a great swing year in 2021. Whenever I say I haven't heard of such-and-such, it always has more to do with my tunnel vision than the player in question.

We’re only two or so years removed from the Mets playing their divisional rivals like 18 times a year, so I got to know those lesser known team members pretty well. I’d end up saying things like “What do you mean people don’t know about Roman Quinn? I can’t get away from him.”

the Cubs are being carried by their starting rotation so far this season

except for kyle henricks, alas

Imanaga and Assad and pray for raincloud

Speaking of pleasantly suprsing elite pitching:

Chris Sale

Currently riding 20 straight scoreless innings + .86 WHIP + 2.22 ERA

Imanaga and Assad and pray for raincloud

Bee OK vs mookieproof for the next three days. Both club are treading water and pretty much have the same record going in. Was looking forward to Bart vs Bailey but that isn't happening.

Whose starting against Skenes? TBD on mlb.com

It should be Harrison.

Unless Snell goes instead but he is supposed to go Wednesday.

Is Bailey still on the concussion IL?

Yeah and I think it might be awhile until we see him again, unfortunately. Get well Patrick as your head health is too important to rush.

ugh looks like yamamoto won't be scheduled to pitch against the mets next week but maybe glasnow will?

That lineup is a joke though. Matt Chapman batting cleanup?!

xp I’m not gonna see Senga in London, am I

May 20: RHP Kodai Senga skips bullpen session
Scheduled to throw a bullpen on Sunday, Senga postponed it due to a bout of tightness he began feeling in his right triceps. The Mets don't consider the issue serious and expect Senga to throw a bullpen by the end of the week. But it represents yet another delay in the progression of Senga, who was originally diagnosed with a shoulder capsule strain in late February.

"We continue to deal with a unique athlete," manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday. "He just doesn't want to push it. Yesterday, he felt like it wasn't the day for him to get on the mound and let it all out. We just decided to be patient about it, and we'll continue to work with him."

Thanks Bee. Fingers crossed Snell for my watching joy.

Xxp Glasnow should start game 2 in that series. Don't sleep on Stone game 1 or Paxton game 3 either, they're both having great months.

I wouldn't bat Matt Chapman clean-up for my pickup softball team (if I had one, which I don't).

Oh yeah and Conforto is injured too along with Lee and Bailey.

i hope you get to see the troll! although i think he just started strength training on the thumb and will still be out for another month xp

Bee OK vs mookieproof

bad bullpen fite

and there was noooooooooooo doubt about it

Doval continuing where he left off last year sadly

There was no way the Giants were going to win this game. They haven't won more than two games in a row, they pushed it to four. No way they were going five.

i have never seen a more impressive way to rationalize blowing a four-run lead in the ninth <3

haha

In a season where everyone is talking about Ohtani & Betts, Kyle Tucker has quietly snuck past them to the top of the fWAR leaderboard (still waiting for BRef to update their data where he might sneak past Betts for the top bWAR spot).

The notorious slow-starter is already hitting .293/.425/.649, leading MLB in both HRs & BBs, his [Removed Illegal Link] is a sea of RED... except for 2 areas which exposes flaws of statcast:

Statcast rates Tucker 9/100 (!) in baserunning value & 30/100 in sprint speed which suggests Tucker is a liability on the basepaths.

Yet the opposite could not be more true. Tucker is #10 among MLB SB leaders with a perfect 100% SB%.