If you look at the schedule on the Mariner’s home page, they play two games today, March 21. The first in Tokyo. The second in Arizona. That’s probably the craziest double-header in history!
Ah, the wonders of jet travel and crossing the date line.
I do wonder going into extra innings like they did will cause them to delay the second game?
Split squad I am sure. :)
I saw on cable today where the Giants were promoting their preseason Bay Series with the A’s this weekend. I am sure the A’s will give a shit since they are already 0-2 in real games.
OTOH, guaranteed first place for the next week!
I don’t know why we were worried about losing Diaz, Hunter Strickland is on pace for 162 saves!
Cardinals and Paul Goldschmidt close on an extension, 5 years, $130m
At this pace they might as well just cancel free agency for the next 5-6 years as there will be no players left that anybody cares about… except for Mookie Betts.
Looking more likely that the Brewers add Kimbrel. NL Central is looking nuts.
Cubs unfortunately spent their reliever budget trying to replace local aldermen with people in their pockets.
Brewers have to do something, the news on Knebel’s elbow looks like it could be grim, and though Jeffress’ shoulder woes have been played down a bit, there’s concern there too.
I mean, I 100% agree with you, but MLB owners mostly going with the other route and depositing the money in their bank accounts (or funding super PACs) and letting their teams lose their divisions down the stretch because they are cheap. Not that I am bitter about it.
Oh definitely. I guess what I meant about the Brewers “having” to do something pretty dramatic is that they seem like a team whose strength is in that shutdown bullpen, and making a move on Kimbrel is probably a smarter, savvier move than anything else they might’ve done.
And yeah, with the Reds looking pretty re-tooled, the NL Central is going to be pretty crazy.
Of course. Makes sense given my decision to keep Jeffress in my fantasy league.
This is today’s starting lineup for Opening Day for a major league team that plays major league baseball in the major leagues.
Mullins, CF, Smith Jr., LF, Villar 2B, Mancini DH, Ruiz 3B, Rickard RF, Davis 1B, Sucre C, Martin SS,
EDIT: it’s autoplaying, my bad.
EDIT2: found it as a gif…
I’d laugh, but with 3/4 of Cleveland’s infield potentially out today’s lineup could very well be Carlos Santana feat. the Clippers.
(FYI - I’m always for a good Major League reference but that autoplayed on my browser, which might be an issue for some people at work)
Sports Illustrated did their preview issue team analysis in three parts this year: contenders, in-limbo, and tankers. There’s a lot of tankers. And some of the in-limbo teams look pretty tanky to me.
The Mariners have already announced they’re tanking and they’re up 2 over everyone else in baseball!!!
I’m all for the discussion on how MLB absolutely has to fix the tanking problem, probably in the next CBA (we’re totally getting a labor stoppage, which is going to suck, but anyway).
But not today! It’s Opening Day!
Baseball is back! The weather finally isn’t a butt farting on a human face forever! Hot dogs! Beer! Sunglasses! Peanuts in the shell!
What you all got for your squads this year? I am surprisingly bullish on the Twins given that Cleveland seems to really not want to win the division despite that thicc rotation. This lineup could score some runs, and the pitching staff could be competent. If everything breaks right (which it won’t but it’s Opening Day, dammit!) the division could absolutely be within reach.
I’m all freaking in on new manager Rocco Baldelli and new pitching coach Wes Johnson, who seem to believe that coaching the players you have to be their best selves instead of turning everyone into Nick Punto and Carlos Silva is the way to go. We have a front office who believes in actual modern baseball. Things are going to be good, even if this year doesn’t come together.
Oh, and fuck the White Sox.
Well, as Dan said, 3/4 of the Tribe’s infield is on the injured list. Does that constitute “not wanting to win the division?”
Clearly they don’t get after it enough. Gotta show some grit, get your uniform dirty, grind it out.
I can’t even hate Cleveland even though they’re division rivals. They sucked so bad for the entire time I was super into the Twins in the 00’s (you know, back when the Twins were good. Good enough to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs, anyway, grumble grumble). I just can’t be mad at them after watching the team suffer through those years.
I even still feel that way about KC after they went to two Series and won one.
White Sox and Tigers though…fuck those clubs. Comerica’s a nice park, though.
Royals 2019: Steal all the bases or strike out trying.
Man, being in Iowa and trying to watch the Cubs sucks. Blacked out on MLB tv. Don’t get WGN or ABC-6. I do have NBCSCN, but they don’t have Opening Day, or the home opener, or even the regular season finale.
Shady streams, I guess. But hey, Cubs network is coming next year, I hear.