quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Let pitchers pitch and hitters hit.

By that argument, why not "let fielders field and hitters hit" and just have completely separate teams of fielders and batters?

How about we get back to discussing the World Series?

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
How about we get back to discussing the World Series?

Terrific game so far through 8, with a nice tight score like it should be. This is going to be great series.

Nationals continue the winning ...

Exciting game. Both teams were hammering the ball off some outstanding pitchers.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I understand the arguments about why pitchers shouldn't bat. Too bad, making the pitcher bat brings so many other interesting things into play.

Plus, it was fun watching pitchers bat. They can bunt. Nolan Ryan used to take big rips, and every once in a blue moon, would hit a homer.

If you play ball, you bat.

Here is the problem that people don't think about. Most pitchers don't hit starting in high school. The DH is in play from highschool through college and through the MiLB. So a guy breaks into the big leagues at the age of 25 and now he is taking AB's against other pro pitchers and he hasn't swung a bat in a game since he was 15 years old....yeah, super fun....not.

That was a lot of hitting against two very good pitchers.

Keep it up Nats!

I usually listen to games on the radio but watching the Series on TV this was the first time I've seen, rather than heard Scherzer or Cole pitch...really enjoyed watching both pitcher's very different approaches to pitching. Scherzer seemed dialed in, very intense, but it was a good thing Suzuki was catching because he had way too many pitches get away from him.

Cole had a very relaxed pitching style which is deceiving when you see the pitch speeds he's generating.

Game 1 had a slightly higher score than I was expecting.

As a long time fan of Verlander really looking forward to the Verlander vs. Strasburg match-up tonight!

quote:

Here is the problem that people don't think about. Most pitchers don't hit starting in high school. The DH is in play from highschool through college and through the MiLB. So a guy breaks into the big leagues at the age of 25 and now he is taking AB's against other pro pitchers and he hasn't swung a bat in a game since he was 15 years old....yeah, super fun....not.

Maybe they ought to?
If it's a skill they will need, it shouldn't be abandoned and allowed to atrophy just to focus more completely on another skill.
That sounds like a coaching error.

I don't pay attention to baseball until the World Series. I didn't think the Nats were supposed to do anything this year. I guess that's why you play the game on the field and not on paper. Can't help but cheer for them now.

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
I usually listen to games on the radio but watching the Series on TV this was the first time I've seen, rather than heard Scherzer or Cole pitch...really enjoyed watching both pitcher's very different approaches to pitching. Scherzer seemed dialed in, very intense, but it was a good thing Suzuki was catching because he had way too many pitches get away from him.

Cole had a very relaxed pitching style which is deceiving when you see the pitch speeds he's generating.

Game 1 had a slightly higher score than I was expecting.

As a long time fan of Verlander really looking forward to the Verlander vs. Strasburg match-up tonight!

I didn't think Scherzer was at the top of his game. But as one of the booth blabbers said, "He's a grinder." He was gritting his teeth and worked hard to overcome the high pitch count, which is something Dave Martinez wanted to avoid. Bringing in Corbin to pitch one inning was a sign that Scherzer was gassed by the fifth inning (at 112 pitches, no wonder!). This meant the Nats had to expose their bullpen early, which cost them two runs. Good thing the "old man" and "the kid" were able to put the needed runs on the board.

Game 2 tonight!

Just to show how crazy the nation's capitol has become, the organist at the National Cathedral played "Baby Shark" yesterday.

For those not in the know, outfielder Gerardo Parra was signed in May by the Nationals after being released by the SF Giants. At his first plate appearance in Washington, Parra requested his "walk-up song" be the child's ditty, "Baby Shark."

At the time, the Nats were 8-1/2 games out of first place. Parra went 2-for-3 that day, with a homer and double, and the Nats won, 6-2. The song took off.

The Washington ComPost has the story here.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

Here is the problem that people don't think about. Most pitchers don't hit starting in high school. The DH is in play from highschool through college and through the MiLB. So a guy breaks into the big leagues at the age of 25 and now he is taking AB's against other pro pitchers and he hasn't swung a bat in a game since he was 15 years old....yeah, super fun....not.

Maybe they ought to?
If it's a skill they will need, it shouldn't be abandoned and allowed to atrophy just to focus more completely on another skill.
That sounds like a coaching error.

All pitchers around here hit. When I coached High School in Texas the pitchers were often some of the strongest hitters on the team.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

Here is the problem that people don't think about. Most pitchers don't hit starting in high school. The DH is in play from highschool through college and through the MiLB. So a guy breaks into the big leagues at the age of 25 and now he is taking AB's against other pro pitchers and he hasn't swung a bat in a game since he was 15 years old....yeah, super fun....not.

Maybe they ought to?
If it's a skill they will need, it shouldn't be abandoned and allowed to atrophy just to focus more completely on another skill.
That sounds like a coaching error.

It actually demonstrates the value of top pitching. An MLB team may have a roster full of stud pitchers. A top Power 5 D1 college program might have 3 or 4. Any given highschool team might have 1 or none. If you are a high school coach and you have 1 kid running it up there at 91 do you really want him to roll an ankle trying to leg out a double only to miss a month of a 3 month season? That kid's value on the mound far outweighs his value over his replacement, much more so than anything he could do offensively.

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:
...

I didn't think Scherzer was at the top of his game. But as one of the booth blabbers said, "He's a grinder." He was gritting his teeth and worked hard to overcome the high pitch count, which is something Dave Martinez wanted to avoid. Bringing in Corbin to pitch one inning was a sign that Scherzer was gassed by the fifth inning (at 112 pitches, no wonder!). This meant the Nats had to expose their bullpen early, which cost them two runs. Good thing the "old man" and "the kid" were able to put the needed runs on the board.

Game 2 tonight!

He was definitely off. When his fastball is painting corners, and doing what he wants it too, it locks the batter up and they cant hit the other stuff and he gets the swings. But when his fastball was off (like last night) he relies on the other pitches and that Astro's are masters at making you throw strikes. (thus the high pitch count) but Sherzer battled and we got a few lucky breaks.

Attempt to summarize

• If fastball is on, you swing or you strike out.
  
• If fastball is on, you swing at bad pitches because they look like good pitches.
  
• If it is off, you dont swing because it likely is an evil curve/slider and his fastball is missing. You make him pitch a strike.
  
• Last night it was off and so he really struggled.
  

This is the most evenly matched series I can remember. Man that was fun last night.

Scherzer overlay of pitches

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Let pitchers pitch and hitters hit.

By that argument, why not "let fielders field and hitters hit" and just have completely separate teams of fielders and batters?

Exactly.

Go Astros!

The way Suzuki was having to play to keep Scherzer’s pitches from getting past him, the Capitals should sign him in case goalie Braden Holtby gets hurt.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Let pitchers pitch and hitters hit.

By that argument, why not "let fielders field and hitters hit" and just have completely separate teams of fielders and batters?

Exactly.

Go Astros!

Yeah, we could take any rational argument to the extreme to try to win it. Why not dump the 9 or 10 pitchers on your roster, and their giant contracts, and rotate position players onto the mound?
After all, those guys all pitched in little league. Simple economics are in play. It makes sense to carry 9 or 10 pitchers on a 27 man roster due to the value they bring in terms of wins above lesser skilled pitchers and the limited pool of pitching talent.. That argument doesn't hold for hitters and defense as the pool of equally skilled players is much bigger. Few team owners are going to expand their $250 million dollar roster to 36 players and $400 million to get a marginal return in offensive output by having 9 DH's. It makes even less sense when you look at college rosters where most baseball programs lose money to field the current team and are only given 11.7 scholarships to split among 27 players.

If Springer had run instead of watching his almost homer in the eight he would of been on third when the next batter hit a deep fly to right, thus the game should of been 5-5 going in to the ninth!

Bregman knocked the cover off that one! Too bad Altuve got thrown out stealing 3rd or we'd be up 3-2.