MLB 2024 Regular Season Thread

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Braves offense is in full effect already, win again easily despite the Phillies being gifted 3 runs by one of the worst missed strike calls in the first inning that I’ve ever seen

After the last two games, I'm of the opinion Atlanta is on a mission to destroy my Phillies out of revenge for being sent home early from the playoffs the last two seasons. I wouldn't be surprised if the Braves complete the sweep this afternoon.

[achilles]

Okay, after the first rain delay since 2015 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers reverted to form and lost after their bullpen, which is terrible, showed exactly how terrible they really are. Honestly, now I think the Braves or perhaps Baltimore should be the favorites for the WS rather than the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Angels held a team meeting after only two games and two bad losses to discuss presumably how to spin their terribleness this season. Other teams may wind up with even worse records, but the Angels excel at crushing the hopes of both remaining fans they still have.

[achilles]

In the mildly amusing sequel to the Rhys-Hoskins slide into Jeff McNeil spat, Hoskins went 4 for 5 with a two run single and a two run homer as Mets' pitcher Yohan Ramirez threw behind Hoskins and was ejected.

Gotta love baseball!


UPDATE: Ramirez and Carlos Medoza, the Met's manager were suspended for throwing at Hoskins by MLB, Ramirez for three games, and Mendoza for one. Mendoza will serve his suspension, Ramirez will appeal.

[MRP]

Not quite a sweep yet, they play again tomorrow. It's a 4 game series. A lot of the opening weekend series were 4 game series because they started on Thursday and MLB doesn't travel between games on Fri/Sat/Sun and doesn't do 1 game series on Thursdays unless it's a make up game on an open date later in the season.

-M

Now it's a sweep, as Yanks take game four 4-3.

-M

[WestPhillyPunisher]

My Phillies are on the board after a 5-4 win over Atlanta today.

[MRP]

Well there were 4 sweeps and 4 undefeated teams after the first weekend. The Yanks and Pirates are 4-0 and the Tigers and Brewers are 3-0. A mix of teams that people expected to do well and those that have been perennial basement dwellers for a while, so I'm not sure how much (if any) stock you can put in those opening series records. Yes a win is a win and counts the same in March as in September, but sweeping a team out of the gate in March is not really an indication your team in on the path to a great season. It means they lucked in to a club starting slow and took advantage of it. A couple of those teams might not be over .500 come October, so that means they will lose more they win the rest of the way despite opening with a series sweep. Then again, all 4 could make the post-season (doubtful, but within the realm of possibility). As nice as it is to have games that count again, early season records are the most meaningless and most deceptive thing in baseball. Memorial Day is the first time you can really look at a team's record and get any kind of meaningful read of something from it, and even then, that meaning could be fleeting. The '88 Orioles with their 21 game losing streak to open the season being an obvious exception to this (and extended cold starts mean more than extended hot starts as the dog days of summer and the toll of injuries often even out those hot starts by team in March, April and May). But its baseball and hope SPRINGS eternal until reality comes crashing in during the dog days of summer.

-M

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Predictably, the Dodgers are milking Shohei’s Japanese connection. In the bottom of the fifth while Ohtani was on base, the Dodger Stadium organist played a couple bars from the U.S. version of the Sailor Moon opening theme. Then in the eighth while he was at the plate, it was the original Godzilla theme. Won’t deny that all got a chuckle out of me.

[Jekyll]

I'm curious how many of you tune in to listen to the game? Our braves radio team is a lot better than the TV team, so I find myself listening to the game more so than watching it.

[Hiromi]

I'm curious how many of you tune in to listen to the game? Our braves radio team is a lot better than the TV team, so I find myself listening to the game more so than watching it.

I did the listen to radio while watching tv growing up but in the modern digital radio age the delay makes it annoying, I have an mlb.tv account now and on blackout days put on the pirate hat

[MRP]

Houston Astros SP Ronel Blanco tosses the season's first no hitter against the Blue Jays, giving Houston it's first win of the season.

-M

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Houston Astros SP Ronel Blanco tosses the season's first no hitter against the Blue Jays, giving Houston it's first win of the season.

-M

Well, that's plenty cool!

[achilles]

I'm curious how many of you tune in to listen to the game? Our braves radio team is a lot better than the TV team, so I find myself listening to the game more so than watching it.

I listened to the radio broadcasts all the time when I was growing up. Thing is now I have big screen TV to watch the game in glorious high-def and thousands of colors with a high refresh rate, so mostly there's no reason to just listen. Sometimes when I barbecue though, I do use the radio.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Going into 2024, the Phillies were touted as having the best bullpen in MLB. Well, after the first four games, that's turned out to be pure crap as our relievers blew two leads while five hurlers have ERA's over 14, including Connor Brogdon (27.00) who gave up a grand slam in the tenth in a 6-3 loss to the Reds last night. To say this season opening homestand which has the Phils at 1-3 has been frustrating would be an understatement.

[babyblob]

Am hyped at how my Reds did against The Phillies. I am happy at the good start the Reds are off to so far. What I enjoy about this team is that in the past when they were down they would just give up and say "Hey we are done." But last season and this season they are not giving up and are playing a full game. A good surprise that I am happy with.

[MRP]

One turn through the rotation doesn't indicate much at all about how the season is going to go, but all offseason the cry among Red Sox nation was the starting rotation was not good enough and the Sox needed to spend big money to beef it up. They acquired Lucas Giolito (who they then lost for the season due to injury) and traded away Chris Sale, and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the "cheap" owners who don't care and the quality of the rotation. What the Sox did do was bring in Craig Breslow and pitching guru Andrew Bailey to revamp the way the team prepares and develops its pitching.

The early results one turn through the rotation

5 starts, 28 IP, 17 hits, 1 walk, 5 R (4ER) and 37K. Early in the season pitch counts are managed tightly, and they have had three starts of 6 innings and two of 5 innings, so that's decent and not creating too much strain on the bullpen innings wise. The 1 walk is the eye-pooping stat through it all (and the 37-1 K/BB ratio).

The Sox are only 3-2, the 2 losses were a 1-0 shutout where the offense was dormant and wasted a great start, and a game where the bullpen gave up a lead late to tie the game and then lost it in extra innings on a day where closer Kenley Jansen was unavailable because of back spasms.

I don't think the rotation will be this good through the long haul, but I think it's good enough to stand up and give the team a chance to win most days, but its thin and health over the long haul will be a big factor, how the bullpen shakes out will be another factor, with lots of new faces and the two old reliables of Jansen and Martin are slow out of the gate due to minor nagging injuries through spring training. Defense and baserunning (two other keys in spring training that cost them a lot of games last year) look better too. The line up is too reliant on Devers and rookies and may struggle with consistency as well. I think they're better then people gave them credit for, but not contenders (not in the AL East, in a couple of the other divisions they might make some hay), but I think they will at least be competitive this year and better moving forward as some of the youth gets more seasoning. It's not enough for the spoiled entitled brats of Red Sox Nation who are either too young to have experienced the long years of the Curse before 2003 and have no perspective of just how much relative success the sox have had in the 21st century compared to the long years of heartbreak older Sox fans endured in the 20th, or old enough to remember but choose not to spoiled by the years of more recent success and lost perspective of how hard it is to build and sustain a successful baseball team even being a big market team who can spend a lot if they choose. But it could be a fun season watching these starters develop and either soar or come back to earth.

-M