March/April MLB game thread: “It’s big ball chunky time!”

VORP Speed

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On the it’s good to be playing the Royals front, Rays take the games yesterday and today, 6-3 and 5-2.

Snell returns to action with a start tomorrow, so the Sox will miss him again this weekend. Looks like lined up for Morton, Glasnow and Chirinos on Fri, Sat, Sun.

Meadows got relatively good news—won’t need surgery and likely to miss roughly 3 weeks.
 

The Filthy One

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MLB.com has the current headline up: "Vlad Jr. Retired in First At-Bat." And I immediately thought, "Wow, that's a baller move. See one pitch, and then call a press conference to announce your retirement."
 

jon abbey

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Doesn't Vlad,Jr look awfully fat for a guy his age ?
Yeah, we talked about that here in spring training some, it is startling.

Carter Kieboom just blasted a game-tying HR to dead center to tie up the game in the 8th, it is also his first big league game tonight.
 

jon abbey

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Carter Kieboom just blasted a game-tying HR to dead center to tie up the game in the 8th, it is also his first big league game tonight.
So that made it 3-3, SD went back ahead in the top of the 9th 4-3, and somehow Kieboom made it to the plate again with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th against Kirby Yates, but he struck out on a 2-2 splitter, ballgame.
 

mikeford

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So I had never seen Vlad Jr run until he hit that double in the 9th but

man alive he looks EXACTLY like his dad. That weird goat-like gallop and everything.
 

strek1

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Young hard hitting guys are exciting for the game but just to echo some other comments here, Vlad Jr. doesn't look too "fit" for being 20 years old. If he doesn't become devoted to a conditioning program he's gonna look like Fielder did in no time. That's not conducive to longevity.
 

axx

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Jose Abreu hit a three run homer; but was called out by passing Tim Anderson in the basepaths since Anderson had gone back to tag up. It was a big deal because the score became 11-10 at the time.
 

jon abbey

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I'm surprised he's hitting this well outside of Coors given his career stats.
The current conventional wisdom is that COL hitters are hurt on the road as much as they’re helped at home, I linked to articles a few times before but I can dig one up again if you want.
 

BoSox Rule

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The current conventional wisdom is that COL hitters are hurt on the road as much as they’re helped at home, I linked to articles a few times before but I can dig one up again if you want.
Smart people have been saying this for at least 10 years. The thin air messes with you, they don’t get to hit at Coors on the road like everyone else, and a ton of road games are played in SF, SD,and LA.
 

jon abbey

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He’s gone from playing in Coors to playing in Little League Yankee Stadium.
He has one home run, his strengths are contact, using the whole field and very good defense at both 3B and 2B. If anything, playing in a smaller stadium hurts his game.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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Jose Abreu hit a three run homer; but was called out by passing Tim Anderson in the basepaths since Anderson had gone back to tag up. It was a big deal because the score became 11-10 at the time.
Tim Anderson has had a rough last week or so.

I don't understand the need to tag up. Even if you thought it was going to be caught at the warning track, why not go halfway?

Good to see bad baserunning isn't just happening for the Red Sox.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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He’s doing OK, CHW won that game anyway, and he homered again yesterday and is sixth in the AL in OPS.
True, but I also mean getting drilled and ejected for being upset about being drilled and then getting suspended a game for getting ejected for being upset about getting drilled. Tough luck.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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Corey Kluber suffered a nondisplaced fracture of the ulna when a line drive by Brian Anderson hit him close to the elbow of his right (throwing) arm. They won't know a timetable or anything more until he gets it imaged on Thursday, but it's safe to say he won't be back anytime soon. He's struggled with his mechanics this year and really hasn't been able to put together a string of dominant performances since he went on the DL with a knee injury last June.

He's the third member of the Cleveland rotation to leave a start due to injury this year, although Carlos Carrasco turned out to be fine after he slammed his knee into the ground last week. Jefry Rodriguez is in the rotation to replace Mike Clevinger, whose ahead of schedule recovering from back issues, but that simply means he should be ready when he's eligible to come off the DL in early June. Adam Plutko, the epitome of a #6 starter, had a strained forearm and just now nearing his season debut in AAA. Cody Anderson might be Kluber's replacement, but he'd need to be part of a "bullpen game" or two, as he's still stretching his innings out after he missed two years to Tommy John surgery. The next option would probably be Asher Wojciechowski, who's off to a hot start in AAA, but has already established he's not an MLB caliber starter.

In hindsight, maybe they would have been better off just trading Kluber last winter.

*
 

nattysez

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I'm starting to think Byron Buxton's just never going to turn into anything special.