The Rays are a good team. Megill is going to have bad games. He wouldn't be in the rotation without all these injuries. This series loss turned on Blackburn. The two extra runs wouldn't have mattered if he could have managed to not stink up the place. Anyway, win today, and we can put this behind us more easily. That's the importance of winning those extra games vs. bad teams. Sometimes, you will lose against the good ones.
The sky isn’t falling yet but I’m concerned with some of the pitchers we have to have out there now including Megill, Blackburn, Kranick, Butto and soon to be Montas. I’m not confident in any of them right now. Good to see Baty and Mauricio go deep 👏
Kranick is pitching beyond expectations. He also sometimes seems to falter when he isn't fresh. Overall, these are "B" team pitchers. Relying them too much at some point is going to be problematic. Montas is a question mark until we see him pitch in the majors.
I'm working from memory here, but haven't you listed Jett Williams as a SS in the "Down on the Farm" segment until now, where you list him as "CF Jett Williams"? If the team is convinced he can be a MLB every day CF, that's huge.
We generally list them by the position they played in their most recent game. He started in center last night, and overall has started 8 games in CF vs 36 at SS this year.
This could be an interesting issue next season. I had a notion about Mauricio sliding into centerfield to leave third and second open for Vientos/Baty and McNeil/Acuña. But if Jett is on track to move out there, what happens then?
We're quite a ways from it now, of course. And while Tyrone isn't a big bat, his defense has been stellar and just what we've needed.
But it's not hard to envision a scenario where Stearns has to make some big decisions and then some deals. We can't keep everyone.
I think the rest of this year may be a large factor in deciding who is actually the third baseman moving forward. Competition seems somewhat open between Vientos/Baty/Mauricio, but I'll still give Vientos the biggest edge because of what he did last year.
Very sensible. If he can come back from his hammy and replicate what he did last year the rest of the way through this campaign, he certainly would have the inside track even though he's the weakest of the three defensively.
Tylor is making the same mistake every pitcher who's ever pitched has made — and I don't care if we're talking Hall of Famer or Little League: he gets in trouble and then grips the ball a little tighter and tries to throw a little harder and ends up getting killed.
The trick is to go the other way. Batters are hyped because they smell blood in the water. You take a little off and get them out in front and pounding it into the ground.
That's especially true with Megill's sinker.
He also has enough with his three best pitches. He doesn't need a mix of six. I'd much rather see him throw his four-seamer about half the time and put a little on and take a little off, then mix in the sinker and cutter (also changing speeds a little).
He can show the secondary pitches a couple times when he's ahead in the count and no one is on, just to put a bug in the ear. But he doesn't need them to get outs.
I get frustrated with him, too, but he’s generally been their 7th or 8th option this season and has outpitched most guys who would normally be that low on the depth chart.
The Rays are a good team. Megill is going to have bad games. He wouldn't be in the rotation without all these injuries. This series loss turned on Blackburn. The two extra runs wouldn't have mattered if he could have managed to not stink up the place. Anyway, win today, and we can put this behind us more easily. That's the importance of winning those extra games vs. bad teams. Sometimes, you will lose against the good ones.
Oh well. Let's hope the pitching is better against the Braves and Phils.
The sky isn’t falling yet but I’m concerned with some of the pitchers we have to have out there now including Megill, Blackburn, Kranick, Butto and soon to be Montas. I’m not confident in any of them right now. Good to see Baty and Mauricio go deep 👏
Kranick is pitching beyond expectations. He also sometimes seems to falter when he isn't fresh. Overall, these are "B" team pitchers. Relying them too much at some point is going to be problematic. Montas is a question mark until we see him pitch in the majors.
Agreed except Butto doesn't worry me.
I'm working from memory here, but haven't you listed Jett Williams as a SS in the "Down on the Farm" segment until now, where you list him as "CF Jett Williams"? If the team is convinced he can be a MLB every day CF, that's huge.
We generally list them by the position they played in their most recent game. He started in center last night, and overall has started 8 games in CF vs 36 at SS this year.
This could be an interesting issue next season. I had a notion about Mauricio sliding into centerfield to leave third and second open for Vientos/Baty and McNeil/Acuña. But if Jett is on track to move out there, what happens then?
We're quite a ways from it now, of course. And while Tyrone isn't a big bat, his defense has been stellar and just what we've needed.
But it's not hard to envision a scenario where Stearns has to make some big decisions and then some deals. We can't keep everyone.
I think the rest of this year may be a large factor in deciding who is actually the third baseman moving forward. Competition seems somewhat open between Vientos/Baty/Mauricio, but I'll still give Vientos the biggest edge because of what he did last year.
Very sensible. If he can come back from his hammy and replicate what he did last year the rest of the way through this campaign, he certainly would have the inside track even though he's the weakest of the three defensively.
Very painful and worrisome too. It's as if a switch got flipped when Senga pulled his hammy.
Tylor is making the same mistake every pitcher who's ever pitched has made — and I don't care if we're talking Hall of Famer or Little League: he gets in trouble and then grips the ball a little tighter and tries to throw a little harder and ends up getting killed.
The trick is to go the other way. Batters are hyped because they smell blood in the water. You take a little off and get them out in front and pounding it into the ground.
That's especially true with Megill's sinker.
He also has enough with his three best pitches. He doesn't need a mix of six. I'd much rather see him throw his four-seamer about half the time and put a little on and take a little off, then mix in the sinker and cutter (also changing speeds a little).
He can show the secondary pitches a couple times when he's ahead in the count and no one is on, just to put a bug in the ear. But he doesn't need them to get outs.
I'm soooo done with Megill. At this point, it's all in his head. He needs to be traded or DFA'd.
I get frustrated with him, too, but he’s generally been their 7th or 8th option this season and has outpitched most guys who would normally be that low on the depth chart.