Add new comment

1

Yes, the rotation is streaking.  This doesn't mean they aren't good ... possibly the best in the game, mind you.  They are VERY good.  But, go find me a team that had a rotation put up a 2.00 ERA for a *SEASON*, and I'll start considering the concept that it's just going to be every opponent getting 1 run a game for the rest of the season.
Of course, as good as the rotation has been, Oakland's has been better ... (and they LOST a 3.00 ERA pitcher ... only to replace him with a 2.75 pitcher). 
Of course, my 6-week outside for streaking was based primarily off hitters.  SPs are a different animal and because they are so much more dependent on outside forces (the defense) for their final outcomes, there is a much higher 'fluke' factor (both directions).    The Nolan Ryan #1 ERA 8-17 record being the most egregious example I can recall.
League had 4 bad outings in a row and his ERA went from 2.08 to .7.31 and the lynch mobs were ready to form.  He was 13 of 15 in scoreless outings before his Hell Week, btw.
=============
If I were a betting man, I'd bet on sweeping the Twins in this next series, (which obviously will only fuel the fire that the team is competitive already).  But, slumps and streaks aren't 'specifically' predictable.  They start and end at weird times.  But, given the state of the offense, I stand by my assertion that at some point, (probably in the next 30 days), the club is going to hit one of those lose 10 of 12 mine fields where the root cause of the loss is kicked around like a hackey sack.  Fister grooves a few and gets walloped one day,  Bedard only goes 4 and the bullpen implodes the next.  The offense doesn't show and Pineda loses 2-1.  Felix leaves in a tie game, which the bullpen loses in the 12th ... etc., etc., etc.
I see 14 hitters on the current roster.  I count 9 with OPS scores below .600 (and LROD sits at .601 through Saturday ... bbref hasn't updated for Sunday, yet).   If a club has only TWO bats on the whole team with an OPS above .700, (and one of those is the time-share 2B), the offense is almost guaranteed to finish last in run production.
This is not a club where there are a couple of 30-year old All-Stars hitting .300 points of OPS under their norms, (like the Twins).  This is a club with one rising star, one fading HoFer and a bunch of has beens and never weres. 
At some point ... doesn't the idea ... "We're bound to improve because we're SOOOO bad" run into the non-sequiter of "if we were a little better, our chance of becoming good would be less?!?"
 

Filtered HTML

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd><p><br>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

shout_filter

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.