For once, it seemed the Angels oversold an injury rather than the alternative that has become all too familiar this season. Shohei Ohtani added to his MVP-season with a fine pitching performance Sunday afternoon, only to be let down by his offense.
You know what’s really cool about some of the Vlad-Shohei MVP arguments? One can posit that Guerrero has narrowed the gap of late because of Shohei’s slump, but holes can be found in that argument as well, as Ohtani continues to churn out dominant pitching performances! He’s still adding value!
But of course, MLB dot com has to add some sort of drama to this race. And it is true that Vlad Jr. has an outside shot at the AL Triple Crown…
Ohtani, of course, sitting two home runs behind Guerrero, can still overtake him and Salvy Perez for the lead, but it’s crunch time.
Speaking of Triple Crowns, Corbin Burnes has the chance to nab a different Triple Crown.
Tony La Russa and his pitcher Mike Wright were suspended for intentionally plunking Shohei Ohtani.
Everyone’s focusing on Mike Trout (and rightfully so), and even though he had been slumping at the time of his injury, it would have been fascinating if he and Ohtani had been racing down the stretch for this MVP.
Reid Detmers wants to return next week. Love Detmers, but in his first action in a month, this appearance could be a disaster.
Title Image Screenshot from Angels Twitter
That was the dude making my French fries at crap-in-a-sack last night. He’s wearing the same hair net.
Frank Zappa?
Jason Werth is a cool dude.
Could be wrong on the name, but apparently we’re supposed to guess….??
well if it’s the 2016 draft…it must be Tim Lynch, picked by the Skanks! Although he’s been out of baseball for a few years now. Don’t know why we’d want him.
In a game that has moved towards three true outcomes, Corbin Burnes year deserves more love than it is getting.
Over at SI, Verducci is making the case for Ohtani as MVP.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/09/20/al-mvp-race-ohtani-guerrero-jr-the-opener
WTF I love Verducci now
this will likely be the day when we’re officially eliminated from the post season. A Blue Jay win, a Skank win, or a loss tonight vs the Astros will do it.
Yet I’m not too depressed because we made it to game 150 with AA and AAA players, a bunch of cast-offs, and kids who’ll be better in 2022. It’s been an entertaining season. We’ve had a few reliever meltdowns but (it seems to me) very few buttercups compared to most seasons. 2021 has been fairly stress free, probably because we never had a chance once we got to 19-27. Despite getting swept by Oakland we’re still 53-50 since that low point. No Trout, no Rendon, no Bundy.
Our pre-season 6 man rotation was Bundy, Quintana, Heaney, Cobb, Canning, Ohtani. I need to read that again….and yet here we are with a team that’s given us lots of enjoyment. Sometimes winning isn’t everything. I’ll remember this team the way I remember the Team of Destiny. That’s not too bad.
I’m a winner, and totally hung and ripped, so I don’t care about the team being better. The only better that matters is making the play offs. Then the only thing assemptible is winning a World Series. And then another. Arte’s team needs to cater to MY narcissism.
Agree completely EiP … Terrible but totally digestible season with a few bright.spots and one really big bright star 🌟.
Still would like better baseball ops whatever that entails
Drama der drama drama. Demand hurr pernalties. Chu cull Krilll sumon. Drama drama. You nevah know. Something must be done.
#benchFletch
All snark aside, why not rest him a little? Hell, even bring Stefanic up and make the grit porn addicts happy….or confused.
Watched that last scene 2 nights ago immediately after a craptastically toxic CtPG gamethread. Nothing puts you into a good mood quite like the end of Rudy … Especially when Charles Dutton does that satisfied double clap and walks away. I’m moved to tears every damn time.
Wright has 41 HB in 845 minor league innings pitched. In the majors, he’s hit 27 batters in 273 innings pitched. In 2021, in 15 innings pitched he’s only hit Ohtani.
He’s a shitty pitcher. It’s plausible he wasn’t trying to hit Ohtani, however the pitches prior to the hit batter do indicate some element of intent.
Does anybody think it’s a steep enough penalty to suspend the shitty pitcher 3 days and the “dry drunk” manager for one for repeatedly trying to take out our best player. Maybe it would make more sense for the aggrieved team to be able to select one player for the suspension from the opposing roster and apply it the next time they meet. I know the counter arguments, but can you come up with anything better?
The most reasonable approach would be for the aggrieved team to be able to select one player from the opposing roster for the Viking practice of the “Bloody Eagle”. This is the best way to ensure accountability.
The punishment for intentionally beaning a batter should be you are forced to read all the blog comments about what should happen/how horrible it is/who is a pussy when a HBP happens. All of them.
I say a Code Red ordered by Col. Jessup while the offending pitcher is sleeping.
The responsible parties need to miss game checks. Your scenario would lead to games being missed by star players, too.
For decades this wasn’t a problem. Everyone knew when a beaning was warranted and when one wasn’t. Now with umpires warning both benches the first aggressor has the advantage. Add in managers like Sosh who never retaliated and some teams were fair game.
Managers definitely need to be suspended as long as the players. Wright didn’t throw 3 pitches at Ohtani on his own.
Warning both benches doesreward the team that takes the initial cheap shot. Self-policing worked pretty well.
As a side note, I wonder how Chicago would’ve felt if we used Jake Petricka to take out Jose Abreu or Tim Anderson, with the risk of a three day suspension.
I think the DH kinda screwed self policing a little. Pitchers used to know they were getting thrown at if they threw at a player. I’ve actually always admired how Asian players handle this stuff. The pitcher has to man up. If he intended to hit the guy he ignores the fact that he did it and everyone knows the fight’s on. If he acknowledges the hitter he beaned then he’s saying he didn’t mean to hit the guy and all is forgiven. But you are a total clown puss if you hit guys on purpose and then tip your cap.
The DH definitely made this worse. I highly doubt Pedro Martinez beans a ton of guys if his 5 foot 8 ass has to dig in the box. Josh Beckett’s head hunting days sure came to an end when he went to LA. Randy Johnson suddenly gained better control in AZ.
Whether Wright was deliberately attempting to hit Ohtani should be irrelevant.
If you are driving 90 mph, lose control of your car, and kill someone, nobody would question that you are responsible for the death, because you intended to drive recklessly and knew it could hurt someone.
Wright threw 3 pitches inside. The first one almost hit Ohtani and the next was wild as well. The 3rd pitch inside hit Ohtani. Either Wright deliberately hit Ohtani or, after throwing 2 wild inside pitches, he recklessly decided to throw inside again knowing there was a greater chance he would hit Ohtani than if he was throwing outside or had better control. That is intentional conduct that endangers other players and is worthy of a suspension.
If a pitcher is struggling with control, he has an obligation to not pitch inside.
And LaRussa should have put a stop to it. Even ‘old school’ you don’t get to keep throwing at the guy because your command is so bad you can’t even manage to hit him.
Even ‘old school’ you don’t get to keep throwing at the guy because your command is so bad you can’t even manage to hit him.
For some reason this made me laugh. Thank you.
Do you know anything about LaRussa? There was no way he’d step in and stop it. He’s an ass – it’s absolutely not his style to play peacemaker.
But he likes shelter puppies.
…as food.
His version of hush puppies and hot dogs?
And alcohol.
You are right. But he absolutely deserves the suspension, and it should be longer for not having control of his team (or for having control and ordering the hit – either way, but I think the former).
If those pitches to Wright were not intentional, and his command is really that bad, he needs to be nowhere near a mound again. That is dangerous.
I’m rooting for Ohtani as MVP, but I think the media has missed the boat in that it is really a three-way race.
Three-way? With whom? Semien? Perez? Ray?
Angela?
Nah, not her style.
She’s more of a “down by the docks waiting for shore leave” type.
She does love her Fleet Weeks
Perez. Having a catcher lead or near lead league in HRs (and RBI for the old-school Triple Crown lovers) deserves consideration.
people in general (not saying you, just the public) tend to forget that Salvy has only started 113 games at catcher, hurting his value. also has only hit 30 HRs as a catcher.
I wouldn’t say it’s close between Vlad/Shohei and Perez, and I’m not sure if he makes my top 5
My current top 4:
Ohtani
Vladdy
Semien
Saldovar
there’s a rotating group that could round out the fifth spot but it doesn’t really matter.
Yep.