MLB 2025

[MikeMatt 214]

Mets Nolan McLean. Fantastic start to his young career. 

[cmh6476 1,049]

1 hour ago, edjr said:

September 11th seems like a good time to fly to Boston. Let me know when you're here

My son's roommate at UW- Madison is from Boston.   So I'm sure it'll be in the cards at some point over the next four years

also, can some of the other teams in the wild card race please lose some games?

[Hardcore troubadour 15,632]

Schwarber 4 HR’s tonight. 

[edjr 6,704]

9 hours ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Schwarber 4 HR’s tonight. 

Wish the Red Sox could get players like that

[edjr 6,704]

Paul Skenes vs Payton Tolle at Fenway tonight 

[HellToupee 1,951]

1 hour ago, edjr said:

Paul Skenes vs Payton Tolle at Fenway tonight 

Really excited for this matchup tonight. What a rise for Tolle from High A to the mlb in a season. His 1st game was a disaster, 1.2 innings and 6 ERs. 
it’s weird how stacked the Sox are  with pitching in the minors 

[edjr 6,704]

6 minutes ago, HellToupee said:

Really excited for this matchup tonight. What a rise for Tolle from High A to the mlb in a season. His 1st game was a disaster, 1.2 innings and 6 ERs. 
it’s weird how stacked the Sox are  with pitching in the minors 

I am excited to see Skenes and hopefully Olivia Dunne

[edjr 6,704]

 

[TBayXXXVII 2,598]

5 hours ago, edjr said:

Paul Skenes vs Payton Tolle at Fenway tonight 

Red Sox throwing up the white flag?  Hoping that Tolle can do just enough against the crappy Pirates lineup long enough until Skenes gets pulled.

[Hardcore troubadour 15,632]

36 minutes ago, edjr said:

 

The guy that tells others to stop living in the past.  

[cmh6476 1,049]

15 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

Red Sox throwing up the white flag?  Hoping that Tolle can do just enough against the crappy Pirates lineup long enough until Skenes gets pulled.

why would they do that?  They're holding on strong to the second wild card spot for the moment

[TBayXXXVII 2,598]

14 minutes ago, cmh6476 said:

why would they do that?  They're holding on strong to the second wild card spot for the moment

The last couple months, I've seen teams alter their rotation a bit to move a star pitcher off of a collision course to face Skenes.  The Phillies did it when they started Abel, the Astros gave Hunter Brown an extra day off to throw McCullers on 3 days rest.  The Phillies then gave Wheeler an extra days' rest and used him against Chicago the next day.  After that, the Tigers chose to use Skubal in G1 of a double header, instead of G2 when Skenes pitched.  After that, St. Louis gave Sonny Gray 5 days rest, to avoid Skenes and have him face Keller.  Seattle pushed their whole rotation back a day to use George Kirby.  The next time the Pirates played the Tigers (after the All-Star break), they pushed Mize off one more day to use Flaherty against Skenes.  That's still a month away from now and there's more examples.

So, why?  I don't know, I guess most teams are scared.  They'd rather use a lesser pitcher against a weak Pirates lineup and save their better pitchers for when they're more confident they'd score runs.

[edjr 6,704]

22 hours ago, TBayXXXVII said:

Red Sox throwing up the white flag?  Hoping that Tolle can do just enough against the crappy Pirates lineup long enough until Skenes gets pulled.

 

[edjr 6,704]

22 hours ago, cmh6476 said:

why would they do that?  They're holding on strong to the second wild card spot for the moment

[edjr 6,704]

21 hours ago, TBayXXXVII said:

The last couple months, I've seen teams alter their rotation a bit to move a star pitcher off of a collision course to face Skenes.  The Phillies did it when they started Abel, the Astros gave Hunter Brown an extra day off to throw McCullers on 3 days rest.  The Phillies then gave Wheeler an extra days' rest and used him against Chicago the next day.  After that, the Tigers chose to use Skubal in G1 of a double header, instead of G2 when Skenes pitched.  After that, St. Louis gave Sonny Gray 5 days rest, to avoid Skenes and have him face Keller.  Seattle pushed their whole rotation back a day to use George Kirby.  The next time the Pirates played the Tigers (after the All-Star break), they pushed Mize off one more day to use Flaherty against Skenes.  That's still a month away from now and there's more examples.

So, why?  I don't know, I guess most teams are scared.  They'd rather use a lesser pitcher against a weak Pirates lineup and save their better pitchers for when they're more confident they'd score runs.

[TBayXXXVII 2,598]

1 hour ago, edjr said:

 

 

1 hour ago, edjr said:

What, I was right? 

 

The Red Sox did what a lot of teams have been doing... they either bring up a prospect to make his debut, I believe this is the 4th time it's happened, to pitch opposite Skenes, or the push an established pitcher back.  They know that when Skenes pitches, you're getting 2 runs max, but more likely 1 or 0.  Teams don't want to use up a top pitcher to win a pitcher's dual against a lineup that is one of the 5 worst in baseball.

 

I mean, I don't blame them.  The Pirates are only 15-13 when Skenes pitches.  They have just about a 50/50 shot.  Why use a top tier pitcher when you won't have too?

[HellToupee 1,951]

 

5 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

 

What, I was right? 

The Red Sox did what a lot of teams have been doing... they either bring up a prospect to make his debut, I believe this is the 4th time it's happened, to pitch opposite Skenes, or the push an established pitcher back.  They know that when Skenes pitches, you're getting 2 runs max, but more likely 1 or 0.  Teams don't want to use up a top pitcher to win a pitcher's dual against a lineup that is one of the 5 worst in baseball.

 

I mean, I don't blame them.  The Pirates are only 15-13 when Skenes pitches.  They have just about a 50/50 shot.  Why use a top tier pitcher when you won't have too?

If the Sox were waving a white flag in this game they would’ve brought up Harrison or just go with a bullpen game and they certainly wouldn’t have started Tolle

[TBayXXXVII 2,598]

6 minutes ago, HellToupee said:

 

If the Sox were waving a white flag in this game they would’ve brought up Harrison or just go with a bullpen game and they certainly wouldn’t have started Tolle

LOL, I wasn't saying they were quitting.  I was just having fun.  Don't take it too literally.

My point was that they were just doing what other teams were doing and not putting up an established quality pitcher up against Skenes.

[edjr 6,704]

28 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

 

What, I was right? 

 

The Red Sox did what a lot of teams have been doing... they either bring up a prospect to make his debut, I believe this is the 4th time it's happened, to pitch opposite Skenes, or the push an established pitcher back.  They know that when Skenes pitches, you're getting 2 runs max, but more likely 1 or 0.  Teams don't want to use up a top pitcher to win a pitcher's dual against a lineup that is one of the 5 worst in baseball.

 

I mean, I don't blame them.  The Pirates are only 15-13 when Skenes pitches.  They have just about a 50/50 shot.  Why use a top tier pitcher when you won't have too?

[TBayXXXVII 2,598]

20 minutes ago, edjr said:

[cmh6476 1,049]

Who all is tuned into this fantastic national broadcast on FOX?

[cmh6476 1,049]

And the BoSox and Mariners lose

[MikeMatt 214]

On 8/29/2025 at 7:52 AM, edjr said:

Wish the Red Sox let a player like that become a FA

:d’oh:

 

[RaiderHaters Revenge 4,401]

On 8/29/2025 at 8:02 AM, HellToupee said:

Really excited for this matchup tonight. What a rise for Tolle from High A to the mlb in a season. His 1st game was a disaster, 1.2 innings and 6 ERs. 
it’s weird how stacked the Sox are  with pitching in the minors 

dude was pitching in my Sunday 40+league last week

 

[cmh6476 1,049]

In case anyone didn't know, Detroit is the best team in the AL Central. 

[supermike80 1,989]

48 minutes ago, cmh6476 said:

In case anyone didn't know, Detroit is the best team in the AL Central. 

[Gepetto 1,395]

Bobby Witt Jr Home Run to take the lead 4-3 in the 8th, and that was the final score. 

https://x.com/MLB/status/1963780454630195315?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet

[cmh6476 1,049]

4 minutes ago, Gepetto said:

Bobby Witt Jr Home Run to take the lead 4-3 in the 8th, and that was the final score. 

https://x.com/MLB/status/1963780454630195315?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet

Still hanging on

[posty 2,771]

Chapman for Cy? His mind-blowing stats might sway you

https://www.mlb.com/news/aroldis-chapman-merits-cy-young-consideration

You don’t want to bury the lead with Aroldis Chapman the way he’s been burying sinkers and 100 mph fastballs in the strike zone all season long. So here it is: Chapman isn’t just the best and most successful closer in baseball this year. He is pitching like one of the best ever over the past few months.

Chapman, at age 37, hasn’t just helped pitch the Red Sox back into contention in the American League East and in the Wild Card race, he has done something else across the past few months, which means pitch himself into the Cy Young Award conversation with aces like Tarik Skubal and his teammate Garrett Crochet. Chapman, who bounced around to the Royals, Rangers and Pirates after leaving the Yankees a few years ago, has pitched like that kind of star.

Since the end of May especially, he has been as much a force as any pitcher or hitter in baseball, and he absolutely earned the contract extension the Red Sox just gave him. And he may very well be pitching his way into the middle of another conversation, the one about him possibly making the Hall of Fame someday.

Check it out:

Going into this weekend’s Red Sox-Diamondbacks series in Phoenix, Chapman’s last earned run allowed was a home run to J.T. Realmuto on July 23. Since then, he’s had 16 appearances, pitched 13 2/3 innings, struck out 17, given up just four walks and has faced 45 batters without giving up a hit. It actually gets better: Since May 27, Chapman has given up one earned run. In that stretch, he’s pitched 33 innings, struck out 49 and walked just six.

And here is what he just did in August, on his way to essentially pitching a month-long, 11-inning no-hitter: Chapman faced 34 batters last month, retired 33 and allowed one walk along the way. It added up to a 0.09 WHIP for the month and, yeah, a 0.00 ERA.

So much has been made of the impact that Roman Anthony, the Red Sox gifted rookie, has made on the team’s season, along with the immense presence of Alex Bregman both on and off the field. Crochet has established himself as one of the true aces of the sport, without question. The Sox traded for Crochet and signed Bregman to a free-agent contract. Those were supposed to be the most important acquisitions from last winter. But none has mattered more to the Red Sox than what felt like an under-the-radar signing of Chapman, who had a 3.79 ERA and 14 saves in 68 appearances for the Pirates last season.

Yankees fans will always remember the season-ending home run Chapman gave up to Jose Altuve in the 2019 American League Championship Series, and another one to Mike Brosseau of the Rays the very next year -- Game 5 of a Yankees-Rays ALDS -- that effectively ended another Yankees season. But around that, Chapman has a career 2.37 ERA in the postseason, has 10 saves in 44 appearances and helped pitch the Cubs to the 2016 World Series, emptying his personal tank along the way to get that done. As worn down as he was by Game 7 of that Series against Cleveland, the Cubs wouldn’t have won without him. Chapman even pitched nine times in the postseason for the Rangers when they were winning the Series two years ago.

He first showed up in the big leagues for the Reds in 2010. Now, in his own late innings, he is greater in the late innings than he has ever been before.

This is what Craig Breslow, Boston’s chief baseball officer, told reporters after Chapman’s contract extension:

“I think that's what you would point to when people say, ‘How has this guy been able to throw 100 miles an hour for 15 years now and just continue to have a successful season after a successful season. So when you think about making a bet on someone to be successful later in their career, you look at the way that they keep themselves in shape and prepare and feel pretty good about this one.”

Chapman really can still throw it 100. But he is more of a strike thrower than ever before, with both the fastball and his sinker. It seems he has been ahead in the count all season long. It’s why the Red Sox didn’t want to lose him and Chapman made it quite clear to them that he very much wanted to remain in Boston.

“The chemistry that we have here is unique,” Chapman himself said of the 2025 Red Sox. “We're very together on and off the field. Also the coaching staff and the medical staff and the trainers made the decision easier for me wanting to stay here.”

Jonathan Papelbon, as a kid, had an ERA of 0.92 out of the bullpen in 2006. When the Sox won the 2013 World Series, Koji Uehara had a 1.09 ERA, striking out 101 batters in 74 1/3 innings. So Chapman, who is at 1.00 right now, is in one more conversation in Boston, like those guys out of the Red Sox bullpen and out of the past like that. He's having himself a regular season for the ages with less than a month to go. Looking ageless in the process.

[TBayXXXVII 2,598]

I'm calling it now... the Pirates will be World Series contenders in each of the next 4 years.

[cmh6476 1,049]

Let's go royals (clap, clap, clap clap clap)

[supermike80 1,989]

1 hour ago, cmh6476 said:

Let's go royals (clap, clap, clap clap clap)

Magic number stays at 13 for the Tigers

Grrr. Fock.  They arent doing d!ck in the playoffs

[Hardcore troubadour 15,632]

1 minute ago, supermike80 said:

Magic number stays at 13 for the Tigers

Grrr. Fock.  They arent doing d!ck in the playoffs

Why not? They have one of the best pitchers in the game. 

[supermike80 1,989]

Just now, Hardcore troubadour said:

Why not? They have one of the best pitchers in the game. 

Unfortunately thats all they have. Maybe 2 wins in a 7 game series then its a big crap shoot 

[Hardcore troubadour 15,632]

2 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

Unfortunately thats all they have. Maybe 2 wins in a 7 game series then its a big crap shoot 

It’s happened before. I think the Tigers will be a tough out. 

[supermike80 1,989]

2 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

It’s happened before. I think the Tigers will be a tough out. 

Theyre just sooo hot and cold.  Of course lots of teams are. Who they play, where they play will matter.  I agree they are a good team.   But theyre like .500 since the all star break. 

But..

I grew up watching the Cubs. By this time they would be 20 games out.  Ill take relevant baseball through Sept all day.

[supermike80 1,989]

5 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

It’s happened before. I think the Tigers will be a tough out. 

Hell yeah its happened. The 2012 Tigers had Verlander and Scherzer.  Still lost the WS

[Hardcore troubadour 15,632]

1 minute ago, supermike80 said:

Theyre just sooo hot and cold.  Of course lots of teams are. Who they play, where they play will matter.  I agree they are a good team.   But theyre like .500 since the all star break. 

But..

I grew up watching the Cubs. By this time they would be 20 games out.  Ill take relevant baseball through Sept all day.

Yup. And there’s no dominant team in the AL. The mediocre Yankees just went to Houston and took 2 of 3 and it should have been a sweep.   

[supermike80 1,989]

Just now, Hardcore troubadour said:

Yup. And there’s no dominant team in the AL. The mediocre Yankees just went to Houston and took 2 of 3 and it should have been a sweep.   

Funny enough, and im kinda going off memory here, but in the last 10 years or so, i think the Tigers have owned the Yankees in PS play

[Hardcore troubadour 15,632]

Just now, supermike80 said:

Hell yeah its happened. The 2012 Tigers had Verlander and Scherzer.  Still lost the WS

88 Dodgers had Orel. 2009 Yanks had CC and an old Pettite.