2024 Game Thread

[lou]

He's faced 2 batters over the minimum through 8 innings

He was OK. Pretty low called strikes/swings and misses. He's a vast improvement organizationally over Garrett Cooper, but that 4.44 xFIP is probably a best case scenario as a SP. His xERA is 5.10 even after last night. His season BABIP is .248 so he's getting lucky for sure. Big picture, this says it all

1st time through - 1.21 ERA, .63 WHIP, 7.25 K/9, 7.4% BB, xFIP 3.86 (BABIP .113)
2nd time through - 4.32 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 6.48 K/9, 9.9% BB, xFIP 5.12 (BABIP .345)
3rd time through - 8.44 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 6.75 K/9, 4% BB, xFIP 4.59 (BABIP .297)

The BABIP is comical 1st time through, but it's still suggestive of that sub 4 ERA 2+ inning reliever. Especially if there is a tick improvement being "max effort" to get the fastball where it needs to be. His changeup and sweeper are OK, but his fastball is pretty hittable. For how hard he throws, that's disappointing. He'll need to figure that out to remain a starter longterm, but he probably has a high floor as a 2nd/3rd pen lefty. I'd let him keep starting until at least the ASB and see how it goes as this is a SSS, but my gut is this is going to be pretty accurate.

[lou]

Frankly, this is what I hope happens internally:

Luzardo, Scott, Bender/Go, and Chargois moved for bats

Sandy
Eury
Garrett/Sixto (7+ IP)
Cabrera/Rogers (8+ IP)
Max/Weathers (7+ IP)

Bender/Go, Faucher, Hoeing/AAA guys below
Puk, Nardi

AAA/AA - Maldonado, Cronin, Simpson, Monteverde, Fulton, Soriano/Fitterer, Fitterer/Munoz


Just get me here even if this takes 13 months from today.

Bonus points signing a 4/5 RHP starter and bumping Cabrera, Max, or Sixto to the "closer/8th IP guy" or signing a very luxury high leverage RHP pen arm, and trading both of Bender/Go to save $$$ in this process.


Just get the bats. This is potentially devastating and the staff costs $35-38m total depending on Bender/Go being kept or not. To note, Blake Snell has a $38.5m player option for just 2025.

[Namaste]

The Punching Bag hit another HR

[lou]

The Punching Bag hit another HR

Yea what an asshole, ruining draft odds!

But seriously, Bendorx needs to add 5 notable bats to this team next year as a floor. They cannot hit.

At least they might start using the arms more effectively with guys getting off the DL - removing Rogers after 3 batters second time through. It's how he should be used. 2 times through and yank even with a low pitch count. Getting closer to better usage. The bullpen is pretty, kind of, OK so they should start yanking these guys and stop trying to steal an inning unless crucial. Faucher, Cronin, Bender, Nardi, Hoeing, and even Smith are earning some trust for sure versus first few weeks, and Puk is going to be fine settling back in. Scott may also be the best bad pitcher in baseball. He is just a downright amazing and awful at the same time and somehow it works and I have no reason to believe he just won't keep doing it as his stuff is so nasty. His statcast page is perfect - https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savan...r-pitching-mlb. Worst in the league in walks and hot lava unhittable with basically everything else. Some team is going to be pumped getting him pretty soon.

[Namaste]

Marlins pitchers haven't given up a run in 19 innings.

[lou]

The Punching Bag hit another HR

If DLC hits a home run and no one is around to see it, did he hit a home run?

Bueller? Bueller?

[lou]

Marlins pitchers haven't given up a run in 19 innings.

Nardi, Bender, Cronin, Faucher, and Hoeing have 1.3 WAR in 91 innings. The highest xFIP here is Bender with a 3.67. Add Puk and a trickle down of max effort Sixto(or Max?) and Weathers to this next year. It's what I keep saying, a big part of this equation may be solved with the pitching even if there are larger ownership ships.

Also, Brujan is hitting .303/.370/.485 since April 14th (.345 BABIP). .4 WAR. Would be really really nice if he and Otto can turn into a bench combo.

[Namaste]

Marlins pitchers haven't given up a run in 19 innings.

28 innings now

[Namaste]

28 innings now

3 innings short of the franchise record (2004)

[Namaste]

Miami's catching OPS (.341) is the lowest in the modern era (dating back to 1901). Wish we had guys like Jacob Stallings.

[lou]

Miami's catching OPS (.341) is the lowest in the modern era (dating back to 1901). Wish we had guys like Jacob Stallings.

I will not sit by idle after Nick Fortes heroically raised his OPS over 100 points last night and now has an expected slash of .223/.262/.281 (.543). FWIW his defense is pretty OK so if he can get to a .650 OPS he will be a solid backup. His career lefty OPS is down to .692 so he might be that already versus lefties. He's not showing anything against them this year so far though but SSS. His K rate is way down and his BABIP is .157 so there is some hope here.

Unless he turns it around this upcoming week, I'd kick him to AAA until July 1st (cough super 2 deflection, let's save a quarter million for Bruce) and give Pereda a long look, and then presumably Bethancourt still sucks, and then Nick can come back up as presumably he will be mashing AAA as that is what quad A players do. Maybe that'll jump start him.

Joey Bart - who they could have claimed on waivers - hitting .229/.351/.458 in 57 PA for Pittsburgh. He's over achieving and his expected slash is .199/.321/.406, but I mean the idea of a .700 OPS at catcher is something right now. He isn't good defensively so he's a low floor offensive catcher backup, but I feel you take some swings at these guys this year.

They aren't going to do shit at catcher this offseason and I'll be surprised if they trade for one even if we want one is what I'm saying. They want defenders.

[lou]

28 innings now

Run differential has improved to -79!

Lots of encouraging pitching things happening under the surface. Taking out Luzardo at 89 pitches/6 IP when you're up big is not something Mattingly/Kim regime would have done. They'd try and get another inning with only pointless downside.

Hopefully they work out all the kinks this year.

[Todd]

I will not sit by idle after Nick Fortes heroically raised his OPS over 100 points last night and now has an expected slash of .223/.262/.281 (.543). FWIW his defense is pretty OK so if he can get to a .650 OPS he will be a solid backup. His career lefty OPS is down to .692 so he might be that already versus lefties. He's not showing anything against them this year so far though but SSS. His K rate is way down and his BABIP is .157 so there is some hope here.

Unless he turns it around this upcoming week, I'd kick him to AAA until July 1st (cough super 2 deflection, let's save a quarter million for Bruce) and give Pereda a long look, and then presumably Bethancourt still sucks, and then Nick can come back up as presumably he will be mashing AAA as that is what quad A players do. Maybe that'll jump start him.

Joey Bart - who they could have claimed on waivers - hitting .229/.351/.458 in 57 PA for Pittsburgh. He's over achieving and his expected slash is .199/.321/.406, but I mean the idea of a .700 OPS at catcher is something right now. He isn't good defensively so he's a low floor offensive catcher backup, but I feel you take some swings at these guys this year.

They aren't going to do shit at catcher this offseason and I'll be surprised if they trade for one even if we want one is what I'm saying. They want defenders.

Really need to make a move for Quero. Contreras isn't a FA for 4 more seasons and Milwaukee will likely lock him up.

[Namaste]

Didn't take Braxton long to end the scoreless streak

[Namaste]

He's hit 2 people already