MLB 2024

[Michelle Branch]

Unless pitchers have a stat akin to plate appearances vs at bats, this is a nonsense, LeBron tier stat. Newcomb threw two pitches to the plate. That is a faced batter. 

Edited June 22 by Michelle Branch

[Your Mom]

But the batter didn't technically have an AB because he came up again in the 9th right? I don't know if Pitchers have that stat or whatever but I mean why not? It's just something funny I've never seen before

[Michelle Branch]

I guess it's neat. Maybe I'm caught up in semantics. 

[Your Mom]

Here's another weird one!

[Your Mom]

Damn dirty cheating Mets. We clearly only lost this series because of sticky substances!  

[The Buscher]

Diaz's spin rate on his fastball and slider were both up since his return from injury/horrible May.  I'd wondered if something was up, not a great sign if your $20 million a year closer has to resort to substances to get back to form.

Probably the bigger issue is they can't replace him on the roster and now have to go a man short in the bullpen for what is a pretty tough upcoming stretch.

[The Buscher]

Drew Smith ends up paying the long-term price for Diaz's ejection.  He was made to enter the game with pretty much no warm-up, promptly left with an injury, and now he's likely headed for Tommy John.

He refused to blame the umpires, saying he was already starting to feel a bit stiff on Friday and Saturday.  The damage was very possible/likely already there.  But I can't imagine not properly warming up before an appearance helped at all.

Really sucks for the guy, months away from hitting free agency for the first time in his career.