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bongaboi · 4 months

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Minnesota: 2023 Quick Lane Bowl Champions

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-7) defense looked shaky in the first and fourth quarters, but Darius Taylor was a problem for the Bowling Green Falcons (7-6) from his first carry, leading his team to a 30-24 win for an unprecedented third Quick Lane Bowl victory.

The true freshman running back was named Quick Lane Bowl MVP after 35 carries for 208 rushing yards and a touchdown in his first game action since Oct. 21.

The Gopher defense was without All-Big Ten safety Tyler Nubin, starting strong safety Darius Green, and starting will linebacker Devon Williams, in addition to key contributors Maverick Baranowski and Aidan Gousby. The Falcons wasted no time taking advantage. They opened the game with a three-play scoring drive capped by a 46-yard touchdown pass from Conner Bazelak to Odieu Hiliare, who beat cornerback Justin Walley deep.

With fifth-year senior quarterback Cole Kramer making his first (and last) career start, the offense responded to Bowling Green’s quick scoring drive by chewing up nearly eight minutes of game clock. Taylor, seeing his first action since the Iowa game, made his presence known with eight carries for 43 rushing yards on Minnesota’s opening possession. Kramer connected with Elijah Spencer for a four-yard score to get the Gophers on the board.

But Minnesota failed to tie the score, attempting a two-point conversion play that saw kicker Dragan Kesich hurdle a defender before landing on his butt short of the goal line.

The Gophers took their first lead of the game on a 31-yard field goal by Kesich midway through the second quarter. The go-ahead field goal was made possible by Kramer, who sprinted through the middle of the defense for 31 yards to set up Minnesota at the 26-yard line.

The Falcons were able to retake the lead before halftime thanks to an interception by defensive back Darius Lorfils. Kramer dropped back on a play-action pass and was hit as he threw by Bowling Green pass rusher Cashius Howell, sending the ball floating into the waiting arms of Lorfils. Taking over at the Minnesota 15-yard line, Bowling Green failed to gain a yard on three plays before settling for a 33-yard field goal by Alan Anaya and a 10-9 halftime lead.

The Gophers came roaring out of the locker room, riding Taylor on an 11-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that ended with Kramer scoring on a quarterback sneak. With a 16-10 lead, the Minnesota defense proceeded to force a three-and-out, with the punt coming after Jah Joyner sacked Bazelak on third down. Quentin Redding returned the punt 27 yards to set up his offense at the Bowling Green 27-yard line. Six plays later, Kramer faked a sneak on 3rd & 2 and instead found Jameson Geers for a seven-yard touchdown, extending their lead to 23-10.

In the fourth quarter, the Gopher defense took their foot off the pedal. Falcons running back PaSean Wimberly broke loose for 42 yards down the sideline, getting Bowling Green into Minnesota territory. Facing 4th & 3 at the 31-yard line, Bazelak took advantage of egregious no-call on a hold and found Hiliare for 13 yards and a first down. Wimberly capped the drive with an 18-yard jet sweep for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 23-17.

Le’Meke Brockington responded by returning the ensuing kickoff 51 yards to the Bowling Green 48-yard line. The Gopher offense took care of the rest, with Taylor finding the end zone on a 17-yard run. The Falcons refused to go quietly, mounting a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on their next possession to make it a six-point deficit with two minutes and 30 seconds left to play. But Minnesota recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock from there.

Kramer finished 8-of-16 for 26 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

#2023 #quick lane bowl #minnesota golden gophers #college football #bowl season

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kaispo-com · 1 year

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“Bit rugged, Big Star!” / Manny Machado (San Diego Padres) / Major Leaguer resume Vol.57 / WBC Dominican Republic

Major Leaguer resume Vol.57

WBC Player’s resume Vol.43:

Story:

Today's player's resume concerns the San Diego Padres' slugger, Manny Machado. He will commit to Team Dominican Republic in the 2022 World Baseball Classic.

The KAISPO's baseball analyst said, "Machado has been a top player since his amateur days and has become widely known as one of the best players since joining the Major. He has performed at a high level every year. In 2022, Machado batted.298 with 32 homers and 102 RBIs, competing for the NL MVP award. He is strong on the off-speed ball hitting and has the skill to deliver a batted ball into the stands with his wrist strength and hip rotation. He also captivates fans with his strong arm as a third baseman. I am sure he is a crucial player in the Padres' long-awaited World Series title."

Manny Machado, a well-known player as a high school senior, was selected by the Baltimore Orioles as the third overall pick, following Bryce Harper and Jameson Taillon in the 2010 MLB draft. He made his big league debut against the Kansas City Royals on August 9th, 2012, as a starting third baseman and batting ninth, going 2-for-4 with a triple.

Since the 2013 season, he has become a leading player for Baltimore, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres and one of the greatest players in MLB. Machado has appeared All-Star six times, received the Gold Glove twice, and the Silver Slugger once.

The 30-year-old right-handed hitter has hit 30+ homers five years in a row since 2015. In 2020, the pandemic-shortened season, Machado batted .304 with a .950 OPS, 16 long balls, and 47 RBIs for San Diego to win his first Silver Slugger. In 2021, he recorded .278 with 28 home runs and the National League's third most, 106 RBIs. In 2022, he marked a slash line of .298/.366/.531 with 32 homers and 102 RBIs and showed brilliant defense as a third baseman, competing for the National League MVP with Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt.

In his major league career, Machado has batted .282 with 283 home runs and 853 RBIs in 1445 games at the end of the 2022 season.

(MLB No.320 KAISPO No.1501)

About KAISPO BASEBALL innovation

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#youtube #baseball #world baseball classic #manny machado #MLB #baseball player #dominican republic #home run #san diego padres

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immabethehero · 3 years

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Chase’s Bday Present Pt 1

Runs in holding a latte *wheeze...* I’m here! And I have three presents for Chase because I’m indecisive as hell! So! Here is the first birthday present, a sweet little ditty I wrote!

CW: talk of food, slight body horror and stitches mention (Robbie), and Soft Anti

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Septic house was in disarray. Jameson Jackson frantically polished the stairway and furniture until it sparkled, Marvin the Magnificent washed the dishes while Jackieboy Man dried them, and Antisepticeye cleaned up the living room seats. All the while, Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein, MD, PhD, MVP, FFS, loomed over all of them, barking orders while cleaning the floors. Robbie the zombie was the only one not under Schneep’s scrutiny, having wisely taken shelter in the laundry room, folding clothes and ironing while waiting to put the next load in. Sirius and Sam, Marvin’s cat and Henrik’s dog respectively, had taken to hiding upstairs.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Anti said as he vacuumed up the couch and cushioned seats. “It’s just Chase. He’s seen this house before, why bother cleaning it?”

“Chase hasn’t been here in awhile! I want him to receive a warm welcome back!” Henrik explained. “I do hope he enjoyed the cottage with Stacy and the kids though.”

“It’s only been two weeks! Not much has changed since!” Anti groaned.

“Jameson turned you into a turtle,” Marvin pointed out. Jameson snickered at the memory.

“Henrik tried his first bit of magic!” Jackie added. “Managed to turn Jameson into a duck!”

“See? Loads happened while he was gone,” Henrik finished. Anti rolled his eyes and went out to beat the rugs.

“Jameson, can you tune the piano? One of us might want to play something upon his arrival, and we can’t have the piano broken when we do so,” Henrik asked. Jameson nodded and happily left his cloth on the staircase, hands aching to touch the piano.

Henrik put the vacuum away and turned to the flower vase on the living room table. Daffodils. They didn’t seem quite as bright as they did earlier.

“Do you think we should change the flowers in the vase?” Henrik wondered out loud.

“Daffodils are Chase’s favourite flowers!” Anti yelled from outside. “I think we’re okay!”

“They look so dull, though,” Henrik remarked.

“I have an idea!” Marvin cried out. He dried his hands and ran over. “Stargazer lilies are also Chase’s favourite flower! Jameson and I have been growing them in our garden while he was gone. I can pluck a few and replace them!”

“Aren’t they poisonous to cats?” Jackie asked, nervously looking over at Sirius, who had descended to lie on the steps.

“Sirius hates flowers, the smell bothers her. She won’t go near them. But just in case-” Marvin picked up the vase and put them on the dining room table, then summoned a forcefield to keep Sirius away. Just for good measure, he also created two plastic cucumbers and placed them around the plant. Henrik and Jackie snickered. Marvin could hear Sirius scowling at him.

“I’ll get some lilies!” Marvin said, picking the daffodils up and running out. He almost collided with Anti, who was holding at least six rugs. Anti threw the rugs down one by one, then flopped onto the couch, yawning.

“Anti, don’t tell me you’re tired already!” Henrik said, sighing exasperatedly. “There’s still so much to do!”

“Like what?” mumbled Anti, eyes threatening to close.

“Like a treat! I was thinking of making a sweet dessert for Chase!” Henrik announced.

“But we just cleaned the kitchen!” complained Jackie.

“Relax, I’ll clean everything when I’m done,” Henrik reassured. “You go rest, I’ll be hogging the kitchen for a while!”

Jackie nodded and gratefully stumbled over to the couch, hoping to catch some winks before Chase’s return.

“Can I help?” Robbie asked, finally emerging from the laundry room.

{I can help as well!} offered Jameson bouncing back from the piano.

“Thanks guys,” Henrik said. “This is a new recipe we’ll be making: Cheddar Biscuits.”

Robbie and Jameson froze and stared at Henrik quizzically. “What?”

“Cheddar biscuits. Stacy emailed me the recipe,” Henrik explained. “They’re apparently really good.”

“Even the name sounds like a treat!” Jameson sighed. “Let’s make them!”

Henrik, Jameson and Robbie spent the next hour or so in the kitchen. Jameson and Henrik did the bulk of the work, Jameson mixing dry ingredients while Henrik did liquid, while Robbie shredded cheese and melted butter with pieces of garlic in them.

Finally, they clumped the mixture together and spread butter on them, then popped them in the oven and washed up the dishes.

When they were done, at least 24 golden brown scones had been made. The six egos marvelled over the glorious little treats. Even Sam and Sirius couldn’t resist coming over and squeezing through to sniff the food. Anti reached a hand out, only to have it smacked away by Henrik.

“Wait until Chase is home, you greedy monster!” he scolded. Anti grunted in frustration.

The biscuits were placed in a little basket with two napkins on top to keep them fresh, then hidden in the bottom cupboard next to the oven, where Henrik kept his coffee beans. No one with a braincell dared to go near Henrik’s coffee supply, and only few ever survived getting in.

“Everything is finished! We can rest now!” Marvin cried in delight.

“Can’t wait for Chase to see!” Jackie said happily. “How long before he returns?”

Henrik checked his watch. “Not until 6 o’clock at the latest!”

The egos collectively groaned in frustration. Only 1:30 pm and now they had to wait!

“You woke us all up at 6:30 in the fucking morning for this?! We could have slept a little longer you know!” Jackie snapped.

“Yeah, especially after you kept us all up with you Facetiming Chase until midnight last night!” Marvin added.

“If Chase notices the bags under my eyes, it’s because of you!” Jameson griped.

“At least everything is ready now!” Henrik reasoned. “Now all we have to do is wait! And not mess up the house in those few hours! If you want to do something, make sure it involves little movement or anything that could shake the house up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m taking a nap!” He flounced upstairs, leaving the egos to find any activity to pass the time.

Two hours passed. Jameson taught Robbie how to play cribbage. Jackie and Anti attempted to teach Marvin how to play, or rather, cheat at Mario Kart. Henrik switched between pacing the front hallway and playing Solitaire and Bio Inc Redemption on his laptop.

“Henrik, do sit down and relax!” Jameson finally said after Henrik got up for the thirteen time.

“I can’t help it! I miss Chase! I want to talk to him again!” Henrik moaned.

“You spent three hours with him on Facetime last night!” Anti exclaimed.

“There is a very big difference between Facetiming someone and seeing them in person!” Henrik retorted. “Do you know how hard it is to talk to him and not smell his vanilla scent or feel his warm embrace? I miss seeing him at the table with his messy hair and stupid puns. I miss hearing his laugh in person. I miss him so badly.”

“Are we jokes to you?!” Marvin demanded. “We miss him too, Henrik, but we have each other. You literally said you enjoyed sitting next to me on movie nights!”

“I know… maybe I’m just being too clingy,” Henrik sighed, sitting down beside Marvin.

Anti snapped his fingers and Mario Kart showed up on Henrik’s computer screen. “Here. Try playing a few games with us and he’ll come sooner.”

Another hour passed. Jameson read. Henrik screamed in fury as he lost another round of Mario Kart. Anti laughed at him. Marvin gave up and started playing Animal Crossing. Jackie grabbed a snack and watched Youtube. Robbie and Sam were fast asleep on the floor. Jameson laughed softly and conjured a blanket to put over them, then went back to his reading.

Henrik was raging so loudly they almost didn’t hear the doorbell. Jameson was the first to hear it. He whistled to get the others’ attention. Robbie woke up and groggily rubbed his eyes.

“Do you hear that?” Jameson asked, putting his ear up to listen. Another ring. Then a voice cried out, “Hello? Are you going to let me in? Did you already forget me? Have I been kicked out?”

Henrik gasped in delight and almost threw his laptop onto the floor, but Anti was quick to save it as the doctor jumped out his seat and dashed over the front door, swinging it open.

Chase Brody stood in the doorway, still playing with the doorbell. He jumped when he noticed the door open.

“CHASE!!!!” Henrik squealed, throwing himself on the vlogger. “I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!” Chase giggled as Henrik showered him with kisses and squeezed him tightly. Sam danced around them, barking happily.

“Hello, Henrik. Long time, no see.” Chase waved to the others. “Hey guys!”

“Chase! Welcome home!” Marvin said, running over to hug him. “We missed you too, but probably not as much as Henrik.”

“Yeah… Henrik? Could you let me go, please?” Chase wheezed. Henrik was starting to suffocate him. “I… can’t… breathe…”

“Come inside! We made treats!” Robbie cried, dragging Chase in by the hand.

“Did you now?” Chase sniffed the air. “Ooh, I can smell it!”

“We also ordered some chocolate snacks from Shawn Flynn’s Sweet Menagerie, just to celebrate your return!” Jackie added.

“Sounds awesome!” Chase exclaimed.

{Come, make yourself at home!} Jameson said. Chase was led to the couch, where his feet were propped up and a blanket was thrown over him. Sam jumped up beside him and curled up next to him, lying her head on his lap.

Henrik and Jackie set the table while Jameson and Anti got the food out. Chase would have happily gotten up to join them, but he was too tired to move, and Sam wouldn’t budge.

Marvin chuckled when he saw the sight. “Why don’t we eat in the living room tonight? Turn on Netflix and have a little movie fest?” The egos were quick to agree, and Henrik served Chase’s plate to him ona tray, choosing to sit next to him. Sam moved to the other side of the couch, letting Henrik in.

“Here you go! Dinosaur nuggets with mashed potatoes!” Henrik announced, setting the plate down. “Jameson convinced me to mix garlic butter into the potatoes this time, like you used to do!”

“It smells delicious!” Chase exclaimed in ecstasy. He dipped a nugget in the mashed potatoes and ate it, humming happily.

“So what movie are we watching?” Robbie asked, grabbing the remote.

“You’ve probably seen quite a few new movies at Stacy’s cottage,” Jackie told Chase. “Why don’t you decide?”

Chase shrugged. “Just a few. None of us could ever agree, so it was rare for us to watch a new movie. But we all agreed on this sweet little film.” Chase flipped through Amazon Prime until he found a title called This Beautiful Fantastic.

“It’s about a girl who wants to become a writer and slowly learns how to become a gardener.” Chase pressed play and they watched the film. Chase, Henrik and Sam on the couch, Marvin on the purple reclining chair, Anti on the teal green armchair, and Jameson, Jackie and Robbie on the ground.

Halfway through the movie, Jackie remarked, “That father reminds me a lot of you, Chase. I can see why you liked it.”

“Vern?” Chase asked. “He’s just a dad trying to raise his kids. What makes you think I’m like him?”

“You’re both sweet, and a total dork,” Marvin said. Chase playfully threw a pillow at him. Marvin snickered and exaggeratedly hugged the pillow. “I’m keeping this.”

“You both love cooking,” Jameson added.

“And you’re a devoted family man!” Henrik interjected.

“You are all so kind to me,” Chase said with a sigh. “I don’t deserve you guys.”

“Shut up, of course you do!” Marvin said.

“No I don’t!” Chase playfully retorted.

“Shhh, lies!” Jackie hissed, smiling.

“Stop!” Chase cried, blushing. “Seriously though, I didn’t think I would be getting the royal treatment after only two weeks away. I really didn’t do anything.”

“Funny, that’s what we said whenever we returned from vacations and travels,” Jackie remarked. “That didn’t stop you from throwing us a welcome back party.”

“It didn’t stop you from giving me a cake after my 100th successful surgery,” Henrik said.

“Or taking me to a fancy restaurant on my first full day without popping a stitch or losing a limb,” Robbie added.

“You bought me a handsome vest when I got that role I so desperately wanted,” Jameson reminisced.

“You’re a wonderful test subject for all my new spells,” Marvin said.

“You always celebrate us and our successes,” Jackie said. “After all you’ve done for us, I think it’s safe to say you deserve the best from us.”

Chase felt his eyes water up. Face red, he looked down, feeling embarrassed. He rubbed his eyes, smiling. “Thank you. You guys are always so sweet.”

Henrik gently kissed his forehead. “Welcome back, Chase.”

Chase finished wiping his eyes and looked up. “So. What happened when I was gone?”

Henrik grinned. “So, remember when I told you about getting magic lessons from Marvin? Funny story...”

~~~~~

@milo-kno, here’s your punishment >:3 Part one!

@graysun, @florenceisfalling, @miishae, @lonelyseiren, @goldenoceanaart, @egopocalypse, @oasisofgalaxies, @fleecal, @kofi-kiing, @myspatialspace, @jo-ann-ahh-2, @huffletrax, @gemstone6, @dumbasticart, @lunaarmada,@meteorshowersfillthesky, @uhhbeans, @the-pastel-kitsune, @bupine, @climbing-starrs, @the-spawn-of-loki, @jadehowlettthewolf, @obsidiancreates, @rammypaige, @hollenka99, @cest-mellow, @randowaffle, @green-protects, @dezi-popp, @badlypostedeverything, @crystalninjaphoenix, @milo-kno, @pixelpixie-pix, @why-killed-markiplier

#apparently i can write #immabethehero #jacksepticeye #chase brody #writersofjack #writers of jack

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oldtimefamilybaseball · 3 years

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One of my favorite things to do during the offseason (beyond catching up on some movies, books, and -- gasp -- watch a few other sports, too. Sorry, Rogers Hornsby, but there’s just too much good stuff out there in the world!) is taking a time machine to another baseball season. You can pull up YouTube and just type in “Rangers 1992″ and be presented with some random game where you have no idea what you’re going to get. Yeah, that means we’re getting plenty of Dickie Thon -- one of my favorite names to ever exist.

Or you can just watch some old VHS highlight reels (or even better, blooper ones) people uploaded without express written consent. Or you can grab a huge stack of old Smith and Street Baseball Guides -- a co-worker sent me his collection of about 20 years recently -- and dive in.

Sure, you may know the broad strokes. You know who won the World Series, you know who won the MVPs, but there’s all the nuance you miss. There’s the bit players who had a good month or two and everyone at the time was wondering if he would break out.

There are interviews that have been lost to time -- never archived for the web, never memorialized in a book of baseball quotes, never added to a plaque at Cooperstown -- and they can provide so much joy. Like, say, that George Brett didn’t hit .400 in 1980 because he wasn’t drinking four to five beers after every game.

So, if you find yourself missing baseball, head to eBay and grab a giant stack of old mags and transport yourself into another baseball season.

But you should also make sure you read stuff from this year -- specifically stuff I wrote. (See how smooth this transition was?) Here are some of the things I’ve worked on recently:

Baseball’s oldest living player turns 100. Eddie Robinson has seen and done everything in baseball. He was playing when Ruth’s number was retired, he won the Indians’ last World Series (quite literally, too, driving in the winning run in Game 6), was the GM when Hank Aaron hit his 715th and was scouting when McGwire hit 62. I spoke to Robinson for about an hour before his 100th birthday.

Jameson Taillon is obsessed with coffee -- but he also loves people. The offseason is the best time to get to know ballplayers a little more as they get to let their guard down and talk about things that aren’t arm-slot related or about the game last night. So, I got to chat with the Pirates ace about coffee -- his favorite shops, the best brews, the small changes you can make to improve yours -- and also learned that what Taillon loves most of all is getting to know people.

Cody Bellinger is Otta Sluggasson in “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.” I’ve yet to play any Assassin’s Creed, but the fact that an MVP Award winner AND World Series champ plays a hilariously baseball-themed viking character makes it much more likely that I’ll try it out soon enough. I spoke with Bellinger while he’s rehabbing Arizona to learn about how he got the gig and what it’s like being baseball’s biggest meme.

Dick Allen was one of the coolest to ever play. I never got to watch Dick Allen play, but he was always one of my favorites. The mutton chops, the glasses, the big swing and willingness to push back against a Philadelphia media that couldn’t accept a Black star. Allen passed away last week, so I wrote about what made him such a compelling star.

Finally, here are a few pieces I didn’t write, but which I highly recommend:

Billy Wagner learned how to throw lefty. Wagner somehow managed to throw over 100 mph WITH HIS LESS DOMINANT ARM. I can’t even write my name legibly with my left.

The Ringless Teams! Not going to lie -- I’m completely shocked that Dusty has NEVER won the World Series.

Get to know Red Sox reliever Connor Seabold. He’s a changeup artist -- that’s cool. But he’s also an artist artist.

#mlb #baseball #top bar

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insidethegiftbasket · 3 years

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Nationals (12-15) at Yankees (16-15)

Note From Evan: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, jabronis and jabronettes, and Yankee fans of all ilk, Sam and I are here to let you know that we now have a third contributor here at Inside the Gift Basket, and this is his first post. Everyone say hi to Julio and from now on you’ll have to bring on more cupcake to class to share with everyone. And with that, onto the good stuff.

Game 1: Friday at 7:05pm EDT on YES and MLBN – Jameson Taillon (1-2, 5.24 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (1-3, 8.10 ERA)

Game 2: Saturday at 1:05pm EDT on YES and MLBN – Corey Kluber (2-2, 3.03 ERA) vs. Max Scherzer (2-2, 2.54 ERA)

Game 3: Sunday at 1:05pm EDT on YES and MLBN – Domingo German (2-2, 4.32 ERA) vs. Joe Ross (2-2, 4.39 ERA)

Nationals Injury Report

SP Stephen Strasburg: 10-day IL (shoulder inflammation) – will miss series

RP Wander Suero: 10-day IL (oblique strain) – both he and Strasburg will throw in a simulated game Friday

RP Seth Romero: day-to-day (ribs) – will begin throwing next week

LF Juan Soto: day-to-day (shoulder strain) – should get some at-bats this series, may start at DH

Nationals Pitching

Strong starting pitching was a hallmark of the Nationals during their run of eight straight winning seasons from 2012 to 2019, culminating in a World Series victory the final year of the streak. While their core ace trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin remains intact, only Scherzer of the three has continued to see success in 2020 and 2021, and the starting rotation as a whole has struggled, posting a 4.67 ERA (23rd in MLB). Strasburg has barely pitched as he has been plagued by injuries over the last year and a half.

Clay, NY native and childhood Yankees fan Patrick Corbin will pitch the opener opposite Taillon. In 2018 and 2019 Corbin was one of the better pitchers in baseball, finishing 5th and 11th respectively in the NL Cy Young Award race those years while frustrating batters with his trademark tailing-away slider. To say he suffered a World Series hangover may be an understatement:

What has gone wrong for Corbin? Even he and Nationals manager Davey Martinez aren’t sure as it doesn’t appear to be a physical or mechanical issue, and his velocity is close to the same as in his 2018-2019 peak.

There are a few possible explanations. One is that he’s lost some spin on his slider (from 2398 rpm in 2019 to 2218 rpm in 2021), and it has gone from one of the best single pitches in the game to basically league average, with opposing batters just not chasing it like they used to:

This means that Corbin has fallen behind on counts more than in the past, forcing him to go over the heart of the plate with his sinker to get strikes, and that pitch has been absolutely destroyed this year. It wasn’t a particularly great pitch for him in the past, either, but this year hitters are just teeing off on it (1.091 SLG).

Corbin is not striking guys out like he used to and is giving up hard-hit fly balls at an alarming rate. The average launch angle against his pitches has risen to a career-high 14.7° in 2021, and subsequently he has already allowed 7 home runs in just 23.1 IP. For the sake of comparison, he allowed 15 HR in all of 2018 (200 IP).

There are some encouraging signs as he has looked better lately after a cataclysmic start. He allowed 16 ER in 6.1 IP to the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in his first two starts of the season but has pitched to a 3.18 ERA in three starts (17 IP) since. He hasn’t exactly faced red-hot offenses in that span (Mets, Cardinals, Marlins), and the underlying numbers are still not all that great, but it’s progress.

Max Scherzer will pitch the second game in what could be a very good duel with the surging Corey Kluber. Now in his age 36 season, Scherzer is continuing to put up excellent numbers, and like in recent years, the key to beating him is the long ball. He has allowed a measly 27 hits all year in 39 innings pitched, but 7 of the hits have been homers. He doesn’t walk guys, so the Yankees’ best bet against him is to try to barrel up his occasional mistakes and knock them out of the park.

The finale pits RHP Joe Ross against Domingo German, with both pitchers posting remarkably similar numbers so far this season:

Rather like Corbin, however, Ross’ numbers are inflated by one very bad performance (10 ER allowed to the Cardinals on April 19), and he has pitched well outside of that game. Ross has been a mediocre pitcher most of his career, though, so it’s not like these numbers aren’t indicative of what to expect from him. His slider is his definitive put-away pitch (responsible for 15 of his 21 strikeouts), but his other offerings have been hit hard. He also has a strong platoon split (vs RHH: .241/.287/.394, vs. LHH: .297/.376/.474), so expect the Yankees to give most of their available lefty hitters a start in the series finale.

While the rotation has been disappointing, the Nationals’ pen has been a strength for the team in the early going. Washington relievers own a league-best .185 batting average against, admittedly aided by one of the better defenses in the league (league-leading 24 DRS), and offseason acquisition Brad Hand has been a stabilizing force at the back of games, having yet to allow an earned run this year.

Daniel Hudson, Austin Voth, Sam Clay, and Wander Suero (who is likely going to miss this series) have all posted solid numbers behind him, and their most-used reliever, Kyle Finnegan, threw an immaculate inning in their just-completed series with the Braves. Ex-Astro Will Harris was recently activated off the IL and has very good career numbers, though the Yankees have hit him well historically.

The one major blip is Tanner Rainey, who was one of their most important relievers the last two years but has struggled mightily so far this season. He is likely to be limited to low-leverage action until he gets his act together.

Nationals Lineup

A consistently strong offensive team during their 2010’s run, peaking in 2017 when they led the NL in team OPS, the Nationals have had to weather the departure of important contributors like Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon in recent years. While they still have a few dependably great hitters in the lineup, their offensive output in 2021 has been, at best, mediocre:

As a team they get a lot of hits (for 2021 standards, anyway), as their .247 batting average somehow actually leads the National League. However, they rarely draw walks and have not hit for power so far this year (outside of Trea Turner), resulting in a poor .696 team OPS and a marked difficulty putting up runs – they have yet to score more than 7 runs in any game this season and have been shut out five times. They are coming off a three-game sweep at home at the hands of the Braves in which they only scored six runs.

With Juan Soto battling a shoulder injury, Trea Turner has been their most important and all-around best position player:

While his numbers are a bit down from an outstanding 2020 (163 OPS+) that saw him finish 7th in the NL MVP race, he hits the ball hard to all fields, runs like the wind, and is a plus defender at shortstop. He has been a top 20 player in baseball this year in both bWAR and fWAR.

Antoher bright spot has been Josh Harrison, who signed with the Nationals as a reclamation project after seemingly forgetting how to hit sometime between 2018 and 2019; he has just about revived his career and been one of the team’s best hitters. The same cannot be said for his longtime Pirates teammate Josh Bell, who has been a nonfactor at the plate. While the Nats have been giving him (and the also-struggling Kyle Schwarber) plenty of opportunities to snap out of it, expect them to give more playing time to the hot-hitting Ryan Zimmerman at first base moving forward.

Lastly, keep an eye out for young phenom Juan Soto – he just came off the IL from a shoulder injury and pinch-hit a few times in the Braves series. According to the Nationals, he is ready to start hitting every day, but they are reluctant to let him play the field as his shoulder is not yet fully recovered and he should not be making throws. Luckily for them they are playing in an AL park this weekend, so he may get some starts at DH against the Yankees (which is, of course, bad news for us).

Yankees focus on: Wandy Peralta

LHP “Magic” Wandy Peralta came over from San Francisco (along with a PTBNL) in exchange for beloved backup OF Mike Tauchman, much to the chagrin of certain Yankees fans. Now in his 6th season, the 29 year-old Peralta has, on the surface, been largely unremarkable as a major leaguer to date, with a career 4.66 ERA and 1.477 WHIP. While he is coming off a solid 2020 in which he posted a career-best 3.29 ERA, he struggled to start this season in San Francisco and fell out of Gabe Kapler’s Circle of Trust™.

The raw numbers don’t jump out at you, but clearly the Yankees viewed Peralta as an interesting piece if they were willing to go so far as to part with Tauchman for him. After a bit of digging, it’s not hard to see why they found him appealing:

The underlying metrics have been impressive. In fact, his stuff has looked much better so far this year than it did in 2020, despite posting better standard stats last year.

It may be a microscopic sample size, but Peralta has looked promising in his first few appearances with the Yankees. The coaching staff has encouraged him to spam his wipeout changeup, to great effect:

While he has lost command of the changeup at times earlier in his career, it’s an incredible pitch when he’s throwing it well. So far this season: xBA of .109, xSLG of .133, and a -3 launch angle.

Last year his slider was a very good pitch, but this year it hasn’t been as effective, thus the Yankees have responded by ramping up his changeup usage and cutting back on the slider. In an ideal world, Peralta can learn to use them both effectively to pair with his plus heater. The raw stuff is there, and it always has been; the hope is that the Yankees’ coaching staff can get Peralta to harness his talent and potential.

With Tauchman playing well in San Francisco to this point and providing much-needed support for their banged-up outfield, this could be a trade that proves to be a win-win for both teams involved.

#Yankees #New York Yankees #Nationals #Washington Nationals #Baseball #MLB #Series Preview #Interleague Play #Natinals #Juan Soto #Trea Turner #Wandy Peralta #Everyone Say Hi to Julio

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septic-dr-schneep · 5 years

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JSE - Medical Log: Jameson Jackson

Subject: Jackson, Jameson T.

DOB: October 31, 2017

Gender: Male

Race: Caucasian

Natl: British-Irish

Eye Clr: Blue

Hair Clr: Brown

Ht: 162.56 cm

Wt: 146 lbs.

Allergy/ADR: Penicillin, tree nuts

Risk Factors: ☑Asthma ☑Recent Weight Loss ☑Mild PTSD

Ever hospitalized or had a major operation?: ☑Yes

Exposure to [R̸Ȩ̢DA͡͠C̡T̨͡ED]: Cerebral, Invasive, 25-40

Education Level: Secondary School

Barriers To Education: ☑Yes

If yes: ☑Language ☑Cultural

I.Q.: 95

Legal Guardian’s Name: Chase Brody

Relationship to Patient: Guardian

Primary Physician’s Name: Henrik Von Schneeplestein

Practice: MD, PhD, MVP, FFS

Medications: S.F. 40%

Medications Side Effects: Low blood pressure, chills, dizziness, fatigue, fever, flushing, tachycardia, respiratory and cognitive distress

Status:

Dosage diluted significantly to compensate for subject’s smaller mass. Subject displays similar symptoms to Subject 4 despite percent difference. (Nexus to blame?) Greater efficiency and safety in supplements than injections. Decreased risk of cognitive distress.

Notes:

I worry, I cannot help it. Jamie was not born until after Jack went to sleep. Can his body cope with this since he has not been truly exposed to the creator? Is why I’ve given him a lower dose than the others. He’s only our Kleiner, he is weaker than the rest! I hate to say that…Perhaps once he shakes off these first reactions and forgets about them, I will try an increase. I want to.

Of all of us, he needs it the most.

#youtube #jacksepticeye #fanfiction #sort of #jameson jackson #dapper jack #dr schneeplestein #medical log

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writingmilo · 5 years

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Maya: chapter 4

Part 3 of Flipped AU

TRIGGER WARNINGS: ABUSE, MANIPULATION

Maya woke, opening her eyes to only more darkness. She then moved her hands, trying to find the light that should have been next to her. It was then she realised that she couldn’t move, and that she wasn’t lying in bed, but sat up on a chair. She was about to call for help when she heard the voices around her.

“What should we do with her?” It sounded more inconvenienced than concerned at the girl tied up in front of them.

“I don’t know! What do you think Henrik? Do we wake her or leave her?” Another voice, softer, but still void of care. Both had been tinged with an irish accent, something Maya hadn’t expected, but she knew that these must be the same people she had seen when she had arrived. Maybe they had Jackie somewhere as well. Surely if they had the chief of police, people would be out looking for them.

Footsteps broke her thoughts, and they grew louder and louder as the person approached. She tried to fall limp and continue her deep breathing, as if she were still asleep, but she couldn’t stop her muscles from tensing and her breath catching as the footsteps stopped. She couldn’t sense it before it happened, but a hand came out of the darkness, and landed on her neck. It was held there for several seconds, just enough pressure to be uncomfortable. They were checking her pulse. She felt her heart speed up as she realised she wouldn’t be able to keep up the pretense of being asleep any longer.

Could she try and catch them off guard? Kick at them in the hope of hitting a target? That would work if she hit, and if there was only one of them, but she knew there were at least three, and that all of them would be able to overpower her alone.

While her mind was flitting through the possible escapes, she didn’t notice the hand at her neck moving. Neither did she notice it finding the knot of fabric behind her head. However, she did notice when the fabric fell limp around her mouth and it was removed.

“Are you going to speak or should we put it back on?” The voice was callous: cold and removed from the situation as if it wasn’t bothered. It was also new, indicating that there were now at least four men involved in whatever was happening to her.

“I-I—” Maya stuttered over her words— “I’ll speak.” It was all she could do to not burst into tears.

“Keep going.” She was prompted by the same voice, but she had nothing left to say.

“Okay… What can I say? What do you want from me?” She felt a tear slip from her eye, but it absorbed into the blindfold before it could escape down her cheek.

“Talk about yourself, we just want to get to know you Maya.” A small chuckle bounced around the room as Maya cringed at the use of her name.

“Okay... my name is Maya, but you know that already. My papa is dead. My mother is also dead. I go to Trinity West middle school. I have no siblings, and I live outside of the city. I don’t know where I am, and I am scared. I know that there are at least four people with me, and that I can’t see them. One of them took my pulse. They tied me to a chair and blindfolded me. One of them is Jackie Lewis, the chief of police in the city. I think another is a doctor, because I was sedated instead of knocked unconscious. I haven’t eaten since an hour before I was taken. I am hungry and thirsty. I don’t know anyone in this room, and I don’t think that they know me.” Maya’s string of trivia was interrupted by a hearty laugh coming from Jackie. “I’m so-” he fell back into hysterics for a while before pulling himself together. “Sorry, please continue.”

“These men don’t know me very well. But Mr Lewis said they were my uncles, so they possibly know me somewhat. I’m almost certain that they aren’t prepared.” The four barely had time to pass around confused looks before Maya glitched out of her chair, taking a fighting position next to it, with the blindfold and rope coiled neatly exactly where she had been sitting.

Four men stood in front of her, shocked. Even Maya was unprepared, having never been able to control her glitches before. Maybe it had come as a survival instinct.

Despite none of them being prepared for the action, the men were quicker to react, readying powers and weapons, despite it being mainly for show. The fifth and final brother, Jameson, had been stood behind Maya the whole time, and grabbed her around the waist before she had a chance to react. Despite her arms being trapped and her feet stuck to the floor, she still tried to fight. The other four closed around her, ensnaring her. Chase drew a breath.

“How rude of me, Maya. Let me introduce myself, I am Chase Brody, your papa’s brother.”

“Marvin Turner, brother of Anti Murphy.” Marvin accentuated his introduction with a little bow, and Maya swore that his eyes flashed the same electric green that her papa’s did when he found out about the bullying.

“Doctor Henrik Von Schneeplestein, MD, PhD, MVP, FFS. Brother of your papa. You may call me Henrik.”

“You already know that I am Jackie Lewis. Eldest brother of Anti Murphy.”

The person behind her was the last to speak. “I am Jameson Jackson, elder brother to Anti, youngest besides him.”

With everyone having said their piece, Chase spoke up again.

”Well, now that everyone knows each other, let’s get down to business, shall we?” They all nodded, waiting for Maya’s approval or disapproval. Eventually she nodded, hesitantly, signalling Chase to draw a breath and his arm.

“You don’t ever glitch again, you freak. You hear me?” Maya nodded, but his fist had already been launched towards her face. As it hit her cheekbone, a small crack was heard, and her head snapped to the side, causing her to fall to the floor as Jameson let go of her.

For some reason, even though she understood what was being said, the others piled on top of the opportunity of violence, one dragging her back up onto her feet only for another to punch her to the ground again. When it was decreed that she couldn’t be kept on her feet anymore, she was left on the ground and they decided to kick and stomp on her instead.

Eventually, the physical assault subsided, and she was left on the ground, snivelling and unable to move.

She wasn’t sure if she blacked out or not, but she was startled to some form of sense by the clicking of stiletto heels across the cold floor. Eager for help, but too scared of another attack, Maya remained still, only allowing a little squeak of pain to escape her lips as a signal of her existence. The clicking steadily became louder, but it never sped up.

After what seemed like forever, it stopped, but Maya couldn’t see the wearer of them, what with her facing away from them and being unable to move. A hand touched her shoulder, and Maya shuddered at the contact, running pain through her body. She couldn’t make out the words that the woman was mumbling, but one phrase was loud enough for her hazy brain to translate: “My poor baby girl, what have they done to you?”

Having barely had time to process the sentence, the woman presses a hand over Maya’s eyes and laid her other on Maya’s stomach. What was she doing? Why was she doing it?

Who was screaming?

@honestlyitsjustkenna @thelunarmasquerade @goldenoceanaart @kate807 @the-yandere-kitsune @unsuredoodles @bloodygoldensam @septicuniverse @innocent-angel3 @simsepticfan @friezzzboiii @jessiitjiia @atomicsepticeye @theluckoftheclaws

#flipped #flipped au #writingaspen #jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye egos #jse septic egos #flipped part 3 #writers of jack #jacksepticeyefanfiction #jacksepticeye fanfiction #au

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deyageka · 5 years

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Spider-Man FFH review/ramble??¿? Spoilers

This is out of order so get ready to anyone who dares (also sry if I’ve repeated smthing someone said already But this is me going off on a tangent):

I liked how they handled the romance with Peter and MJ. I’m not much of a Spideychelle fan in general but even a casual fan can agree that their relationship is adorable in this one. I did wish that they developed them more in Homecoming and how Peter suddenly got a crush on MJ (cuz tbh it wasn’t fair for Liz to just be up and forgotten). But overall, I didn’t mind their romance and would prbly start shipping them in the future.

I also liked Michelle’s character here more. In Homecoming I just felt like Zendaya was just playing herself and was more of a guest star there. I wasn’t really hooked on her character. But in this movie they made her charming in an awkward way, and also pretty badass. I’m glad they didn’t go with the damsel in distress route with her character. I can’t wait to see what they do with her in the next movie.

Also Ned and Betty’s relationship was hilarious and adorable. They were the best couple in my opinion even tho they broke up in the end :P I hope they’ll remain good friends.

The Happy and May romance was cute too even tho it felt like a crack ship. Happy “I’m in love with Spider-Man’s Aunt” Hogan. Honestly, same.

I liked how they handled the sort of love triangle thing going on between Peter, MJ, and Brad. While I would’ve liked to do without that, I appreciated how MJ had her focus on Peter instead of a will they won’t they flirting thing with Brad. They didn’t stretch it out too far. (We’ve already seen the whole love scenarios with MJ in the OG movies, no need to add unnecessary romantic subplots).

Speaking of Brad. What a poor guy, but an asshole. I didn’t like him since his only purpose was to be Peter’s love rival for MJ. Sorry Brad.

Thing is unlike Brad I never really had a problem with Flash. A lot of people in fanon like to depict him as a one dimensional bully (which to me tbh is an overdone trope), but even as far back as Hoco, Flash always seemed to be more of a douchebag who was a little annoyance in Peter’s life. His scenes are pretty comedic and I’m here for him being the #1 ultimate Spidey fanboy. I felt sorry for him when his parents didn’t show up. His character in some aspects has some relatability to him as well.

Anyways, also May was dusted???? I thought she survived the snap, but apparently she didn’t??

And Happy got dusted too???

Kinda sad that Pepper didn’t show up, but it was very generous of her to send that big check

Happy was the MVP there, I’m so happy (lol get it) that he and Peter hav a close familial relationship now and that Happy is looking out for Peter on his own accord. They’ve come so far compared to their relationship in Hoco. Honestly that jet scene was one of the best and most emotional scene out of the movie I almost cried. AND PETER REMINDS HAPPY OF TONY I AM JUSTASHLLJWFJL—that broke me.

Btw that tribute in the beginning was a true piece of art👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽

Also is Steve dead now??? Or did he just hav Sam and Bucky tell everyone he is dead instead of being really old??

The action scenes 😖👌🏽❤️❤️💯‼️💵💰❤️

ESPECIALLY SPIDER-MAN WIELDING THAT SHIELD LIKE HE’S CAPTAIN AMERICA B R O

Can we appreciate how badass Peter was??? CUZ HE WAS FREAKIN BADASS

WHEN HE CAUGHT THE GUN HOLY SHI—

Also THAT scene with Mysterio, Peter and the illusions. It was beautiful but horrifying

TWO WORDS: ZOMBIE IRONMAN

WHY THE FUCK DID THEY THINK THAT WAS OK HGNGNGG

I got a mini heart attack when Peter got run over by that train I’m just im crying my poor boi

When Nick Fury was yelling at Peter, making him feel incompetent, look,,, i was ready to throw my hands and fight, Peter is more of a superhero than u ever could be motherfuccing BITHC

Also I never trusted Mysterio >:|

N E V E R

But the end tho can I just *throws myself out the window*

BITCH WAT THE FUCK

WAT THE FUCK

YOU CANT DO THAT.

• NO

but eyyy J. K Simmons back playing J. Jonah Jameson holy shi—

• BITCH WAT THE FUCK

You. Can’t. Just. Out. His. Identity. Like. That.

After that little tease scene beforehand with May, Peter and Happy

WHY WOULD YOU—

Hooooooo I hate you. I hate you so much hmmmmmmhmhm.

it’s just,,, Peter has been through so much already,,,I just wanted him to be ok,,, but he’s not ok,,,*breaks down crying*

So apparently Nick Fury and Maria Hill are Skrulls???? And the real Nick Fury is commanding a Skrull ship??? Wtf how long????

Overall I thought I’d be able to get some closure with Spider-Man: FFH and maybe relax but Marvel’s like NOP

I’m gonna have to wait another year or two for the next movie oh boy.

TLDR I’m gonna die. 4.3/5 (idk I’m not a movie critic)

PS. WHERE THE FUCK WAS KAREN???

YOU HAD EDITH AND U COULDVE HAD KAREN INFILTRATE EDITH WHILE EDITH WAS UNDER MYSTERIO’s POSESSION OR WATEVER

I just,,, i miss Karen.

#spiderman far from home #spiderman homecoming #spiderman #ramble #review #?#marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #i guess i liked ffh as much as i liked hoco #but since im a sucker for fluff im more of a hoco person #but srsly this movie is amazing #spiderman far from home spoiler #spoilers

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iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog · 5 years

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Goodbye, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

Happy Opening Day! Look, we have to talk. It’s not that I don’t love you. I still do. Very much. But it’s just become difficult for me to invest so much in this relationship when you don’t’ seem to invest the same. It’s not me, it’s you. I didn’t send you a final letter at the end of last season because it coincided with the front office again claiming that the more fans buy tickets, the more they can spend. That’s holding your fan base hostage and I have no tolerance for that nonsense. This isn’t a break up though. I will still watch you religiously and will still root for you unabashedly. I might send you a letter from time to time but that will be it. This offseason was tough to take. Not that I don’t think you could be successful this year. There’s a realistic scenario where you could be. It’s just hard to stomach the payroll dipping to about 75 million and then, on top of that, to see newly signed Lonnie Chisenhall and Jordan Lyles start the season on the IL (injured list). Bang up job with Chisenhall by the way. The guy will miss exactly the amount of time we needed him for. You traded away Ivan Nova away for no reason, other than a salary dump, and for nothing only to have no reliable fifth starter especially now with Lyles injured. It’s hard to stomach seeing free agents like Jose Iglesias and Asdrubal Cabrera get one year, nothing contracts while you make no effort to fill your vacant spot at shortstop. You traded for Erik Gonzalez who could be good defensively, but could also have an OPS of .500. Your division is arguably the toughest in baseball with the Brewers, the Cubs, and the Cardinals adding an MVP candidate like Paul Goldschmidt. Even the Reds will be improved after trading for Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp. It will be an uphill battle but hopefully you will surprise everyone.

Let’s meet the new players. JHay and Jordy Mercer signed with the Tigers this offseason so second base and shortstop were vacant. You made a low risk trade with the Indians to bring in the aforementioned Erik Gonzalez, or EGon. EGon is supposedly strong defensively. In 136 at bats in the majors last year, he had splits of .265/.301/.375 for a measly .676 OPS. He did sport a WAR of 0.6 which was more than JHay and Mercer’s WAR combined. If he’s terrific defensively, I’ll take a shortstop who hits .265 with no power. But that’s yet to be seen. Second base will be handled by Adam Frazier and I’ll discuss that more later. Lonnie Chisenhall and Melky Cabrera were added as outfield depth. Chisenhall had about an .860 OPS over the last two years but he only had 320 at bats in that time due to injury. In the least surprising news of all time, Chisenhall broke his hand and will miss four to six weeks. That means Melky Cabrera will start until Gregory Polanco returns from injury. Cabrera’s a switch hitter whose career splits are fairly even. With Polanco and Dickerson batting lefty, adding another righty bat to the bench will be helpful once Polanco returns. Jordan Lyles was brought in initially to help out of the bullpen. He was excellent in Milwaukee out of the pen last year but it seems like all signs point to him being the fifth starter. He cost seven million less than Nova so maybe that played a part. He’s had a shaky spring and now he’s injured so if he doesn’t perform then that Nova trade will look at the more stupid. With off days, you don’t need a fifth starter for the first week or two, so hopefully he’ll be ready by then Francisco Liriano is back in the Burgh. He will pitch out of the bullpen to give you another lefty arm down there other than Felipe Vasquez. All of these moves are cost efficient. They could work out, but in each scenario it seems like there were viable and better options out there that were ignored.

Let’s take a look at the offense. The opening day lineup seems pretty set to me which is: Frazier 2B, Marte CF, Dickerson LF, Bell 1B, Cervelli C, Kang 3B, Melky RF, EGon SS, Taillon SP. Not exactly a power house. Polanco is progressing well from his surgery so it’s realistic he could be back by the end of April which is a relief. Until then, this lineup could potentially suffer from a power outage. The one wildcard is the return of Jung-ho Kang. He hit 7 homers this spring and sports a 1.113 OPS. Actually, if you want to get excited about spring stats, which no one should, Kang, Marte, and Dickerson all have OPS’ over 1.000 and Adam Frazier’s is currently .998. Don’t sleep on Frazier. My gut tells me he will have a really good year at the plate. The new hitting coach, Rick Eckstein, made a commitment to focus more on launch angles when he was hired so maybe there’s some universe where you hit more homers this year. You need them. The bench should be relatively decent particularly once Polanco is back. With Melky now starting, the other four bench spots will be Stallings for now, but Diaz when he comes back. Then it will be Colin Moran, Pablo Reyes, Kevin Newman, and J.B. Shuck, a free agent signed to a minor league deal, until Polanco or Chisenhall return. You ranked near the bottom of the league in homers last year. You don’t have a legitimate MVP candidate when everyone else in your division does (Cards - Goldschmidt, Cubs - Rizzo/Bryant, Brewers - Yelich, Reds - Votto) so that certainly puts you at a disadvantage. Kang should provide more power. Bell needs to bounce back and hit more homers. Marte, Dickerson, and Polanco need to be one of the best offensive outfields in baseball. If Frazier hits and the catching tandem can match what they did last year, this offense will surprise people. That’s the optimistic perspective. There’s also a potential version where this is one of the weaker offenses in baseball, but I’m trying to remain positive.

Pitching is the name of the game. Always has been and always will be. This part of the team could make serious waves this year. It’s arguably the best staff in the division. Pairing Jameson Taillon, who pitched like an ace from June on last year, with Chris Archer, an ace who tinkered with his pitches and looked terrific in September, could be a beastly one-two punch. Archer’s OPS against went from .926 in August to .678 in September. His ERA went from 6.45 to 2.70 and his WHIP decreased from 1.74 to 1.07. If his September lasted for a whole season, he would be a Cy Young candidate. The three and four spots will be taken by Trevor Williams and Joe Musgrove. Williams broke out last year with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. His lack of strikeouts leads people to believe he will regress, but his weak contact numbers give hope that this is sustainable. Even if his ERA rises into the mid to high three’s, he will still be a solid starter. Musgrove recovered from offseason core surgery so here’s hoping there’s no hangover or issues. Musgrove pitched solid last year with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Given he was once a blue-chip prospect who hadn’t got a real chance to start in the majors, there’s reasonable that he could improve. Even if he can duplicate last year’s numbers, you would have a pretty solid starter on your hands. The fifth spot will most likely be filled by Jordan Lyles, once he’s back, and that’s by default. This situation might be the biggest ball drop by the organization. You thought you could get by on the cheap with Lyles, Nick Kingham, or Steven Brault. Brault was horrible this spring and Kingham was inconsistent to say the least. That leaves you with Lyles. If he’s terrible, you could go with an opener/bullpen day as the fifth starter but that’s not ideal. You downgraded your rotation because you wanted to save seven million. Those are the kinds of decisions that I can’t take anymore.

The bullpen should be a strength of the team. Should be. Felipe Vasquez had an absolutely dominant spring and should continue to be one of the best closers in baseball. Your two setup men were not as impressive. Kyle Crick and Keone Kela both struggled this spring, Kela in particular. I’m not about to panic over spring training stats. If they pitch like last year, you will have one of the best back ends of a bullpen in baseball. Add Richard Rodriguez to that mix, one of the surprises of last year, and that’s four solid arms in the pen. The wildcard of this group is Nick Burdi. A rule 5 guy, Burdi has pitched only pitched 9 1/3 innings this spring but he has 13 K’s, a 1.93 ERA, and a 0.75 WHIP. This could be the front office’s next diamond in the rough. Nick Kingham will make the team as a long reliver for the games when Lyles gets crushed. Add in Liriano, who matches up well against lefties, and the lowly Steven Brault until Lyles returns and there’s your seven relievers. The bullpen should be the strength of the team. They could be an elite unit. Time will tell, especially given the volatility of relievers, but if this season turns out to be a success, pitching will most likely be the catalyst.

You finished 82-80 last year and, depending on when Polanco returns, I think this is a better team. I think a full year of Archer and Taillon in ace form makes a big difference. I think getting Kang back to add power to the lineup makes a big difference. Is it possible you end up at .500 or below? Yes. Very. But I think this could be an 85 to 90 win team which might mean a trip to the playoffs. For that to happen, a lot of things will have to go right. I know this letter comes off much more positive than I would have first made you believe. The problem is you did not do everything in your power to put the team in the best position to win. Maybe you think Mitch Keller will be up soon? But you had a solid fifth starter that you traded away as a salary dump. Jose Iglesias signed a minor league deal with the Reds. You could have at least brought him in to challenge EGon and Newman. It’s hard to take you seriously when you say your goal is to win a World Series but then you make decisions like this. I’m not saying you need to fork over 330 million to Bryce Harper. I’m just saying pay Nova nine million for one year to be your fifth starter. Any time I hear Nutting, Coonelly, or even Huntington talk, I don’t believe a word they say. It’s hard to be in a relationship when there is no trust. This offseason was as half assed as they come. You are 27th in payroll, only in front of the Marlins and Orioles (who are both in a total rebuild) and the Rays (who perpetually don’t spend a dime) so that’s nothing to hang your hat on. If you don’t perform well out of the gate, you better do something drastic like extend Taillon because you could quickly lose your fan base. There are reasons to be positive but there are equally as many reasons to be furious. This is why I just can’t do it anymore. I love you. I will always love you. But I need some space. I’ll still write you (mostly whenever you do something infuriating) and I’ll never stop watching. I can’t believe I’ve been writing you these letters for six years. Six! Wow! It all started in 2013. Your greatest season since 1992. It’s amazing where we were then to where we are now. I hope this doesn’t ruin opening day which, regardless of situation, is always a great day. Just remember, even if you aren’t getting letters from me, I’ll be watching. I’ll always be watching. I love you and that will never change. So long, for now. Love Always,

Brad

P.S. stands for Please Spend. Please lock up Jameson Taillon to a long-term deal. With the way free agency went this offseason, everyone and their mother are signing extensions to avoid free agency. It’s the hot thing to do right now so hop on the bandwagon. It’s a no-brainer especially given how long it will take him to hit free agency. He should be here through the Mitch Keller and KeBryan Hayes promotions. Those two, plus maybe Cole Tucker, could prove to be stars. Having Taillon anchor that rotation for the next seven years is the right call. You didn’t spend any legitimate money this offseason. This is the least you could do for the fan base…

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hearthown · 1 month

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Jameson - One Hell of A Shot

[requested by @aria-1105] - the ff begins during the time Jamie skipped school to find the next clue in the game (TIG) and before finding the clue on the Winchester rifle (it's kinda like an AU).

The Black Wood.

Jameson inhaled the scent of the forest - the fresh air, the wood, the metal tang of the grass. He knew that he should’ve been searching for clues, clues from the latest game his grandfather had left them.

He didn’t know why he had ended up here, out of all places. Ground targets surrounded him, half of them punched with holes, the other half brand new. He couldn’t remember when he last stood here, rifle in hand. Maybe he didn’t want to remember.

Then, his gaze moved to the many trees that surrounded the clearing. He had always known that trees were a representation of knowledge. Of memories. And it was memories that he was seeing in front of his eyes now.

——————————————————————

[Okay, let’s pretend that TTH taught Grayson and Jameson shooting on Jameson’s 12th birthday, as one of his “schemes” to get them to compete]

Jameson's 12th Birthday

“Alright, boys,” Tobias Hawthorne began. “The first thing you need to know about shooting is that you always treat a rifle as if it is loaded, even if it isn’t.”

Jameson watched as his grandfather started loading his own rifle. It was his 12th birthday and he had expected this. Well, not the fact that he’d have to learn shooting on the morning of his birthday, but the fact that Tobias Hawthorne loved making him and Grayson compete. On one day every year, he and Grayson were the same age, and his grandfather pulled out all the stops. Last year, they had to fight each other using the martial arts skills they had cultivated. Grayson had won. Today, Jameson was determined not to let history repeat itself.

He was determined to WIN. Just like any other Hawthorne, he loved to win. But today, he had to be better. He had to beat Grayson. And he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

As his grandfather took up position and showed them the different stances that would affect the accuracy of their shots, Jameson had eyes for nothing else in the world. He was always known to have laser focus. Once his attention was latched on to you, it would take a lot for it to be snatched away.

“You lose focus, you lose the game.” His grandfather’s words echoed in his head.

Tobias Hawthorne continued his lesson, now moving on to aiming techniques. “Make sure that you have proper sight alignment. A good shooter must not only have a good arm, but he must also be able to use his eyes.”

Jameson wiped sweat off his brow. If Grayson thought he had a chance of winning today, he was wrong.

BAM! His thoughts were cut off by an ear-splitting sound.

He looked at the target and… BULLSEYE. His grandfather had made the perfect shot. Tobias Hawthorne was as Hawthorne as the rest of them. Jameson might even go on to say that he was THE Hawthorne. Hawthorne values had been made by him. His lessons were ingrained in their minds, his blood their blood. It was no shock that everything he did was perfect.

Before he knew it, his grandfather had walked them through the whole process again, several times, one-on-one. It was time to compete.

Five ground targets were prepared. In order to win, they had to get the most number of bullseyes. As always, their grandfather expected perfection. Nothing less, but there was always room for more.

Grayson was up first. Every inch the heir apparent, he got into his shooting stance, his rifle raised to eye level. His first three targets were all bullseyes. Jameson clenched his hands into fists. On the fourth one, Grayson fumbled, and the shot went a little way off. He watched as Grayson noticed his mistake, as his muscles tensed. He must’ve pulled himself together before shooting the final time because that was a bullseye too.

“Now your turn, Jameson,” his grandfather patted him on the shoulder. Tobias Hawthorne might as well have been asking him to have his turn at the merry-go-round at the funfair. Hawthornes didn’t go to funfairs for leisure or fun. This was fun at Hawthorne House.

Jameson positioned himself in front of the first target and tightened his grip on the rifle. As he brought it up to his gaze, he noticed a word carved on the rifle’s stock. WINCHESTER. His middle name.

Electricity surged in Jameson’s body. This was meant for him, he knew it. He was going to prove to his grandfather that he could do this.

He closed his eyes, all of his five senses somehow sharpened. When he opened them, he fired his first shot.

BAM! Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye.

At the final target, he set his jaw. This was it. He lined up his shot one last time and… BULLSEYE.

He had done it. He had won.

He barely had time to process what had just happened when his grandfather appeared behind him and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Very good, Jamie, very good.”

Jameson basked in the praise. Tobias Hawthorne was stingy with his compliments, to say the least. He didn’t exactly give them out like candy.

“I’ve never seen a shot like that before, especially one from a 12-year-old. You’re ahead of your time, Jamie. Keep this up and I’ll see to it that the rifle collection is passed on to you.”

Jameson’s eyes widened. He knew how much that rifle collection meant to his grandfather, how much time his grandfather had spent finding collector pieces all around the world.

“Happy Birthday, Jameson.” Tobias Hawthorne beamed.

Jameson grinned, and then turned back to find Grayson, offering him a rare smile although he knew that deep down, Grayson was disappointed of his loss.

——————————————————————

Present Day

“WINCHESTER.” Jameson repeated to himself. Within the next moment, he sprinted into the House and entered the armory.

He knew exactly where the next clue lied.

#jameson is the mvp #jameson is ONE HELL OF A SHOT #the inheritance games #the hawthorne legacy #the final gambit #grayson hawthorne #jameson hawthorne #grayson davenport hawthorne #jameson winchester hawthorne #tobias hawthorne

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junker-town · 3 years

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Predicting the MLB season with 7 big questions

Our writers give their predictions for the 2021 MLB season.

The 2020 MLB season was unlike any other with the coronavirus pandemic delaying the start of the season until late July. Everything is on track for a more normal season with a chance to even get fans into the stadium at limited capacity for the first time in more than a year.

The rich got richer this offseason with a loaded Dodgers team loading up even more for what could very well be another run at defending their World Series victory. Can the new-look New York Mets or Fernando Tatis Jr.-led Padres throw those plans off track? Will the Yankees finally make it back to the World Series, or will their own health (and lack thereof) prove to be their downfall?

Before the 2021 MLB regular season gets underway, we asked our staff to predict how this year will go. Picks are being made by Andrew Mearns of Pinstripe Alley, Brady Klopfer of McCovey Chronicles, Sara Sanchez of Bleed Cubbie Blue, Kris Willis of Talking Chop, and Ashley MacLennan of Bless You Boys and DRaysBay.

1. Give us one bold prediction for the season

Andrew: The Phillies & Angels both end their playoff droughts with Wild Card runs. The Padres quickly dispatch the Phils from the postseason in the Wild Card Game, but behind big homers from Anthony Rendon & Shohei Ohtani, the Angels upset the Rays before falling to the Yankees in a tight ALDS. But hey, at least Mike Trout finally has a postseason win?

Brady: Someone will hit the 60 home run barrier, and at least two other players will cross 50 homers. A home run race will develop in the final months of the season, and that will become the biggest storyline of the season.

Sara: Kyle Hendricks will win the NL Cy Young award. Projection systems really don’t appreciate the way he gets guys out with 88 mph pitches while masterfully working the corners and playing with speed. In a year where very few pitchers will top 170 innings, Hendricks’ efficiency means he may have more innings, and more complete games than any pitcher in baseball. He’s not going to turn any heads with his K/9, but if he quietly puts up a sub 3.00 ERA while leading the NL in innings in 2021 voters will have a difficult decision to make in the fall.

Kris: Between Fernando Tatis Jr and Juan Soto, it feels like everyone is forgetting about Ronald Acuña Jr. He will give the Braves their second straight MVP Award winner in 2021 and put up a 40-40 season in the process while reentering the conversation of who is the best young player in MLB.

Ashley: Home runs are going to drop considerably with the slightly deadened ball, and the new laces may see us get a pitcher reach 22 wins (yeah, I said it). There will be exceptions but I’m thinking 2021 will be the year of the pitcher.

2. NL Champions: Dodgers or the field?

Andrew: Dodgers. If they didn’t exist, we could debate Padres vs. Braves all season long, but the Dodgers are just too absurdly good. I’m not convinced that they ever actually lose. The league’s just throwing us off the scent when they print those faulty box scores.

Brady: The field. The Dodgers are deserving favorites, but the field is always the safe pick in baseball, especially when there are still a decent number of elite teams to challenge the defending champions.

Sara: The field. The Dodgers are going to get some stiff competition from the Padres and the Braves at bare minimum. I think one of those teams will knock the Dodgers out of the playoffs.

Kris: Dodgers. The rich just get richer with the addition of Trevor Bauer. There are teams in the National League that could beat the Dodgers but given their resources, it is hard to pick against them.

Ashley: Dodgers. I’d much rather say the Padres will win the NL this year because they’re a much easier team to root for, but the Dodgers have absolutely done everything right this offseason to stay competitive and I don’t see them slowing down. That said, I’m hoping to see the Padres in the WS.

3. Who will win the MVP from each league?

Andrew: AL: Mike Trout; NL: Juan Soto.

The combination of an improbable Angels playoff run and Trout being, well, Trout, gives him his fourth MVP. As for Soto, the Nationals don’t even necessarily have to do much around him. His time is just now to be the modern-day Ted Williams.

Brady: AL: Mike Trout; NL: Juan Soto

Are these the obvious picks? Yes. But baseball is straightforward enough that I can’t break out of the box here. Mike Trout is the best player alive, has been the best player alive for a very long time, and no longer is battling Mookie Betts for this award. Soto is coming off a 201 wRC+ season, and is at an age where you expect him to not only get better, but significantly so. These are the heavy favorites in my eyes.

Sara: AL: Mike Trout, NL: Juan Soto

I thought about being contrarian here, but I just can’t. Soto is poised to put up a season for the record books and Mike Trout is Mike Trout. Depending on the prediction system both should put up OPS over 1.000. It is possible someone else gets hot in either league and runs them down, because baseball will always baseball, but I can’t bring myself to put anyone else’s name down here.

Kris: AL: Mike Trout; NL: Ronald Acuña Jr.

It seems like this is the same answer every year, but if he stays healthy, Mike Trout has to be the favorite for MVP in the American League. Especially if the Angels are an improved team and in the running for a playoff spot. Ronald Acuña Jr goes 40-40 and leads the Braves back to the NLCS and captures his first career MVP award.

Ashley: AL: Mike Trout; NL: Fernando Tatis Jr.

Trout has openly spoken this offseason about moves he has made to “improve” the things that have been slowing him down, and I for one am eager to see what those moves will change in terms of his performance. Is it possible to get better? We’ll see! I could have gone for any of the big three youth-movement guys in terms of the NL because Soto and Acuña Jr are incredible and I wouldn’t be surprised to see either of them take it, but my gut says Tatis Jr is just going to keep building off last year’s success and be an absolutely monster in the NL in 2021.

4. Which team will be the biggest surprise?

Andrew: Angels. For all the reasons above because I am a gigantic sucker and this time, Lucy absolutely won’t pull that football away.

Brady: Angels. This is the year it finally happens, and Mike Trout wins a playoff game. Trout, Anthony Rendon, and a healthy Shohei Ohtani is just too much talent, and I think the Astros are primed for regression. I say the Angels win the AL West and, at a very minimum, at least win a playoff game.

Sara: Blue Jays. They may not have a home park to play in but they made a lot of interesting moves in the offseason. Losing Yates for a while doesn’t hurt them as much as one might think and they have some really interesting bats. I think they are trying to chase down the Yankees in the East all year, and if the Yankees can’t stay healthy the Blue Jays may just win the division.

Kris: Rays. It is always the Rays is not in? No matter how unimpressive they look on paper, they find a way to win, and I do not think this season will be any different despite the departure of Blake Snell.

Ashley: White Sox. It’s hard to say they’ll be a surprise only because most predictions suggest they’ll be among the best in the very bad AL Central, but all the same I’m really interested to see what they pull off. Tony La Russa is going to be something the team has to overcome, rather than something that will help them win, I think, but they have such a strong core of talented players, I really want to see what they can pull off.

5. Which team will be the biggest disappointment?

Andrew: Blue Jays. The Mets would also be a decent choice since I have them missing the playoffs, but not by much. The Jays, however, could really crash and burn with that pitching staff (no matter how much that young offense terrifies me).

Brady: Astros. A run to the ALCS hid what was a pretty bad season for Houston last year. Not only did they finish the truncated season with a losing record, but their win differential suggested they were a highly mediocre team. I think we see that in full this year.

Sara: Yankees. For the past three years I feel like all I’ve heard is how great the Yankees will be, but it hasn’t gotten them another ring. Unfortunately for New York anything less than another ring is a disappointment for that fanbase. I know the projections love the pitching staff, but ace Gerrit Cole is one of the pitchers most likely to be impacted by MLB’s stated intention to crack down on substances because of spin rate discrepancies, Corey Kluber is a huge injury risk, Jameson Taillon is a good addition - who has thrown 37.1 innings in the last two seasons. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are both injury prone, and Gary Sánchez has shown no sign of turning it around at the plate. This is the same team that hasn’t delivered in the last 4 years, they are just a year older.

Kris: Blue Jays. Toronto looks like a fun team on paper, but I am worried about their starting pitching and whether they have enough depth to hold up over a full 162 games. They should score plenty of runs but in the end, I am afraid their rotation will cost them.

Ashley: Blue Jays. They made all the right moves in the offseason to push themselves as a competitive team, but a bunch of spring training injuries and some pickups that are as likely to implode as they are to succeed (Robbie Ray?) means the Jays could be a team that spent to lose instead of spending to compete. A lot of focus is going to be on the young talent like Guerrero and Bichette to see if they can shine as future superstars.

6. Which player will lead the majors in home runs?

Andrew: Pete Alonso. The dude knows how to go deep, and even in an “off year” when no one talked about him, he was still within shouting distance of the home run crown. Give him a real season again and he’ll go bananas.

Brady: Aaron Judge. Sure, it’s been four years since he hit the 52 homer mark, but he’s still got that power in him, and he can’t be pitched around on this Yankees team. If he stays healthy, I think it all clicks.

Sara: Mike Trout. I thought about getting cute about this and saying Eugenio Suárez because I love that bat and he plays in a bandbox, but I think it’s Trout. And even though you didn’t ask this, I think that number is less than 45...at least it is if MLB is actually deadening the ball like they claim.

Kris: Ronald Acuña Jr. I already picked Acuña to win MVP and the home run crown will be a big part of that. He makes a run at a 50 homer season and leads the majors in 2021.

Ashley: Mike Trout. I really, really want to see him kill it this year. In think home runs overall will be down, but I genuinely believe Trout will hit about a tenth of them.

7. What is your World Series matchup prediction?

Andrew: Dodgers/Yankees. The chalk pick, but the correct pick. The door is wide open in the AL for the Yankees to return to the World Series, and if not now, then when? But also, no one’s beating the Dodgers unless something goes seriously wrong.

Brady: Padres/Yankees. I have the Pads finally eclipsing their big brother Dodgers in a stacked NL, while the Yankees run circles around the competition in the AL. And it all makes for a star-studded World Series, that San Diego wins in seven.

Sara: Padres/White Sox. I refuse to pick the Yankees/Dodgers matchup that math, the universe and logic so desperately want us all to pick. Don’t get me wrong, I’d watch that World Series, but I wouldn’t get excited about it. Let’s watch the kids thrive and play. The Padres are a brilliantly constructed team and they are built to beat the Dodgers. They came close in the shortened season - then they went out and added Blake Snell and Yu Darvish to the Dodgers’ Trevor Bauer and David Price. The Yankees should be a juggernaut, but they are fragile. Someone in the AL will step in and beat them, it might as well be the team that employs Luis Robert and Lucas Giolito.

Kris: Dodgers/Yankees. I think the Dodgers are the clear favorites in the National League given roster depth and they will be looking to prove that last season’s championship was not a fluke. It seems like there are a lot of things that could go wrong with the Yankees’ pitching staff, but I do not see anyone else in the American League that can match their fire power.

Ashley: Padres/Rays. I cannot imagine a more fun final showdown than this, especially with former Rays Tommy Pham and Blake Snell in the mix for the Padres. These two teams have taken very different approaches to spending and signings this offseason and I think it would be an electric matchup (for everything except maybe TV ratings).

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insidethegiftbasket · 3 years

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Yankees (22-18) at Rangers (18-24)

Monday – 8:05pm on YES: Gerrit Cole (5-1, 1.37 ERA) vs Jordan Lyles (1-3, 6.63 ERA) Tuesday – 8:05pm on YES and ESPN: Jameson Taillon (1-3, 5.40 ERA) vs Mike Foltynewicz (1-3, 4.60 ERA)

Wednesday – 8:05pm on YES: Corey Kluber (3-2, 3.48 ERA) vsTBD

Thursday – 2:05pm on YES and MLBN: Domingo German (3-2, 3.62 ERA) vs Dane Dunning (2-3, 3.42 ERA)

A Brief Section on Globe Life Field

This is the first time the Yankees will be playing at the new Rangers stadium, and it plays pretty differently than the previous park.

Now obviously Globe Life Field held the NL postseason and the World Series last year, but this is the first season where the Rangers have gotten to play in front of fans there. GLF’s dimensions are all honoring important Rangers players and moments:

Left Field Pole is 329 feet in honor of Adrian Beltre

Left Field inside the line is 334 feet in honor of Nolan Ryan

Left Field power alley is 372 feet as the Rangers first played in Texas in 1972

Deepest dimension is 410 feet in honor of Michael Young

Straightaway centerfield is 407 feet in honor of Pudge Rodriguez

Right Field power alley is 374 feet in honor of the 1974 Rangers having the first winning season ever

Right Field Pole is 326 feet in honor of Johnny Oates

42 feet from the plate to the backstop in honor of Jackie Robinson

Compared to the previous Rangers ballpark, the new Globe Life Field is a pitcher’s paradise: at the old Ballpark in Arlington, there were 19% more runs than average, 12% more home runs than average, and wOBA was 9% higher as well. It consistently ranked as one of the best hitter’s parks outside of Coors. In comparison, the new stadium is really tough for hitters: it was 11% worse than average in homers allowed last year (although its back to league average so far this year), 4% worse than average in runs allowed, and 2% worse than average in wOBA.

Rangers Injury Report

UTL Brock Holt: on the 10 Day IL with a strained hamstring, no timetable to return

SP Kohei Arihara: on the 10 Day IL with a finger contusion, no timetable to return

Rangers Pitching

The Rangers rotation is kinda like the Island of Misfit Toys—it’s been high profile guys who have gotten dumped after poor performances or guys that have been passed around, but the Rangers are trying to take fliers on guys with some track record of success and then trade them for prospects. The big issue with that for Texas is when they have guys that DO actually perform well, they hold onto them for far too long and get limited returns instead (see: Lance Lynn and Mike Minor.) Rangers pitching as a whole has a 93 ERA+, which is really quite bad. While they are in the top 10 in walks allowed (3.02) they have allowed the most hits in baseball (362) and second most homers (54) and are below average in strikeouts. The bullpen is 17th in baseball with a 3.94 ERA as well, although the bullpen does have a couple nice bright spots in it.

Starting game one is right handed pitcher Jordan Lyles. Lyles is a four pitch pitcher—he’ll use his four seamer and curveball against righties and lefties, and mixes in a slider for righties and a change for lefties. His fastball, to be completely fair and honest, is garbage—it’s a 93mph fastball with okay movement, but it’s -9 run value makes it the second worst pitch in baseball this season (last year it was only the fourth worst pitch in all of baseball, so maybe there’s room for improvement?) He throws the fastball nearly 50% of the time, and opposing hitters are slugging .705 against it, which is just awful. It has a 64.7% hard hit rate. He’s allowed nearly as many extra base hits (10) as strikeouts (11) with it.

That’s Lyles’ pitch percentages by zone for a fastball—notice 8.4% of those are meatballs and then another 25% of those are up and in against righties/up and away against lefties.

Yeah, allowing over .600 batting averages on a third of your fastballs is a good way to end your Major League career.

Game two starter is Mike Foltynewicz, who in 2018 was an All Star for the Braves and got Cy Young votes for them as a 26 year old. Unfortunately for Folty, 2019 was a bad year and 2020 was a disaster- he lost 5mph off his fastball, lost a lot of weight, and was promptly DFA’d during the season. 2021 has been a bit better so far for him- his fastball is back up to 94mph, still slower than it was in his prime, but better than the high 80’s fastball he was rocking last year. His slider looks to be back in rhythm as well—opponents are hitting just .196 off his slider this year and he has 22 strikeouts in 46 at bats finishing guys off with it. Where Folty’s problems come from however are his awful platoon splits: righties are slashing .257/.292/.475 with five homers and 26 strikeouts in 101 at bats. Lefties are slashing .315/.386/.658 with six homers and 13 strikeouts in 73 at bats. His change up and curveball, both lefty only options, are getting destroyed.

Folty has always been a stuff guy and more of a thrower than a pitcher, but when your stuff isn’t blowing guys away, you’re not really that valuable on the mound.

Lastly I wanted to give a shoutout to former Yankee prospect Ian Kennedy for putting up his best season in a decade as the Rangers closing pitcher. Kennedy was originally traded to the Diamondbacks as part of the Curtis Granderson trade in 2009, but he’s still alive and kicking out of the pen in Texas now. Ian’s basically gone from throwing four pitches as a starter to throwing his 4 seamer 80% of the time, which is probably a great decision: it’s only 94mph, but it has elite movement—an extra 2.1 inches of drop and an extra 2.6 inches of horizontal movement.

He’s just going to pound the strike zone with heaters and hope that you don’t rip him apart, but so far this season it’s been working really well.

Rangers Hitters

Texas’ lineup is starting to get back on track a bit after a brutal 2020 season. As a team they have a 100 wrc+, which is 10th in baseball, and are 8th in homers hit. They do have, in typical Rangers fashion, the fifth most strikeouts, but also in typical Rangers fashion they’re aggressive on the base paths—third in stolen bases (28) and 11th in extra base taken % (42%.)

While former Yankee prospect Nick Solak is doing really well, and the star of the team is the always fun Joey Gallo, the breakout star of the Rangers so far has been Adolis Garcia:

Garcia has come from virtually nowhere to play an elite outfield and has just been crushing balls all over the park, but he does have an unsustainable .352 BABIP and 16% barrel rate. Is he going to stay good? My guess is yes, but I don’t think he’ll be a near MVP candidate the rest of the season.

#Yankees #New York Yankees #Rangers #Texas Rangers #MLB #Baseball #Series Preview #Breakdown #Jerry Gallo is dead--I know that!

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septic-dr-schneep · 6 years

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JSE Fanfiction - Hurdles and Barriers

Summary: The newly-created Dr. Schneeplestein struggles to find his place in a home and a career that have very little regard for his heritage. The language barrier is just one of his problems.

A/N: This story takes place sort of pre-canon, when Chase and Jameson haven't been created yet; Anti, Jackieboy, Marvin and Schneep are the only Egos around and Schneep, the youngest Ego in the house, is still getting to know them.

It wasn’t that Dr. Schneeplestein couldn’t understand English; it was that his knowledge had its limits.

He didn’t know his creator, Jack, personally—at least not yet—but he knew the man had a knack and a love for accents. Why he had elected that Schneep be German, he didn’t know. Perhaps it was so he could sound more professional—either that or to sound more eccentric. Either way, when he first manifested and he heard his own voice, he knew German first and foremost. Jack may not have the familiarity with the language to understand it himself, but his creative powers were enough to give Schneep the information where he failed.

Now if that knowledge could go in two directions and give Schneep better insight into English, he would have nothing to worry about.

He had met two of his fellow Egos under critical circumstances. The older of them, Jackieboy Man, had been stabbed and was lying on the floor of the kitchen in a puddle of his own blood. As soon as Schneep saw him, he’d gone into crisis mode, taking charge, trying to keep the wheezing, suffering hero calm as he treated him.

He hadn’t bothered to pay much attention to whether or not the hero understood him; he was hoping that the simple sound of his voice would be something to latch onto. He used English as best he could, especially when the other one, the magician, arrived on the scene. Schneep had needed a helper in that moment and he certainly knew enough of their language to give orders and save the hero’s life. It was quite an entrance into the fray, if Schneep said so himself.

As Jackieboy Man recovered, Schneep ended up spending more time with him than he had anticipated. During that time, Jackieboy talked. Given that he could hardly get out of bed, talking was one of the only ways to entertain himself. In the interest of learning more about him, Schneep had kept his own mouth shut and listened. Jackieboy had talked about how timely Schneep’s arrival was and had thanked him for saving his life.

“I’m Jackieboy,” he’d finally offered after about ten-minutes of one-sided talk. “Jackieboy Man. When you were treating me, you said you knew about me?”

“Yes, we all know the hero, we all love him,” Schneep had assured him as he’d tweaked the setting on his IV. “I learn you as Jacque puts you in my head.” His brief glance in the hero’s direction sent a twinge of discomfort through his chest; Jackieboy Man stared uncertainly, blankly back at him.

Dropping the IV tube, Schneep gestured awkwardly, correcting himself. “I learn as Jack puts the little, ah, bits in my brain. I’m sorry—Jacque, Jack, they are austauschbar.” Jackieboy’s brows furrowed further, so he swallowed hard and added hurriedly, “I study in a school in France for a bit to get my doctor’s license. I am used to Jack as Jacque.”

He expected Jackieboy Man to press the issue, asking some kind of invasive, ignorant question: Why had he studied in France when he was clearly German? Didn’t they have medical schools in Germany? Why didn’t he go there instead? He braced himself, trying to think of a response that wouldn’t convey any resentment.

This wasn’t the case. Jackieboy simply nodded thoughtfully, as if he were filing the information away. “I guess that makes sense. I know an artist who goes by Jacque. And what about you? What d’you go by?”

That was a startling question; he hadn’t even thought about introducing himself. Of all things, he could be confident in that. Tugging on the lapels of his lab coat, he inclined his head. “Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein, MD, PhD, MVP, and FFS.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you! You must be a crackerjack in your field if you’ve got that many titles!”

The older Ego was smiling as he said it, clearly impressed, so Schneep returned the smile and nodded, biting back the urge to ask what on earth a “crackerjack” could be. If he had to ask, it would probably force the other to reconsider giving him the compliment. It was a compliment, right?

It seemed there was information he would be filing away too.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Schneep wouldn’t be afraid to admit that he avoided the others when he could. The magician, who apparently didn’t have a name as of yet, seemed to distrust him and avoid him just as enthusiastically, so there was no problem there. Jackieboy, on the other hand, often sought after him and when he did find him and there was no excuse for Schneep to avoid it, he talked. He talked and talked and talked, rarely seeming to take a breath.

Schneep knew it was because he was curious. He wanted to get to know him and it wasn’t as if the feelings weren’t reciprocated! But Schneep wasn’t about to tell him that he couldn’t understand half of the slang he used. Bits and pieces of his sentences seemed to fall off the edge of the earth, where the doctor could only nod helplessly and hope that it was something good that he was agreeing to.

While dodging social cues for conversation, he was otherwise busy exploring his new home—finding a bedroom, setting up his lab and sending his application to various hospitals in the area. He knew that with his qualifications, it wouldn’t take long before he was given a chance to prove his worth not just to the other Egos but to the outside world.

When the opportunity arose, however, it wasn’t at all what he expected. They wanted him to cohost a tour for medical students who were shadowing for the day—three Brits, two Americans, and a Frenchman. Schneep couldn’t begin to describe the relief he felt when he saw the latter; he was confident that there wouldn’t be any communication problems with him. The others were a different story.

Dr. Clark, his cohost, already had a stable job at the hospital, as well as a pristine English vocabulary. As soon as he’d laid eyes on him, Schneep could have told anyone that this was not someone who liked foreigners, but the way he spoke of Schneep to the students only confirmed it.

“This is Dr. Schneeplestein,” he introduced him with a condescending little smile and a tone that reeked of false pleasantries. “He’s come all the way from Germany to find a job here; whether or not he does well on this tour will be part of determining that. He’s not so different from all of you!”

Meine Autorität mit ihnen Untergraben…“Actually I come from other side of the city,” Schneep cut in with a cheap smile of his own. “I live here, and I think I have the little bit more practice at this than these young ones.” During Dr. Clark’s frustrated pause to think of a reply, Schneep beamed at the group. “But that will change! Let’s take you on this walk around!”

Schneep was more than happy to let Clark do most of the talking, though the other was right in saying his potential for a job was depending on his input. He paid close attention to the French student, noticing when his face creased with confusion as Clark rushed past a subject without any regard for their full understanding of it. Slowing his pace so they were almost shoulder to shoulder, he murmured kindly, “Je vais traduire pour vous.”

To see the young man’s eyes light up at the offer for a translation warmed his heart. One of the American students, however, extinguished that warmth like a cold wind as she scowled at the two of them, halting their conversation about the x-ray machines Dr. Clark was showing them.

“I’m sorry, I know you’re just trying to help him, but you’re being really distracting,” she complained, waving her notebook in frustration. “It’s hard to pay attention when there’s French being spoken right next to my ear.”

Clearly the Frenchman understood enough English to know what she meant by that, if his embarrassed fidget was any indication, and Schneep threw up his hands. “He’s here to learn, just as you!” he protested. “I study in France, I know how to explain to him…”

“In that case, Dr. Schneeplestein, maybe you’d like to take the reins on this tour,” Dr. Clark suggested, stepping emphatically aside and motioning for him to take his place. “Perhaps all of our students could benefit from your knowledge. You could translate as you went along!”

Schneep’s eyes narrowed as he met the other doctor’s smug stare. He could guess what “taking reins” meant, but he was also keenly aware that this was some kind of trap. Pinned on his back was the hopeful gaze of the Frenchman; he didn’t want to let him down. Clearing his throat, he shifted to take the space and the clipboard that Clark indicated, glancing down at the papers for the points they had to cover, the medical machines with which they would familiarize the students.

Every single one of them was in English, each term a mile long, and he had no idea which machines they belonged to, so he couldn’t even begin to search for the corresponding words in his home tongue. His grip on the clipboard tightened and he pressed his lips tightly together, lifting his head to look at the expectant students even as his cheeks and ears burned. The longer he looked at them, the more anger surged to the forefront and he was forced to close his eyes for a moment, exhaling harshly through his nose before glancing at the French student.

“Je suis désolé,” he apologized tightly to him before turning on his heel to face Clark, hissing, “What you expect is perfect.”

“Well, thank you,” Clark replied, the picture of innocence. Schneep bared his teeth in response, slapping the clipboard against his chest and knocking him back a step. He closed the distance again just a moment later, grabbing a fistful of his coat and surging up into his face.

“That wasn’t meant to be nice, Kotzbrocken! What you expect is too high! You try to humiliate me because you don’t want me to get job here? Well, thank you for insulting me! I can see I’d never want work with you!” He was going to say more, but judging by how white his knuckles were where they grasped the other doctor’s clothing, he may end up letting his fists get ahead of his mouth if he stayed any longer, so he shoved him away and stormed off before giving himself the opportunity.

It was fortunate that he wasn’t able to drive; if he hadn’t taken a taxi and he had been behind a wheel, he had a feeling he would have run someone over in his rage as he made his way home. Jackieboy was whistling cheerfully in the open kitchen, the sound grating on Schneep’s ears as he slammed the door closed behind him.

“Oh! You’re home early!” Jackieboy remarked as he stirred whatever was on the stove. “I’m making one of my favorite dishes for you to try! It’s got some mushrooms, so I hope you don’t mind them. I’m a pretty intrepid cook, if I do say so myself. Ol’ Magic Master, though, his cooking lives in infamy—actually, I don’t think you could even call it cooking. He doesn’t—”

“Stop it!” Schneep screamed, getting no satisfaction out of the way Jackieboy jumped, dropping the ladle into the pot with a clatter. “I don’t understand you! I don’t know what you say! These mushing rooms and intro-pids and infamies mean nothing to me; I don’t get it! Do you get it?! I only hear ‘La-la-la-la-la!’ All you do is talk English nothings at me! You never even try to learn my language. Why? You don’t have a clock for it! Well, I don’t have the clock to check every single little nothing you say so I can find out if you’ve insulted me!”

He ran out of breath there, so he snapped his mouth shut, clenching his fists and glaring as he waited for Jackieboy Man’s reaction. The older Ego gaped back for several seconds, utterly speechless, before blinking a few times and shaking himself.

“I…I didn’t know you felt that way,” he managed at last.

Shaking his head and scoffing, Schneep tore off his lab coat and hurled it at the coatrack without bothering to see if it landed, throwing up his hands as he began moving down the hall toward the lab. “I should not expect. You never listen to what I say.”

“That’s only because you say so little.”

The doctor stopped up short at that, glancing incredulously over his shoulder. Jackieboy had already taken a few steps down the hall after him, clearly intending to continue the conversation. He did so.

“I try to talk to you, Doctor, and I feel like I have to fill the silence because you never say anything,” he explained seriously. “You just nod and smile and then walk away. How could I know you didn’t understand?” Closing in on the silent doctor, he moved around to face him. “If you didn’t understand what I was saying…why didn’t you say something like you did just now? You got your point across without much trouble.”

Fuming wordlessly for a few more moments, Schneep let his narrowed eyes trace the stubble along Jackieboy’s jawline before grudgingly looking further up. To his vague surprise, he only saw earnest expectation in his eyes, much like that of the French boy who had trusted and hoped in him. The sight of it cooled his anger into a painful little bonfire in his stomach, rather than an inferno, and he huffed bitterly.

“You’d insult me,” he muttered. “Just like them at the hospital.”

Jackieboy started at that. “Something happened at the hospital? Is that why you’re home early?” Before Schneep could stop him, he’d wrapped an arm around his shoulders and was steering him back down the hall toward the couch. “C’mere, tell me what happened!”

After some persistent cajoling from Jackieboy, Schneep ended up sharing the entire tale, including his own feelings on the issue in less-than-polite terms. Some were even in German, but Jackieboy didn’t seem too phased by it; in this case, the meanings behind the words were obvious. At the end, he sat quietly—a rarity, which told Schneep to pay attention.

“I’m sorry,” he ventured at last, placing a tentative hand on Schneep’s knee. “I didn’t know. Looks like there’ve been some miscommunications from both of us, huh?” The doctor wasn’t sure how to respond to that and Jackieboy shifted to look at him head-on. “I want to help. I’ve always wanted to help. You saved my life and I haven’t gotten the chance to repay you. If you want, I can teach you better English…Would that help you, Henrik?”

Because Jackieboy’s hand was still on him, Schneep held very still, though his eyes widened just a fraction behind his glasses. Neither of the other Egos had ever called him by his first name before…and oddly enough, it didn’t make him uncomfortable in the least.

“I…would like that,” he admitted, faltering for a beat before adding more quietly, “…Jackie?”

“Yeah, Jackie’s just fine.” Rising, Jackieboy shook his hood back onto his shoulders. “I’ll get a notebook and you can tell me some of the words we need to work on!” Just before disappearing from view, however, he paused, and though Schneep couldn’t see his face, he could hear the new hostile note in his voice. “And I can go have a word with Dr. Clark if you’d like me to. He’s sure to understand if it comes from me.”

“Oh…n-no, thank you,” Schneep waved it off, trying not to let on how grateful he was for the suggestion alone. “I don’t plan to work there anyway.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want to have to hear about that Kotzbrocken every single day.”

With that the hero went off to find his notebook, leaving Schneep to bite his lip and try not to giggle at how badly he had pronounced the German phrase. Maybe these lessons would be helpful for both of them.

#youtube #jacksepticeye #fanfiction #youtube fanfiction #dr schneeplestein #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #linguistics #language barrier #feels for days #jackistein #i live for queerplatonic jackieboy and schneep #getting to know each other

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