All posts by TheNaturalMevs

Jay Bruce’s nightmare season continues

July 30, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

Jay Bruce was moved to the bereavement list today for reasons still unknown. As a person who loves Jay Bruce, this is incredibly sad and concerning within a season that has been particularly difficult to sit back and watch him struggle through.

Bruce is down to .215 now, with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. This was supposed to be Bruce’s greatest season ever. It’s going to end up his worst. At least in 2009 when he hit a career-low .223, you knew he was on the way up. You knew his day of redemption would come. If you knew the game at all – you knew that it was all still out ahead of him.

This has a different feel to it. This time, we’re not so sure what it is, or how the story ends. Some knowledgeable fans are actually questioning if Jay Bruce ever finds it again. While we wouldn’t bet against him – we want to point out something that has it’s place in this.

Back at the beginning of this month (a month that has been Bruce’s worst of the season in terms of OPS), Jay Bruce sat down with Eno Sarris at FanGraphs to discuss hitting and his approach. It was a phenomenal piece, and many fans remarked that with a work ethic and approach like that; it was a matter of time until Jay Bruce found his way.

We didn’t say it at the time, but that actually wasn’t our thought. Not as well as we know this player. Our actual thought was ‘Wow, Jay Bruce is doing an awful lot of thinking right now. That can’t be a good thing in a game you want to keep as simple as possible’. Bruce has always been a player who slumps and surges to the extremes. This is because even with all his immense physical talents, Bruce has never truly mastered the mental aspect of the game. That’s why to us, it wasn’t a good sign to learn the guy is so deep in his own mind he might as well be Syd Barrett.

It’s the same game it’s always been. Bruce is a better hitter – we think – when he keeps his approach as simple as possible. See the ball, hit the ball. Don’t think too much in the box. Certainly do not attempt to work on or try new things during the game you’re playing in. We aren’t a big league hitting instructor, but whatever the Reds right fielder has tried this season has been a miserable failure. It’s time to ‘dumb’ it down a bit and do what he did when he came out of the minor leagues. He was a better hitter then.

In the meantime, Jay Bruce the person is in our prayers. He’s a good guy, and the bereavement list typically never means anything but heartache. It’s easy to forget while watching these guys each night that: they are human. They have emotion too. They feel things.

If this is indeed the beginning of the end of Bruce in Cincinnati, it’s been a pretty remarkable run at times. We aren’t ready for that yet, so let’s hope a day of redemption awaits Bruce Almighty somewhere just over the pass.

Seattle Mariners

Report: MLB Teams have had it up to here with the Mariners trade offers

July 29, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

We all know the feeling – well, those of us that play fantasy baseball anyways. There’s that one owner who can’t help himself in every league. He just can’t stop offering his shit for your good players. He’s convinced it’s a win for both sides.

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is that guy.

“He has made offers and then pulled back after we have said, ‘This is something we would do,”‘ one executive said. “He responds (by saying) it wasn’t an offer and that he will need to discuss it with his guys.”

Another executive added, “I don’t always get the sense that he knows what he wants to do. One day, he’s interested in one thing. The next day, he’s interested in another. That’s what makes it challenging.”

A third executive said, “They (the Mariners) don’t set out on a trade saying, ‘Here’s what we need. Let’s do what we can to get him.’ They think, ‘Who can we give up that will never be any good?’ They don’t want to give up anyone who will haunt them. That’s just flat-out fear.”

Zduriencik has responded to the criticism by saying this is just a normal course reaction of teams trying to do business. We have a feeling he really is this bad, possibly worse.

This is a stark contrast to former Mariner’s GM Bill Bavasi – who would fucking trade anyone for a flavor of the month type player or fringe prospect! I don’t know what’s worse really.

Hall of Fame

Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine enter the Hall of Fame

July 28, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

This year’s baseball Hall of Fame class really had a special meaning to me. I grew up loving to watch Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and especially Frank Thomas.

On summer night’s a lot like this one, Thomas would fill the box scores I so often would cut out of the morning paper because he homered and drove in five. I remember being in the car with my uncle as a kid and him mentioning to me that ‘there are some people around baseball who think Frank Thomas could end up an all-time great with the start that he’s on’. I came back in amazement with a ‘really’ as most kids do – I had no idea what it took for a player to have Hall of Fame credentials at that point – I just knew that Frank Thomas was my idea of greatness. My uncle came back with some stat about Frank Thomas’ on-base average. This was long before WAR was a thing, and on-base percentage wasn’t viewed as the statistical goldmine it is today.

All these years later, the guys who seemed so great to me as a child and adolescent really were that special. Today is a day to remember them for their unique qualities and attributes.

I could look at the Hall of Fame plaques of each and every Cooperstown member all day long. If you want to see the new inductee plaques, head over to Hardball Talk.

pennant chase

Breaking down the American League Standings

July 28, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

A quick look at the American League standings reveals that we’re about to see some late season drama that makes this sport so tremendous.

Lets assume a few things: the Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, and Baltimore Orioles are going to be division champions for 2014.

My Top Sportsbooks predicts that the Detroit Tigers are a -600 favorite to win the division. Their oddsmakers are basically telling everyone that the Indians are dead in the water even if they don’t realize it yet. We agree.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are an interesting team because they have the second best record in the American League at 62-41, but they are the first wildcard team due to being in Oakland’s division. They hold a commanding eight-game lead in the wildcard with Yankees (54-49) and Blue Jays (55-50) tied for the second wildcard spot.

Personally, for what would make a dramatic baseball storyline for the die-hard fan, we’re hoping the Yankees find a way to grab that second Wildcard spot.

Imagine it now: you’ve got the Anaheim Angels and their cornerstone Mike Trout in the first year of his brand new contract hosting the Yankees at Angels Stadium. There has been a little history between the Yankees and their courting desire of Mike Trout in the recent past. We just think it would make for a great one-game dramatic scene.

Barring an epic collapse – and it does happen – much is already spoken for in the American League and we can see who will represent our field of five in October.

Cincinnati Reds, Dispatches, Washington Nationals

The Night the Reds offense Put me to sleep at the Ballpark

July 26, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

[Box Score]

[Cincinnati.com]

I went down to Cincinnati last night with my buddy Joe to see Bryce Harper take some cuts. I was one of the 38,812 last night in a stadium that seemed packed to the rafters. A stadium that was so very quiet all night long because the Reds collected just four hits and as they so often do when the stadium is a sell-out; they just let down.

Jayson Werth didn’t get any knocks last night, here he is after reaching base on a walk.

One of the cool parts of the game was a Bald Eagle flying in from center field after the National Anthem. I think his name was Sam the Eagle.

Alfredo Simon just didn’t have it last evening. He went 4 and 1/3, gave up nine hits and three earned runs. Denard Span owned the Reds last night, tuning them up for four hits on his own.

Man, Jay Bruce is really struggling. He didn’t really sting anything all night long, and he’s down now to .219 on the season. I don’t know what is wrong with him. I hate to say it, but perhaps he just needs a change of scenery. There’s no reason for a player of his caliber to be having a season like this. Star players simply do not struggle in this matter. It’s painful to sit back and watch him endure.

The biggest thing that Bryce Harper did last night was robbing Billy Hamilton of extra bases with a web gem, top-ten catch. It appeared that he re-injured himself at first. Always the fear with Harper. We’ve got video of the catch below:

Harper went 1 for 4 with a hit off Alfredo Simon, a walk, and a run. I didn’t realize during the game that he actually tweaked his stance again.

Here is the Budweiser Party Deck out in Right Field. It was a happening spot last night on a beautiful Friday evening just off the river. One of the only spots that Reds fans could generate any excitement. One of my friends who texted me while I was at the game remarked that ‘beer sales were probably up last night’. He had to have been correct. I had six on my own in about forty minutes. That combined with the Reds offense made me feel really tired.

Baseball Gods: help Jay Bruce turn this thing around.

saturday baseball

Your Saturday Baseball Post

July 26, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

There’s nothing better than a Saturday with some baseball on tap for your day.

Yasiel Puig made a little history late last night with three triples (four hits in total) in a big Dodgers win out in San Francisco.

As always, everyone is in play today in baseball. And as always, we do this post to remind you that baseball is the greatest sport on earth. Even with football starting.

Thank you for your continued support of Diamond Hoggers.

Uncategorized

On Breaking Bad…

July 23, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

NON-BASEBALL POST ALERT: I’ve finally found something that can interest me in the summer evenings when the Reds aren’t hitting or when my fantasy team is shitting the bed.

I will never forget this summer of 2014, a summer in which I traveled on a magical journey to Albuquerque with Walt, Jessie, Hank, Hector, Gus, Tucco and a whole other magical cast of characters.

I will likely finish the series tonight – if not a day or two later – but likely tonight since when I start watching, I simply can’t stop. And I’ve found something else that parallels baseball season in that; I wish Breaking Bad was another five seasons longer than it’s going to be, because I’m not really ready for it to wrap up.

Never before has television; or a series for that matter been so beautifully and artistically done. If you’re one of those people who has briefly heard about it and has delayed watching it; please do yourself a favor and get Netflix or watch it by any means necessary. I didn’t think it was possible to be as good as people made it out to be. The truth is, it’s probably better. You’ll get hooked like Skinny Pete on some blue persuasion meth (just watch the damn show).

I usually watch baseball like a madman from 7:00 until the last pitch is thrown well after midnight in the eastern time zone. I am grateful to Heisenberg and family for welcoming me in this summer and creating a distraction that I desperately needed. It’s truly the greatest television I’ve ever enjoyed and I only fear that nothing like it will ever come again in my lifetime. It can’t possibly.

Throwing it around

Throwing it Around

July 22, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

It’s a glorious and muggy Monday evening in July – to state the obvious. We hope the beginning of your work week wasn’t as busy as ours. Here are the best baseball reads of the day:

-Joe Posnanski has an outstanding article on who will be the face of baseball when Derek Jeter retires. [NBC Sports]
-The Angels have rebuilt their bullpen, and they’ve done it to win now. [FanGraphs]
-The eyes of baseball focus on Cliff Lee this evening (he’s getting hit). [CSN Philly]
-The Giants signed Dan Uggla. Why? [Deadspin]
-Walt Jocketty is shopping the trade market to try to help the Reds. [Cincinnati.com]
-Tommy Milone is demanding the A’s to trade him. [Ken Rosenthal]
-Anthony Rizzo, killin’ it. [Chicago Sun Times]

Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have some serious Magic Working Right now

July 21, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

[Box Score]

[Seattle Times] [OC Register Angels Blog]

The Angels – if you watch them each day – they’re that team this year that is high on character. That team that never seems to be out of a game. They are a gritty, grimy bunch (not without their fine items) that just seems to hang around and never actually be dead.

Today they did it again. Another day in which Mike Trout filled the stat sheet and hit an incredible home run, his 23rd of the year. Trout literally willed his team to a win today. He added a single, and a walk at a critical juncture, scoring three runs.

Josh Hamilton had three hits, Kole Calhoun added three more including a home run.

But the memorable part of this game will be when Fernando Rodney blew the save – and possibly shot his arrow a bit too early on the Angels. This isn’t a team to be declaring that you shot Jesse James on until you’re certain that he’s dead.

And the Angels had a little fun with it. We’re so glad that they did. If you’re a baseball fan, and you’re not taking the time to stop and smell the roses and enjoy what the Angels are doing this year for their fans and for all of us that follow baseball, you’re missing out.

It was their league leading 30th come-from-behind win in baseball. That says a lot about the group.

Red Sox

Another really good baseball blog out there

July 19, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

I found another baseball blog I’ve ventured to several times in the past, but for the first time the other night I spent some significant time hunting around. It’s the Joy of Sox blog, and there’s a ton of Red Sox focus but also just some really good baseball commentary.

It’s updated almost daily – and it’s been around since 2003 (and we thought this blog was old!). It’s operated by Allan Wood who has authored a couple of Red Sox books.

If you’re a Red Sox fan it’s one of the better stops on the net, and as a baseball fan it’s about as good of a model as there is out there if you’re starting a blog and doing daily baseball commentary. Very organized, concise and easy to read. There is a lot of history on the blog.

Uncategorized

Did you ever wonder what happened to Tom Emanski?

July 19, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

This is a must-click link that will lead you over FOX Sports, as Eric Malinowski ran a popular story he did the other day on good old Tom Emanski.

If you grew up in the era that we did, you long for the old Emanski commercials to just play late night one more time, but like anything else in life they quietly faded away off television and are no longer seen.

Time catches up to everyone – even Fred McGriff who was always seen in that hideous ‘Baseball World’ trucker hat in the commercials.

Before everything in business was dot com, there was Tom Emanski and his VHS tapes. You’ll enjoy this read.

Anaheim Angels, bonus baseball, Seattle Mariners

Last night had to be the longest game in the Mike Trout Angels era

July 19, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

On the night they traded for Huston Street (they gave up some nice pieces that would have been a big part of their future), the Angels played a five hour, 14 minute game in which they outlasted the Mariners in 16 innings to win 3-2.

I saw most of it – and I have to give the Angels bullpen credit. The last three pitchers who appeared; Fernando Salas, Cory Rasmus, and Hector Santiago all got out of jams where I said to myself ‘they’re going to blow it right here’. As a whole, the Angels pen threw ten innings of shutout baseball after Jered Weaver left the game.

Mike Trout had three hits and scored the winning run. At almost 3:00 AM EST, I woke up to see good old Efren Navarro hit his seeing eye single back up the box to score Trout from second.

The Angels have some serious magic going this year. On Sirius MLB Network Radio this morning the host – and forgive me for not knowing his name – said if the Angels could just add one more starting pitcher he would pick them to be a World Series team out of the American League. I don’t know about that, but they’ve caught my interest this year.

saturday baseball

Your Saturday Baseball Post

July 19, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

Like a roll call at Yankee Stadium, we always show on a Saturday. And speaking of Yankee Stadium, the Reds are playing there as we speak. There’s something so beautiful about a Saturday afternoon game in the summer starting at 1:00 at Yankee Stadium. How do people waste their weekend down time watching golf when this is going on? This is how you relax! This is how you really live!

We’re batching it this weekend, so we should have time to get a lot of important stuff done like a few extra blog posts, and a few extra daily fantasy lineups.

Baseball on the weekend, you simply can’t beat it. Soak it in.

Thank you for your continued support of Diamond Hoggers.

Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals

With a new & improved stance, Bryce Harper takes K-Rod Deep

July 19, 2014 TheNaturalMevs Leave a comment

It was obvious at one quick glance that something was different about Bryce Harper’s stance this Friday evening in Washington. It almost looks as if he tore a page out of Adam Laroche’s book with his new-look adjustment at the plate. He looks more relaxed and was able to get himself into a hitting position by simplifying his hands; not holding them as high as the past Harper would have.

The results were tremendous: a line drive single to right, a single back up the box, and he turned on a 93-MPH Francisco Rodriguez fastball to right field in the bottom of the ninth.

As great as K-Rod has been for most of this season for Milwaukee, this is definitely a good sign.

I watched a good portion of this game, and it was a frustrating one for the Nationals. They banged out 11 total hits, with ten coming off Kyle Lohse. It just seemed they could never capitalize on scoring opportunities. Stephen Strasburg had a weird night. It seemed like his stuff was entirely nasty and he was missing a ton of bats (nine strikeouts), but the Brewers made it hurt when they connected with a couple of home runs and bases clearing double. This too often is the Strasburg the Nationals are getting when they need a true, frontline ace to take hold of their division.

The Nationals lost by a final of 4-2.