Baseball Journal August: Traders!

8-2-26

Lots of baseball today.    There were three games on at noon.    The Dodgers are planning on having their victory parade on Monday after trading for Tarik Skubal.    It’ll be like watching satan’s legions marching.    We’re only waiting to see who will get the consolation prize.    I’ll cover the games one-at-a-time.

Chihuahuas versus Isotopes

I think the Anthem singer got the words wrong again, like on Saturday (8-1-26).    The ‘Topes scored 3 in the top of the first and I mostly gave up on this game.    Charlie Condon hit a home run into the parking lot in the inning. The Isotopes ran up the score to 9-2.    The Chihuahuas fought back and scored 3 in the eighth to make it, 9-5. 10-5 Isotopes is the final.    The pups lost all 6 games in this home series.    There were 4,265 in attendance braving the heat today.

Rangers at Astros

The Rangers’ pregame broadcast was not mentioning the Skubal trade.    The Astros left the bases loaded in the first, but broke through in the fifth to make it, 3-0.    In the bottom, the Rangers finally broke up a potential no-hitter and scored 2 to make it, 3-2.

Brandon Nimmo tied it in seventh, 3-3.    Broadcaster Matt Hicks got so excited making the call, he got tied up in his cord.    Right before the Seventh Inning Stretch, Ranger manager Skip Schumacher was arguing with the ump over a called third strike.  Both of them stopped and stood at attention for God Bless America. They resumed arguing right after and Skip got ejected.    The Astros took the lead in the bottom and busted it open for a 7-3 win.    The Rangers were 1 and 5 on their road trip and played themselves out of first place and possibly out of contention.

Yankees at Cubs

This game was on a Mexican TV station.    It was overcast with the wind blowing in there in Chicago.    Jesus was sitting in the front row.    This guy was featured on camera for most of the game and announcers did say something.     It was probably something along the lines of, “It’s not the Second Coming.    He just wanted to take in a game.”   

The Yankees scored in the first on a solo home run, but don’t take that to mean there’s any divine favoritism towards the Yankees!    In the sixth, the Cubs loaded the bases with 2 outs.    Yankee starter Garrett Cole was taken out with 99 pitches.    The Yankees’ catcher, Austin Wells, challenged 3 pitches and was wrong twice, but the Yankees got up of it with a popup to the outfield.   

In the top of the ninth, Miguel Amaya, the Cubs’ catcher, made a tremendous play on a foul ball swirling in the wind.    In the eighth, Cubs runner, Justin Dean, stole second by sliding between the defender’s legs.    The Cubs had two on in scoring position with two outs, but a pitching change closed the door on them.    The Cubs lost 2-1.           

I might have enjoyed just picking one game to watch or listen to at a time.    Then again, given the results, it probably didn’t matter.    All the games finished at the same time and left me profoundly disappointed, though not as disappointed as walking out in the very hot sun to get barbeque and finding out the restaurant wasn’t open.    After a long walk back, I had no trouble talking myself into going to McAlister’s and gulping down two cups of their famous sweet tea.

Red Sox at Dodgers

This was the evening game on NBC.    Broadcaster Jason Benetti was quoting Dodger manager, Dave Roberts, before the game, “You can’t win every day and be prepared for the playoffs.”    Translation: “We could win every day.” A Japanese company has bought the naming rights for the field.    I don’t think the national announcers ever use it because nobody knows how to pronounce it.     

The Marlins Man was behind the plate for the game.    I haven’t seen him for a while.    I wonder where he’s been.  The Dodgers lost the first two games of this series, so it was imperative for them to get Skubal.    (Are they 20 games up in their division yet?)

The Red Sox scored twice in the first to get the lead.    In the second, the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out.    A fielder’s choice brought in a run and then Shohei Ohtani was given a walk to reload bases.    Andy Pages drove in more 2 runs with a single to make it, 3-2 Dodgers.    Ceddanne Rafela homered to tie it right back up.    On the next pitch, Wilyer Abreu homered and Masataka Yoshida followed that with a solo homer, 5-3 Red Sox.    That ceremonial Wally head that they wear after hitting a home run was getting damp.

In the third, Skubal arrived in the Dodger dugout in uniform and hugged Roberts and his new teammates.    In the fourth, Bob Costas defended the Skubal trade, saying that the small market Rays and Brewers are competing just as well as the Dodgers.    He had to admit that those teams can’t hold on to any of their star players.    The coverage showed a graphic for most hits since July 1 and Nick Gonzales was at the top of list.    Let’s hear it for the former Aggie star.   

In the sixth, Jarren Duran added a solo home run to make it, 6-3 Red Sox.    They were also doing it with the glove by turning all the balls on the infield into outs.    In the bottom of the seventh, dugout broadcaster, Clayton Kershaw, was talking to Mario Lopez, who unfortunately didn’t come on.    Benetti called him, “AC Slater,” so maybe that was a good thing.  Pages drove in another run with a double, 6-4.

In the eighth, the Red Sox had two on with no outs.    Duran bunted up the runners.    A wild pitch brought in one run and a passed ball brought in the other.    Mookie Betts then had an error at short.    8-4 Red Sox was the final and it was a three-game sweep.    Cancel the victory parade.    The Dodgers are done.    (They could lose every series from here out and still breeze into the playoffs.)       

8-3-26 Trade Deadline

Okay, let’s deal with it.    The Dodgers got Tarik Skubal from the Tigers.    There is a conspiracy theory by Players’ Union apologists that the other owners colluded to hand the Dodgers the Win Button to this years’ World Series in order to implement a hard salary cap.    It seems unlikely, but so what if they did?    The system is broken, as is. It’s a constant churn of small market teams preparing star players for their big contracts with the Dodgers and Yankees.   

They said that the Brewers or Rays could have gotten him, but at the cost their best prospects, which is the only reason why these small market teams are competitive.    Some teams have to destroy themselves for the future to have a chance to win it all.    Some teams pick up the best players at the trade deadline that they didn’t even need and don’t have to worry about the future.   

The MLB sells competition amongst peers, theoretically.    In reality, most teams have to suck to get high draft picks, hope they pan out, make a few moves, make a run at being competitive for a championship, and repeat the cycle.    A handful of teams are always competitive and are always favored for every big free agent, every big trade, and to win the World Series.    If they don’t make the playoffs, the MLB will add more playoff spots to help them get in.    That “handful” is getting smaller and smaller and may have been reduced to a single team, who has broken the system.    Just to the Players’ Union, I don’t see how this system benefits most of the players, much less the fans.

The Tigers’ window has shut, as they also traded Casey Mize.    They did bring up Max Clark, who rakes.    Maybe they should have brought him up earlier in the season and tried to save it.    Detroit did get Zyhir Hope for the Skubal trade.    I don’t know if its spin, but some analysts seem pretty high on him.   

The Rangers are a game-and-a-half out of AL West lead and tried to trade their best players: Jacob deGrom, Corey Seager, and Nathan Evoldi.    Either they couldn’t get an offer or the player refused the trade.    That sweep by Astros last week broke their will.    The Rangers did trade Josh Smith to the Blue Jays.    The Astros picked up Dalton Varsho.    The Blue Jays aren’t blown up yet but seem to be conceding on this season.

   

Mets did blow it up and lost Freddy Peralta to the Rays, Clay Holmes to the Cubs, and Luke Weaver, possibly the best relief arm available to the Pirates, who also got Kirby Yates for their bullpen. The Red Sox got Adley Rutschman and the Mariners got Taylor Ward, who were both traded from the Orioles.    The O’s aren’t executing a fire sale just yet.   

The Rockies dealt Antonio Senzatela to the Brewers, Victor Vodnik to the Marlins, and Brenton Doyle to the White Sox, but kept all-star catcher, Hunter Goodman.    The White Sox also got Luis Castillo.    The Phillies added steady hitting with Luis Arraez, though they have to position shift 3 players to accommodate him.    Padres added pitching with Robbie Ray and Casey Mize.    The Brewers added Dustin May for their staff.     

“Will any of these trades make a difference?” is the real question.    Given the Dodgers were already set up to win the World Series, I guess not.    Apart from that, maybe the Padres did the best to improve their chances this year.    Other than Hope to the Tigers (who were hopeless after losing Skubal), I’m not sure much in the way of top prospects changed hands, so this trade deadline might not even affect future competitiveness.