Post by Zigmo-Whitesox on Nov 4, 2023 17:43:52 GMT -5
Seattle Mariners(52-33) @ Boston Red Sox (47-37)
SEA: Regis Jentzsch (4-2, 3.13)
BOS: Luis Espinoza (10-5, 4.61)
Mariners 3 Key Stats
3.63: Seattles xFIP is the best in the game by a wide margin. Better than KC(3.81), MIL(3.81) NYM (3.84) Etc. What's the difference in xFIP and FIP? xFip normalizes HR rates which helps us evaluate better in small sample sizes. So what it is telling us is that despite how well Seattle has pitched thusfar they are getting a bit unlucky due to the long ball and we can expect an improvement(they prob shouldn't be tied with the angels here in their division at 92 bombs given up).
3.4: Ivan Johnsons WAR. Johnson absolutely loves Amazon Prime Park. in 2028 he was able to put up 7.9 WAR here that was 3 years ago. His last two years he has put up 2.5 WAR with KC and 3.2 with Detroit. He is on pace for 6.4 currently and history says that it's no fluke. Notable differences are his power has returned at 32 He is on pace for 29 bombs which is actually around his average in a Mariners uniform. He also has a career high in steals with 17 at the midway point in the season. Oddly is on pace for 13 doubles which is weird for someone with his speed. Perhaps he is just a very very short distance runner.
.404: Angelo Santiagos average last year vs left handed pitchers. He is down to a paltry .355 this year. The acquisition of Santiago makes a Seattle team who was already 23-10 vs left handed pitchers even more potent. Teams in the AL will need to hope that Kim, Green etc continue to struggle as righty starters have had more luck vs the Mariners. Seattle is 29-23 vs righties this could be the achilles heel to the team that was 2nd in ERA and runs scored prior to adding Santiago and talented Alfredo Murillo(1.55 ERA) to bolster the pen.
Red Sox 3 Key Stats
154: Homeruns by Boston. We think Seattle has been a bit unlucky giving up the long balls. Boston would really like to keep that going. They bring in the top offense in the league. It is not a team that lives and dies on the longball however. The team is also hitting .270 good for third in the league. They have a team OPS of .828 second best is Arizona at .791 so the distance is pretty big between 1 and 2.
3.9: Daniel Flores WAR. Flores has been known as a catcher with a great glove and a pretty good bat. This year though Flores has been amazing at the plate on an MVP caliber type of run in fewer games than some other contenders. It is early but if he can maintain this pace (7.4 War) he makes a pretty strong case. Flores a switch hitter has done well vs all pitching but has really punished lefty pitchers in limited at bats(.409 avg 7 bombs 66abs). Seattle has 4 lefties out of the pen things could get interesting if one of them is on the hill vs Flores.
4.79: Bostons ERA. This is where Boston will need to improve to win series such as this. They have went out and acquired two promising pitchers in Sergio Navarro and Chris Donelson. Neither have had a great start thusfar in Boston 4.79 and 7.77 ERAs. Boston will need to get these guys on track by the end the year. Navarro should get a shot at Seattle in game 3 of this series and as we looked at before seattle is more susceptible to right handers. However this first game with Espinosa on the mound looks like trouble.
Questions for the GMs:
For Jay Biggs, You went out and bolstered a strong bullpen and an already strong lineup especially vs lefties. Was this a calculated decision to try and dominate certain aspects of the game, were you just targeting the best available players, what went into the decision to make those moves?
Do you plan to continue to bolster your team as we head toward the deadline?
Ji-Hu Kim has had his share of struggles thusfar. The power is real but the average and strikeouts are a problem. Are you concerned?
For Mike Ball, Nonie Williams has had a quietly good start to the season and at 4.7m he seems like quite a steal. What was the most important roster move you made(or did not make) that lead to your success this season?
After adding Navarro and Donelson are you looking to further bolster your roster ahead of the deadline?
Speaking of Navarro and Donelson are you at all concerned with their slow start?
SEA: Regis Jentzsch (4-2, 3.13)
BOS: Luis Espinoza (10-5, 4.61)
Mariners 3 Key Stats
3.63: Seattles xFIP is the best in the game by a wide margin. Better than KC(3.81), MIL(3.81) NYM (3.84) Etc. What's the difference in xFIP and FIP? xFip normalizes HR rates which helps us evaluate better in small sample sizes. So what it is telling us is that despite how well Seattle has pitched thusfar they are getting a bit unlucky due to the long ball and we can expect an improvement(they prob shouldn't be tied with the angels here in their division at 92 bombs given up).
3.4: Ivan Johnsons WAR. Johnson absolutely loves Amazon Prime Park. in 2028 he was able to put up 7.9 WAR here that was 3 years ago. His last two years he has put up 2.5 WAR with KC and 3.2 with Detroit. He is on pace for 6.4 currently and history says that it's no fluke. Notable differences are his power has returned at 32 He is on pace for 29 bombs which is actually around his average in a Mariners uniform. He also has a career high in steals with 17 at the midway point in the season. Oddly is on pace for 13 doubles which is weird for someone with his speed. Perhaps he is just a very very short distance runner.
.404: Angelo Santiagos average last year vs left handed pitchers. He is down to a paltry .355 this year. The acquisition of Santiago makes a Seattle team who was already 23-10 vs left handed pitchers even more potent. Teams in the AL will need to hope that Kim, Green etc continue to struggle as righty starters have had more luck vs the Mariners. Seattle is 29-23 vs righties this could be the achilles heel to the team that was 2nd in ERA and runs scored prior to adding Santiago and talented Alfredo Murillo(1.55 ERA) to bolster the pen.
Red Sox 3 Key Stats
154: Homeruns by Boston. We think Seattle has been a bit unlucky giving up the long balls. Boston would really like to keep that going. They bring in the top offense in the league. It is not a team that lives and dies on the longball however. The team is also hitting .270 good for third in the league. They have a team OPS of .828 second best is Arizona at .791 so the distance is pretty big between 1 and 2.
3.9: Daniel Flores WAR. Flores has been known as a catcher with a great glove and a pretty good bat. This year though Flores has been amazing at the plate on an MVP caliber type of run in fewer games than some other contenders. It is early but if he can maintain this pace (7.4 War) he makes a pretty strong case. Flores a switch hitter has done well vs all pitching but has really punished lefty pitchers in limited at bats(.409 avg 7 bombs 66abs). Seattle has 4 lefties out of the pen things could get interesting if one of them is on the hill vs Flores.
4.79: Bostons ERA. This is where Boston will need to improve to win series such as this. They have went out and acquired two promising pitchers in Sergio Navarro and Chris Donelson. Neither have had a great start thusfar in Boston 4.79 and 7.77 ERAs. Boston will need to get these guys on track by the end the year. Navarro should get a shot at Seattle in game 3 of this series and as we looked at before seattle is more susceptible to right handers. However this first game with Espinosa on the mound looks like trouble.
Questions for the GMs:
For Jay Biggs, You went out and bolstered a strong bullpen and an already strong lineup especially vs lefties. Was this a calculated decision to try and dominate certain aspects of the game, were you just targeting the best available players, what went into the decision to make those moves?
Do you plan to continue to bolster your team as we head toward the deadline?
Ji-Hu Kim has had his share of struggles thusfar. The power is real but the average and strikeouts are a problem. Are you concerned?
For Mike Ball, Nonie Williams has had a quietly good start to the season and at 4.7m he seems like quite a steal. What was the most important roster move you made(or did not make) that lead to your success this season?
After adding Navarro and Donelson are you looking to further bolster your roster ahead of the deadline?
Speaking of Navarro and Donelson are you at all concerned with their slow start?
