MLB Review/Game(s) of the Day: 4-4-2024
Milj
Game(s) of the Day
04-3-2024 Recap:
As I mentioned in a prior post, I want to use this opportunity to bring not only recaps of games, but also major news around the league. Some major news I would like to share, that actually broke just before I am typing this, is the confirmation that the Oakland Athletics will be moving to Vegas. They will be playing the 25, 26, and 27 seasons in Sacramento, which is interesting. Sad day for some, happy for others. Similar to the sting of the Raiders leaving the once great sports city, the A’s are following a sullen path to the land of greed. Despite the best efforts of front office executive Billy Beane, the A’s made their decision to find new grounds. It wasn’t long ago that the Athletics were a playoff team with legit talent. Players like Matt Chapman and Josh Donaldson once roamed amongst a sea of Athletics fans, stadium filled to see what excitement their team would bring. We haven’t had a baseball team make a move like this since the Montreal Expos were ripped away from their homeland. An emotional day for the sport and for the city of Oakland. If only their executives listened to what the players and fans were saying, instead of hiding behind a veil of self pity.
A majority of yesterday’s games were in the middle of the work day which made it tough to watch, but I saw some highlights on the Twins vs Brewers games which I would like to speak to. It almost seemed as if there was an eerie feeling of doubt surrounding this Twins team, in particular their offense. Some of those doubts were relieved yesterday as they finally were able to come through with men on base, beating the Brewers 7-3. Left on Base or LOB, is a key offensive metric that I tend to look at to measure a team’s offensive efficiency. The only batting average that truly matters is when there are Runners in Scoring Position or RISP. To begin, the Twins were despicable in this category, we will see if this offensive explosion carries into the rest of the season. I just wish this capacity to score was evident yesterday! On a positive note, my GOTD went almost exactly how I thought it would, minus Chris Bassitt getting shelled. I do believe he will turn it around, perhaps closing his pitch selection down a little bit will help to right the ship. Anyways, the Astros looked a lot like the Astros that you expect to see. In this three game series against the Blue Jays, they scored ten runs, then one run, and finished with eight runs. This perfectly encapsulates the volatility that lives within the game of baseball. No idea how a team might play from a day to day basis, which is what makes it fun! Offensively, Yordan finally showed his capabilities at the plate, going a cool four for five with his first two home runs of the season. Scary for the rest of the league if this lineup begins to click the way they should. And on top of that I secured my third GOTD pick victory, new winning streak imminent.
4-4-2024 Game(s) of the Day:
With only a few games on the docket for today, I decided to do a couple games that I think are worth tuning into. This means that my GOTD streak will go on a short one day break. There are two games at 4:00 PM E.T. that I will be keeping tabs on. The first being this Pirates versus Nationals game, for you new viewers, this Pirates team is an interesting one and has talent across the board. They are a great team to watch to gauge some of the distribution of talent within this league. Pirates have started off scorching hot, winning five of their first six games. Martin Perez, a world series champion pitcher for the Rangers last year, will be making the start for the Pirates after a solid first outing. O’Neil Cruz is a special talent and is always worth tuning in for. One other afternoon game that I will be watching is the Miami Marlins versus the Saint Louis Cardinals. This is a battle between two teams that I had some expectations for coming into 2024. The Marlins have started the season on a seven game losing streak which they are chomping at the bit to resolve as soon as possible. I expect their lineup to wake up and carry them to their first win of the season. Eighth straight losses is tough to imagine for this squad. The Cardinals have shown offensive efficiency to begin this season which has the Cards performing a little above expectation. Both offenses are stacked so I'm excited to see how this one plays out.
GOTD Record: 3-1 *** No GOTD pick for today 4-4-2024, record reflects Astros pick from yesterday, 4-3-2024
I am excited to get back on the GOTD train for tomorrow, there is always one day a week where the slate is a bit weak so patience is needed during these times. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t some great baseball to spectate on this fine Thursday. As always, I hope you all have a great day and have an opportunity to watch some ball!
