2021 Series #17 | White Sox @ Indians | May 31-June 2, 2021

[TxBuckeye]

Karinchak might be getting a few days off if MLB reviews the video of him clearly using a substance in his glove last night.

Sounds like the White Sox weren’t pleased.

After asking the pitcher the other day to just change his hat the Tribe should raise all kinds of hell if Karinchak gets any kind of disciplinary action.

 

[xmasbuck]

so I guess if we play today we prolly wont have to worry about hosey's hydration level
-
btw, reds/phillies in cincy today has already been postponed - rain? reds are out of pitchers? phillies too tired from running around the bases last night?

 

[LL3]

Good day for an off day!

 

[CATS44]

If it wants to truly enforce rules against foreign substances being used by pitchers, MLB has a major problem. How do you discipline 80-90% of your pitchers?

And if a team wants to complain about somebody else's pitchers, how does it protect its own miscreants?

A pitchers stands in the middle of the diamond all by himself...in front of the umps, both teams, and thousands of fans with cell phones that can record everything he does. Touch his cap, touch his belt, tie his shoes, wipe sweat from his brow. Do the umps stop the game and inspect every time the pitcher does one of those things?

And do batters really want to live in a world in which pitchers throw virtual rocks at them at 95 MPH with a lot less control than they have now?

I think not.

Sticky stuff is like the weather. Everybody talks about it, but nobody can do anything about it.

 

[Andrew Scheid]

This is too obvious, guys.

This is the case for the vast majority of pitchers in the game today. The White Sox broadcast crew should be up-in-arms about Rodon and Lynn doing the same thing each outing. Of course, they only get upset when it's an opposing pitcher doing it.

 

[CATS44]

Good day for an off day!

A break for the Indians.

They just split six games with two of the best offenses in baseball, while using four kiddie starters.

With two days off, and two more next week, Tito can really set up the rotation...and the schedule thru June will help.

 

[Criznit]

I think the issue with Karinchak is his obvious use of foreign substance(s). Also there seems to be an "unwritten rule" regarding which substances the players/managers are OK with.. Sunscreen, rosin, pine tar? Those are OK... They shit coming out of a lab designed specifically for this? Not so much..

 

[buzzdog]

If it wants to truly enforce rules against foreign substances being used by pitchers, MLB has a major problem. How do you discipline 80-90% of your pitchers?

And if a team wants to complain about somebody else's pitchers, how does it protect its own miscreants?

A pitchers stands in the middle of the diamond all by himself...in front of the umps, both teams, and thousands of fans with cell phones that can record everything he does. Touch his cap, touch his belt, tie his shoes, wipe sweat from his brow. Do the umps stop the game and inspect every time the pitcher does one of those things?

And do batters really want to live in a world in which pitchers throw virtual rocks at them at 95 MPH with a lot less control than they have now?

I think not.

Sticky stuff is like the weather. Everybody talks about it, but nobody can do anything about it.

Several things on this subject... Karincheck is clearly a very fidgety guy regardless of if he's using any substances or not, as are a LOT of MLB pitchers. Are they going to somehow try to legislate against nervous fidgeting, I think not.

If there is truly a suspicion of a substance being used in his glove then how hard is it for the umps to take a quick look at the glove when he takes the mound? It seems to me it would be a simple matter, and they could do a quick check of every pitcher when they take the mound if they don't want to single anyone out. Why would that be hard? It would take no time at all as the pitcher walks out to the mound.

Third, I've heard a number of former players mention that hitters really don't mind pitchers getting better grip and therefore better control when they're throwing close to 100 mph. Rosin bags have been legally used forever to reduce the slickness of balls, to counter sweat, etc.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Rosin_bag

So using a substance to improve the pitcher's grip is not anything new, it becomes a matter of degree as to just how sticky the substance is to differentiate whether it's cheating or not cheating? It used to be vaseline and slick substances that were a problem. Then it was scuffing to enhance breaking balls. Now it's sticky stuff which has always been allowed to some degree.

More control of pitches is agreed to be a good thing for batter safety as opposed to less control from poor grip by the pitcher. But getting too much grip can be an advantage to breaking pitches, I get that. But just how do you draw the line in just the right spot to achieve good control (safety) but not too much control (cheating)?

 

[MadThinker88]

A break for the Indians.

They just split six games with two of the best offenses in baseball, while using four kiddie starters.

With two days off, and two more next week, Tito can really set up the rotation...and the schedule thru June will help.

I have to wonder if the Tribe will send out Eli Morgan to AAA so he can continue to get regular game work in and then be available again after the off days.
Lord knows the Clippers need mound help & could use another arm to assist on Thursday (double header to make up for AAA rainout today)...

 

[Gson]

I think the issue with Karinchak is his obvious use of foreign substance(s). Also there seems to be an "unwritten rule" regarding which substances the players/managers are OK with.. Sunscreen, rosin, pine tar? Those are OK... They shit coming out of a lab designed specifically for this? Not so much..

Sunscreen.. is made in a lab/controlled manufacturing process..
Rosin is a distillate product.. made in a lab/controlled manufacturing process...
Pine Tar is refined/purified/filtered in a lab/controlled manufacturing process..

so..?

 

[xmasbuck]

I have to wonder if the Tribe will send out Eli Morgan to AAA so he can continue to get regular game work in and then be available again after the off days.
Lord knows the Clippers need mound help & could use another arm to assist on Thursday (double header to make up for AAA rainout today)...

Mejia to start Friday, Civale Saturday

 

[Criznit]

Sunscreen.. is made in a lab/controlled manufacturing process..
Rosin is a distillate product.. made in a lab/controlled manufacturing process...
Pine Tar is refined/purified/filtered in a lab/controlled manufacturing process..

so..?

So... What? Certain things seem acceptable while others are not. Because it's already illegal no one is really talking.

What I think the players and managers are ambiguously suggesting is, they are "not" OK with a Professor Cream and Clear providing them with substances.
Pine tar OK. Epoxy not OK. Rosin OK. Boiled Coca Cola - defnitely pushing it. Nano-bond clear adhesive formula 107 - not OK.

 

[CATS44]

So where do we stand with two days off?

The team that can't compete with the good teams, that can only make its living against the Detroits of the world, is 16-14 vs teams with .500 or better records.

It is 14-10 against teams below .500.

It has to pick up the pace against the lesser teams.

The only real bottom feeder we have played is Detroit, who we are 7-3 against. But thru the rest of the month we play 13 games against Detroit, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh.

We play seven games vs the Cubs, StL, and Seattle...and four with Minnesota.

Time to fatten up before the grind.

Its actually a perfect set up for the youngest team in MLB.

 

[CATS44]

Interesting that Mejia is starting Friday.

With four days off in the next eight, we didn't need him to start. They could have gone with Hentges on Friday, and will likely have him available as a piggy back. But what does it say, when we are gonna use another starter when it wasnt necessary?

The rotation now looks like Biebs, Civale, TMac and Quantrill....and Mejia, if he looks good, or Hentges. But we won't need a fifth starter until June 15th vs Baltimore.

 

[buzzdog]

Interesting that Mejia is starting Friday.

With four days off in the next eight, we didn't need him to start. They could have gone with Hentges on Friday, and will likely have him available as a piggy back. But what does it say, when we are gonna use another starter when it wasnt necessary?

The rotation now looks like Biebs, Civale, TMac and Quantrill....and Mejia, if he looks good, or Hentges. But we won't need a fifth starter until June 15th vs Baltimore.

Hopefully it is simple as Tito seeing the same things in Mejia as many of us are seeing. The velocity and the stuff, the command, the body language and aggressiveness in attacking hitters. He just looks like someone who could become a dominating starter if he can stay healthy, and hopefully that's what our FO and Tito are testing with Mejia. If Mejia pans out as another starter it just reduces the strain on the entire pitching staff. Nothing to lose with this decision, everything to gain.

And, screw Hentges as a starter at this point of his development. He isn't ready yet IMO.