Todd's Takes: Max is Mad

Because I Said So

If you're reading this piece, you've no doubt dug into the Max Scherzer suspension. We've all read his comments along with those from Scott Boras. We've checked out what the umpires said and probably saw some stuff about a conspiracy theory since Scherzer didn't vote to approve the CBA. Hopefully, you didn't get caught with the clickbait piece by Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, claiming Scherzer was a victim of karma after he (his words, not mine) quit on the Dodgers in 2021.

I usually refrain from commenting on stuff for which I don't know the whole story, which is certainly the case here. However, the notion of ejecting Scherzer and not being able to say with certainty it wasn't sweat and rosin bothers me. It was stickier than we've ever seen? It was a different color? I don't know, this feels like, "Because I said so."

The point is moot with Scherzer accepting the 10-game suspension, but I sure would have loved to hear Phil Cuzzi's answer when asked, "If it wasn't sweat and rosin, what was it?"

I'm not a lawyer; maybe he doesn't need to know what it was. However, I was a big fan of Suits, when USA Network self-produced shows like Burn Notice, White Collar, Psych and Covert Affairs as opposed to the current trash like Chrisley Knows Best. Yuck, I just threw up in my mouth. Anyway, there's no way Mike Ross would have let MLB get away with suspending Scherzer for 10 games.

Speaking of Psych, I am assuming most of you know James Roday (James Rodriguez) is an avid fantasy player, participating in both the NFBC and NFFC. In fact, there is a cool charitable component to his NFFC involvement. The show is shown a couple hours a day on one of the Hallmark networks. I'm usually working, but there are some afternoons I get to play, "spot the pineapple."

Check Out the Movement

What happened to the slider and cutter? Now everyone throws a sweeper or a slutter. Oops, can I write that here? Pitch classification between sources is already jumbled, and now we have more classifications. Argh.

That said, I believe in keeping up with the times.

Coincidence? I Think Not

Jacoby Ellsbury is MLB's all-time leader, drawing 31 catcher's interference calls, including a dozen in 2016. Ellsbury was shown attending the Celtics game last Saturday, then he headed over to Fenway Park to catch the Red Sox's come-from-behind win over the Angels, which featured three catcher's interference call during Boston's late-inning rally.

Hmm...

Box Score Blitz: Thursday, April 20

• BOS 11, MIN 5: Every Red Sox starting position player collected at least one knock, with Enrique Hernandez extending his hitting streak to seven games with a 3-for-5 effort. Alex Cora has taken notice by moving Hernandez to the five hole... Alex Verdugo set the tone with his second homer. He's an intriguing "buy high" candidate as all of his underlying metrics are better than last season. That is, his strong start is earned and not buoyed by luck... Tanner Houck continued to make a case for staying in the Red Sox rotation with seven strong innings, including seven strikeouts... Jarren Duran looks like a different player so far, much more comfortable and confident. He's still nowhere near mixed-league ready, but he's made the AL-only radar... Kenta Maeda exited after he was hit in the ankle by a Duran 111-mph line drive in the second inning. Maeda was able to retrieve the ball and throw Duran out to end the frame, but he was unable to come out for the third. X-rays were negative.
• NYY 9, LAA 3: Nestor Cortes has been sharper, but he toughed out six innings, scattering four hits and two walks while yielding three runs to earn a quality start and a win. He fanned seven... For the second time in three games, the Yankees double-play combo was Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe, with Gleyber Torres at designated hitter. Yankees fans would like to see this regularly, and they may with Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton on the IL... Isiah Kiner-Falefa made a couple of nice plays in center field. His bat remains suspect, but if Kiner-Falefa can hold his own with the glove, he could remain in the lineup and run a bit... Angels' catcher Logan O'Hoppe collected three hits, but he also aggravated a shoulder injury incurred on Monday. O'Hoppe will miss the next couple of games (at least) while undergoing further evaluation... Patrick Sandoval tied a career high with six walks. He had walked six over his first three starts, spanning 13.2 innings. Sandoval is off to a slow start, but he's faced the Blue Jays at home, then squared off with the Red Sox and Yankees on the road, so patience is recommended.
• PIT 4, CIN 3: The Pirates are quietly off to a 13-7 start, with their latest win fueled by a three-run shot courtesy of Connor Joe... Jack Suwinski stayed hot with his fourth homer in the past four games. He's also walked four times in that span... Roansy Contreras punched out eight over 6.2 innings, both the second-most in his young career. Even so, Contreras is still just a home streamer, though he could be more by season's end... David Bednar notched his sixth save, tying Emmanuel Clase and Josh Hader for second most in MLB, one behind Jordan Romano... Luke Weaver gave up the aforementioned homers to Joe and Suwinski in back-to-back fashion in the first inning, then threw five scoreless frames with seven strikeouts, giving him eight for the game. Even so, Weaver's track record does not merit running to pick him up.
• COL 5, PHI 0: C.J. Cron blasted his fifth homer. It was his fourth on the road, fueling a 1.034 OPS in away games. At homer, Cron has just one homer, resulting in a .493 OPS. Clearly, Cron should be oN rEseRVe fOr AlL cOOrS FIelD gAMes... It's tough trusting Rockies relievers, but Justin Lawrence has been effective in a multi-inning capacity with 14 strikeouts in 11 innings. Last season he induced grounders at a 50.8 percent clip, which he's bumped to 62.5 percent so far this season... Matt Strahm rebounded from a rough outing in Cincinnati with 11 punchouts against Colorado, but he yielded three runs in his second straight loss. Strahm should get at least two more starts before Ranger Suarez is ready to return.
• LAD 6, CHC 2: I'll take the L on James Outman. Maybe I should hold out since he's fanning at a 30 percent clip, and he likely won't sustain a .371 BABIP, but he's earned regular playing time, which is where my preseason analysis fell short. A 1.403 OPS against lefties is impressive, be it in 16 or 160 plate appearances... Michael Grove only pitched three frames after aggravating a sore groin. He was placed on the IL, with Gavin Stone a possible replacement... Mookie Betts returned from paternity leave. He pinch hit, then played — wait for it — shortstop. Betts already has five games at the keystone but now he could play some shortstop while Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor are out... Brad Boxberger pitched the eighth in a tie game. He walked a pair but did not allow a run. Michael Fulmer walked a batter while allowing three hits in the ninth, with one of the knocks being Outman's second homer of the game and first grand slam of his career. Boxberger and Fulmer may end up trading setup and closer all season.
• NYM 9, SF 4: Kodai Sega walked four Giants in five frames, but he hung on to run his record to 3-0... Pete Alonso clubbed his league-leading ninth homer of the season. Jeff McNeil and Eduardo Escobar also went deep. Escobar's is of note since he's off to a terrible start and the Mets recently called up Brett Baty... Sean Manaea wasn't sharp. Not only did he walk three in 3.2 innings, he hit two Mets while only fanning three.
• SD 7, ARI 5: Fernando Tatis was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, but Xander Bogaerts and Matt Carpenter had his back with homers... Tatis and Ha-Seong Kim narrowly avoided what could have been a serious collision on a pop out in shallow right field. Hopefully they get their communication ironed out... Josh Rojas is quietly off to a solid start. With second and third base eligibility, he's a nice lineup piece. He only has two steals, but that should pick up sooner than later... Josh Hader threw 22 pitches to collect the save in the Padres' 1-0 win on Wednesday, but Bob Melvin still called Hader's number last night. The southpaw needed only 10 pitches to secure his sixth save, but with 32 pitches over the past two days, Luis Garcia will probably be in line for a save on Friday... Scott McGough posted his second straight scoreless outing, fanning four over those three stanzas.