There should absolutely be a relegation system based on scorecards. If you can't make the right calls, then you don't deserve to be at the highest level

Can't wait for the scorecard to come out for this one. It will be lopsided just like all the others

Is there a way to add up all of the plus / minus for every scorecard for every team to see who has been affected the most over a season?

Yes. It's on the umpire scorecard website

We had 1-2 baserunners nearly every inning. Balls/strikes aside, you don't win very many games if you can't score in more than just the 1st inning. Timely hitting has completely vanished from the lineup.

That's true and I completely agree.

At the same time, both things can be right. The offense sucks and MLB needs to do something about the umpiring problem.

South Platte said:

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We had 1-2 baserunners nearly every inning. Balls/strikes aside, you don't win very many games if you can't score in more than just the 1st inning. Timely hitting has completely vanished from the lineup.

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This. Timely hitting was what made the Rangers great and so much fun to watch in '23.

Flounder Dorfman said:

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That's true and I completely agree.

At the same time, both things can be right. The offense sucks and MLB needs to do something about the umpiring problem.

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Those are tough pitches and close calls. Happens to every team every night. It gets magnified when we give up the winning run immediately following the call, and we've done that a ton recently.

It sucks, but that's baseball.

Crazy how bad this offense got. 23 offense and 24 bullpen probably gets you 100 wins. 24 offense with 23 bullpen and you probably lose 100.

I agree up to the point where we chalk it up as "that's baseball".

Not in the minor leagues. Not anymore. And it shouldn't be in the majors either. The challenge system is working great in the minors and it needs to happen in MLB soon. It is going to happen eventually, so might as well start now.

Edit. "Now" as in next season.

Flounder Dorfman said:

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I agree up to the point where we chalk it up as "that's baseball".

Not in the minor leagues. Not anymore. And it shouldn't be in the majors either. The challenge system is working great in the minors and it needs to happen in MLB soon. It is going to happen eventually, so might as well start now.

Edit. "Now" as in next season.

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Not sure I've mentioned recently that I will never be onboard with robo umps. Just a personal preference for traditionalism.

I don't really like that idea either, but I very much want the challenge system implemented.

And stop getting pushed around by the umpires union.

That's a good point about the spin rates and the difficulty of the job. I should clarify my stance on this thing.

Standing behind the catcher and having a 100% hit rate on pitches that are barely inside or outside the zone is impossible. I know the guys attempting to do it have gotten a ton of training, continue to be trained and are doing the best job they can. I don't think anyone is back there intentionally calling a strike a ball.

But because it's so difficult, and the technology available, put the system in place where the calls can be more accurate. I really like how the minor leagues have been used as the testing grounds for changes. They've done a good job trying things out there and working out the kinks before bringing it on board in MLB.

I've also mentioned that I think baseball needs to figure out how to allow a pitcher to be highly successful by throwing low to mid 90's. Widen the plate, move the mound closer, allow pitchers to use whatever substance they want on the ball. Maybe even something as ridiculous as having a pitch speed limit?! That's absurd, I know.

Somehow MLB needs to figure out how to maintain arm health. We are at $200 million payrolls and many managers/GM's have no clue who will be in the starting rotation next week. That's a problem.

They could start by not messing with the ball. Especially not in the middle if the season and even better if they could not have different balls going in different games on the same day.

I think the arm health issue is really two things: guys going max effort on every pitch all the time and the pursuit of ever high spin rates. Removing spider tac and like made the second one even worse.

Yeah, I don't really see any answers on pitcher health other than addressing mechanics to help, finding new ways to build endurance, and finding the best mix of rest. Big picture, you need a lot of them and that's not changing.

If you change the rules to help pitchers, they are still gonna push the limit until their ERA is 0.00. They are always going to be fighting to be better than the next P who wants their job.

What a bad joke this season is.

Fire Ecker and Hyers on 9/30. So tired of this ****

Rangers making a strong push toward last place in the AL West, and I think they finish the season there. No offense = no chance.

Time to punt on this season.

We got aggies / cowboys football coming up, stars, mavericks, and an election.

Lots of other stuff. Just gotta hope these guys get the rest they need and come back focused with some new teammates to help out as well. Maybe a few new coaches too.

fc2112 said:

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Umpire Scorecard website shows we get a lot more calls in our favor than against us. I know for generic fans who are biased, this might seem hard to believe.

Let me assure you that your enjoyment of watching the games will increase a lot if you be more dismissive of calls against your team and more attuned to those in your favor. In short - try to watch with an unbiased eye.

It takes a while, but you will make yourself a lot more enjoyable to watch games with if you do.

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Last year we talked a lot about how there were numbers showing Heim was the best framing catcher in the league because our pitchers had so many (maybe the most in the league) pitches off the plate called strikes. Haven't seen any of that this year. Certainly seems like the pendulum swung back against us this season, particularly against our batters. Some of the recent games have been terrible, not just a 50/50 call went against you.

Not at all saying the difference is the reason we are so far below .500, but bad calls seem to be exacerbated by poor play.

In summary, the Rangers players and umps have been bad.

Wow. Hearing that CY is in the last year of his contract and it's not 100% certain he will be back next season. That would be a massive fail not bringing him back.

I would be SHOCKED if CY doesn't return. That would be a colossal mistake

Looks like Evan has thrown in the towel:

Rangers column: Where did this season go wrong? Let us do the autopsyhttps://t.co/qtUb5XYVkA

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) August 17, 2024

The Rangers lead Angels by 2.5 games for third in AL West or trail by 2.5 games for 3rd best lottery odds. All depends on your point of view https://t.co/K21s4Rm3sX

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) August 17, 2024

deGrom and Gray both threw to batters today. deGrom is headed for some rehab outing(s), Gray back to the team soon. Also saw that Scherzer is throwing again Sunday, and IS expecting to play again in 2025. I was (maybe still am) expecting him to retire. He's had a lot of issues the past two seasons or so, and has made plenty of money. He should probably hang'em up, no need to tarnish his name trying to hang on... JMO obviously.

Jon Gray will not need a rehab assignment before returning to #Rangers' roster, manager Bruce Bochy said. Gray speculated that he might get a game in relief vs. Pirates before getting a start.

— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) August 17, 2024

Mr Gigem said:

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I would be SHOCKED if CY doesn't return. That would be a colossal mistake

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I hope he is back. Would be a major fubar if not. Evan had an "Evan Help Us" article this week and discussed this. Was optimistic, but not a slam dunk.

PatAg said:

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While I do love the guy, I think it is not right for him to be getting something before Michael Young

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Agreed. Huge fan of both (obvs), but Young was the backbone of the Rangers for such a long time.