Let's Talk About Something Else

Game 20, Tuesday, April 24, McCoy Stadium, Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk Tides (Baltimore) 8; Durham Bulls 5
Season: 6-14; Trip: 1-12; Streak: 0-9
Box, Herald-Sun, Virginian-Pilot

As mentioned yesterday, one of the teams playing last night was going to break a losing streak. It wasn’t the Bulls.

Is there some light at all? Maybe. Careful reader Chris D has run some numbers for us that are interesting. In this table are the historic (that is, their minor league) OPSs of the Bulls lineup minus new guys Reid Brignac and Stephen Vogt (who had four bases stolen off him and his pitchers while catching just one, but who’s counting?).

What jumps out is that all but three players are well below what they’ve done in the past. A couple are down by very substantial margins. If you’re a stats geek at all, regression to the mean would tell you that things just have to get better. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell you when they will get better.

Thanks, Chris.

Outside the game:

• The Bulls are playing at Harbor Park, the main topic of an Adam Sobsey piece last August (scroll down), and reviewed here and here on other websites.
• The Bulls want you to improve on the look of the Blue Monster.
• The stats guys over at DRays Bay have taken a closer look at Hideki Matsui, but the Rays have yet to confirm the deal.