Strider speaks out, the Giants are too good to be this bad, and the Rockies' bumpy ride

Greetings, fellow baseball enjoyers! And welcome to our thrice-weekly newsletter/blog.

We’ve got Spencer Strider speaking out about the pitcher injury epidemic, why the Giants are too good to be this bad, and a bizarre incident only the Rockies could be mixed up in.

My name’s AJ… and this is Two-Strike Count.

Strider speaks out

The prognosis is surprisingly good for Spencer Strider, who recently had his second major elbow surgery in five years. As it turned out, his UCL wasn’t torn and he didn’t end up needing Tommy John surgery. All good news.

The opposite of good news is that Strider is just another in a long line of pitchers to wind up on the IL this season. I think it’s safe to declare it a pitching injury epidemic. And now one of them is speaking out.

Strider spoke to reporters Friday and told them that because he avoided Tommy John surgery, his recovery time should be shorter, meaning he’ll be back on the mound sooner than first expected. More good news. Especially for Strider, the Braves, and their fans. Strider also weighed in on what’s causing all the injuries.

The Braves’ ace disagreed with the idea that an increased emphasis on velocity and spin rate is to blame. He also said “people were getting hurt in baseball way before we were putting velocity on the screen” and that “If instead of the game’s top pitchers, it was a bunch of guys nobody’s heard of, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation.”

Uh. Right.

First off, yes, players have been getting hurt in baseball since, well, they started playing it. The problem is players are getting hurt at an alarming rate. Especially pitchers. There’s way too many pitchers facing lengthy stints on the IL or out for the season. And there’s no way it’s a coincidence that all the injuries are happening when there’s so much emphasis on velocity and spin rate. I mean, tune into any game and you’ll see and hear the broadcasters breaking down everything from how fast a pitcher’s throwing to how much spin their four-seamer has.

As for Strider’s assumption that we wouldn’t be talking about all these injuries if they were happening to lesser known players… that’s ridiculous. I dunno if he’s noticed, but lesser known players are getting injured and people are talking about them. The reason injuries to star players are getting so much press is to highlight how big of a problem this situation is.

But even though I disagree with Spencer Strider’s position, I’m glad to see a big name speaking out. Here’s hoping it leads to more dialogue… and some changes.

The Giants are too good to be this bad

The new-look San Francisco Giants have stumbled out of the gate and are sitting in fourth place in the NL West at 10-13. That’s a bit of a surprise considering the off-season moves they made. The Giants went out and got slugger Jorge Soler and reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell. 

So why the slow start? 

The Giants’ key pieces have just straight up struggled. Snell’s got an 11.57 ERA. Soler, meanwhile, has come to bat with 69 runners on base this season and only driven in 2 of them. Two. And Mike Yastrzemski is hitting a dismal .182 so far.

But take heart, Giants fans. Your team’s got too much talent to be this bad. Blake Snell is, well, Blake Snell. And he’s not an 11.57 ERA pitcher. He’ll turn things around. They’ve got Logan Webb and Jordan Hicks, and former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray who’s slated to return after the All-Star Break. And with Patrick Bailey off to a hot start, all the pieces are in place for the Giants to turn things around.

Rockies bumpy season hits turbulence

I promise what you’re about to read really happened, even though it sounds too bizarre to believe. Amid their worst start (5-17) in franchise history, the Colorado Rockies already bumpy season got even bumpier. 

The FAA and United Airlines are investigating the team’s April 10 flight from Denver to Toronto after a video was posted online of hitting coach Hensley Meulens sitting in the pilot’s seat.

 Like I said… bizarre. 

In the video, Meulens thanked the pilots for the experience. The pilots have since been suspended and withheld from service by the FAA. 

Leave it to the Rockies to be the first MLB team (and probably the first sports team ever) to break FAA regulations. But hey, if there’s a silver lining, at least they’re in the news for something other than being the worst team in baseball.

That’s it for this edition of Two-Strike Count, baseball fans. Until next time! 

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