MLB playoffs

[ALX]

Indifferent on who wins now since they are both kind of "random" teams, just pumped the cheating Astros didn't make it again.

 

 

[TiScape]

1 minute ago, ALX said:

Indifferent on who wins now since they are both kind of "random" teams, just pumped the cheating Astros didn't make it again.

 

 

As a life long A’s fan (yeah, plz pray for me 😂) I’m in the same boat.

On the disdain for the Astros, when do you think it wanes? I think it won’t even begin to start until Altuve and Bregman are gone. 

[ALX]

@TiScape I honestly feel they will never shake it. It'll be like a Bonds/McGuire/Sosa thing. Talk about how great they were, but there will always be that fact in the back of everyone's mind.....as it should be.

[Triple Lindy]

So who’s up for a prediction? I’m heavily biased, having grown up in Arlington. Watched the Rangers in old Arlington Stadium managed by Ted Williams their first year (after relocating from DC). We enjoyed Billy Martin during his feud with Steinbrenner. Still no World Series rings, but this feels like the year, as wacky as it’s been - long winning streaks followed by horrendous losing streaks. Lost the top 2 pitching acquisitions (DeGrom and Scherzer), but Mad Max is trying to make his comeback.

 

Pitching isn’t strong for either team, but the Snakes’ bullpen has been more stable. Eovaldi and Montgomery have been stellar in the postseason and the Rangers should get 4 starts from those 2. Leclerc has stepped up as a closer. Keep an eye on Martin Perez, once a prized prospect who has been forgotten. He’s a lefty and AZ has struggled against lefties. Don’t get me started on Chapman, who believes he’s obligated to walk the 1st two batters he faces.

 

Rangers’ lineup, 1 through 9, can be deadly, but bats have a way of going quiet in the World Series. If that happens to Texas, it’s Arizona’s series for the taking. And home field advantage feels like a disadvantage in October, at least for Texas. Rangers are 1-3 at home this postseason and 8-0 on the road.

 

Regardless, both teams are playing with house money. Give me the Rangers in 6!

 

[golfortennis]

On 10/24/2023 at 9:52 AM, Shilgy said:

How cold is it up there? Interesting side note. This is the first postseason game 7 the Phillies have EVER played.  That 141 seasons!

 

 

 

141 seasons but c'mon, they might actually be less successful than the Cubs.  Think they only won one pennant between 1915 and 1980, and I don't believe they played any kind of playoff series before the 1903 world series.  The Cubs get the "lovable losers" treatment, but the Phillies have been just as inept without the cuteness(or the media mythologizing).  Steve Carlton's 1972 might be the best pitching performance of all time, a on 59 win team that was 29-12 when he started.

 

Too bad they got beat.  I like Harper and have family members who know a member of the staff personally.    

[golfortennis]

On 10/22/2023 at 12:33 PM, TiScape said:

Like it or not, the game has changed a lot in the last several years. Guys now “showboat” big HRs regularly. Just yesterday I read something in the tour sub that this reminds me of. What is “tradition”? Peer pressure from the dead.
😂

 

I don't have a problem with a celebration in big moment.  Jose Bautista's home run some years ago, any neutral who takes offense at a bat flip in that situation needs their head screwed on straight, IMHO.  Or Harper's home run last year. It's the home run in the 5th inning of a game in May that increases the lead from 5-1 to 7-1 and gets the same celebration that I think needs a lid on it.  Hockey players celebrate goals a lot differently depending on the game situation.  Anything more than about a 3 goal lead, it's a much more subdued reaction when you score.  

 

I'm not saying you gotta put your head down and do nothing like the old days, but discretion is the better part of valor, and time and place are a big thing.

[Shilgy]

On 10/25/2023 at 10:38 AM, ALX said:

@TiScape I honestly feel they will never shake it. It'll be like a Bonds/McGuire/Sosa thing. Talk about how great they were, but there will always be that fact in the back of everyone's mind.....as it should be.

Part of the problem is the guy that didn’t cheat is getting all the blame-still.  By all accounts Altuve wanted nothing to do with it but because he’s the face of the franchise he still gets the disdain.

 

Could he have stopped it? Maybe. Maybe not. 

[TiScape]

4 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

Part of the problem is the guy that didn’t cheat is getting all the blame-still.  By all accounts Altuve wanted nothing to do with it but because he’s the face of the franchise he still gets the disdain.

 

Could he have stopped it? Maybe. Maybe not. 

All the research I’ve done says the only one that never used it was Tony Kemp. So although Jose might not have liked it, he used it. So… 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Shilgy]

2 hours ago, TiScape said:

All the research I’ve done says the only one that never used it was Tony Kemp. So although Jose might not have liked it, he used it. So… 🤷🏼‍♂️

Correa said he(Altuve) didn’t…and the numbers back that up. He was much better on the road .

 

So I guess the opponents are glad he “did”?

[TiScape]

3 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

Correa said he(Altuve) didn’t…and the numbers back that up. He was much better on the road .

 

So I guess the opponents are glad he “did”?

Oh Correa said it??? Enough said 😂 

[Shilgy]

3 minutes ago, TiScape said:

Oh Correa said it??? Enough said 😂 

He didn’t claim to not have been involved himself.  But there are others.

 

Look “em up if you don’t believe me.

 

Or just trust the numbers he posted that season and watch video…. Or continue to blame the wrong guy.

[TiScape]

Like I said, I’m a big baseball guy and have seen all the reports. A few have gone through every Astros home at bat and listened for the “bangs”. While Jose used them the least. He used them. So he’s not as innocent as you are making him him out to be. As the face of the team and the fact he did use the system put into place to cheat (albeit less than others), I totally get the boos he receives. I honestly think most dislike Correa even more but he’s gone. 

[TiScape]

What a great game! Garcia is on 🔥 

[sheepdawg]

If you hit Garcia with a pitch it's best to intentionally walk him his next time up.

[Triple Lindy]

Game 1 and an epic start! Man, up is down with Eovaldi looking average, Sewald blowing a save, and the Rangers’ bullpen going 6-1/3 scoreless! Garcia is having a storybook postseason - unreal.

 

3 wins to go!

[Triple Lindy]

A few stats that underscore just how improbable last night’s win was for the Rangers:

 

In 2023, Rangers were 1-61 in games where they trailed after 8 innings. They win by building big leads and hanging on.

 

Rangers had the worst bullpen in the league in 2023, with 33 blown saves. They pitched 6-1/3 scoreless innings last night, allowing only 2 hits, which kept the game within reach.

 

Sewald had not blown a save since August and had not yielded a run this postseason.

 

Sewald had not walked a batter this postseason. He walked Texas’ #9 hitter (Taveras) before facing Seager.

 

Seager was 0-5 lifetime against Sewald.

 

Of course, based on that info, everyone expected a 2-run HR from Seager off of Sewald to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th, setting the stage for more heroics from Garcia.

 

Oh, and last night just happened to be the 12th anniversary of David Freese’s 2-out, 2-strike, bottom of the 9th, 2-run triple over Nelson Cruz to tie Game 6 when the Rangers were up 3 games to 2 —- 1 freakin strike away from a title! Freese set the MLB postseason RBI record that year.
 

Garcia passed him with the game-winning HR last night.

 

I know it’s only Game 1, but demons are being exorcised.

 

[golfortennis]

22 hours ago, Triple Lindy said:

A few stats that underscore just how improbable last night’s win was for the Rangers:

 

In 2023, Rangers were 1-61 in games where they trailed after 8 innings. They win by building big leads and hanging on.

 

Rangers had the worst bullpen in the league in 2023, with 33 blown saves. They pitched 6-1/3 scoreless innings last night, allowing only 2 hits, which kept the game within reach.

 

Sewald had not blown a save since August and had not yielded a run this postseason.

 

Sewald had not walked a batter this postseason. He walked Texas’ #9 hitter (Taveras) before facing Seager.

 

Seager was 0-5 lifetime against Sewald.

 

Of course, based on that info, everyone expected a 2-run HR from Seager off of Sewald to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th, setting the stage for more heroics from Garcia.

 

Oh, and last night just happened to be the 12th anniversary of David Freese’s 2-out, 2-strike, bottom of the 9th, 2-run triple over Nelson Cruz to tie Game 6 when the Rangers were up 3 games to 2 —- 1 freakin strike away from a title! Freese set the MLB postseason RBI record that year.
 

Garcia passed him with the game-winning HR last night.

 

I know it’s only Game 1, but demons are being exorcised.

 

 

I'm sure it's not a huge number, but I would be curious to see how much the stupid runner on 2nd to start extra innings affects that.  ie., how many games did they force to extras when trailing after 8, and then how much did the other team having a man on second impact(and I don't buy the "it's the same for both teams" stuff people like to throw out.)  

[Triple Lindy]

1 hour ago, golfortennis said:

 

I'm sure it's not a huge number, but I would be curious to see how much the stupid runner on 2nd to start extra innings affects that.  ie., how many games did they force to extras when trailing after 8, and then how much did the other team having a man on second impact(and I don't buy the "it's the same for both teams" stuff people like to throw out.)  

Yeah, that might be interesting, but I don’t think many, if any, of their losses when trailing after 8 went into extra innings.

[TiScape]

IMO the fact the P can only “disengage” 2x per AB has been of far bigger significance than the runner on 2nd in extras. The snakes 🐍 run like wild horses! Stealing has become “stupid easy”. 

[Triple Lindy]

Well, last night was a dose of reality. When the Rangers’ offense disappears, so do their chances. They’ll need to find a pitcher that can get them a win over the next 3 games - some kind of platoon like they used in Game 7 in the ALCS.

[Triple Lindy]

1 minute ago, TiScape said:

IMO the fact the P can only “disengage” 2x per AB has been of far bigger significance than the runner on 2nd in extras. The snakes 🐍 run like wild horses! Stealing has become “stupid easy”. 

No doubt. I don’t think Texas has seen an offense that puts that kind of pressure on the P this season.

[grm24]

On 10/28/2023 at 12:05 PM, Triple Lindy said:

A few stats that underscore just how improbable last night’s win was for the Rangers:

 

In 2023, Rangers were 1-61 in games where they trailed after 8 innings. They win by building big leads and hanging on.

 

Rangers had the worst bullpen in the league in 2023, with 33 blown saves. They pitched 6-1/3 scoreless innings last night, allowing only 2 hits, which kept the game within reach.

 

Sewald had not blown a save since August and had not yielded a run this postseason.

 

Sewald had not walked a batter this postseason. He walked Texas’ #9 hitter (Taveras) before facing Seager.

 

Seager was 0-5 lifetime against Sewald.

 

Of course, based on that info, everyone expected a 2-run HR from Seager off of Sewald to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th, setting the stage for more heroics from Garcia.

 

Oh, and last night just happened to be the 12th anniversary of David Freese’s 2-out, 2-strike, bottom of the 9th, 2-run triple over Nelson Cruz to tie Game 6 when the Rangers were up 3 games to 2 —- 1 freakin strike away from a title! Freese set the MLB postseason RBI record that year.
 

Garcia passed him with the game-winning HR last night.

 

I know it’s only Game 1, but demons are being exorcised.

 

 

Great stat on the Rangers side. Heard it before game 7 with the Astro's. Bruce Bochy has never lost a playoff series when the team he is managing has won game 1. Also never lost a game 7.

[TiScape]

4 minutes ago, Triple Lindy said:

Well, last night was a dose of reality. When the Rangers’ offense disappears, so do their chances. They’ll need to find a pitcher that can get them a win over the next 3 games - some kind of platoon like they used in Game 7 in the ALCS.

I can say I definitely don’t have a lot of confidence in Max at this point in his career 

[Triple Lindy]

2 minutes ago, grm24 said:

 

Great stat on the Rangers side. Heard it before game 7 with the Astro's. Bruce Bochy has never lost a playoff series when the team he is managing has won game 1. Also never lost a game 7.

Another trend that is holding up - neither the Diamondbacks or the Rangers have lost this postseason when scoring first. Getting that first run across the plate is huge!

[Noles]

As the Eagles were trailing 14-3, seeing a commercial for the WS was cruel.

[deadsolid...shank]

I’ve only watched a few innings tonight, but where did they find this clown who is behind the plate. He’s missing pitches by 6”. Several of them. MLB should be embarrassed. 

[Triple Lindy]

10 hours ago, deadsolid...shank said:

I’ve only watched a few innings tonight, but where did they find this clown who is behind the plate. He’s missing pitches by 6”. Several of them. MLB should be embarrassed. 

That has been the case the entire postseason. Seems like outside pitches to RH hitters have been the worst calls, or at least the ones I’ve noticed most. That strike call in the bottom of the 9th on a 3-1 count was awful.

[Triple Lindy]

So the Rangers are walking a path they haven’t been down this year - cobbling together enough pitching to win low scoring games. Jon Gray was lights out last night, but he was an option to start Game 4. The Scherzer experiment clearly hasn’t worked, but so far, Texas has survived. Bochy is a genius and needs to be able to squeeze out 2 more wins.
 

The Garcia injury could be devastating. His defense doesn’t get the attention it deserves because of his bat. That throw to the plate from relatively deep right/center to prevent a run in the 2nd was huge! He also made a couple of highlight catches in Game 1.

 

If I had seen these stats at the beginning of the series, I’d have expected the Rangers to be in a deep hole. Instead, they’re up 2-1 and halfway to their first title!
 

Go Rangers!

[deadsolid...shank]

19 minutes ago, Triple Lindy said:

That has been the case the entire postseason. Seems like outside pitches to RH hitters have been the worst calls, or at least the ones I’ve noticed most. That strike call in the bottom of the 9th on a 3-1 count was awful.

Yep. Potentially game changing. That would have brought the tieing run to the plate.  That was a Greg Maddox strike! They showed him in the stands, didn’t know he was going ti make a pitching appearance!😀
 

And in fairness, the calls were awful both ways. Im not really pulling for either team, just like the intensity of the WS. But how does a guy go to plate when no one knows what will

be called a strike. Apparently that included the ump. 

Edited October 31, 2023 by deadsolid...shank

[Triple Lindy]

33 minutes ago, deadsolid...shank said:

But how does a guy go to plate when no one knows what will

be called a strike.

Hitters were chasing balls outside because of the expanded strike zone. It definitely changes the game.