Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
No, he manages 9th inning comebacks.
Do you take Kershaw out after he struck out the batter to finish the 7th? Or after the first HR? Or do you not even go to Kershaw in the first place?
No, he manages 9th inning comebacks.
October and Kershaw don’t agree. Bring him in at your own risk.Do you take Kershaw out after he struck out the batter to finish the 7th? Or after the first HR? Or do you not even go to Kershaw in the first place?
He has his mind made up he would go first to CK when the pitch count got to his ace. Bad move and a worse move to telegraph it before the game.
Watch out, Astros! Both road teams took Game 5s tonight.
Another choke from Kershaw. I’ve tried to justify every blunder he’s had in his career but this has crossed the line. Young Walker Buehler was a stud for 7 innings and good ol Davy Roberts brings in Kershaw despite his lacklustre history in these situations.
Kershaw is still one of the greatest pitchers ever but his postseason success (or lack of in this case) will likely be what stops him from being a GOAT candidate
"All the metrics say he's the guy you want in that spot"You go to Kershaw for the lefty vs lefty matchup I understand. But he has gotten shelled the entire year at the start of games to the tune of like 5.6 ERA in the first two innings (I think that's what I read) and 3.25 the rest of the innings. Nothing there hints at a guy you would want to bring out of the bullpen. Especially when they had guys getting done already. Maeda has a track record of being fairly reliable.
Rendon's homer was sick and you tip the cap. Kendrick's was also not a bad pitch. low and inside pitches typically don't get hit out of the ball park to centerfield. Kendrick also has a very odd spray chart in that he hit most of his fly ball and line drives to center/right center and almost all of groundballs are pulled. Hence the inside pitch to induce the grounder.
These playoffs are wild. Hoping for another exciting game 5 tonight!
Yankee fans like me who are terrified of Verlander/Cole!People usually cheer for the underdog but everybody is salivating at an Astros-Yanks showdown.
Is anybody really interested in a Rays-Yanks series?
People usually cheer for the underdog but everybody is salivating at an Astros-Yanks showdown.
Is anybody really interested in a Rays-Yanks series?
Rays just gotta work that pitch count. Remember Game 2? Cole threw like 8 scoreless and as soon as he was out of the game they had their chance with bases loaded in the 9th.
But obviously that also implies holding Houston to 4 or 5 runs the next 6 innings.
But is he even the best pitcher on his team?Goatrit Cole best pitcher in baseball
But is he even the best pitcher on his team?
But is he even the best pitcher on his team?
Good news for Yanks fans is that Cole and Verlander will not be starting Game 1.
Yanks desperately need to take Game 1 on the road.
The Yankees could beat JV if he's pitching in NY. Hitters ball park on a fly ball pitcher is going to be a tasty prospect for the Yankees.
RIP Flappy bois
Goatrit Cole best pitcher in baseball
Jacob deGOAT says hi. Cole needs to do this more than once and not in a contract year to convince me.
Confirmed now that he was tipping his pitches.What a horrible ugly start by Glasnow.
Should have started Snell. Try to get 3 innings from him and then you still have Morton plus the bullpen.
Glasnow blew the game in the first 5 minutes. Announcers said Astros must have figured him out in his second appearance and knew what was coming.
But Rays could not do that with Cole. Rays looked just as bad the second time around against Cole.
Baseball it is. More specifically it is playoff baseball, when two good SPs and some decent support from the rest of the rotation and the bullpen can be the winning formula. Both NL teams fit that mold. If Wainwright can find his past form and Michael Wacha becomes available, the Cards will be just as good as the Nats’ Scherzer/Strasburg/Corbin rotation, especially if the ALDS goes as deep as I expect it to. If the NLCS champion wins efficiently in 5 or less and ALCS goes 6 or more, it will be a much more level playing field than the reverse.In my opinion he is better in his current form than JV. Verlander gives up too many HR's. But I mean it really doesn't matter who is at 1 or 2 when they're on the same team. Pretty interchangeable. The margins between the two are negligible I'd say. Cole the definite MVP of the team as of right now for his 2 performances.
We will see how the Yankees big money hitters play against them. Perhaps we will see a more clear difference between JV/Cole when the competition is ratcheted up, which it will be next round.
To me the ALCS is the de facto WS. Don't think NL winner has much hope but it is baseball.
So much for the Astros being a different team at home. Tanaka was superb, getting ahead on the count and pounding them with pitches where they couldn’t hurt him. Six innings, one hit, one walk and 68 pitches.Yankees officially have a chance to win the ALCS now. This was a "must win" for them, that's why they threw Tanaka out there against a beatable Greinke (who didn't pitch poorly, just not unhittable). Have to make sure you at least get on the board in Game 1, because if not you could quickly be staring down the barrel of 0-3 after going through Verlander & Cole in Games 2 & 3.
Now we know we've got a series on our hands. I'd be shocked if it doesn't go at least 6.
I remember a few years back people were questioning Scherzer and his heart. This dude is a beast. He lays it all out there. People who were questioning him are idiots.Another pitching gem for the Nats with ace Scherzer flirting with the no-no into the eighth and their bats getting just enough in the 3-1 win. Headed home now, up 2-0 and Strasburg ready to duel with Cards whiz kid Flaherty in Game 3.
As much as the two results today should hog the spotlight, the troubling news out of Anaheim about Tyler Skaggs’ Fentanyl OD has pushed the games aside a bit. The Angels are claiming they were totally unaware their players (five others besides Skaggs) were being supplied opiates by an employee in their media relations department. This is going to tarnish our usual October celebration of the sport but if it saves just one life, bring it on! There’s no place in sports of any kind to harbor the epidemic that is sweeping thousands into early graves or incarceration. Time to wake up and realize the danger we are facing!
Where there is a will there is a way.How was it possible for Skaggs and 5 teammates to pass MLB testing?
Testing for banned substances
Each Player shall be tested upon reporting to spring training. All Players will be selected for an additional unannounced urine specimen collection during the season on a randomly selected date.
Major League Baseball drug policy - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Major_League_Baseball_drug_policy
Opioids require only about four days to clear urine. Drugs of abuse (opioids fall into that category) are not tested for randomly. It takes a majority vote of the HPAC (Health Policy Advisory Committee) to issue an order for testing and that vote only happens if there exists a cause for suspicion of abuse (drug bust, etc.). Basically, if you’re not an idiot and so addicted to using that you can’t stay clean at the beginning of each season for a week, you are in the clear unless you run afoul of the law.How was it possible for Skaggs and 5 teammates to pass MLB testing?
Testing for banned substances
Each Player shall be tested upon reporting to spring training. All Players will be selected for an additional unannounced urine specimen collection during the season on a randomly selected date.
Major League Baseball drug policy - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Major_League_Baseball_drug_policy
Which opens another can of worms because I would think many are prescribed some opioids for various injuries and issues. So not easy to really police at all. Almost impossible.Opioids require only about four days to clear urine. Drugs of abuse (opioids fall into that category) are not tested for randomly. It takes a majority vote of the HPAC (Health Policy Advisory Committee) to issue an order for testing and that vote only happens if there exists a cause for suspicion of abuse (drug bust, etc.). Basically, if you’re not an idiot and so addicted to using that you can’t stay clean at the beginning of each season for a week, you are in the clear unless you run afoul of the law.
Yes, TUEs are part of the CBA.Which opens another can of worms because I would think many are prescribed some opioids for various injuries and issues. So not easy to really police at all. Almost impossible.