MLB 2019 Season: Shipping Up To Boston

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
Thank God Tommy is not alive to see this.
:(

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stringertom

Bionic Poster
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?
October and Kershaw don’t agree. Bring him in at your own risk.

That being said, Roberts ignored that fact and also ignored the velocity difference between Buehler and CK. 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.
Roberts got away with it vs the first lefty Eaton. Bring right handed heat for Rendon. The Rendon HR was not a bad pitch. That’s probably why Roberts stuck with CK vs Soto.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
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.

Never heard of a manager so bent on using his starting pitcher in relief as a first resort when he has a quality bullpen available.
And telegraphing all of this a day before. Very strange.
OTOH, if you've got a guy making $30 million and he wants in on Game 5, it's hard to say no.
:unsure:
 

clout

Hall of Fame
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
 

hollywood9826

Hall of Fame
Watch out, Astros! Both road teams took Game 5s tonight.

Maybe that means the Home team is due.
Honestly the Rays are built better for these win at all costs games. The Astros need dominance from Cole. I feel they don't have the adaptability other wise. Of course I would have said the same thing about the Dodgers before Roberts thought Kershaw was still the guy from 5 years ago. Also shocked they brought Corbin in. Maybe that helps him confidence wise again STL.

Yankees fans have to feeling reel good right now. Get to see Greinke game 1 while all of their arms and bodies are resting.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
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

The pitch to Rendon was definitely not a bad pitch at all. Rendon somehow managed to lift it out. Amazing. Give all credit to Rendon there...

Don't see Kershaw as the goat here at all... In hindsight the Dodgers win if they had bought Maeda in. His slider was absolutely nasty. Nobody came close. IIRC, struck out all three batters he faced.

The mystery is why Roberts was bent on using the starter Kershaw instead of calling on the second best bullpen in MLB. :unsure:

Have to speculate that Kershaw was telling the manager that he wants the ball. But even then, need to go with Maeda or Jansen.

If I had to pick a goat it would be Joe Kelly. Had a good inning and then collapsed. :(
 

hollywood9826

Hall of Fame
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.
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
After these last two game 5's, I'm a bit worried about tonight. :cautious:

Hopefully, the Astros can do like the Cardinals and score a whole bunch of runs in the first inning. Gerrit Cole better be on tonight too. If I was AJ Hinch, I wouldn't even think about pulling him from the game until his arm falls off.
 

MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
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.
"All the metrics say he's the guy you want in that spot"

-Modern analysts that still can't understand how to translate the numbers on their spreadsheets
 

MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
People usually cheer for the underdog but everybody is salivating at an Astros-Yanks showdown.
Is anybody really interested in a Rays-Yanks series? :unsure:
Yankee fans like me who are terrified of Verlander/Cole!

For the first time in my life I'm excited for more games at the Trop :-D
 

Federer and Del Potro

Talk Tennis Guru
People usually cheer for the underdog but everybody is salivating at an Astros-Yanks showdown.
Is anybody really interested in a Rays-Yanks series? :unsure:

Yeah, Yankees fans are lol.

I don't really like the Astros, never have. Being an Oakland fan made that inherent, never liking Justin Verlander made it increase tenfold.

I much prefer Mad Max Scherzer.

Love Cole though I think he will pitch a gem tonight.
 
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stringertom

Bionic Poster
Another first inning explosion. Glasnow getting roughed up despite keeping the ball in the yard, 4-0 with only one out.
 

MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
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.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
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.

Cole is just so ridiculously dominant. Picking up right where he left off in Game 2. Sitting on a 4-1 lead.
Rays need to get at least a run off Cole now to cut the lead; cannot wait till he leaves the game. But he is making Rays batter look so bad...As long as he's effective, I am not taking Cole out regardless of pitch count.
It looks completely hopeless for the Rays. Yes, they've made comebacks but this is just too much to ask.
 

Federer and Del Potro

Talk Tennis Guru
But is he even the best pitcher on his team? :eek:

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.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
RIP Flappy bois

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.
 
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MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
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.
Confirmed now that he was tipping his pitches.
If you look at the thumbnail of this vid, the left is a fastball and the right is a curveball.
 

stringertom

Bionic Poster
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.
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.

The Yankees bullpen may wind up being the wildcard to set them up better than the Astros after a 7-game struggle.

I agree the ALCS winner is the favorite but it is not a “de facto” World Series scenario, especially when the AL champion loses the DH in at least two games.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
Did not catch this game, but highlights looked to be a real snoozer, except for the no-hitter drama broken up in the eighth.
Pitching gem by Sanchez. Nationals looking good.

 

stringertom

Bionic Poster
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.
 

MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
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.
 

stringertom

Bionic Poster
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.
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.

Gleyber was phenomenal with three hits including a big fly, a double and a 2-run single. Then he made up for the goof on the bouncer up the middle by turning the DP with a quick pivot that the blind ump at first base initially ruled late. So glad there’s IR to overrule blatantly bad calls. Galarraga would have had a perfect game in 2010 if IR had been used then. The Cardinals might have been WS champs instead of KC with IR in 1985.
Glad we’re finally getting it right.

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!
 

insideguy

G.O.A.T.
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.
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.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
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!

How was it possible for Skaggs and 5 teammates to pass MLB testing?
:unsure:

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
 

insideguy

G.O.A.T.

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
This could potentially mean big trouble for the Angels organization. Angels PR employee Kay supplying 6 players.
Kay's supervisor was Tim Mead, Angels Vice President of communications. Kay allegedly told his supervisor Mead about opiate use.


Kay told investigators that he and Skaggs had worked out an arrangement in which Kay would obtain drugs for Skaggs and himself.​
Kay has sought treatment for substance abuse twice this year, according to his mother and his wife, Camela. While recovering in the hospital from an overdose on April 22, Kay received a text from Skaggs seeking drugs, they said. Sandy was visiting her son in the hospital at the time, alongside his wife and Tim Mead, the former Angels vice president of communications and Kay's supervisor. Sandy told Outside the Lines she saw the texts and told Mead that the team needed to intervene and get Skaggs off his back.​
Mead, who left the Angels in June to become president of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, told Outside the Lines no one mentioned Skaggs' name in that conversation or that Skaggs was an opioid user at any other time.​
 

stringertom

Bionic Poster
How was it possible for Skaggs and 5 teammates to pass MLB testing?
:unsure:

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.
 

insideguy

G.O.A.T.
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.
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.
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
Boone makes the case for Verlander as the best pitcher in MLB, by pulling his second best starter Paxton in bottom of the third
down only 1-0.

Pulled after only 2 1/3.
So much respect for Verlander.
Never quite seen anything like it. :eek:o_O :eek:
 
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Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
Yanks try to score from second on an infield hit.
Instead makes the third out at home. Not even close at home.
But third base coach was not counting on the ricochet off of Altuve going directly to SS Correra, who made an absolute perfect throw to home.
 
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