Pandemic Baseball 2020

[dr. b 492]

2 hours ago, Eizan said:

Marlins one game away from finally losing a series. Also Yankees losing is a plus. 

And here I am thinking these are best-of-7 series Guess I wasn't paying very close attention.

 

Kershaw wasn't great night, but good enough at least. Jansen tried to blow it in the 9th though

 

I doubt we'll see either team that's down 0-2 come back for a 3-2 win. Perhaps there is still some hope Oakland and NYY being down 1-2, but those odds probably aren't great either. Dodgers/Braves should be a good NLCS if that's how it ends up. I don't really like any combination of teams on the AL side.

[dr. b 492]

BARVES strike first! 3-0 now in the 3rd, still no outs - tough start for Sixto Sanchez.

 

---

 

5-0 now in the 5th. Not looking good for the fish.

[Eizan 126]

Well Marlins finally lost a playoff series. The Braves have 4 shutouts. 

[dr. b 492]

Stupid Astros

[dr. b 492]

Turns out the Dodgers are pretty good RIP Dads

 

Really need the Rays to knock the Yankees out today. Plz Rays 

[Garlic Junior 136]

Turns out my Division Series predictions were hot garbage.

 

Roll on the CS (featuring Rays hopefully!)

[Eizan 126]

No more Yankees

[dr. b 492]

But still Rays

 

ALCS: Rays vs. Astros

NLCS: Dodgers vs. Braves

 

Who ya got going through to the World Series?

 

I think the Rays were clearly better than the Astros in the regular season, but the Astros do still have quite a bit of talent on their roster. I'm leaning Rays here. On the NL side, while the Braves are very good with a lot of talent in their own right, the Dodgers are just too good. Their run differential is nuts. I think they had the second fewest runs against in all of the MLB, and the most runs scored - though the Braves scored a ton of runs too. So it could be a bit of a bloodbath if the Dodger's pitching lets them down.

 

I want to see a Rays vs. Dodgers World Series. Two very good teams, one running one of the lowest payrolls in the whole league up against one of the biggest spenders in the league. Let's do it.

[dr. b 492]

Barves scored 4 runs in the 9th last night to beat the Dodgers 5-1. And now Kershaw is scratched for today's game (back spasms). Could be a quick 2-0 lead for Atlanta, though they also have a pretty long history now of postseason disappointments so I would not be shocked to see L.A. punch back and even it out. Which team can out-choke the other?  

[dr. b 492]

Did you see that 11-run first inning last night? 10 of those runs scored with 2 outs Might as well have called the game there.

[Eizan 126]

Braves now one game away from the World Series, meanwhile Tampa is choking away it's chance to advance. 

[dr. b 492]

The Rays better not let it go to game 7

 

Tough finish to Kershaw's start last night.

[Eizan 126]

13 hours ago, little birdy said:

The Rays better not let it go to game 7

About that...

[dr. b 492]

 

Astros fans right now:

 

 

[Garlic Junior 136]

Dodgers just hit two bombs.

 

Could they please just fuck off already. Kershaw had his implosion, it's destiny that they die now and let us have Braves vs Rays.

 

I'm not even going to acknowledge the AL Game 7.

[dr. b 492]

Buehler was reeeaaallllly good. Should have run him back out there for another inning. They're lucky Treinen only allowed one run there.

[dr. b 492]

 

[dr. b 492]

Good job Rays for beating the Astros. Also, fuck the Rays. 

 

World Series starts on Tuesday. I'm still hoping for a Rays / Dodgers matchup. But I don't know who the Dodgers have available to pitch tonight. Might need their lineup to score a lot of runs to make it through tonight. 

[dr. b 492]

Rays vs. Dodgers starts tomorrow night in Texas!

[Eizan 126]

I think Betts was the MVP of that NLCS. He robbed the Braves of home runs in game 6 and 7. Made a great catch in Game 5 that had Ozuna to run home without tagging up. 

 

Also, if the World Series comes down to Starting Pitching and Bullpen I think the Rays win, but if it becomes a slugfest I think the Dodgers win. 

[dr. b 492]

Betts wasn't great at the plate in the NLCS, but yeah his defensive impact was definitely felt. I think he only had one extra-base hit (a double) in the whole series; no HRs, one 2B, and a handful of singles. I'm sure they're hoping he looks a bit more MVP-like in the World Series. His career batting numbers vs. Tampa Bay from his Boston years are quite good, so maybe that familiarity will be a good thing facing the Rays in the WS.

[dr. b 492]

Kershaw 6.0 IP, 8 K, only 1 run allowd; Betts and Bellinger both HR'ed; and the bullpen didn't cough it up. Sounds like a pretty good recipe for a Dodgers win to me!

 

I think the Dodgers are starting Gonsolin tonight. He hasn't been very good, so maybe the Rays even it up tonight.

[Garlic Junior 136]

This WS has been epic.

 

Every swing feels like it could be a homer.

 

That finish last night was classic. If Arozarena doesn't stumble, does the catcher tag him out instead of throwing the ball away?

[dr. b 492]

I didn't get to see the game last night, but it sounds like it was pretty exciting. Over four hours long though - oof. Some of the games I've watched this postseason have been awful in terms of pace of play. Slow pitchers really turn me off from a game.

[dr. b 492]

The Dodgers are only one game away now No game tonight so both bullpens will get a bit of rest. The Rays are gonna throw the kitchen sink at the Dodgers on Tuesday night to try to force a game 7. According to MLB.com, the probably starters for Tuesday are Snell and Gonsolin, so I think that definitely favours the Rays.

[Garlic Junior 136]

Still holding out hope. Every time I've put in a prediction its went wrong so just gonna sit back and watch this one.

 

Hoping there is a game 7 as I can't stay up late to watch game 6 live

[dr. b 492]

The 8pm start time and length of game pretty much guarantees that I won't watch the whole game. Might make it until the 6th/7th depending on how much run scoring is going and how slow the pitchers are working.

[dr. b 492]

Why did the Red Sox trade Mookie Betts  Of all the teams to cry poor. Everybody else dreams of having a guy that talented on their team. He's a big contract player, but they could have afforded it I think. 

 

Dodgers 2 outs away now, up 3-1. Can't believe I'm still awake. 

 

***

 

Dodgers win! Urias is a stud. Totally shut the Rays down at the end there. 

 

Bye bye baseball until next year (maybe, who knows what will happen when?)

[Eizan 126]

I wonder if it would have been different if Cash didn't take out Snell. Obviously the Ray's offense was still being shut down, but Snell was in control. 

[dr. b 492]

I definitely think they should have left Snell out there. He's gone over 100 pitches a couple times this summer I think, and he was only at 73 when the pulled him last night. If you're gonna lose anyways, it might as well be with one of your best pitchers on the mound instead of a reliever. I'm not sure if Cash actually made that decision though  

[Peeve 21]

Does anyone think Turner is getting a suspension for his post game actions?

[dr. b 492]

MLB is investigating it. I think he could get a fine, not sure about a suspension though. 

[dr. b 492]

White Sox to hire TLR as their new manager

 

The White Sox had a very good year, finished 35-25 this summer, and have a talented young core of players. I'm not sure I could think of a worse pick for manager than La Russa I'm calling it now: It's not going to end well.

[dr. b 492]

Teams are declining options on players' contracts left, right, and centre. Good players, bad players, doesn't seem to matter how much or little the options are for. I think free agency and the winter is going to be pretty ugly. Seems like all the teams are crying poor. Sucks big time for the players.

[dr. b 492]

 

Hand had a 2.05 ERA in 23 games this summer, 22 IP and 16 saves. 0 HRs allowed, 29 Ks and only 4 BB. He's a pretty damn good reliever! And he's only 30 years old. Obviously $10 million isn't nothing, but it's not unreasonable amount for a talented reliever like Hand in today's game.

 

This really doesn't bode well.

[Garlic Junior 136]

Hand should not be unemployed, wtf ?

 

The Cash/Snell situation is an interesting one, those tactics got the Rays to the game but I think it was a nonsensical decision on the day!

 

What happened with Turner?

[dr. b 492]

I read a free agent contract predictions thing on The Athletic yesterday, and IIRC they predicted a two-year, $16 million deal for Hand. Not sure which team will give him that contract, but I think it's pretty fair in the current environment... but I still think it's stupid of Cleveland not to pick up the $10 million option. He was very good this season and earned that money. Relievers can be so random year-to-year, but even if he turns into a pumpkin next summer... it's only a one-year deal. Seems like a no-brainer to me  

 

If you're not up to speed on the Turner thing, I'm pretty sure it went like this: Before game 6 he had an inconclusive COVID-19 test, so they took another sample and let him start in the game. During the game the second test came back positive so he was pulled from the game (in the 7th inning IIRC?) and put into isolation. After the game he was allowed on the field to celebrate and take a photo with the team. At first he was wearing a mask but was still hugging and getting close to teammates and coaches. And then he just stuck around out there continuing to celebrate the victory, eventually losing the mask and seemingly not taking any care to protect people from catching COVID from him. It was all playing out on live TV. Very weird situation.

[dr. b 492]

The Tigers named AJ Hinch as their manager last week and reports are out today that the Red Sox are going to bring back Alex Cora to manage again... I wasn't sure how the fallout from the Astros cheating thing would affect these guys long term, but I guess at least some teams have no problems bringing them back. I'm curious to see how it goes for both teams.

[dr. b 492]

Turner gets off without punishment

 

Sounds like there was quite a bit of confusion and miscommunication at the time. He made a (IMO) poor decision, but you can't lay all of the blame just on him for it.

 

Also the new Mets owner isn't wasting time, already shaking things up. Apparently Van Wagenen is out as the GM, which I think is a good start. Get a more competent GM in there. BVW can go back to being an agent.

[Garlic Junior 136]

Oh I wonder who we will install instead then. All the regular names seem to be in positions I think?

[dr. b 492]

Did you guys know that the Platinum Glove Award was a thing? Ten years they've been doing it and I swear I've never heard about it once Basically, all of the Gold Glove winners are eligible for it and it's a fan vote to decide who the #1 defensive players are in the AL and NL. This year's winners were Alex Gordon, Royals LF (WTF ) and Nolan Arenado, Rockies 3B. How the hell does a LF win the award for top defensive player in a league!? LF is basically where you hide your weakest defender who can't play the infield, doesn't have enough range to cover CF, and doesn't have a good enough arm to make throws from RF. Obviously it's because it's a fan vote, but my mind is blown that Gordon has won this award twice (!!) as a LFer...

[dr. b 492]

Robinson Cano suspended 162 games for PED violation

 

This is his second violation so he got a full season ban. If the 2021 season is a shorter schedule then I wonder if the ban carries over into 2022..?

[Garlic Junior 136]

On 11/12/2020 at 2:33 PM, little birdy said:

Did you guys know that the Platinum Glove Award was a thing? Ten years they've been doing it and I swear I've never heard about it once Basically, all of the Gold Glove winners are eligible for it and it's a fan vote to decide who the #1 defensive players are in the AL and NL. This year's winners were Alex Gordon, Royals LF (WTF ) and Nolan Arenado, Rockies 3B. How the hell does a LF win the award for top defensive player in a league!? LF is basically where you hide your weakest defender who can't play the infield, doesn't have enough range to cover CF, and doesn't have a good enough arm to make throws from RF. Obviously it's because it's a fan vote, but my mind is blown that Gordon has won this award twice (!!) as a LFer...

News to me.


Also, fuck Cano. Last thing we needed right now.

[dr. b 492]

Yeah things were looking up for the Mets with Cohen taking over and starting to clean house in the front office. The Cano news is a bad look, even if it's not really the team's fault. I wonder if there's some loophole where they can just cut him due to multiple PED suspensions and not be on the hook for the rest of his contract..? He was actually pretty decent in 2020, but now it's hard to say if that was legit or not. His deal is for $24 million annually until 2023 The drug suspension will make him forfeit his 2021 salary though.

[Garlic Junior 136]

Yeah with a year out I doubt his standards will be at $24m worth unless he practices every day.

[dr. b 492]

Yeah I'm not sure how much incentive he has to practice But even if he does keep up his training regimen, if he starts losing bat speed like many aging players do, there's not much he can do about that. It can be hard for dudes in their late 30's to keep up with 100 mph fastballs.

 

MLB offseason has been so boring so far. NBA free agency was a crazy weekend with trades and signings all over the place, just constant movement. The Blue Jays are getting tied to some impact players - both because they've said they want to add an impact player and because everybody knows they have the money to do it - but it's hard to say how legit the reports are. Get somebody already so I have something to get excited about please, Blue Jays  

[dr. b 492]

Reports came out over the weekend that Cleveland is planning to change their team name. I'm surprised they held out this long. 

[Garlic Junior 136]

Washington Baseball Team?

[dr. b 492]

I didn't really read all of the details at the time the news broke. Apparently they're dropping the name *after* the 2021 season. I guess some folks are gonna be mad about that. If they're dropping the name, just do it right away like other teams have.

[Garlic Junior 136]

Yeah wtf, it's either offensive or it isn't. Why wait a year?