MLB Playoff Thread

• thavoice

  You have to keep your best for the WC game. Only reason to throw your best in the last game of the season is if you area win and you clinch the division and get a series. To do it for a slight chance you can win the division is not worth the risk
• Laley23

  

  lhslep134;1659652 wrote:They are, they won more games than you did....
  
  162 is more than enough of a sample size that you really can't bitch and moan about being "unlucky".

  Its also a ridiculously long season to be decided on 1 game...the whole history of baseball is what team is deepest and played in a series format.
  
  Why not make them all 1 game?
• lhslep134

  

  Laley23;1659660 wrote:Its also a ridiculously long season to be decided on 1 game...the whole history of baseball is what team is deepest and played in a series format.
  
  Why not make them all 1 game?

  And the traditional format of playoff series remains unchanged. 4 divisional series, 2 championship series, 1 World Series.
  
  Baseball has always been the sport where the regular season matters more because a fewer percentage of teams get into the postseason. Now that they add an additional team, you find a way to critique t? That doesn't really seem like an argument with a strong leg to stand on.
  
  The only fanbase that could theoretically be upset with the new format is one where their team finishes 1st in the WC, say 5 or 6 games ahead of the WC2, and then losing that play-in game. Under the old format, that 1 game would have never been played. Under the old format, Pittsburgh and San Fran still would have played because they tied.
  
  
  
  Edit: Laley, I obviously agree with you that a series is more useful in determining the better team rather than 1 game. I just don't agree with your reasoning behind "hating my answer".
• Heretic

  

  lhslep134;1659651 wrote:Well if Cole throws yesterday instead of Sunday, maybe there wouldn't have been a rough outing to poorly manage.
  
  And I'm not trying to pile on Pittsburgh. While I hate the Steelers, I actually am somewhat partial to the Pirates because above all I'm a baseball fan and I've been to so many games in 3 Rivers and PNC because of the proximity to Youngstown and the cheapness of the tickets.

  Yeah, I have to agree with that. While winning the division would have been nice, coming into the final day of the season, they'd have to:
  
  1. Beat Cueto (part of the NL's Trinity of Doom starters with Kershaw and Wainwright).
  2. Need Trinity of Doom member Wainwright to lose to the woeful D-Backs.
  3. Beat Cards on Monday with your starter quite possibly being Jeff Locke or you're back to square one with Volquez in the wild card game.
  
  But for me, I guess, it's hard to be overly critical of a guy for getting tunnel vision for the best possible outcome and going all-out in trying to get it, even if it's not all that likely. It's very easy for me to be critical of that guy for showing no urgency in a one-game "win or you're done" situation and treating it like an average Wednesday night game, no different than any of the past 26 or so Wednesdays.
• thavoice

  Laley23;1659660 wrote:Its also a ridiculously long season to be decided on 1 game...the whole history of baseball is what team is deepest and played in a series format.
  
  Why not make them all 1 game?

  A series would be the best, no doubt about that.
  The idea of having a DH is a pipe dream. They would NEVER do that. Too much $ to be had in selling tix for that game 2, unless you are talking about a day/night DH which I still believe wouldnt happen.
• lhslep134

  

  Heretic to go along with what you were saying about Hurdle's managing yesterday, here's a good quote from Rany Jazayerli's Royal's playoff game piece: "He had pulled Shields, and that was right. This was a veritable Game 7, and the first rule of Game 7 is that all hands are on deck."
• SportsAndLady

  

  lhslep134;1659524 wrote:I am a Clint Hurdle fan but I think he mis-managed his pitching situation by throwing Cole Sunday and Volquez tonight. While both games were "win and you're in", only tonight's game was "lose and go home". I would have saved Cole for tonight and thrown Volquez Sunday.

  I read this post yesterday and thought it was classyposter saying it (maybe the avatars are similar?) and literally said to myself "God damnit I finally agreed with classyposter"
  
  Glad to see I was wrong and have still yet to say that to one of his posts lol
• Heretic

  

  lhslep134;1659685 wrote:Heretic to go along with what you were saying about Hurdle's managing yesterday, here's a good quote from Rany Jazayerli's Royal's playoff game piece: "He had pulled Shields, and that was right. This was a veritable Game 7, and the first rule of Game 7 is that all hands are on deck."

  Yeah, after a good bit of thought, I decided that Yost's problem wasn't actually pulling Shields...it was his hilariously over-rigid application of bullpen roles. When you're in a one-game "win or go home" situation, there's no logical reason to have set guys for the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. You use the best guy at your disposal when you most need him and go from there. You most definitely DON'T replace a starter with two on and nobody out with another starter who has very little relief experience and definitely doesn't isn't used to being thrown into huge high-leverage situations at the drop of a hat.
• thavoice

  Heretic;1659715 wrote:Yeah, after a good bit of thought, I decided that Yost's problem wasn't actually pulling Shields...it was his hilariously over-rigid application of bullpen roles. When you're in a one-game "win or go home" situation, there's no logical reason to have set guys for the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. You use the best guy at your disposal when you most need him and go from there. You most definitely DON'T replace a starter with two on and nobody out with another starter who has very little relief experience and definitely doesn't isn't used to being thrown into huge high-leverage situations at the drop of a hat.

  Agreed. Managers job is to put the players in the best position to be successful. Was never a fan of putting a starter into a game, mid-inning in relief. Starters are not used to getting loose and ready quickly and that is what it takes to be in relief. Now if the manager wanted to take a starter and put him in relief to start an inning...that isnt quite so bad if he gets the time to get ready and loose. For many great starters they say the time to get them is in the first inning or two. After that they are getting locked in.
• lhslep134

  

  ^^^ What both of you just said.
  
  It's why Yost's managerial decisions baffle me.
• Heretic

  

  lhslep134;1659733 wrote:^^^ What both of you just said.
  
  It's why Yost's managerial decisions baffle me.

  Yeah, I remember reading a column a few weeks back on either Grantland or Deadspin about how, if they didn't make the playoffs, KC fans could point at one particular game they just lost and Yost's bullpen management as a good reason why.
  
  Starter ran into problems in the sixth inning. Instead of using any of his three best relievers to get out of the jam, he went to Aaron Crow, who gave up a grand slam. After the game, his reasoning was that the other guys had their innings and the sixth inning was Crow's. It was one of those answers that was mindboggling in its stupidity. You have a game-changing moment in the game and you don't use any of your best relievers...because of what inning it is in. Instead, you put in a guy who kinda sucks because it's the sixth. Just so, so horrible. Let a formula dictate your decisions instead of actually using your brain to make important moves.
• lhslep134

  

  Heretic I think you're referring to this article http://grantland.com/the-triangle/dellin-betancess-best-relief-pitcher-seasons-bullpen-strategy-yankees-royals/
  
  Again, I agree with everything you said. That's just Yost for you.
• Classyposter58

  

  Scherzer looks terrible tonight, not exactly a good team to be off against. Tigers might have to score 6+ to win it I think
• mhs95_06

  Why do the O's play the shift for the lead-off batter in the 8th leading by 2, when all he should be looking for is getting on base. It burns them as they mis-play a grounder to the right side with the shift positioning being a major reason why they misplayed.
• Ironman92

  

  Huge 2 insurance runs done with excellent base running...by the team with the fewest SB in 2014
• Ironman92

  

  Seriously....I want that 3rd base coach working for the Reds!
• Crimson streak

  

  The O's line up is pretty ridiculous. And this is with out Davis and machado
• Ironman92

  

  Have you seen that pitching?
• Classyposter58

  

  Great performance tonight out of the Tigers. Thank you Landshark for getting me thru that 8th inning
• Ironman92

  

  Cain and Aoki putting on an OF show
• Ironman92

  

  Damn Cain has that extra gear
• Ironman92

  

  This is my last inning....Tuesday til 1 and Thursday til 1 is too late in this long ass week.
• mhs95_06

  I made this one, but fell asleep Tues and didn't see the last half inning after Oak took the lead in the top half. But I'm off from work today!
• like_that

  

  Classyposter58;1659839 wrote:Landshark

  LOL
• SportsAndLady

  

  I thought landshark was a nickname of a Tigers bullpen player. Jesus classy you drink landshark?!