2018 Baseball Season [Archive] - Professional Soldiers ®

Badger52

03-30-2018, 12:02

Try as I have over the last few years, I cannot make sense of MLB having opening day and the very next day teams have a day off. What? You just played 1 game, why do you require time off?
This ridiculous scheduling results in the Mets/Cards playing Thursday, NO Friday night home game for Mets fans, then resuming on Saturday and Sunday.Yeah, Maddon was saying somethin' yesterday (after a couple fielding errors) about how they'd hoped to get a "fundamentals" day (!) in before starting the regular season. Uh, did I miss something or was it called Spring TRAINING for a reason? Jeebers, make it whatever you need to make it.

When you figure it out mebbe you kin 'splain it to me Lucy.
:rolleyes:

bblhead672

03-30-2018, 12:43

Yeah, Maddon was saying somethin' yesterday (after a couple fielding errors) about how they'd hoped to get a "fundamentals" day (!) in before starting the regular season. Uh, did I miss something or was it called Spring TRAINING for a reason? Jeebers, make it whatever you need to make it.

When you figure it out mebbe you kin 'splain it to me Lucy.
:rolleyes:

What?!? Are you suggesting that they should be *gasp* training during "spring training"? :D

Badger52

04-26-2018, 14:47

NL Central still looks like the typical hairball among the top-3. The Brewers fans up this way are beside themselves; standing vis a vis the Cubs looks like reverse of previous years. But to their credit they're playing good ball. At least I get to watch Cubs play occasionally when they play MKE 'cause those games haven't been sold off to MLBN & hit the tube locally.

No idea what's up with Cincinnati.

The rule about 6 mound visits/game seems to have sped things up a bit. Now if the hitters could quit taking a stroll & readjusting their entire wardrobe after every pitch...
:rolleyes:

And the snow seems to be gone for real this time.

Ret10Echo

04-26-2018, 15:25

AL East is "same as it ever was". Boston and NYY atop, nobody cares in the middle and Baltimore, wandering in the dark cellar, found a shovel and started digging.

2018commo

04-26-2018, 18:03

I think Baltimore needs to trade Manny for a couple of bats, or perhaps a coach. Buck is about to run out of string.

Ret10Echo

04-26-2018, 20:06

I think Baltimore needs to trade Manny for a couple of bats, or perhaps a coach. Buck is about to run out of string.

Talk is that Buck will move to the front office after this season. His, along with Manny's contracts are up after this year.

Worst situation for them is to be "close" to MAYBE a second wildcard spot and they keep Manny and he just walks at the end of the year and they get nothing out of it.

Baltimore keeps pulling in pitching off of the scrap heap and single-dimensional offensive players (big bats, high strikeout rate). They could rework things around the 20-somethings (Mancini, Schoop and Bundy) but after that 14 year drought nobody has the stomach to go through a real rebuild. The Farm isn't growing much for them but I don't think they're going to have a choice.

Airbornelawyer

05-04-2018, 02:37

Ret10Echo

05-04-2018, 10:03

I suppose the biggest surprises so far this season are the underperformance of the Dodgers and the Nationals, and the overperformance of the Braves. The Diamondbacks also seem to be way ahead of expectations.

I doubt much will change in Baltimore until Peter Angelos is out of the picture.

To tie a couple of thoughts together on this... Sports talk radio around here is saying the O's need to "make a deal" with the Dodgers for Manny as they struggle.

Yeah.. Angelos likes his Beer-league softball offense.

CW3SF

05-04-2018, 11:16

Cubs @ Cardinals tonight.

Go Cards!:lifter

Badger52

05-04-2018, 12:22

Cubs @ Cardinals tonight.

Go Cubs!:lifter

:p

Always a good time. Two fan-bases that really understand the game & travel well.

bblhead672

05-07-2018, 11:41

Cubs @ Cardinals tonight.

Go Cards!:lifter

Cards sweep Cubs. Sweet words. Tough injury to Molina, hope he recovers soon and doesn't have permanent performance issues....on and off the field!

Badger52

05-07-2018, 12:10

Cards sweep Cubs. Sweet words. Tough injury to Molina, hope he recovers soon and doesn't have permanent performance issues....on and off the field!Yep, some tough baseball. But tougher for Yadi - hate to see that for anyone (even a Met). 100mph "traumatic hematoma" in an "uncomfortable" area.

Get well wishes - he is currently The Bar for anyone who ever played that position & an example for all young catchers around.

TrapperFrank

06-15-2018, 08:31

Ret10Echo

06-15-2018, 09:43

Looking at both ends of the spectrum now:

The Bo-sox are doing well. AL East is back to the old way of business with NY and Boston swapping the 1 spot.

At the other end of the spectrum is Baltimore who is not just in the basement but continues to dig as they achieve historic lows.

Badger52

06-15-2018, 09:46

My two teams, St. Louis and Atlanta are doing OK this year. I am especially surprised at how well Atlanta is doing. Their young players are showing world class poise and maturity and the Braves are a fun team to watch.Perennial (yet civilized) opponents or not, I'm glad to hear that Yadier is back ok. 3 night games for the Cubbies in STL (2 of them on normal TV, Sat/Sun).

The top-3 in the NL Central will always seem to make it a dogfight. A fishing buddy Brewers fan I congratulated about his team's ball-playing lately just shook his head & muttered something about "we haven't reached the AS break yet; there's still time for the Brewers to puke on their shoes."

Cubs/Cards are always a good time & both fans travel well.
Get dirty kids!
:cool:

Badger52

07-02-2018, 05:26

With the exception of the AL East (as usual), there seem to be the regular number of division hair-balls developing in advance of the All-Star break - and a trade deadline.

I see the Cubs perhaps moving some folks around in their system (or up & down) in an attempt to shore up the starting rotation. The bats are there & the bullpen is excellent but a couple of well-paid starters have GOT to quit giving up runs early. Lester remains a battler no matter what, as does Quintana now that he's settled down. Kyle Hendricks is having mechanical issues, like Rube Goldberg occasionally takes over his delivery or something. WTF?

After the Twins acquitting themselves well (but still being swept) in Wrigley, they travel up to Milwaukee now & might be a little po'd so the Brewers'd better watch out. With the heat wave, the ball was really being launched during that series - proof positive that it's still possible to hit Waveland or Sheffield Avenues even with the new graphics boards in place.

Atlanta (at the expense of the Cards) has percolated itself to the top of their division it seems & are playing some pretty good ball.

Ret10Echo

07-02-2018, 07:55

As we head toward the All Star break...What is everyone's thought on the comparison of AL and NL overall records.

The top 4 records all held by AL teams with the (hot) Atlanta Braves coming in at the top of the NL.

Is there significant strength in the AL this year or is it that there are just more bad teams in the AL divisions that allow for high winning percentages? Seems most of the teams at the bottom of the overall are also from the NL.

As a side note.... Baltimore (what else can go wrong) lost a pitcher to the DL for an ankle injury while running the bases in interleague play :rolleyes:

Badger52

07-02-2018, 08:37

Is there significant strength in the AL this year or is it that there are just more bad teams in the AL divisions that allow for high winning percentages? Seems most of the teams at the bottom of the overall are also from the NL.Without seeing what's being done (or, importantly, NOT done) in the front offices/farm systems it may be difficult to tell. Top AL East are traditional money-fixes-everything franchises. Others in the NL I can think of in contention are teams that have done some things over time and, for the last 2-3 years, have had teams that are getting better & better (Brewers come to mind). Maybe reaching their prime now in terms of development, that kinda thing. Agree with you, 'tis a puzzlement. As in, hey, how about the Braves? Or, WTH happened to Kansas City...?

Airbornelawyer

07-04-2018, 11:59

Boston is 25-7 against AL East teams not located in the Bronx. The Yankees are only 15-10 against AL East teams not located in Boston (and they are 5-4 against the Red Sox), so they are not dominating their division the way the Red Sox are. They still have 42 games to play against AL East rivals, compared to 35 for the Red Sox.

The Yankees are 11-2 against the AL Central, 16-6 against the AL West and 8-6 against the NL East. Boston is 6-6 against the AL Central, 17-10 against the AL West and 6-1 against the NL East (and are leading the Nats in the 8th inning as I write this). Neither has played any NL Central or West teams, and won't for the rest of the regular season.

Coming into the season, I think that 11 teams (the Rays, Tigers, ChiSox, Royals, A's, Braves, Phillies, Marlins, Pirates, Reds and Padres were perceived as being in various stages of "rebuilding" or tanking for draft picks), while 4 other teams were probably deluding themselves that they were better than they were (Orioles, Blue Jays, Rangers, Mets).

Of the other 15 teams, 9 probably had reasonable expectations of reaching the post-season, at least as a wild card (Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Astros, Nationals, Cubs, Dodgers, D'backs, Rockies) and 6 were somewhat hopeful (Twins, Mariners, Angels, Brewers, Cardinals, Giants).

So the biggest "upside" surprises so far appear to be the Braves and the Phillies, who seem to be much further along in their rebuilds than expected, and Oakland. The Pirates, though below .500, still appear to be better than expected. The Braves are 27-14 against their division and 22-21 against the rest of MLB. The Phillies are only 15-17 against the NL East, but that is because 22 of these games have been against the Braves and Nats and they still have 28 games left against the Marlins and Mets. The Mariners are also performing better than expected, especially without Cano. I don't know enough about the Brewers to have a strong opinion - they improved in the offseason, but a lot of their wins are against weaker teams.

Baltimore's woes, by the way, continue as Colby Rasmus basically just quit, and without even giving enough warning to allow the team to bring up a replacement.

Badger52

07-04-2018, 12:12

So the biggest "upside" surprises so far appear to be the Braves and the Phillies, who seem to be much further along in their rebuilds than expected...Completely agree about the Phillies, they are a surprise. They were always the team, when the Cubs were kicking butt on everyone else (at various points in their history) that for some reason the Cubs would tank & get their hat handed to them in Philadelphia by a near last place team. These days it looks like folks had better bring their full-on game when playing the Phillies, taking no chances. Sneaky bastards.

Ret10Echo

07-04-2018, 19:06

I think part of the pain in Baltimore is raised expectations and false hope. Their "up" years had more to do with both New York and Boston going through a generational change in their rosters. It's back to "normal" now which only amplifies the gap between those checkbooks and everyone else's.

The chatter is about what their rebuild plan is. It might be best served moving to the NL.

R10

Ret10Echo

07-19-2018, 05:53

Well, the mid-summer classic has gone by. The Manny Machado "rental" has happened, so now what?

The BoSox remain the team to beat in the AL East, managing to work up a 4.5 game lead on the Yanks. Being a New Englander I have a healthy appreciation for the historic post-All Star collapses of the Red Sox in the past. They are looking strong this year so the second half will be fun I think.

The O's will hopefully get over the "Black Knight" syndrome and admit that they are dead and looking at MAYBE 3 or 4 years of rebuild. The fire sale needs to happen NOW for any player they don't have control of beyond 2021, because that's real. This is all compounded by the question of whether they move on from the current Manager and GM.

On to October

Airbornelawyer

07-19-2018, 08:33

Ret10Echo

07-19-2018, 10:31

Did anyone see the introduction of the Medal of Honor recipients at the All-Star Game? It was a great moment, even for someone as cynical as me about how much the "honor our troops" stuff by MLB seems more marketing gesture than genuine expression of patriotism.

WRT to the Orioles, I guess the question is do they just rent out the rest of their pending free agents like Britton and Adam Jones, or do they see what kind of return they can get for younger players like Bundy and Givens, or even if they can get takers for Trumbo or Cobb.

I did not watch the entire game. Just caught bits of it along the way so no sense of how the MOH event went.

IRT the O's I think anyone who heads to free agency between 2019 - 2021 should be on the table. Focus should be on building the farm and getting the younger guys experience.

tom kelly

07-19-2018, 13:06

I did not watch the entire game. Just caught bits of it along the way so no sense of how the MOH event went.

IRT the O's I think anyone who heads to free agency between 2019 - 2021 should be on the table. Focus should be on building the farm and getting the younger guys experience.

Attendance at MLB is continuing to decline. Too many Teams have diluted the talent of the starters, PRICES for tickets,parking, food & drinks way out of line...Also I suspect the TV audience is declining The stands look empty at all most all of the games on TV. AMERICA'S PAST TIME HAS PASSED.TK

Badger52

07-19-2018, 14:40

The stands look empty at all most all of the games on TV. AMERICA'S PAST TIME HAS PASSED.TKI don't think its time has passed; some areas with certain teams/markets, this will always be so. But one thing that I believe has hurt the fan base (and they will show it in return by not going to games or buying merch) is that most of the televised game slots were sold off to MLBN, and other channels that are a premium fee unless someone has already decided that Platinum package is what they have to have (some of whom are in need of less couch, more PT). So someone who may go to a couple games a year - and as you say, for most that'$$$ a big deal, a vacation-like expense - can't follow the team on TV without genuflecting to the MLBN cartel.

I enjoy watching the Cubs when I can but most of those opportunities relate to them playing Milwaukee, where the Fox station up here covers them ALWAYS. Having an HF station & a long piece of wire the most common method here is old-fashioned AM radio while doing something else if I'm in the house. But the selling off of games to MLBN's near monopoly has not made any friends.

Airbornelawyer

07-19-2018, 16:30

11 of 30 teams have higher average attendance this year. Among these are the Astros (+22%), Phillies (+11%), Brewers (+10%), Yankees (+7%), Mariners (+4%) and Braves (+4%). So putting a winning product on the field is certainly a factor. Conversely, the biggest decline is, unsurprisingly, the Marlins (-53%), followed by the Royals (-25%), Blue Jays (-25%), Pirates (-23%) and Tigers (-23%).

Another factor that has to be considered is the really bad weather early in the season, compounded by starting the season earlier in late March, which probably depressed attendance in cities like Chicago, Boston and Cleveland. And the Cubs, Red Sox and Indians are also probably hurt by having so many tanking teams in their divisions. Would you pay the ridiculously high prices for tickets and beer at Fenway to see the Orioles or Rays?

Where I am, I can see both Orioles and Nationals games on MASN or MASN2, so TV viewing is not a problem. This MLB/Facebook deal is annoying, because I have no intention of watching a baseball game on Facebook, or having anything to do with Facebook period.

Regarding the MOH ceremony, here is the video:

https://www.mlb.com/video/antonetti-on-trading-for-hand/c-2284755483

There were 29 recipients present at the game:

CSM Bennie Adkins
COL Donald Ballard
COL Harvey Barnum, Jr.
SGT Gary Beikirch
MCSWO Edward Byers
COL Bruce Crandall
COL Roger Donlon
SP4 Michael Fitzmaurice
LTG Robert Foley
LTC Harold Fritz
LTC Charles Hagemeister
CAPT Thomas Kelley
LTC Charles Kettles
CSM Gary Littrell
MG James Livingston
COL Walter Marm, Jr.
SP5 James McCloughan
SFC Melvin Morris
CSM Robert Patterson
MSG Leroy Petry
COL Gordon Roberts
SSG Clinton Romesha
CPT Gary Rose
SFC Ronald Rosser
SP5 Clarence Sasser
SGM Kenneth Stumpf
MAJ James Taylor
1LT Brian Thacker
CPL Hershel "Woody" Williams

In case it's not clear from the abbreviations, CAPT Kelley was a navy captain, and CPT Rose was an Army captain (and SF medical NCO).

Airbornelawyer

07-20-2018, 05:50

Regarding attendance and the attitude of fans toward their local team and the game as a whole, there's another set of factors at play, though I have no idea other than a gut feeling as to how much these factors matter as compared to others. This is the combination of free agency, analytics and fantasy sports.

Free agency has obviously been around for a while, so its role in a player's loyalty or lack thereof to an organization is pretty well known. Ever since the Moneyball/analytics "revolution", though, you have to combine this with the way organizations now view players as quantifiable and disposable pieces, rather than individual personalities. With some exceptions, whatever residual notions of loyalty between players and teams are gone. If it is not a quantifiable metric, it is at best ignored or at worst sneered at by the baseball cognoscenti. Non-quantifiable factors like team chemistry and leadership and being a good dugout presence no longer carry much weight. The net result is, with few exceptions such as the Orioles ownership's inexplicably high regard for Chris Davis, teams and players don't really matter to each other.

Then comes the growth of rotisserie leagues and fantasy baseball. Now fans have jumped on the bandwagon of interchangeable pieces and can pick and choose which players they root for, rather than which teams. Why go to a game to see the one or two players who might be of interest, when you can just check the highlights or box scores of multiple games to see how all your picks did? Furthermore, the growth of sports betting sites like DraftKings means you also have a financial incentive to divorce yourself from caring about individual teams and focusing instead on individual players.

That all said, my only real perspective is baseball, so maybe there's a bigger picture I'm missing. I stopped following professional football and college basketball years ago, and I never cared for professional basketball, and association football just bores me to tears. Other than occasional mentions of the NFL's kneeling controversy, I know nothing about football popularity and attendance issues.

Ret10Echo

07-20-2018, 11:08

AL,
My personal take has been that Fantasy sports and metrics have moved fans out of the stands and onto their computers.
I don't "do" fantasy leagues but my uneducated assessment is that there is little interest in a team's performance as they are focused on individual players across multiple teams. Mixing that with free-agency amplifies the loss of interest in "team" sports outside of jersey and hat sales.

Not like when I grew up. I still can recite the Red Sox roster from back then because those guys were there year after year.

R10

Badger52

09-01-2018, 11:23

NL Central continues to be a dogfight. Although the Cubs lead, the Cards & Brewers have positioned themselves to have a stab at both NL Wild Card spots. Need more hairball? The Cubs have 2 series remaining against the Brewers before this thing is done... ain't over till it's over. What a division.

bblhead672

09-03-2018, 08:48

Badger52

09-03-2018, 09:15

The Cardinals have been impressive since firing Matheny and blowing up the roster. I'd like to see them slugging it out with the Cubs for the division championship the last weekend of the season (and winning it of course).
For this Cardinals team to come back and win it all (World Series) would be legendary.Yeah, they really caught fire.

For all the flipping potential of 2 series left with the Brewers, the Cubs host the Cards for the final games; always a fun time. Someone mentioned to me recently how they manage to see Cubs & Cards fans all over the place, wherever they play - then used that old announcers' expression "the fans travel well."

My answer: "No, we have embedded cells all over the country that can be activated on demand."
:D

Airbornelawyer

09-04-2018, 14:30

Yeah, they really caught fire.

For all the flipping potential of 2 series left with the Brewers, the Cubs host the Cards for the final games; always a fun time. Someone mentioned to me recently how they manage to see Cubs & Cards fans all over the place, wherever they play - then used that old announcers' expression "the fans travel well."

My answer: "No, we have embedded cells all over the country that can be activated on demand."
:D
Go Cubs? :rolleyes:

Badger52

09-04-2018, 14:33

Go Cubs? :rolleyes:

With all due respect...

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:cool:

Airbornelawyer

09-04-2018, 14:58

Sorry. I was looking through my fishing gear and thought I'd do some trolling. :cool:

With the recent fade of the Phillies, it appears that the NL Central and both Wests are the only interesting fights left.

In the AL West, I always expected Houston to get better once they got healthier. Seattle's fade is a bit sad, since they looked good for a while. I suppose I can allow myself to no longer actively root against Oakland, now, since they DFA'd their pizza-delivery person assaulting Colin Kaepernick-wannabe catcher. Although Oakland is still in the Bay Area, so they've got that going against them.

I honestly don't care about any of the teams in the NL West, although I remain annoyed that whenever MLB network has any late evening or West Coast coverage, it's always the Dodgers or Giants.

As between the Cardinals and the Cubs, Im' rooting for the Brewers. It's a bit of rooting for the underdog, but also I'm a fan of Christian Yelich. He seems like good kid.

Ret10Echo

09-04-2018, 17:41

Orioles are in 1st place for 1st pick.... Clinched in the sweep by KC (the second worst team in baseball).

The fun right now is trying to see if Baltimore exceeds their worst franchise team. As it stands now their current (losing) percentage gives them MAYBE 6 more wins...

So 46 - 116

Gausman down in Atlanta is sub-2.00 ERA.

EPIC

Now for actual baseball:

Does Judge's return boost the Yanks to where they survive the wildcard playoff? Their recent loss to the A's does not bode well

Badger52

09-04-2018, 18:43

Sorry. I was looking through my fishing gear and thought I'd do some trolling. :cool:

As between the Cardinals and the Cubs, Im' rooting for the Brewers. It's a bit of rooting for the underdog, but also I'm a fan of Christian Yelich. He seems like good kid.
LOL, no sweat. That poor hat probably felt it needed delousing.

Must say, we end up watching Brewers games because of the selling off of games to MLB cartel. It's the only way to see Cubs because the local Fox station covers all Brewers games, and replays 'em for shift workers. They look like such a different team this year. That kid Yelich is a GOOD lookin' ball player and imo one of the very best acquisitions they've made. He has great traditional baseball career written on him if he keeps his stuff together.

Storm

09-05-2018, 10:32

My brother is an Orioles fan, he is excited that they get the pick. He's also pretty excited that they are finally listening to Duquette, and signing international players.

Yelich is a stud, he isn't flashy, so he's often overlooked, but the kid can flat out play the game.

I am not sure how much Judge is going to help, it is going to take a him a few weeks to get his timing back, at the very least. Then again, nobody thought he'd be this good to begin with!!

Badger52

09-28-2018, 20:19

So here we are and the Cubs took care of business with the Cards today, who are no push-overs. And actually hoping the Tigers (yes, I said an AL team) will come back to give the Brewers a loss, but they are another team that has played some reeeeally good ball this year. Never easy in the NL-Central; will probably come down to last game of this last weekend. What a hairball, but looks pretty tame compared to SCOTUS nomination hearings.

cat in the hat

09-28-2018, 21:29

Just watched a good game, rockies clinched WC berth.
1 point from their first division championship.

Sdiver

09-29-2018, 14:58

Have I ever said how much I HATE the St. Louis Cards ... :mad: :mad: :mad:

Badger52

09-29-2018, 15:13

Have I ever said how much I HATE the St. Louis Cards ... :mad: :mad: :mad:If you need something to do you could put a Mojo on the Tigers tonight to beat the Brewers... askin' for a friend.
:cool:

CW3SF

09-29-2018, 16:54

Go Brewers! I can’t stand the Cubs. Would like nothing more than seeing them denied the Division title. And an early playoff exit to boot. :D

Airbornelawyer

09-29-2018, 20:08

Must say, we end up watching Brewers games because of the selling off of games to MLB cartel. It's the only way to see Cubs because the local Fox station covers all Brewers games, and replays 'em for shift workers. They look like such a different team this year. That kid Yelich is a GOOD lookin' ball player and imo one of the very best acquisitions they've made. He has great traditional baseball career written on him if he keeps his stuff together.
Another reason I like Yelich, which I didn't mention in my earlier post, and which is unrelated to his baseball talent, is the evident pride he has in his Marine brother, which he noted both in the Marlins exhibition game at Fort Bragg a few years back and during the World Baseball Classic. Sgt. Cameron Yelich got to throw out the first pitch at yesterday's game, and see his brother have a pretty good game.

A fun scenario would be for the Rockies and Brewers to take their divisions, and the defending NL Central and NL West forced into a single-elimination wildcard game.

I'm kind of conflicted, in that as a long-time Northern Virginia resident, I am rooting for the Nats over the Rockies, but at the same time I'd like the Rockies to win the NL East, because I am tired of the Dodgers and LA in general.

Badger52

09-29-2018, 21:11

Go Brewers! I can’t stand the Cubs. Would like nothing more than seeing them denied the Division title. And an early playoff exit to boot. :DWell you might get your wish. Down to the last game on the last day tomorrow. And if a tie still results, Brewers go to Wrigley for tie-breaker because of Cubs' better record against them -- which is not good because both play each other better on the road & the Brewers have loved coming to Wrigley this year. What a hairball.
:D

Airbornelawyer

09-30-2018, 18:18

Badger52

09-30-2018, 18:23

Kind of an anti-climactic Sunday.Yeah, and "moving" day probably for some team staff/management.

Cubs fan or not, I will be surprised if Christian Yelich doesn't end up NL MVP. That kid is somethin'.

Ret10Echo

10-01-2018, 07:17

Kind of an anti-climactic Sunday. All four relevant games were pretty much blowouts. No change to the standings, forcing two Game 163's.

Elsewhere, a lot of fan appreciation for Adam Jones, and the Orioles managed to at least end a dismal season with a win.

The O's won on Opening Day and the closing game...the everything in between was just a WHOLE lotta Bad.
We'll see if the management has it in them to rebuild and get a "Houston bounce". They'll be a lot of unknown names on the roster for the next 2 -3 years. Indications are the Showalter will go and Duquette will stay. Strange that they aren't completely cleaning house but there are a lot of factors in ownership and front office that are rumored to be in flux now.

The post season will be interesting to watch. The regular season had very little drama in the AL but there is some momentum in play that will most likely have more to do with the outcome than anything in the regular season.

Bring on October ball.

Badger52

10-02-2018, 23:11

13 innings. Had opportunities & didn't cash in. Adios Cubbies; Rockies headed to a Brewers team that has peaked at just the right time.

Airbornelawyer

10-03-2018, 06:31

The Rockies are 10-2 in their last 12 games, including the WC, so they're peaking at the right time as well.

Well-pitched game for both teams. Somehow I don't think the A's-Yankees game is going to be a pitcher's duel, but I could be wrong.

CW3SF

10-03-2018, 06:46

Great game last night. ;)

Ret10Echo

10-03-2018, 07:54

Cubbies and Rockies game was reflective of the entire season.

Agree, I'm pretty sure A's -v- Yanks doesn't go down as a pitching duel but will be a matter of launch angle and exit velocity.

A's closed out the season 6-4... Yankees 7-3 and they are tied up in their regular season match-ups 3-3.

I'll pull for the A' s simply because they are not the Yankees. :p

R10

bblhead672

10-03-2018, 10:51

I think its going to be an interesting post season contest this year.

Surprising to see the Cubs eliminated. Brewers and Rockies (and the Dodgers) hit all the marks when it mattered the most.

Sad to see the Cardinals fade the last 12 games, the organization needs new front office people to build a more competitive team. Never should have let Jeff Luhnow depart, he would have been much better GM than Mozeliak has proven to be.

Badger52

10-03-2018, 13:50

I think its going to be an interesting post season contest this year.

Surprising to see the Cubs eliminated. Agree on the first thing, which I'll only be hearing about because of my whereabouts.

Someone who really followed the Cubs saw this coming for quite awhile this year. Starting pitching, even when able to cruise through 6-7 innings, can't take back the 3 runs they gave up in the first 2 innings - happened alot. And the bullpen was so "which version of him are we going to see today?" they were never going to really hold against someone who was continuing to move forward. They stayed where they were on the track, with no progress really since mid-late summer and the Brewers kept going. When you stand still then, as Mr. Miyagi say, "Squoosh! Just like grape." Wish the Brewers the best, they earned it the old fashioned way, now let's see if they can make it stick.

We'll see who's around next Spring in Mesa...

That little bit of extra time for other stuff now, like I wish my buddy's lessee would get his crops out soon so I can place some targets wayyyyyy out there.

Airbornelawyer

10-03-2018, 17:20

The Cubs had 39 games where they scored one or fewer runs (plus 16 where they scored two runs). The Cubs at least managed to win four of those games by a score of 1-0, but that shows that it wasn't just pitching woes, but an offense that also too often failed to deliver (they won 7 of the 16 2 run games, either 2-1 or 2-0). The hapless Orioles, by the way, had 40 such one or zero run games, winning two by a 1-0 score.

The Nationals had a similar problem with the offense often going quiet, suffering 15 shutouts, 13 1-run performances and 22 2-run performances. In the Cy Young debate, for all the people saying ignore the wins and don't punish DeGrom for a lack of run support, I would note that Max Scherzer had four losses where he gave up two runs or fewer, but the Nats were shut out. And then there's Scherzer's August 12 no-decision, where he shut out the Cubs for 7 innings and Madson gave up a walk-off grand slam in the ninth to lose 4-3.

Badger52

10-03-2018, 20:45

No dispute on the bats either. Much of the season several others were carrying the "names" and, along with that, much of the NL has figured out how to get specific guys out - no secrets in baseball for long. It's an amalgam of things that have to come together, and even veterans aren't immune to trying too hard & expanding the zone, rewarding the opposing pitcher's approach. Like an old MAD magazine Spy vs. Spy episode. (Exacerbated when it's the bottom of the 2nd & your starter has already given up 3 runs.)

I actually remember feeling bad for Scherzer; delighted with the outcome but felt bad for him.

Ret10Echo

10-04-2018, 07:51

Cubs going down was one dagger for MLB as they see Milwaukee advance (not exactly a huge following for TV ratings).

Yankees made quick work of the A's... I'm annoyed to say that they seem to be hitting stride with healthy bats and arms returning just in time for the post season. Boston is going to need to come at them HARD to take away the momentum.

Sale has the ball for the series opener. He's been suspect of late although the club says he's "fine". Guess we'll find out.

Badger52

10-08-2018, 05:19

bblhead672

10-08-2018, 06:56

Brewers made some quick work as well of the Rockies and now get to await Dodgers or Braves. They will be tough for either one getting more rest. Not having that 3rd game covered on a Sunday other than by MLB channel proves that the high church of Football outrank$$$ the branch cartel of baseball, at least as far as Brewers/Rockies are concerned.

(IMO, football before the World Series is a felony and World Series played into freakin' November gets you a cell with Bubba also, but the kid calls me a curmudgeon, so...)
:munchin

What is this football thing? Oh yeah, that waste of time that I don't miss. :D

I wish MLB hadn't taken so many games "off air" onto pay networks. I guess that's what helps keep the players' contracts outrageous and the owners' pockets stuffed with cash.