MLB 2020 Season

[Malvolio]

This, in one play epitomizes baseball.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1317079636111548417

I don't know what I like better, the fact that he had a play ready for that, that it was...that play, and that apparently everyone, including the umps were just looking for his facial expressions to tell if he made the catch or not instead of looking for the...ball. I especially love that the guy let the batter get all the way around the bases, thinking he had a home run, only to start laughing and showing him the trick ball! Dude could have been a magician.

It's like Jeffrey Meyer in reverse!

[achilles]

It's like Jeffrey Meyer in reverse!

Kind of, yeah.

[Joker]

Atlanta just wasn't ready yet, it's honestly amazing how far they made it given the adversity they'd overcome. Keep in mind not a single starter they used had ever made a post season start this year, and look at how they did, they had four starters, the oldest of which was Kyle Wright, whose 25. Next season they get a healthy Mike Soroka back, they get a more seasoned Ian Anderson, Max Fried is only getting better, and Wright and Wilson have both shown they may have made the jump, Christian Pache easily cemented his spot as the starting center fielder going forward, exciting times, still more big time prospects almost ready to make the jump.

I hadn't really thought about it until the Dodgers series, but Felix Hernandez opted out of the season. Had he not, in theory, he would (could) have made it to pitch in the post season in his first year with another team. I wish he had played, in retrospect. I wonder if he's kicking himself now?

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The Dodgers drew first blood in game one of the World Series with an 8-3 win over Tampa last night. Mookie Betts and Max Muncy both went 2-4 with two runs scored while Clayton Kershaw gave up just one run on two hits in six solid innings.

[Joker]

Tampa will always be national heroes for knocking out the Astros, but The Dodgers win this in 5, most likely.

I watched the Tampa/Astros series, and scoring a lot of runs by taking advantage of runners on base is not what Tampa does. They're going to need to do that to win. The 3 games they tanked to the Astros were games they could have won, had they capitalized on their many chances. But they didn't.

The Dodgers are the better team.

[achilles]

Tampa will always be national heroes for knocking out the Astros, but The Dodgers win this in 5, most likely.

I watched the Tampa/Astros series, and scoring a lot of runs by taking advantage of runners on base is not what Tampa does. They're going to need to do that to win. The 3 games they tanked to the Astros were games they could have won, had they capitalized on their many chances. But they didn't.

The Dodgers are the better team.

I'm going to have to go with you there. The Dodger's problem has not been their players, but rather Roberts, who couldn't manage pitchers to save his life. He overpitches his guys in the regular season so that by the end of a typical season, their arms are shot. At least enough to lose the close ones.

Which is why this is happening. Over about a third to three fourths of the season, they've incredible. Usually, barring major injuries. But then, the pace starts getting to them, and they usually break down starting in the late season to the post season. The short season favored the Dodgers. And now they're still fresh, in the Series. I think they take this, perhaps losing a game or two along the way. The real test for them IMO will be next year, assuming it's a regular length season.

[Scott Taylor]

Tampa seems not quite ready to win the big one. Dodgers just have way more experience in the World Series and it looks like Kershaw is finally over his ghosts. Some of those pitches he made last night were downright nasty, just like his regular season stuff. Thats going to make the difference.

[Deathstroke]

The one thing I don't like about all the Astros hate (even though it is deserved for those still on the team that took part in the cheating) is that I love Dusty Baker. I am sorry that he gets caught up in all the hate because he's just doing the job he was hired to do.

[Joker]

I like Dusty, too. I wish he hadn’t taken the job.

[Joker]

This game tonight is why I don't think the Rays will win the series. I'm still pulling for them, though.

[achilles]

Tampa seems not quite ready to win the big one. Dodgers just have way more experience in the World Series and it looks like Kershaw is finally over his ghosts. Some of those pitches he made last night were downright nasty, just like his regular season stuff. Thats going to make the difference.

It's more a case of Roberts not having enough time to overwork the guy in this regular season, IMO. Kershaw mostly tends to collapse late season or in the post, not before. Also, why does spell check hate a proper name like that? This was the perfect length season for the Dodgers, given Roberts' pitching management theories. Yes, the Rays pulled off last night, but I don't see them pulling off a whole series against the Dodgers. That said...the Dodgers are notorious for losing games and series they should have won, especially in the post season. And the Rays were IIRC the second best team in baseball by record, in a tougher draw overall than the Dodgers, (who had as their most powerful opponents the Padres and A's). So, it's a weird season, and even if the Rays won, I wouldn't be too surprised. It is 2020 after all.

[achilles]

I like Dusty, too. I wish he hadn’t taken the job.

Yeah, when I heard that, my heart sank. He had to know what was coming. Honestly, while (if i had the skill, which I don't), I'd love to manage almost any MLB team...not that one, and I couldn't imagine why anyone would. And for it to be Dusty...

[achilles]

Congrats to my favorite Rays' player, Ji-Man Choi, who I like for his name, and because I can easily pick him out from the sort of crowd you'll see in an MLB game, for becoming the first Korean born player to have a hit in a World Series. Also, because he's a reasonably good player who hustles, (and it's funny to see him get all out of breath when he has to run out two bases).

BTW, why in the world would the Dodgers run a bullpen game? That's not what they're about. My 3 AM math suggests that now Walker Buehler won't be available for a game six or seven, is that right? He's pitching tomorrow, (today is a...heh...travel day, and that dumb debate thing is on instead), game 4. Five would be Friday, six would be Saturday, (my birthday, so I'm hoping for a great game either way), and seven, if needed...Monday? So...Friday to maybe Monday. So you could use him on a bit of short rest, (depending on how far into the pitch count he gets on Friday), for seven, but I doubt six.

Honestly, (and keeping in mind that the Dodgers allowed the runner-up to the Cy Young last year, and IMO should have won it), for nothing, the Dodgers aren't lacking for good to great starting pitching---it's their pen that's been their biggest problem during the year.

[Malvolio]

Any pitcher would be willing to go in a game seven of the World Series on short rest. It's game Seven! You have the whole off-season to rest.

[achilles]

Any pitcher would be willing to go in a game seven of the World Series on short rest. It's game Seven! You have the whole off-season to rest.

It's not a question of willing; but a question of how good is he going to be. It's possible on a short rest for the guy to pitch game seven I should think...if...he had a shortish outing in tomorrow's game. If he goes closer to 100 pitches...I don't know. My point is it doesn't seem to be the optimal pitching job for yesterday's game. True, maybe there was an issue with a muscle strain or something that a couple of days rest could solve. But...I've suffered through so many Roberts' pitching screw-ups that pitching a pen game seems more like that to me. Honestly, he's just not a good manager though he seems an affable enough sort, and probably gets along fairly well with most of his players, (though I've often wondered about Manny Machado's contrasting attitudes at the Dodgers, which he didn't seem to like, and the Padres, where it seems as though he's found a home. There had to be some reason for that. Could be Machado himself, but it also could have been Roberts.