2023 MLB Postseason - Rangers vs.. wait... the Diamondbacks? Really?

[mister d]

Carroll being so good as a rookie despite looking like he’s from 30 years ago is so weird.

[bfj]

I really saw this weekend going…differently.

[EnochRoot]

Correa is dominating the Astros tonight.

I really saw this weekend going…differently.

Hyde is managing as if Bruce Bochy is living rent-free in his head.

[EnochRoot]

Huge game by Correa. Finished the game with a dynamite defensive stop too. Kid's got a howitzer of an arm, too.

[mister d]

Good day y’all.

[tennbengal]

Looking forward to the Orioles starting their playoffs. When does that happen?

[Steve of phpBB]

I really saw this weekend going…differently.

Baseball sucks.

[bfj]

I really saw this weekend going…differently.

Baseball sucks.

I agree, today. I’m salty today. But my team that sucked not too long ago is in the dance and seems to have a good plan in place and a crazy talented farm system.

[sancarlos]

You’ll get ‘em next year!

[mister d]

Feels like this offseason will be a big indicator. They clearly need to add an arm above or next to Gray-Rod via UFA or trade otherwise I'd worry they're going the "lets win as much as we can the cheap way" route.

[bfj]

Feels like this offseason will be a big indicator. They clearly need to add an arm above or next to Gray-Rod via UFA or trade otherwise I'd worry they're going the "lets win as much as we can the cheap way" route.

Agreed. Braddish, Grayson and then a lot of maybes. Maybe Means, maybe Kremer. Apparently Cade Povich is also a good looking minor league arm, but I don’t know much about him.

The farm has a lot of talent on offense and maybe they package some talent and get that clear #1. Or maybe this taste of success get Angelos hard and he tells Elias go get what he needs.

[bfj]

You’ll get ‘em next year!

Lol. They could win the next three. I’ll be ready by game 3. I have had a great time following this season with my oldest. He’s living at home this semester and we’ve probably watched 150 games together. We don’t always get along about stuff, but when it comes to watching or talking about the O’s, it helps.

[sancarlos]

You’ll get ‘em next year!

Lol. They could win the next three. I’ll be ready by game 3. I have had a great time following this season with my oldest. He’s living at home this semester and we’ve probably watched 150 games together. We don’t always get along about stuff, but when it comes to watching or talking about the O’s, it helps.

That comment brings back a poignant memory for me. My youngest brother (now deceased) and I were close. He wasn’t a sports fan. He once said wistfully to me, “At least when dad is being an asshole, you’ve still got sports to talk about to find a way to get along.”

[EnochRoot]

Feels like this offseason will be a big indicator. They clearly need to add an arm above or next to Gray-Rod via UFA or trade otherwise I'd worry they're going the "lets win as much as we can the cheap way" route.

Agreed. Braddish, Grayson and then a lot of maybes. Maybe Means, maybe Kremer. Apparently Cade Povich is also a good looking minor league arm, but I don’t know much about him.

The farm has a lot of talent on offense and maybe they package some talent and get that clear #1. Or maybe this taste of success get Angelos hard and he tells Elias go get what he needs.

Grayson's last start was September 27th. That's 12 calendar days from October 8th, or 10 days of rest. He's been a guy they've pitched on 5 days rest since he returned to the club in July. Those 4 extra days fucked up his delivery. He was missing his spots and overthrowing. He likely adjusted his release points, and in this day and age, that means he was probably tipping his pitches. FFS, Bradish said he discovered he himself was tipping pitches in Game One. Whatever they tried to do to mitigate the fact Grayson was on too much rest did not work. Hell, I would've reworked the rotation so that Grayson was starting on the last day of the season, because that would've meant five days rest for Game 1 of the DS.

Sprinkle in that clusterfuck with the fact that Aaron Hicks missed a sign from the dugout in the 9th inning in G1 that called for a hit and run. I'm not sure what's more ridiculous: the fact a major league veteran misses a signal from the dugout, or the fact there isn't some sort of acknowledging signal used by the batter to confirm receipt. He made up for it with 5 RBI in G2. But yeah, so what, he still screwed the pooch. Big time.

And then there's Brandon Hyde and his inconsistencies. First, he yanks Westburg for PH Adam Frazier when they were down by a run in the 3rd or 4th inning in G1. WTF? A) Westburg is a much better defender than Frazier and B) He's actually a better hitter, too. That made little sense because it really hamstrung what he could do with the bench later in the game when they needed a bat off the bench. Then there was the fact that after Cionel Perez came in to relieve Grayson in the 2nd (!) inning, he actually called on Bryan Baker to start the 3rd in relief. That guy got demoted cuz he sucked, and then he proceeded to be ineffective the remainder of the year at Norfolk. The fact he walked the bases loaded should've surprised nobody. So Hyde takes him out of the game and replaces him with Jacob Webb (DFA from the Angels who gave up a HR in game one (3-2 loss btw), and he immediately gives up a grand slam.

Guys like Dean Kremer and Jack Flaherty were in the bullpen. They needed a long arm to get the game into the 6th inning. Just a baffling decision by Hyde.

Finally (there are others, but I gotta walk my dog), Runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 8th inning and they're down 6 runs. Mountcastle due up. So Bochy goes to the pen and calls for a RH, Sborz. Mountcastle mashes vs lefties, but scuffles vs righties (to the tune of a .640 OPS). Ryan O'Hearn (.802 OPS v RH) and Heston Kjerstad (.892 OPS v RH) sat on the bench. Mountcastle proceeds to ground out meekly to 1B. Inning over. That decision was amplified to 11 when Aaron Hicks launched a three run shot off their closer, Leclerc in the 9th inning.

[L-Jam3]

Doing The Chop on Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day? Why don’t you assholes just go sneeze into blankets?

[EnochRoot]

Thomson should've taken Wheeler out after 6. He was in the mid 80s (pitch count) and the Braves got to taste some blood on that unearned run on the double Wheeler gave up. Should've turned the ball over to the pen with a 3 run lead for the final 9 outs. That's not really second guessing either. Third time up, etc.

[L-Jam3]

I’m right there with you, Enoch. Especially since the bullpen has a full day of rest, and they have off tomorrow too. Rob Thomson usually has a good handle of the bullpen these last couple years, but I’m a little surprised he didn’t start the 7th with Hoffman or Alvarado.

[L-Jam3]

Fuck. Fuck-fucking fuck.

[Giff]

That was a no-doubter and they act like it barely made it out of the park.

[EnochRoot]

What ticks me off is how often teams don't realize Hoffman did not have to throw a strike on that full count pitch. Just reset with Olson.

[L-Jam3]

Fucking same thing happened in the 9th as the WS game I went to. Long-ass drive to the fence that got tracked down.

[cerranoredux]

Phils missed a huge opportunity there. Yooge, in fact.

ETA: I don’t know why, but I feel like it would have been better to have gotten blown out than lose the way they did tonight.

[mister d]

Bryce Harper is great and fun and all that, but it’s an inexcusable mistake. And “he scores if it’s not caught” isn’t a reasonable justification; it ignores (1) what happened and (2) that, at a minimum, it’s 2nd and 3rd with one out if it’s not caught.

[EnochRoot]

Bryce Harper is great and fun and all that, but it’s an inexcusable mistake. And “he scores if it’s not caught” isn’t a reasonable justification; it ignores (1) what happened and (2) that, at a minimum, it’s 2nd and 3rd with one out if it’s not caught.

No he fucked up, period. Cuz if Harris isn't coming up with that, Acuna's going to be the one throwing the ball back towards the IF. Harper's got wheels to have scored anyway. That ball got hung up. The crack of the bat implied the ball should've traveled faster. I checked - the EV on that ball was 100.8. If it were 105 that ball ricochets off the wall.

[mister d]

We’re not disagreeing other than 105 being over the wall, not off it.

[EnochRoot]

We’re not disagreeing other than 105 being over the wall, not off it.

If it had the same arc, then yeah it would've left the yard. Probably by ten feet.

[degenerasian]

Atkins said that the decision to remove Berrios as entirely the manager's. Interesting strategy throwing the manager under the bus. I'm curious what analytics the Jays are using that tell them to extend Berrios for $130M and that he also shouldn't pitch beyond 3 in the playoffs.

Such a dysfunctional organization.

[Giff]

Obviously far from over, but getting that early lead in playoff games saves days on one’s life.

[bfj]

And shortens others.

[Giff]

Blatant foul tip strike 3 missed. Umpires are useless.

[L-Jam3]

The Rangers stadium might be the ugliest, least necessary ballpark I’ve ever seen on tv.

[bfj]

Seager planted one 445’ away.

[Rex]

Goes to show that the AL East needed the Yankees. Let's hope they don't make that mistake again.

[brian]

The Rangers stadium might be the ugliest, least necessary ballpark I’ve ever seen on tv.

Agreed. And I had been to the “old” one. I thought it was pretty nice. Certainly standard early 90s chic.

[L-Jam3]

It’s like they wanted to recreate the Astrodome, only without any of its charm.

[A_B]

I don’t remember Cincinnati Chapman being swole up like a June tick.

[mister d]

If all that means “lifts weights”, he definitely did in his NYY days.

[A_B]

If all that means “lifts weights”, he definitely did in his NYY days.

I’m not making any accusations just seems much thicker. But age also will do that even if you’re in shape

[Steve of phpBB]

Sorry, O’s fans. Such a cruel ending to a great season.

[mister d]

If all that means “lifts weights”, he definitely did in his NYY days.

I’m not making any accusations just seems much thicker. But age also will do that even if you’re in shape

Oh, I don’t care either way because fuck Aroldis, but he was always cut as fuck in NY.