BASEBALL 2019---LET'S DO IT!

[DCPatriot]

I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach over the BREWERS vs NATIONALS winner-take-all game tonight.   

[Polly Ticks]

I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach over the BREWERS vs NATIONALS winner-take-all game tonight.   

I hear you.  Those Wild Card games are definitely gut-wrenching.
Hang in there!

[DCPatriot]

I hear you.  Those Wild Card games are definitely gut-wrenching.
Hang in there!

Max Scherzer has morphed into 'Mike Mussina' where even with a quality start, a couple 'mistakes' go over the wall, and his offense is AWOL.

[EasyAce]

I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach over the BREWERS vs NATIONALS winner-take-all game tonight.   

@DCPatriot
A few points toward your comfort:

* This years Nationals were the majors' best two-strike hitting team.
* They have enough of a left-right balance at the plate to make things tough for the Brewers' bullpenning.
* Max Scherzer.
* Stephen Strasburg in relief if Max Scherzer runs into too much hot water.
* The Nats' bullpen actually tightened up just enough over the last couple of regular season days, but going all-hands-on-deck for this game may mean Patrick Corbin in relief of Strasrbug if Strasburg runs into critical trouble behind Scherzer.
* The Brewers may not be at full non-Yelich strength with Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun being hurt for the final regular season game. They're likely to play today but they may still be just uncomfortable enough to make a difference for the Nats, however small.
* Without Yelich, a third of the Brewers' power is gone. The Nats are at full power with enough power bats in the lineup.
* Anthony Rendon.

Frankly, I like the Nats' chances today.

But if they don't make it, take further comfort: the Brewers are liable to get destroyed by the Dodgers in a division series.

[Bigun]

@Bigun
You can pay me now. 

The check is in the mail @EasyAce. 

[AllThatJazzZ]

@Bigun
@catfish1957

In the immortal words of Gabriel Heatter, there's good news tonight (well, this morning)---the list of umps for the wild card games and the division series is posted, and it looks like neither Country Joe, Charlie Brown, or the Devilish Angel are on the list:

Wild Card Games
National League---Cory Blaser, Kerwin Danley, Mike Everitt, Jeff Nelson, David Rackley, Carlos Torres.
American League---Lance Barrett, Fieldin Culbreth, Chad Fairchild, Chris Guccione, Adam Hamari, Bill Miller.

Division Series
National League---Dodgers v. wild card winner: Jordan Baker, Ted Barrett, Doug Eddings, Tripp Gibson, Wil Little, Alfonso Marquez; Braves vs. Cardinals: Tom Hallion, Ed Hickox, Pat Hoberg, Sam Holbrook, Alan Porter, Jim Wolf.

American League---Astros v. wild card winner: Bruce Dreckman, James Hoye, Jerry Meals, D.J. Reyburn, John Tumpane, Mark Wegner; Yankees v. Twins: Lance Barksdale, Gary Cederstrom, Eric Cooper, Manny Gonzalez, Adrian Johnson, Todd Tichenor.

Not a C.B. Bucknor, Angel Hernandez, or Joe West among them.

For now. 

@EasyAce

Did you add that last line just to torture us?!

[EasyAce]

@EasyAce

Did you add that last line just to torture us?!

@AllThatJazzZ
Not at all---they simply haven't decided on the crews for the two League Championship Series and the World Series yet.

[DCPatriot]

@DCPatriot
A few points toward your comfort:

* This years Nationals were the majors' best two-strike hitting team.
* They have enough of a left-right balance at the plate to make things tough for the Brewers' bullpenning.
* Max Scherzer.
* Stephen Strasburg in relief if Max Scherzer runs into too much hot water.
* The Nats' bullpen actually tightened up just enough over the last couple of regular season days, but going all-hands-on-deck for this game may mean Patrick Corbin in relief of Strasrbug if Strasburg runs into critical trouble behind Scherzer.
* The Brewers may not be at full non-Yelich strength with Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun being hurt for the final regular season game. They're likely to play today but they may still be just uncomfortable enough to make a difference for the Nats, however small.
* Without Yelich, a third of the Brewers' power is gone. The Nats are at full power with enough power bats in the lineup.
* Anthony Rendon.

Frankly, I like the Nats' chances today.

But if they don't make it, take further comfort: the Brewers are liable to get destroyed by the Dodgers in a division series.

LOL!   Thanks, my friend!   

If the 2014 GIANTS can win it all as a Wildcard, why not us?     

[EasyAce]

LOL!   Thanks, my friend!   

If the 2014 GIANTS can win it all as a Wildcard, why not us?     

@DCPatriot
Actually, five wild card teams went on to win the World Series: the Marlins (1997, 2003), the Angels (2002, and they beat the NL wild card-winning Giants in that Series), the Red Sox (2004), the Cardinals (that thriller of a 2011 Series), and the '14 Giants. (Who just so happened to beat the AL wild card-winning Royals.)

[catfish1957]

I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach over the BREWERS vs NATIONALS winner-take-all game tonight.   

We've been through 1 game WC stress monster too.  It sucks.

If I was Commish, I'd suggest dropping the regular season to 160 games, so it could allow for a best of 3 WC round.

Really not fair for a team winning almost 100 games (i.e. A's and Rays), and base your entire season fortunes on 9 innings of fear.

[catfish1957]

LOL!   Thanks, my friend!   

If the 2014 GIANTS can win it all as a Wildcard, why not us?     

Remember....  in all the despair a few months ago , I told you I thought the Nats would make the playoffs.

To me an Astros v.  Nats WS would be the most compelling of all.  The starting pitching matchups would be epic.

[GrouchoTex]

We've been through 1 game WC stress monster too.  It sucks.

If I was Commish, I'd suggest dropping the regular season to 160 games, so it could allow for a best of 3 WC round.

Really not fair for a team winning almost 100 games (i.e. A's and Rays), and base your post season fortunes on 9 innings of fear.

2015, Astros beat Yankees 3-0 in Yankee stadium was the last time we did, right?

It was nerve wracking.

[GrouchoTex]

Remember....  in all the despair a few months ago , I told you I thought the Nats would make the playoffs.

To me an Astros v.  Nats WS would be the most compelling of all.  The starting pitching matchups would be epic.

I agree.
I thought that might be the eventual match up one of these last 2 years.

[DCPatriot]

Remember....  in all the despair a few months ago , I told you I thought the Nats would make the playoffs.

To me an Astros v.  Nats WS would be the most compelling of all.  The starting pitching matchups would be epic.

I sincerely hope we get to see it, @catfish1957 !     

[catfish1957]

2015, Astros beat Yankees 3-0 in Yankee stadium was the last time we did, right?

It was nerve wracking.

Yeah, we got the the flip of the shiny coin that time, and rode the hot hand when Kuechel was dominant.

[Polly Ticks]

Yeah, we got the the flip of the shiny coin that time, and rode the hot hand when Kuechel was dominant.

He's not so shabby now, either.  We kind of like him, anyway.

[DCPatriot]

Yeah, we got the the flip of the shiny coin that time, and rode the hot hand when Kuechel was dominant.

LOL!

I'm not gonna talk sh*t until we win tonight.  Then...watch out!   

Trey Turner getting on base is an automatic RISP.  Adam Eaton behind him sees a lot of fastballs, because Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto are on deck.

And right now, the lower end of the batting order is barrelling up, too!

Now, add a dose of Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin, Sanchez and [fill-in-the-blank] in a short series??

Please LORD!!!   Let me celebrate tonight.   I've been good.   

[EasyAce]

If I was Commish, I'd suggest dropping the regular season to 160 games, so it could allow for a best of 3 WC round.

Much as I love what could happen today and (with the American League wild card game) tomorrow, if I was the commish, I'd demand, not suggest . . .

* Doing away with the damn wild cards. I'm personally exhausted from all the thrills, chills, and spills of watching teams fighting to the last breath to finish . . . in second place. Time to return real pennant race incentive: you want to play in the postseason, park your ass in first place. Which means . . .

* Doing away with the three-division setup and returning to two-division leagues.

* Doing away with regular-season interleague play. It ain't the big deal they cracked it up to be when they came up with the idea, not even Cubs/White Sox, A's/Giants, or even Yankees/Mets. (And how stupid was it to schedule the Nats finishing the season against . . . the Indians?)

* If I can't get rid of the three-division setup, then I'll insist on the division champ with the best record getting a round-one bye while the other two division champs play a best-of-three division series and that winner facing the champ with the best record in a best-of-five League Championship Series. (Which is how the LCS was set up in the first place half a century ago.) That'll provide some pennant race incentive, too . . . and remove the saturation factor from the postseason while restoring the World Series's primacy once and for all.

* Joe West, Angel Hernandez, and C.B. Bucknor will never again get to within two state lines of any postseason series unless they want to buy their way into the stands to watch.

[EasyAce]

. . . Trey Turner getting on base is an automatic RISP.  Adam Eaton behind him sees a lot of fastballs, because Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto are on deck.

@DCPatriot
Juan Soto's also worth two outs going in in the outfield, he's that good.

[DCPatriot]

I hear you.  Those Wild Card games are definitely gut-wrenching.
Hang in there!

It occurred to me just now again....the last time my baseball heart was broken was 1982, when my Orioles were beat in an elimination game 9-2 or 9-3.

By the Brewers.   Robin Yount and the boys.

Was at that game with my six-month old daughter.   

[DCPatriot]

@DCPatriot
Juan Soto's also worth two outs going in in the outfield, he's that good.

@EasyAce

Do you mean charging the ball?  Or, do you mean he's going to get 2 catches the average LFer wouldn't?

[EasyAce]

By the Brewers.   Robin Yount and the boys.

@DCPatriot
AKA Harvey's Wallbangers. Who went on to be dispatched in the World Series by the first of Whitey Herzog's Runnin' Redbirds . . .

[EasyAce]

@EasyAce

Do you mean charging the ball?  Or, do you mean he's going to get 2 catches the average LFer wouldn't?

@DCPatriot
Yes to both. He's that good in left field.

[catfish1957]

Much as I love what could happen today and (with the American League wild card game) tomorrow, if I was the commish, I'd demand, not suggest . . .

* Doing away with the damn wild cards. I'm personally exhausted from all the thrills, chills, and spills of watching teams fighting to the last breath to finish . . . in second place. Time to return real pennant race incentive: you want to play in the postseason, park your ass in first place. Which means . . .

* Doing away with the three-division setup and returning to two-division leagues.

* Doing away with regular-season interleague play. It ain't the big deal they cracked it up to be when they came up with the idea, not even Cubs/White Sox, A's/Giants, or even Yankees/Mets. (And how stupid was it to schedule the Nats finishing the season against . . . the Indians?)

* If I can't get rid of the three-division setup, then I'll insist on the division champ with the best record getting a round-one bye while the other two division champs play a best-of-three division series and that winner facing the champ with the best record in a best-of-five League Championship Series. (Which is how the LCS was set up in the first place half a century ago.) That'll provide some pennant race incentive, too . . . and remove the saturation factor from the postseason while restoring the World Series's primacy once and for all.

* Joe West, Angel Hernandez, and C.B. Bucknor will never again get to within two state lines of any postseason series unless they want to buy their way into the stands to watch.

Hey, if you can get my Astros back to the National League Central where they belong, you got my vote as Commish.  NO Arguments at all with any of those bullet points.  Of course I could write books on my rage around the damage  Selig/Manfred has done to this game, but in the spirit of the seaon (Baseball Playoffs), I will calm down.

[Bigun]

Much as I love what could happen today and (with the American League wild card game) tomorrow, if I was the commish, I'd demand, not suggest . . .

* Doing away with the damn wild cards. I'm personally exhausted from all the thrills, chills, and spills of watching teams fighting to the last breath to finish . . . in second place. Time to return real pennant race incentive: you want to play in the postseason, park your ass in first place. Which means . . .

* Doing away with the three-division setup and returning to two-division leagues.

* Doing away with regular-season interleague play. It ain't the big deal they cracked it up to be when they came up with the idea, not even Cubs/White Sox, A's/Giants, or even Yankees/Mets. (And how stupid was it to schedule the Nats finishing the season against . . . the Indians?)

* If I can't get rid of the three-division setup, then I'll insist on the division champ with the best record getting a round-one bye while the other two division champs play a best-of-three division series and that winner facing the champ with the best record in a best-of-five League Championship Series. (Which is how the LCS was set up in the first place half a century ago.) That'll provide some pennant race incentive, too . . . and remove the saturation factor from the postseason while restoring the World Series's primacy once and for all.

* Joe West, Angel Hernandez, and C.B. Bucknor will never again get to within two state lines of any postseason series unless they want to buy their way into the stands to watch.

 

How about we just go back to two leagues with the pennant winners playing in the series.