This is real championship baseball, with real pitching. A pleasure to watch games that don't have 15 runs scored along with half a dozen Hr's. Verlander proves he's still the man, just too bad he did it to the NYY's. -- Al
2017 Baseball Season: Let's Play Two! (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jazzeum
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jazzeum
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I didn't see much of the Dodgers game but looking at the box score, it's the Cubs relief pitching that will likely keep them from repeating; it's the poorest of the four remaining teams and not as good as the Nats' or Cleveland's. It's something they will need to fix in the offseason if they want to do better in 2018.
I agree. The Nats shredded the Cubs pen. If only Labaton had stayed close...:rolleyes2: :wink2: -- Al
jazzeum
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The Lobato play goes back to your point about instant replay slowing down the game. In the NFL, coaches can't ask for instant replay on every play. Baseball needs to find a way to reduce the kind of plays on which a manager can request replay. Runs scoring plays and perhaps plays at third can be subject to review but plays at first (except in the 9th or later innings) shouldn't be subject to review.
To speed up the game, one measure they could stop are players re-adjusting their batting gloves every pitch. Probably wouldn't save a whole lot of time but every little bit helps.
To speed up the game, one measure they could stop are players re-adjusting their batting gloves every pitch. Probably wouldn't save a whole lot of time but every little bit helps.
Buster
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Agreed (except for the last bit :wink2
, Verlander pitched a gem - a joy to watch. Don't worry Al, like George alluded to, the MFYs have the Astros right where they want them. :rolleyes2::smile2:B.
Jason, to your point, Baseball-Reference's database of MLB history records 2.73 million half-innings of play. In only one of them, the above inning in question, was there an intentional walk, a passed ball strikeout, a catcher's interference call, and a HBP, in consecutive order. Also, it appears the umps blew the catcher interference call. The ball should have been declared dead at that point, with no runners advancing. Just how snakebitten are the Nats? In their last 3 playoff appearances, 2014, 2016, and 2017, the Nats are 0-8 in 1-run games. Good thing I have a sense of humor and understand the agony of being a baseball fan or I might be inclined to cry uncontrollably. :rolleyes2: -- Al
Combat
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It's absolutely brutal to watch playoff baseball when they use a hundred pitchers and make a substitution every five minutes. They need a rule to limit the number of pitchers that can be used in a nine inning game. The Dodgers pulled Kershaw after five innings. Ridiculous and makes the games too long to watch.
I agree, but I don't know how to fix the problem. I would also like to see some restriction on the number of pitchers allowed in an inning, perhaps requiring any relief pitcher used to record at least one out before replacement is allowed. That's a big change and would impact strategy, but it might be a place to start. -- Al
Panzer ace
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Al:
One suggestion I heard on the MLB Network is that a reliever (barring injury) has to pitch to at least 2 batters. If he leaves because of an injury he can't pitch at all in the next game.
According to the analyst (sorry I can't remember who said it) it would speed up the game and also avoid the one batter save for closers.
-Jason
Jason, facing a minimum number of batters sounds a better idea than requiring at least one out. Can't have a pitcher walk 6 straight men and still be in the game because of a 1-out rule. Any rule change like this is going to take some working out. -- Al
Combat
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I can't think of any other sport where the strategy changes so much from the regular season to the playoffs. All these pitching changes bog the game down and make it impossible to watch when they end after midnight. I'm not sure there is a great answer but maybe reducing the number of pitchers they can carry on the playoff roster might make the managers be more economical. It's ridiculous in my opinion to have pitchers that, for example, pitch only to a left handed batter and when they get an out they are pulled for the next pitcher and so on for the last five innings of a game. I don't remember that happening in the old days. It's almost like an all-star game now where everyone gets to play. A jumbled mess.
Warrior
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First time ever in his career he pitched back to back.
FIRST TIME and you decide to use him there?
Maddon after the game when asked why he did not bring Davis is said "I needed him for the save"..................talk about counting your chickens.
Dumb, stupid, idiotic move, he should get roasted for it, but tomorrow night when introduced, Cubbies fans will give him a standing O.
Most of them think tomorrow is the first game of the series anyway.
And what will be the over/under on the amount of times they show the corpse of Bill Murray in the stands?
jazzeum
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He pitched decently in game 1 but by then the issue had been decided. He obviously didn't have a good year as his ERA was 4.59. The problem is that their relief pitching has not been impressive and he probably doesn't trust his options. Davis hasn't been all that impressive either.
We'll see if the series heads back to LA. I doubt it.
We'll see if the series heads back to LA. I doubt it.
Rumor has it Ken Burns is doing a new documentary on baseball. It will cover playoff baseball and will concentrate on a single game, in real time. It will be in 9 parts and each episode will run 45 minutes and will air over one evening.:wink2: -- Al
No cover charge as I work cheap.:tongue: -- Al
Louis Badolato
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And you’re worth every penny!