Baseball 2014 (1 Viewer)

[Warrior]

So with about 50 games to go, you've got 8 teams in the NL and 7 in the AL still alive in the playoff race.

The way the playoffs are structured, if the A's hold on and win the AL West, the Angels, with the second best record in the AL, end up in the one game wild card elimination; if they win, they play the A's, so the two best teams play each other right away, which is idiotic, but that's baseball for you.

Still think it will be Tigers/A's in the ALCS, we'll see, those plucky O's might have something to say about it as they have the third best record in the AL right now and would host the Tigers in the ALDS. First division title for the O's in what, 15 years?

Amazing that the Yankees are still hanging in there; IF they get Tanaka back, they could be very dangerous if they get in somehow with Jacoby Elsbury and his dump truck full of money and his whopping 8 home runs leading the way. Imagine a lefty hitting 8 home runs at Williamsport East.

Nice see the Brewers still hanging in there, good to have new teams in the playoffs instead of the same old same old every year.

The NL is wide open, don't see a favorite there yet, don't even see two favorites for the NLCS at this point, too tight to call right now. Still hoping the Giants get their act together and get to the WS somehow, A's/Giants, Angels/Giants, Nationals/O's still in play.

Could have some classic matchups too like Dodgers/Tigers, Cardinals/Tigers or Dodgers/Orioles. Orioles haven't been to a WS in 30 years; wow, talk about a dry spell.

If it's Nationals/O's, I'll be happy for Al as either way, he can't lose, but he might not survive the series either.



The next seven weeks will be interesting..................

 

[lancer]

So with about 50 games to go, you've got 8 teams in the NL and 7 in the AL still alive in the playoff race.

The way the playoffs are structured, if the A's hold on and win the AL West, the Angels, with the second best record in the AL, end up in the one game wild card elimination; if they win, they play the A's, so the two best teams play each other right away, which is idiotic, but that's baseball for you.

Still think it will be Tigers/A's in the ALCS, we'll see, those plucky O's might have something to say about it as they have the third best record in the AL right now and would host the Tigers in the ALDS. First division title for the O's in what, 15 years?

Amazing that the Yankees are still hanging in there; IF they get Tanaka back, they could be very dangerous if they get in somehow with Jacoby Elsbury and his dump truck full of money and his whopping 8 home runs leading the way. Imagine a lefty hitting 8 home runs at Williamsport East.

Nice see the Brewers still hanging in there, good to have new teams in the playoffs instead of the same old same old every year.

The NL is wide open, don't see a favorite there yet, don't even see two favorites for the NLCS at this point, too tight to call right now. Still hoping the Giants get their act together and get to the WS somehow, A's/Giants, Angels/Giants, Nationals/O's still in play.

Could have some classic matchups too like Dodgers/Tigers, Cardinals/Tigers or Dodgers/Orioles. Orioles haven't been to a WS in 30 years; wow, talk about a dry spell.

If it's Nationals/O's, I'll be happy for Al as either way, he can't lose, but he might not survive the series either.



The next seven weeks will be interesting..................

George, the chances of me surviving a WS with the Nats v O's is slim to none, which is why I am looking into the purchase of one of those home defibulators. They are real easy to use, just slap on the shock pads and push the button. All I have to do is convince my wife to do it in a timely manner.:rolleyes2: It has been a long time since the O's have been to the dance. Don't care who they play just so they get there. But, as you say, still 50 games to go and LOTS of possible outcomes. -- Al

 

[Warrior]

George, the chances of me surviving a WS with the Nats v O's is slim to none, which is why I am looking into the purchase of one of those home defibulators. They are real easy to use, just slap on the shock pads and push the button. All I have to do is convince my wife to do it in a timely manner.:rolleyes2: It has been a long time since the O's have been to the dance. Don't care who they play just so they get there. But, as you say, still 50 games to go and LOTS of possible outcomes. -- Al

I'd hate to lose one of the nicest guys on the forum (or any forum for that matter) over a sporting event; keep telling yourself it's only a game, it's only a game.............that said, that area would be bonkers over a Nationals/Orioles series, much like the bay area would with A's/Giants....................

 

[lancer]

I'd hate to lose one of the nicest guys on the forum (or any forum for that matter) over a sporting event; keep telling yourself it's only a game, it's only a game.............that said, that area would be bonkers over a Nationals/Orioles series, much like the bay area would with A's/Giants....................

George, I actually try to keep calm in my older years. I used to be a bad fan in my younger years in relation to football. Got VERY upset with a loss by the BALTIMORE Colts or Redskins. Baseball has always been a calmer refuge for me. Still, if the WS is played in Baltimore or DC, I will probably have to find some Xanex.:wink2:^&grin -- Al

 

[Warrior]

George, I actually try to keep calm in my older years. I used to be a bad fan in my younger years in relation to football. Got VERY upset with a loss by the BALTIMORE Colts or Redskins. Baseball has always been a calmer refuge for me. Still, if the WS is played in Baltimore or DC, I will probably have to find some Xanex.:wink2:^&grin -- Al

Here's hoping you get to see a WS in either Washington or Baltimore............

 

[lancer]

Sammy, Caleb Joseph has homered in 5 straight games to set the O's record for a catcher. He adjusted his stance a while back and has been on a tear since then. His Hr has given the O's a 3-2 lead after 2 against St. Loo. -- Al
Cruz just went deep. 5-2, bottom of 3.

 

[Peter Reuss]

I was just noticing something odd about many of the teams leading their divisions. The Nationals follow a very traditional pattern to first place: win at home (34-24) and survive on the road (28-28). The A's win anywhere (and are a bit better at home).

But...look at these leaders:

Team - (Home W-L) (Road W-L)

Baltimore - (32-25) (35-24) - a couple games better on the road
Detroit - (30-27) (33-24) - Much better on the road
Dodgers - (30-27) (36-24) WAY better on the road
Giants (not first place, but close) - (29-30) (33-25) - a LOSING record at home

What happened to good old home cookin'? My Brewers started the year on a tear on the road and scuttled at home (though that has evened now).

Does playing on the road bring out something in good teams? If it were one team it could be a fluke, but this is an odd pattern.

 

[Peter Reuss]

The Crew's day looked bleak: Grienke coming back to Milwaukee (a place where he had a ton of success) to pitch against a bum called of from AAA.

Advantage? Brewers! Fiers held the Dodgers to a run and the Crew came through 4-1. Maybe we can get a bit of distance between us and the Pirates/Cards (many thanks to the Orioles for whooping the Cards the past couple days...much appreciated).

 

[sammy719]

Pete, just curious, how is it your not a Twins fan?? ...Sammy

P.S. all in a days work for the O's Pete :0 hopefully one more to finish the Cards tommorow...Sammy

 

[Peter Reuss]

Sammy -

I became a Brewers fan in 1982 when they made it to the WS. My folks grew up in Wisconsin, but neither really cared about baseball. I lived in Iowa where you didn't really have a home team. Some were Cubs fans since Iowa has their AAA club, but I never got on that bandwagon (thankfully). In 1983 I went to my first game at County Stadium and got hooked. Sadly, it took a few decades for them to finally become relevant.

As I look back on it, in becoming a Brewers and Vikings fan I have a total of ZERO championships. Had I flipped it (Twins/Packers) I would know what it feels like to win it all. Ah well, there's always hope.

Pete

 

[lancer]

I was just noticing something odd about many of the teams leading their divisions. The Nationals follow a very traditional pattern to first place: win at home (34-24) and survive on the road (28-28). The A's win anywhere (and are a bit better at home).

But...look at these leaders:

Team - (Home W-L) (Road W-L)

Baltimore - (32-25) (35-24) - a couple games better on the road
Detroit - (30-27) (33-24) - Much better on the road
Dodgers - (30-27) (36-24) WAY better on the road
Giants (not first place, but close) - (29-30) (33-25) - a LOSING record at home

What happened to good old home cookin'? My Brewers started the year on a tear on the road and scuttled at home (though that has evened now).

Does playing on the road bring out something in good teams? If it were one team it could be a fluke, but this is an odd pattern.

It is odd. Two other teams in races, KC and NYY's, are both barely over .500 at home. The O's went through April, May, and June trying to reach .500 at home and finally did and then some. It has been a somewhat strange year in regards to home-away records. By the way, your Brewers are looking good. Scoring pretty well and Lohse and Peralta are having good years. I also see that Duke, who came from my Nats, is doing an excellent job in the pen.:smile2: -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

Pete, just curious, how is it your not a Twins fan?? ...Sammy

P.S. all in a days work for the O's Pete :0 hopefully one more to finish the Cards tommorow...Sammy

All I know is that if it weren't for the Brewers handling the Dodgers the Giants would be 5.5 games back instead of a manageable 3.5.

Big thanks to the Brew crew!!!!!!

 

[Panzer ace]

All I know is that if it weren't for the Brewers handling the Dodgers the Giants would be 5.5 games back instead of a manageable 3.5.

Big thanks to the Brew crew!!!!!!

and of course.............

Lincecum gets shelled today by the Royals who completed a sweep over the Giants and Kershaw pitches lights out (and had an RBI) against the Brewers.

 

[Peter Reuss]

and of course.............

Lincecum gets shelled today by the Royals who completed a sweep over the Giants and Kershaw pitches lights out (and had an RBI) against the Brewers.

Hey, we took 2 out of 3 for you...we'll take it!

 

[lancer]

and of course.............

Lincecum gets shelled today by the Royals who completed a sweep over the Giants and Kershaw pitches lights out (and had an RBI) against the Brewers.

Timmy L is going through a rough spell. He's 0-3 in his last 5 starts, allowing 23 ER's over 24 innings. He's still striking out a bunch of guys but they are tagging him pretty hard with 33 hits in those 24 innings. Maybe he needs a break out of the rotation for a couple of starts, but with Cain down and Peavy unable to win, there is no way to take him out right now. Peavy is having an unbelievably bad season. I knew he was O-fer in SF but didn't realize that he was only 1-9 in Boston. That he is 1-12 on the season is incredible. He is just not that bad. No doubt it is a tough stretch for SF right now. Maybe they can get a break against the Phillies and Cubs coming up. -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

Hey, we took 2 out of 3 for you...we'll take it!

Agreed, plus it was Kershaw pitching today......................

 

[lancer]

Huge 3 games series for the Nats this weekend in Atlanta. Will find out what the Nats are made of as they have not done well against Atlanta this year. The stakes are obvious. The Nats go into the series with a 4.5 game lead with the chance to put Atlanta back on their heels. A sweep means a 7.5 game lead while a series split will either leave them with a 5.5 or 3.5 game lead, not too bad. A disaster the other way, with Atlanta sweeping, will leave the Nats with a 1.5 game lead but some serious questions about their ability and guts. Hope for the Nats sweep but will settle for the split to the Nats. Big series. -- Al

Well, the Nats got the series split, just not the one I was hoping for as the Braves once again outplayed the Nats and took the series 2-1. Could have been worse as the Nats left Atlanta still sporting a 3.5 game lead. I'm beginning to believe that this Nats team is never going to go on a tear and will continue to sputter along, just staying good enough to maybe take the division or just miss. Their big failing this season has been hitting with runners in scoring position. It is killing them and leads to many more close wins and losses than is necessary. Knowing the talent this team has, this is all very frustrating to watch. I just hope it is enough to get them into the playoffs. -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

Well, the Nats got the series split, just not the one I was hoping for as the Braves once again outplayed the Nats and took the series 2-1. Could have been worse as the Nats left Atlanta still sporting a 3.5 game lead. I'm beginning to believe that this Nats team is never going to go on a tear and will continue to sputter along, just staying good enough to maybe take the division or just miss. Their big failing this season has been hitting with runners in scoring position. It is killing them and leads to many more close wins and losses than is necessary. Knowing the talent this team has, this is all very frustrating to watch. I just hope it is enough to get them into the playoffs. -- Al

Al:

Sometimes sputtering along is better than going on a tear. The Giants were unstoppable at the start of the season, now they have not won a series against a team with a winning record since the first week of June.

-Jason

 

[lancer]

Al:

Sometimes sputtering along is better than going on a tear. The Giants were unstoppable at the start of the season, now they have not won a series against a team with a winning record since the first week of June.

-Jason

Jason, you are right as regards tears, at least on the negative side. While the Nats haven't had any real winning streaks of more than a few games, neither have they had any losing streaks of more than a few games. Just a matter of sputtering to more wins than losses.:rolleyes2: -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

Jason, you are right as regards tears, at least on the negative side. While the Nats haven't had any real winning streaks of more than a few games, neither have they had any losing streaks of more than a few games. Just a matter of sputtering to more wins than losses.:rolleyes2: -- Al

Al:

The Nationals have really taken on the persona of Matt Williams. His team plays like he did when he was a Giant, he never hung onto losses or slumps, nor did he get to excited about wins or hot streaks. He came to the park every day and played hard. If the Giants won he never took credit and if they lost he never made excuses. He is one of my all-time favorite Giants and I cheer for him now, even when we are playing the Nats.

-Jason