Baseball 2015 (5 Viewers)

[lancer]

O's got hot at the end and with a big push, finished the season at .500, maybe not where they wanted to be at the start, but a credible end to a tough season marred by inconsistency and bad starting pitching. Chris Davis closed out the season with 2 more Hr's to finish with 47 and the MLB Home Run title. And Buck managed today's finale with a heavy heart, having lost his mother last night after the double-header. He's a real pro. Salute to the O's for finishing .500.:salute:: -- Al

 

[lancer]

It all comes down to scoring runs. Good pitchers, bad pitchers, no pitchers, a team can't win if they don't score and the offense for the Nats has been really inconsistent all season. Regardless of the reason, injuries, slumps, bad seasons, the Nats aren't scoring consistently enough to take pressure off the pitchers. The Nats have played 104 games and scored 2 or fewer runs in 41 of them. If the Nats don't pick up the pace and continue the percentage of low scoring games (and the win/loss ratio of those low scoring games), I believe they will win about 85 games. This season is playing out like 2013, when the Nats underachieved themselves out of the playoffs. I think they are headed for the same result this year if the bats don't get going. Last year, when Harper was injured, he said it took him about 100 at-bats to get his timing and swing back to where it should be. If that is typical, the Nats have a problem because they have just gotten Zimmerman, Rendon, and Werth back into the line-ups and are still waiting on Span. 100 at-bats for each of these regulars will eat up approximately 25 of the games still on the schedule, leaving maybe 35-40 games for this team to put it all together. That could be too late. The Nats need to start now and not wait around for these 4 to get hot. Harper can't do it alone. -- Al

I made the above post on August 3rd about my estimate of the Nats winning 85 games. I underestimated their ability to lose. They finished 83-79, a huge disappointment over expectations. Although the Nats scored 703 runs (+68 diff), that is deceiving, as their inconsistent offense ultimately doomed them. In 54 of their games, a full 33.3% of their season, they scored 2 or fewer runs with a not surprisingly painful 12-42 record in those games. That is the grave where their season is buried, with a tremendous push into the grave from a terrible bullpen. The team will change greatly over the off-season because of free-agency and the need to rebuild the bullpen, plus there will be a new manager (unless every sports analyst in the DC area is wrong, including me:tongue. All credit to the Mets who hung in the race until a few moves got their offense going to augment that wonderful starting pitching staff and then put the Nats away in the head to head games when it counted. It is going to be a VERY interesting off-season here in DC. -- Al

 

[lancer]

From the category of 'No luck unless it's bad luck': Atlanta pitcher Shelby Miller was 5-1 on May 17. Since then he has gone 24 consequetive starts without winning another game. His current record is 5-17 with a very respectable 3.10 ERA. Atlanta has been so bad in his starts that they have only won 3 of the 24 games he started since May 17, although he wasn't the beneficiary of the wins. 13 of the 24 starts were QS, including 10 games where he allowed 2 or fewer runs. BAD run support. He has been so effective that he currently ranks 15th in MLB (11th in the NL) in ERA for qualified pitchers. He leads MLB in losses and is tied for the fewest wins amongst qualified starters. If ever a pitcher deserved a better fate... -- Al

Good news for Mr. Shelby. He got the win in today's finale against the Cards, going 8 scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory. It's about time. He went 24 straight starts without winning (including 16 losses). He finishes the season on a good note and a 6-17 record to go with a very good 3.02 ERA. Man, did he ever deserve a better record for his efforts. -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

Too bad the Cubs/Pirates are only playing a one-off wildcard game. I think that would have been a phenomenal series.

 

[lancer]

Too bad the Cubs/Pirates are only playing a one-off wildcard game. I think that would have been a phenomenal series.

Agree. Too bad one of these feel-good stories is one and done. -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

For better or worse, that's the system and I think it's a good one they devised. Some pundits have suggested a best of three but that would delay the start of the divisional series and force the division winners to further sit around, in effect punishing them. The whole idea was to make winning the division important and forcing the wild card winners to a one game "play in" game does that.

I would rather see the Cubs win as their rotation is not that deep, the bullpen has questions, and they can beat the Cardinals.

 

[rekp]

For better or worse, that's the system and I think it's a good one they devised. Some pundits have suggested a best of three but that would delay the start of the divisional series and force the division winners to further sit around, in effect punishing them. The whole idea was to make winning the division important and forcing the wild card winners to a one game "play in" game does that.

I would rather see the Cubs win as their rotation is not that deep, the bullpen has questions, and they can beat the Cardinals.

But 3 extra days rest for the divisional winners would be a good thing ...... means we could start in Toronto with Hamels

 

[jazzeum]

They have four extra days of rest between the end of the regular season and the start of the DS. For example, Mets don't play until Friday. Baseball is a game that you play every day.

If you had a best of three, to account for travel days, the DS would probably not start until Saturday. That is way too long to wait, not to mention you don't want to be playing the World Series in mid November.

Four days is more than enough.

 

[jazzeum]

Matt Williams has been fired. See this story in the Washington Post.

I suppose you could say that but for Williams, the Nationals might be getting ready for post-season baseball. Apparently, he wasn't suited for the job and the Nats will be better off without him. Still, you don't like to see anybody lose their job.

 

[lancer]

Wiiliams' firing is too bad, but inevitable. Rizzo said yesterday that decisions would be made quickly, with no one left twisting in the wind, and so it was. It was the failure to be able to adjust to situations, and to recognize turning points, that doomed Williams. Now to see who replaces him. Ripken's name has been heard in connection with the Nats, both before Williams was hired and now again that he has been fired. I don't see it. It would be another hire of a man with no managerial chops, and would simply be a repeat of the Williams mess. I love Ripken, but I don't see it happening. But who knows, maybe the Lerner's would love it. -- Al

 

[Warrior]

They have four extra days of rest between the end of the regular season and the start of the DS. For example, Mets don't play until Friday. Baseball is a game that you play every day.

If you had a best of three, to account for travel days, the DS would probably not start until Saturday. That is way too long to wait, not to mention you don't want to be playing the World Series in mid November.

Four days is more than enough.

One of the Boston beat writers said yesterday he spoke to an executive on a team who said the idea has been floated to....................get this..............make the World Series a one game elimination much like the Super Bowl.

Talk about idiotic and moronic.

What happens if one team has it's ace going and the other has it's fourth starter going, it's beyond stupid.....................

 

[jazzeum]

Turning the WS into one game would be beyond idiotic {eek3}

 

[lancer]

They have four extra days of rest between the end of the regular season and the start of the DS. For example, Mets don't play until Friday. Baseball is a game that you play every day.

If you had a best of three, to account for travel days, the DS would probably not start until Saturday. That is way too long to wait, not to mention you don't want to be playing the World Series in mid November.

Four days is more than enough.

A few bad weather days and November baseball is a reality. Not a big problem if played on the west coast, but real iffy if in the east or north, as most seem to be. The problem could probably be minimized by shortening the regular season back to 154 games and saving those 9-10 days on the other end of the playoffs. But the chances of MLB cutting the schedule and losing the revenue from those games is nil. I think the playoff format is about as good as it's going to get, given the weaknesses of any format that allows any but the best 2 teams in. I do believe that the season has to be shortened, or some other method presented (maybe more day-night double headers or such) to prevent a WS being played in the snow. -- Al

 

[lancer]

One of the Boston beat writers said yesterday he spoke to an executive on a team who said the idea has been floated to....................get this..............make the World Series a one game elimination much like the Super Bowl.

Talk about idiotic and moronic.

What happens if one team has it's ace going and the other has it's fourth starter going, it's beyond stupid.....................

This can't be a serious option. It'll never happen. MLB would be much more likely to make the WS a 9 game series. It's been done before.{eek3} -- Al

 

[Panzer ace]

Wiiliams' firing is too bad, but inevitable. Rizzo said yesterday that decisions would be made quickly, with no one left twisting in the wind, and so it was. It was the failure to be able to adjust to situations, and to recognize turning points, that doomed Williams. Now to see who replaces him. Ripken's name has been heard in connection with the Nats, both before Williams was hired and now again that he has been fired. I don't see it. It would be another hire of a man with no managerial chops, and would simply be a repeat of the Williams mess. I love Ripken, but I don't see it happening. But who knows, maybe the Lerner's would love it. -- Al

Al:

The Nat's managerial job is a double-edged sword. On one hand you get a roster loaded with talent, on the other the hand you get a World Series winning expectation.

-Jason

 

[lancer]

Al:

The Nat's managerial job is a double-edged sword. On one hand you get a roster loaded with talent, on the other the hand you get a World Series winning expectation.

-Jason

Jason, that is the exact point that the talking heads are making at this moment on the local Nats talk show. The roster next season is going to be quite different but I doubt the expectations are going to be any lower, so good luck to whoever is hired. He will go in with the understanding that the team is to make the post-season. That's a lot of pressure but probably not unrealistic considering the core of the team that remains, but it is time for the pre-season hype to take a hike. There has been unbearable pressure on Johnson, who lost in the post-season in 2012, and failed to make the playoffs in 2013, and the repeat performance of Matt Williams, who lost in post-season in 2014, and failed to make post-season in 2015. Mirror disasters (or so it is seen). Not a job for the mild-mannered, or inexperienced, as we have seen, so I will be following the hiring process with a lot of interest. -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

Al:

The Nat's managerial job is a double-edged sword. On one hand you get a roster loaded with talent, on the other the hand you get a World Series winning expectation.

-Jason

What's wrong with that? That's a problem I'd like to have. That's a situation until recently the Yankees had and I think the team relishes that expectation. In the mid 80s when the Mets were riding high, that was the expectation, not only from the fans but from the players as well: they expected to win and be in the Series. That's what it's all about. If you shy away from that, then maybe you should be on another team. I'm sure the Nats players believed that and still believe that. Maybe that's cockiness but I like to see that. I want a team to be cocky and a little arrogant: "yeah, we're the best. Prove you're better."

The Nats just need the right person to lead them.

 

[maddadicus]

The Yankees are losing, if they finish with the same record as the Astros, the Astros win the tiebreaker and would host the play in game, but the Astros are losing too. If both scores hold up, the Yankees back into hosting the play in game, with the winner going to Kansas City to face the Royals, while the Rangers travel to Toronto to play the Jays.

In the NL, the Cubs travel to Pittsburgh for the play in game, with the winner going to St Louis, while the Mets travel to LA to face the Dodgers.

This **** is going to get real this week, can't wait...........................

We planned it this way..We wanted to back in just to play the Astros, then the Royals..We at least won some games against them this year..I think? Michael

 

[jazzeum]

Interesting article about Tommy John Surgery, The Scars of the Game.

 

[mikemiller1955]

even I'm gonna watch the NY/Houston game tonight...^&grin