(10-13-2017 12:50 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(10-12-2017 11:58 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(10-12-2017 11:53 PM)stever20 Wrote:  NL it was going to be a win/win no matter what. LA/Chicago or LA/Washington- both great matchups.

The Nationals/Expos have no history. Even being in a big market they aren't a draw, certainly more than the Cubs.

This is silly. Nats were 10th in average attendance, 12th in prime time ratings, certainly in the ballpark (no pun intended) of their market size. They'd have been a very good draw on the talent alone (Harper, Strasburg and Scherzer are all bigger attractions than anyone on the Dodgers not named Kershaw). Their market isn't as large as Chicago's so you'd never expect they'd draw better than Chicago, but it's nowhere near a market that MLB/networks would have been unhappy about being in the NLCS.

You totally missed my point. Only the Yankees and perhaps the Red Sox have a more rabid fanbase than the Cubs. It's no shame that the networks don't want them over the Cubs. The Astros are similar, they're in a big market with an exciting young team yet the league no doubt wanted a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS.

That and the Cubs were the defending champs.

(10-13-2017 11:15 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(10-13-2017 12:50 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(10-12-2017 11:58 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(10-12-2017 11:53 PM)stever20 Wrote:  NL it was going to be a win/win no matter what. LA/Chicago or LA/Washington- both great matchups.

The Nationals/Expos have no history. Even being in a big market they aren't a draw, certainly more than the Cubs.

This is silly. Nats were 10th in average attendance, 12th in prime time ratings, certainly in the ballpark (no pun intended) of their market size. They'd have been a very good draw on the talent alone (Harper, Strasburg and Scherzer are all bigger attractions than anyone on the Dodgers not named Kershaw). Their market isn't as large as Chicago's so you'd never expect they'd draw better than Chicago, but it's nowhere near a market that MLB/networks would have been unhappy about being in the NLCS.

You totally missed my point. Only the Yankees and perhaps the Red Sox have a more rabid fanbase than the Cubs. It's no shame that the networks don't want them over the Cubs. The Astros are similar, they're in a big market with an exciting young team yet the league no doubt wanted a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS.

That and the Cubs were the defending champs.

Re-read your previous post, and what it was responding to. It's not what you said here.

Seaver is gonna miss the NLCS. #%$&

I'm not clear on te rules here. Can he play in the WS if LA wins the NLCS? If he's replaced DURING the series he has to miss the next series, but I can't tell if he is eligible for the next series if he's replaced BEFORE this one. ETA: answering my own question, I think he's good because this action was taken before the series. In fact, he may actually be available to replace an injured player in the LCS (less certain about that).

(10-14-2017 03:37 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(10-13-2017 11:15 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(10-13-2017 12:50 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(10-12-2017 11:58 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(10-12-2017 11:53 PM)stever20 Wrote:  NL it was going to be a win/win no matter what. LA/Chicago or LA/Washington- both great matchups.

The Nationals/Expos have no history. Even being in a big market they aren't a draw, certainly more than the Cubs.

This is silly. Nats were 10th in average attendance, 12th in prime time ratings, certainly in the ballpark (no pun intended) of their market size. They'd have been a very good draw on the talent alone (Harper, Strasburg and Scherzer are all bigger attractions than anyone on the Dodgers not named Kershaw). Their market isn't as large as Chicago's so you'd never expect they'd draw better than Chicago, but it's nowhere near a market that MLB/networks would have been unhappy about being in the NLCS.

You totally missed my point. Only the Yankees and perhaps the Red Sox have a more rabid fanbase than the Cubs. It's no shame that the networks don't want them over the Cubs. The Astros are similar, they're in a big market with an exciting young team yet the league no doubt wanted a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS.

That and the Cubs were the defending champs.

Re-read your previous post, and what it was responding to. It's not what you said here.

I meant not more of a draw than the Cubs

The Nationals are a solid draw but if given other options, such as smaller market but more historic teams like St. Louis and Atlanta, the networks will want them. The Nationals are as much of a draw as the Astros, which is solid but no one but their own fans will fall over themselves to watch them. If the networks had their way, it'd be Yankees/Red Sox and Dodgers/Cubs. Or for this year, the two best teams in the AL, Indians/Astros.

Yeah it's pretty obvious that Cubs/Dodgers and Yanks/Red Sox is the ratings dream that would make MLB and Fox execs wet themselves. Would've been funny if we got Nats/D'backs and Twins/Astros though.

Eh, more like Rockies/Nats and Twins/Astros. At least they got the Yankees.

Damn that was fun.

Just nervous and anxious all game long - for it to end like that is incredible.

amazing that it was 29 years to the date of the Gibson homer.

(10-15-2017 11:41 PM)stever20 Wrote:  amazing that it was 29 years to the date of the Gibson homer.

and amazing that the Mets had Turner and let him go for nothing. Sounds about right

At this point it's looking like the Astros are my only hope. I can live with that, as they do have a very good team. A little concerned about their #3 starter situation, as well as the bullpen, but hopefully the lineup outside of Altuve and Correa will start hitting. A big key in a potential Dodgers-Astros is the health of Seager. If he plays, the Dodgers are probably the favorites. If he doesn't, it's likely they'll have some trouble scoring against Verlander and Keuchel

(10-16-2017 07:20 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-15-2017 11:41 PM)stever20 Wrote:  amazing that it was 29 years to the date of the Gibson homer.

and amazing that the Mets had Turner and let him go for nothing. Sounds about right

#metsbeingmets

at least the Mets got rid of their trainer finally..... so maybe the injury bug will finally subside for them some. at this point, they had to do something.

(10-16-2017 07:22 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  At this point it's looking like the Astros are my only hope. I can live with that, as they do have a very good team. A little concerned about their #3 starter situation, as well as the bullpen, but hopefully the lineup outside of Altuve and Correa will start hitting. A big key in a potential Dodgers-Astros is the health of Seager. If he plays, the Dodgers are probably the favorites. If he doesn't, it's likely they'll have some trouble scoring against Verlander and Keuchel

i wouldn't stick a fork in the Cubs yet. They get Kendricks going in game 3 and Arrieta in game 4. If they can get both of those- it's a whole new series. Quintana in game 5 and Lester in game 6(both on regular rest). Plus, Wade Davis will be back to close things out on a more normal basis.

this has been an exciting post season. are they always like this? every year, when local sports team loses, i almost lose interest in what proceeds. lots of fun players. turner, altuve, chapman, judge, etc who's the cubs fun player, schwarber? baez, lester?

(10-16-2017 08:28 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 07:22 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  At this point it's looking like the Astros are my only hope. I can live with that, as they do have a very good team. A little concerned about their #3 starter situation, as well as the bullpen, but hopefully the lineup outside of Altuve and Correa will start hitting. A big key in a potential Dodgers-Astros is the health of Seager. If he plays, the Dodgers are probably the favorites. If he doesn't, it's likely they'll have some trouble scoring against Verlander and Keuchel

i wouldn't stick a fork in the Cubs yet. They get Kendricks going in game 3 and Arrieta in game 4. If they can get both of those- it's a whole new series. Quintana in game 5 and Lester in game 6(both on regular rest). Plus, Wade Davis will be back to close things out on a more normal basis.

I have so little faith in their lineup and bullpen, while the Dodgers pen has really hit its stride. And they can use Maeda if things get hairy in the early innings. That said, never before have i wished this much for you to be correct

(10-16-2017 08:28 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 07:22 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  At this point it's looking like the Astros are my only hope. I can live with that, as they do have a very good team. A little concerned about their #3 starter situation, as well as the bullpen, but hopefully the lineup outside of Altuve and Correa will start hitting. A big key in a potential Dodgers-Astros is the health of Seager. If he plays, the Dodgers are probably the favorites. If he doesn't, it's likely they'll have some trouble scoring against Verlander and Keuchel

i wouldn't stick a fork in the Cubs yet. They get Kendricks going in game 3 and Arrieta in game 4. If they can get both of those- it's a whole new series. Quintana in game 5 and Lester in game 6(both on regular rest). Plus, Wade Davis will be back to close things out on a more normal basis.

Man, really feeling the love here.

But swoosh is right. No Seager is bad NOW (no way we can expect Culberson to keep hitting). Not sure we can get by the Cubs w/o him and it'll be that much tougher v Astros if we do.

(10-16-2017 10:52 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 08:28 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 07:22 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  At this point it's looking like the Astros are my only hope. I can live with that, as they do have a very good team. A little concerned about their #3 starter situation, as well as the bullpen, but hopefully the lineup outside of Altuve and Correa will start hitting. A big key in a potential Dodgers-Astros is the health of Seager. If he plays, the Dodgers are probably the favorites. If he doesn't, it's likely they'll have some trouble scoring against Verlander and Keuchel

i wouldn't stick a fork in the Cubs yet. They get Kendricks going in game 3 and Arrieta in game 4. If they can get both of those- it's a whole new series. Quintana in game 5 and Lester in game 6(both on regular rest). Plus, Wade Davis will be back to close things out on a more normal basis.

I have so little faith in their lineup and bullpen, while the Dodgers pen has really hit its stride. And they can use Maeda if things get hairy in the early innings. That said, never before have i wished this much for you to be correct

I just think these next 2 are huge. I mean, Cubs get both you have Kershaw going in a game 5 situation where he's going to have all the pressure in the world on him. For a guy with a 4.57 ERA and 3.68 FIP in his career(100.1 innings now). And a 4.76 ERA and 8.01 FIP this postseason.

(10-16-2017 09:26 AM)Lush Wrote:  this has been an exciting post season. are they always like this? every year, when local sports team loses, i almost lose interest in what proceeds. lots of fun players. turner, altuve, chapman, judge, etc who's the cubs fun player, schwarber? baez, lester?

Exciting? There have been a few walk offs and memorable moments but only two series have been reasonably close so far.

(10-16-2017 11:01 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 10:52 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 08:28 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 07:22 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  At this point it's looking like the Astros are my only hope. I can live with that, as they do have a very good team. A little concerned about their #3 starter situation, as well as the bullpen, but hopefully the lineup outside of Altuve and Correa will start hitting. A big key in a potential Dodgers-Astros is the health of Seager. If he plays, the Dodgers are probably the favorites. If he doesn't, it's likely they'll have some trouble scoring against Verlander and Keuchel

i wouldn't stick a fork in the Cubs yet. They get Kendricks going in game 3 and Arrieta in game 4. If they can get both of those- it's a whole new series. Quintana in game 5 and Lester in game 6(both on regular rest). Plus, Wade Davis will be back to close things out on a more normal basis.

I have so little faith in their lineup and bullpen, while the Dodgers pen has really hit its stride. And they can use Maeda if things get hairy in the early innings. That said, never before have i wished this much for you to be correct

I just think these next 2 are huge. I mean, Cubs get both you have Kershaw going in a game 5 situation where he's going to have all the pressure in the world on him. For a guy with a 4.57 ERA and 3.68 FIP in his career(100.1 innings now). And a 4.76 ERA and 8.01 FIP this postseason.

I don't trust the Cubs lineup

wRC+
Baez: 98
Russell: 84
Heyward: 88
Zobrist: 82
Jay: 101
Contreras: 121

Of that group, Contreras had by far the best season, but he's 4-22 in the postseason.

They might be able to overcome that group of mediocre hitters if Bryant and Rizzo were hitting, but the latter is 4-26 and the former is 5-28. Hard to overcome a slump by your best guys, when their surrounding cast is already pretty weak. Not to mention Lester and Arrieta had weak seasons. I just don't expect them to all of a sudden start dominating

(10-16-2017 10:52 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 08:28 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 07:22 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  At this point it's looking like the Astros are my only hope. I can live with that, as they do have a very good team. A little concerned about their #3 starter situation, as well as the bullpen, but hopefully the lineup outside of Altuve and Correa will start hitting. A big key in a potential Dodgers-Astros is the health of Seager. If he plays, the Dodgers are probably the favorites. If he doesn't, it's likely they'll have some trouble scoring against Verlander and Keuchel

i wouldn't stick a fork in the Cubs yet. They get Kendricks going in game 3 and Arrieta in game 4. If they can get both of those- it's a whole new series. Quintana in game 5 and Lester in game 6(both on regular rest). Plus, Wade Davis will be back to close things out on a more normal basis.

I have so little faith in their lineup and bullpen, while the Dodgers pen has really hit its stride. And they can use Maeda if things get hairy in the early innings. That said, never before have i wished this much for you to be correct

2 weeks ago I would have agreed with the bolded part, but did you see the stats I posed for Maeda earlier? Dude is a righty killer. My guess is that the first long reliever out of the pen is Stripling.

The Maeda story is pretty cool. His contract is massively dependent on performance, including starts, innings, volume-based stats. But he's been a reliever for the second half and as a result hasn't come close to making the kind of money he would have as a starter. The team obviously recognizes this and just celebrates the guy as he goes out there and manhandles rhh's. And he seems to have embraced the role. His stuff is playing up, his velocity has improved. Nails.

(10-16-2017 01:05 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 11:01 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 10:52 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 08:28 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-16-2017 07:22 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  At this point it's looking like the Astros are my only hope. I can live with that, as they do have a very good team. A little concerned about their #3 starter situation, as well as the bullpen, but hopefully the lineup outside of Altuve and Correa will start hitting. A big key in a potential Dodgers-Astros is the health of Seager. If he plays, the Dodgers are probably the favorites. If he doesn't, it's likely they'll have some trouble scoring against Verlander and Keuchel

i wouldn't stick a fork in the Cubs yet. They get Kendricks going in game 3 and Arrieta in game 4. If they can get both of those- it's a whole new series. Quintana in game 5 and Lester in game 6(both on regular rest). Plus, Wade Davis will be back to close things out on a more normal basis.

I have so little faith in their lineup and bullpen, while the Dodgers pen has really hit its stride. And they can use Maeda if things get hairy in the early innings. That said, never before have i wished this much for you to be correct

I just think these next 2 are huge. I mean, Cubs get both you have Kershaw going in a game 5 situation where he's going to have all the pressure in the world on him. For a guy with a 4.57 ERA and 3.68 FIP in his career(100.1 innings now). And a 4.76 ERA and 8.01 FIP this postseason.

I don't trust the Cubs lineup

wRC+
Baez: 98
Russell: 84
Heyward: 88
Zobrist: 82
Jay: 101
Contreras: 121

Of that group, Contreras had by far the best season, but he's 4-22 in the postseason.

They might be able to overcome that group of mediocre hitters if Bryant and Rizzo were hitting, but the latter is 4-26 and the former is 5-28. Hard to overcome a slump by your best guys, when their surrounding cast is already pretty weak. Not to mention Lester and Arrieta had weak seasons. I just don't expect them to all of a sudden start dominating

Not saying I'm comfortable, but this year just isn't last year. Arrieta is definitely not at the same level, and as you note, they're just not hitting well. With Darvish and Wood going in the next two games we'll see if those guys can break out a little. Or a lot.

Re stever's point about Kershaw, if he'd been pulled after 5 in game one we'd be hearing what a solid performance it was. Even after 6 we'd still be pretty happy (I know why he did it but I'm not thrilled Roberts let him start the 7th). There are things the Dodgers need to worry about but Kershaw's not in the top 10.