wow just saw 16 of the last 17 teams that took a 2-0 World Series lead won the series. Only exception- the 1996 Atlanta Braves.

(10-24-2018 11:37 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  Sad, but neither upset nor surprised.

You guys can blame it on Madsen I guess but Dodgers can't expect to compete with only 3 hits. The idea that any bullpen can hold a 5+ runs/game team to 1 run, is, well...optimistic.

Hey at least the Dodgers did better last night than the last time they were held to 3 or fewer hits in a World Series game.

That would be the 1956 Don Larsen perfect game.

(10-25-2018 08:38 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 06:21 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:49 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:37 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  Sad, but neither upset nor surprised.

You guys can blame it on Madsen I guess but Dodgers can't expect to compete with only 3 hits. The idea that any bullpen can hold a 5+ runs/game team to 1 run, is, well...optimistic.

Yeah.

I just wonder if the Dodgers are almost too deep. So worried about getting the platoon advantage they're not sending out the best players period......

Thank you! Was thinking about this last night. Hernandez has sucked and Puig can't hit LHP. Why not give Muncy and Bellinger a shot?

I do think the LHP thing got in the Dodgers minds to a large degree.

part of why Muncy and Bellinger probably haven't started much
Muncy in playoffs 7/36 113 wRC+
Bellinger in playoffs 5/39 32 wRC+
so a total of 12/75. .160 And that is largely with the platoon advantages....

I think also strangely having the DH actually hurt the Dodgers with their flexibility.

Those two, as well as Taylor and Hernandez, are constantly swinging for the fences. A little more of a contact approach is what has allowed the Sox to be so good in 2 out situations.

(10-25-2018 10:40 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 08:38 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 06:21 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:49 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:37 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  Sad, but neither upset nor surprised.

You guys can blame it on Madsen I guess but Dodgers can't expect to compete with only 3 hits. The idea that any bullpen can hold a 5+ runs/game team to 1 run, is, well...optimistic.

Yeah.

I just wonder if the Dodgers are almost too deep. So worried about getting the platoon advantage they're not sending out the best players period......

Thank you! Was thinking about this last night. Hernandez has sucked and Puig can't hit LHP. Why not give Muncy and Bellinger a shot?

I do think the LHP thing got in the Dodgers minds to a large degree.

part of why Muncy and Bellinger probably haven't started much
Muncy in playoffs 7/36 113 wRC+
Bellinger in playoffs 5/39 32 wRC+
so a total of 12/75. .160 And that is largely with the platoon advantages....

I think also strangely having the DH actually hurt the Dodgers with their flexibility.

Those two, as well as Taylor and Hernandez, are constantly swinging for the fences. A little more of a contact approach is what has allowed the Sox to be so good in 2 out situations.

At least Taylor is 9-30 this postseason with a 155 wRC+. Hernandez has been abysmal with a 3-32 and a 11 wRC+.

Also would note this about the Red Sox.....
Ted Williams, 1941 .406/.553/.735/1.287
Red Sox 2 outs, RISP 18 PS .415/.564/.756/1.320

This is stupid video game stats type of production with game set on easy.

(10-25-2018 10:40 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 08:38 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 06:21 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:49 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:37 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  Sad, but neither upset nor surprised.

You guys can blame it on Madsen I guess but Dodgers can't expect to compete with only 3 hits. The idea that any bullpen can hold a 5+ runs/game team to 1 run, is, well...optimistic.

Yeah.

I just wonder if the Dodgers are almost too deep. So worried about getting the platoon advantage they're not sending out the best players period......

Thank you! Was thinking about this last night. Hernandez has sucked and Puig can't hit LHP. Why not give Muncy and Bellinger a shot?

I do think the LHP thing got in the Dodgers minds to a large degree.

part of why Muncy and Bellinger probably haven't started much
Muncy in playoffs 7/36 113 wRC+
Bellinger in playoffs 5/39 32 wRC+
so a total of 12/75. .160 And that is largely with the platoon advantages....

I think also strangely having the DH actually hurt the Dodgers with their flexibility.

Those two, as well as Taylor and Hernandez, are constantly swinging for the fences. A little more of a contact approach is what has allowed the Sox to be so good in 2 out situations.

These are all fair criticisms, and they don't apply just to hitters. I'm thrilled the Dodgers have embraced the use of analytics, but I'm afraid they are not using them correctly in the playoffs (or, rather, they are over-rating their utility). Roberts has been reacting to all the questions by saying that he's just doing what he's done all year because it worked. I think the problem is sample size (once again). It's one thing to manage that way in August or September. You are using numbers that are reliable because they've been well developed over the course of the season and it's reasonable to say they indicate a likely outcome. That likely outcome doesn't always happen but that's ok because there are 162 games and a few misses doesn't matter if you're generally successful. But look at it this way: If you flip a coin 1000 times you make a very safe bet it'll turn up heads very nearly 500 times. But if you flip that coin 10 times? That it'll turn up heads 5 times is not nearly as safe a bet. In the very small number of outcomes in a 7 game series I think a manager has to use his judgment much more than during the regular season.

Take Baez on Tuesday: He was DEALING in B7. Electric stuff; great command. But Roberts brought in Wood and, well, bad stuff.

Re the swing-for-the-fence guys (seems like most of the team, most at-bats)... that's the team they built. A lot of these guys don't appear to have the skill set to hit for contact/move the runner/etc. That's the kind of ball the Dodgers like to play, and I'll be interested to see if off season personnel changes include the addition of some guys who have small ball skills.

(10-25-2018 12:03 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 10:40 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 08:38 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 06:21 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:49 PM)stever20 Wrote:  Yeah.

I just wonder if the Dodgers are almost too deep. So worried about getting the platoon advantage they're not sending out the best players period......

Thank you! Was thinking about this last night. Hernandez has sucked and Puig can't hit LHP. Why not give Muncy and Bellinger a shot?

I do think the LHP thing got in the Dodgers minds to a large degree.

part of why Muncy and Bellinger probably haven't started much
Muncy in playoffs 7/36 113 wRC+
Bellinger in playoffs 5/39 32 wRC+
so a total of 12/75. .160 And that is largely with the platoon advantages....

I think also strangely having the DH actually hurt the Dodgers with their flexibility.

Those two, as well as Taylor and Hernandez, are constantly swinging for the fences. A little more of a contact approach is what has allowed the Sox to be so good in 2 out situations.

These are all fair criticisms, and they don't apply just to hitters. I'm thrilled the Dodgers have embraced the use of analytics, but I'm afraid they are not using them correctly in the playoffs (or, rather, they are over-rating their utility). Roberts has been reacting to all the questions by saying that he's just doing what he's done all year because it worked. I think the problem is sample size (once again). It's one thing to manage that way in August or September. You are using numbers that are reliable because they've been well developed over the course of the season and it's reasonable to say they indicate a likely outcome. That likely outcome doesn't always happen but that's ok because there are 162 games and a few misses doesn't matter if you're generally successful. But look at it this way: If you flip a coin 1000 times you make a very safe bet it'll turn up heads very nearly 500 times. But if you flip that coin 10 times? That it'll turn up heads 5 times is not nearly as safe a bet. In the very small number of outcomes in a 7 game series I think a manager has to use his judgment much more than during the regular season.

Take Baez on Tuesday: He was DEALING in B7. Electric stuff; great command. But Roberts brought in Wood and, well, bad stuff.

Re the swing-for-the-fence guys (seems like most of the team, most at-bats)... that's the team they built. A lot of these guys don't appear to have the skill set to hit for contact/move the runner/etc. That's the kind of ball the Dodgers like to play, and I'll be interested to see if off season personnel changes include the addition of some guys who have small ball skills.

Roberts was doing his tricks against a bad Padres team, a bad Giants team, and an imploding Dbacks team.

(10-25-2018 10:51 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 10:40 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 08:38 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 06:21 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:49 PM)stever20 Wrote:  Yeah.

I just wonder if the Dodgers are almost too deep. So worried about getting the platoon advantage they're not sending out the best players period......

Thank you! Was thinking about this last night. Hernandez has sucked and Puig can't hit LHP. Why not give Muncy and Bellinger a shot?

I do think the LHP thing got in the Dodgers minds to a large degree.

part of why Muncy and Bellinger probably haven't started much
Muncy in playoffs 7/36 113 wRC+
Bellinger in playoffs 5/39 32 wRC+
so a total of 12/75. .160 And that is largely with the platoon advantages....

I think also strangely having the DH actually hurt the Dodgers with their flexibility.

Those two, as well as Taylor and Hernandez, are constantly swinging for the fences. A little more of a contact approach is what has allowed the Sox to be so good in 2 out situations.

At least Taylor is 9-30 this postseason with a 155 wRC+. Hernandez has been abysmal with a 3-32 and a 11 wRC+.

Also would note this about the Red Sox.....
Ted Williams, 1941 .406/.553/.735/1.287
Red Sox 2 outs, RISP 18 PS .415/.564/.756/1.320

This is stupid video game stats type of production with game set on easy.

Yeah this is just flukey, small sample size stuff. Unfortunately for the Astros and Dodgers, they're the ones on the other side. Talking about luck, take Benintendi. In Game 1 he was the talk of the town, having gotten 4 hits. But if you actually analyze it, you realize he didn't have much of a game. He had a couple pop ups, a seeing eye ground ball and one line drive. Is that a good game? He didn't create those hits. The 2 out hitting is just another example of that. Yes, JD Martinez was trying to go to RF on that 2 run scoring single, but he wasn't trying to hit a bloop. The postseason: where small sample sizes happen

Yeah Roberts has been so by the book if you will that it's shown...... Both Cora this year and Hinch last year- had/have a good feel for things when to make the move, etc. Hinch last year with his pen usage and using guys like Peacock and McCullers.... Cora this year using guys like Sale, Eovaldi, and Porcello out of the pen some........

(10-25-2018 12:10 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 10:51 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 10:40 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 08:38 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 06:21 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  Thank you! Was thinking about this last night. Hernandez has sucked and Puig can't hit LHP. Why not give Muncy and Bellinger a shot?

I do think the LHP thing got in the Dodgers minds to a large degree.

part of why Muncy and Bellinger probably haven't started much
Muncy in playoffs 7/36 113 wRC+
Bellinger in playoffs 5/39 32 wRC+
so a total of 12/75. .160 And that is largely with the platoon advantages....

I think also strangely having the DH actually hurt the Dodgers with their flexibility.

Those two, as well as Taylor and Hernandez, are constantly swinging for the fences. A little more of a contact approach is what has allowed the Sox to be so good in 2 out situations.

At least Taylor is 9-30 this postseason with a 155 wRC+. Hernandez has been abysmal with a 3-32 and a 11 wRC+.

Also would note this about the Red Sox.....
Ted Williams, 1941 .406/.553/.735/1.287
Red Sox 2 outs, RISP 18 PS .415/.564/.756/1.320

This is stupid video game stats type of production with game set on easy.

Yeah this is just flukey, small sample size stuff. Unfortunately for the Astros and Dodgers, they're the ones on the other side. Talking about luck, take Benintendi. In Game 1 he was the talk of the town, having gotten 4 hits. But if you actually analyze it, you realize he didn't have much of a game. He had a couple pop ups, a seeing eye ground ball and one line drive. Is that a good game? He didn't create those hits. The 2 out hitting is just another example of that. Yes, JD Martinez was trying to go to RF on that 2 run scoring single, but he wasn't trying to hit a bloop. The postseason: where small sample sizes happen

Part of the Martinez hit though was where Puig was positioned.. Way deeper than normal OF play at Fenway. One of those things that we discussed with the Dodgers OF not used to playing at Fenway.....

(10-25-2018 12:19 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 12:10 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 10:51 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 10:40 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 08:38 AM)stever20 Wrote:  I do think the LHP thing got in the Dodgers minds to a large degree.

part of why Muncy and Bellinger probably haven't started much
Muncy in playoffs 7/36 113 wRC+
Bellinger in playoffs 5/39 32 wRC+
so a total of 12/75. .160 And that is largely with the platoon advantages....

I think also strangely having the DH actually hurt the Dodgers with their flexibility.

Those two, as well as Taylor and Hernandez, are constantly swinging for the fences. A little more of a contact approach is what has allowed the Sox to be so good in 2 out situations.

At least Taylor is 9-30 this postseason with a 155 wRC+. Hernandez has been abysmal with a 3-32 and a 11 wRC+.

Also would note this about the Red Sox.....
Ted Williams, 1941 .406/.553/.735/1.287
Red Sox 2 outs, RISP 18 PS .415/.564/.756/1.320

This is stupid video game stats type of production with game set on easy.

Yeah this is just flukey, small sample size stuff. Unfortunately for the Astros and Dodgers, they're the ones on the other side. Talking about luck, take Benintendi. In Game 1 he was the talk of the town, having gotten 4 hits. But if you actually analyze it, you realize he didn't have much of a game. He had a couple pop ups, a seeing eye ground ball and one line drive. Is that a good game? He didn't create those hits. The 2 out hitting is just another example of that. Yes, JD Martinez was trying to go to RF on that 2 run scoring single, but he wasn't trying to hit a bloop. The postseason: where small sample sizes happen

Part of the Martinez hit though was where Puig was positioned.. Way deeper than normal OF play at Fenway. One of those things that we discussed with the Dodgers OF not used to playing at Fenway.....

Yes, he was playing deep, and the Dodgers did say after Game 1 that they'd be moving their outfielders in a bit, but i doubt Puig would've caught it anyway.

I saw somewhere that Puig played 319 ft that play. He normally this season would play about 292 ft..... so a huge difference....

Another thing that confuses me is Dozier leading off. He's just not very good. It's one thing to play your RHH 2nd baseman, but quite another to have him lead off.

(10-25-2018 12:43 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  Another thing that confuses me is Dozier leading off. He's just not very good. It's one thing to play your RHH 2nd baseman, but quite another to have him lead off.

I wonder if that's to set the lineup up for the rest of the game......

(10-25-2018 12:48 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 12:43 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  Another thing that confuses me is Dozier leading off. He's just not very good. It's one thing to play your RHH 2nd baseman, but quite another to have him lead off.

I wonder if that's to set the lineup up for the rest of the game......

Maybe, but it just reeks of the Dodgers outsmarting themselves.

1 thing that I think is pretty interesting now with the dodgers is how they're using Urias. They've after treating him with kid gloves used him 5 times in the last 8 days- after having used him only for 15.2 innings in the regular season(to include the minors) and then 1 inning in postseason prior to this stretch..... I never thought we'd be seeing him this much quite frankly.....

It's just amazing to think.... If Red Sox do win it.....

They would have since we turned to 2000 4 titles. That's more than any other Major Professional team (NBA,NHL,NFL,MLB) except for the Patriots and Lakers. And only one with 4 besides them- the San Antonio Spurs..... Just amazing thinking what a 25 year old from Boston thinks now.....

(10-25-2018 01:46 PM)stever20 Wrote:  It's just amazing to think.... If Red Sox do win it.....

They would have since we turned to 2000 4 titles. That's more than any other Major Professional team (NBA,NHL,NFL,MLB) except for the Patriots and Lakers. And only one with 4 besides them- the San Antonio Spurs..... Just amazing thinking what a 25 year old from Boston thinks now.....

Oh, I think we know this. Boston has got to be the most entitled-sounding fanbase on the planet now.

(10-25-2018 01:23 PM)stever20 Wrote:  1 thing that I think is pretty interesting now with the dodgers is how they're using Urias. They've after treating him with kid gloves used him 5 times in the last 8 days- after having used him only for 15.2 innings in the regular season(to include the minors) and then 1 inning in postseason prior to this stretch..... I never thought we'd be seeing him this much quite frankly.....

Was thinking the same thing. Texted my friend last night when he was warming and said, 'I can't believe they're letting him pitch again." Kid gloves are off.

(10-25-2018 02:23 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  

(10-25-2018 01:23 PM)stever20 Wrote:  1 thing that I think is pretty interesting now with the dodgers is how they're using Urias. They've after treating him with kid gloves used him 5 times in the last 8 days- after having used him only for 15.2 innings in the regular season(to include the minors) and then 1 inning in postseason prior to this stretch..... I never thought we'd be seeing him this much quite frankly.....

Was thinking the same thing. Texted my friend last night when he was warming and said, 'I can't believe they're letting him pitch again." Kid gloves are off.

Yep. Next spring is going to be really interesting with both him and Buehler.....

Nunez and Machado with a great performance for the Red Sox, keeping the men moving around the bases and then Nunez with the 3-run blast to put the game away in the 7th. Home crowd really into it in Boston, despite the cold. They sure love their baseball in Beantown (and their ice cream--supposedly eat more per capita than any other city--go figure)!

Red Sox take care of Kershaw who proves less than pedestrian against the better competition in the playoffs (beating the Braves was no big deal this year). But his performances post season does remind me of how Atlanta's vaunted staffs of the 90's also tanked come postseason--except for Smoltz who was rock solid at a record-breaking performance level.

Red Sox really used their bullpen, which might be a concern. Don't want them to sweep, as I'd, like a little more baseball until the long, empty winter. When do pitchers and catchers report in February. Like to see who the Braves can sign for Catcher and outfield to bolster their lineup (and excited to see some of the new kids in the starting rotation!)