2017 MLB Season Thread

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

On another note, does anyone think that the winner of the likely Arizona/Colorado series can take out the Dodgers? I think either one can potentially explode for a ton of runs in any given game. I'm pulling for Arizona because of their pitching.

The Cubs, Nationals, Rockies and Diamondbacks are 1-4 in the NL in runs scored. The Dodgers are 7th, but they are the easy leader in team ERA, like Chicago was a year ago, a whole 0.30 ahead of #2 Arizona.

Zone might be hot at the right time. Pollock is back, Martinez is on fire, Goldy can be as good as any hitter in baseball and can carry a team for a stretch. And they have the ace you need in Greinke. Their pen...sucks. Bradley is good but Rodney as a closer???? Ew.

Mets have now won their last home game each of the last 7 years including tonight. I guess the other 80 games should be played as if they were the last home game of the season.

My Cubs clinch the division on my birthday, so thats very nice of them! :up: I saw that they are the first defending champ in history to be under .500 at the AS break, then go on to make the post season.

From David Schoenfield at ESPN:

The Cubs are the first reigning World Series champ to win a division title since the 2009 Phillies and just the seventh team to do it in the wild-card era. Winning the division seemed difficult this season because it IS difficult to do it. In fact, the previous four World Series winners all missed the playoffs the following the season.

I found that very interesting. I thought it happened more often, but the fact that the Giants won every other year there for a while obviously played a big part.

Also, after tonight's games, the Cards are 4 games back in the WC with 5 to play, so they're likely done. It will be just the second time they've missed the post season in consecutive seasons this century. They had a streak of 13/16 seasons starting in 2000. Still only one losing season in all of that time. They truly are the Patriots of baseball, which makes it all the sweeter for me.

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

My Cubs clinch the division on my birthday, so thats very nice of them! :up: I saw that they are the first defending champ in history to be under .500 at the AS break, then go on to make the post season.

From David Schoenfield at ESPN:

I found that very interesting. I thought it happened more often, but the fact that the Giants won every other year there for a while obviously played a big part.

Also, after tonight's games, the Cards are 4 games back in the WC with 5 to play, so they're likely done. It will be just the second time they've missed the post season in consecutive seasons this century. They had a streak of 13/16 seasons starting in 2000. Still only one losing season in all of that time. They truly are the Patriots of baseball, which makes it all the sweeter for me.

Happy birthday. I hope the cubs beat the nats in round 1.

After theyve done that, they can lose. :)

"Boik14 wrote:

Happy birthday. I hope the cubs beat the nats in round 1.

After theyve done that, they can lose. :)

Lol we'll see. It's all better now that 1908 isn't hanging over us any more.

After two bombs from the original rocket man Stanton, hes two away from Maris.

I found this really cool.

Yes its the Rockies, but this is still cool, especially for a NL club.

The Marlins have a really solid core. Thats very impressive.

There was a moron at a baseball message board that suggested a trade with the Yankees where the Marlins would ship both Ozuna and Stanton for prospects. I understand Stanton may leave, but if Jeter tries to attach Ozuna in such a terrible trade, to his old team, for just prospects, he needs to be out, fast. There's not a package you can come up with that is worth both Ozuna and Stanton...

Dodgers did exactly what they needed to do to have any chance of making and winning the World Series...

...home field advantage throughout.

I'm rooting for Minnesota and Colorado in the WC games. If the Twins win, I'm pulling for them in the AL, and would love to see a MIN/HOU ALCS.

In the NL, every team that scored 800+ runs made the post season, as did every team that allowed 695 or fewer. Obviously, the good teams are going to make the playoffs while the poor ones won't, but its interesting that there weren't many teams who could really hit but couldn't pitch, or vice versa. Three clubs are both in the top 4 for both. Very top heavy league, once again.

Jeter was very vague when talking about Stanton... he is definitely getting traded... so all you big market guys ready to have stanton bat cleanup, get ready to commit robbery... the marlins are gonna give him up for peanuts just to get the salary off the books

"Vertical Limit wrote:

Jeter was very vague when talking about Stanton... he is definitely getting traded... so all you big market guys ready to have stanton bat cleanup, get ready to commit robbery... the marlins are gonna give him up for peanuts just to get the salary off the books

I don't think that my Cubs have the resources to pull it off, but I'd start with Schwarber and Russell and see what it took. They have the payroll flexibility to make it work.

You have to feel bad for the Twins. Starting in 2003, five of the last six times that they've made the post season, they've had to face the Yankees. They are 2-13 in those games. They were also swept by Oakland in 2006, and are 2-16 in the playoffs since they made the ALCS in 2002.

For Colorado, this is only the third time that they've made the post season in the last 22 years, but will be the second time that they've faced Arizona. They won the NLCS 4-0 vs the Diamondbacks in 2007, before losing to the Red Sox 4-0 in the WS that year. Colorado has only faced Arizona and Philadelphia in the NL playoffs from 1996-present.

Today's rainout of Game 4 could end up screwing over the Cubs. The Nationals are now likely to start Strasburg than Roark, which is obviously a huge shift in advantage.

My question is why MLB chose to try and play the game at 5:30pm EST, when they knew last night that doing that would be a risk with the weather. Why not play the game at noon today? Surely the Cubs would have been on board with that. Now, should Washington win tomorrow, they even face the prospect of facing Scherzer again in a game five.

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

Today's rainout of Game 4 could end up screwing over the Cubs. The Nationals are now likely to start Strasburg than Roark, which is obviously a huge shift in advantage.

My question is why MLB chose to try and play the game at 5:30pm EST, when they knew last night that doing that would be a risk with the weather. Why not play the game at noon today? Surely the Cubs would have been on board with that. Now, should Washington win tomorrow, they even face the prospect of facing Scherzer again in a game five.

Strasburg is sick from what I know, they're probably starting Roark. You may see Strasburg in G5 should there be one.

"Boik14 wrote:

Strasburg is sick from what I know, they're probably starting Roark. You may see Strasburg in G5 should there be one.

I read that later after I posted that. Cubs catch a break for sure. They need to TCOB today and head to LA for the rematch.

Whats up with Boston letting Farrell go? He led them to a World Series title a few years ago, and is coming off back to back 93 win seasons. Has he been seen as doing a poor job of handeling all of the big egos in the clubhouse?

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

I read that later after I posted that. Cubs catch a break for sure. They need to TCOB today and head to LA for the rematch.

Well, scratch that. Back to the weather screwing over the Cubs again. Washington apparently can't get their stories straight, but Strasburg is starting today. Hopefully he's not right and they can knock him around.

Congrats to the Astros for taking the first two of the ALCS. Now, I'll root for them to take the rest of the series in 7.

NCLS Game One. Lets go Cubs!

If Quintana can't give the Cubs more than four or five innings tonight after being used in Game 5 of the DS, and/or they're down by 4+ runs, then I would just put in Lackey and let him go as long as he could. Don't lose the war trying to win the most difficult battle.

Pitching matchups for both teams in the NLCS now announced.

Game 2 Sunday: Lester vs Hill
Game 3 Tuesday: Darvish vs Hendricks
Game 4 Wednesday: Wood vs Arrieta

Which would like mean a game 5 rematch of Kershaw vs Quintana, and the Cubs would start Lester in LA in a potential Game 6, leaving both Henricks and Arrieta, plus John Lackey and long reliever Mike Montgomery, available for a game 7. I like the thought process.

He's also led them to three of the six NLCS appearances in team history, in addition to of course winning the title last year. When Maddon eventually goes, it will be gracefully. He won't be the Cubs manager for a ton more years, given that he'll be 64 next season, but he's earned his mark in team history.

The Nationals and Dodgers obviously have very good pitching staffs, but the Cubs bats are inept this post season. They badly miss what Dexter Fowler brought to the team the last few years, and need to find a way to trade for someone similar for 2018. Their offensive strategy is terrific in the regular season, when they can wear out a staff and then destroy #3-5 starters and middle relief. Wins a lot of games. But it doesn't work in the post season, at least in the NL.