Category Archives: Baseball

Mr. Octobers for October 7, 2013

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Wow, what a day. Four games, and all of them had something good in them.

In the A’s-Tigers game, the position player Mr. October was Seth Smith, who had 2 hits and 2 RBIs, including a homer. Meanwhile, on the mound, Dan Otero wins the award for his two innings of good relief. Also, just an honorable mention to Grant Balfour and Victor Martinez for getting so many swear-words past MLB Network’s audio guys.

The next game, Pirates-Cardinals, almost saw history get made, as Michael Wacha got into the 8th inning before losing his no-hitter on a Pedro Alvarez HR. Wacha, of course, gets the Pitching award, while the position player getting the award was Matt Holliday, who’s two-run HR was ultimately the difference in the close 2-1 contest, and who had another hit too.

Boston-Tampa Bay was another classic, ending with Jose Lobaton‘s 9th-inning walk-off into the Ray tank in the outfield. Lobaton, of course, gets the award for position players- he only had one at-bat, but he really made it count. On the mound, Jake McGee wins, as his nice escape from having a man on second with no outs allowed the Rays to keep the game tied.

Finally, deep into the night, there was Braves-Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw, on short rest, threw 6 innings without an earned run, allowing him to outduel an overachieving Freddy Garcia (if not for the defensive problems of the Dodgers, the game would have been a shutout) and later Juan Uribe hit a two-run home run to put the Dodgers ahead for good. They are the Mr. Octobers for that game.

Standings (PP= position player, P= pitcher):

PP Carlos Beltran– 6

P Clayton Kershaw– 6

PP David Ortiz– 3

P Koji Uehara– 3

P Justin Verlander– 3

P Sonny Gray-3

P Adam Wainwright– 3

PP Adrian Gonzalez– 3

P Gerrit Cole– 3

PP Pedro Alvarez– 3

P Jon Lester– 3

PP Shane Victorino -3

P Mike Minor– 3

PP Hanley Ramirez– 3

P Max Scherzer– 3

PP Yoenis Cespedes– 3

P Jason Grilli– 3

PP Carl Crawford– 3

P Chris Capuano– 3

PP Seth Smith- 3

P Dan Otero- 3

P Michael Wacha- 3

PP Matt Holliday-3

PP Jose Lobaton-3

P Jake McGee-3

PP Juan Uribe-3

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings– 1

P Alex Cobb– 1

Songs of October: A Retrospective (Because Why Not?)

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It’s a sensation that’s spreading across the nation: Mups. Their spread is unstoppable, to the point where some like the “Cespedes Family BBQ” and Jesse Spector have begun to engage in a “#Mupwatch”. But some wonder: What is a Mup? Are they some sort of Muppet? Is it dangerous? And why are they being lit on fire?

Well, the answer lies in the commercials that have been playing in the lead-up to and during the post-season, featuring Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark”. Here is an example of such a commercial. While officially they are saying “Light ’em up”, it sounds, especially during the echoing segments, like they are actually talking about things called “mups”.

And thus continues a long tradition of October songs that have graced our televisions and infected our ears, whether we liked them or not. And, usually, if we DID like them at the start of the postseason, we end up being sick of them by the end just from hearing them so many times.

And, what’s more, these songs and how they become memes aren’t of a universal source. Most of them, for example, are part of TBS’ coverage, but others, including the latest Fall Out Boy song, are actually of MLB’s doing. Like, TBS is using a different song*,  and MLB Network itself also has a different song for the commercials for it’s two games**. Also, it should be noted that none of them are explicit about baseball, and most of them are more picked for the imagery of their chorus than any type of lyrical sense and fit.

*Using Google searches of the lyrics I was able to decipher, I’ve figured out it’s 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Do or Die”.

**Again using Google, I’ve found that the commercials use the chorus from Papa Roach’s “Still Swingin’“.

Still, with that out of the way, here’s a history (after the jump) of the Songs of October:

Continue reading →

Mr. Octobers for Yesterday’s games (October 6, 2013)

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Okay, so, here are the MR. OCTOBERs for yesterday’s games:

In Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis, the hitting Mr. October was Carlos Beltran, again. Seriously, it would be wise if Pittsburgh just stops pitching to him, it would greatly aid them in winning this series before it returns to St. Louis. As for the pitching Mr. October? Well, this is tough, but I’ll probably go with Jason Grilli, who finished off the Cardinals before they could come back again.

As for Dodgers-Braves? Well, the position player Mr. October is Carl Crawford, as he went 2-5 with a HR and 3 RBIs while also making an awesome catch in the field. As for pitching? Well, this is hard, as it was a slugfest, but I’ll go with Chris Capuano, who’s three innings out of the pen silenced the Braves’ bats long enough as the Dodgers laid what in scientific terms is called a “total beatdown.”

Standings (PP= Position Player, P=Player):

PP Carlos Beltran– 6

PP David Ortiz– 3

P Koji Uehara– 3

P Justin Verlander– 3

P Sonny Gray-3

P Adam Wainwright– 3

PP Adrian Gonzalez– 3

P Clayton Kershaw– 3

P Gerrit Cole– 3

PP Pedro Alvarez– 3

P Jon Lester– 3

PP Shane Victorino -3

P Mike Minor– 3

PP Hanley Ramirez– 3

P Max Scherzer– 3

PP Yoenis Cespedes– 3

P Jason Grilli- 3

PP Carl Crawford- 3

P Chris Capuano- 3

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings– 1

P Alex Cobb– 1

Mr. Octobers for Yesterday’s ALDS games (October 5, 2013)

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The first game of yesterday, in which the Red Sox beat the Rays, is an easy pick: David Ortiz, who had his first multi-HR game of his illustrious postseason career, was the offensive Mr. October. On the mound, it was Koji Uehara, the closer for the Red Sox who squelched any chance of a final rally by the Rays with a surgical 1-2-3 9th inning. Interesting note: The Rangers traded Chris Davis to the Orioles for Uehara. Now they have neither. Whoops.

The second game, a true classic, is harder to pick. I mean, how do you pick between Sonny Gray and Justin Verlander, both who had games that would have sealed them as Mr. October winners otherwise? Well, I’m going to cheat a bit here: I’m not going to give out a position player Mr. October, instead, I’m giving out TWO pitching Mr. Octobers for this game. Now, of course, you could say Stephen Vogt could deserve the hitting Mr. October due to his walk-off single, but, well, he had failed in basically the same situation twice earlier in the game, so, sorry.

Standings (PP= Position Player, P= Pitcher):

PP David Ortiz- 3

P Koji Uehara- 3

P Justin Verlander- 3

P Sonny Gray-3

PP Carlos Beltran– 3

P Adam Wainwright– 3

PP Adrian Gonzalez– 3

P Clayton Kershaw– 3

P Gerrit Cole– 3

PP Pedro Alvarez– 3

P Jon Lester– 3

PP Shane Victorino -3

P Mike Minor– 3

PP Hanley Ramirez– 3

P Max Scherzer– 3

PP Yoenis Cespedes– 3

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings– 1

P Alex Cobb– 1

MR. OCTOBERS for the first two days of LDS games

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Okay, here we go:

NLDS GAME 1 between the Pirates and Cardinals had the position player Mr. October being Carlos Beltran (who had a HR and 3 RBIs) and the pitcher Mr. October being Adam Wainwright.

NLDS GAME 1 between the Dodgers and Braves had the position player Mr. October being Adrian Gonzalez (who had a HR and 2 RBIs), while the pitcher was, of course, Clayton Kershaw.

In NLDS GAME 2 between the Pirates and Cardinals, the Mr. Octobers were Gerrit Cole and Pedro Alvarez.

In ALDS GAME 1 between the Red Sox and Rays, the Mr. Octobers were Jon Lester and Shane Victorino.

In NLDS GAME 2 between the Dodgers and Braves, the Mr. Octobers were Mike Minor and Hanley Ramirez (yes, the Dodgers lost, but he was the best hitter in the game).

And in ALDS GAME 1 between the Tigers and A’s, the Mr. Octobers were Max Scherzer and Yoenis Cespedes (again, the winning team doesn’t necessarily have the Mr. October).

So, here are the standings (PP=Position Player, P=Pitcher):

PP Carlos Beltran- 3

P Adam Wainwright- 3

PP Adrian Gonzalez- 3

P Clayton Kershaw- 3

P Gerrit Cole- 3

PP Pedro Alvarez- 3

P Jon Lester- 3

PP Shane Victorino -3

P Mike Minor- 3

PP Hanley Ramirez- 3

P Max Scherzer- 3

PP Yoenis Cespedes- 3

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings– 1

P Alex Cobb– 1

Incredibly short preview/predictions for the ALDS matchups

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Due to a personal issue called “the dog was being psychotic all night” (don’t worry, he is now calm and adorable), I was unable to write longer previews, so here are the quick ones:

First off, I like the Rays in their matchup against the Red Sox, as they have momentum and arguably more pitching depth, and also because I believe that Joe Maddon is a mad genius who I will never doubt ever again, even if he did have a Molina brother try to steal a base, which seems like one of the most firm rules in baseball. I’d say Rays in five.

Next, Oakland-Tigers. I got the Tigers. I mean, their pitching staff is nuts, and they also have one Miguel Cabrera, who is pretty good at baseball. However, the Athletics do have home-field advantage, and their young staff and underrated lineup mean they should not be underestimated. Still, I predict Tigers in five.

(Come back on Saturday for a full look at the Mr. Octobers of the first two days of the LDS round)

 

Previews/Predictions for the two NLDS series

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Okay, so, it’s time to predict the NLDS series! Here we go:

Pirates vs. Cardinals

The Cardinals will probably end the Pirates fairy-tale season, and have to be considered one of the favorites to win it all. For one, their pitching is better set up, a result of the Pirates having to use Francisco Liriano in the Wild Card game (although it will be interesting to see how wonder-kid Gerrit Cole will do in expected his Game 2 start- that game could ultimately decide this series). For another, the Cardinals have plenty of experience, most notably that of Carlos Beltran, the greatest post-season hitter of this and perhaps any era statistically. It’ll be tough, but I predict Cardinals in 5.

Dodgers vs. Braves

A good one. Two teams that are ended up running away with their divisions but who none-the-less prone to being streaky. I, personally, think this series, like most series, will come down to pitching. And in that all-important department, the Dodgers have the advantage. They will able to throw out Clayton Kershaw twice, and still have Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu available as well. The Braves are no slouches and could well win this series, but their lack of Tim Hudson hurts their pitching depth. I agree with what Grantland.com said: “The Braves have a good playoff rotation. The Dodgers have a great one.”  Unlike Grantland, though, I predict Dodgers in 4, while they have them winning in 5.

Come back tomorrow for ALDS predictions.

The MR. OCTOBERs of Last Night (October 2, 2013)

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The Mr. Octobers of yesterday’s AL Wild Card Game were Alex Cobb and Desmond Jennings. Cobb pitched 6.2 shutout innings while escaping several pickles, while Desmond Jennings had two hits and two RBIs.

Standings:

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings- 1

P Alex Cobb- 1

Preview/Prediction for AL Wild Card Tonight

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It’s the Tampa Bay Rays at the Cleveland Indians tonight, with the winner advancing to the ALDS. While I’ve predicted the past two games correctly, I feel like this one will be tougher. But, ultimately, I still like the Rays here.

My reasons:

  • Pitching, pitching, pitching. Alex Cobb is a better and (slightly) more experienced starter than Danny Salazar, and the Rays bullpen, while tired and sometimes erratic, at least has a defined closer and role players, unlike the by-committee approach that now rules the Indians’ pen.
  • Hitting. Team WAR on Fangraphs for the Rays this season was 30.3, behind only the Red Sox. Team WAR for Indians was 21.8, 15th in MLB. Also, Evan Longoria is on fire. That alone can turn the tide of the game.
  • Fielding: The Rays have an advantage in most advanced fielding statistics and metrics.
  • Momentum: The Rays were playing only two days ago, on Monday. The Indians have been sitting around since Sunday.
  • Playoff experience: The Rays have been here before, most (but certainly not all) of the Indians haven’t.

So, I’m predicting a 5-3 Rays victory tonight.

The MR. OCTOBERs of last night (October 1, 2013)

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Welcome to the MR. OCTOBER tracker of the Baseball Continuum. Here’s how it goes: instead of going by day, we’re going by game. Each game will have an MVP position player and an MVP pitcher. The amount of points given are as so: the MVPs of a Wild Card game get one point, MVPs of an LDS game get three points, MVPs of a LCS game get five points, and MVPs of World Series games get ten points. Points are doubled if it’s in a Game 5 in the LDS or Game 7 of the LCS or WS.

So, with that out of the way, here are the hitting and pitching MVPs of last night: Russell Martin (2 HRs) and Francisco Liriano (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 SO).

Standings:

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin- 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano- 1