Tag Archives: MLB

Mr. Octobers of Yesterday (October 9, 2013)

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Game 5 last night in the NLDS. And the Mr. Octobers are easy to pick: David Freese and Adam Wainwright. For that, they get DOUBLE points, adding 6 points to their Mr. October scores.

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

P Adam Wainwright– 9

PP Carlos Beltran– 6

P Clayton Kershaw– 6

P Max Scherzer– 6

P Koji Uehara– 6

PP Shane Victorino– 6

PP David Freese – 6

PP David Ortiz– 3

P Justin Verlander– 3

P Sonny Gray-3

PP Adrian Gonzalez– 3

P Gerrit Cole– 3

PP Pedro Alvarez– 3

P Jon Lester– 3

P Mike Minor– 3

PP Hanley Ramirez– 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 Jhonny Peralta – 3

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings– 1

P Alex Cobb– 1

Mr. Octobers of Yesterday (October 8, 2013)

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Okay, first off, the game between the Tigers and Athletics. Among position players, the Mr. October was Jhonny Peralta. His home run tied the score at 3-3 and he had another hit as well.

Meanwhile, on the mound, I’m going with Max Scherzer. Not because he was good- as he initially not and allowed the Athletics to tie it up during his relief appearance- so much as how he was able to escape the mess, getting out of a bases-loaded situation with no outs without letting another run to score.

As for the Red Sox-Rays game, the position player who wins is Shane Victorino, who’s single in the seventh was ultimately the winning run. The pitcher was Koji Uehara, who made up for his loss in Game 3 by shutting down the four Rays he faced as he finished the game and got the save.

So, tonight is a Game 5. And a Game 5 means points will count double!

Anyway, here are the standings:

PP Carlos Beltran– 6

P Clayton Kershaw– 6

P Max Scherzer– 6

P Koji Uehara– 6

PP Shane Victorino– 6

PP David Ortiz– 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

P Mike Minor– 3

PP Hanley Ramirez– 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 Jhonny Peralta – 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 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.

AL Wild Card Tiebreaker Preview

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Well, Game 163 is tonight, as the Texas Rangers host the Tampa Bay Rays for the right to advance to the Wild Card Game against Cleveland on Wednesday.

It is, of course, folly to try and predict a single baseball game. There are so many actors and factors (a rhyme!) that are in play, and a single strange hop or blown call can change everything. Luck will have just as much to do with the result of this game as skill.

That said, the old axiom that good pitching beats good hitting suggests that the Rays have the advantage tonight. Why? Because they have David Price on the mound. While Price was only 9-8 this year while Texas’ Martin Perez was 10-5, win-loss records are misleading. Instead, look at how Price has a lower ERA than Perez, and how Price has a better WAR than Perez, and how Price has experience pitching in big games while this will be Perez’s first rodeo.

Of course, that experience could cut both ways. You see,  Price’s relative veteran status means that the Rangers have had plenty of times to face him. They know him firsthand, and while that might not save them if he is having a good day, it certainly evens the odds a bit. Alex Rios, for example, is a career .435 hitter against Price in 23 at-bats, including two home runs. Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre also have good numbers against Price, and Nelson Cruz– back from his Biogenesis suspension- has had three home runs in his career against the Rays’ ace, including one in the 2010 postseason.

By comparison, only four members of the Rays have ever faced Perez, so they will be going mainly on scouting and video. Maybe this will mean nothing, as the Rays’ contain plenty of hitters who are just naturally gifted.

Which, of course, leads to how these two lineups stack up. In general, I’d say this is a slight advantage to Texas, especially with Cruz back. Texas, statistically, has hit better for average and power this year than Tampa, although not overwhelmingly so, while Tampa has a edge in getting on base. The two are ridiculously close when it comes to OPS, with Tampa at .737 and Texas at .736. However, Texas didn’t have Cruz these past few months due to his suspension, so I hypothesize that his addition will provide the ever-so-slight edge for the Rangers.

So, the starting matchup favors Tampa, but the lineups will likely favor Texas. What does that leave us with? Bullpens, fielding and managing.

Starting with the last of the three: Joe Maddon is unquestionably the better strategic mind than Ron Washington, using advanced metrics and unconventional tactics while Ron Washington… doesn’t.

Next, fielding. This is tough, as the advanced fielding statistics are really complicated, Gold Gloves are subjective and the traditional statistics are often misleading. And, I got to say, it all depends on what stat you look at… so I’m calling this one a push.

And so, finally, the bullpens. I give a slight advantage to the Rangers, at least assuming there aren’t any screwups. Their bullpen was better statistically than the Rays’ bullpen this season, although admittedly Fernando Rodney was erratic all year for Tampa, going from Cy Young to Cy Yuk and back again several times, so who knows?

So, there you go, it looks like a very evenly-matched contest, but I’m going to go with the Rays, 4-2. I just don’t feel like going against David Price.

On Manny Machado’s injury

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Short version:

Longer version:

Injuries happen in all sports, and they can happen at all times, to all players. Nobody is immune. And yesterday’s injury to Manny Machado is further proof of that. Since arriving in the big leagues, he had not missed a game and he had been a staple of highlight reels both on the field and at the plate. And now, in a freak injury, his season is done and it’s entirely possible he may miss a good chunk of next year as well. And, worst of all, who knows how this knee/leg injury may affect him in the future:

Could this slow him down and turn all of those doubles into singles?

Could it make it so that he will never be able to move to SS, which is technically his natural position?

We don’t know, and that is the thing that makes his injury so sad. Baseball lost one of it’s brightest young stars yesterday for the rest of the (admittedly short) season, and now, all everyone can do- in Baltimore and across the world- is wait, and hope that this injury isn’t as bad as it looked.

John Philip Sousa once wrote a Baseball March

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John Philip Sousa, the man who wrote such patriotic standards as The Stars and Stripes Forever, also wrote a march for baseball, entitled The National Game. I’ve heard it performed at Orchestra Nights at the ballpark (yeah, Rochester has orchestra night every year), but I just found it on YouTube, so, well, here it is.

Feel free to imagine 19th century baseballers taking the field to this, dressed in uniforms for the Providence Grays or the Boston Beaneats, perhaps while also getting into drunken saloon brawls and going into second base with sharpened spikes. It’s what Old Hoss Radbourn (or at least @OldHossRadbourn) would do.