A Realistic View at 2021: Part III

[notin]

Yes, AND Ellis isn't even starting this series.

 

According to Fangraphs, they are starting the underwhelming Bruce Zimmermann (coming off the 60 day IL and gave up 3 ER in 2 Innings in AA 2 starts ago), Zac Lowther (7.66 ERA) and Alexander Wells (7.61 ERA).

 

 

Despite horrific track records early on, each of them has demonstrated the ability to make the majors. That in itself means they are capable - not necessarily probable, but capable - of having a good day. The Sox did get shut down by an otherwise unspectacular Logan Allen not too long ago…

[mvp 78]

Despite horrific track records early on, each of them has demonstrated the ability to make the majors. That in itself means they are capable - not necessarily probable, but capable - of having a good day. The Sox did get shut down by an otherwise unspectacular Logan Allen not too long ago…

 

Yes, EVERYONE AT THE MLB LEVEL IS CAPABLE OF HAVING A GOOD DAY. The Sox should still hit them around though.

[notin]

Yes, EVERYONE AT THE MLB LEVEL IS CAPABLE OF HAVING A GOOD DAY. The Sox should still hit them around though.

 

Not saying they shouldn’t. Just not assuming everything goes as needed. This year, while the highs have been very high, the lows have been much, much more painful…

[mvp 78]

Not saying they shouldn’t. Just not assuming everything goes as needed. This year, while the highs have been very high, the lows have been much, much more painful…

 

What will happen is they'll sweep the O's and to get the top seed and then just lose 2 to the Nats. They'll slink into the WC in the Bronx and the pen will blow it in spectacular fashion after the defense fails to make an easy 3rd out late in the game.

[moonslav59]

What will happen is they'll sweep the O's and to get the top seed and then just lose 2 to the Nats. They'll slink into the WC in the Bronx and the pen will blow it in spectacular fashion after the defense fails to make an easy 3rd out late in the game.

 

Certainly a reasonable ending to our season.

 

Your defeatism is duly noted.

[mvp 78]

Certainly a reasonable ending to our season.

 

Your defeatism is duly noted.

 

Glad you're feeling great about being swept in the final homestand by a historic rival.

[notin]

Glad you're feeling great about being swept in the final homestand by a historic rival.

 

No one feels great about it, but it’s not necessarily the final nail in the coffin either.

 

Six months ago, the Yankees were a juggernaut, an unholy force about to be unleashed on MLB and leave behind devastation and destruction as they laughed at the futile attempts of any team who got in their way, while the Sox were supposed to be some sort of pitching-bereft squad hoping to fend off the Orioles and not repeat in the cellar.

 

Six months later, these teams are separated by one game…

[moonslav59]

Glad you're feeling great about being swept in the final homestand by a historic rival.

 

To you, everything is black or white- no grays.

 

It's possible to not feel great or 100% defeated.

 

I'm confident we make the playoffs and think it's pretty close to 50-50 we get home field, since we own the tie-breaker vs NYY and TOR. Yes, MLB does not go by head to head since July 30th.

[notin]

To you, everything is black or white- no grays.

 

It's possible to not feel great or 100% defeated.

 

I'm confident we make the playoffs and think it's pretty close to 50-50 we get home field, since we own the tie-breaker vs NYY and TOR. Yes, MLB does not go by head to head since July 30th.

 

What will be interesting is if all 3 of Boston, NY and Toronto tie. And it certainly is possible…

[moonslav59]

No one feels great about it, but it’s not necessarily the final nail in the coffin either.

 

Six months ago, the Yankees were a juggernaut, an unholy force about to be unleashed on MLB and leave behind devastation and destruction as they laughed at the futile attempts of any team who got in their way, while the Sox were supposed to be some sort of pitching-bereft squad hoping to fend off the Orioles and not repeat in the cellar.

 

Six months later, these teams are separated by one game…

 

As late as September 13th, the talk was how the Jays looked like a lock- coming off a 12-1 run (and 15-2), only to then go 6-6 and lose ground to the streaking Yanks and Sox.

 

On August 27th, jacko and many posters were anointing the Yanks as the clear WC winner and maybe even division winner after winning 13 in a row. They followed that up with a 2-11 run.

 

Now, they win 6 in a row, and people act like they can't lose again. (BTW, before winning the last 6, they went 1-3 vs BAL & CLE and lost 2 of 3 to the Mets not longer before that. You know, the team we just swept.)

 

Baseball is one of the most unpredictable sports. Going by recent results is about as bad as flipping a coin.

[moonslav59]

We're still up one on the Jays and now down one on the Yanks.

 

The Yanks and Jays play 3, so somebody has to lose 2-3 games.

 

If we can sweep the O's, we are guaranteed to be up on someone.

 

Assume a sweep of the O's:

Yanks sweep, we are up 4 on the Jays and still down 1 to NY.

Yanks win 2, we are up 3 on the Jays and tied with the Yanks

Yanks win 1, we are up 2 on the Jays and one on the Yanks.

Yanks win 0, we are up 1 on the Jays and 2 on the Yanks.

 

If we just win 2 of 3 vs the O's...

Yanks sweep, we are up 3 on the Jays and down 2 on the Yanks.

Yanks win 2, we are up 2 on the Jays and down 1 with the Yanks

Yanks win 1, we are up 1 on the Jays and tied with the Yanks.

Yanks win 0, we are tied the Jays and up 1 on the Yanks.

The worst we can be is up 1 in the WC2 race.

 

God forbid, we win just 1 out of 3 vs the O's...

Yanks sweep, we are up 2 on the Jays and down 3 on the Yanks.

Yanks win 2, we are up 1 on the Jays and down 2 with the Yanks

Yanks win 1, we are tied with the Jays and down 1 to the Yanks.

Yanks win 0, we are down 1 to the Jays and tied with the Yanks.

The worst we can be is tied for the last slot, even if we lose 2 out of 3 to the O's.

 

(This is not counting the Ms or A's, who play each other, next.)

[Bellhorn04]

What will be interesting is if all 3 of Boston, NY and Toronto tie. And it certainly is possible…

 

Too possible to happen.

[notin]

Too possible to happen.

 

And NOW you’ve gone and done it. The Baseball Gods will now ensure the 3-way tie…

[moonslav59]

We're still up one on the Jays and now down one on the Yanks.

 

The Yanks and Jays play 3, so somebody has to lose 2-3 games.

 

If we can sweep the O's, we are guaranteed to be up on someone.

 

Assume a sweep of the O's:

Yanks sweep, we are up 4 on the Jays and still down 1 to NY.

Yanks win 2, we are up 3 on the Jays and tied with the Yanks

Yanks win 1, we are up 2 on the Jays and one on the Yanks.

Yanks win 0, we are up 1 on the Jays and 2 on the Yanks.

 

If we just win 2 of 3 vs the O's...

Yanks sweep, we are up 3 on the Jays and down 2 on the Yanks.

Yanks win 2, we are up 2 on the Jays and down 1 with the Yanks

Yanks win 1, we are up 1 on the Jays and tied with the Yanks.

Yanks win 0, we are tied the Jays and up 1 on the Yanks.

The worst we can be is up 1 in the WC2 race.

 

God forbid, we win just 1 out of 3 vs the O's...

Yanks sweep, we are up 2 on the Jays and down 3 on the Yanks.

Yanks win 2, we are up 1 on the Jays and down 2 with the Yanks

Yanks win 1, we are tied with the Jays and down 1 to the Yanks.

Yanks win 0, we are down 1 to the Jays and tied with the Yanks.

The worst we can be is tied for the last slot, even if we lose 2 out of 3 to the O's.

 

(This is not counting the Ms or A's, who play each other, next.)

 

As mush as it seems like we should hope the Jays lose to increase our playoff chances. I'm rooting for the Yanks to lose.

[Kimmi]

Cora is taking a lot of heat for mishandling the bullpen last night. But 1) his "All-Star" reliever has been quivering jello since signing an extension; 2) his actual best reliever is on the IL; 3) Cora didn't throw a single pitch in that game.

 

I don't blame Cora for last night's game. IMO, Cora is the reason why the team has done as well as it has done.

[oldtimer]

Back after a 10 day cruise without internet. I did see the last loss. Bad call but to a large extent, we make our own luck, good or bad. Still time to get a wild card although now there is no room for a bad day.

[Kimmi]

What will happen is they'll sweep the O's and to get the top seed and then just lose 2 to the Nats. They'll slink into the WC in the Bronx and the pen will blow it in spectacular fashion after the defense fails to make an easy 3rd out late in the game.

 

If it's the Sox and the Yankees in the WC game, the Sox will win. We're due.

[moonslav59]

Joe West is retiring.

 

Too late.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Joe West is retiring.

 

Too late.

 

I'll always be grateful he hung around long enough for Slappy's interference, Bellhorn's homer to left, and the Houston fan who closed Mookie's glove that was about to catch Altuve's flyball.

 

That strike call two feet outside on Kike was a doozy, but if the Yankees actually do something this year, their cocky fans will always know -- like the rest of the world -- that one September Sunday night in Boston, Aaron Judge actually struck out...

[moonslav59]

I'll always be grateful he hung around long enough for Slappy's interference, Bellhorn's homer to left, and the Houston fan who closed Mookie's glove that was about to catch Altuve's flyball.

 

That strike call two feet outside on Kike was a doozy, but if the Yankees actually do something this year, their cocky fans will always know -- like the rest of the world -- that one September Sunday night in Boston, Aaron Judge actually struck out...

 

What made that call even worse was all the other really bad calls - almost all against the Sox.

[oldtimer]

What made that call even worse was all the other really bad calls - almost all against the Sox.

 

Perhaps that call should have been reviewable. It materially impacted the outcome of the game and clearly it was an errant call.

[mvp 78]

Perhaps that call should have been reviewable. It materially impacted the outcome of the game and clearly it was an errant call.

 

I don't understand why some plays but not others are reviewable. You can tell me that check swings or a called ball or strike shouldn't be reviewable, fine. However, I think a ball that hits a bat, a batter, or is dropped by the catcher's glove should be reviewable.

[moonslav59]

I don't understand why some plays but not others are reviewable. You can tell me that check swings or a called ball or strike shouldn't be reviewable, fine. However, I think a ball that hits a bat, a batter, or is dropped by the catcher's glove should be reviewable.

 

A dropped ball should be reviewable, no matter what the situation.

 

I agree, as long as limits are placed on how many calls can be reviewed, why not make any and every play or pitch reviewable?

[mvp 78]

A dropped ball should be reviewable, no matter what the situation.

 

I agree, as long as limits are placed on how many calls can be reviewed, why not make any and every play or pitch reviewable?

 

I would say if the question surrounds the ball touching a bat, a glove or a player it should be reviewable. I get that they wanted to give the home plate ump a lot of latitude, but I think baseball would do well to use the technology that they have efficiently. Plus, there also already is limitations on how many challenges a coach can make.

[moonslav59]

Wins 2020-2021:

143 LAD

137 TBR

131 SFG

123 CWS

123 MIL

122 NYY

120 HOU

120 ATL

[jad]

I hate 'instant' review. I'm more concerned with watching an exciting game than watching one where every call is correct, or calls are micromanaged at a level which cannot be experienced in real time (e.g., the runner's foot bouncing off a base during a slide). The RS did not lose that game bec. that was not called a third strike.

[Bellhorn04]

I hate 'instant' review. I'm more concerned with watching an exciting game than watching one where every call is correct, or calls are micromanaged at a level which cannot be experienced in real time (e.g., the runner's foot bouncing off a base during a slide). The RS did not lose that game bec. that was not called a third strike.

 

When you lose a game you can usually point to several reasons. But a bad call against you can certainly be one of the reasons.

[moonslav59]

When you lose a game you can usually point to several reasons. But a bad call against you can certainly be one of the reasons.

 

...and it can be a major one. With multiple bad calls, like that game, seemingly way more against the Sox, it can be the most important reason for a loss.

 

Of course, we don't know what might have happened had one or more calls been different.

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

Once again I find myself agreeing with Moon. We are all frustrated at the last series and that blown call. But it's not the end of the season, we have the inside track to the playoffs and a good shot at home field. I'm rooting for Toronto to win 2, maybe all 3. I want to see the Yankees miss the playoffs nearly as much as I want us to make it.

 

All these games are local to me, the retired ride share driver. I'm trying to decide if I want to listen on the radio while I drive or wait as I have done all summer to get home and watch the game on DVR.

[moonslav59]

Once again I find myself agreeing with Moon. We are all frustrated at the last series and that blown call. But it's not the end of the season, we have the inside track to the playoffs and a good shot at home field. I'm rooting for Toronto to win 2, maybe all 3. I want to see the Yankees miss the playoffs nearly as much as I want us to make it.

 

All these games are local to me, the retired ride share driver. I'm trying to decide if I want to listen on the radio while I drive or wait as I have done all summer to get home and watch the game on DVR.

 

The whole talk of us "not deserving" a playoff slot is hogwash.

 

The context is out of whack. We have played a tougher schedule than the Yanks and Jays (maybe not the M's) and are 1 down on the Yanks and 1 up on the Jays.

 

It's not some favor the league has given us to be playing the O's and Nats to end the season. We played our tougher game earlier.

 

I feel good knowing the Yanks or Jays will lose every night over the next 3 days. If we win, we gain on somebody or put more distance between us and a team below us.

 

It's as simple as that.

 

We beat the Yanks 10-9.

 

We beat the Jays 10-9.

 

How they fare against each other may determine who really does "not deserve" a playoff slot.