Don't look now, but the Astros might be the next juggernaut to choke in the DS.
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Don't look now, but the Astros might be the next juggernaut to choke in the DS.
idk how they leave Kelly in. that was terrible... was Jansen hurt or something?weird
no way Cole loses that game in houston
I don't understand it either. You saw when he came out after they lifted Kelly, he looked fine. Plus he looked fine the other day.Quote:
Originally Posted by big dick
Even if Jansen was hurt, why not bring in ANYONE ELSE from the bullpen, when it was apparent Kelly didn't have it anymore?
That, plus you hook Kershaw in the 8th after he gives up the leadoff HR.
Kershaw choked big time like normal in the playoffs but still might have been their best hope.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
As for if he looks suspect you don't know until it's too late when all he does is give up back to back solo shots.
Kelly looked solid for the first inning and was a completely different pitcher in the next.
Two road dogs won today hopefully Astros don't blow it tomorrow otherwise I'm afraid the stupid Yankees will just roll on without any challengers.
cards vs rays world series
tommy mf'ing pham wins world series MVP and i would not be mad at all
Pedro Martinez is dropping so many pearlsQuote:
Originally Posted by BeerAndPoker
1. Buehler is 97-98 with elite off speed.
2. Kershaw comes in with 90-91 and a geriatric version of Buehler’s approach . Meatballs
The stupid Dodgers are supposed to be the wunderkind analytics (which is just publicity). Add to the list of idiotic strategy:
They announce pregame Kershaw is coming in. Every Nats player hit there iPad for 2 hours preparing. Kershaw is extremely vulnerable.
Nats tee’d off on him
Why did the Dodgers do that?
Score was 3-3 and I swear I heard the announcers say “best team in NL”. Amazing. It was the last time for sure.
You are probably right, but the baseball gods have a funny way of revealing themselves at the worst time.Quote:
Originally Posted by big dick
Astros deserve to lose letting it even get to a game 5 with their bought rotation of Verlander, Cole & Greinke.
Whatever team comes out of this series is my favorite to win the AL. If / when the Astros win tomorrow, I could see them running through the Yankees in 4, max 5 games.
Buelher had over 110 pitches and was tired. He had to come out.Quote:
Originally Posted by SanlmarPedro Martinez is dropping so many pearlsQuote:
Originally Posted by BeerAndPoker
1. Buehler is 97-98 with elite off speed.
2. Kershaw comes in with 90-91 throwing the same stuff. Meatballs
The stupid Dodgers are supposed to be the wunderkind analytics (which is just publicity). Add to the list of idiotic strategy:
They announce pregame Kershaw is coming in. Every player hit there iPad for 2 hours preparing. Kershaw is extremely vulnerable.
Why did they do that?
The question was who replaces him. Kershaw wasn't the guy. Especially not for more than 1 out. Especially not after giving up a leadoff HR in the 8th.
Maeda was the guy for the 8th, Jansen for the 9th. Back up Jansen with Kelly if you must, but then back him up too.
Tonight's decisions were mind-boggling.
The sobering thought for the Dodgers is that they basically planned to return with this team next year, and now the fans are going to raise their pitchforks if they don't open up the Jew wallets and make an impact move.
The truth is that Buehler is really the only pitcher right now who is likely to have a strong 2020, especially in the postseason.
There's also the situation that Kershaw, Jansen, Kelly, and Pollock are all under lucrative multiyear deals right now, and as flexible as the rest of the team's payroll is right now, those guys are going to be a burden.
the dodgers need gavin lux to turn into a batting champ and multi category player. seager could have a monster year as wellQuote:
Originally Posted by Dan DruffBuelher had over 110 pitches and was tired. He had to come out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
The question was who replaces him. Kershaw wasn't the guy. Especially not for more than 1 out. Especially not after giving up a leadoff HR in the 8th.
Maeda was the guy for the 8th, Jansen for the 9th. Back up Jansen with Kelly if you must, but then back him up too.
Tonight's decisions were mind-boggling.
The sobering thought for the Dodgers is that they basically planned to return with this team next year, and now the fans are going to raise their pitchforks if they don't open up the Jew wallets and make an impact move.
The truth is that Buehler is really the only pitcher right now who is likely to have a strong 2020, especially in the postseason.
There's also the situation that Kershaw, Jansen, Kelly, and Pollock are all under lucrative multiyear deals right now, and as flexible as the rest of the team's payroll is right now, those guys are going to be a burden.
The Astros certainly were anemic offensively coming into post season.
The irony of being beaten by Morton. Can you imagine if he was still in the Astros rotation?
Cole is the best nevertheless.
For all the Kershaw bashing I do he seems to be a good & stand up guy. Never hides. He says, “I’ve done this many times before” ... meaning the post season apologies
Gavin Lux was a chip that might have been used to solve some acknowledged problems.
You decide what you really want to accomplish. He is not the last talented player to wear a glove. He’s a prospect
He’s cost control. 2020 is going to be vastly different salary wise. That’s the appeal.
Trout is pretty good too. No rings either.
You gotta laugh. I write a lot of nonsense but this was pretty goodQuote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
The 1st inning reference was the idea that Kershaw’s initial work in a game is pretty dreadful. Which is the very definition of relief pitching.
Unbelievable
Let me say despite being from the Washington DC area Im not a major Nats fan I grew up with the Orioles as my team (talk about a dumpster fire) but I will likely be rooting for them going forward for now.. I feel Druffs pain as the Dodgers continue to be like my favorite Hockey team was for 4 decades the Washington Capitals.. Make the playoffs look unbeatable and then choke like mother fuckers every damn time (until 2018).. Small trivia note in the streak/curse discussion.. Tonight was the first time an MLB team from Washington DC won a series since 1924 Senators (the team which became I believe the Twins in 1960). Going to be interesting in the NLCS.. I dunno we may see the Nats beat St Louis and hell if Tampa knocks out the Astros tomorrow (later today) then its Yankees Rays ALCS and I dont see any other result then the Yankees winning that series (but then again I didnt think Tampa had a chance against what I was sure was the murders row of pitching in Houston with Verlander and Company..). So maybe I should just bite my tongue and wait and see.. Truthfully I hate the Yankees in baseball more then any other team (ever since the 1996 fiasco where my Orioles got screwed out of going to the WS from that little bastard who interfered in Yankee Stadium) with the Penguins in Hockey being a close second and of course goes without saying the Cowgirls being a loyal Redskins fan (speaking of dumpster fire teams ugh.. JFC if there was anyway to force that jackass Snyder to sell the team I think the NFL might actually do it. He has to be the worse owner in history even behind senile insane Al Davis in his last several years)
I hope they lose too and I agree houston def can beat the yankees but I don't agree that the winner of this series wins the AL.I think the yanks stomp the rays and esp with having home fieldQuote:
Originally Posted by v12clYou are probably right, but the baseball gods have a funny way of revealing themselves at the worst time.Quote:
Originally Posted by big dick
Astros deserve to lose letting it even get to a game 5 with their bought rotation of Verlander, Cole & Greinke.
Whatever team comes out of this series is my favorite to win the AL. If / when the Astros win tomorrow, I could see them running through the Yankees in 4, max 5 games.
I hate 3 teams the dodgers the cardinals and the yankees but I gotta say at least the yankees fans are fucking legit, diehard fans.Those fuckers are fanatics and from the 1st inning till the 9th going nuts.Unlike a lot of these big market teams fans.
I hate to admit it but the cubs fans(who back in the day were the best and most loyal) suck big black cock now. The real fans have been priced right the fuck out of wrigley field.I see these fags leaving early and not even on their feet at big moments late in the game.
Cardinals fans are legit too I just hate that team for obvious reasons
I was thrilled when I saw Kershaw come into the game figured he would get rocked. Like san said I do like Kershaw he doesnt hide and def has done everything he could to help his team.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan DruffI don't understand it either. You saw when he came out after they lifted Kelly, he looked fine. Plus he looked fine the other day.Quote:
Originally Posted by big dick
Even if Jansen was hurt, why not bring in ANYONE ELSE from the bullpen, when it was apparent Kelly didn't have it anymore?
That, plus you hook Kershaw in the 8th after he gives up the leadoff HR.
He just doesn't have it anymore and tbh id rather have WB on 110 pitches finish that inning than a fresh Kershaw if I were a dodgers fan
shoulda just went straight to the chink and left kershaw and kelly on the bench
Go Cards !
Quote:
Originally Posted by big dick
TYLER THE GLASS THE 'NOW GLASNOW IS GOD LETS GO!!
Bet $ 35.00 to win $ 2,625.00 Result: Pending
2019 World Series Championship
Tampa Bay Rays 11/01/19 20:00 EDT +7500
That moron Roberts should have been fired two years ago for starting Darvish in game 7
The Dodgers’ season is one the line and Roberts goes with Joe Kelley, for 2 innings, when Maeda was on fire and Jansen is available, just unbelievable.
What the fuck are you whining about?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Maeda pitched the 8th. He struck out the side ffs.
As it turned out, I was right again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
A team gave up 10 runs in the 1st inning of a playoff game but the Dodgers debacle dwarfed that.
I had the most glorious day listening to radio and reading obituaries. LA AM570 included.
Someone must be sacrificed. Friedman’s contract is up and he has been revealed as a fraud. He was the puppet master. Roberts was hired cause he was without credentials and would follow direction without question. This arrangement was top down.
I previously joked about Joe Maddon waiting for the end of this series. Turns out I have company.
I sense the reality and despair setting in after a decade of false hope. This feels like Boston or Chicago years ago. Cursed organizations under poor ownership and management.
I have been railing on for years and finally I have company. You have no idea how this feels
The question is what's going to happen now:
Will Friedman AND Roberts be fired?
Will Roberts be the sacrificial lamb, even if Friedman was the one pulling the strings?
Will nobody be fired, with the Dodgers' 4 consecutive division titles (during his tenure), two 104+ game win seasons, two World Series appearances, and 3 NLCS appearances be the justification?
Keep in mind that Friedman is/was under orders from ownership to keep under the luxury tax threshold. And Roberts was probably under orders from Friedman to manage the way the front office wants.
Since ownership can't fire itself, who should be canned?
Personally I'm sick of Friedman, and wouldn't mind seeing him go. He still runs this team like it's a small market operation. He's afraid to fire big money at any one player, but instead wastes equivalent money by signing a bunch of flawed players to mid-size contracts. He's too obsessed with mid-money free agents who have a small chance at a high upside, which is what you do when you have a small market team, but not with the Dodgers.
Not only that, but he has a poor feel for which mid-money free agents to sign.
I'll excuse the Kershaw thing. Even though it was clear Kershaw's velocity was down and never coming back when he gave Kershaw the extension, the truth was that Kershaw wasn't going to opt out anyway, so it was really just an extra year. Given his monster numbers with LA and career-long tenure with the team, I understand that.
I'll excuse the Jansen extension. At the time, Jansen was dominant, and nobody saw his decline coming so early.
But all of the outside free agents for $10+ million have been a fail under Friedman.
Brett Anderson? Fail.
Brandon McCarthy? Fail to the point where he's out of baseball now.
Logan Forsythe? Fail.
Joe Kelly? Fail.
AJ Pollock? Fail.
Rich Hill? Not quite a fail, but they could have used the money better. He was too old and too injury-prone. Prior to the signing, he had pitched 111+ innings in a year just twice in his life -- back in 2007. He gave the Dodgers about 135 in both 2017 and 2018, and was useless in 2019. His numbers were good when he pitched, but he didn't provide $48m of production.
The team has succeeded on the backs of its young players and surprising players. The farm system produced Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, and Joc Pederson. They lucked out in acquiring Chris Taylor and Max Muncy when they were nobodies on the verge of being out of baseball. I guess you can give them credit there, but you can't say that they expected any real production out of either of these guys when they picked them up. And then there was Justin Turner, acquired from the scrap heap during the previous front office regime, who they got to sign as a free agent at a cut rate because his story of ascension was so unexpected and still unproven.
Anyway, Friedman's only real accomplishment has been NOT making franchise-killing moves, such as trading minor leaguers Bellinger or Buehler (he had tons of suitors), and NOT signing declining "stars" to huge albatross contracts.
At the same time, he has made no major moves which have worked out, and his inaction at the trade deadline has often been baffling. The most baffling of them was 2017, when Justin Verlander was practically begging for the Dodgers to trade for him, and they grabbed Fuck Yu instead. Verlander hadn't had his career renaissance yet, and could have been had for cheap. That probably cost them the 2017 World Series, especially since Fuck Yu blew 2 of those games.
In short, I'm ready for somebody new.
It could be worse, though. Look at what a disaster the Phillies have become again. At least they finally let go of weirdo coconut oil masturbator Gabe Kapler.
Druff but fair
Those in the know recognize that much of the title town fluff was wind assisted. Dreadful division.
Dodgers playoffs are like a domesticated animal being set loose in the wild. They generally become food.
Zero moves at the trade deadline. Thinking that whipping up on the Giants meant the team was prepared for war is a fireable offense.
Not.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
It’s been a while since I’ve given proper attention to the Guggenheim Partners.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
The Dodgers purchase was an asset play. Ownership isn’t a multi-billionaire indulging his ego. This is insurance money.
John Henry tells Dombrowski he wants a title this season. It shall be done. Guggenheim can’t do that.
I have to mull this over but there was something that had me thinking the Guggenheim Partners needed to consider divesting the Dodgers. I guess as long as asset value keeps,growing the heat is off.
Friedman runs it like a small market team because in a fiduciary sense it is.
Dodgers are fucked.
Yankees v Astros is going to be warQuote:
Originally Posted by TexterNot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
for now, I think the Dodger owners are content just to look good losing in the playoffsQuote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
because I would think ownership should be pleased...they set a home attendance record again this year, and Forbes estimated the franchise value as second only to the Yankees; without actually seeing the financials, I expect the club did well moneywise and achieved its financial goals. Remember, the Dodgers are owned by moneymen, not sportsmen.
Maybe Roberts is not renewed, his contract was for 2015 - 2018 with 2019 as an option year which the Dodgers exercised, but Roberts is cheap as managers go, only a million or so annual...
the Dodger future seems to be a deja vue of the Atlanta Braves of the 1990's: always in the playoffs but almost never winning the World Series...until the public stops buying because of repeated finishes as 1st loser, I can't foresee any big moves to win it all
The onky good thing to come out of the LA collapse in GM 5 is that yrs truly had a in game degen 20 bux at +786...i was shocked this morn to see my balance and had to go look.. Small consolation for Dodger fans ut at least someone benefited.. I also had the Braves and a dead ticket after 1st inn.. wow..lotta action.
Life in Houston is more interesting when the Astros are winning....so let’s gooooo Astros!Quote:
Originally Posted by SanlmarYankees v Astros is going to be warQuote:
Originally Posted by Texter
Let’s go to the mattressesQuote:
Originally Posted by TexterLife in Houston is more interesting when the Astros are winning....so let’s gooooo Astros!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
suicide king how could you?Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
i thought you were a giants fan?
While I saw their flaws coming back to bite them in the ass in the postseason, I didn't expect a first-round exit. Washington was the only NL team that scared me because they had three strong starters and a decent offense. But the Dodgers have handled them well over the years, so I still didn't expect the bedshit to happen in the NLDS.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
I actually expected Jansen and Kershaw to combine to be the Dodgers' undoing in the postseason this year, but I expected it more against the Yankees or Astros, and figured the team was good enough to beat the NL competition. I was half right, but probably only because Jansen was never put in a tight spot (even though he should have been in one during Game 5).
You and other Dodgers haters like to say they won 106 games because they had a weak division, but that's not really the case.
The Dodgers were 23-10 against the NL East, 22-11 against the NL Central, and 51-25 against the NL West. So they were very consistent that way -- winning about two thirds of the games against all three divisions. Their 10-10 interleague record was what concerned me, and honestly they just looked awful when facing the Yankees, and were lucky to win one. (They didn't face Houston this year.)
It appeared that the Dodgers' strong offense and their decent starting pitching would be enough to carry them over the NL teams they'd face, especially because every NL opponent had big time bullpen issues. This is why Washington isn't going to go all the way. Their bullpen is dreadful, and they can't just keep trotting out Corbin and Scherzer to pitch relief every game.
I will agree that the Dodgers really are the epitome of a great regular season team which isn't really built for the postseason. I don't see Ryu repeating his sudden dominance for much longer (he's no youngster), Kershaw is already done as a top pitcher, and that pretty much leaves Buehler and some youngsters who may or may not develop into greatness. The bullpen has no reliable arms which can be counted on to get outs, unless you count Kenta Maeda, but he can't do it alone.
I didn't understand the Kelly move in the offseason. I think Friedman was mesmerized by Kelly's inexplicable 2018 postseason, including against the Dodgers. For basically the same money, they could've had Adam Ottavino, who has been excellent for years, aside from a weird outlier in 2017. This was despite pitching half of his games in Colorado. He wasn't a lock to pitch well, but was sure as hell a better option than Kelly. Ottavino went with the Yankees, and his ERA was under 2.00 this year.
Roberts is coming back for another year. This was reported already. I expected that. He's a front office puppet, and the puppetmaster doesn't throw the puppet away just because the puppetmaster tangles the wires while performing.
The bothersome thing here is that the current ownership has decided they're staying under the luxury tax point, and in fact were touting that to investors as the reason the Dodgers were such a good investment right now. I can't argue with that. They've got that monster LOL TV contract for 20 more years (which laughably you can't watch on TV unless you do shenanigans), they've got over 3 million a year visiting the stadium, and they have a large market dedicated fanbase which pretty much will never go away because it's been ingrained in a lot of Hispanic families since the Fernando years. And yet they're keeping under the luxury tax, while the existing team is young enough to keep winning the NL West for years to come.
The only good thing that may come of this meltdown is the feeling of urgency to make moves in order to placate the angry fans. People in LA are far more pissed about this year than the last two World Series losses. In 2017, people were pissed, but they were also excited for the future, since the Dodgers came within 1 game of winning it all, and seemingly had a great future. In 2018, the loss was excused by running into a super-hot Red Sox team which bulldozed everyone. This year, after 106 regular season wins and the postseason managerial gaffes, losing the NLDS was a shock to the system.
They might finally have to do something.
“You and other Dodger haters..” - Druff
I just hate things that are almost universally over-rated. Drives me nuts. Fruity craft beers are another battle front..
I’m an advocate for the truth is all.
My thirst for this story is unquenchable.
Bill Simmons Podcast
Dodgers Agony With Mallory Rubin, Tickets to Sports Movie Events With Shea Serrano, and ‘Big Mouth’ With Nick Kroll
https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-s...uth-nick-kroll
I don’t know who Mallory Rubin is but a great 20 min literate postmortem.
16:05 mark
Mallory Rubin:
“From 2011 to 2015 Kershaw might have been the best pitcher of all time.”
Bill Simmons:
“Settle down. Settle down. I‘ll spray you with my water bottle”
Elsewhere Mallory describes Kershaw sitting in the dugout alone. It was the inverse of a pitcher with a no-hitter. It was as if his team mates couldn’t bear to look at him. The shame everyone felt.
Simmons is always top shelf with sports
The sitting in the dugout alone thing was a sign of respect, where they keep their distance after he had a bad outing.
Kershaw is known to be a good guy and probably is one of the few longtime married athletes who doesn't fuck around on his wife while on the road. However, he is known to have a temper and is very hard on himself, so people know to keep their distance from him when he just experienced something like this.
The same has happened during previous bad postseason moments for him.
He also had certain rules established for catchers, such as that they weren't allowed to go talk to him while pitching if things weren't going well.
My 2 cents on Gm1 Yanks/Hou.. Yanks +140 is the bet. W or L . Gd Luck.. I did have Wash Gm 1 vs St Loo... Over 9 is also looking good w/ Tanaka/Greinke.
I have Astros futures but I completely agree you have to bet Yanks win or lose.Quote:
Originally Posted by shoeshine box
Playoffs are traditionally an under prop but it’s 2019. Can’t touch that.
I also have my suspicions about the ball used in the playoffs. Tinfoil Yankees hat
Good luck to us.
Cardinals left all of their offense in the first inning at Atlanta.
Two perfect games through 6 in a row on the Cards home field.
Ouch.
If Washington wins the World Series, they need to name Dave Roberts their postseason MVP.