2018 World Series -- Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Dodgers

I wonder if Trump would be weighing in if it were Craig Counsell.

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Verlander is great but very beatable. Does not have a good ERA in playoff games

7:12 AM - 16 Oct 2012

ok lol

It's like taking out Obama and putting you in

— Very Spooky Michael (@Home_Halfway) October 28, 2018

so much worse than Smoltz

I too thought taking out Hill was fine. I don't like preemptive and needless pitching changes, but Roberts gave Hill a baserunner, and even let him go one batter after that); if Hill puts another guy on, then Boston's in a position to make it a one-run game. That all of that happened and worse, that's just baseball.

Kimbrel still mystifies me, though. Besides what I posted above, everything NoTime writes about Hill also applies to Kimbrel.

A friend and I are planning to get together for a possible game six, so I'll absolutely be rooting for the Dodgers today.

Kimbrel has been extremely lucky, his control has been spotty since June and now it’s gotten worse at the worst possible time. But he still Ks batters at a high rate and he’s had some great defense behind him.

Removing Hill was justifiable, so was using Kimbrel with a five run lead (it's a stretch, but you can come up with a couple of reasons). Not having a LHP ready to face Moreland was not. On the broadcast I think they said that Wood was warming up but wasn't ready -- Roberts didn't think ahead to get him up in time.

No LHP, and they left in Madson who, let's face it, has been awful all year and has gotten worse in the playoffs.

Does not bother me at all watching Madson play the goat for the Dodgers after that chump hit job he did on Votto earlier this year putting him on the DL.

we still have a 24% shot at Game 7

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/zips-updated-playoff-probabilities-2018-world-series/

so was using Kimbrel with a five run lead (it's a stretch, but you can come up with a couple of reasons)

What are they? In all honestly, they escape me. Was there no one else to protect a five-run lead?

i didn't watch last night's game, but pretty much every red sox pitcher was used during the 7+ hour game the night before, right?

Pretty shameful of Trump to imply one of his guys is a nervous wreck

Madson, who hails from Southern California, believes the idea behind the wall is to keep away terrorists – not necessarily from Mexico – who might try to infiltrate the U.S. through its southern border.

“I think the media has spun it in a way to make him look like he’s anti-immigrant, so I think it’s more their fault and how they’ve made him look than what he’s trying to do,’’ Madson said. “I don’t think he’s doing it in a way to be a Zionist. He’s not trying to seal us off from the world. He’s trying to just slow down or stop as much as he can what’s been happening here in America with the terrorists.’’

Pretty shameful of Trump to imply one of his guys is a nervous wreck

Madson, who hails from Southern California, believes the idea behind the wall is to keep away terrorists – not necessarily from Mexico – who might try to infiltrate the U.S. through its southern border.

“I think the media has spun it in a way to make him look like he’s anti-immigrant, so I think it’s more their fault and how they’ve made him look than what he’s trying to do,’’ Madson said. “I don’t think he’s doing it in a way to be a Zionist. He’s not trying to seal us off from the world. He’s trying to just slow down or stop as much as he can what’s been happening here in America with the terrorists.’’

Re: Kimbrel

-- as mentioned by KM, every Boston reliever pitched the day before, two of their best had pitched the sixth through eighth, and David Price was next in line to relieve.

-- they wanted to give Kimbrel some easy work with a big lead to keep him sharp (at least that was the intention).

(xpost) True of Kimbrel, also, and he's more crucial than anyone else you're going to overwork. I would have sent Pomeranz out and given him a baserunner, possibly two. I know he had a lousy year, but he's presumably on the roster for a reason, for mop-up duty at least. Last night was mop-up duty.

Anyway, thanks to Devers, it worked. And if Kimbrel pitches today and pitches well, then no harm done.

re: the decision to pull Hill in the 7th, this quote from Roberts seems relevant:

“I had a conversation with Rich, and we talked about it. He said ‘Keep an eye on me. I’m going to give it everything I have. Let’s go hitter to hitter and just keep an eye on me.’ So right there, I know Rich did everything he could, competed, left everything out there” (https://deadspin.com/dave-roberts-helped-the-red-sox-grind-the-dodgers-into-1830056080)

according to Roberts, Hill said that during the bottom of the 6th (maybe during a mound visit? i didn't see the game)

btw Price starts tonight, not Sale (who may be hurt worse than let on?)

I think that guy used to play for the Blue Jays.

Keith Law to the contrary, Kershaw remains pretty damn erratic in the post-season. A few great starts, yes, but every time you think he's turned the corner, you're reminded that he hasn't.

1st pitch nice

you broke my heart in 2011 Freese, maybe you can do it to beantown

'turning the corner' must be like Learning to Handle Postseason Pressure

these condescending PLAY BALL promo spots on the radio are both annoying and out of season in the Northeast

No, "turning the corner" would be consistently pitching well. Complicated, I know.

he just lacks character

Nice to see Price get past that--I remember him unraveling with Toronto (against the Rangers, I think) after a playoff error in right field.

As always, you have to caricature. I haven't said or even remotely implied anything of the sort. I know you like things simple: Clayton Kershaw is a great pitcher, therefore he must be a great pitcher in the postseason, not someone who's a sometimes puzzling mixture of great and not-great. Bryce Harper is an incredibly talented player at his best, therefore he must be a great player even when he's hitting .240, not a great player having a poor season. The gray area, and being able to hold two contradictory thoughts in your mind at the same time--I know that's not your thing.

needed to cash that runner.... but it's a good thing Machado didnt hit that fly

It's funny how you're certain there's no mental component to it.

xps

not puzzling, clem, u just gotta cling to causation

the 'narrative' jazzbos are CONVINCED he's a choker, of course

cuz it's just gotta be

fwiw Harper had a well above average season in terms of offensive production (albeit not to his full potential). His defense dragged his overall value way down this year.

cling to causation

What does this even mean? What cause was implied by talking about turning a corner?

u just gotta cling to causation

Again, I implied nothing of the sort. I observed that his post-season pitching has been erratic. Didn't speculate on the why of it at all. It's you who clings to your one rhetorical trick: take one of the old myths that 40 years of sabermetrics has shown to be specious at best and pin it on someone for no other reason that that's what you do.

Buck Martinez called J.D. Martinez's hit a "hand-job."

Three hard hit outs for the Sox

Kershaw's up-and-downness has sometimes been in-game, like tonight. The thing I vividly remember about those Cardinal meltdowns was how untouchable he was for the first six innings, right up to the point where St. Louis broke the games open. Right now, he's in a groove (some hard-hit balls, though, yeah).

If it goes six, is Boston looking at Sale, or is he in reserve for tonight?

This is disconcerting

I swear Price gets a bit more gray in that chin hair each inning.

Whoever wins this game, boy I'd love for it to end sometime around 11:00.

Thinking of switching to red dead 2 right now

Kershaw's rate stats in the postseason are essentially the same as in the regular season -- with the exception of home runs. His HR rate doubles in the postseason. I don't think that's bad luck and he's pitched enough that it's not a small sample size. He has a tendency to make really bad pitches at the worst times. For instance, that pitch to Betts a few minutes ago.

I don't know if everyone else has Smoltz/Buck--we've got Buck Martinez and his partner here. Martinez hinted that Boston would be looking for someone other than Kimbrel to close tonight, if it comes to that. Not sure if that's just speculation or if he's talked to someone.

Not sure why Kershaw is still out there at this point (which I guess means why someone wasn't already warming up).

playoff kershaw is a real thing

The 'playoff chocker' narrative is not only dumb, it's just super boring.

why does he always pitch bad then

I'll be honest, I might have had someone ready and pinch-hit for Price there, tried to break the game wide open. Going back out after you've made the third out is not ideal. I don't know exactly how precarious their bullpen situation is, though.

the other thing with kershaw is he just isn’t the same guy anymore, playoff choking aside

David Price known playoff chocker.