LA2

Beating the Red Sox in all ten OPS+ comparisons, as FRobby demonstrated, is pretty scary depth to me. I thought "a lot of power" is almost the very definition of scary.

Yes, Flores coming through then, had he gotten the call, would have been even more unlikely than...Cody Bellinger and his .165 season batting average knocking in the winning run for the Dodgers! I think it's telling that in post-game interviews the umpires crew chief, Dave Roberts, and a few LA players couldn't bring themselves to stating agreement that it was a swing. Even Morales used the excuse that he can't resort to video replays on the field. Kepler was classy and said, as Showalter often did after Orioles losses, that there were other reasons the Giants didn't win, such as well-hit

A one-run game with a runner on base and a home team batting that had beaten the odds all season--Giants fans still had some legit hope.

It was a bad call and the ump was a jerk for ending it that way. Well, now there are no teams left that I like. Maybe I cd force myself to root for the Braves, but TBH I'll be disappointed in myself if I watch any of the remaining postseason games. Let me add that I was in a bar where all the people were Phillies or Yankees fans (actually most of them had originally been there for the Eagles game) and the immediate gut reaction to the call was very vocal disbelief. Things like this shouldn't be allowed to happen. Is the logic behind giving umps immunity on half-swings because there would

Jace Peterson, Milwaukee Brewers utility player--and pitcher of 3 career innings with three different teams including the Orioles--walked both times he batted in the playoffs against the Braves, He had 302 plate appearances for the Brewers during the 162. Interesting note: Jace has walked all three of his career playoff PAs.

From the minor league clips I've seen, Stowers is a much better outfielder than DJ for sure.

Thank you for all the effort. I myself would have given a lower grade to Zimmerman and a higher one to Akin's second half. Was Lowther too lowsy 😉 to include?

Without looking up the stats, my memory is that Chavez, Gentry, and Pillar all hit a lot better than McKenna. As for Stewart, he is at least a home run--he's had days at the plate than McKenna can only dream of.

Today they kept Luplow in for the grand slam homer and then let Choi have the rest of the game at first, including his own home run, too.

I would love to see Urias develop some more power to go along with his OBP and situational hitting and have something like Melvin Mora's late-blooming career.

Yes, for sure, that's why I called them "generous comments." We won the series against the Ys and RSox but both got WC slots. We got pummeled and swept by the Jays and they didn't make it into the postseason. We can't even spoil things correctly!

Aside from the obvious improved mainstays, I enjoyed: Valdez's Stu Miller impersonation at the beginning of the season and Mateo's Flash near the end Harvey's streak of scoreless innings after the All-Star Break Mancini's Home Run Derby Gutierrez's defense at third base Hays showing what he could do as a regular starting outfielder Urias' bat control Galvis proving to be a capable one-year (maybe two?) replacement for Iglesias Finally giving up on Sisco and Ruiz Sticking with the rookie starting pitchers long enough for some of them to throw good ga

The Yankees deserved to lose, although I was hoping they'd eliminate the Red Sox, who seemed strangely loose and happy the whole game.

Yes, I agree--Is there a major team sport where the results as regularly come up counter to the teams'' strengths on paper? At the same time, the O's made the same wrong "right decision" with Markakis (thus, the succession of inadequate rightfielders afterwards) and wrong wrong decision about other twilight veterans with Davis (and Hardy, Tillman, O'Day, and Trumbo). I guess my rueful wish is merely this: that they would somehow learn and make the right wrong decision more often. Off to one of the bars in the lovely Historic District of Bethlehem to root against the Red Sox!

After going 10 for 28 with two homers for the Orioles during the 2014 playoffs and we consequently considered him too old to sign to a four-year contract, Nelson Cruz has hit 252 home runs over seven years and will soon be in his third post-Oriole season of playoff ball (the first two with the Twins). Cruz's career postseason line is .288 / .360 / .659 / 1.019 with an amazing 17 homers in 170 at-bats, plus 12 doubles and 18 walks. I wish him an outstanding 2021 postseason as a prelude to his quest for 500 home runs (only 51 away!).