Playoff Game Thread

[Chavez Ravine]

That’s the kind of play Turner was (not) making last year that made the Dodgers say goodbye.

[Chavez Ravine]

Wheeler escapes the sin of the leadoff walk…in the first inning…after your guys staked you to a two run lead…in game five of the NLCS.

[WillyM]

Taijuan Walker had 31 starts for the Phillies this year, pitched 172 innings, and led the team in wins with 15.

Sure seemed like the Phillies could have used an innings-eater like him in Friday night's game, instead of trotting out an entire bullpen full of one-inning-type relievers.

Anyone know why Walker has not pitched in the postseason?

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, WillyM said:

Taijuan Walker had 31 starts for the Phillies this year, pitched 172 innings, and led the team in wins with 15.

Sure seemed like the Phillies could have used an innings-eater like him in Friday night's game, instead of trotting out an entire bullpen full of one-inning-type relievers.

Anyone know why Walker has not pitched in the postseason?

https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/report_reveals_why_taijuan_walker_did_not_start_game_4_for_phillies/s1_127_39420939

Quote

That was no coincidence. Walker was “erratic” in a simulated game earlier in the week, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, which prompted the team’s decision to start Cristopher Sanchez instead, even though Sanchez had not pitched in nearly three weeks.

 

[Chavez Ravine]

Rodrigo Lopez is doing color on the Diamondbacks Spanish language feed.

[Just Regular]

In the category of "Ouch"....

As I was refreshing on perhaps Best Pitcher in the World Zack Wheeler's pedigree as a big-time High School Arm that made it, stepping to his 2009 draft round shows that the Orioles' Matt Hobgood pick in the Year of Strasburg was....one pick before the Giants chose Wheeler.

[LA2]

On 10/20/2023 at 8:10 PM, Tony-OH said:

He is quite the special post season player.  

Schwarber pretty good post-season too--year after year. About a homer every 10 ABs....

[Tony-OH]

11 hours ago, LA2 said:

Schwarber pretty good post-season too--year after year. About a homer every 10 ABs....

Yeah, no doubt. Schwarber is become quite the three outcome player.

[LA2]

9 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Yeah, no doubt. Schwarber is become quite the three outcome player.

And still only 30 year old, although unlike Altuve, he already can't field or run. Interesting that Altuve ditches trying to steal bases during the post-season.

[Just Regular]

Schwarber and Kjerstad are interesting comps for me....I think Kjerstad has more bat to ball knack, though Schwarber hit .334 in the Minors himself.    Today Schwarber is I think intentionally and productively going for the power.

Wheeler now up to 61 career postseason innings with a 0.730 WHIP.     All of it in the last two years.

That's quite a separator for Best Pitcher in the World honors this moment.

2022-2023 regular season aggregate fWAR top group is: Gausman 11, Nola 10, Wheeler 10, Gallen/Verlander/Logan Webb 9

 

[Just Regular]

Fangraphs unveiled Postseason leaderboards recently - they are fun to poke around.

BAL Bats, 10 PA minimum: Gunnar Henderson is the wRC+ leader, though the .714 BABIP looks rather lucky.

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&type=8&season=2023&season1=1871&ind=0&rost=0&players=0&postseason=Y&pageitems=30&team=2&qual=10&sortcol=17&sortdir=default&pagenum=1

BAL Arms, 10 IP minimum, is just 27 guys.     Sammy Stewart matches Boddicker (and a St. Louis Browns rando) with 0.00 ERA's.     The bad ERAs highlight that the Buck era teams, Miguel Gonzalez really separated from Tillman/Chen as a big game pitcher.     #SmallSampleSize

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&type=8&season=2023&season1=1871&ind=0&rost=0&players=0&postseason=Y&pageitems=30&team=2&qual=10&sortcol=16&sortdir=default&pagenum=1

 

[Moose Milligan]

On 10/20/2023 at 8:28 PM, Uli2001 said:

Just a random opinion on a fan board: Altuve must still be cheating somehow. It's not believable that the guy comes up with big homeruns in the postseason again and again. And a short guy at that.

I know you're not being 100% serious here, but c'mon.

Altuve is one of the best players of this generation.  Before the Astros cheating scandal and after it.  And it's been shown that he didn't really "benefit" from the banging on the trashcans, the research has shown that of all the trashcan bangs his were like 4%.  It's not like he was the biggest beneficiary of it.  His OPS after 2017 and the cheating is .862.  Before (not including 2017) it was .790. 

I get that everyone is tired of the Astros but it's lazy to think that they're still cheating somehow.  Altuve and Bregman are the only two players left from that team.  Completely different cast of characters, different manager, different front office.

Are they cheating?  I mean, maybe.  Wouldn't be surprised if they were, but then again I would be a little disappointed if the Orioles weren't cheating, too.

[Uli2001]

LeClerc escapes the eight inning... somehow. Not out of the woods yet.

[Uli2001]

Rangers can't blow this game, can they? Two-run lead, bases loaded with none out in the top of the ninth?

[Uli2001]

8 minutes ago, Uli2001 said:

Rangers can't blow this game, can they? Two-run lead, bases loaded with none out in the top of the ninth?

No they can't. Texas 9-2. Bad news for the Rangers is that Scherzer is going tomorrow.