Scoreboard Watching

[stringer bell]

The Twins finished with 37 road wins, both the Angels and the Astros are far worse on the road. Texas needs one win to clinch the AL West, so they are still playing for the playoffs.

 

Arizona is playing well at the end of the year. They have won their last four games and stand at 78-81. The Snakes need to sweep the Astros series to finish .500. I'd be very satisfied if they win two of three.

[twinsnorth49]

I refuse to commiserate about the games where they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, there have been too many where they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, including last night probably. It's just not how things work, there is no script on how games are won and lost, just a record of each.

[DaveW]

 

I refuse to commiserate about the games where they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, there have been too many where they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, including last night probably. It's just not how things work, there is no script on how games are won and lost, just a record of each.

Yeah, it's a pointless and futile effort.

I will commiserate re: sending May to the pen though, and maintain if he was kept in instead of Pelfrey the Twins would likely have already clinched. That decision will never sit right with me to be honest.

[DaveW]

Tonights games:

 

Texas is a -122 favorite

Texas are a -126 favorite

Houstin is a -177 favorite

[DaveW]

Keuchel is on the mound for the Stros tonight:

Couple silver linings:

Goldschmidt mashes everything in sight, but he mashes LHP even better, putting up a 1.091 OPS this year against them.

 

Keuchel is lights out at home 15-0 1.46 ERA but on the road he and the stros have struggled 4-8 3.83 ERA

[jokin]

 

I refuse to commiserate about the games where they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, there have been too many where they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, including last night probably. It's just not how things work, there is no script on how games are won and lost, just a record of each.

 

Yeah, it's a pointless and futile effort.

I will commiserate re: sending May to the pen though, and maintain if he was kept in instead of Pelfrey the Twins would likely have already clinched. That decision will never sit right with me to be honest.

 

Messing around with May is mostly what I was talking about, not acquiring another RP sooner- while they left May in limbo for a month, the ill-fated start, in particular, before May was actually allowed to become the high leverage 8th inning man- the Twins lost several winnable games during that month.  

 

Also, I campaigned to bring Sano up for nearly a month before they finally pulled the trigger- calling him up soon after the Astros called up Carlos Correa on June 8th (MIguel Sano- How Soon is Now?- my OP dated June 8th) instead of July 2 might have also helped them win an extra game, as well. 

[twinsnorth49]

 

Messing around with May is mostly what I was talking about, not acquiring another RP sooner- while they left May in limbo for a month, the ill-fated start, in particular, before May was actually allowed to become the high leverage 8th inning man- the Twins lost several winnable games during that month.  

 

Also, I campaigned to bring Sano up for nearly a month before they finally pulled the trigger- calling him up right after the Astros called up Carlos Correa on June 8th instead of July 2 might have also helped them win an extra game, as well. 

Agreed on the first part for sure, pretty much posted that sentiment in the Pelfrey thread. The second part isn't a stretch by any means based on what we've seen so far.

[nowheresville]

I was just looking at the tie-breaker situations and discovered quite the potential oddity.

 

If there is a 3-way tie for the 2nd Wild Card, Houston would have to play 5 games in 5 different cities in 5 days to advance!

 

The Astros are in Arizona on Sunday, would fly to Minnesota for Monday, Head back to Houston to play the Angels on Tuesday, Go to New York for the Wild Card game on Wednesday, and then be in Kansas City or Toronto for the start of the ALDS on Thursday!

 

That would have to be the most brutal travel schedule in the history of MLB.

[glunn]

Astros have an 18 run lead in Arizona in the top of the 9th.  It looks like they gelled tonight.

[DaveW]

 

Astros have an 18 run lead in Arizona in the top of the 9th.  It looks like they gelled tonight.

Not totally shocking, the Astros are the ultimate hot/cold team this year. I also wouldn't be shocked if they manage to put up 4 or less combined runs the next two games as well.

[notoriousgod71]

Can you imagine how pissed we'd all be at this Rangers-Angels game?

 

Angels score five (and counting) in the ninth to take an 11-10 lead.

[Otto von Ballpark]

At this point, I guess I root for the Astros to win out and the Rangers and Yankees to lose out. That will make a playoff for the west division title Monday, with the loser hosting NY on Tuesday.

 

Although a do-or-die playoff between the Astros and Angels on Monday would be fun, I am in "root against the Yankees" mode and making them play the WC game on the road seems like step 1...

[Otto von Ballpark]

On second thought, letting either the Angels or Astros win the WC outright on Sunday would give the Yankees a more rested opponent on Tuesday. That is my current preference.