Poll: Who will win the World Series?

[Vanimal46]

 

All the fans are the worst? Really? That's like saying the 50K sane people at the Ryder Cup are the worst....

#NotAllFans obviously... But this kind of bad fandom is a trend for this city. From the article I linked before.... 

"Four years ago at the Rogers Centre someone nailed an umpire with a beer. Three years ago a fan chucked a full beer can at the Orioles’ Nate McLouth. In last year’s ALDS, the crowd protested a bizarre play by littering the field with trash, a scene lowlighted by a baby being hit with beer. And last night, in the seventh inning of the Toronto’s eventual 5-2 win, one person nearly brained Orioles left fielder Hyun Soo Kim with a beer can:"

[Mike Sixel]

Except that's what everyone is saying, just like they did about the Ryder Cup....

[Circus Boy]

Dang, I like Collins and his Metropolitans. They win in six.

[Blake]

I'm going with the Cubs. 

 

Second choice is the Giants.

 

Dark horse: Cleveland.

[Blake]

 

Sadly, the person who threw the beer at Kim last night was not caught. At the link is more news that fans were yelling racial slurs at Kim and Jones after the incident. 

Blue Jays fans are the worst. 

Bautista fits right in then.

[Pardon My Dinger]

I have no problem generalizing about Jays fans. The way I see it, even if it is one bad apple that spoils the whole bunch, in the end you're still left with a bunch of crap apples. 

[Mike Sixel]

This is a great article:

 

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2016/10/05/buck-showalter-wasnt-dumb-he-was-scared/

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

This is a great article:

 

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2016/10/05/buck-showalter-wasnt-dumb-he-was-scared/

 

Can't say that I really understand that "defense."  Yeah, Showalter didn't want to use his best weapon in Britton -- but why?  Because he thought he would need him later.  As silly as that was by the 11th inning, it was completely nonsensical once Jimenez started blowing the game.  That's apparently the situation Showalter was saving him for, right?

 

Furthermore, it sounds like Britton warmed up during the game, so Showalter was perhaps actively wasting the asset he was apparently scared to lose?  It doesn't make a lick of sense no matter how you slice it.

 

Add to that, Showalter used Britton for the 9th and 10th innings in a tie game (and eventual Orioles win) in Toronto on July 31:

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR201607310.shtml

 

It boggles the mind to think that the more important game, the postseason elimination game, you would deviate from the strategy to the point of inserting Duensing then Jiminez into the game before Britton.

[Mike Sixel]

It has nothing to do with logic, but fear aversion, which is natural. Did you read the part about risk? It wasn't a defense. No one is defending him. Craig was trying to explain his action.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

It has nothing to do with logic, but fear aversion, which is natural. Did you read the part about risk? It wasn't a defense. No one is defending him. Craig was trying to explain his action.

Seems a little wanting as an explanation.

 

Couldn't the "pain of loss" be applied just the same to the decision to watch Jimenez blow the game?

[Otto von Ballpark]

Also, everyone knew that Jimenez was the Orioles emergency long reliever in this game.  Wouldn't there by a "pain of loss" in using him and depleting that resource before absolutely necessary?

 

It's really not clear to me that the "pain of loss" of using Britton is enough to override logic.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Seems a little wanting as an explanation.

 

Couldn't the "pain of loss" be applied just the same to the decision to watch Jiminez blow the game?

 

I don't think so, but I get your point. It was about keeping his best option available, rather than "wasting" him. You see this all the time in life, people fear using their best, because they want it there "just in case I need it". Once you use your best option, then what? That's the fear....

[Willihammer]

Another thing you sometimes hear from managers is the player vs. player matchup. In this case, As of today, Encarnacion had a .23/.373/.452 line  with 5 ks against Jimenez in 51 PAs. Against Britton, .286/.373/.357 with 3 ks in 16 PAs.

 

So that wasn't it.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I don't think so, but I get your point. It was about keeping his best option available, rather than "wasting" him. You see this all the time in life, people fear using their best, because they want it there "just in case I need it". Once you use your best option, then what? That's the fear....

But Jimenez was arguably the bigger "just in case I need it" option, I think he was the only Oriole reliever who could conceivably pitch 5 innings.  (I guess Bundy was also on the roster, not sure what his status was, he's probably past his innings limit, etc.)

 

The fear of Jimenez struggling, and needing bailing out by Britton, and then being forced to run Britton and/or Bundy into the ground would seem to be just as big as the fear of simply using Britton.

[Mike Sixel]

Lots of opportunity for fear in that situation....which is why the FO, analytics team, and manager should talk about it ahead of time, so that there is no decision to make, you just do the right thing.

[Otto von Ballpark]

This was far from Showalter's first rodeo, though.

 

My explanation wouldn't be fear. I think he was getting too cute, and more or less responded by going to his "second starter" right after the Jays. And thinking he had an advantage by keeping his ace up his sleeve.

 

Of course, the Duensing interlude suggests he didn't have enough confidence in Jimenez to make that move, otherwise presumably he would have let Jimenez start the inning by facing the #9 hitter. Which also would have given him more time to judge Jimenez and turn to his ace if necessary, although it doesn't sound like he had any intention of doing so that inning.

[Otto von Ballpark]

The silly thing is that I had no problem with not using Britton through 10 innings. They gave their starter an appropriate amount of rope, and they had a bunch of good short relievers to use instead of Britton through that point.

 

I wonder if Showalter didn't get a little cocky after his relievers turned a couple key double plays, and thought Jimenez could magically do the same...

[twinsnorth49]

Brian Duensing made an appearance in the game and Zach Britton did not...........process that for awhile.

 

 

Good grief.

[Mr. Brooks]

All the fans are the worst? Really? That's like saying the 50K sane people at the Ryder Cup are the worst....

Big difference is that the crowd at the Ryder Cup was actively pointing out the bad apples for removal.

This guy was never caught which means everyone close to him covered for him.

That is a whole section of bad apples.

[jimmer]

 

Admittedly, I'm a bit biased, but I worry that the Cubs peaked too early.  I usually like a team that had a good surge into the playoffs like the Mets and Giants.  I'm going with the Giants over the Rangers.

The Cubs went 8-3-1 in their last 12 games while giving their starters some rest.  What's kind of record would be considered a good surge into the playoffs? :-)

 

Or do you mean you prefer teams that have to win at all costs at the end just to make it into one of the wild card spots? ;-)

[jimmer]

 

All the candidates are so flawed, I feel like sending a message and vote for Rally Monkey.

What are the Cubs flaws? I mean, yeah, I'd vote for the rally monkey too, but still ;-)

[jimmer]

Funny thing about Showalter is that he's normally a brilliant strategist.  It's completely unusual for him to make that kind of mistake.

[jimmer]

 

Blue Jays fans are the worst. 

I see your Blue Jays fans and raise you Philly fans.

[Vanimal46]

Sign me up for a great pitcher's duel any day of the week... Thor and Bumgarner are cruising through the lineup right now.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

The Cubs went 8-3-1 in their last 12 games while giving their starters some rest.  What's kind of record would be considered a good surge into the playoffs? :-)

 

Or do you mean you prefer teams that have to win  at all costs  at the end just to make it into  one of the wild card spots  the postseason? ;-)

Fixed it for you.

 

The wildcard game is part of the postseason. Period. Last I checked, the Mets and Giants sent their aces out tonight.

 

The day that the #4 and 5 seeds decide to stay home and flip a coin for it, is the day we can stop taking the wild card game seriously. 

 

 

[jimmer]

 

Fixed it for you.

 

The wildcard game is part of the postseason. Period. Last I checked, the Mets and Giants sent their aces out tonight.

 

The day that the #4 and 5 seeds decide to stay home and flip a coin for it, is the day we can stop taking the wild card game seriously. 

I'm not sure I ever said I don't take the wild card game serious.  Quite the opposite really, I love them (from a viewer standpoint).

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I'm not sure I ever said I don't take the wild card game serious.  Quite the opposite really, I love them (from a viewer standpoint).

my mistake. I do hear a lot of naysaying about it on this site though and just grouped you mistakenly. And this is a good game tonight too.

[Monkeypaws]

Sox got the mojo - Possible MVP in Betts, last time 'round for Ortiz, and a fantastic supporting cast, some of whom have been there, plus a home field advantage.

 

Sox Giants or Cubs is my ideal final.

[Vanimal46]

Clutch for the Giants. I'd throw Bumgarner out in the 9th... Let him finish this masterpiece!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Bumgarner was a serial killer in a previous life.