MLB playoffs 2013 (Baseball Live Thread)

Sporting News ^ | September 23, 2013

[campaignPete R-CT]

For the first time since 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in MLB's postseason. The Bucs clinched at least a spot in the wild-card game after a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs that ended with a bizarre play at the plate, and a 4-3 loss by the Washington Nationals to the St. Louis Cardinals. The loss eliminated the Nats from contention.

The Cincinnati Reds are playoff-bound as well, after beating the New York Mets, 3-2 in 10 innings. The focus over the regular season's final six days now shifts to the NL Central race, which the Cards still lead by two games over the Pirates and Reds.

Lost in the NL happenings Monday: The Detroit Tigers were unable to clinch a playoff berth in the American League. They lost, 4-3 in 11 innings, to the Twins in Minnesota.

[Exit148]

Go Mets!
(Oops! Wrong thread.)

[Dr. Sivana]

Perhaps, but all 3 NL Central qualifiers could end up many games better than the West Div. Dodgers, and one WC game to decide doesn’t seem right. And teams that clinch rest their top players.

Different schedules. I agree with BlackElk, and go with NO playoffs, just World Series. The flip side of divisions with wild cards enabling the deserving runners-up, are teams winning a weak division, who have no business going ANYwhere. In the NFL, the Seahawks went 7-9, won a bad divison, and got to host (and win) a playoff game. In baseball, the 1973 Mets won the Eastern division with a .509 record, and managed to win the five game playoff to get steamrollered by the A's in the World Series. These short series also exaggerate the importance of having a couple of top starting pitchers (this benefited the Dodgers greatly in their last WS appearance, as Orel Hershiser pretty much carried the whole team.)

Of course, even in the good ol' days you had the occasional tie and one game tie breaker (B'klyn Dodgers-NY Giants, and Yankees-Red Sox, Dodgers-Astros in the pre-wildcard division playoff days). I think after 156/162 games, it is safe to say that either team would deserve to represent the League/Division, but only one can.

I would put up with all of it if they didn't give us regular season interleague play as well.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Go Mets!
at least u can watch the Reds game.
I hope Dice-K don't embarrass the baseball world on WED nite by getting shelled. Stupid decision to have him pitch that game.

[dfwgator]

CLE already up 1-0, end of 2.

[campaignPete R-CT]

MLB ping, new thread

[campaignPete R-CT]

MLB pingb, new thread

[montag813]

Gnats screwed the pooch last season, saving Strasbourg for something or another.

I still can't understand that decision. They came THIS close to defeating the Cards. Straz would have been the difference.

[edh]

I’m kind of mixed on the Pirates. Their pitching is as good as any team in the playoffs. Its all going to come down to their offense. If it gets hot, its going to be an interesting October. If its stagnant, well, they’re doomed :-).

[cripplecreek]

Switching back and forth.

Hope the Tigers can wrap this up tonight. Verlander was classic Verlander last night despite the loss. 10 K in 3 and a half innings.

Peralta will be rejoining the team for the final 3 games.

[campaignPete R-CT]

MLB pingc, new thread

[tomkat]

Its all going to come down to their offense

Precisely .. this'd be a REEEAL good time for McCutchen and Alvarez to get back to form .. kinda perplexed that Walker's not starting tonight.

Fingers crossed that there was a lot more champagne sprayin' than champagne drinkin' last night !

[tomkat]

thanks for the ping, Pete !

[americas.best.days...]

Thanks for including me! (even tho I’m a Yankee fan)LOL!

But also, GO TRIBE!!

Post-season baseball in the BEST.

[campaignPete R-CT]

does Jeff Locke have an injury or being rested?

[Alberta's Child]

Go back and look at the 1988 season with Orel Hershiser again. His statistics don't support what you've posted here.

He started three games in the NLCS against the Mets, and the Mets won two of them (Hershiser didn't get a decision in either game). His only victory in that series was a 6-0 shutout in Game 7. He enhanced his credentials for series MVP by coming out of the bullpen to save Game 4, though. He did win two games in the World Series, but that looked very dominant because the series only went five games. I'm not sure he would have been ready to start a Game 7 if the series went that long.

That team had a pretty good group of three starters (Hershiser, Tim Belcher and Tim Leary), all of whom had ERAs below 3.00 and won more than 60% of their decisions.

[fatnotlazy]

The Pirates suffer from a lack of consistency. If they could be consistent, the World Series would be theirs. Perhaps that consistency will come next year.

[tomkat]

Dunno about any injury, but he gave up 5 runs in two (?) innings a couple nights ago.

Probably not due up in the rotation for another couple days.

[Alberta's Child]

As a matter of principle I’m OK with wild-card teams in the playoffs, but not in any sport where unbalanced schedules make it completely unfair. The NFL is the worst offender here, since the season isn’t long enough to come close to a balanced schedule.

[yellowdoghunter]

Thanks for the ping. Worried about the Reds. Glad there is a MLB ping list. GO CARDINALS!!

[campaignPete R-CT]

REDS: Leake is out after 54 pitches.
faced 12 batters, 8 hits. In ‘12, he wasn’t too effective in SEPT/OCT.