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.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Trivia stuff for WEDNESDAY nite:

DETROIT has clinched playoff birth.
DETROIT magic number is ONE for division.
BOSTON magic number is TWO over DET (seeding and HFA over DET)
OAKLAND magic number is TWO over DET (seeding and HFA over DET)

YANKEE tragic number is ONE (with Cleveland).
ROYALS tragic number is TWO (with Cleveland).

REDS tragic number is TWO.

HFA = home field advantage

[Impy]

Impy, Cubs lose again. Can they WIN one more against the CARDS just to make it interesting?

Maybe they'll take 1 of 3. Travis Wood in the Friday game is the best bet. Start measuring STL for it's division crown.

I see Giambi received this month's shipment of HGH. Trying to hit a grounder to short my @ss.

[Alberta's Child]

Good points. A better example of a World Series dominated by a couple of pitchers would be the prior year, when the Twins beat the Cardinals in seven games and Frank Viola was the starting pitcher in three games. Viola and Bert Blyleven started 9 of the Twins' 12 games that postseason, and the Twins were 7-2 in games those two started (and 1-2 in the others).

That ended what surely was one of the strangest seasons in terms of "success in mediocrity" -- and that was before the wild-card era. The Twins won only 85 games that year, with really only two starting pitchers of any note ... Viola won 17 games and Blyleven won 15 (Viola's 2.90 ERA for a team that played its home games in the Metrodome probably ranks among the greatest pitching statistics of that decade). Their #3 starter was the 8-10 Les Straker, whose 8 victories tied him for third in victories on that team with two relief pitchers (including closer Jeff Reardon).

[Alberta's Child]

Despite the NFLs efforts at providing easier schedules for worse teams, the Bills always have to play the Patriots twice, but the Patriots get to play the Bills instead.

The NFL really shoots themselves in the foot sometimes. For one thing, there's no good reason why a team should be rewarded with an "easy" schedule just because they sucked the prior year. That's how you end up with 13-3 teams losing in their first playoff game and 9-7 teams winning Super Bowls.

Secondly, that whole plan makes no sense in an era of salary caps and free agency, when a team can't even maintain its roster consistently from one year to the next. As a result, you see teams going from Super Bowl champions to basement-dwellers very quickly these days (and vice versa), which makes any strategy of basing a schedule one year on the prior year's performance completely pointless.

[Dr. Sivana]

The NFL really shoots themselves in the foot sometimes.

Its goal, making money, is not necessary the same as our goal, seeing great football. The whole real free agency and salary cap was pretty much imposed on them, so they changed the product to keep more fans engaged.

[campaignPete R-CT]

note to self, OAK BOS tiebreaker, OAK clinched
OAK 42-25, 4 to play
BOS 40-28, 3 to play

[Mozilla]

My royals have vastly improved but they lost again so they are finished because Rays and Indians keep winning. Word is they will evaluate the manager at end of season. And they maybe looking for some bats this off season as they scored 145 runs less than the Detroit Tigers.

[Mozilla]

On a related note I followed Rays all those years Royals did bad since 2008. I used to vacation in Clearwater and Tampa. There is also a great former Royal now on the team David Dejesus. But we have some players from them, including James Shields and they have Will Myers.

[a fool in paradise]

Go Astros!

[dfwgator]

I like promotion/relegation like in soccer.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Tonite, the Spotlight is on:
Dylan Axelrod vs. Indians
Dallas Keuchel vs. Texas

and this afternoon, it was Jake Arrieta with the win vs. Pirates ... with an assist from Darnell McDonald.

[cripplecreek]

LOL

[cripplecreek]

Tiggers off to a good start with Austin Jackson on 3rd with no outs in the top of the first.

[dfwgator]

CLE and TB are winning again. More and more looking like the Rangers are going to be SOL.

[campaignPete R-CT]

CLE and TB are winning again. More and more looking like the Rangers are going to be SOL

TEX is winning again. More and more looking like the Indians and Rays are going to be have to keep winning


I'm able to get Cleveland radio here in CT, so I've got CLE and NYY-TB broadcasts ... and I've had CINN in the afternoon today on METS broadcast ... much of that ends now.

[GOPsterinMA]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_byTsvzUOk

Gracias, Mauro.

[dfwgator]

The good news, the Stankees are three outs away from being eliminated.

[dfwgator]

Guess it didn’t matter, CLE’s win already eliminated the Yankees.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Tonite, the Spotlight is on:
Dylan Axelrod vs. Indians
Dallas Keuchel vs. Texas

Axelrod STUNK
Dallas Keuchel STUNK

[campaignPete R-CT]

Trivia stuff for THURSDAY nite:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
DETROIT has clinched DIVISION
YANKEE eliminated.
ROYALS eliminated.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
REDS are eliminated from division race, will be a wildcard.
ATLANTA magic number is TWO over DODGERS (seeding and HFA over LAD)

HFA = home field advantage