MLB 2014 season thread

[Armchair_QB]

Pretty cool that a team that hasn't been in the World Series since the 1980s will represent the American League.

Same thing if Dodgers win the NL pennant. And of course, Nats/Expos have never been.

AQB and I just punched a pair of hobos and don't know why.

I know why.

 

[outofplace]

It was good to see the Angels go three-and-out again and for America to get another reminder of how terribly overrated Mike Scioscia is. Hi Poindexter!

And how about that, Orioles vs. Royals in the ALCS. It's like parity has arrived in baseball, and everyone has a shot. Hi outofplace!

*exits stage left*

Should've known this would bring BYH out of hiding.

If only your Pirates didn't choke again. But don't worry. This is baseball. They'll be back again next year!!!! #ImATrollingDick

Not my Pirates, dickhead. I stopped rooting for that franchise many years ago when I realized they weren't even trying. That was at the beginning of 20 years of the lethal combination of small market financial reality, terrible baseball people and cheap ownership.

I'll stop there for now. :)

 

[Gehrig]

This October has a real big throwback feel to it, does anyone else agree? I guess that can happen quite often when the older franchises keep winning, but this one really has the feel of the 1970s or even early 1980s. The Royals and Orioles are going to play in the ALCS, too very successful franchises in the 1970s and early 1980s. The A's and Angels were around, in uniform anyway, for a little bit too -- and those two teams had a lot of success (A's in the early-mid 70s) and some (Angels in the late 70s and early 80s). The Tigers, though, I don't really think of them as fitting this mold despite 1984. Maybe I am wrong, and if I am somebody will surely jump right in and tell me so.

The National League has the Dodgers, who had a lot of success in both decades, and the Cardinals (really only in the 1980s, though they showed promise a couple times in the 70s), and the Pirates showed up briefly this year but were a dominating team in unfortunate uniform choices back then (1970s). The Giants only had very brief success in the very early 70s, so they don't really count, and the Nationals didn't exist in this form, so they kinda poo in my cereal here, too, but a lot of the other teams really get me thinking back to the fine squads of the 1970s and 80s.

The Orioles are 5-4 in the ALCS and the Royals are 2-4.

Baltimore Orioles, ALCS
1969- Won (3-0) Over the Minnesota Twins
1970- Won (3-0) Over the Minnesota Twins
1971- Won (3-0) Over the Oakland A's
1973- Lost (3-2) to the Oakland A's
1974- Lost (3-1) to the Oakland A's
1979- Won (3-1) over the California Angels
1983- Won (3-1) over the Chicago White Sox
1996- Lost (4-1) to the NY Yankees
1997- Lost (4-2) to the Cleveland Indians
21-16 W-L (.568)


Kansas City Royals, ALCS
1976- Lost (3-2) to the NY Yankees
1977- Lost (3-2) to the NY Yankees
1978- Lost (3-1) to the NY Yankees
1980- Won (3-0) over the NY Yankees
1984- Lost (3-0) to the Detroit Tigers
1985- Won (4-3) over the Toronto Blue Jays
12-15 W-L (.444)


Baltimore Orioles AL Pennants
1944 (St. Louis Browns), 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983

Kansas City Royals, AL Pennants
1980, 1985

 

[Armchair_QB]

Angels send out a "Thank You Fans" tweet shortly after being eliminated last night. First response is awesome.

https://twitter.com/angels/status/518964052937420800

 

[Dick Whitman]

Gehrig, I think a big reason a lot of us who are children of the '70s and '80s are loving these playoffs so far is for exactly the reason you cite - we remember when these teams won year after back then, A's included. It just feels right to have the Orioles and Royals, along with the Pirates and Dodgers, involved after a few years of the Rangers, Rays, and so forth. (Not that I didn't enjoy seeing some of those new faces, too, including the Rockies a few years back.)

Could have used the Yankees, probably, in this year's postseason to really give it a '70s feel.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Gehrig, I think a big reason a lot of us who are children of the '70s and '80s are loving these playoffs so far is for exactly the reason you cite - we remember when these teams won year after back then, A's included. It just feels right to have the Orioles and Royals, along with the Pirates and Dodgers, involved after a few years of the Rangers, Rays, and so forth. (Not that I didn't enjoy seeing some of those new faces, too, including the Rockies a few years back.)

Could have used the Yankees, probably, in this year's postseason to really give it a '70s feel.

Yeah, the early '80s were when I first became a baseball fan, so I'm loving this. The Dodgers, Cardinals, Orioles and Royals — all of whom are still playing — all won the World Series between 1981 and 1985 (and the other title in that time was won by the recently eliminated Tigers).

 

[YankeeFan]

I think it's such a shame -- especially when I have no rooting interest -- when we get great games, but a short series. I always root for these series to go deep, to draw in more fans.

 

[old_tony]

When you think back to how good the Orioles and Royals were in the 1970s and the first half of the '80s, it's amazing that they never met in an ALCS.

 

[old_tony]

A Bumgarner throwing error plates two for the Nats, and another hit plates a third. In one inning the Nats have matched their offensive total for the first 33 innings of the series.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Yeah the Nats could really get themselves back in it.

Maybe Strasburg will go on three days' rest tomorrow!!!

 

[Gehrig]

Yeah the Nats could really get themselves back in it.

Maybe Strasburg will go on three days' rest tomorrow!!!

It's Gio Gonzalez, as it should be.

 

[outofplace]

I didn't realize how good Fister had been in the postseason during his career. Even before throwing seven shutout innings to keep the Nationals alive today, he had a 2.98 ERA in eight career playoffs appearances, seven of them starts.

Of course, the move to the National League helped him. Beginning the season late due to injury might not have been a bad thing, either, given his history of slow starts. But it isn't like he hadn't shown this type of ability in the past. People might miss it due to the underwhelming strikeout totals, but he has been outstanding three of the past four seasons and he wasn't terrible in 2013. The Tigers made a huge mistake trading him away for pennies on the dollar.

 

[Batman]

When you think back to how good the Orioles and Royals were in the 1970s and the first half of the '80s, it's amazing that they never met in an ALCS.

Orioles had five 90-plus win seasons between 1975 and 1982 when the didn't win the division -- including the 1978 season, when they went 90-71 and finished fourth. That's pretty damn amazing.
Always loved, too, how the 1980 World Series between the Royals and Phillies was one for the bridesmaids. Both were contenders every year between 1975 and 1980 but couldn't quite get past the big dogs in their respective leagues. The Royals kept getting beat by the Yankees, and the Phillies lost to the Big Red Machine and then the Dodgers twice. Both missed out on the division title in 1979, then finally got over the hump the next year. It almost seems like they were destined to meet up eventually.

 

[cjericho]

I didn't realize how good Fister had been in the postseason during his career. Even before throwing seven shutout innings to keep the Nationals alive today, he had a 2.98 ERA in eight career playoffs appearances, seven of them starts.

Of course, the move to the National League helped him. Beginning the season late due to injury might not have been a bad thing, either, given his history of slow starts. But it isn't like he hadn't shown this type of ability in the past. People might miss it due to the underwhelming strikeout totals, but he has been outstanding three of the past four seasons and he wasn't terrible in 2013. The Tigers made a huge mistake trading him away for pennies on the dollar.

Mariners also traded him for very little after he showed a lot of promise pitching for a bad team.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Three straight games, with three different pitchers, that the first guy out of the Dodgers' bullpen gives up a home run.

 

[Starman]

Pretty cool that a team that hasn't been in the World Series since the 1980s will represent the American League.

Same thing if Dodgers win the NL pennant. And of course, Nats/Expos have never been.

Love it, although I feel bad for Mike Ilitch. The man is the best club owner in baseball and has been a rock in the Detroit community through the economic crisis. I root for his teams to win and I don't know how many more opportunities he will have.

If Illitch really wants that WS title he needs to keep stepping up to the FA bidding (and retaining) window.

Shell out the bucks to keep Scherzer and Victor Martinez.

Write off Torii Hunter, hand the job to the presumably-healthy Andy Dirks or bid for a mid-range corner OF free agent.

Unless Joe Nathan is utterly lights-out coming out of spring training, eat his contract, release him and give the closer job to Soria. Don't screw around months into the season letting Nathan save three, blow two, run up an ERA of 7.00 and then get to August and he has to be your closer.

Unless Castellanos burns up the world in spring training and locks down the 3B job, convert him into an all-purpose IF/OF sub-pinch hitter to beef up the bench. Hand the 3B job to Suarez, reinstall Iglesias at SS and go with all-defense in the infield.

Sign a starting catcher. Avila's concussion problems are becoming too persistent to ignore and just hope against hope he is going to stay healthy (and even if he does, that gives you a .230-hitting glove-man catcher).

Yeah, to do all this is gonna cost a lot of money. Who gives a ****? He's going to die fairly soon and every single nickel he pinches to save money on Detroit Tigers payroll is going to go into inheritance for his slacker layabout sperm-lottery-winner offspring.

I'd sure as hell rather have him pay millions to Scherzer and Martinez than give it to Atanas Ilitch.

 

[Football_Bat]

The Cardinals are the closest thing the NL has to a Yankee equivalent. The Cardinals have won the World Series 11 times, the Yankees 27.

That's despite the 1970s, which was a wilderness period for the Cardinals even with Brock and Gibby. The period between the time Tommy Herr was traded and Pujols joined the team (1988-2000) was a low ebb as well.

 

[joe]

What does Kershaw do in Game 4? Is he the regular season Kershaw, or is he three-days-rest postseason Kershaw?

 

[BYH]

I didn't realize how good Fister had been in the postseason during his career. Even before throwing seven shutout innings to keep the Nationals alive today, he had a 2.98 ERA in eight career playoffs appearances, seven of them starts.

Of course, the move to the National League helped him. Beginning the season late due to injury might not have been a bad thing, either, given his history of slow starts. But it isn't like he hadn't shown this type of ability in the past. People might miss it due to the underwhelming strikeout totals, but he has been outstanding three of the past four seasons and he wasn't terrible in 2013. The Tigers made a huge mistake trading him away for pennies on the dollar.

No harm. If they're in the race in July, they can just go get David Price and punch their ticket to the World Series.

 

[LongTimeListener]

What does Kershaw do in Game 4? Is he the regular season Kershaw, or is he three-days-rest postseason Kershaw?

Even on regular rest they've been able to get at him as well as anyone the last few years.

Panic move by Mattingly that shows why they won't go all the way even if they do survive this series. Bad defense, bad bullpen and they can't bear the thought of putting their fourth starter on the mound.