2017 ALDS Game Two Live Blog

2:00
Dave Cameron: Hey everyone

2:01
Dave Cameron: Welcome to the Game 2 live blog of the Astros/Red Sox series

2:01
Dave Cameron: Dan Szymborski will be joining me for this one.

2:05
Dave Cameron: That commercial made it sound like that lady told Frank Thomas that she wished her husband would use eugenics.

2:05
Dave Cameron: I feel like they didn’t test out the name of their silly pill very well.

2:05
Ryan: Which team most needs to win game 2: the Red Sox or the Yankees?

2:06
Dave Cameron: This one’s more important for BOS, I think. NYY was always likely to lose the Kluber game.

2:06
Charlotte the bassador: HIYA. I came for Dan, to be honest

2:06
Dave Cameron: Me too

2:06
Nate: Love these live blogs, but realize it’s a chore for you guys.  Which games do and don’t get these chats?

2:06
Dave Cameron: We’ve done the day games of the DS since the traffic is better while you all avoid work.

2:07
Dan Szymborski: If we told you, then it wouldn’t be arbitrary!

2:07
Dave Cameron: We’ll do some night games once they get into elimination games later in the postseason.

2:07
Thomas: Thanks for hosting us, Dave. I have a hard time believing that Boston can win this series without Sale pitching every day. Am I insane?

2:08
Dave Cameron: The Red Sox bullpen is good and deep. Price is 100% pitching today.

2:08
Charlotte the bassador: Which team most needs Nick Markakis in these here playoffs?

2:08
Dan Szymborski: All of them.

2:08
Sgt. Pepper: I would pay some sum of money for more playoff chats

2:08
Dan Szymborski: The only reason he wasn’t traded was that no system had enough prospects to make trading Markakis worthwhile for the Braves.

2:08
Dave Cameron: Convince your friends to become members.

2:09
Dave Cameron: If we get membership numbers high enough that we don’t have to worry about traffic any more, it will be easier to devote 3-4 hours to more live blogs.

2:09
Thomas: 4-5 innings for Pom, 2-3 Price, 1 for Carson, then Kimbrel?

2:09
Dave Cameron: I’d bet 3-4 from Pom, 3+ from Price

2:09
Dave Cameron: And probably more than 1 from Kimbrel if they have a lead.

2:10
Dan Szymborski: Dave’s plan was asking.  My plan was just to organize meetups and then hold people upside down and shake the money out of their pants.

2:10
Dave Cameron: Not exactly the start Keuchel wanted.

2:11
Thomas: Looks like he’s missing arm-side a lot

2:11
Tyler: Still wish the sox had started Devers

2:12
Dave Cameron: First strike in a while might not have been one.

2:12
kevinthecomic: ZIM!!!!!!!!!

2:12
weezy: Hey Dave! I really like your articles of these playoffs, highlighting a particular Bauer/Gray pitch. It’s really cool! Do you feel your writing topics have changed over time as you learned more about what’s important in baseball? What about during the course of the year (playoffs = really small scope, focus on one pitchers secondary pitch)? Or another variable I haven’t mentioned?

2:12
Dave Cameron: I think Dan published that one just to put me on the spot.

2:13
Dave Cameron: I think the reality is that there are so many good, smart baseball writers now, that once the postseason begins, you have to look for more narrow/specific topics or you’ll be saying the same things as everyone else.

2:14
Pinstripe Wizard: This chat will probably be filled with random questions that Dan picks just to try to make Dave blink.

2:14
Dan Szymborski: Real quesitons beat #6org memes!

2:15
Steve O: Forgot about #6org for a while. Thanks Dan!

2:15
Dave Cameron: Yeah, thanks Dan.

2:15
Dan Szymborski: I still get teased for the Brad Wilkerson trade analysis.

2:15
The Hamburglar: That was way too late to call time

2:15
Ned Yost: Betts did NOT deserve time there.

2:16
Brian: That was a good pitch

2:16
The Hamburglar: The Red Sox seem to get a ton of bloop hits

2:16
Tommy: Beautiful

2:16
Dan Szymborski: BUT DID KEUCHEL CALL TIME

2:16
Chasfh: That’s a line drive in the book.

2:17
Dave Cameron: Too bad for the book we have exit velocity now.

2:17
Charlotte the bassador: shouldnt you guys be worried about visitors/readers not people driving to your offices?

2:17
Dan Szymborski: Wait, there are offices?

2:17
weezy: bliner

2:17
Tommy: I haven’t watched a lot of Keuchel, but a 4 pitch walk to the second batter can’t be great for a guy who doesnt throw 98.

2:17
Dan Szymborski: Hanley should have called retroactive time.

2:17
AdamZ: Dan, how about a cat update?

2:18
Dave Cameron: Red Sox can’t afford to waste too many of those.

2:18
Dan Szymborski: Galileo’s bothering me for dinner, don’t know what the other two are doing.

2:18
Matt: Dave – You’re in charge of the hiring here, right? Did you know what one of your employees (cough*Dan Szymborski*cough) doesn’t know which days of the week are which?

2:18
Dan Szymborski: It takes me to April just to remember the year, you can’t expect me to learn weekdays.  They change EVERY SINGLE DAY

2:18
Roger: The Astros have team options on Altuve for 2018 and 2019.  Should they be trying to extend him at this point?

2:18
Dan Szymborski: Naturally.

2:19
Matt: Hey Dan – you’re close to Cleveland, right? Is it raining?

2:19
Dan Szymborski: I’m on the Cincy side.

2:19
Peter: Are Cleveland the Jade Druid of Baseball this year? No matter how well you play, they still beat you?

2:19
Dan Szymborski: Jade got nerfed!

2:19
Dan Szymborski: BB, bathroom

2:20
tim: i can picture dave shaking his head at the amount of shenanigans driven by dan in this chat

2:20
Dave Cameron: I’ve read the transcripts of his chats.

2:20
Dave Cameron: I knew what I was getting into.

2:20
Pinstripe Wizard: Dave must’ve been really bored when he had his knee surgery if he read the Dan chats.

2:20
Dave Cameron: Oxy makes you do crazy stuff.

2:22
Dan Szymborski: Except for chili chat, we’re mostly baseball!

2:22
Tommy: Until the past couple of days, I did not realize how great chats are for baseball. They can completely fill the breaks between pitches

2:23
Ben: wait, Hanley is playing the field?!?!

2:23
Dave Cameron: Do you want Mitch Moreland against a lefty?

2:23
Matt: Dan, Dan, he’s our man. If he can’t do it, then…we’ll have to ask Dave

2:23
Dan Szymborski: No, i don’t wonder if guys can handle postseason

2:24
Devers sitting: Do you guys agree to sitting Devers for this game?

2:24
Dave Cameron: I’m fine with it as long as he PHs for Marrero as soon as Keuchel is out.

2:25
Dave Cameron: If you’re going to go OFF/DEF at third with that pair, better to line up the DEF guy against the LHP.

2:25
chasfh: Can’t they do anything to get Altuve out?

2:25
Dave Cameron: No.

2:25
Brian: Doesn’t Pomeranz throw harder than 90?

2:25
Dave Cameron: He used to. Not recently.

2:26
Ben Kaspick: Thanks for the chat gentlemen. Just signed on for a year of FG ad-free membership (not sure why it took this long)! Happy to support the site.

2:26
Jeremy: If sox are down 2-0 how long does fister pitch on Monday?  could you see 3 IP, and then Price in ?

2:26
Dave Cameron: Depends on his usage today.

2:27
Dave Cameron: If they get blown out today don’t use Price in this one, then he probably is warming up in the 1st or 2nd inning on Sunday

2:28
Charlotte the bassador: Why not just start price?

2:28
Dave Cameron: They say he’s not stretched out

2:28
Dave Cameron: If he can only go 3-4 innings anyway, make them high leverage.

2:29
Pinstripe Wizard: Retroactively calling time would’ve been a classic ManRam move.

2:29
Guest: Would you rather have Altuve or Judge on your team next year?

2:29
Dan Szymborski: Altuve

2:29
Thomas: Goodbye baseball!

2:29
Nick: HAMMERED

2:30
weezy: Correa’s good at hitting baseballs

2:30
The Hamburglar: Well that was hit quite hard

2:30
Brian: woops

2:30
Show Hey O’Tawny: Correa is good

2:30
Brian: As a CLE supporter. I would like the Red Sox to stop sucking…

2:30
Thomas: Full season Correa is an MVP

2:30
Guest: Correa is an insane player.

2:31
Dan Szymborski: His mean ZiPS career WAR is like the 4th best SS in history.

2:31
AP: What was the exit velocity on that rocket?

2:31
Dave Cameron: 109

2:31
Charlotte the bassador: Are the Sox the best matchup for the ‘Stros? All their good pitchers are lefties? All teh Hou good hitters are righties….

2:32
Dave Cameron: Yeah, this is an ideal DS for Houston.

2:32
kevinthecomic: and my sirius-xm app just now has the correa homerun — please post so i can see the time difference — did it make 5 minutes?

2:33
Pinstripe Wizard: Are there any worse social functions than baby showers?

2:33
Dave Cameron: Baby sprinkles, for when you’ve already had a kid but still want free stuff from your friends.

2:34
The Hamburglar: Funerals

2:34
kevinthecomic: funerals?

2:34
Peter: Bad office Christmas parties

2:34
Bdf: Is baby sprinkles a real thing???

2:34
Dave Cameron: Yup.

2:34
Thomas: High school reunions

2:34
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: Divorce “Re-Naming” Parties.

2:34
TJ: Doug Fister starts

2:34
Dan Szymborski: Babu S[roml/;es

2:34
The Hamburglar: I’m afraid to google baby sprinkles

2:34
Dan Szymborski: Baby sprinkles?

2:35
Bdf: Are renaming parties also real?

2:35
Dan Szymborski: Like to eat the baby with?

2:35
Dan Szymborski: I always assumed you ate baby like carpaccio

2:35
Matt: Clearly, you all have never been to an adult briss.

2:35
Sonny: the forced meet up before a work conference

2:36
The Ghost of Turk Farrell: I’m down to listening to PBP on SiriusXM and you guys are more than a minute ahead of the webcast.

2:36
Show Hey O’Tawny: *googles carpaccio* Jesus, Dan

2:36
Dan Szymborski: We’re from the future.

2:36
The Laser Show: Can we get a poll to see how many people in here are at work right now?

2:36
Dan Szymborski: Outcome vs. process!

2:36
Dave Cameron:

Are you at work right now?

Yes (64.4% | 172 votes)
 
No (35.5% | 95 votes)
 

Total Votes: 267
2:37
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: I thought Chris Young was left off of the DS roster?

2:37
Dan Szymborski: It is my home office, so yes?

2:37
Dave Cameron: Replaced Nunez

2:39
TJ: Thankfully Doug Fister is up for game 3!

2:39
Dave Cameron: He was to third by the time the ball got to the plate.

2:39
SignedEpsteinsMother: We need some polls!

2:39
Dan Szymborski: I’ll think of one.

2:39
Dave Cameron: Keuchel is not particularly sharp today.

2:40
Mattingly’s Sideburns: Here comes the Deven Marrero home run

2:40
Brian: Who is the Astros best option this game, post Keuchel

2:40
Dave Cameron: McCullers, probably

2:41
Thomas: Devenski available?

2:41
Dave Cameron: He pitched yesterday

2:41
woeful SFG fan: Who will start game 3?

2:41
Dave Cameron: Morton

2:42
Ryan: Houston: best IF in baseball? Is it even close?

2:42
Dave Cameron: I’d take the Cubs group.

2:42
Thomas: Nationals aren’t bad.

2:43
Matt: Clevenand has 50% rain chance for the next 12 hours basicall. But when you look at the radar, there’s nothing. Did Fangraphs predict the rain probabilities? (***OHHHHH SICK BURN****)

2:43
TJ: Do we know if Jeter is bringing the facial hair ban to Miami? I can’t see him liking some of these grizzly adams beards

2:43
Matt: Better to use McCullers in the pen or as one of the game 3/4 starters?

2:43
Dan Szymborski: Pen I think.

2:44
Brian: If Keuchel gets that pitch, I like his odds. On or not.

2:45
Dan Szymborski:

Who is the best player on this list?

Mike Trout turned into a manticore. (21.7% | 45 votes)
 
Jose Altuve in an alternate timeline when he learned cricket first. (25.1% | 52 votes)
 
Corey Kluber after eating only Taco Bell for a year (25.1% | 52 votes)
 
Nick Markakis (28.0% | 58 votes)
 

Total Votes: 207
2:45
The Hamburglar: That was a great pitch. It was a ball, but a great 2-2 pitch

2:45
Sgt. Pepper: McCann has been stealing those low strikes

2:46
Only Taco Bell?: Doesn’t Kluber die of scurvy or some other form of malnutrition from only eating Taco Bell?

2:46
Dan Szymborski: That’s part of the question.

2:47
Peter: Great at bat there

2:47
Dave Cameron: Not great for Keuchel to not be able to put Bradley away there

2:47
Dave Cameron: I don’t think he’s going to last more than a few more innings.

2:48
Dan Szymborski: I think Keuchel is pulled fairly quickly and possibly coming back sooner.

2:48
Dave Cameron: 38 pitches to get 4 outs.

2:48
Mac: A few more innings is still better than most starters this postseason

2:48
The Hamburglar: Who comes in for the Astros? Which relieve can throw 2-3 innings? Peacock?

2:49
Dave Cameron: They have McCullers/Peacock/Morton/McHugh as guys who could start or reliever for several IP.

2:49
Dave Cameron: Plus Musgrove

2:49
The Hamburglar: That was a strike???

2:49
weezy: wow that strike call

2:49
Guest: how does Angel Hernandez get a postseason gig?

2:49
TJ: Wow bad strike call

2:49
Angel Hernandez: And Bogaerts just got Angel’d.

2:49
Mattingly’s Sideburns: Angel Hernandez letting everyone know he’s umping today

2:49
mwl: I believe McHugh was left off roster.

2:49
Show Hey O’Tawny: Generally if you know an umpire’s name he can’t be good

2:50
Dave Cameron: Right, my mistake.

2:50
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, no McHugh

2:50
Concrete melts off me: Hernandez is showing us he is the postseason hero.

2:50
Seth: Angel Hernandez………..

2:50
Dan Szymborski: I was surprised

2:50
The Hamburglar: So the Astros are waiting to announce a game 4 starter depending which relievers they have to use in these next 2 games?

2:50
Dave Cameron: Yeah.

2:51
weezy: these last two ABs look better from Keuchel

2:52
Saditude: They should look better, he’s got an Angel on his side

2:52
The Hamburglar: With the very real possibility of going down 2-0 today, do you think the Yankees keep Tanaka in Game 3? Just seems weird to lose a division series without the 3rd best pitcher in the league getting a single start

2:53
Dan Szymborski: I think they do.  They’ll need to win all 3 after all.

2:53
Sgt. Pepper: Don’t think Keuchel really has a right to complain about the strike zone at this point

2:54
Dan Szymborski: I like the euphemisms for “Angel Hernandez is a craptacular incompetent.”

2:54
Wes: I can’t stream video or radio from work. Aside from this chat, where is the best place for me to follow the game?

2:54
Dan Szymborski: Minute Maid Park!

2:54
Dave Cameron: Again, Red Sox can’t keep wasting these opportunities.

2:54
Dave Cameron: They probably only get one more shot at Keuchel before the RPs come in.

2:54
Dave Cameron: Next time he gets in trouble, they’re going to have guys warming up.,

2:55
The Hamburglar: So is Peacock coming in out of the bullpen for this series?

2:55
Dan Szymborski: I was assuming Peacock was Game 3 unless they had to burn him in a long relief role before.

2:56
Dan Szymborski: They’re willing to be flexible

2:56
Matt: Why did Corey Kluber get the only addition that would make him better?

2:56
Dan Szymborski: With a hole in his colon?

2:56
Oddball Herrera: I actually like the idea of Jeter trying to make his team oh so serious in the Yankees mold, while being forced to watch a giant spinning fish themed birthday cake go off every time one of his guys hits a home run.

2:56
Dave Cameron: Oh, good, it’s the testosterone pill that sounds like mass murder again.

2:57
Dan Szymborski: They should play creepy calliope minor-key circus music with the Marlins home run feature

2:57
Dan Szymborski: Man, I’m on MLB.tv and missing the cool commercials you guys see.

2:57
Dan Szymborski: What’s the name of the erectile pill?

2:58
Danny: I really need some nugenix to go with my soylent.

2:59
Dan Szymborski: I think Nugenix was a goblin NPC in Final Fantasy XI or XIV

2:59
Thomas: My feed has A.J. Pierzynski, making me wish there were volume sliders for individual commentators.

2:59
Tommy: Is Pom pitching better than Keuchel?

2:59
Tommy: Nevermind

2:59
Dave Cameron: Walking Gurriel is not easy.

3:01
Charlotte the bassador: MARWIN, what if it was WARMIN? or WARWIN?

3:01
Dave Cameron: Or MARLOSE?

3:01
Luis: Dave, still thinking of Gurriell and Marwin as barely “average hitters”? Not your brightest moment.

3:02
Dave Cameron: Gurriel has a career wRC+ of 107, Marwin had an xwOBA this year of .325.

3:02
Dave Cameron: Astros fans can think they’re great if they want. They’re not.

3:02
it me: dan did you play ffxi back in its heyday? great game but the investment was unreal even for an mmo

3:03
Dan Szymborski: Yes, I did.  From launch until like 2011.

3:03
Hendrik: Will every game in these playoffs take five hours?

3:03
Sgt. Pepper: Starwin Marwin

3:03
E: “Walking Gurriel is not easy.” Dave made a funny

3:03
Scott: Dan, which Astro would have the best chance against Kevin Owens inside Hell in a Cell?

3:03
Dan Szymborski: Altuve, that big vs. little mismatch!

3:03
Tyler: As a sox fan I would take a wRC+ of 107 right about now lol.

3:03
Dan Szymborski: Like 60% of the FS1 panel would be an upgrade on Hanley.

3:04
TJ: McCann is always sweating profusely. It could be Antarctica and he would look like he just ran a marathon

3:04
Dan Szymborski: it me, I then played the FFXIV launch, hated it, then mostly played WoW and GW2 for a few years until the next iteration of FFXIV didn’t suck.

3:04
Sonny: are we sure Sam Travis isn’t one of the best 12 hitters for the Red Sox?

3:04
Dan Szymborski: I’m not,

3:04
Dave Cameron: This inning is probably Boston’s best chance.

3:04
Dave Cameron: 3-4-5 coming up.

3:04
Formerly Sad Accountant: Gattis looks like he’d drop a mean elbow.

3:05
Quadrangular: I live for Dave shooting fools down on these chats.

3:05
Dan Szymborski: We were trained on usenet.

3:05
Matt: With all that gaming, Dan, how did you ever find time to make it out of your mother’s basement?

3:05
Dan Szymborski: I’m in MY basement.

3:06
Ben: What Frank Thomas commercial are you people talking about? Not getting it here (metro NYC).

3:07
Derek: How is you knee recovery going Dave ?

3:07
Dave Cameron: Better than Eduardo Nunez’s

3:08
Show Hey O’Tawny: I miss Tal’s Hill

3:08
weezy: I do not miss Tal’s Hill

3:09
uru: How do you expect Dombrowski to react to this slugging humiliation?

3:09
Dave Cameron: J.D. Martinez mega-contract

3:11
lol: Angel Hernandez is bad at baseball

3:11
AdamZ: Angel Hernandez showing why he deserves to be a playoff ump.

3:11
Tyler: not a strike

3:11
Show Hey O’Tawny: Zoinks, Angel, that was bad

3:11
Dave Cameron: About the worst inning possible for Boston

3:11
Dave Cameron: 1-2-3, only used ~10 pitches

3:13
Guest: On Marwin and Gurriel…I don’t think anyone here think they’re stars as much as we wonder why you seem to think they’re worthless black holes in the lineup. Clearly they’re better than that. And on Gurriel…why cite his career numbers when his career besides this year consists of one month where he was fresh out of Cuba and basically admitted to not being in his best form yet? Aren’t y’all usually the first ones to cite SS after a month in April?

3:14
Dave Cameron: Saying they are average hitters is not saying they are worthless black holes.

3:14
Dave Cameron: And if you have to throw out data to try and support your point, your point probably isn’t very good.

3:14
Brian: Springer

3:15
Anonymous: wow, he got enough, i guess!

3:15
The Hamburglar: When Altuve kneeled down to give Springer a high five, I legit thought he was a child bat boy

3:18
Tommy: bullpen up?

3:18
Show Hey O’Tawny: Should the bullpen be up now?

3:18
Sonny: I hate the Dombrowski Doctrine. Especially when you shorten your window but don’t get better than the competition

3:19
Show Hey O’Tawny: That’s so clearly not Doug Fister, FS1

3:19
TJ: My god that’s Doug Fister’s music!

3:19
Dave Cameron: I’d have Smith in already

3:19
Dave Cameron: Leaving Pomeranz here to face Altuve is too risky for me.

3:19
Jerj Clooners: Altuve: good.

3:20
Conner from AZ: Altuve is really good at hitting baseballs

3:21
Lemmer: Doug Fister put on some weight

3:21
Roger: Re: Martinez contract: does he DH for Boston, with HanRam, say, getting released or traded for essentially nothing?

3:21
Dave Cameron: Or moving to 1B

3:21
Dave Cameron: Dombrowski has never cared about defense.

3:21
Dan Szymborski: Gotta duck out for a few, I’ll be right back.

3:22
Dan Szymborski: If I’m chatting off-and-on the rest of the day, I need to do a quick beer/soda run.

3:22
Formerly Sad Accountant: If double D didn’t care about defense then what was the Mitch Moreland signing?

3:23
Dave Cameron: “We need a cheap first baseman to stay under the luxury tax.”

3:23
Dan Szymborski: And poor offensive evaluation

3:23
Dan Szymborski: Dombrowski’s one of those guys that has dropped in the rankings due to baseball’s advances.  He was a top-tier 90s GM.

3:24
Dave Cameron: His primary skill is being able to manage up; he handles owners really well.

3:24
Dave Cameron: So he gets them to spend money, greenlight big moves, etc…

3:25
Tommy: This Red Sox team is painful.

3:25
ChatzMcGee: Smith’s delivery might be the funkiest in baseball, it oozes funk.

3:26
TJ: Farrell looks like the exasperated grandparent that has to babysit two kids for the afternoon and they’ve already knocked over two vases and poured a ketchup bottle on the carpet. He’s lost control and just wants it to be over

3:26
Conner from AZ: The Red Sox are the worst remaining team in playoffs, right?

3:26
Dave Cameron: They’re better than Arizona

3:27
Tommy: I wouldnt bring in Price today. They need to bullpen the Sunday game. Like I am kinda hoping the Astros score 6 more runs this inning so it becomes possible.

3:27
Dave Cameron: Yeah, down 3 here, I wouldn’t be rushing Price in

3:27
Dave Cameron: If it gets to the 5th-6th and you’re still close, okay.

3:27
Dave Cameron: But this could get ugly.

3:29
The Hamburglar: Astros lineup sort of drops off after those first 4. They have solid offensive players, it just goes from great to average pretty quickly.

3:30
Dave Cameron: Prepare to face the wrath of Houston fans who think they have nine great hitters.

3:30
TJ: Good strategy to nibble around the strike zone. Down a game and 3 runs you don’t want to risk throwing strikes

3:30
Neutral Mets Fan: Smith’s looked shaky coming out of the gates. Seems like Price is coming in soon.

3:30
Tommy: It’s really weird that Angel won’t give the Sox those corners.

3:30
The Hamburglar: That 3-0 pitch looked like a strike.

3:30
ChatzMcGee: Smith walking the first two batters he’s faced is… less than ideal.

3:30
Show Hey O’Tawny: Oh boy

3:32
Nacho-flavored Pop-Tarts: This is your series right here. Astros could put it away

3:32
ohioastrosfan: Couple of runs here and it’s pretty much over

3:32
Show Hey O’Tawny: Oh THAT’S why they started Marrero

3:32
Jon: Are these commentators really arguing that a pitch outside the strike zone should be called a strike just because it’s a 3-0 count?

3:32
Dave Cameron: Every umpire expands his zone 3-0.

3:33
Dave Cameron: It’s part of baseball.

3:33
Show Hey O’Tawny: Is going to Price here smart? It feels panicky

3:33
Dave Cameron: I’d probably have let Smith try to get out of it

3:34
Matt: Re 3-0 autostrike- just because they all do it doesn’t make it right.

3:34
Dave Cameron: As long as we have human umpires, the reasonable expectation is that the zone gets bigger 3-0.

3:35
Guest: Hold on…so you let Carson Smith face LHH Reddick, who hits a missile that could’ve scored 2, maybe 3,  and then you bring in Price for all the RHBs coming up!?!?!?

3:35
AP: So, let Smith pitch to the lefty Reddick, and then bring in Price to face the righty Gurriel.  Interesting strategy.

3:35
Dave Cameron: Farrell got burned this inning by reacting too slowly.

3:35
Dave Cameron: Smith should have been up at the start of the inning.

3:36
Dan Szymborski: OK, beer, have I.

3:36
Daniel: Gurriel was quite a bit better against righties

3:36
Dave Cameron: Reverse platoon splits aren’t real.

3:36
Dan Szymborski: At least until it happens for a crazy long period

3:36
Dave Cameron: Which it almost never does.

3:37
Ben Kaspick: Angel Hernandez seems to like the up-and-in pitch to righties

3:37
ChatzMcGee: Weird strikezone is weird.

3:37
Dan Szymborski: Actual platoon splits don’t predict as well as generic platoon splits until around 3500 PA

3:37
AdamZ: Angel calling the lefty strike on righties.

3:38
Mac: “Almost never does” Is there an actual example of a reverse split?

3:38
Dave Cameron: Ichiro, I think

3:39
The Hamburglar: What a huge missed opportunity for the Astros.

3:40
Show Hey O’Tawny: Is Justin Turner’s reverse split real?

3:40
Dave Cameron: No

3:40
Dave Cameron: Unclutch David Price comes up big.

3:40
SignedEpsteinsMother: Boston needed that!

3:40
uru: How many innings could Price go here? Be an amazing narrative if Sale bombed and he held the Astros scoreless for a few.

3:40
Dave Cameron: He’s going at least 2 more.

3:41
Conner from AZ: Dave, who do you like in the Cubs-Nats series?

3:41
Dave Cameron: Slight lean to CHC since Scherzer isn’t healthy.

3:42
Raindog: For his career, Ichiro has a 115 wRC+ against lefties and 98 against righties.

3:42
Dave Cameron: Yeah, he’s the most extreme reverse split guy in recent history, I think.

3:42
Jay: Scherzer announced game 3 starter

3:42
Dave Cameron: And Eduardo Nunez started last night.

3:43
Dave Cameron: If Scherzer was 100%, he’d be going in Game 1 or 2.

3:43
Dan Szymborski: I agree.  It’s close enough that this may tip my pick to the CUbs.

3:46
Ned Yost: Keuchel has looked better. Only hard hit ball in the air this game was by Young.

3:46
Dave Cameron: Not sure why Boston got so aggressive these last two innings.

3:46
Dave Cameron: He was throwing balls, working behind in counts, and then they just went up hacking.

3:47
Matt: Is there research into reverse splits and their unsustainability? Feel like Didi has been consistent, albeit a short career so far

3:47
The Hamburglar: I dont think he threw a strike to Marrero

3:47
John: Maybe they have plans tonight?

3:47
Brian: Keuchel found it, with BOS’s help

3:47
Mattingly’s Sideburns: im no expert but I think Deven Marrero is bad at hitting

3:47
Neutral Mets Fan: Red Sox are getting too antsy. Poor swing there by Marrero.

3:47
Dan Szymborski: Gregorius’s splits aren’t remarkable.

3:48
Dan Szymborski: .755 vs. RHP, .646 against LHP for career

3:48
Michael Scarn: Will Deven Marrero be the worst player to start a playoff game this year?

3:49
AdamZ: This Red Sox offense is the definition of flaccid. They could really use a blue pill to perk them up.

3:49
Ernie Bank$: Are we going to get any good playoff games this year?

3:49
Dave Cameron: Did you sleep through Tuesday and Wednesday?

3:50
Eric: Sad part is there’s not much the Sox can do to get better offensively. No good prospects coming soon and too much money already tied up

3:51
Dave Cameron: Full year of Devers helps a lot, Mookie probably better next year, Bogaerts potentially better, replace Moreland with a real hitter

3:53
JTT: Red Sox seem very Cardinal esque. Lots of “good” players but really lacking starpower

3:53
FatMatt: I’m not an Indians fan, but last night seeing the season comparisons of Ramirez to Sizemore really reminded me how much fun Grady was to watch in his prime

3:53
Dave Cameron: Mookie’s a top 10-15 player in MLB.

3:53
Dave Cameron: Sale is a top 3 pitcher.

3:54
Dave Cameron: Kimbrel is about as good as RPs get.

3:54
Dave Cameron: But ok.

3:54
The Hamburglar: This Red Sox team isnt as great as HOU or CLE, but people are going overboard. This is still a damn good team with plenty of young pieces

3:54
ChatzMcGee: That was probably a low hit probability.

3:54
Dave Cameron: 75%, actually

3:55
Dave Cameron: Hit weakly but high enough to get to OF, in front of the fielders.

3:55
Neutral Mets Fan: Don’t understand walking Altuve then having to come to bat against Correa.

3:56
Dave Cameron: Trying to limit chances of a 1B.

3:56
Dave Cameron: I don’t mind this.

3:56
Dave Cameron: Down 5-1 or 6-1 starts to be not that different.

3:56
Dave Cameron: Need to keep this at 4-1 if you can.

3:57
Charlotte the bassador: SO why not also walk Correa?

3:57
Dave Cameron: Because then you put two guys in scoring position.

3:58
Tommy: I’d argue this is the inning for the Sox to string together some hits.

3:58
Thomas: This is far from over!

3:59
Guest: Angel Hernandez has been the best player for the Red Sox thus far.

3:59
Dave Cameron: Keuchel has gotten the majority of Angel’s bad calls.

4:00
Sonny: Red Sox feel like a team built for the regular season slog. The low Ks, solid back end SPs w lights out closer. I get that Thornburg & Smith were supposed to be their playoff bullpen but their strengths don’t mean as much this time of year

4:00
Conner from AZ: Correa wins an MVP in the next 5 seasons as long as he stays healthy. Percentage chance you give him?

4:00
Dan Szymborski: 50?

4:02
Boorish Red Sox fan: I feel like not long ago people said that dingers/ a boom-bust style offense isn’t made for the playoffs and it’s all about making contact in October.

4:02
Dave Cameron: People will always say whatever is working that year is the secret.

4:03
Guest: I think to win the playoffs you need luck and talent, don’t tell anyone.

4:05
television jerk: “It really comes down to outscoring your opponent this time of year Joe”

4:06
Dave Cameron: Pretty amazing that Keuchel is about to get through five, given his first two innings.

4:06
Dave Cameron: 50 pitches to get first 6 outs, now going to get next nine on ~30.

4:07
egm: Will wins and losses for pitchers even be shown on TV as stats 15-20 years from now?

4:07
Dave Cameron: Not if the game moves towards the RP model that we’re headed towards.

4:08
Dan Szymborski: I think t hey’ll still be shown out of tradition, but nobody will really care all that much.

4:08
Dave Cameron: If SPs can’t get wins because they only go 3-4 innings, the stat will die.

4:09
Dan Szymborski: True, but I don’t know if it’ll go that extreme.

4:09
Dan Szymborski: If anything, they might get rid of the 5 IP requirement before they axe it completely.

4:09
Dan Szymborski: Inertia and all that.

4:09
Dave Cameron: 20 years? I could see 90% of starters going less than 5 IP, with only the true aces getting 6-7.

4:09
Dave Cameron: I’d bet within 5-10 years we’ll have a team try out the 3-guys-going-3-innings plan

4:10
Dave Cameron: At least with their back-end starters

4:11
Guest: Looks like today is Price day. Is he available for game 3 will be a huge, huge question.

4:11
Dave Cameron: Think he’ll be saved for Game 4 at this point now.

4:12
Dave Cameron: While everyone freaks out about having to win game 3 if you’re down 2-0, you have to win all 3.

4:12
Dave Cameron: No reason to push him in a situation he might not be good.

4:13
stever20: do they consider if Price goes 60-70 pitches today bringing Sale back for a game 4, and then maybe start Price game 5?  He would be somewhat stretched out then…..

4:13
Dave Cameron: If they lose this, guess the plan will be try to get lucky in game 3, then Sale in 4, bullpen game (mostly Price) in 5

4:13
Dan Szymborski: Steven Wright!  Doug Fister!  Just like the Golden State Warriors!

4:13
Eric: Sale losing game 1 basically ended Boston’s season on the spot

4:14
Dan Szymborski: I wouldn’t go that far.

4:14
Anonymous: “Usually you don’t see home runs in the postseason.” Where do we start…

4:14
ChatzMcGee: No home runs in the postseason.

4:14
Dan Szymborski: You could swap in the Tigers right now and they’ll sweep 3 at times time.

4:14
Dan Szymborski: <facepalm>

4:16
Dave Cameron: Most most best?

4:16
Dave Cameron: What a weird table that was

4:16
Dan Szymborski: The Astros did not lead the league in home runs.

4:18
Dan Szymborski: Homers tend to be more vaolatile.

4:18
stever20: Are Sale’s struggles late in the year a concern for Boston going forward, or is it just fagitue?  Last 9 starts a 5.12 ERA with a .278 avg against with 14 homers(after giving up 13 in his first 24 starts of the year)?

4:18
Dave Cameron: Jeff looked, didn’t find anything

4:19
Dan Szymborski: I’d be more worried if his strikeouts or velocity were down, and they weren’t.

4:19
botchatheny: off topic – dan, you played cuphead?

4:19
Dan Szymborski: Not yet!

4:19
The Hamburglar: Astros should have their pen up and warming in case Keuchel gets in trouble, right?

4:19
Dave Cameron: Yup

4:20
Eric: They said the Astros led the league in homers then immediately showed a graphic with them at 2nd. Great job guys

4:20
Dan Szymborski: Yeah ’twas laughing.

4:20
idk: is there an ideal type of offense in the playoffs? Home run vs small ball team? Seems like this talking point is being beaten to death in this series

4:20
Dan Szymborski: The ideal type of offense is one that scores a lot of runs off of opposing pitchers.

4:20
Dan Szymborski: The ideal type of pitching defense is one that allows the fewest runs to opposing batters.

4:20
ChatzMcGee: David Price’s clutch postseason turn is going to be deemed pointless.

4:21
David: How many relief innings Price have to throw for him to be more valuable as a reliever than a starter, considering he would probably be better and the innings would presumably be higher-leverage?

4:21
Dave Cameron: Going to take a few minutes off from the chat to do some credentialing work.

4:21
Dave Cameron: Be back in a bit.

4:21
Dan Szymborski: UNCHAPERONED

4:22
The Hamburglar: So let’s talk booze and drus

4:22
HappyFunBall: Ok Dan, Dad’s gone. You can give us all a beer now.

4:22
Dan Szymborski: <rolls out the keg>

4:22
AdamZ: Dan-go unchained

4:22
AdamZ: er, Szymbo Unchained

4:23
Carson Cistulli: We are all unchaperoned Dan, we are alone in a cold and bleak universe

4:23
Dan Szymborski: Only since you killed god.

4:23
Buck Jacobsen: First into the breach for the Astros would be Devenski, is that right?

4:23
Dan Szymborski: I’d save him.

4:23
Geoff Williams: Hey, now that Largo’s gone, we can play the forbidden music

4:23
Kenan and Keu-Kel: Did nobody pick up that “J.J. Redick” slip-up

4:24
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, someome mentioned it on twitter

4:24
Ben: Gonna say a bunch of swear words

4:24
botchatheny: if keuchels beard was on his head he’d look like the singer from static X

4:24
The Hamburglar: Which MLB team will be the first to build a see-through pitching mound with a seat underneath it, allowing for the best seat in the game.

4:24
Dan Szymborski: The Crotch Seat?

4:24
Lunar verLander: I’d say: bring Devo in if things get messy, don’t throw him into a clean inning.

4:24
Dan Szymborski: Yeah

4:25
Dan Szymborski: Was that the first call that actually went Keuchel’s way?

4:25
The Hamburglar: Static X reference is not one I expected to see today

4:26
botchatheny: btw, what kind of beer and/or soda did you get?

4:26
Dan Szymborski: Coke and a bunch of random Great Lakes stuff.  Was in a hurry to get back, so wasn’t particular

4:26
Daniel: Incredible that Keuchel may actually go 7 in this game

4:26
Buck Jacobsen: This just in: Verlander and Keuchel are still good.

4:26
Super Biology Man: Keuchel’s beard is… on his head already?

4:27
Charlie: Hernandez had two awful strike calls against Bogaerts and Pedroia.

4:28
Section329: It makes me happy that Marlins Man doesn’t stand out in orange today

4:28
John: Isn’t it a bit much to call Reddick an overpay? (broadcaster reference)

4:28
Dan Szymborski: Yes

4:28
Show Hey O’Tawny: These announcers are seriously lowering my interest in the game by going so dull and bad

4:28
99: I thought that postseason umps are voted in as the “best” or some sort of process.  How did Angel Hernandez make it??

4:29
Dan Szymborski:

4:29
Dan Szymborski: No, home field advantage is not that big a deal.

4:29
Manny : This has turned into Price VS Keuchel

4:29
Mac: The Angel Hernandez of death shall come take away your first born batter

4:29
KICKBALL!!!!: if Astros win this game do they trot out McCullers for Game 3?

4:30
Dan Szymborski: Think it’s Peacock

4:30
Major Minor: Keuchel’s epidermis is showing!!!

4:30
Show Hey O’Tawny: I don’t know if I am happy or angry that you published my typo, Szymborski

4:30
Dan Szymborski: Dull and rad?

4:31
guy: who is your all time least favorite announcer, dan?

4:31
Dan Szymborski: Reynolds is my least favorite caster.

4:31
Dan Szymborski: Pierzynski may be worse, but I’m going career rather than short peak

4:32
Dan Szymborski: And the Hawk

4:32
botchatheny: Christopher Michael Devenski
Nickname: The Dragon

4:32
Bdf: If Reynolds is your least favorite you’ve never listened to a phillies broadcast post kalas

4:32
Anonymous: fortunately Hawk does not work national

4:32
Eric: How do you feel about baseball Joe Buck? I hate it

4:32
Dan Szymborski: Mostly negatively indifferent, no white-hot hate

4:33
Show Hey O’Tawny: “Canadian spectators don’t know how to catch baseballs cause they’re not baseball fans” -Harold Reynolds

4:33
Dave Cameron:

Dave should

Come back (69.5% | 89 votes)
 
Stay away (30.4% | 39 votes)
 

Total Votes: 128
4:33
Dan Szymborski: My biggest fear.

4:33
Dan Szymborski:

4:33
The Hawk: Caw! Caw! I’ll remember that Dan.

4:33
ChatzMcGee: The people love you Dave! Sort of.

4:34
Dan Szymborski: Or just dislike me more!

4:34
Eric: That’s a terrifying photo

4:34
Anonymous: The ballot was confusing

4:34
Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: I am declaring Dan law. It is now Tuesday (Wednesday? Thursday???) and we will talk about cats, video games, and post that picture of bananas by the each.

4:35
Dan Szymborski: TRIGGERED

4:35
Dan Szymborski:

4:35
AdamZ: HR can’t be any worse than the Mooch.

4:35
David: You posted my question earlier, but didn’t answer it! How many relief innings would Price have to throw for him to be more valuable as a reliever than a starter, considering he would probably be better and the innings would presumably be higher-leverage?

4:35
Dan Szymborski: 120?

4:35
Dan Szymborski: And he has to be used aggressively high-leverage

4:35
Dan Szymborski: It’s not like you can find him 66 IP with a LI of 3 or anything

4:35
Oddball Herrera: Yes, Reynolds made my announcer hall of fame with the comment about Canadians, I was in Vancouver at the time, people were so mad and it was so amusing.  I’ll take a cheap laugh over Chris Berman any day

4:35
The Hamburglar: You cannot walk Mitch freaking Moreland here.

4:36
Dan Szymborski: That seems like a dare.

4:37
Dan Szymborski:

4:37
djs: Marlins “Man” – no real man would act like this

4:37
Tommy: does he have a slider?

4:37
bananas: Fox is somehow making postseason baseball worse than the regular season.  And this coming from a red sox fan who watched saltalamachia, mike timlin, steve lyons, wade boggs, and LENNY FLIPPING DINARDO.  (the red sox are also doing their part to make this less enjoyable)

4:37
Charlie: Are reverse splits for pitchers more indicative of actual talent than for hitters? Some Boston writers on Twitter criticizing Farrell for pinch hitting with Moreland when Devenski has .111 BAA against LHB.

4:37
Dan Szymborski: Fewer PA needed.

4:37
Dave Cameron: Yeah, change-up pitchers can run real reverse splits.

4:37
Dave Cameron: But you still don’t want to quote single season splits as true talent.

4:38
ChatzMcGee: Devenski is a changeup champ.

4:38
botchatheny: dave has a 67% approval rating

4:38
The Hawk: He’s back. Put the beer away guys

4:38
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, guys with screwbally-type wacky wrong way actions can have a reverse platoon split.

4:38
Dan Szymborski: Jim Mecir comes to mind.

4:39
Dave Cameron: There’s a guy no one has thought of in 20 years.

4:39
Dan Szymborski: Fernando had a reverse platoon split too

4:40
Anonymous: Hot Take: There are no padres fans in this chat

4:40
Bdf: Anyone know why they’re making dirty dancing jokes about keuchel?

4:40
Jeff: I’d rather watch Geostorm than see this Sox lineup struggle any more.

4:40
Dave Cameron: The Geo Storm sounds like a $6,000 new car.

4:41
Dan Szymborski: I was always disappointed to find out a Geoduck wasn’t a duck but a real fugly clam

4:41
Dan Szymborski: You know like a duck with a little scientist hat.

4:41
Legeisc: Fernando got the reverse split by breathing out of eye lids like a lava lizard.

4:42
Guest: Ah, yes, bring in Eduardo Rodriguez vs a ton of RHBs coming up (sans McCann).

4:42
AdamZ: The Geo Storm was an actual car.

4:43
Kalas Meatloaf:

4:44
Tommy: WTF , like why bother bringing him in

4:44
Dan Szymborski: A lot of circle change guys at least had closer than normal platoon splits, like john franco

4:44
Dave Cameron: I don’t understand Farrell’s bullpen usage at all today.

4:44
Kalas Meatloaf: No, Geo Storm is the perfect name for a Geo Metro group that meets for coffee and cars.

4:44
Baloo: You may be even more disappointed (or less?) to find out that it’s actually pronounced more like gooey-duck

4:44
Dan Szymborski: I was.

4:44
J Farrell: You guys are playing chess while I am playing Go Fish. Get on my level.

4:44
Carson Cistulli: Given the futility and “screwball wacky wrong way” tendencies of all human actions, this commenter would dare to say- that we are ALL former baseballer Jim Mecir

4:45
Dan Szymborski: OK, me and my laptops are moving upstairs, brb

4:45
Dave Cameron: Hey, Former 1990s Baseball Slugger, you want to be the spokesman for a performance enhancing drug?

4:46
Dave Cameron: With the worst named product in the history of time?

4:48
Dave Cameron: Typing just got a little more difficult, as Liberty has pushed the computer out of the way and claimed my lap as her bed.

4:49
Dave Cameron: That was a strike, I think.

4:49
Dave Cameron: Angels’s zone continues to confound.

4:49
HappyFunBall: Rejected commercial tag line: “Nugenix, like Eugenics but TOTALLY different”

4:50
Ned Yost: Wow

4:50
ChatzMcGee: Well,that sucked.

4:50
Show Hey O’Tawny: Betts did a accident

4:50
AdamZ: That is literally the Red Sox series in one play.

4:50
AdamZ: Oh Mookie 🙁

4:50
botchatheny: in play, run(s)

4:50
Guest: Gonna have to update Mookie’s DRS

4:51
Bdf: Dave I got a German shepherd puppy about a year ago and I’m completely obsessed and overwhelmed with love. Is having a kid actually more so? Because I can’t fathom that

4:51
Legeisc: The good ole Statue of Liberty play.

4:51
JTT: How does Frank Thomas not have enough money to say no to that sponsorship deal? You don’t usually see “good” players hocking penis pills

4:51
Dave Cameron: You’re just more aware of the fact that you matter more with a kid. You love the dog but you can’t have the same kind of long-term impact on the world as you do with a child.

4:52
Tyler: night night

4:52
Dave Cameron: Ballgame.

4:52
Show Hey O’Tawny: *sad trombone*

4:53
Show Hey O’Tawny: Jesus Christ

4:53
David S.: Still need one more run to cover the over. PLENTY OF DRAMA left

4:53
David S.: Never mind

4:53
The Only Rockies Fan: Jumping all over those last few first pitches.

4:53
ChatzMcGee: Evan Gattis is fun.

4:54
Anonymous: Anyone else think this triangle solo actually kind of rocks?

4:55
David: It’s all because Addison Reed is an 8th inning guy.

4:55
bananas: Red Sox are losing because Addison Reed has to pitch in the 6th inning.
-Fox Baseball Experts

4:55
Tyler: A.J. the 6th inning in the playoffs is not much diffrent than the 8th in the reg season

4:56
Tyler: If sox get swept in two straight playoffs is Farrell gone?

4:56
Dave Cameron: Maybe

4:56
Dave Cameron: Dombrowski hired Ausmus once

4:56
Dave Cameron: Could see him doing it again

4:56
Show Hey O’Tawny: Red Sox haven’t won a playoff game since they won the WS

4:57
Dave Cameron: We’re calling it “non-greek” now?

4:57
Dave Cameron: Can’t we just call it yogurt?

4:58
Buck Jacobsen: Roman yogurt.

4:58
Denji: Any reason for Devenski to still be out there given how little the rest of the pen has pitched?

4:58
Dave Cameron: Guessing they didn’t have anyone warming, so he’ll get this inning, then they’ll go mop-up the last two.

4:58
Sam: It’s cool.  Doug Fister is starting tomorrow.

4:59
Dan Szymborski: If you’re going to lose, might as well do it quickly while the golf weather is still good

4:59
Derek: check this out, on MLB gameday, it already says Hou leading 2-0

5:00
Steve O: Yall switching over to Indians-Yanks or finishing out this beatdown?

5:00
Dave Cameron: I’ll keep an eye on both

5:00
Dan Szymborski: I was always amused Doug Fister was traded for a player with an even more awkward name, Charlie Furbush

5:01
Show Hey O’Tawny: Why is CLE-NYY exclusive to MLB Network?

5:01
Dan Szymborski: Because they want it to be.

5:02
Bo Shankus: Random Question — Has there ever been a more alphabetically-adjacent matchup than Devenski facing Devers?  (Not including players with identical names, like F. Rodriguez facing I. Rodriguez)

5:03
JTT: Kinsler v Kintzler happened this year

5:03
Brian: zimmerman vs zimmermann

5:04
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, Jordan ZImmermann has faced both Zimmer and Zimmerman.

5:04
Mattingly’s Sideburns: Fister-Furbush is always amusing

5:04
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: Zimmerman vs. Zimmermann wins by default.

5:05
Anonymous: We never got Johan Santa vs. Johan Santana 🙁

5:05
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: Speaking of adjacent letters, has anyone noticed that food delivery website foodler.com is just a single letter away from being the most dubious website on the entire internet?

5:06
Derek: Hou vs Cle ALCS will be crazily entertaining … best lineup vs best pitching ?

5:06
Oddball Herrera: When pitchers face batters with the same name, the rules are basically the same as Highlander, right?

5:06
Dave Cameron: Austin Maddox pitching, in case you weren’t sure if the Red Sox had given up.

5:06
Dan Szymborski: Yes

5:06
Dan Szymborski: Poor Austin Maddox, he’s like the win probability threshold indicator.

5:08
Dave Cameron: That is some kind of background music, TBS.

5:09
Dave Cameron: I guess licensing carnival theme songs is cheap?

5:10
Dave Cameron: If the key is to get to 2 strikes, why not just say get to 3?

5:10
Anonymous: “Key to the game: Keep being the best pitcher on the planet.”

5:11
Dave Cameron: Kluber’s breaking ball is life.

5:11
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: Somehow I accidentally deleted it from my feed, and not to hawk another baseball podcast, but I just realized a new episode of The Infinite Inning came out yesterday. Looks like this is going to be an awesome bike ride home!

5:11
Tyler: Smoltz is only ok as an announcer but he is one of the best analysts on mlb tonight.

5:12
Anonymous: Kluber vs. Judge.  We must have been very good children this year

5:15
The Hamburglar: Can someone tell MLB Network and Fox to please stop doing that “behind the catcher” look on pitches. It’s useless

5:15
Brian: Kluber has too much rest!

5:16
Dave Cameron: Well there goes the narrative.

5:16
Conner from AZ: Gary is scary

5:16
Anonymous: We got us a series, people!

5:16
Eduardo : That home run was nice but what about all his passed balls

5:17
Dave Cameron: Now that they have a lead, will be interesting to see how aggressive Girardi is with the pen.

5:17
The Hamburglar: It would be quite hilarious for the Yankees to get to Kluber, only to have CC implode making it a moot point

5:17
Careagan: Somebody reboot the Klubot

5:17
Dave Cameron: I’d probably have Green warming as soon as CC gets in trouble.

5:17
BJOGC: Smoltz is great at providing insight as to what an actual good player would do in various situations, as opposed to whatever Harold Reynolds says

5:18
Brian: Kluber has only thrown one breaking ball so far

5:18
Dan Szymborski: I assume we’re all psychologically done with Boston/Houston game?

5:18
ChatzMcGee: I love Smoltz, I don’t care what anyone says.

5:19
Dave Cameron: I’m done with the BOS/HOU game physically, mentally, and spiritually.

5:20
First Man on the Sun: In a world where aces immediately implode in postseason play, Game 7 of WS will come down to Doug Fister vs Zombie John Lackey.

5:20
Dave Cameron: Didi swung through a hanging curve.

5:20
David S.: Will there be a live blog for the Yankees-Indians game?

5:20
Dave Cameron: No, I’m just sticking around for a little bit since BOS/HOU isn’t over yet.

5:20
AdamZ: Yeah but if you watch Cle/NYY you miss the Angel Hernandez show.

5:20
Dave Cameron: But we’ll wrap this up in a little bit.

5:22
A lawyer: 26 pitches for Kluber already

5:22
Brian: That was super flat too

5:22
Cave Dameron: 4th hit against kluber in 1-2 count

5:22
ChatzMcGee: Yankees are a pretty good team.

5:23
Dave Cameron: The lead is nice, but getting Kluber to 30 pitches here is also pretty sweet.

5:23
djs: last position player to pitch in a postseason game?

5:23
Dan Szymborski: Cliff Pennington?

5:24
Section329: Thanks for the chat guys

5:24
Buck Jacobsen: Kluber is not sharp.  That’s a concern.  Hope he looks better in the 2nd

5:24
Oddball Herrera: Let’s not get too excited about this lead, remember that Cleveland can always release the midges on Sabathia

5:25
Dave Cameron: Yikes.

5:25
Dave Cameron: Kluber did not need to throw more pitches this inning.

5:25
Sgt. Pepper: No excuse to not make that play

5:25
A lawyer: 101 mph by Bird though.  Loud contact.

5:25
Brian: Salazar fro a few today?

5:25
Dave Cameron: Would guess they were hoping to not use him.

5:27
The Hamburglar: Yankees hitting Kluber hard even on the misses

5:27
Buck Jacobsen: Castro 103, Sanchez 104.  He’s getting smoked

5:28
Anonymous: Kluber doesn’t like ‘Klubot’?

5:28
Buck Jacobsen: What’s going on exactly?  Is the breaking ball not breaking, or has he not established a fastball?

5:28
Dave Cameron: He’s missing with location, mostly.

5:29
Dave Cameron: Ones down are way down, and the ones up are middle-middle.

5:30
Dave Cameron: Okay, I’ll stay through the bottom of the first in this CLE-NYY game, then I’m going to have to exercise the dog.

5:30
Dave Cameron: And if the Red Sox mount the greatest comeback of all time after we close the chat, so be it.

5:32
Dan Szymborski: And I’m going to head out for sports bar dinner.

5:32
Dan Szymborski: (anywhere I eat has to have baseball on tv!)

5:32
Kyle: Aren’t we more important than the dog

5:32
Dan Szymborski: You’re not going to poop on Dave’s floor.

5:32
Section329: No

5:32
Eric: Challenge accepted?

5:33
John: Hey speak for yourself…

5:33
Mike: Oh I don’t know about that.

5:33
Dave Cameron: Infield defense not stellar so far

5:33
The Hamburglar: Are the announcers really complaining that it was ruled an error? That was a clear error

5:34
Dave Cameron: Kipnis hitting 2nd against a lefty is interesting.

5:36
Oddball Herrera: So, if the sidebar ads on your site are trying to sell me unidentified stock that will “be like buying Amazon in 1997”, does that mean my browsing history has identified me to Google as an idiot?

5:36
Dave Cameron: Yes.

5:36
Dave Cameron: I’d get Green up.

5:36
Dave Cameron: I know Girardi won’t, but I would.

5:37
Dave Cameron: EE missed a meatball.

5:37
Dave Cameron: Yeah, Green should be warming.

5:37
Mac: Meatball doesn’t miss EE

5:37
Dave Cameron: Sabathia without command isn’t a guy you want out there long.

5:38
Jess: Can’t take him out, he’s got a no-hitter going! </sarcasm>

5:39
Dave Cameron: Tie game.

5:40
Brian: Starters are terrible is the lesson of this postseason

5:40
Jordan : This is one scary Cleveland team

5:40
Sgt. Pepper: Tough inning for Edwin wow

5:40
Anonymous: oooof that looked bad

5:40
Brian: oh no

5:40
Dave Cameron: That looked awful.,

5:41
ChatzMcGee: Ouch.

5:41
Waffles: Ankles aren’t supposed to do thag

5:41
woeful SFG fan: What was awful? I don’t have the tv channel to watch

5:41
Dave Cameron: Encarnacion rolled his ankle.

5:41
Dave Cameron: Right up against the bag.

5:41
The Hamburglar: He tagged his ankle when it came off the bag, so I think he’ll be ruled out…

5:42
Dave Cameron: He came off the bag because his ankle got messed up.

5:42
John: Could be a big blow for Indians

5:42
Sgt. Pepper: Gotta love the Cleveland crowd getting a loud Yankees suck chant going while one of their stars is writhing in pain

5:42
Dave Cameron: Encarnacion is ruled out.

5:42
Dave Cameron: Inning ending DP and Encarnacion being carried off the field.

5:42
Dave Cameron: That’s about the worst play possible.

5:43
Dave Cameron: And a lousy way to end the chat, but the dog won’t exercise herself.

5:43
Dave Cameron: Thanks for hanging out everyone.

5:43
Dave Cameron: We’ll do more of these live blogs as we get into some elimination games.

5:43
Dave Cameron: Enjoy the rest of baseball today!

5:44
David: Thanks Dave and Dan!





Dave is the Managing Editor of FanGraphs.

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alang3131982member
6 years ago

Dave – this has confused me for some time. Announcers, typically former pitchers, claim that if their fielders shifted they would pitch differently — but wouldnt that negate the basis for the shift? Or I guess, do pitchers now pitch differently when there is a shift versus when there isn’t? I thought the whole point of the shift was that these were the tendencies of the hitter’s batted ball profile given a normal approach from a pitcher? Or if there a way to exploit that that I’m not thinking of? I dunno, this is confusing to me, sorta like Flash season 3