MLB postseason thread

[IthacaBarrel]

I don't know why they went to Chapman though, should have saved him for tomorrow.

I think Cubs need to hit tonight more than anything and if you watched the Cubs bullpen before Chapman you would see why Maddon went with him. He will throw Chapman tonight for the ninth if need be. They just had to get game 7 and any cost. Kluber and a fresh Miller will be very difficult. I don't blame Maddon one bit, they give up 3-4 runs in the 7th and anything can happen, shut it down, no tomorrow.

Chapman can throw 4-6 outs tonight on adrenaline alone, it's not good long term but season is over tonight either way. If Maddon lets the 7th get out of hand, people are asking why he didn't put Chapman in and relied on an inferior bullpen

 

[Alsacs]

Cleveland has 1 SP they were lucky to win 1 non-Kluber start. Chicago has 4 SP.
Whoever is ahead after 5 innings will win tonight. Miller would go 3 innings
Kluber has nasty enough stuff to still get outs after seeing him 3 times in a week.
I liked the Cubs last nite because of Arrieta's stuff. Arrieta's stuff is the best of any RH pitcher IMO since King Felix has lost a little. Kluber is probably top 3.
Cubs lineup is also miles better than the Indians lineup. Cubs score 3 runs this series they are 3-0 if they score less than 3 0-3.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Cleveland has 1 SP they were lucky to win 1 non-Kluber start. Chicago has 4 SP.
Whoever is ahead after 5 innings will win tonight. Miller would go 3 innings
Kluber has nasty enough stuff to still get outs after seeing him 3 times in a week.
I liked the Cubs last nite because of Arrieta's stuff. Arrieta's stuff is the best of any RH pitcher IMO since King Felix has lost a little. Kluber is probably top 3.
Cubs lineup is also miles better than the Indians lineup. Cubs score 3 runs this series they are 3-0 if they score less than 3 0-3.

Cubs are -116 on a straight win bet tonight Indians +106, crazy if you ask me. Kluber just may prove too tough but if Miller comes in up 2 runs in the 6th to me the game will be essentially over. I agree whoever is up top of 6 will be very very tough to beat. Cubs seem to be playing with nothing to lose, Indians look a bit tight to me but like I said Kluber/ Miller should prove to be the equalizer and could be just too good. Francona pretty much shut it down after the grand slam last night as he should have.

Expecting a Bumgardner like performance from Kluber tonight hoping for a choke job

 

[Knicks411]

Cleveland has 1 SP they were lucky to win 1 non-Kluber start. Chicago has 4 SP.
Whoever is ahead after 5 innings will win tonight. Miller would go 3 innings
Kluber has nasty enough stuff to still get outs after seeing him 3 times in a week.
I liked the Cubs last nite because of Arrieta's stuff. Arrieta's stuff is the best of any RH pitcher IMO since King Felix has lost a little. Kluber is probably top 3.
Cubs lineup is also miles better than the Indians lineup. Cubs score 3 runs this series they are 3-0 if they score less than 3 0-3.

It hardly matters, but this is all I have right now since they're out of the playoffs, before he passed I would say the two best right handers in terms of stuff were Jose Fernandez and Thor.

If Kluber can give them 5 good innings on short rest again, I like the Indians. The back half of their pen is rested and should easily be able to cover the last 12 outs.

 

[Alsacs]

It hardly matters, but this is all I have right now since they're out of the playoffs, before he passed I would say the two best right handers in terms of stuff were Jose Fernandez and Thor.

If Kluber can give them 5 good innings on short rest again, I like the Indians. The back half of their pen is rested and should easily be able to cover the last 12 outs.

Syndergaard has velocity but his pitches don't move like Arrieta's pitches move.
Velocity isn't stuff. Syndergaard by far has the most velocity as his change up is faster than some pitchers fastballs. He also has a good hook but he doesn't paint like Arrieta.
Arrieta has the fastball, change up, slider, cutter to dominate. Arrieta's opponent batting average is insane.
Your guy is throwing gas. I would want Arrieta's style as it can last longer.

 

[Knicks411]

Syndergaard has velocity but his pitches don't move like Arrieta's pitches move.
Velocity isn't stuff. Syndergaard by far has the most velocity as his change up is faster than some pitchers fastballs. He also has a good hook but he doesn't paint like Arrieta.
Arrieta has the fastball, change up, slider, cutter to dominate. Arrieta's opponent batting average is insane.
Your guy is throwing gas. I would want Arrieta's style as it can last longer.

Have you seen anyone else throw a 93 MPH slider?

Arrieta walked 3.5 batters per 9 this year, Syndergaard walked 2.1. Syndergaard had a 14.2% swinging strike rate, Arrieta was 10.5%.

Top 3 in swinging strike % were Max Scherzer (another one for great right handed stuff, if Kershaw had enough IP to qualify he would have been first, no surprise), Thor, and Fernandez. Kluber was 5th. Arrieta was 26th.

 

[SWC75]

I don't know why they went to Chapman though, should have saved him for tomorrow.

I have always observed that people who say or do something I disagree with either turn out to be smarter than I am or dumber. it's always interesting to find out which.

 

[SWC75]

Syndergaard has velocity but his pitches don't move like Arrieta's pitches move.
Velocity isn't stuff. Syndergaard by far has the most velocity as his change up is faster than some pitchers fastballs. He also has a good hook but he doesn't paint like Arrieta.
Arrieta has the fastball, change up, slider, cutter to dominate. Arrieta's opponent batting average is insane.
Your guy is throwing gas. I would want Arrieta's style as it can last longer.

I always thought "stuff" was velocity + movement.

 

[Knicks411]

I always thought "stuff" was velocity + movement.

To me, something like swinging strike% is probably the best proxy we have for stuff.

 

[Alsacs]

I always thought "stuff" was velocity + movement.

Yeah it is but I consider Syndergaard are pure velocity guy. He has a good curve ball but his fastball sets it up well. He is elite for sure. I just like Arrieta's stuff better. Arrieta throws mid 90s so he isn't Greg Maddux.
Kershaw has the best stuff in baseball. It is subjective though for RH. I respect the opinion of Syndergaard or Scherzer as well.

 

[Knicks411]

Yeah it is but I consider Syndergaard are pure velocity guy. He has a good curve ball but his fastball sets it up well. He is elite for sure. I just like Arrieta's stuff better. Arrieta throws mid 90s so he isn't Greg Maddux.
Kershaw has the best stuff in baseball. It is subjective though for RH. I respect the opinion of Syndergaard or Scherzer as well.

Just cause we're deep in the weeds here on this, so who cares, but Syndergaard's second best pitch is his slider, not his curve, which he basically added out of nowhere late last season. I think he's probably got one of the best sliders in baseball, plus one of the best fastballs.

Arrieta's cutter/slider is very effective, don't get me wrong. But I think stuff wise he's a clear step down from the elite of the elite.

By the way, I gave 4 of the top 5 in swinging strike rate%, any guesses on what right hander I left out? Definitely not someone I would have expected.

 

[Alsacs]

I was looking on fangraphs. It appears Syndergaard's slider generates the highest swing and miss % in baseball of any pitch. However, Arrieta's sink/2 seem fastball has the highest swing and miss percentage of all SP.

Scherzer and McCullers curve balls are the best for RH at generating swing and misses.

 

[Alsacs]

Just cause we're deep in the weeds here on this, so who cares, but Syndergaard's second best pitch is his slider, not his curve, which he basically added out of nowhere late last season. I think he's probably got one of the best sliders in baseball, plus one of the best fastballs.

Arrieta's cutter/slider is very effective, don't get me wrong. But I think stuff wise he's a clear step down from the elite of the elite.

By the way, I gave 4 of the top 5 in swinging strike rate%, any guesses on what right hander I left out? Definitely not someone I would have expected.

Lance McCullers? I only say him because I just looked on fangraph.

 

[Knicks411]

Lance McCullers? I only say him because I just looked on fangraph.

He would have been close if he had enough IP to qualify.

Michael Pineda!! I messed up, Kluber was 6th, not 5th. Danny Duffy was 5th, Pineda 4th.

 

[Alsacs]

He would have been close if he had enough IP to qualify.

Michael Pineda!! I messed up, Kluber was 6th, not 5th. Danny Duffy was 5th, Pineda 4th.

I wouldn't have guessed Pineda but he has good stuff going back to his rookie year with Seattle. That guy doesn't give up a lot of hits but his control kills him when he blows up.
Duffy had an incredible 3 months this year but I want to see him do it next year as him and Ventura are the only KC starters that have top of the rotation stuff.

 

[Eric15]

Tonight is the first time in my life that I'm genuinely looking forward to watching a baseball game.

 

[KaiserUEO]

I wouldn't have guessed Pineda but he has good stuff going back to his rookie year with Seattle. That guy doesn't give up a lot of hits but his control kills him when he blows up.
Duffy had an incredible 3 months this year but I want to see him do it next year as him and Ventura are the only KC starters that have top of the rotation stuff.

pineda has games where he has 12 K's, but gave up 2 solo shots and 2, 3 run HRs in 7 1/3.

and the Yankees will lose 8-6.

 

[Knicks411]

I wouldn't have guessed Pineda but he has good stuff going back to his rookie year with Seattle. That guy doesn't give up a lot of hits but his control kills him when he blows up.
Duffy had an incredible 3 months this year but I want to see him do it next year as him and Ventura are the only KC starters that have top of the rotation stuff.

See, to me, Ventura is an example of a guy who throws hard but aside from that, I'm not sure how good the stuff is. Swing and miss rate is 9.2%, under 7 K's per 9 last year, never over a K per inning.

Though maybe I'm still bitter from the 2015 WS when the Mets couldn't really hit the Royals so so starting pitching. (though they got Ventura pretty good in game 3)

 

[KaiserUEO]

Tonight is the first time in my life that I'm genuinely looking forward to watching a baseball game.

that's too bad.

some of the best sports drama is in baseball.

I still get butterflies just looking at this picture...

 

[Alsacs]

See, to me, Ventura is an example of a guy who throws hard but aside from that, I'm not sure how good the stuff is. Swing and miss rate is 9.2%, under 7 K's per 9 last year, never over a K per inning.

Though maybe I'm still bitter from the 2015 WS when the Mets couldn't really hit the Royals so so starting pitching. (though they got Ventura pretty good in game 3)

Yeah Ventura is a knucklehead but he has #2 pitcher stuff IMO. He is immature and should be one more intentional beaning from a major suspension but he is a guy I would want for my team because of his velocity and curveball.
Duffy was in the bullpen before turning it around if I were KC maybe you do that with Ventura start him at long relief and get him confidence.
95+ MPH fastball velocity across MLB is way up. You need power arms.

 

[Knicks411]

Yeah Ventura is a knucklehead but he has #2 pitcher stuff IMO. He is immature and should be one more intentional beaning from a major suspension but he is a guy I would want for my team because of his velocity and curveball.
Duffy was in the bullpen before turning it around if I were KC maybe you do that with Ventura start him at long relief and get him confidence.
95+ MPH fastball velocity across MLB is way up. You need power arms.

There was a guy on twitter (Daren Willman, absolutely follow him if you don't) who had a great series of tweets about how many 95 MPH pitches the Mets were throwing; something like last year the Mets threw more 95 MPH pitches than the entire Twins pitchign staff over the last 8 years or something

 

[KaiserUEO]

this will be a fun night.

I have no problem with maddon using Chapman as long as he did last night, got to get here.

he will push him again tonight.

chances are he wont be a Cub next year anyway.

 

[Eric15]

that's too bad.

some of the best sports drama is in baseball.

I still get butterflies just looking at this picture...

You just like getting lost in Andy Pettite's eyes.

 

[SWC75]

He would have been close if he had enough IP to qualify.

Michael Pineda!! I messed up, Kluber was 6th, not 5th. Danny Duffy was 5th, Pineda 4th.

You swung and missed!

 

[SWC75]

that's too bad.

some of the best sports drama is in baseball.

I still get butterflies just looking at this picture...

Totally agree about the drama of baseball.