2018 Season

This should be another great season for the ol' pastime.

For anybody who doesn't know, i'm a Yankees fan. I feel a little underwhelmed by this off-season. Adding the reigning NL MVP is obviously a good thing, i guess, but we'll see if it really makes a big difference for an offense that was already extremely potent, or in an outfield that was already stacked. No added starting pitching, which is what was REALLY needed, and i'm not thrilled to see Girardi gone, either.

Less than a month until the season starts...

Go Nats.

Gov, Dave Martinez brought a buncha camels to spring training, and allegedly they're having a trust circle every morning to discuss their feelings (the players, not the camels, altho I guess there could be trust issues with all the spitting [both the camels and the players]).

Anyhoo, the Cubs aren't particularly beloved around here, and a little Joe Maddon schtick goes a very, very long way. The Nats don't discuss their feelings. They slam their pitching hand into their locker and break a finger. Much more effective.

Did the Nats sign Bryce to any kind of extension, Maturin? Last i knew this is his big contract year.

Not that i think the Yankees would poach him or anything.

Not yet. Bryce said he wasn't going to talk about it (in public) until after the season.

I'm good whether he stays or goes (guessing he goes, and either way I wish him the best -- he's been so fun to watch). Most theories seem to center on the Yankees, Dodgers, or Cubs.

Saw the Nationals ranked #3 in somebody's MLB power rankings yesterday, getting 7/1 to win the WS. They were right behind the Yankees (#2, 6/1) and the Astros (#1, 6/1), and right ahead of the Red Sox (#4, 10/1).

In an utterly unrelated story, i went through somebody else's ranking of the 50 deadliest cities (that aren't in active war zones) in the world. I was actually shocked that Baltimore has the highest murder rate per capita in the world, beating out places like Oaxaca, Caracas, Cali, St. Louis, and like 15 Brazilian cities that made the list. To be fair, they admitted that accurate data wasn't available wasn't available for some places and that they didn't include deaths ruled as suicides, which some (unnamed) municipalities appear to be overreporting as part of a campaign not to scare off potential tourism.

Re baseball: I say "bah" to pre-season rankings. That's right, I said "bah." The Nats were top-ranked last year and certainly had the stuff to win it all, but the whole season came down to playoff/quirk-off series where the Nats went home bc of a crazy-ass Game 5 (plus, over the series, one error, one bad ump call, one bad pitching decision by Dusty, and one weird Cub bloop hit).

The baseball gogs, man. Don't mess with them.

We saw four Nats spring training games last week (Mets [very fun crowd], Cards, Marlins twice). The Nats comprehensively sucked in each game. No telling what will happen, but if it all goes south, I'm blaming the camels.


*performs ritual sacrifice*

Re Baltimore: It's blessed with so much history and personality but also cursed with social collapse (drugs, violence, racism, corrupt policing). It's frustrating bc cities get categorized and then that's all anyone sees (you don't do this, Mo; you just opened my particular floodgate, plus I'm creating my own category, I guess).

We always enjoy hanging out in Baltimore. We visit fam in St. Louis -- another great, troubled city. The country will deserve eternal burning hell if these cities sink. (Vast swatches of rural America are in their own crisis, maybe different in form but equally ominous.)

And although this discussion probably needs its own thread, the baseball thread is an oddly appropriate forum. Baseball's history is all wrapped up in rural, urban, social history.


*I will defend Baltimore forever. A few years ago my hub had surgery on his face at Johns Hopkins, resulting in a slashed jawline held together by black stitches. He insisted on going to this old diner in a historic area near downtown and some blighted neighborhoods for biscuits and gravy. Any second looks at someone coming in gashed, stitched, and oozing blood? Nah. This is Bawlmer, hon. Two coffees and menus coming right up. <3

I haven't heard anything this offseason about Bryce Harper. Iirc this is his contract year. Last i'd heard he was determined to dip at least a toe into the waters of the free agency market lagoon, but i don't pay close enough attention this time of year to non-Yankees teams to feel certain that i didn't miss news that D.C. and he worked out an extension.

_________

The other US cities to make the list were Detroit and a city i personally treasure, New Orleans.

Speaking of Baltimore and crime specifically, i cannot wait to get the last two seasons of The Wire.

I will also say that i personally would feel far safer visiting the worst parts of Baltimore than visiting any part of Oaxaca, Caracas, or Cali. I don't give two craps what any stupid list says.

Oh, and furthermore for whatever it may be worth, i still think the Nats were the best team in the NL last year. The best team doesn't always win (though the best team has a higher winning pct in baseball than in many other pro sport leagues), and i think it's fair for people to be upset and call BS when that happens. It's also true that the baseball gogs can be fickle.

Opening Day, and not a moment too soon.

Except for the Nats and Reds, because Ohio is monsooning or something.

Wasn't that game postponed a day early? It's not monsooning near Cleveland but the Indians are in Seattle so it doesn't matter.

Giancarlo Stanton blasted a dinger in his first regular season at-bat, first plate appearance, first swing! He cracked another one out in the 9th, all just part of a 3 for 5 night with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI. Severino pitched a gem, scattering 3 walks and 1 hit in 5 2/3 with 7 strikeouts; Green struck out 3 of the four batters he faced, none of whom reached base; Betances gave up a run but looked sharp; and Chapman punched out two of three - nice to see Boone trotting him out there for the work on opening day in spite of the healthy lead.

And Toronto's got a squad this year. I can't imagine the this game will be a microcosm of the season series. I haven't gotten a look at Maturin's Oreos yet, but i expect they've improved, and i know Boston is stacked this year. Tampa probably has some shit up their sleeve too. The AL Beast will be a brutal division again this year.The NL West might come close, and there's guaranteed to be a race in the NL Central this year again. As for the NL Least, the Marlins and Braves are in for a long year. The Mets and/or Phillies will probably be in the Wild Card "discussion" in September, but the Nats should have the division pretty much wrapped up by August 23rd, barring, gogs PLEASE forbid it this year, unforeseeable possibilities.

I hear TBC's Mariners should be fun to watch this year, and may even be buyers at the deadline if the first half goes well. There's no reason to suspect that any junior circuit squad could take the 'Stros down a peg, this year at least. I've heard the Angels are feeling confident, but i hate the Angels so fuck them. The A's will be sellers by mid-June, and i haven't heard much about Texas, not sure exactly what to expect there, but if they were going top-tier again i think i'd have heard.

KC might return to some of their not-too-longago glory this year, but assuming the Cleve-land RacistStereotypes stay healthy, they'll probably win the ALCentral again this year but i predict that they extend their streak. The ChiSox... probably mediocre at best this year, possibly battling the Twins for fourth place.

The NL Central could be interesting this year. Pittsburgh and The Reds both seem confident of at least improving this season, the Cubs still have a championship-calibre club, especially if they can make a few key additions mid-season; and the Cards have the talent to go win at least a series in October especially if they do likewise.

The NL West will supposedly be almost as stacked as the AL East this year, with LA & SF both looking tip-top, the D-Bags are also supposedly going to be solid. So take the under for season wins in San Diego this year, but all bets are off as far as the Rockies go - they don't look like a playoff team now but they're young and could have a steep learning curve.

That's my opening day bullshit ramble, hope you enjoyed it!

Rockies opener delayed, coldest opening day on record, and we gots the snow. They promised we will play, but we'll see.

lol and the Rockies clear the bench

That was an excellent brawl, as was the Yankee/Red Sox brouhaha shortly thereafter.

Going to see the Sox host the defending champ 'Stros tonight.  Kuechel vs. Giolito.  Saw him lose to the Tigers last time out.  Hoping to see his first victory of 2018!  

tagged for size:

So the Yankees have won 9 in a row, still two games behind Boston. :/

Tough times for Baltimore/DC these days. I could almost hope to get smited so bad that we have that Beltway Series those folks have wetdreamed about ever since the Expos exited.

My hub theorizes that Dusty put a curse down on the Nats as he was leaving. At any given moment we've had a third of the starting lineup out w/injuries, plus our usual bullpen burlesque.

The Orioles can kiss my patoot as far as a Beltway series goes. I'm just hoping DC survives the thousands of Pittsburgh teams we seem to be playing all at once.

The Nats seem to be finding their stride now, they're back over .500 and are only a few games behind the division leading Braves. I still think they'll win the NL East although i definitely underestimated the competitive level of the division.

I did say that i'd heard the D-Bags would be a solid team this year, but i definitely wasn't hearing that they'd be 10 games over .500 and have the best record in the NL before the season is even 1/4 of the way over. I'm definitely surprised by the poor performance of the Dodgers. Oh, Hodge!

The Yankees have been on a TEAR lately, and now own the second best record in the bigs, but are still one game behind the freaking Red Sox. The starters have been really good, except Sonny Gray, but i think of him as generally being better in the second half of the season anyway. Severino has emerged as the ace of the staff, having pitched 47 innings in 7 starts (5-1) with an ERA just over 2, 52 K, and a WHIP of 0.85. CC is putting up even better numbers though he has only two decisions in 6 starts, both are wins, his ERA is 1.39 (!!!) and WHIP at 0.87. Tanaka has given up some runs but he's 4-2 with an ERA at 4.39 and his WHIP is only 1.00, pretty respectable. Montgomery has been the 5th starter, and he's also 2-0 with an ERA under 4. Robertson and Chapman have been doing just fine wrapping things up, Aroldis has 7 saves in 8 opportunities and a win, with 30 Ks already, and both have a WHIP under 0.9. The middle relief hasn't been stellar, but they've been good enough, and i think the offense isn't playing up to potential yet. Stanton, Gardner, and Sanchez are all struggling at the plate, but Judge and Didi have been lighting shit up, with solid help from Andujar and Austin. If/when Stanton and Gardner start hitting the ball like they're capable of, this offense could break some records this year. I would qualify that Giancarlo has 7 HR and 19 RBI - a lot of guys would be thrilled with those numbers, but he knows he can produce more than he has been, and i expect him to improve considerably as the season progresses.

Yankees on fire.

The American League central (last I looked) all under 500. Ironically, because it's how baseball in particular works, the worst division winner could sneak out of the Central, get hot, and knock off better teams. Time to get rid of divisions in most if not all sports. Then a weak division wouldn't even exist.

The Nats got a much-needed home run in the first; Yankees already looking scary.

The NY sportswriters apparently asked Bryce a lot pregame questions regarding his plans for next year. Not sure why...

TV guys just said there's some "give-and-take" among Yankees and Nats fans in the stands.  

Gotta love Bryce not letting the NYC sports paps get to him. He'd do well in the Bronx.

So we're now a little more than a third of the way through the season, sports fans, and things have developed.

Things have tightened up considerably out West in the senior circuit, as Hodge's Dodgers may have finally woken up, while Colorado and San Fransisco have been a little slumpy and the D-Bags look recently recovered from several shaky weeks. LA & SF are each one game under .500 but only 2 1/2 games out of the division leading AZ, with CO just one game over .500 and in second place.

In the NL Central, Milwaukee sits at the top of the heap for now, but the Cubbies are hot and the Cards likely won't be selling talent any time soon either. Pittsburgh may make a run at the postseason, they're over .500 but in fourth place back 6.5 games. Cincinnati is one of the four worst teams in the bigs.

The NL East has shaped up more, with the Nats racking up the wins and climbing the ladder, but those pesky Atlanta Racist Stereotypes just will not go away, and the Phillies just might be buyers at the deadline too. The Mets continue to look up at mediocrity, and Miami's pct is better than those of two different AL teams - "TANKING? NEVER HEARD OF IT! WHATS THAT MEAN?" - Derek Jeter.

Over to the junior circuit...

The 'Stros and Halos have slumped a bit, so TBC's beloved Mariners are back in first! I'm not sure who's playing second for them right now. Oakland is respectable, but respectable isn't getting anybody out of this division alive, unlike...

The NL Central, where the Cleveland Racist Stereotypes have poked their heads above .500 for a 3 game lead that they can probably ride all the way to October.

The AL East is brutal. It has the two best teams in the bigs, and Maturin's beloved Orioles, who have taken more ugly beatings than Triple H at Wrestlemanias. As of this moment, the Yankees have a pct point edge over the Red Sox by virtue of fewer losses, although they also have fewer wins. Usually i'd say that fewer losses means more than fewer wins, but in this case all the fewer games played are road games, so it's a virtual dead heat at the top of the stack. I'd expected a little more from the Jays this year, i wouldn't be surprised to see them hit a hot streak or two yet, but i don't think it will get them where they want to go.

I do not belove the Orioles. The team and Showalter are fine, but their owner sucks big-time.

The continuing strength of the Atlanta RSes is good for the Nats -- keeps 'em on their toes. Max Scherzer *pinch-hit* in the 14th inning against Atlanta, then scored the go-ahead run, and then suited up and scored a goal for the Caps later that night. Or it felt that way. In any case, an excellent Saturday for DC fans.

Ok, i admit it, i was baiting you a little with the "beloved" adjective. They are the Baltimore team, though, so i think there must be at least a little soft spot in your heart (so to speak) for the franchise and its history. I apologize for baiting you.  

I think you're using the term "fine" in a relative sense, at least as relates to the team, who are currently 18-41, which gives them the worst winning percentage in the major leagues. As for Showalter, he deserves better. As a long-time Yankee fan, i'm well-aware of the significant contributions he made to that franchise. Although it was a long time ago now, i honestly don't think the Yankees would be what they are today without having had him. He made the Bronx a desired destination for players in the game again, not just for the bright lights and the big paychecks, but also for playing on a winning squad. He changed the culture of the franchise, for the better, in ways for which i've never seen him publicly credited.

I didn't realize until recently that the Caps had never won the Stanley Cup. That win Monday was probably the biggest in franchise history, though hopefully not for long. Tomorrow in Vegas will be their first chance to sew up the series and bring home the hardware. Their only chance to clinch at home will be this coming Sunday. I hope they win one of them, as iirc (too lazy to look it up and verify, apologies if i'm wrong) game 7s tend to favor the home ice in Stanley Cup history.

The Yankees/Nats games were fun. Did you enjoy watching Juan Soto, Mo? He's charmed DC. Hard to find a more engaging trio than Soto, Wilmer Difo, and Pedro Severino.

I didn't get to watch the second game, but i did see CC ding Bryce on the elbow. From what i understand Bryce took another pitch on the foot later in the game. *wince*

The Nats definitely stay in young talent. I wouldn't trade Severinos with you, Maturin, but i don't say that to throw shade. The Nats are playing great baseball now, as are the Yankees. There was a lot of great defense from both teams in the (most of a) game i saw. Steinbrenner hinted that he might have Cashman go after a starting pitcher, which would be great, especially with Tanaka out for a while.

Starting to think that thing about Dusty Baker calling down a curse on the Nats might be real.

Hope Aaron Judge heals quickly. Nobody wants an injury like that to happen.

Thank you Maturin, we all hope Judge heals fully. He's still a very young guy so i hope, and fully expect, that he and his trainers and the Yankee organization make sure he's properly recovered before he returns; that kind of injury could potentially linger and even become something that becomes chronic if not he doesn't fully recover the first time.

Sanchez is back on the DL too. I'm mildly shamed to admit that i was giving him shit, though only verbally in my home, not on Twitter or anything, for not running hard in the 9th inning of that close game at the Trop. I hope he recovers thoroughly too, he's a very talented young man and our best catcher.

The Yankees did manage to score some help for the rotation, which was by far the area of greatest need. Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney are going to Toronto in exchange for J. A. Happ. Happ is a solid starter who has a little bit of playoff experience from early in his big league career as a member of the Phillies' bullpen. He's also done well against the Red Sox lately. ;)

There's a little bit of chatter that the Yankees might acquire a little DH/OF help for while Sanchez and Judge are out. Curtis Granderson is the guy who seems to be getting the most mentions so far. I wouldn't mind seeing Grandy back in pinstripes. It's not that the Yankees actually need OF help, but more that they need another batter for the early/middle of the lineup to protect Stanton and Didi.

I notice the Nats are back up to .500. I have to agree that right now it certainly seems to me that they'd have been better off keeping Dusty. They have WAY too much talent to be at .500 at this point in the season. The NL is extraordinarily competitive this year. Out of the 15 teams in the senior circuit, only four teams are under .500. The AL Central alone has that many losing teams.

The New York Yankees have secured their 27th consecutive winning season, which is the longest active streak in MLB and second in history only to, of course, the New York Yankees (47 yrs, 1918 - 1964).

The Yankees are having an amazingly good year this year. The only thing more amazing is that they're still not really close to first place in their own division in spite of their phenomenal winning percentage. The Red Sox, man, holy shit... they could break some serious records this year.

I'm going to see the Sox host the Sox tonight. It's been a great year despite the losing record. A good manager, a young team, and an influx of talent in the minors. We've gotten a lot better in the long run by trading our studs. I don't miss the players we gave up. I really respect our GM Rick Hahn also. I'd gone to the fan convention this winter for the first time, and now will try and make that an annual thing.

This year was more about my own return to the diamond. My team, The Rebels lost a lot of games but I was a definite leader. I lead off all year and played some shortstop and center field. I forgot how much I love competing. The guys I played with are now discussing a football league but I am thinking definitely not. But I will come back and play baseball again for as long as I can. Work on my arm strength and power, where I think I can improve most. There is some parallels between the Sox and the Rebels. Winning and losing isn't as important as playing as a team and trying to get better. Everyone makes errors. Strikes out. Have losing seasons. But how do you bounce back from adversity? That's how you measure success.

I'm just not a Cubs fan, but they have a good shot, and we'll see how that goes. I tip my cap to the management and players for making the postseason 4 consecutive years. That's a great achievement. I don't like most of their players but I do love Anthony Rizzo. He's a good dude and ballplayer. So if they have any success, I'm happy for him. Otherwise, Go Cardinals. Break the Cubs fans hearts, lol. Grumpyscot knows what I'm talking about.

Why is it taking so long for my Dodgers to clinch the NL-West pennant?
Last night, it took a walk-off HR by Chris Taylor.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

all bets are off as far as the Rockies go - they don't look like a playoff team now but they're young and could have a steep learning curve.

This part of my opening day post aged particularly well, Hodge and Zaphod, and the NL West is going into the last day of the regular season without a clinch.

As is the NL Central. I don't think i recall a year in MLB with so much yet to be decided with only one game left to play.

My early and mid season incredulity against the D-Bags aged well too, though my faith in the DC Nats aged like room temperature eggs. Sorry, Maturin. I also think they shouldn't have given Dusty the heave.

Congrats to the Red Sox and all their fans on an unbelievable regular season. Obviously i'm hoping the Yankees deflate y'alls postseason, but wow what an amazing year either way.

Meanwhile the Yankees won 100 games and have to host a 1-game playoff to earn the right to play against Boston. Looks like my boys will be trotting out their pitch, Severino, for that Wild Card Game, too. SMH.

WDGovernor wrote:

I don't like most of [the Cubs] players but I do love Anthony Rizzo.  He's a good dude and ballplayer.  So if they have any success, I'm happy for him.  Otherwise, Go Cardinals.  Break the Cubs fans hearts, lol.  Grumpyscot knows what I'm talking about.  

Grumpyscot and all of St Louis know what you're talking about. <3 Grumpyscot stayed with the Cards to the very last out. I bet the Birds will be back next year.

Nats fans don't love Rizzo because he made a hot dog remark in a Cubs-Nats playoff game, and We Shall Never Forget. But there's no question at this point that Dusty Baker laid down a pretty powerful curse on the Nats. I pray he does not curse us any further. I further pray that Davey Martinez, whom I like, learns about pitchers and bullpens.

The good news is that there are a lot of former Nats in the post-season. The bad news is that there are no current Nats in the post-season.

Mo, my guess is that most Nats fans wish they'd kept Dusty. The Wash Post is doing a five-part series on What Went Wrong, and why not just stick five hot pokers up everyone's wazoo instead? One sentence series: It was a curse, enhanced by a rookie manager, injuries, and a camel. Boom.

My prediction: The AL playoffs will be greatness and whoever emerges will win the Series. I'm rooting for Oakland bc I just haven't had enough heartbreak yet this season, and also in honor of Sean Doolittle. Rooting for the Brewairs in honor of ex-Nat Gio Gonzalez and ex-Marlin Christian Yelich.

The Braves will probably very accurately represent the NL East.

Went to the Dodgers game yesterday. This was the winner-take-all, Western Conference title game. 2-5!  

Hadn't been to a game since my father died. He was a huge fan.

Dodgers next game is against the Braves Thursday. Oh Brian!

Congrats, Hodge! It was a long road back for the Dodgers this year, in a talent-loaded division, and they did it. All the way to the Divisional Championship. I don't see Atlanta taking a best-of-7 against them, either. An NLCS with the Dodgers vs either the Cubs OR the Rockies could be some sweet sweet stuff.

Congrats, Zaphod! Your Rockies really emerged this year, going from a young team with potential to a team that backs down from nobody and can stand tall with the best teams in the NL. Winning that Wild Card game, on the road after ending the season with a road trip, with NO rest, just wow. They will give the Cubbies a hell of a series.

Meanwhile, in the junior circuit...

The most stacked team in baseball awaits the winner of tonight's game. IMO the Yankees have shown that they can go toe-to-toe with the Red Hose this year, and should NY prevail tonight that series could go either way. I don't want to think about Oakland.

I don't give Cleveland much of a chance against Houston. The Astros had a few speedbumps this year but they won 103, finished strong, and are healthy and in postseason form.

Derp, Brewers not Cubs. Brain fart.

Brewers up 2-0 against the Rockies, in the 7th.

This was after a 2-run HR by Yelich (spl). I've heard he's probably this seasons NL-MVP.

I'm not a big MLB fan. What's with this Yelich guy?

ETA: Oh, and don't forget to watch, Braves vs. Dodgers. There will be a test tomorrow.

Hodge, I don't see how the writers could give the NL MVP to anybody other than Yelich this year. He showed off all five tools, excelled under pressure, and led his team to a Divisional championship in a very tight race.

He hit .327 with 36 HR and 110 RBI. He also scored 118 runs, stole 22 bases, and drew 68 walks. OBP .402 and SLG .598, OPS+ 164 and WAR rating 7.6. Nobody else in the NL is really close to those numbers. Defensively he was credited with 266 Putouts and 4 assists while notching only 3 errors, and those numbers are collected from all 3 Outfielding positions that he played this year.

Just give the kid the hardware now.

Sorta like Miguel Andujar and the AL Rookie of the Year award. ;)

Chock full of playoff games today!
Go Tribe!

I have to admit, I wasn't a fan of Roberts not starting Kershaw in game #1. According to him, he had a gut feeling Ryu was going to be alright. Well, I definitely would've started my "Ace".

Ryu goes 6-2/3, 4-H, 8-SO, 0-BB, in the 6-0 Dodger win.

Now, Roberts comes back in game #2 with Kershaw, hoping to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Hodge, I don't see how the writers could give the NL MVP to anybody other than Yelich this year. He showed off all five tools, excelled under pressure, and led his team to a Divisional championship in a very tight race.

He hit .327 with 36 HR and 110 RBI. He also scored 118 runs, stole 22 bases, and drew 68 walks. OBP .402 and SLG .598, OPS+ 164 and WAR rating 7.6. Nobody else in the NL is really close to those numbers. Defensively he was credited with 266 Putouts and 4 assists while notching only 3 errors, and those numbers are collected from all 3 Outfielding positions that he played this year.

Just give the kid the hardware now...

I watched the highlights of the game, and they were really hyping the guy. Now I know why. I even heard he almost won the "Triple Crown".

stuntdog wrote:

Chock full of playoff games today!
Go Tribe!

Dog, surprisingly, it's you and me pulling for the "Tribe". You'd think, Davidalan (BA) would be looking for people to jump on board with him. But nooooooooooooo!

Yelich was indeed close to the NL Triple Crown this year. He led the league in batting average. His 110 RBI was second only to the Cubs' Baez, who had 111; Colorado's Arenado tied his 110 and also led the league in HR with 38, two more than Yelich's 36, which was third in the NL; the guy in second place with 37 was also a Rockie, SS Trevor Story. Yelich's 118 Runs Scored was also second in the NL to yet another Rockie, CF Charlie Blackmon. Yelich was third in OBP behind Cincinnati's Votto and NY's Nimmo. Yelich led the league in Slugging, OPS, Total Bases, Runs Created, and a HOST of important Sabermetric categories: Offensive WAR, Position Player WAR, Adjusted Batting Runs, Adjusted Batting Wins, Offensive Win Percentage, Base-Out Wins Added, Win Probability Added, Situational Wins Added (aka the "clutch" factor), and Base-Out Runs Added. He was also second in stealing percentage with 84.62 and in Power-Speed ranking.

*whew*

The AL MVP is a bit murkier, though the clear favorites are LA's Mike Trout and Boston's Mookie Betts. Trout missed some time and played on a vastly inferior team, or Betts probably wouldn't be in the conversation. I don't really have a dog in this race, as i revile the Angels, but if i had a vote it would probably reluctantly go to Trout. I don't think there's a wrong answer between the two of them to be fair.

The AL ROY will almost certainly be a Yankee for the second year in a row, due to the truly unfortunate injury to Ohtani Shohei, whose nickname should be "Unicorn." Yankees 3B Miguel Andujar and 2B Gleybar Torres both have strong cases. Shohei will be having Tommy John surgery soon and expects to DH for the Angels next season while rehabbing his throwing arm.

I think Tampa's Blake Snell deserves the AL Cy Young award. He went 21-5 with an ERA of 1.89 and a WHIP of 0.974. In 180 2/3 Innings pitched, he gave up 112 hits, only 16 of them HRs, 64 walks, 2 of them intentional, and hit only 1 batter faced, while notching an impressive 221 strikeouts. Kluber and Verlander belong in the conversation as well, and i'm sure that the Yankees' own Luis Severino will get some votes, though i think he's as good as any other pitcher in AL today, he had some difficulties mid-season and hasn't had as good a full year as the others.

As for the NL Cy Young, I think two pitchers stand head and shoulders above the rest: the Mets' Jacob DeGrom and the Nationals' Max Scherzer. Personally i think DeGrom was the better pitcher this year, but most of the statistics are very close. The big statistical difference is in W/L: DeGrom was 10-9, Scherzer was 18-7. So i think Scherzer will probably take home the hardware.

________

The game last night in Boston was great fun to watch. I love that the Yankees always seem to have Price figured out. That was a desperately needed win, with the Sox having home field advantage in the series. Boston has decided to bump Porcello in favor of Eovaldi for game 3. Eovaldi has been a monster against the Yankees since joining the BoSox earlier this year. It had looked like Sabathia would start game 3 in NYC tomorrow, but mlb.com is reporting that Severino will be taking the bump again, having had 4 days rest since deconstructing the Athletics in the Wild Card game.

This would leave Porcello as the likely starter for game 4, probably facing Sabathia. If so, there's a chance it could be Sabathia's last game as a Yankee, should NY ultimately lose the series.

The other three LDS series all look headed to potential sweeps. I'm pulling for Cleveland; the last thing either AL east coast team needs is to face a well-rested Astros squad.

Go Brewairs. We've attended several Nats-Marlins games; always enjoyed seeing Yelich then and am happy for him now. My hope is that the Dodgers/Barves wear each other out and Milwaukee goes to the Series.

I think Scherzer has earned the Cy Young, but I can see why deGrom would win it. I wonder if the voters ever balance things out -- award Juan Soto (a Nat) Rookie of the Year and award deGrom the Cy Young. (Unsure how the voting works and whether that kind of psychology even exists.)

I'm rooting for the Yankees to go to the Series, if only to see Aaron Judge boom those suckers outta here, but the Astros are pretty scary.

Maturin wrote:

Go Brewairs. We've attended several Nats-Marlins games; always enjoyed seeing Yelich then and am happy for him now. My hope is that the Dodgers/Barves wear each other out and Milwaukee goes to the Series...

Well, you didn't get your wish Maturin.   My "Blue-crew" took it in four.

Even with the lost in game #3, my Dodgers came back to tie the game in the latter innings. That told me the Braves weren't long for the series.

I was actually praying to get the Cubs out of the playoffs, and my prayers came true. There's a good chance I should've been praying to get the Brewers out. This is going to be a pretty good NLCS.

Maturin wrote:

...I'm rooting for the Yankees to go to the Series, if only to see Aaron Judge boom those suckers outta here, but the Astros are pretty scary.

And I'm rooting for the Red Sox. Don't want the "Pin-strips" near the Series.
But the Astros just pulverized the Indians. Maybe BA knew something the Dog and I didn't.

NLCS starts tonight (10/12/18)!

Dave Roberts is going with Kershaw on the mound in game #1.

Lets go "Big Blue"!

Hodgepodge wrote:

This is going to be a pretty good NLCS.

It's off to a heck of a start. That was a critical come-from-behind road win tonight for your Dodgers, Hodge. I'm still a little peeved at the Brewers franchise for what they did to Sabathia all those years ago. It turned out that one guy can't actually win a World Series after all, who could've guessed, and the Yankees got a superstar whose arm had turned partially rubber for life. Sabathia may have had a fine career overall, but i can't bring myself to root for a franchise that does something like that to a young pitcher, even if it was ten years ago now. So i'll definitely be rooting for the AL team in the World Series.

Hodgepodge wrote:

Maturin wrote:

...I'm rooting for the Yankees to go to the Series, if only to see Aaron Judge boom those suckers outta here, but the Astros are pretty scary.

And I'm rooting for the Red Sox. Don't want the "Pin-strips" near the Series.
But the Astros just pulverized the Indians. Maybe BA knew something the Dog and I didn't.

No disrespect intended for the historic season the Red Sox had this year, but this Astros team, when all healthy, are pretty much unbeatable. I've been rooting for Boston in this series, but i don't have high hopes, and the omens don't get much worse at this point than dropping the first two at home.

After last nights lost, my Dodgers are down, 1-2. Maybe I should've been trying to pray the Brewers out of the NLCS, instead of the Cubs.

ALCS, is one game apiece. Come on Red Sox!

Hodgepodge wrote:

After last nights lost, my Dodgers are down, 1-2. Maybe I should've been trying to pray the Brewers out of the NLCS, instead of the Cubs...

Can't remember when I've watched a complete game, that went extra-innings. My Dodgers win, 2-1, in 13-innings. Machado steals 2nd, and Bellinger singles him in. Series tied, 2-2! I'm to old for this stuff.  

Hodgepodge wrote:

...ALCS, is one game apiece. Come on Red Sox!

Red Sox take a 2-1, by winning last night's game, 8-2.

Hodgepodge wrote:

Can't remember when I've watched a complete game, that went extra-innings.

That sounds like a Dodgers fan!

And NOW the Dodgers are IN THE LEAD in game FIVE.


I promise i would actually watch as much as possible of a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series.

And root for the Red Sox. They might not be from NYC, but at least they didn't get run out of it like a bunch of bums.