Chat here for Rays @ Indians Wild-Card Game!

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Will Salazar last 5 innings? Will Longo leave the park? Do you remember Cobb’s season debut? Our comment lines are open!

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Tampa advances to the ALDS on road wins against teams riding streaks of 7 and 10 wins.

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Six-plus scoreless innings in a postseason winner-take-all game, last 30 years (CG shutout unless noted):

Alex Cobb, 2013 ALWC (6.2 IP)
Justin Verlander, 2012 ALDS
Chris Carpenter, 2011 NLDS
Tom Glavine, 1996 NLCS (7 IP)
John Smoltz (7.1 IP) and Jack Morris, 1991 World Series
Orel Hershiser, 1988 NLCS
Danny Cox, 1987 NLCS
Bret Saberhagen, 1985 World Series

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John Autin

11 years ago

And will anyone explain what John Smoltz means by a “firm fastball”?

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

I’m guessing that’s the current jargon for what used to be called throwing a “heavy” ball.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Delmon Young’s 9 postseason HRs:

0-1 count: 1
1-0 count: 1
1-1 count: 1
1-2 count: 1
First pitch: 5

Only about one-fourth of his regular season HRs were first-pitch jobs (26 of 100).

Luis Gomez

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

I´m a believer of swinging at the first pitch. However, I did not liked Cabrera´s approach when he was batting with the bases loaded. He took a first pitch curve ball down, but swings at change up outside. After a first pitch ball, his pitch selection must be more disciplined. (Man, I hope I made some sense).

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Luis Gomez

Overall ML BA on first pitch from 1988-2013: .331. For 2013 in particular: .336.

Luis Gomez

11 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

And I´m guessing Yasiel Puig´s contributions to that figures are big.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Luis Gomez

He hit a mere .551.

Darien

11 years ago

After Desmond Jennings’ two-run double, the crowd completely died. They had been pretty noisy, and then just abrupt silence. 😮

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Darien

And the 3-6-1 DP sucked some more air out of them.

The Rays turned just one 3-6-1 DP this year. Defense really saved Tampa that inning.

Luis Gomez

11 years ago

I don´t know who is broadcasting tonight´s game in TBS along with Smoltz, but he is way more entertaining than yesterday´s announcer. He made me yawn the whole game.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Luis Gomez

Luis — Tonight’s cast is Brian Anderson on play-by-play, Joe Simpson and John Smoltz as the analysts. The NL wild-card team was Ernie Johnson on play-by-play, Ron Darling and Cal Ripken as the analysts. I’m not sure who made you yawn, but I’m not an Ernie Johnson fan.

Luis Gomez

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

It was definitely Johnson. I´m not sure if it was his voice or something else, but somehow he kept me from enjoying a good baseball game.

But anyhow, that is waaaay better than listening to the Fox Sports Latino guys and three hours of: there is McCutchen, there is the manager, that is the shortstop, that is a hit, that is a fan, he is the coach, there goes the runner…etc.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

5th inning was the Tribe’s most productive this year, by far, and they were best in MLB in 5th-inning runs.

11 years ago

So far everything’s going according to plan for the Indians. We’re just setting things up for the inevitable Jason Giambi walk-off home run. 🙂

Luis Gomez

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

I hope your guys pull this one!

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Ed, where’s Armando Benitez when you need him?
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL199710090.shtml

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Giambi should bat for Swisher against Peralta. He’s 1 for 1 with a HR.

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

And Swisher’s 2-19, 0 walks, 8 Ks, 1 double, 1 home run.

Darien

11 years ago

The TBR radio team suggested that Jose Molina’s weird CS in the fifth might have been intentional; they said it was possible that Maddon sent him with the plan of getting him caught, so James Loney would come up again in the sixth, possibly in a more favourable matchup. That sounds a little bit nuts to me, but I’m not really sure how to evaluate it; Loney was in an 0-2 count at that point, so his chances of not-outing weren’t great, but is it a sensible move to give away the out on purpose to get him another shot?

11 years ago

Reply to Darien

I think Maddon wanted him to steal, knowing that a Molina steal is a virtual guarentee of a win. Molina has 17 career steals; his teams are 15-2 in those games. In one of the games he where he stole and lost it was in the ninth with his team down by two. He scored after a groundout and single.

The other one is even better. In the bottom of the 13th in a 0-0 game, Molina bunt singles(!) and steals(!!), but to no avail. Ben Sheets threw 9 innings of one-hit ball in that game. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ANA/ANA200406080.shtml

Darien

11 years ago

How Alex Cobb managed to give up zero runs while being in deep trouble pretty much all game long is amazing. Baseball!

birtelcom

11 years ago

Reply to Darien

Cobb allowed 11 Total Bases in less than 7 full IP, but allowed zero runs. No pitcher in the majors during the 2013 regular season allowed 11 or more TBs in less than 7 IP without allowing a run. The last MLB pitcher to do that was Chris Young for the Mets in August, 2012. The only previous time it’s been done in the post season was by Andy Pettitte (anybody remember that guy?) against the Indians in 2007 in a game Cleveland won in the 11th inning.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

If there were a game MVP, Chisenhall would be a fine choice.

Editor

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Until the error, that is.

Darien

11 years ago

The TBR radio guys just went on a long tangent about how, in the playoffs, these guys need to stop worrying about their “individual stats” and start doing things that will help the team, like “giving themselves up” and “hitting in a different spot in the lineup.” I missed the context, but I expect they were complaining about Nick Swisher trying to hit a three-run homer instead of selflessly sac bunting with two outs. To recap, the following things are not helpful in the playoffs: — Hits — Walks — Doubles — Home runs (rally killers!) Instead, focus on these… Read more »

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to Darien

Well, a single by Swisher probably would have made it a 1-run game with 2 innings left, so I think a critique of his all-out swings is fair.

Darien

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Sure, but I’m not sure a critique is quite what they did.

Abbott

11 years ago

Reply to Darien

They were quoting Giambi, actually.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Is Kevin Kiermaier the only 31st-round draft choice in the postseason? I think he just might be.

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

The guy who threw the final pitch of last year’s postseason was a 28th rounder.

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Reply to RJ

Sergio! And I see that Louis Coleman went 5 picks after that.

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

For a strange moment I thought I saw that Hunter Pence was taken in the same round. Nope, it was Hunter *Pace*.

bells

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

is there an easy way of listing something like the most career WAR by players drafted in a certain round? I was playing around on B-R a bit trying to figure it out, but I couldn’t really find anything other than annual. That would make an interesting list/post.

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

Reply to bells

I know of no way to do it on a full round basis — only year-by-year, franchise-by-franchise (maybe the easiest way), or pick-by pick. The top 15 list I get for the second round picks is so impressive, it would be hard to top with a lineup of first rounders: 1. Bonds 162.5 2. Maddux 106.8 3. Schmidt 106.5 4. Randy Johnson 102 5. Ripken 95.6 6. Brett 88.4 7. Glavine 81.4 8. Bench 75.2 9. Trammel 70.3 10. Larkin 70.2 11. Rolen 70.0 12. Beltran 67.5 and counting 13. Helton 61.3 and counting 14. Utley 58.2 and counting 15.… Read more »

BryanM

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Sam Freeman of the Cards was chosen in the 32nd -or did you mean precisely in the 31st?

Author

John Autin

11 years ago

Anyone else puzzled by Maddon’s choosing a lefty to face Raburn?

Darien

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

The radio guys sure were. They couldn’t make heads nor tails of it. The best they could come up with is that the move was to try to make sure the Indians wouldn’t PH Giambi there, which: I dunno, I’d rather face Giambi than Raburn.

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to Darien

Avoiding the Giambi option would be my guess.

McGee looked overpowering, though. Would have been tough for anybody to catch up with that heat.

Darien

11 years ago

Reply to John Autin

Ah; I’m hearing on the Tweeter that Raburn hit .087 / .276 / .261 this year against 95+ mph fastballs. Strikes me as the sort of thing Maddon would be thinking about.

donburgh

11 years ago

JA, it pains me greatly to mention this, but Smoltz threw a shutout in game 7 of the 1991 NLCS. (I was there. Ugh.)