2015 MLB Season - Let's Play Two!

[paul secor]

Consider Bartolo Colon: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colonba01.shtml

Didn't see any mention in there about a 50 game suspension in 2012 for using synthetic testosterone. Perhaps I missed it.

[JSngry]

Oh, Curtis Granderson is a blast to watch play...talking about how he's changed his approach with each team he's on, reminds me of a top-shelf studio player who can play ANY gig the way it needs to be played, not just multi-faceted talent, multi-faceted HIGH LEVEL talent.

Consider Bartolo Colon: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colonba01.shtml

Didn't see any mention in there about a 50 game suspension in 2012 for using synthetic testosterone. Perhaps I missed it.

See, that's all the more reason to respect the baseball physics of the Bartolo Colon Zone - he's a walking emitter of synthetic manstuff into every occupiable molecule of baseball matter. I bet he can bend baseball light just by looking at it. Something's gotta be keeping those legs viable.

[Brad]

The Royals are a very good team, probably better than the Mets top to bottom but in my opinion the Mets let one slip away that they had won.  Familia, from time to time, likes to use this stupid quick pitch, which is not very effective.  Why a guy who has this fantastic splitter and can throw 97 plus needs to think he needs a trick pitch is beyond me.  The Royals aren't stupid.  They saw the videos of when he does it and Gordon was ready.  Give him credit for hitting it.  I hope he learns from this not to do it again.  When Gordon hit the HR, game over.  I've seen this before, game 4 of the 1988 NLCS against the Dodgers, a game that will haunt me the rest of my life but let's not go back to ancient history.

My criticisms of Collins: why on God's name is he starting Kelly Johnson and then replacing him with Cuddeyer (who is done in my opinion).  I thought (as did a lot of Mets fans) that Lagares would be in CF, with Conforto as the DH.  A mistake as they gifted a run in the first.  Also, what in the heck is Collins thinking pulling Conforto in the 6th for defense.  This is a move I would have expected in the 8th.  Now, it didn't really hurt them as Lagares got two hits and scored the 4th run but you have to wonder about the thinking process that goes into that.

Bullpen was better than expected so I was pleasantly surprised there.  I still wish he would go with Addison Reed in the 8th but Collins sticks to his formula.

Wright is a liability at 3rd.  Due to his spinal stenosis, he has to throw a certain way and it cost him in the 14th.  Interestingly I was surprised that Collins didn't use a challenge on the play; nothing to lose at that point.

Harvey wasn't real sharp, probably due to the layoff.  His start against the Dodgers wasn't sharp (due to a long layoff) but was sharp against the Cubs because he was on regular rest; I expect him to look good for game 5.

Don't know what to expect from deGrom tonight as he hasn't looked good in the early innings in any of his post season starts.

Being down 2-0 is not in a good position to be in but not the end of the world as the 85 Royals and 86 Mets have shown.

[Scott Dolan]

If nothing else, last night's game was one of the more bizarre games I've ever seen. 

Overnight postseason superstar Alcides Escobar hits a in-the-parker off of the first pitch of the game. 

Then we get into the mind-bending we've lost feed, no I think we, what are we, are we heading back out to, Matt Vasgersian here, game halted because God forbid people in TV land miss any action, here in the studio I think we're, are we heading back out, OK, we're taking you back to Kauffman Stadium with JOe Buck on the call, Matt Vasgersian here… Stanley Kubrick couldn't have scripted it better.

Volquez out there pitching a pretty goddamn good game, only to walk back into the clubhouse after the 6th inning to learn that his father had died that day, which his wife and manager kept from him...

 

Either way, that was Royals baseball, folks. And the reason I thought this Series was going all 7 games. They're not the most talented team in MLB, but they don't possess even an ounce of quit.

[Brad]

Oh, Curtis Granderson is a blast to watch play...talking about how he's changed his approach with each team he's on, reminds me of a top-shelf studio player who can play ANY gig the way it needs to be played, not just multi-faceted talent, multi-faceted HIGH LEVEL talent.

Consider Bartolo Colon: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colonba01.shtml

Didn't see any mention in there about a 50 game suspension in 2012 for using synthetic testosterone. Perhaps I missed it.

See, that's all the more reason to respect the baseball physics of the Bartolo Colon Zone - he's a walking emitter of synthetic manstuff into every occupiable molecule of baseball matter. I bet he can bend baseball light just by looking at it. Something's gotta be keeping those legs viable.

I love Colon.  Yes, he did steroids but did his time.  He's just a very good pitcher and I'll be see sorry to see him go.  He's been a tremendous influence on some of the Latin pitchers; he even told Robles that if you're not going to throw inside, why don't you go home.  He's been a treat to watch, just as Young was a treat to watch because they show you that you don't have to throw 95 to succeed.  Just move the ball up and down, left to right and so forth.

[JSngry]

That Lagares AB against Herrera in the 8th was freakin' epic, and when he stole and then scored, I figured game over, the night's mojo asserted once and for all.

But...shit happens.

[ghost of miles]

As the game went on...

The way the Mets kept extending the ABs, the way I thought the Royals would do. they kept getting traffic but couldn't quite bring 'em in, I kept waiting for that to reach critical mass against the Royal's relievers. and then Chris Young comes in, and it's like, ok, it's July, sunny afternoon, let's all sit back a roll along with the clouds. Top of the first, and here's the pitch.

Meanwhile, Royals just going up there chopping away, pretty much swinging like if it's not in the dirt or over their head, it's a pitch to hit, getting runners on and then chophacking away ...I thought the game was going to go on forever, and then...Bartolo Colon.

Consider Bartolo Colon: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colonba01.shtml

Age: 42

Height: 5' 11"

Weight: 285 lbs

I'm not dissing on Bartolo Colo, far from it, he's a modern miracle, or freak, depending on how you look at it, but either way, the guy's got a crazy mad skill set. I don't see how he has any legs or knees left, but that's part of the miracle.

No matter, Bartolo Colon shifts the physics, just because he's Bartolo Colon, he's the Bartolo Colon Zone. Him. Alone. HAS to be alone, couldn't be anybody else in the Bartolo Colon Zone except Bartolo Colon.Use him for his thing and then get him out of there. But that's not how it lined up, was it, bullpens ripped asunder, everybody getting looks at everybody all at once, tippy-toppy time now. and when they IBBed Cain (who was really swinging at damn near anything last night, it looked like) to pitch to Hosmer, I thought, ok, get the Ambien ready, bedtime coming...when you have Bartolo Colon IBB a hitter, that's asking him to role-play in a place outside of the Bartolo Colon Zone, and not just that, you're walking a guy who had struck out his last two ABs, and yeah, he's Lorenzo Cain, gotta respect that, but instead you choose to pitch to probably the MOST highly motivated person in the ballpark...I'm no expert, nor am I a Counselor Deanna Troi type person who feels things through the christmas lights on my head, but it seems to me that if you want the Bartolo Colon Zone to remain undisturbed, you just let him pitch to Cain, do what he always does, just stand there and chunk 'em in one after the other, he quite often does that very well, and then you either lose the game that way or go to the 15th.

But no, you skipped a pebble on the still water, and then here comes the new vibrational pattern, and Hosmer sees a chance to clear out the Bill Buckner debris starting to orbit around his cosmic being, sees a chance to get ALL of that over with before it starts, Bortolo Colon Zone about stasis, Hosmer Zone about Oh HELL No, and you knew what was going to happen, just not how. A it turns out, just a sac fly, but hey - you didn't get to Hosmer through the naturally occurring Bartolo Colon Zone, no, you issued him and invitation to Step Right Up! so, hey...

All that aside, I didn't get the game on until the 6th (it had JUST gone to 3-1), missed the first pitch ITPHR (I love those things, the ITPHRs, thrilling aplenty!), but still saw 9 innings of pretty intense baseball that always seemed to be heading one way only to go another.

If Game 1 sets the tone for the remaining games, this is going to be a Series that feels like it's gone 7 regardless of how many games it actually goes. EX-cellent!

I think YOU should be a game commentator, my friend.  Seriously! 

[JSngry]

Thanks, but this is nothing but Grant Brisbee (who I would highly recommend to anybody who like contemporary sports writing with a decidedly non Tinactin-based fragrance) with a pseudo-cosmic twist. Improvised sports comedybabble.

Glad you enjoyed it, though, it's fun to write, for sure, a game like that is hard to just walk away from without SOME kind of further processing!

However, I do think, seriously, that once Colon's optimum performance practice zone had been intruded upon, it might have been best to get him out of there, like how in Vegas, if one guy starts hitting too much all at once they'll change the dealer. Not that there's any reality-based justification for doing so (unless there's an honesty/trust issue at play, and I guess in Vegas there always is, really, right?), but, you know, you want to say that you took every protective caution to protect yourself against that illusory thing called "momentum" ("illusory" because although, yes, it exists, it can be neither created nor destroyed with intent, you can't flip the momentum switch, It just happens while it happens and then stops when it doesn't happen. Probably more a matter of somebody changing something until the other guy adjusts and stops you from doing that, and it could as easily be unconscious as it is conscious. Or it could be as simple/random as a clustering of mistakes. One things' for sure, when you see it happening, be ready!).

But what I don't know is who the Mets would have brought in to replace Colon? Second & Third with good hitters coming up is not exactly a no-sweat situation, but it's not impossible, either. You get Cain to either strike out or pop up, some kind of non-productive out, and then you can walk Hosmer to get to Dyson with one out. Hardly a given what happens there, best case, some kind of DP, or get the lead runner at the plate, any non-productive out that moves the outs along...and yes, of course it's that simple

Just sayin', did the Mets have a reliever handy who would have worked better than Colon for that strategy, or was Colon the Mets' last best hope there, period?

[Brad]

They lifted Niese too early so after Colon I think it would have been  Gilmartin. They also had Robles. Not sure why they didn't bring him in.  They weren't going to use Matz under any circumstances. 

If the Mets are going to get back into this series deGrom is the man. Contrary to what everybody thinks deGrom is the ace of the staff.  If the Royals beat deGrom it could be a short series.  

Let's face it, Harvey is still in a recovery year.  However, he (along with Familia) blew the game; he wasn't good when he needed to be as the "ace" of the staff.  He's a bit of a prima donna and his teammates just sort of shake their head when something comes up involving him, be it the innings thing, being late or what have you  

It wouldn't surprise me if they trade him; there will be no Cespedes next year and they will need to bring in a bat.  Mets ownership is pretty cheap (due to the Madoff scandal) so they will be looking to spend as little money as possible. 

Edited October 28, 2015 by Brad

[JSngry]

Harvey was going really, really good until he wasn't. You think he started losing stuff, the recovery thing coming into play? Collins sure seemed to have seen enough, for whatever reason.

Niese looked totally in command. How many innings/pitches is he generally good for?

That was the type of game where managing towards probably outcomes bites you in the ass as easily as not. you go through all your plans and the game's still not over, still gotta keep playing, but with who? WTF?, right?

I really think that Chris Young saved Kansas City, but now what about the rotation going forth? OTOH, World Series, all hands on deck at all times, if not now, then never!

[JSngry]

Grant Brisbee, just a few hours ago, on Jacob DeGrom: http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2015/10/28/9629540/jacob-degrom-2015-world-series-mets-game-2-starter?_ga=1.171334307.205038022.1415141294

If there's any solace for Mets fans after the grim heart theft of Game 1, it's this: Win Game 2, and the Mets have home field advantage in a best-of-five series. Win Game 2, and the odds turn in favor of the Mets. Win Game 2, and it's not just possible, it's more probable than it was before the World Series started.

They just have to, you know, win Game 2. No pressure.

To accomplish this noble goal, the Mets are turning to their best pitcher. Technically they have a 1a, 1b and 1c, but the Internet wasn't built on lukewarm opinions, and if I have to pick one fully rested Mets pitcher to start a hypothetical Game 7 with Bugs and Lola against the Monstars, I pick deGrom. Harvey is great, but not quite his 2013 self yet. Syndergaard is great, but he's still a puppy. A gigantic, flaxen puppy who throws 100 mph. He might be the one to take on the Monstars in the sequel.

For now, it's deGrom. And after looking at how all three did over the last two seasons, I'm realizing that this is the "I think tacos are excellent" take of the day. Still, the Mets' best chance to win the World Series at present rests on the right arm of deGrom, and that's exactly what they should want. He's also the reason you should be most excited about the Mets for the next few years, even if he's the oldest of the three co-aces. Let me explain: ....

[Scott Dolan]

 

I really think that Chris Young saved Kansas City, but now what about the rotation going forth? 

Good question.

My best guess would be that Kris Medlen starts game 4. Oddly enough, Young was slated to start game 4, but Medlen was slated to be our fourth starter in the postseason. There's still an outside chance they start Young on three days rest, but I don't think that will be the case. 

Where the Royals have a true advantage is the fourth starter/long reliever. We've got Young/Medlen/Duffy, and any of them can spot start if necessary. And with the nearly insane bullpen depth, it really wouldn't matter. 

Our fourth slot is fluid, and as long as Cueto doesn't bow out after three or four innings tonight, we've got the bullpen to take over at any given point in game 4 (considering the travel day rest). 

[paul secor]

They lifted Niese too early so after Colon I think it would have been  Gilmartin. They also had Robles. Not sure why they didn't bring him in.  They weren't going to use Matz under any circumstances. 

If the Mets are going to get back into this series deGrom is the man. Contrary to what everybody thinks deGrom is the ace of the staff.  If the Royals beat deGrom it could be a short series.  

Let's face it, Harvey is still in a recovery year.  However, he (along with Familia) blew the game; he wasn't good when he needed to be as the "ace" of the staff.  He's a bit of a prima donna and his teammates just sort of shake their head when something comes up involving him, be it the innings thing, being late or what have you  

It wouldn't surprise me if they trade him; there will be no Cespedes next year and they will need to bring in a bat.  Mets ownership is pretty cheap (due to the Madoff scandal) so they will be looking to spend as little money as possible. 

Matt Harvey is eligible for arbitration after this season. If the Mets want to keep him, they'll have to come up with some bucks. Not free agent money, but they'll have to pay to keep him.

My take is that the Mets will use their young pitchers and work them hard, because when they do become free agents, the Mets won't pay and they'll be gone. Or they'll be burned out before then. Either way, the Mets don't care.

As for the Wilpons, they've been crying poor for years. If you're cash poor, sell the team. You're in New York and if you put a good team on the field the fans will turn out, as this year showed. The Wilpons have a TV deal, and a TV deal in New York generates a lot more income than one in smaller markets. Plus, the Mets drew fans this year, so let's see the Wilpons spend some $ for a change. If they don't, this will probably be a one year shot for the Mets and their fans. They can pay $21 mil. over two years for a dud like Cuddyer, but will probably let Daniel Murphy (who's not going to have a full year like this years post-season, but who is a solid player who can make things happen) go.

[Brad]

Ok I'm a believer.  It's no crime to lose to a better team.  

[JSngry]

Not THAT fast...how are the Royals pitchers at batting? And will the games play out in such a way that it matters?

No doubt about it though,  Strong Cueto tonight is big. Third time through the order not mattering for him so far (Duda up as we speak), DeGrom, not so much...

[Scott Dolan]

Ok I'm a believer.  It's no crime to lose to a better team.  

???

You didn't think the Royals were a great team before? 

[Scott Dolan]

Not THAT fast...how are the Royals pitchers at batting? And will the games play out in such a way that it matters?

No doubt about it though,  Strong Cueto tonight is big. Third time through the order not mattering for him so far (Duda up as we speak), DeGrom, not so much...

I think the last pitcher we had that was a really good hitter was Greinke.

But, one position in the lineup isn't going to dramatically change things. 

[Brad]

I thought the Royals were a good team -- not a great team, a good team -- before.  Great is thrown around too much. I tend to be sparing in the use of that word.  No disrespect to your team intended. However, I thought the Mets pitching could limit their damage.  Obviously, I wasn't correct, at least so far.  This series might have changed in the first game in the ninth inning. Reminds me to a certain extent of the 2000 World Series when the Mets were ready to take game 1 but Armando Benitez lost the game. Series basically over. 

Are the Royals a better team or a team playing better.  Right now, it's both.  Moreover, Too many automatic outs in the Mets lineup.  I also think that Mets pitching need to move people off the plate and throw inside and hit a couple of people if necessary.  Royals hitters are too comfortable right now.

Hopefully, being home will make a difference. 

Edited October 29, 2015 by Brad

[JSngry]

 

But, one position in the lineup isn't going to dramatically change things. 

Perhaps not. However, AL ball creates a situation where all 27 outs come at the hands of "normal" hitters. NL ball reduces that down to 24 outs by legitimate hitters and 3 by more or less certain outs. Will those three be productive outs, and will they even be in a position to be productive outs? Believe it or not you can pitch differently when you know that sure out is coming up!

Just saying, no, it might well not dramatically change things, especially if the top of the order continues like they have been. But in AL ball, the line keeps rolling without a pause. Not so in NL ball. An inevitable change in the math, the objective, not the speculative, math.

Just something to watch for that hasn't been there yet. Whether or not it becomes a real factor, we'll know when we get there, right?

Royals still have an advantage, though, bullpen depth probably allows greater flexibility in pinch-hitting w/o a drop off in reliever replacement. Get in a jam, need a reliever for one out and he'll be due to bat, no worries, use one, pinch hit, use another, just don't play no more 39 inning games. Otherwise, it's a rare luxury.

Mets are probably feeling like there's no way to make any adjustments in their game plan, but...you got a day off and you got all kinds of video and data to look at. People probably worked late last night, people gonna probably work late tonight too, looking for something that will disrupt. Right now, it looks like the Royals cannot be disrupted. But you know, you pay people to find things that haven't been found yet, and you still got some hella good arms. "Just get them out" is not a strategy, hell you're gonna get 'em out eventually, the question is what happens while you're waiting for the outs!

And when does Cespedes wake up?

Still gotta really like the Royals chances now up 2-0, pretty significant advantage, especially with Cueto poised for Game 6 back home, but...there's still a lot of baseball left...or at least still a lot of baseball left unplayed. How it gets played will determine how much of it is left.

[Scott Dolan]

I'd call being 90ft away from the tying run in game 7 of the World Series last year, having the best record in the A.L. this year, and being in back to back World Series is pretty air tight evidence of what the Royals are. 

You're kind of sounding like all those baseball "experts" who thought the Royals were a cute little story and a fluke last year. Pegged them to win 72-75 games this year and finish no better than third...in their own division! 

It's that kind of clueless disrespect that drives this team, and us fans. 

Yeah, they're good and bordering on great. I think teams and managers finally realize that, but pundits and fans of other teams still haven't gotten it through their heads yet. 

They think since we're not in LA/Chicago/San Fran/Boston/NYC, and don't absurdly overpay big name players, we're somehow something just short of fraudulent, or not worthy of playing with the "big boys".

Edited October 29, 2015 by Scott Dolan

[JSngry]

I heard Denny Matthews say, and seeing this team play over the last few weeks really brought it home, that the reason the Royals are so hard to beat is that they excel at damage control, that even when they allow a big inning, it's hardly ever as big as it could have been, and even more often, they don't allow the big inning, that when a team looks like they're set to get 2-3 runs, they often end up with just one. That doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't happen without pitchers and defense being on the same page, and without a manager and coaches who always have a Plan B (or beyond) for any given scenario, nor without a scouting group that has evaluated those options thoroughly beforehand.

A really great team is a whole 'nother thing than a collection of great players playing well. I've been seeing a great team these last couple of weeks, execution obviously, but also knowing what needs to be executed at any given moment.

Now, I don't have the greatest eye for this type thing, but I was really struck by the Niese v Perez AB in the 8th last night, Moustakis on 1st, nobody out. I'm looking for Niese to throw the DP ball, I mean, Perez is pretty slow, and the Mets got good infielders. But as I remember it, Niese kept picking at the corners trying to get Perez to swingandamiss, and the next thing you know, BAM, Perez gets a pitch to hit and does, there they go again.

There was probably something in that matchup that I don't know about, maybe Niese is not really a groundball pitcher, maybe Perez does not hit into DPs is spite of his lack of fleetness, but just sayin' end result, double, not double play, not damage control.Not sure if the Royals paly it that way if the roles were reversed. Not sure.

[Scott Dolan]

I told my son, early in the season while we were watching a game, to truly appreciate this defense because he may never see another like it in Kansas City. 

One of the reasons we manage the damage control as well as we do because Dayton Moore lined our bullpen with a ton of high caliber arms. So we can yank a starter early and not miss a beat. We lost arguably the best closer in the game last year over a month ago. Didn't matter one bit. We had three other arms who could close. Yes, you read that right. Last year it was the HDH show in the 7th-8th-9th. This year? Just mix and match. 

Edited October 29, 2015 by Scott Dolan

[JSngry]

Great thing about that is that whereas most teams have to leave a starter in for that third time through the order, Royals don't. So if you got a starter who's doing ok but is showing signs of being gotten to, you don't have to wait to see if it's going to actually happen, you can be preemptive with it, stop a rally before it has a chance to even start.

And all the Royals pitchers, starters and relievers, seem to be really, really good about pitching to the situation at hand, and to the defensive alignment set up for it. That's a different type of pitching model that the pure power model, but if you can pitch to contact and the contact goes to your defensive alignment, hey, this way there be wins.

[Brad]

If the pundits and experts don't give them the respect you think they deserve, that's their issue, not mine.  I think we all knew they were good and they demonstrated it throughout the season. 

They are good, a very good team but before we start calling them a great team let's see them first win this one and then do it again.  When I think of recent great teams, the late 90s Yankees and the Red Sox of 2004 and 2007 come to mind.  I don't even include the Giants there although they are or had very good teams. 

If it was me I wouldn't worry about what others think.  In fact, during this year's playoffs I liked that the Mets were the underdogs. 

Edited October 29, 2015 by Brad

[JSngry]

The '69 Orioles were by any standard one of the all-time great teams - and they lost the World Series.