Anyone else losing all their stars in the fantasy baseball playoffs? lol
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Let's go DodgersComment -
Don't forget, Kershaw is on the mound.Comment -
Athletics right-hander Frankie Montas will return from suspension during the club’s series against the Angels, which begins Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. Montas will be eligible to pitch Wednesday, but it’s not yet clear whether the 26-year-old will start or relieve during his late-season comeback.
With a 2.70 ERA/2.90 FIP and 9.7 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in 90 innings, Montas has unquestionably been the A’s most effective starter this year. However, a shocking 80-game performance-enhancing drug ban on June 21 cut off his breakout campaign and will stop him from participating in the playoffs. The A’s aren’t locks to reach the postseason, but at 92-61 and two games up on the AL’s No. 1 wild-card spot, they look to be on their way. Whether from their rotation or their bullpen, Montas could further bolster the A’s chances of a second straight playoff trip over the last week of the season.
Thanks in part to Montas’ absence, this is the second consecutive season the A’s rotation’s trying to battle through adversity and reach the top of the mountain in baseball. Multiple injuries have also added to the difficulty for Oakland, but its starting staff has found some late-season stability. Trade deadline pickups Homer Bailey and Tanner Roark have provided solid results since coming over in July; Sean Manaea has been nearly unhittable since he made a long-awaited return from injury Sept. 1; and Mike Fiers and Brett Anderson have defied unspectacular peripherals en route to ERAs in the low-4.00s this year.Comment -
Braves sleeper to win the Series?Comment -
Alonso hits 50th homer; deGrom, Mets beat Reds 8-1
CINCINNATI -- Pete Alonso felt going into the season that reaching 50 home runs was possible.
Now that he's there, it's become hard to believe.
New York's rookie first baseman hit his major league-leading 50th home run, Jacob deGrom pitched shutout ball for seven innings and the Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 Friday night.
"It was always in the realm of possibility," Alonso said. "It's hard to wrap my mind around it. It means the world to me, but I don't think I'll be able to appreciate it until after the season."
Amed Rosario hit a two-run homer and Jeff McNeil added a solo shot for the Mets, who remained 3 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the second NL wild card after the Brewers beat the Pirates 10-1.Comment -
It is impressive and he’s a good kid too but let’s not lose sight of the fact that we’re in the arena baseball age where baseballs are replaced by super balls.
Case in point Brett Gardner has been playing in the bigs for 12 years barely averages 10 homers a year and he’s closing in on 30. He’s not a 30 HR a year power hitter.
Case in point part 2.
Eloy Jimenez is a 22 year old White Sox rookie who just hit his 29th homer.
Nowhere in his minor league experience suggests he has that type of major league power.Comment -
That's great, now he can set a different standardComment -
^
explainComment -
Long live Kershaw.Comment -
I'm honestly glad the Padres fired Green.Comment -
Joel Sherman of the New York Post had an interesting profile today of a Yankees pitching staff at a crossroads (link). After losing Domingo German and Dellin Betances to suspension and injury, respectively, over the past several days, the AL East-champion Bombers find themselves with a pitching picture very much in flux. “I don’t look at it as frustrating,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild told Sherman. “I look at it as a problem to solve. We have to figure out what we are going to do. You would love to have those two guys obviously. But we don’t, so we have to move forward.” As Sherman points out, German’s loss may be particularly impactful, as his multi-inning ability may force skipper Aaron Boone to opt for a 13-man pen in the playoffs instead of a 12-man pen.
While Chad Green, J.A. Happ, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, James Paxton, Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Aroldis Chapman, and Zack Britton are all ’locks’ for the postseason staff, the final spots are more of a toss-up after the team’s loss of German and Betances. Luis Cessa, Cory Gearrin, Tyler Lyons, Stephen Tarpley, Ben Heller, and Jonathan Loaisiga are names floated by Sherman as possibilities to round out Boone’s October pen corps.
More notes from around the AL this Saturday eve…
- The Astros are facing what the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome deems a “full-fledged fourth starter crisis” after another uninspiring performance from the previously steady Wade Miley (link). In Saturday’s game against the Angels, Miley failed to complete more than one inning for the third time in four starts. The 32-year-old Miley had looked to be a coup for the Astros front office after signing a one-year/$4.5MM deal this offseason, with a 3.06 ERA through his first 156 innings this year. Unfortunately, the calendar’s turn to September has spelled doom for Miley, who has allowed 18 earned runs in 7 ⅓ September innings. Manager A.J. Hinch is voicing somewhat of a hedged belief in the experienced lefty: “We’re going to figure it out,” manager A.J. Hinch told Rome. “He’s going to be really effective for us. But given the time, it’s a difficult time to assess because he’s got one start left before we need to make some decisions.” Looking back, regression was probably coming for Miley all along, as those first 156 innings were undermined by a .263 BABIP and 4.36 FIP mark.
- In a somewhat more humorous note to conclude tonight’s news, Sportsnet’s Arash Madani passes along an eyebrow-raising nugget concerning Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero Jr., it seems, doesn’t owe his prodigious power to an intensive weight room regimen: “I’ve never worked out at the gym before,” Guerrero Jr. told Madani. “I’ve never lifted weights before.” While it’s roundly mystifying to consider that “Vladito” has achieved phenomenal athletic fame without ever committing himself to either a ’leg’ or ’upper body’ day, it still may be disconcerting to Jays fans taking a sidelong glance at the youngster’s to-this-point suspect defense. Vlad Jr. has logged a -4 DRS figure in 792 innings at third base this year, with 17 errors to his credit. Guerrero Jr. tells Madani that he will be newly committing himself to weight training this offseason with the intent of remaining at third base moving forward.
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Cubs continue skid after Kimbrel's blown save
CHICAGO -- The Cubs are seeing their season slip away in heartbreaking and dramatic fashion as they lost their fourth consecutive one-run game at Wrigley Field on Saturday, after closer Craig Kimbrel gave up ninth-inning home runs on back-to-back pitches.
Kimbrel, 31, entered the game against the St. Louis Cardinals holding onto an 8-7 lead before Yadier Molina hit his first pitch, a 97 mph fastball, out to left field. Paul DeJong did the same moments later, sending another fastball over the wall.Comment -
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Man the astros are fuking chucked big time.Comment -
oh nooo! I am in the finals but my players are dropping like fliesComment -
Would've thought some teams would have already shut their season down. Going to be a great post season. On the Dodgers gravy trainComment -
I ended up losing outright by not winning the walks category which I lost by 1 measly walk. I had a really good team in that league but I just couldn't get it done when it counted. In h2h leagues thats how it goes sometimes you can draft a powerhouse and still fall short in the playoffs due to the nature of a one week matchup.Comment -
TB & Cle tied for the for 2nd Wild Card position. Oak 1st up by 2 games.
Going to be a interesting week!!!!Comment -
Who has the best playoff built staffComment -
has to be the Stros...who else can compete with that? Not even LAD imoComment -
One game win and in wild card give me Cleveland with Beiber or Bauer over Morton and the Rays.
I like Oakland’s lineup but their pitching staff is very suspect.
If Oakland with Fiers wins their wild card game is that rotation deep enough to win? Do you like Hendricks to close?
Like Oakland, Twins pitching is suspect too.
Houston had the superior rotation, Yanks have the better ‘pen.
You can get 17 to 1 on the Indians just to win the AL.
There’s your value, not saying they can beat NY or Houston in a five or seven game set, but they are capable.Comment
