Could be a Cali NLCS and World Series
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Teams have a few days off, for travel ????Comment -
Just like that, no Central division teams leftComment -
Damn, lost another legend in HOFer and Cardinals ace Bob Gibson. R.I.P.Comment -
Impressive performance today by San Diego's pitching staff. They ran through a record 9 pitchers to earn that win but they not only got it done but they completely shut down St. Louis's offense. If they get pitching like that they can hang with LA but it's a tall task. Hopefully they get Lamet back but I doubt they get both him and Clevinger back so they'll need their bullpen to be on point.Comment -
Baseball icon and longtime Cardinals ace Bob Gibson has died at the age of 84 after a battle with cancer, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
As Hummel notes, Gibson passed away on the 52nd anniversary of one of his greatest performances – a 17-strikeout effort against the Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. It was one of countless gems turned in by the right-handed Gibson during his Hall of Fame career, which spanned from 1959-75.
Always known as an incredibly fierce competitor and a seemingly inexhaustible workhorse, Gibson pitched to a brilliant 2.89 ERA, compiled a 251-147 record during the regular season and amassed 12 seasons with at least 200 innings – including a pair of years with upward of 300 frames. But Gibson was even more effective in the postseason, where he put up a 1.89 ERA and went 7-2 across 81 innings to help the Cardinals to two World Series titles. His playoff heroics will always be part of baseball lore.
Gibson went to nine All-Star Games and won nine Gold Gloves, two Cy Youngs and an MVP during his tremendous career. He’s undoubtedly one of the best pitchers in the history of the sport, and everyone in the baseball world is surely sad that he’s gone. We at MLBTR offer condolences to Gibson’s family, friends and the Cardinals organization.Comment -
RIP BobComment -
This is what happens when the top heavy teams feast on Detroit, KC, and Pitt all season while avoiding East teams like NYY and Tampa and West teams like SD and LA.
What happened here was the top heavy teams played .500 against each other and the rest of their competition was AAA minor league teams.
Long story short the good Central teams never played other good teams.Comment -
All 4 NL Central teams were shut out in their elimination games, impressive showing.Comment -
Baseball just pissing me off right now.Comment -
After a rough start to the regular season, the Reds went on a late-year tear to finish 31-29 and earn their first playoff berth since 2013. But the postseason didn’t go well for the Reds, who failed to score a run in 22 innings during a two-game sweep against the Braves. The Reds’ offseason is now underway, and president of baseball operations Dick Williams discussed their plans with reporters (including John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bobby Nightengale of the Enquirer and Mark Sheldon of MLB.com).
In the wake of a pandemic-shortened season, the Reds aren’t sure how their payroll will look in 2021, as Williams said, “Unfortunately, as you go into next year, I think we’re all still dealing with some very large unknowns.”
Re-signing NL Cy Young candidate and pending free-agent right-hander Trevor Bauer would presumably drive the Reds’ payroll way up, but they’re nonetheless hopeful they’ll be able to bring him back. If not, though, Williams said the Reds could turn to Tejay Antone, Tyler Mahle, Michael Lorenzen or Jose De Leon as replacements in a starting group that could also lose Anthony DeSclafani on the open market. And they do have veterans Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray and Wade Miley already locked in for next year.
Turning to the offensive side, Williams said he expects Tyler Stephenson to compete for a regular catching role prior to 2021. Stephenson, the 11th overall pick in the 2015 draft, posted outstanding numbers during his Double-A debut last year and logged a .294/.400/.647 line with two home runs in his first taste of MLB action this season, though he totaled just 20 plate appearances and struck out nine times. He figures to compete with Tucker Barnhart and Curt Casali for a job in a few months.
Meanwhile, the Reds could lose right fielder Nick Castellanos to free agency, as he has the ability to opt out of the remaining three years and $48MM on the four-year, $64MM deal he signed last winter. Williams, though, does not expect Castellanos to leave. That’s not surprising news, considering Castellanos’ numbers plummeted after he began the season on a hot streak. The 28-year-old ended 2020 with a pedestrian .225/.298/.486 line and 14 home runs in 242 plate appearances.Comment -
This no baseball weekend is weird. Like the day games during the week thoughComment -
Clevinger might make it the NLDS roster. But I doubt he helps to win a gameComment -
Peavy, I’m totally with you on this. Hoping for Tatis to flip his bat into the Gary Templeton cut out after hitting one off the Dodgers.Comment -
I'm definitely rooting on the Padres to beat the Dodgers and I think they have a good shot at pulling it off. They have a bunch of scrappy players and a powerful offense of their own so I think they have a chance. In a lot of ways they remind me of the 2015 Kansas City Royals that nobody thought would win the World Series.Comment -
The Braves will consider a bullpen game at some point during their NLDS series against the Marlins, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. That’s a lot to put on a bullpen in a 5-game series that takes place over 5 days, but the Braves and manager Brian Snitker may not have a better option available to them.
Max Fried figures to get the start in game one, with Snitker announcing the move in all but name: “I think you want your best going in Game 1,” said Snitker, per Bowman. Fried could return on short rest to start a potential win-or-go-home game five. Said Snitker, “…I definitely think that is a possibility. We just need to see how that first game goes and the subsequent games as well.” Snitker remained coy about officially naming Fried as the game one starter, but only an injury would derail a game one start from Fried at this point, and it seems their ace lefty is finally healthy for the first time in that past month.
Beyond Fried, rookie standout Ian Anderson should line up for game two and Kyle Wright for game three. Again, Snitker would make nothing official, but the Braves don’t have a lot of options given the injuries that befell their rotation during the season.
Game four is where things get interesting for the Braves, as they don’t have a clear option lined up to start this game – hence the possibility of a bullpen game. Josh Tomlin was on the Wild Card roster, and he could function as a key swingman after making 5 starts during the regular season. Tomlin covered 39 2/3 innings across 17 total appearances during the regular season with a 4.76 ERA/4.02 FIP and 8.17 K/9 to 1.82 BB/9.
Atlanta went with a 10-man bullpen for the wild card series, with Tomlin as the only true long man. If they should so choose, the Braves have a number of options elsewhere in the system with experience eating innings. Huascar Ynoa, Bryse Wilson, Touki Toussaint, and Sean Newcomb could conceivably be added to their pitching pool as options to start or eat innings in a potential game four. That said, 10 guys in the pen should be enough even with a bullpen game, and the Braves already expect to lean heavily on Mark Melancon and Shane Greene – each of whom could theoretically pitch in as many as four of the five games, if it goes the distance.Comment -
Dodgers rolling inComment -
Rooting for the Rays over the Yankees tooComment -
If Braves offense starts rolling, doesn’t matter who pitches.Comment -
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Astros going hard on game 1Comment -
The Yankees offense did it again tonight. You get 9 runs with Gerrit Cole on the hill and you won't lose too many games. He wasn't his best tonight but he got through 6 with a lead and that's usually enough for the Yankees to put teams away.Comment -
8:54 pm: The Padres are deciding between Clevinger and Chris Paddack to start tomorrow’s game one against the Dodgers, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune. Both threw bullpen sessions on Sunday, and if they deem Clevinger healthy enough, he’ll get the ball.
Starting Clevinger in game one would be an interesting call, because it could also set him up to start a potential game five on short rest. The Padres might be hesitant to do so given the injury concern. Perhaps more to the point, starting Clevinger tomorrow would mean Paddack would not be able to go in a potential series-deciding game five.
9:33 am: The Padres are “optimistic” right-hander Mike Clevinger will be able to return for their National League Division Series against the Dodgers, hears Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). However, fellow starter Dinelson Lamet “likely won’t be ready for this round,” Nightengale adds. Both pitchers missed the playoffs’ opening set, but San Diego leaned heavily on their bullpen to advance past the Cardinals in three games.
Clevinger has generally seemed the more likely of the duo to work his way back to the mound this week. Sidelined since September 23 due to an elbow strain, the 29-year-old threw a “high-intensity” bullpen session yesterday, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network (via Twitter). The highest-profile of San Diego’s myriad deadline season acquisitions, Clevinger has a 3.02 ERA/4.15 FIP in 41.2 innings between the Indians and Padres this season.
Lamet emerged as an NL Cy Young contender this year, pitching to a 2.09 ERA/2.48 FIP across 69 innings. Unfortunately, he exited his final start of the regular season with biceps tightness. The Padres have until tomorrow to formally set their NLDS roster.Comment -
Looking like showdown with Yankees and DodgersComment
