Dan Gould Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Well you couldn't script that one any better, from Bard retiring Vladi in the eighth to Ortiz icing it in the ninth with the blast into the CF bleachers. A perfect preview of the ALDS as far as I am concerned particularly beating Lackey and Lackey getting seriously p.o.'d. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Interesting clarification about magic numbers in the Globe this morning: Normally, after a Red Sox win and a Rangers loss, the magic number would drop two, from 16 to 14. Turns out it drops to 13, via the following logic: If the Rangers somehow got hot and won every game left, they'd finish 98-64. But to win everything would include 7 against the Angels. The Angels would then end up competing for the Wild Card, and with a presumption of seven losses to the Rangers, the best the Angels could do would be 97-65. So the Red Sox would have to finish 98-64, which they would accomplish by going 13-7. So the magic number for clinching the wild card ought to be 13. I know that's not the way they calculate it and it will all be moot since the Rangers won't win out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 The Catch http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6663629 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Ah, if there were only a way for the Rangers to play only the Angels and the Red Sox from now until the end of the season..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 I gave up on the season when Maddon dyed his hair black. ... and they traded Kaz ... and does anyone remember me expressing mild concern about the bullpen in the offseason/first half? How can this be glaringly obvious to a schmuck like me but not the organization? Either that or they knew what was staring them in the face and chose not to do much about it (rely on the long-gone Percy or a risky reclamation project with Isringhausen). On the bright side, I guess I'll be able to sit back and enjoy the playoffs without worrying too much about who wins. That, and look forward to some major retuning of the pen in the offseason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McG Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 The Catch http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6663629 That is just too cute...and I love her Daddy's response Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 The Catch http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6663629 That is just too cute...and I love her Daddy's response Yeah. That was cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Nice home cookin' in that Nick Green at bat for Boston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen archer Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Red Sox Magic Number down to 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 The Catch http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6663629 That is just too cute...and I love her Daddy's response Yeah. That was cool. Awwww! That's a good dad right there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 The Catch http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6663629 That is just too cute...and I love her Daddy's response Yeah. That was cool. Awwww! That's a good dad right there! He sure is! I'd have been mighty pissed! The Catch http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6663629 That is just too cute...and I love her Daddy's response Yeah. That was cool. Awwww! That's a good dad right there! He sure is! I'd have been mighty pissed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Nice home cookin' in that Nick Green at bat for Boston. No question, but what this game helped demonstrate is how Fuentes is not much of a closer - ERA over 4, six blown saves before this one - and the Angel's bullpen as a whole isn't nearly as good as it once was. The starting pitching isn't that great either. The Angels are like the Yankee playoff teams from most of this decade, pound their way into the playoffs then get bounced because their hitting isn't as great against tougher pitching staffs and their own pitching is lacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Fuentes' stuff doesn't look in the least bit intimidating. Low 90s fastball and out of the strike zone with his breaking pitches. I thought he's at least try to get Ortiz, but Fuentes pussyfooted around him. In his defense he's only supposed to get three outs. I mean, Green struck out twice in that at bat, but still managed to draw a bases loaded walk to tie the game. That ump needs to grow a pair and make the right call. Usually MLB umpires have no problem sending the home crowd to their cars disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 So the magic number for clinching the wild card ought to be 13. I know that's not the way they calculate it and it will all be moot since the Rangers won't win out. That's an understatement: a 3-game sweep by the last-place A's in which the Rangers scored ONE WHOLE FUCKING RUN the entire series! It's as if someone snapped them out of the wonderful trance they've been in all summer and reminded them that they're the Rangers, they're not supposed to be in the playoffs. I'm telling ya: this WAS a good season, but if it comes crashing down like this, then my assessment will change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) At this point, and as much as I hate to admit it, I can see the Red Sox in the World Series. The Tigers will disappear in the first round, and I'm pretty confident the Sox can take the Yankees in the ALCS, as long as it doesn't come down to a battle of bullpens. Edited September 17, 2009 by Big Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) Fuentes' stuff doesn't look in the least bit intimidating. Low 90s fastball and out of the strike zone with his breaking pitches. I thought he's at least try to get Ortiz, but Fuentes pussyfooted around him. In his defense he's only supposed to get three outs. I mean, Green struck out twice in that at bat, but still managed to draw a bases loaded walk to tie the game. That ump needs to grow a pair and make the right call. Usually MLB umpires have no problem sending the home crowd to their cars disappointed. I thought that Fuentes' bitching and moaning was ridiculous. Not that the calls weren't bad, but the idea that umpires are intimidated at Fenway or something. You can miss a call and its not because you're afraid to go to your car after the game. This isn't AA ball. One thing I didn't really notice was whether the umpire was calling the lower edge of the strike zone tight all night or not. It looks worse if he had called someone out on a low strike earlier than froze on that one. But if he wasn't giving that strike throughout the game, it almost excuses it. Not quite though. It was after all above the lower line of the strike zone box on the screen. Edited September 17, 2009 by Dan Gould Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 At this point, and as much as I hate to admit it, I can see the Red Sox in the World Series. The Tigers will disappear in the first round, and I'm pretty confident the Sox can take the Yankees in the ALCS, as long as it doesn't come down to a battle of bullpens. I'll happily go to war with this bullpen over theirs any day of the week. Far deeper and that was before they added Wagner. The Yankees could make it a seven inning game because of Hughes and Rivera. The Red Sox can make them six inning games because they have the arms to get through the seventh, too, and have more than a single option for the eighth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen archer Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 But didn't it look like the catcher moved his glove up a little quick to try and sell it?....I think that might have made the ump question whether it was in the strike zone? A lot people on EEI this morning couldn't believe that the left fielder didn't dive to try and catch that ball Gonzalez hit it looked like it fell right in front of his feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 It was strike four. The announcers said numerous times that Rivera was playing too deep. I thought a dive might be in order on the play too, but the camera angle was from a foreshortened view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Yeah, he did frame it a bit when he didn't have to. It was borderline, but a strike nonetheless. The thing is, we're conditioned to expect the low strike to be called more than the high strike, and probably balls on the black more also. But umps can blow calls just by blowing calls, not because they are influenced by the fans or the location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 There are plots of the strike zone from last night that shows how the home plate umpire was not calling the low strike, and was calling a higher strike. So the bottom line is, he wasn't giving that pitch all night long. Yeah, empirically it was a strike but as the old umpire used to say "it ain't nothing til I say what it is" and he hadn't been calling it and he didn't. It really makes it impossible to argue that it had anything to do with the crowd or the Red Sox. Everyone says they want consistency from the ump - well, he gave it to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Nice article about the dad who made the catch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 But didn't it look like the catcher moved his glove up a little quick to try and sell it?....I think that might have made the ump question whether it was in the strike zone? A lot people on EEI this morning couldn't believe that the left fielder didn't dive to try and catch that ball Gonzalez hit it looked like it fell right in front of his feet. It looked like he completely bailed on that ball. It dropped right in front of him. Pretty close to the stands though. But still. It seemed like the Angels defense made more than a couple of costly flubs in the late innings. That seems like a bigger factor in the outcome of that game than the no-call on the strike, which tied the game -- didn't lose it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McG Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Nate fucking Schierholtz. Giants lose. The season's over. Go back to Fresno. Grrrrr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Well then we agree they really had to sweep to have a shot. Lots of scoreboard watching in the final two weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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