AL Playoff Chase: The Final Week

[HriniakPosterChild]

Fans at Safeco must have been following the A's/Rangers game on their phones, because when the last out was made in Texas, fans in the stands gave the M's a standing ovation in the middle of an Anaheim at bat, even before the score was posted on the out of town scoreboard.  
 
Lloyd McClendon sent Felix to get a meaningless out in the top of the 6th so he could relieve him in the middle of an inning and get him a standing O. Felix doffed his cap, took a deep bow and then came out of the dugout for a curtain call. The same inning, McClendon sent Brad Miller in for defense to get an ovation for Cano.
 
The M's haven't come this close to postseason play since 2002. The miss then seemed like a crushing defeat, but many Seattle fans seem to be taking this one as a moral victory.
 
Wait'll next year.

 

[Spacemans Bong]

 
Fans at Safeco must have been following the A's/Rangers game on their phones, because when the last out was made in Texas, fans in the stands gave the M's a standing ovation in the middle of an Anaheim at bat, even before the score was posted on the out of town scoreboard.  
 
Lloyd McClendon sent Felix to get a meaningless out in the top of the 6th so he could relieve him in the middle of an inning and get him a standing O. Felix doffed his cap, took a deep bow and then came out of the dugout for a curtain call. The same inning, McClendon sent Brad Miller in for defense to get an ovation for Cano.
 
The M's haven't come this close to postseason play since 2002. The miss then seemed like a crushing defeat, but many Seattle fans seem to be taking this one as a moral victory.
 
Wait'll next year.
 

 
Phones and, watching the Seattle TV broadcast, they were showing the concourses crammed full of people watching the A's game on the TV there. 

 

[Lars The Wanderer]

Both NL Wildcard teams have a 88-74 record and a run differential of +51.

 

[MakMan44]

I think Felix actually needed that out to secure the ERA title away from Chris Sale, that's why he was sent back out. 

 

[gryoung]

I think Felix actually needed that out to secure the ERA title away from Chris Sale, that's why he was sent back out. 

 
Good for you Felix.  i'm sure the Seattle fans would rather you show up in Detroit a week ago for that big game instead of securing the ERA title.

 

[deconstruction]

Felix's ERA after 5 IP: 2.139
Felix's ERA after 5.1 IP: 2.136
 
Which was lower than Sale's (2.17) before the 6th. In fact, if he had given up a leadoff run in the 6th without recording an out, he would've dropped behind Sale and needed two outs (without giving up another run, of course) to reclaim it. 

 

[MakMan44]

Hmm. Just something I heard, guess it was wrong. Thanks for the correction. 

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

What would Phil Hughes do?

 

[dynomite]

Good for you Felix.  i'm sure the Seattle fans would rather you show up in Detroit a week ago for that big game instead of securing the ERA title.

That's not fair, and it was in Toronto. The Mariners missed the playoffs for a lot of reasons, but Hernandez's 15-6, 2.14 ERA, 248 K season wasn't one of them.

 

[gryoung]

That's not fair, and it was in Toronto. The Mariners missed the playoffs for a lot of reasons, but Hernandez's 15-6, 2.14 ERA, 248 K season wasn't one of them.

 
it's fair.  That was a big game and he crapped the bed. 

 

[Spacemans Bong]

it's fair.  That was a big game and he crapped the bed.

Let me guess, was it because his bad body language communicated to you that he didn't want it enough and therefore he's not clutch?

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

Why wasn't it Rodney's walking in the go ahead run against Oakland? Or Miller's underhanding a ball three feet over Cano's head that would have been the 27th out in Texas back in April? Or Felix himself pitching like crap against the Nationals?

Without Felix pitching like Cy Young for all but two starts the team isn't playing meaningful games in September.

 

[gryoung]

Let me guess, was it because his bad body language communicated to you that he didn't want it enough and therefore he's not clutch?
 
 

 
A very poor guess.  I'm not sure how you decided to go that route, but it doesn't really matter.  It was purely based on results.  Big game in late September in a playoff race - you need your ace to show up.

 

[Al Zarilla]

 
A very poor guess.  I'm not sure how you decided to go that route, but it doesn't really matter.  It was purely based on results.  Big game in late September in a playoff race - you need your ace to show up.

If only aces could plan when their once in a blue moon bad game is going to show up, Clayton Kershaw wouldn't have given up 7 runs, all earned, in 4 innings in last year's NLCS game 6.
 
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