ALDS Gamethread: Indians vs Astros

DeadlySplitter

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Broadcast: TBS, Don Orsillo (PBP) and Dennis Eckersley (analyst), Hazel Mae (sideline)

Game 1, Fri 10/5, 2:05pm: Kluber vs Verlander
Game 2, Sat 10/6, 4:37pm: Carrasco vs Cole

Game 3, Mon 10/8, 1:30pm: Keuchel vs Clevinger
Game 4, Tue 10/9, 4:35pm: Morton vs TBD if necessary

Game 5, Thur 10/11, 4:07pm if necessary
 
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Sad Sam Jones

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I haven't seen an official ALDS roster for Cleveland yet, but the team did announce yesterday that they'll carry six outfielders with Rajai Davis making the team over utility infielder Erik Gonzalez. This does leave the Indians with no true backup at short or second, as they would need to use Jose Ramirez as an emergency shortstop and move Jason Kipnis back in from center field if they need another second baseman. However, Gonzalez has been dinged up lately and has only hit .150 since the beginning of August. Davis and Greg Allen are kind of redundant, but Davis does have the history of postseason heroics. Allen will probably be used primarily for late inning defense, and Davis as a pinch-runner.

It also seems that Dan Otero will get the final bullpen spot over Neil Ramirez. There's no good choice there, as they both suffer from gopheritis, but personally I'd have gone with Ramirez since he's able to miss bats way more often.

Mike Clevinger is the Game #3 starter. Trevor Bauer will be used as a multi-inning reliever, but could still start Game #4 if rested. Otherwise they'd go with Shane Bieber, but I'd expect him to go no more than 4-5 innings even if he's successful, since he's not a guy you want facing batters a 3rd time at this point in his career.

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DeadlySplitter

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jon abbey

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This series makes for fascinating rooting, as both BOS and NY fans presumably would rather play CLE if they win their series, but if they lose, they'd rather the other team play HOU.
 

jon abbey

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Good luck to FFA, one of the best posters on this site. Verlander/Kluber is an exciting matchup.
 

InsideTheParker

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I HATE that there's no strike zone overlay. Is that TBS' decision?(Maybe MLB has been embarrassed by the awful ump performance so far this post-season. )
Edit, now see they have a quick four- corner dealy.
 

DeadlySplitter

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I really don't like the minimalist strike zone graphic

EDIT: see I'm just behind some others on this
 

jon abbey

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I HATE that there's no strike zone overlay. Is that TBS' decision?(Maybe MLB has been embarrassed by the awful ump performance so far this post-season. )
It's there, it's just only at the four corners, and they flash the velocity right where the pitch is. Postseason baseball TV coverage continues to consistently be much much worse than we deserve as fans.
 

Al Zarilla

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It's there, it's just only at the four corners, and they flash the velocity right where the pitch is. Postseason baseball TV coverage continues to consistently be much much worse than we deserve as fans.
And yet when the strike zone rectangle is prominent, we get just as many complaints. One of the games yesterday had the complete rectangle but it was very faint. Unobtrusive, just right.
 

jon abbey

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And yet when the strike zone rectangle is prominent, we get just as many complaints. One of the games yesterday had the complete rectangle but it was very faint. Unobtrusive, just right.
One thing they really should do is have one announcer from each of the two teams on every game. The non-affiliated guys they use are invariably less specifically knowledgable, using generalities to back up their opinions when in some cases, the specifics are precisely the opposite.
 

InsideTheParker

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@jonabbey, I think Eck and Orsillo have been giving a lot of info---all stuff you could look up, but not watching TV at the same time. I know what you mean about local announcers, but a lot of them aren't very good.
 

jon abbey

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@jonabbey, I think Eck and Orsillo have been giving a lot of info---all stuff you could look up, but not watching TV at the same time. I know what you mean about local announcers, but a lot of them aren't very good.
Maybe it's a question of being used to people's voices/perspectives or not, those are two guys you are much more used to listening to than I am.
 

jon abbey

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Verlander is so so good, crazy that any team could have claimed him last August and DET might have let him go for nothing (he would have had to approve the move still, though).
 

Al Zarilla

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One thing they really should do is have one announcer from each of the two teams on every game. The non-affiliated guys they use are invariably less specifically knowledgable, using generalities to back up their opinions when in some cases, the specifics are precisely the opposite.
Agree 100%. When was the last time we got that? Was it with Mel Allen, Yankees announcer and also considered tops in the profession, so they gave him the World Series? If they didn’t do what you suggest with the Giants announcers during their run, probably won’t happen for a while.
 

InsideTheParker

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Hah. Don, a lot of people were standing, but the ones below your booth seemed solidly on their bums. Sometimes the cliches, even baseball ones, just don't work.
 

Murderer's Crow

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Oooph. Verlander is so annoyingly good. He doesn’t have the best stuff but everything is exactly where he wants it and how he wants it. After the Yankees and Sox rip each other’s limbs off, they’ll have the pleasure of facing him.
 

TheYaz67

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Does anyone remember how the Sox did against Verlander this year? I remember their being able to get to him in the past.
We only faced him once, back in June - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER 2 BB/6 K - we won 5-4 he got a ND - made him throw 101 pitches, which was good/got him out of the game....
 

johnmd20

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Cleveland is lucky that 4 home runs have led to 4 runs. This game could be completely out of hand, instead of kind of out of hand.
 

terrynever

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One thing they really should do is have one announcer from each of the two teams on every game. The non-affiliated guys they use are invariably less specifically knowledgable, using generalities to back up their opinions when in some cases, the specifics are precisely the opposite.
NCAA hoop tourney has separate TV channels for home announcing teams in the Final Four. It's awful because of homerism.