He threw in the outfield the past two days. Scheduled for a bullpen session Friday.Does anyone have an update on Whitlock? Is he done for the year? Is there a chance he returns?
View: https://twitter.com/PeteAbe/status/1443313447274532872
He threw in the outfield the past two days. Scheduled for a bullpen session Friday.Does anyone have an update on Whitlock? Is he done for the year? Is there a chance he returns?
Oh, Jesus!Think he's referring to Houston being a part of the 5-way tie (HOU, SEA, BOS, NYY, TOR). That would trigger a one-game playoff for the AL West and THEN a four way playoff for the two wildcards.
It was meant mostly as a joke.What cho talkin' bout, Willis?
From the 2 games tonight (Sox/Os and NYY/TOR), there are 4 possible outcomes, right?
And that number doubles with each of the remaining 12 games.
Since voters have gone away from wins as a prime consideration, there's very little reason to prefer Cole over Ray.I know this is a sidetrack question, but .... can Robbie Ray secure the Cy Young tonight?
One game playoff games are only played when a team would be eliminated via a tiebreaker. Tiebreakers are used for seeding. I believe that in that case, Houston would win the AL West based on a 11-8 head to head vs Seattle, which would be decided via tiebreaker, and Seattle would be involved in a four way tie scenario for the wild card. Since both wildcard spots are in play in this scenario, two playoff games are necessary, since you can’t use head to head to decide it. I believe a coin flip would determine who plays who, and the winners are the wild card teams. That is my understanding of how it works, but I may have missed a detail somewhere. If the first wildcard spot is determined by tiebreaker, the Red Sox are in a good spot with winning records against the other three teams involved.Think he's referring to Houston being a part of the 5-way tie (HOU, SEA, BOS, NYY, TOR). That would trigger a one-game playoff for the AL West and THEN a four way playoff for the two wildcards.
That used to be the case (as it was in 2005 with the AL East/Wildcard). That is no longer true. Divisional ties are broken by a playoff game, even if both teams are qualified for the post-season. See the first paragraph here.One game playoff games are only played when a team would be eliminated via a tiebreaker. Tiebreakers are used for seeding. I believe that in that case, Houston would win the AL West based on a 11-8 head to head vs Seattle, which would be decided via tiebreaker, and Seattle would be involved in a four way tie scenario for the wild card. Since both wildcard spots are in play in this scenario, two playoff games are necessary, since you can’t use head to head to decide it. I believe a coin flip would determine who plays who, and the winners are the wild card teams. That is my understanding of how it works, but I may have missed a detail somewhere. If the first wildcard spot is determined by tiebreaker, the Red Sox are in a good spot with winning records against the other three teams involved.
I believe this change was implemented with the second wildcard berth. They did not want a team forced into the wildcard game by a mathematical tiebreaker.If one game is needed to break a tie for a playoff berth between two teams, it will be played on the Monday after the scheduled end to the regular season, hosted by the team that won the season series against the other. That applies to determining a division championship whether or not the losing team would still qualify as a Wild Card.
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-playoff-tiebreaker-rulesOne game playoff games are only played when a team would be eliminated via a tiebreaker. Tiebreakers are used for seeding. I believe that in that case, Houston would win the AL West based on a 11-8 head to head vs Seattle, which would be decided via tiebreaker, and Seattle would be involved in a four way tie scenario for the wild card. Since both wildcard spots are in play in this scenario, two playoff games are necessary, since you can’t use head to head to decide it. I believe a coin flip would determine who plays who, and the winners are the wild card teams. That is my understanding of how it works, but I may have missed a detail somewhere. If the first wildcard spot is determined by tiebreaker, the Red Sox are in a good spot with winning records against the other three teams involved.
We're now in the end game.There will be exactly 14 more regular season games featuring at least one of: BOS, NYY, TOR, SEA. Given this, there are exactly 16,384 possible combinations of results.
After tonight, there will be 12 more such games and 4,096 possible combinations of results, and after Friday night, there will be 8 such remaining games and still 256 possible combinations of results.
So, a lot can happen.
Red Sox magic number is 4 to make the post-season, 6 to get the top wildcard spot.Hey, how come nobody's talking about Magic Numbers this year? That was much more straightforward than the physics equations being posted!
5 to get the top wildcard since the Sox hold the tie-breaker with NYRed Sox magic number is 4 to make the post-season, 6 to get the top wildcard spot.
With the tie-breaker rules some crazy shit could happen. The best case scenario is the Red Sox finish alone in the top wildcard spot and NY, TOR, and SEA all tie for the second, forcing a two-game play-in to face the Red Sox at Fenway ...!!!It was meant mostly as a joke.
I'd agree with the first part: BOS has two outcomes tonight (W/L) and the NYY/TOR game also has two outcomes. That means 4 outcomes: With wins in capitals: BNt, bNt, BnT, bnT.
On Friday each of the 4 contending teams has two possible outcomes, for a total of 16 possible combinations. After that, some will be eliminated, but suppose we're still looking at two other groups of 16 possible combinations.
4x16x16x16 = 16,384 possible combinations.
However, if we're going to talk in terms of how those combinations sort into season outcomes (or results?), there are three teams that can change win record by 5 (adding 0 wins to 4 wins) and one team with a chance of adding 0-3 wins.
5x5x5x4= 500 possible final season outcomes on the last day, regardless if those individual Ws or Ls came in game 1 or 2 or 3 or 4.
If we're going to talk in terms of number of "practical outcomes on the last day". . .applying those possible final results at the end of the season, the various tie/breaker scenarios make it complicated. Including Houston.
Do we count those as post-season? Regular season?
Make it happen!!!With the tie-breaker rules some crazy shit could happen. The best case scenario is the Red Sox finish alone in the top wildcard spot and NY, TOR, and SEA all tie for the second, forcing a two-game play-in to face the Red Sox at Fenway ...!!!
From your keyboard to the baseball god's ...eyes? Ears? Third eye? Omniscience?Make it happen!!!
With the 28-man rosters (as opposed to the 40-man of past years), how much resting can they really do? Add in the 3-day break before the ALDS, and the question is how much resting do they want to do?Not yet mentioned in this thread is that Tampa has clinched the #1 seed and home-field advantage in the AL meaning they can rest their regulars against Houston (tonight) and...the Yankees (next three days).
Bad news from the Red Sox perspective - they won't care about winning those games against the Yankees.Not yet mentioned in this thread is that Tampa has clinched the #1 seed and home-field advantage in the AL meaning they can rest their regulars against Houston (tonight) and...the Yankees (next three days).
Merloni mentioned on the radio broadcast last night that, due to the 28-man roster and the Rays unique roster construction with heavy bench flexibility and use, this might not matter as much as it normally would. Here's hoping, at least, because I find I can't root for math more than the Yankees losing.Not yet mentioned in this thread is that Tampa has clinched the #1 seed and home-field advantage in the AL meaning they can rest their regulars against Houston (tonight) and...the Yankees (next three days).
The Rays could play the Yankees hard, at least until they lose one. I think they’d see a Sox/Mariners Wild Card game as a battle of their two weakest possible DS opponents. They’ll have McClanahan and Baz go at least a few in the first two games and Wacha starting #162. Not impossible they take all three.Not yet mentioned in this thread is that Tampa has clinched the #1 seed and home-field advantage in the AL meaning they can rest their regulars against Houston (tonight) and...the Yankees (next three days).
This is my reading of it as well.So if the Sox lose 2 of 3 - which they're more than capable of, but *shouldn't* - that would put them at 90 wins. We'd need Toronto to lose at least one game against Baltimore, which is possible but unlikely (though I guess technically it's always more likely that even a bad team will take one game in a 3-game series than no games), and we'd need Sea to lose two of three to LAA, which is possible but unlikely as well.
Winning 2 of 3 is therefore basically an absolute must, and winning all 3 is quite possibly necessary.
Angels are bowing out. Seattle will likely take 2/3 at worst. Sox... I can't predict anything more than 1/3 victories. Seattle is in. Sox are out. I hate to say it.My predictions:
Yankees take 2 out of 3 (93 wins)
Red Sox take 2 out of 3 (91 wins)
Mariners lose 2 out of 3 (90 wins)
Blue Jays take 2 out of 3 (90 wins)
The Mariners' ability to disappoint their fanbase will outweigh the Angels' suck.Angels are bowing out. Seattle will likely take 2/3 at worst. Sox... I can't predict anything more than 1/3 victories. Seattle is in. Sox are out. I hate to say it.
I laughed out loud. Exactly this. Koji isn't walking through that door. (Hopefully Whitlock is?)I don't know why that cheating idiot Cora keeps all his good bullpen pitchers out of the game. He just keeps sending out Ottavino, Barnes, Brasier, Robles, Richards, Perez, Hernandez, and Sawamura. Those stiffs can't get anyone out. He needs to use the good ones instead.
The Angels have been terrible this month, but did take 1 of 3 against Seattle last weekend. One thing to watch is the Ohtani situation, who 1) just fired a public shot across the bow of the Angels front office by saying to the press about his future in Los Angeles that “I really like the team, I love the fans and the atmosphere as a team. But more than that, I want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me. I’ll leave it at that" and meanwhile 2) is going all out to take home the AL MVP -- they aren't letting him pitch this weekend, but he's 7 for his last 19 with 2 SBs and only 1 HR behind Vlad Guerrero Jr. (46 to 45), his primary competition. It's not unrealistic to think the Angels will be fired up for this series, both to help Ohtani win this award and to demonstrate they can beat a division rival in meaningful games.Angels are bowing out. Seattle will likely take 2/3 at worst. Sox... I can't predict anything more than 1/3 victories. Seattle is in. Sox are out. I hate to say it.
Well that’s that, thenAngels are bowing out. Seattle will likely take 2/3 at worst. Sox... I can't predict anything more than 1/3 victories. Seattle is in. Sox are out. I hate to say it.
Defacto committee most likely with the first innings going to Houck/Richards/Perez - whichever is the most rested. If E-Rod goes long tonight, Cora has more options.So who is starting Saturday?
I’d think Whitlock is in the game 161 mix too if he’s healthy. Lines him up decently for potential WC usage.Defacto committee most likely with the first innings going to Houck/Richards/Perez - whichever is the most rested. If E-Rod goes long tonight, Cora has more options.
This is an easy lock for the coveted "best metaphor of the season" award.Featuring Cora's usual grade-school approach to the bullpen, in which he sniffs every jar in the fridge, proudly displaying the one that's slightly off.
I can't tell if you think these guys are actually bad pitchers.I don't know why that cheating idiot Cora keeps all his good bullpen pitchers out of the game. He just keeps sending out Ottavino, Barnes, Brasier, Robles, Richards, Perez, Hernandez, and Sawamura. Those stiffs can't get anyone out. He needs to use the good ones instead.
Appreciated. But we still have 3 games to go. . .This is an easy lock for the coveted "best metaphor of the season" award.
Not so much bad as a giant pile of mediocrity. You'd be perfectly happy bringing any of them in as the first guy out of the pen if the starter goes 5, but a good team should have at least 3 better relievers than any of them.I can't tell if you think these guys are actually bad pitchers.
Is that what you think?
see, I thought in part what you meant as well was that all of them have been disappointing over the past week. Barnes and Ottavino were outstanding for the first half of the season. Richards had an incredible run after being moved to the bullpen. But then the Yankee series over the weekend happened, when none of them came through, and the best of the bunch — Whitlock — has been on the IL.Not so much bad as a giant pile of mediocrity. You'd be perfectly happy bringing any of them in as the first guy out of the pen if the starter goes 5, but a good team should have at least 3 better relievers than any of them.
That's part of being a mediocre pitcher. They'll all have good stretches, but they mix in way more games where they completely shit the bed than a good pitcher does. Unfortunately, the entire pile of mediocrity failed spectacularly at the same time in the last week.see, I thought in part what you meant as well was that all of them have been disappointing over the past week. Barnes and Ottavino were outstanding for the first half of the season. Richards had an incredible run after being moved to the bullpen. But then the Yankee series over the weekend happened, when none of them came through.
Got it. Basically I agree with your point: Cora had no good options out the pen during this collapse. There's not much you can do as a manager when every single bullpen arm is either hurt or bad.That's part of being a mediocre pitcher. They'll all have good stretches, but they mix in way more games where they completely shit the bed than a good pitcher does. Unfortunately, the entire pile of mediocrity failed spectacularly at the same time in the last week.