Other Races in Other Places

[Elster88]

9/19 - Wildcard	9/23 - Wildcard	9/24 - AL Central	9/25 - Wildcard	9/25 - Wildcard
9/26 - NL East

[Gwreck]

Giants won, so Dodgers can't clinch today (not that we want them to do that anytime soon).

[Elster88]

The Cubs can't win the NL Central

[Frayed Knot]

I've been rooting for StL to drop out of the lead in the Central just for the hell of it really.
But I'm starting to think that they're in real trouble. They blew a 9th inning lead today to Milwaukee (7 Brewer runs in the 9th). Plus Carlos Martinez just went down for the season, Molina is maybe out of the duration although nobody's saying anything. And while they're talking about Wainwright maybe coming back, the first week of October is a tough time to make your season debut.
And of the three teams that might be in a one game play-in game, the Cards would be the ones without the dominant starter for a winner take all game as compared to either Gerrit Cole for Pitt or the Cubs' Jake Arietta.

Pitt is losing tonight to the Cubs which would hold the StL lead at 3 games, but those two teams have a 3-game series this week so that could be erased in a hurry.

[Elster88]

Cards-Pirates is on ESPN2.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

... and just stopped for about ten minutes while they attended to fallen leftfielder Stephen Piscotty, one of this-year's-model-production-line of surprisingly productive Cardinals-Wayers (along with Grichuk and Tommy Pham). He took a nasty knee to the head from centerfielder Peter Bourjos while the pair converged on a ball in the gap.

Bucs now threatening with two on/two out in the same frame.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Guest

[Zvon]

Good game going on here.
0-0 Bucs

[Frayed Knot]

Oh man, the Pirates have left runners on all over the place - [u:26isopxi]13[/u:26isopxi] thru 7 innings so far.
They've been issued 8 walks but haven't had enough hits.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Frayed Knot wrote: Oh man, the Pirates have left runners on all over the place - 13 thru 7 innings so far. They've been issued 8 walks but haven't had enough hits.

That's a big part of the Cards' soft underbelly; they've got, like, three or four regularly-used relievers that top/near 4 walks per 9. Rosenthal and maybe one other guy (ED: Choate) are the only people in the pen with above-average walk numbers.

[Frayed Knot]

Yanx lose, Jayz win and are now 5 up in the East with 6 to play. It's all over but the shouting.
Even on Yanx radio they're talking about the WC play-in game like it's an inevitability. And that was during the game.

But their chances of missing out all together are about as remote. Minnesota -- although winning tonight -- will still be 5 games back even if they hold on and the AL West teams are playing each other so there's virtually no way all three can catch them.

[Elster88]

Frayed Knot wrote: I've been rooting for StL to drop out of the lead in the Central just for the hell of it really.

No jinxing here, let's just beat the Dodgers and all other disclaimers.

But I'm fine with the Pirates staying in the wildcard spot and then getting shut down by Arrieta. I'd rather the Cubs then beat the Cardinals instead of vice-versa, but that's just my general disdain for them over there in Kansas City.

[Zvon]

Bucs over anxious and double flub one for a run, and then Reynolds hits a 2 run bomb.

3-0 Cards

[Frayed Knot]

As much as I've been rooting for the Cards to get caught and dropped into the WC pool, given our records against the Pirates & Cubs this year, it's probably best to have one of them knocked out immediately and then we'd just have to deal with one of the Central teams (once we get past LAD of course).

Meanwhile, Rosenthal on for the save but he got bombed yesterday by Milwaukee.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

That defense-- terrible all year, even from usual stalwarts like McCutchen-- is their underbelly.

[Zvon]

The Pirates do not want to go quietly.

[Elster88]

MLB network is showing the Card-Buc game too, but it says the Astros game is up next. I was hoping for the Dodgers-Giants game. The display says "Regional Coverage" so I guess they're showing whatever game is closest to the area that's tuning in.

[Zvon]

That didn't hit him. It hit the ground firts, then maybe hit his toe. Once it hit's the ground it can't be off his foot, right?

[Elster88]

Wow Walker swung at like four pitches out of the zone when it got to 3-2, including the one he struck out on. Fighting off the close ones I guess but it could've loaded the bases if he took one.

[Elster88]

Zvon wrote: That didn't hit him. It hit the ground firts, then maybe hit his toe. Once it hit's the ground it can't be off his foot, right?

I think that still counts as a foul, as long as you're in the batter's box. If you're out of the box it's an out.

[Elster88]

Cards magic number is 2.

[Zvon]

Elster88 wrote: Zvon wrote: That didn't hit him. It hit the ground firts, then maybe hit his toe. Once it hit's the ground it can't be off his foot, right? I think that still counts as a foul, as long as you're in the batter's box. If you're out of the box it's an out.

Wow. thnx.

That was a great at bat by Walker but everything after was anti-climactic. Cards win.


WHOA, just saw the collision for the 1st time. Yikes!

[Elster88]

Me too. That was brutal.

[Elster88]

Frayed Knot wrote: But their chances of missing out all together are about as remote. Minnesota -- although winning tonight -- will still be 5 games back even if they hold on and the AL West teams are playing each other so there's virtually no way all three can catch them.

I hear you. But Houston and California/Anaheim both won too so dare to dream

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

If the Yankees lose the Wild Card Playoff, we'll suddenly hear lots of people saying that the playoff should be eliminated or made into a best-of-5.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I do think it should be a best-of-three.

But if the Yankees get tossed after one game, I won't complain.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

I'd actually give the team with the best record in the league a bye to the LCS and make the other four teams play some sort of round robin.

[Elster88]

I like it the way it is. The message is win your fucking division. Plus adding any games and the already swollen postseason gets too long.

Boston won again. A's-Angels is up next on ESPN.

I really want to watch Dodgers vs Giants.

[Elster88]

Harold Reynolds is unlistenable on MLB network.

[Frayed Knot]

Dodgers load the bases w/no outs vs Bumgarner (1 hit, 1 walk, 1 error) but come away with only one run.
Kershaw now dealing for LA in bottom 1

[Elster88]

Kershaw is mowing them down.