General 2020 Blue Jays Discussion Thread

[Spanky99]

I might be forced to watch the Tampa feed with their boring ass announcers if that's the case.

 

I don't know, I find Buck and Tabler good comedy...

[wilko]

Maybe it will be Buck and Kevin Barker

 

[Spanky99]

1. Jonathan Villar (S) 2B

2. Bo Bichette ® SS

3. Teoscar Hernandez ® RF

4. Randal Grichuk ® CF

5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ® DH

6. Travis Shaw (L) 1B

7. Jonathan Davis ® LF

8. Joe Panik (L) 3B

9. Danny Jansen ® C

 

I guess they don't think they can catch the Yankees!

[Deadpool]

Maybe they can have Don Cherry in on zoom too... was Don's cancellation lifetime or just a few months??

 

If we want an obnoxious loudmouth in awful suits, they could bring back Zaun, at least he has a passing familiarity with baseball...

[WryNGinger]

I am going to miss watching the Jays in Buffalo. That stadium is growing on me.

[Sammy225]

I am going to miss watching the Jays in Buffalo. That stadium is growing on me.

 

I'm not

[Ex Player]

1. Jonathan Villar (S) 2B

2. Bo Bichette ® SS

3. Teoscar Hernandez ® RF

4. Randal Grichuk ® CF

5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ® DH

6. Travis Shaw (L) 1B

7. Jonathan Davis ® LF

8. Joe Panik (L) 3B

9. Danny Jansen ® C

 

I guess they don't think they can catch the Yankees!

I'm guessing you are wrong

[Spanky99]

I'm guessing you are wrong

 

How you figure?

[connorp]

How you figure?

 

Because they mashed you douche. Keep up

[Spanky99]

Because they mashed you douche. Keep up

 

f*** off, everything about that game was methodical, it wasn't managed to win. Those pitchers were scheduled to pitch today, and two starters had a day off. They don't think they'll catch the Yankees, obviously.

[bones10]

Of all the likely match ups who would you guys like, i'm kind of leaning twins, with the Indians being my least favorite.

[Ryu In My House]

f*** off, everything about that game was methodical, it wasn't managed to win. Those pitchers were scheduled to pitch today, and two starters had a day off. They don't think they'll catch the Yankees, obviously.

 

Everything was methodical? What does that even f***ing mean? You are being a douche, mate.

[Brownie19]

No chance I think. Most broadcasters already struggle with not being in the ballpark to call the plays and at certain points they have no idea what's happening. I really hope we at least stick with Dan for home games, as he's unlikely to want to stay on full-time if it means travelling. Unfortunately someone else will have to accompany Buck on the road and very likely that someone will be Pat Tabler.

 

You think? I haven't really noticed any issue with them not being at the game.

[43211234]

After 11 of the first 36 games to start the season went to extra innings, the Blue Jays haven't gone to extras since September 3rd. A streak of 22 games.

[Spanky99]

Everything was methodical? What does that even f***ing mean? You are being a douche, mate.

 

Who the f*** are you calling me a douche? My explanation's in the post, knob jockey.

[Ex Player]

How you figure?

We were 2 games away from catching Yankees. 1 game this morning.

Why would Jays not think they can catch them??!!

 

Bigs and Gurriel (who has a nagging neck injury) needed the rest, but those were the only 2 starters we were missing (3 if you wanna count Kirk over Jansen). Thats more than enough to still beat the O's who are a bad ballclub.

 

So of course they still think they can catch NYY. Whether they will or not is another question.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/mlb-playoff-push-blue-jays-can-still-catch-yankees-securing-berth/sn-amp/

 

Blue Jays can still catch Yankees after securing berth

 

With their 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday night, the Toronto Blue Jays officially booked their ticket to the playoffs.

 

It’s been four years since the Blue Jays last played post-season baseball, and the club that will embark on this post-season is completely different from the one that captured all of Canada’s attention en route to the 2016 American League Championship Series.

 

Currently sitting in the eight seed with that second wild-card spot in-hand, the young team can actually still rise in the post-season ranks before the seeding is fully locked in, thanks to their 3-1 series win over the Yankees this week. Toronto can catch New York in the standings and jump into that fifth seed with a strong showing against the Baltimore Orioles to close out the season, but only if the Yankees stumble and suffer a few losses, too.

 

So while a Rays-Jays first-round showdown is the most likely matchup, it’s not yet set in stone.

 

Here’s a closer look at where they stand in the MLB playoff picture…

 

If the playoffs began today

 

The top two teams in each division make the playoffs along with the top remaining two teams from each league for a total of 16 playoff teams. Those 16 teams will then face off in eight best-of-three series that precede the League Division Series.

 

If the post-season began today, these eight American League teams would qualify:

 

No. 1 Tampa Bay Rays vs. No. 8 Toronto Blue Jays

No. 2 Minnesota Twins vs. No. 7 Cleveland Indians

No. 3 Oakland Athletics vs. No. 6 Houston Astros

No. 4 Chicago White Sox vs. No. 5 New York Yankees

 

And these eight National League teams would qualify:

 

No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. No. 8 San Francisco Giants

No. 2 Atlanta Braves vs. No. 7 Cincinnati Reds

No. 3 Chicago Cubs vs. No. 6 Miami Marlins

No. 4 San Diego Padres vs. No. 5 St. Louis Cardinals

 

How seeding works in 2020: According to MLB, the top three seeds in each league go to the three division winners in order of record. The next three seeds go to the three teams that finish second in their division, in order of record. The final two seeds will go to the two teams with the next best records, regardless of division.

 

In striking distance

 

After being more or less locked up for the past few weeks, the American League’s playoff picture just has one last berth up for grabs — though, calling it “up for grabs” is being generous. The Houston Astros, currently sitting in the sixth seed, can lock up their place with just a single win in their final three games, dashing the hopes of the Los Angeles Angels — who, at 26-31, are the only remaining AL club that hasn’t officially been eliminated from contention yet.

 

Otherwise, the only change to come in the AL is in the form of playoff-bound teams jockeying for position within those top eight seeds. The Blue Jays will most likely be meeting the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round, but that could still change. As outlined above, the Jays can still catch the Yankees and jump into second in the AL East with wins over Baltimore and New York losing to the Marlins. The Rays clinched the division earlier this week, but aren’t locked into that No. 1 seed just yet as the 35-22 Twins can still catch them. If the Twins can jump into the top spot and the Jays stay put at No. 8, that sets us up for a Minnesota-Toronto first-round clash.

 

Meanwhile, in the National League, the field is still wide open. While the Dodgers and Braves have clinched their respective divisions and the Cubs and Padres are guaranteed post-season berths, there are still four spots for the taking.

 

The Philadelphia Phillies (28-29) and Milwaukee Brewers (27-29) are playing for their post-season lives this weekend, while none of the Cardinals, Marlins, Reds and Giants can afford to lose down the stretch.

 

Get ready for drama, particularly in the NL Central: the Cardinals and Brewers finish the season head-to-head, a series that feels like we’re already in the playoffs.

 

Playoff odds report

 

With the Blue Jays finally hitting 100 per cent with their post-season berth secured, we’ll shift this portion of the MLB playoff push to where the drama is by looking at the National League’s odds for all teams still on the hunt.

 

Objectively speaking, here’s where the Cardinals, Marlins, Reds, Giants, Phillies and Brewers stand in relation to their closest adversaries, according to FanGraphs and FiveThirtyEight:

 

Cardinals’ FanGraphs odds: 87.4% | Cardinals’ FiveThirtyEight odds: 90%

 

Marlins’ FanGraphs odds: 90.7% | Marlins’ FiveThirtyEight odds: 93%

 

Reds’ FanGraphs odds: 88.1% | Reds’ FiveThirtyEight odds: 91%

 

Giants’ FanGraphs odds: 47.1% | Giants’ FiveThirtyEight odds: 44%

 

Phillies’ FanGraphs odds: 50.5% | Phillies’ FiveThirtyEight odds: 54%

 

Brewers’ FanGraphs odds: 33.9% | Brewers’ FiveThirtyEight odds: 26%

Edited September 26, 2020 by Ex Player

[Spanky99]

lol... no s*** they can still win, but the game wasn't managed to win, pitchers were obviously scheduled to pitch there innings, an audition if you will for the PS. Charlie said it prior to the game "time to rest and get ready for the PS".

[Deadpool]

We were 2 games away from catching Yankees. 1 game this morning.

Why would Jays not think they can catch them??!!

 

Bigs and Gurriel (who has a nagging neck injury) needed the rest, but those were the only 2 starters we were missing (3 if you wanna count Kirk over Jansen). Thats more than enough to still beat the O's who are a bad ballclub.

 

So of course they still think they can catch NYY. Whether they will or not is another question.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/mlb-playoff-push-blue-jays-can-still-catch-yankees-securing-berth/sn-amp/

 

I mean, it's the Orioles, so they could field me, Spanky, and 26 dogs and have a 50/50 chance of winning, but they said on the broadcast that Chuckles was prioritizing rest for the players over seeding. They aren't TRYING to catch the Yankees, but obviously they are aware of the basic math that says that they could.

[Laika]

Toronto just doesn’t care if they finish 8th or 5th. Right now New York would play Cleveland. I’ll take the Rays, thanks!!!

[Spanky99]

I mean, it's the Orioles, so they could field me, Spanky, and 26 dogs and have a 50/50 chance of winning, but they said on the broadcast that Chuckles was prioritizing rest for the players over seeding. They aren't TRYING to catch the Yankees, but obviously they are aware of the basic math that says that they could.

 

Yeah, he said that on the pre-game show as well, that post was prior to the game when I saw the line-up, I was right!

 

We'll likely see one of Teo/Grichuk and one of Bichette/Vladdy sit today for rest.

[Spanky99]

Toronto just doesn’t care if they finish 8th or 5th. Right now New York would play Cleveland. I’ll take the Rays, thanks!!!

 

How about the Twinkies or Chisox?... that's going down to tomorrow. Should be interesting.

[Ex Player]

I mean, it's the Orioles, so they could field me, Spanky, and 26 dogs and have a 50/50 chance of winning, but they said on the broadcast that Chuckles was prioritizing rest for the players over seeding. They aren't TRYING to catch the Yankees, but obviously they are aware of the basic math that says that they could

Exactly right. Spanky just phrased it wrong

 

Yeah, he said that on the pre-game show as well, that post was prior to the game when I saw the line-up, I was right!

No you're not right. There's a difference between THINKING and TRYING.

If you would have said Jays first priority is not trying to catch the Yankees you would have been right.

 

Your exact post

 

1. Jonathan Villar (S) 2B

2. Bo Bichette ® SS

3. Teoscar Hernandez ® RF

4. Randal Grichuk ® CF

5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ® DH

6. Travis Shaw (L) 1B

7. Jonathan Davis ® LF

8. Joe Panik (L) 3B

9. Danny Jansen ® C

 

I guess they don't think they can catch the Yankees!

[Ex Player]

Yankee starters for last 2 games are: Garcia and Schmidt

Jays starters are: Shoemaker and Dork

 

Doable, but I wouldnt put money on it. Especially since Yankees are playing at home

[Spanky99]

I said that because of the line-up construction, are you dense??? Think or try/care, it doesn't matter... nothing changes but a sub-par Blue Jay line-up. Ughhh...

[Spanky99]

AL Central tie-break breakdown...

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

 

Twins (35-23, .603)

 

Yesterday’s result: Lost 7-2 vs. Reds

 

Where they stand: The Twins lead the White Sox and Indians by one game for first place in the AL Central.

 

Magic number: Clinched postseason berth

 

Key tiebreakers: If the Twins tie with the Indians, the Twins win the tiebreaker, thanks to their 7-3 head-to-head record. But if they tie with the White Sox, the White Sox hold the tiebreaker -- the Twins split their season series against Chicago, but the Sox have a better intradivision record. If there's a three-way tie for the division, the teams would finish in this order: Twins, Indians, White Sox. The Twins have that three-way tiebreaker clinched because they have the best record in head-to-head matchups among all three teams (12-8 against Chicago and Cleveland). For the AL in general, the Rays currently hold the tiebreaker over the Twins with a better intradivision record (27-13 to Minnesota's 23-17).

 

Today’s schedule: vs. Reds, 8:10 p.m. ET

 

What’s ahead: 2 vs. CIN

 

--

 

White Sox (34-24, .586)

 

Yesterday’s result: Lost 10-0 vs. Cubs

 

Where they stand: The White Sox are tied with the Indians for the second guaranteed playoff spot in the AL Central, one game behind the Twins. They currently hold the seventh seed in the AL.

 

Magic number: Clinched postseason berth

 

Key tiebreakers: The White Sox hold the tiebreaker over the Twins -- they split their season series, 5-5, but Chicago has the better intradivision record (25-15 vs. AL Central, while Minnesota is 23-17). But if the Sox tie with the Indians, Cleveland holds the tiebreaker (8-2 head-to-head against Chicago). If there's a three-way tie for the division, the teams would finish in this order: Twins, Indians, White Sox. That's locked in, based on record in head-to-head matchups among all three teams (the Twins are 12-8 against Chicago and Cleveland, the Indians are 10-10 against Minnesota and Chicago, and the White Sox are 7-13 against Minnesota and Cleveland. In the AL overall, the Rays hold a slight edge for the tiebreaker over the White Sox -- Tampa Bay's intradivision record is 27-13.

 

Today’s schedule: vs. CHC, 8:10 p.m. ET

 

What’s ahead: 2 vs. CHC

 

--

 

Indians (34-24, .586)

 

Yesterday’s result: Won 4-3 vs. Pirates

 

Where they stand: The Indians are tied with the White Sox for the second guaranteed playoff spot in the AL Central, one game behind the Twins. They currently hold the fourth seed in the AL.

 

Magic number: Clinched postseason berth

 

Key tiebreakers: Cleveland went 8-2 vs. the White Sox, giving the Tribe the tiebreaker. However, the Indians went 3-7 vs. the Twins, so Minnesota owns that tiebreaker. If there's a three-way tie for the division, the teams would finish in this order: Twins, Indians, White Sox (because the Twins are 12-8 against Chicago and Cleveland, the Indians are 10-10 against Minnesota and Chicago, and the White Sox are 7-13 against Minnesota and Cleveland).

 

Today’s schedule: vs. Pirates, 7:10 p.m. ET

 

What’s ahead: 2 vs. PIT

[Ex Player]

I said that because of the line-up construction, are you dense???

You're the one who's dense if you think that lineup couldnt still beat the O's (which they easily did)

Edited September 26, 2020 by Ex Player

[Laika]

How about the Twinkies or Chisox?... that's going down to tomorrow. Should be interesting.

 

They are all good teams. Not sure how you pick a preferred opponent among them.

 

Rays: Snell, Glasnow, Morton + 11th best position player assortment in MLB + #1 bullpen (well rounded opponent)

Indians: Bieber, Carrasco, Plesac, Civale + #3 bullpen + 17th position player assortment (great pitching)

White Sox: Giolito, Keuchel, Dunning + #9 bullpen + #2 position player assortment (great lineup and two good SP)

Twins: Maeda, Berrios, Pineda, Hill + #5 bullpen + #7 position player assortment (well rounded opponent)

 

Toronto is #16 position player assortment, #12 bullpen, + Ryu and crap. Clear underdog against any of them. Need to rely on players who did not really help them much during the regular season (as far as total fWAR is concerned) like Pearson, Ray, Kirk, Villar, Stripling, Shoemaker, and Vlad.

[Dokken]

They are all good teams. Not sure how you pick a preferred opponent among them.

 

Rays: Snell, Glasnow, Morton + 11th best position player assortment in MLB + #1 bullpen (well rounded opponent)

Indians: Bieber, Carrasco, Plesac, Civale + #3 bullpen + 17th position player assortment (great pitching)

White Sox: Giolito, Keuchel, Dunning + #9 bullpen + #2 position player assortment (great lineup and two good SP)

Twins: Maeda, Berrios, Pineda, Hill + #5 bullpen + #7 position player assortment (well rounded opponent)

 

Toronto is #16 position player assortment, #12 bullpen, + Ryu and crap. Clear underdog against any of them. Need to rely on players who did not really help them much during the regular season (as far as total fWAR is concerned) like Pearson, Ray, Kirk, Villar, Stripling, Shoemaker, and Vlad.

 

I do not like that picture of Rosco - please change avatar

 

ETA : but not back to Kay.

[Spanky99]

You're the one who's dense if you think that lineup couldnt still beat the O's (which they easily did)

 

Holy f***...

 

[Ex Player]

Holy f***...

Posting stupid gifs is always a sign of someone who's out of ammo