Olerud363.354

Shut it down please. It is time. THe end is here. White Sox won Guardians won Jays helpless against texas bullpen scrubs after Quantril goes 1 and 1/3

Baseball is a game of joy. The Guardians fan laughing as his team hits the ball high into the night and the excitement of the playoffs looms. The Astros fan, mouth open in awe, as Yordan Alvarez hits it deep into the night, a generational hitter who never let him down. The Dodgers and Yankees fans, knowing that no living soul under the age of 35 has seen a losing season from these teams. The White Sox fan, hope springs eternal and the cycle has begun a knew, the sun has indeed come up. Baseball, a game of joy, a game of thrills, a game for the fan, every year, win or lose brings small moments of joy.

Given the bullpen situation not sure there has been too many it was obvious you needed to pull him. Seems like a few times he's been cruising with a low pitch count then gives up a few singles and doesn't have the swing and miss to get out of it. Like I believe a couple times they had to pull in the 5th (Philly and Cleveland), a couple in the 6th (NY and Tampa, and once in the 7th (65 pitches an no hitter headed to the 7th). I think in all of these cases he was cruising, and there wasn't time to get the bullpen ready before had 3 or 4 guys on. Seems like this is just what a guy with 6 ks an inning and medium walk rate will do. Contact and walks lead to baserunners in a hurry. Maybe he'll get better.

Dodgers Playoff Thread - clinch playoff spot early september activate Glasnow and Snell clinch bye last week start getting Glasnow and Snell build up and ready for October f*** the Brewers

Why on earth did Cease not go to the Dodgers? He'd pitch a month, rest a month, pitch a month, Now would be 7-3 1.90 with only 90 innings under his belt, throwing 100 and getting ready to f*** the Brewers. Why would anyone not pitch for the Dodgers?

One moment Davis Schneider is hitting lead-off in a World Series game the next he is Buffalo. One moment Joey Loperfido is the go-lucky side kick of the keenest role player group in baseball the next he's traded for Jesus Sanchez who is so bad he is released. One moment Addison Barger hits a grand slam sleeping on his roomie's couch, the roomie's career collapses and Addison is out for the season. One moment Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still a generational hitter through age 26 the next he is hitting like Ernie Clement. One moment Ernie Clement is the best story in baseball the next he is also hitting like Ernie Clement. And when I say Vlad is hitting like Ernie Clement, he is hitting like the worst version of Ernie Clement. What is wrong with this world?

They should have closed this Tuesday. If they want to keep it open the board gets what it deserves. The 50th year was quite honestly the most miserable season in Jays history. So much disaster and not many bright spots. If 2026 is not the most miserable season what is? Not the worst record, the most miserable season. Players collapsing, injuries, way below expectations. Gut-punching losses. 1995-1997 ? Maybe one of those years, but watching Green/Delgado/Stewart develop was at least a reason to turn it on. 2009? - Potentially. Did anything good happen in 2009? Expectations weren't as high. If took 1997, Had Delgado hit 9 homers and completely lose it, and Green injured for the year that is 2026. Given expectations the most miserable and joyless season in Jays history.

Right. But should be able to get a #3 or #4 without giving up so much prospect capitol. Develop or sign.

I know I am saying the same thing over and over again. But not impressed with the early returns on Soriano. His stuff on TV looks amazing. Like 99 with crazy movement. Then he just doesn't get the swing and miss you'd expect, and invevitably there's inning with 1 walk and 3 singles and he can't get a k when he needs. What am I missing? Is this just bad luck ? Is he going to be a sinker monster that can be elite with 8ks per 9 and massive ground ball rate? Just seems the contact inevitably leads to inning with clustered contact, and no k when he needs it.

Moving forward. Hard rules on position player load management. All players get 1 day off a week. If season OPS below career OPS 2 days off. If season OPS significantly below career OPS 5 day break. Young guys like Keys some at bats during the load management.

Moving forward. Hard rules on pitching use. Max 90 pitches for starters. Max 70 inning pace for relievers. Manager needs to obey this. Fine to lose games with b-releivers. No more veteran crap in bullpen. b-releivers all 25-27 year old lottery tickets. Varland (if still functional) pitches 70 innings, b lottery tickets blow a few games, or maybe they become Spencer Miles. Starters hit 88 pitches they done. Starter starts losing velocity skip a start.

Would you trade Keys for Kyle Stowers? Blue Jays maybe don't like Keys for some reason. Or maybe they do and really just refuse to give Vlad or Springer a day off. I don't know. I think they'd give those two more days off if they trusted Keys. So Keys has to go. Where? For what? If his swing is flawed everybody knows I guess. Except maybe the Marlins? I'm not saying Keys swing is flawed, just that Jays don't give him any at bats, so they might think so. I don't love Stowers but he can play left and first base? I think. That's kind of what you need, though maybe Stowers is Jesus Sanchez style in left.

What else can we do this thread? Maybe some gambling or guessing games. What inning will Jose '4 runs an inning' Soriano give up his 4 runs tonight? Remember he doesn't give up 4 runs every inning, just one. I vote on the 3rd. A strong couple of innings, a walk, 4 singles and an error with no swing and miss to get out of it, in the 3rd, then finish off with a another couple of clean innings. Jays lose 6-3 after bullpen gives up couple of more.

Still seems to be up? Can we please move on to the future such as it is. Send Cease for Tommy John and shoulder reconstruction right now. Not October, not next year. Please do not do the Berrios or Bieber thing where they sort of hang on, for months, wasting time. Total reconstruction tonight. If doctor not working on weekend, Monday morning at the latest. There will be either a strike, or if a season next year it will be horrible, 3 times as worse as this one if you can get your head around that. Plan on either winning 40 or no season in 2027. Get Cease back for strong for 2028.

Could you imagine the post and the flak that hypothetical poster would get. OK Bear with me guys. Quite honestly I think this is going to be a crazy season, and maybe not in a good way. I am not even trying to be bold, but making some predictions here that may seem CRAZECRAZE but based on some sound thinking, Jays are still burnt from playing into November, and WBC is going to have an effect on some. Don't kill me I am just the messenger! Some good. I think Okamoto is good. And his power will play. He will strike-out more than you think though. Cease will be the good version of Cease maybe even the 2022 version. Varland will be the best closer in baseball. And "closer" unfortunately because I see more disasters in Hoffman's future. That was the good. Now the crazy. Guerrero will play the whole season and WON'T hit 10 homers. I'm talking a complete collapse. I think what happened last September is what we'll see going forward. His playoffs were legendary, but that was with 3 off days a week really. I think he's wearing down at 27 and it's going to really hit this year. The bad. We'll lose multiple starters for the whole year. No one except Cease will even make 20 starts. Ernie Clement will be a pumpkin. Schneider will play mostly in Buffalo. Springer will be 2023 Springer. A couple of positions players will miss 80+ games. The offense will be near the bottom, just we have a target on our backs and the teams will adjust to us. The level of data out there is insane now and this is going to bite us too. The kicker! I think the AL is really weak and despite all of the disasters that happen we'll be in it until game 150 hanging by a thread, and the season will end on a few games, out of the 'World Series Game 7' play-book. A few key players might be seriously injured by the end in a futile attempt at the 3rd wild card. We'll finish 15th or so in baseball, but pick 25th because the payroll is too high. OK. Those were some pretty debbie downer predictions and we'll all laugh at this when we win game 100.

2 more losses left. 3rd season is over. Maybe that should be the criteria for closing this thread. Closed after a 3rd loss unless some other crazy circumstance by the other teams losing mean we still have playoff probability > 15 even with a third loss. To be honest I thought the criteria was 3 games back. Which could happen tonight. Whatever the case what is the game plan for when/if the thread does get closed? Will mods start a 'thanks for the memories, it's been a hell of a year' thread?

I didn't threaten to hurt myself or family, just the wall. I also had several healthy alternatives to watching baseball (Dark Matter show, or actual outside activity to walk in the fall air and get a donut). I think all things considered that's probably 75th percentile mental health these days, and some good strategies to deal with the one weakness (potentially damaging the wall). Do you think George W. Bush will be at the game tonight?

I was yes last year, probably no this year. The reason I was yes is that he was a 1 WAR player, but maybe that was deceptive because of errors in how his defense was measured. So maybe you could get a 2.5 WAR player for a good price. Now he is a 4 WAR player but his defense as measured is awesome, so like, that wrinkle is gone. Like if he going to be paid as a 4 WAR player you aren't getting a deal, and perhaps a disaster.

We're headed to the home of George W. Bush and Jacob Degrom... Can't picture us winning there. Though in 2015 and 2016 we won 4 playoff in a row in Arlington, but that was in their nice little outdoor 100 degree stadium. They moved to like the baseball stadium version of Mall of America. No way we can win there I don't think.

No reason though for white sox to win. Everyone has to lose except us. If you could design the worst outcome it is for Baltimore to get the wild card? That is probably is what will happen then. I guess they won 3 in a row. Right back in it.

This is the Playoff thread sir. Not your private slack chat group. The playoff thread is a place for everyone to discuss the roller coaster playoff odds and their own way of dealing with the stress. Your private slack group, or iphone message group, or whatever is where you can talk privately to your friends in peace and lock out (just don't give them the number or link) the ones you find annoying. In fact there are many threads on this board that are relatively clean still. The playoff thread is not one of them. It's a bit eccentric. A bit weird. I do agree it shouldn't be open, but if it is to be open it should a place where everyone should be able to post, and not worry about negative comments about their posting style.

OK. If thread is open lets have some action here. THIS IS THE PLAYOFF THREAD. Our chances are 20% Tonight the Tigers play the White Sox. It will move it give or say (according to calculations I saw from Seranthony a couple percent either way). It could be 23% or it could be 17% The mission: We have to get playoff probability to 100% by Sunday 6:00 pm or so. The problem 100% is a lot more than 20% so we got to go up, cant go down. TONIGHT. WHAT SHOULD I DO? 1. Watch Tiger White Sox with same passion I watch the Jays? Punch a whole in the wall every time a small thign doesn't go my way ? Like even a walk. Tigers walk the lead off hitter in the 5th. For f***s sake, punch a hole in the wall. 2. Watch Dark Matter on Apple TV. Forget about baseball. 3. Even better touch grass. Go for a fall evening walk and see the early Halloween decorations and get an apple cider donut somewhere? What do you all say. I say 1. until Tigers walk a guy, then smash wall, turn TV off, then 3. and Dark Matter when I get back. Smash another wall if Tigers won.

No playoffs this year. No baseball next. And the mods refuse to close the thread. So I'll take the opportunity to post my thoughts on how we get out of this, after baseball restarts June 2028. 1. Rule one: All minor leaguers who are good need to hit .350 right away so we don't accidentlaly trade them for Jose "4 run inning" Soriano who doesn't give up 4 runs every inning, just one.

2009 MLB Draft 20th Chad Jenkins 24th Randal Grichuk 25th Mike Trout Another reason it will be important for these teenagers we draft to hit .350 right away is so we don't trade them for Jose "4 run inning" Soriano. Not that Jose is horrible, and he doesn't give up 4 runs an inning every inning, just one a game. The one still hurts though, especially when teases us. Mike Trout was picked 25th. No one new he was that good, not that scouts, not the do-it-your-self stats wizzes, the only person who knew was Cedar Rapids. Cedar actually is a place not a person, but when they dropped that f***er Mike Trout off in Cedar Rapids at age 17 and 18 the f***er hit .360 and everyone knew after 2 weeks. Kind of the opposite of Billy Beane.

Depends on payroll. Next 14 years we have 35 million of dead weight on the payroll, so brings us to new tax levels and we lose picks. So one strategy is 24 rookies, + Vlad, + maybe some waiver claims like Lorenzen, then we could avoid the 10 pick penalty and we'll win about 40 games. But that doesn't get us a top pick, with our luck the lottery ball would get us number 8, Also even if come bottom 5 a couple years in a row then under current CBA we don't get good drafts pick the third year. The future is this. 65 wins a year, 18th pick or so most years. Hard to see ever coming out of it.