# MLB: October 2017 — Welcome to the Postseason **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 1, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735 "2017-10-01T15:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/241 "2017-10-16T21:25:43Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > The pitching matchups favor the Yankees for the next couple games, as the Astros have a steep drop-off from past Cy Young winners to journeymen while the Yankees’ rotation is relatively flat in terms of quality. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the Yankees win 2 of 3 in New York. Me either, and the good part of that (if you’re an Astros fan) is that then we’ll win one in NY and the fourth in Houston so there can be a party. And some of those “journeymen pitchers” can surprise you. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/242 "2017-10-16T22:04:40Z")
So far the Red Sox have reportedly interviewed or will be interviewing Alex Cora, Brad Ausmus, and Ron Gardenhire. Alex Cora would be fine, but if they fired John Farrell only to replace him with Ausmus or Gardenhire, they might as well not have bothered. Looking at Dombrowski’s list of past hires does not inspire confidence. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/243 "2017-10-16T23:16:03Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > So far the Red Sox have reportedly interviewed or will be interviewing Alex Cora, Brad Ausmus, and Ron Gardenhire. > > Alex Cora would be fine, but if they fired John Farrell only to replace him with Ausmus or Gardenhire, they might as well not have bothered. Looking at Dombrowski’s list of past hires does not inspire confidence. Brad Ausmus seems like an especially bad choice. I feel like he didn’t have control over his team this year. I think his teams actually under-performed prior to this year. Gardenhire seems like a solid manager, I think you could do a lot worse. As to Cora, does he have anything more than 2 seasons as a bench coach to recommend his for a manager’s job? ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/244 "2017-10-17T01:00:41Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Brad Ausmus seems like an especially bad choice. I feel like he didn’t have control over his team this year. I think his teams actually under-performed prior to this year. > > Gardenhire seems like a solid manager, I think you could do a lot worse. > > As to Cora, does he have anything more than 2 seasons as a bench coach to recommend his for a manager’s job? Gardenhire was part of the coaching crew in Minnesota that tried to develop David Ortiz as a slap hitter and then helpfully released him so people less stupid could pick him up for free. His playoff record is 6-21 and he was barely over .500 overall as a manager in a sample size over 2100 games. This doesn’t cut it. Farrell, with his 1 WS title and 3 division titles, was fired because they thought they could do better, and that is not doing better. You could probably do worse, but hopefully the bar is a bit higher than that. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/245 "2017-10-17T01:24:29Z")
Bobby Valentine is available. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/246 "2017-10-17T04:04:06Z")
Well, Judge finally got his redemption. (Not “Nuke LaLoosh” Betances, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/247 "2017-10-17T08:31:21Z")
Baseball America put out an article about a potential realignment and a proposal for the structure of a 32-team league. I don’t love it, personally, particularly as it forces the issue on the DH, but it was an interesting read. Thoughts? > **[Expansion Could Trigger Realignment, Longer Postseason](https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/expansion-could-trigger-realignment-longer-postseason/)** > > There seems to be a building consensus that baseball will soon be headed to a 32-team configuration. It will lead to major realignment and adjustments in schedule, which will allow MLB to address the growing concerns of the union about travel demands... ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/248 "2017-10-17T08:51:24Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Baseball America put out an article about a potential realignment and a proposal for the structure of a 32-team league. I don’t love it, personally, particularly as it forces the issue on the DH, but it was an interesting read. Thoughts? > > [http://www.baseballamerica.com/columnists/expansion-trigger-realignment-longer-postseason/](http://www.baseballamerica.com/columnists/expansion-trigger-realignment-longer-postseason/) Not a fan. I like not having a DH in one league. I’ve often advocated for the rules to change in interleague games: I’d prefer to use AL-style rules for NL stadiums (but only for interleague games). Let AL fans see NL-style games for a change of pace. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/249 "2017-10-17T11:19:16Z")
Yankee pitching has been stellar so far. Limiting Houston to 5 runs in 3 games is no small feat. Now that the Yankee bats are starting to stir, I’m looking for the Yanks to head to Houston up 3 games to 2. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/250 "2017-10-17T11:38:58Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Yankee pitching has been stellar so far. Limiting Houston to 5 runs in 3 games is no small feat. Now that the Yankee bats are starting to stir, I’m looking for the Yanks to head to Houston up 3 games to 2. Agreed. I though the Astros had the edge in the starting rotation coming into the series, but I’m having to re-think that one. The Yankees pitched well enough to go back to New York up two games, but were just slightly out-pitched and out-gamed a little. New York scored the first decisive victory of the series. This is following a pattern similar to the Cleveland series in the first few games. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/251 "2017-10-17T11:56:57Z")
I think the collar is starting to get a little tight for the Astros. Their left fielder could have dove for the ball that bounced in the stands for a double, instead he pulled up short. They were the ones not making the key defensive plays, they were the ones not stringing hits together. In games 1 and 2, every ball seemed to bounce their way. Now the breaks are starting to even out. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/252 "2017-10-17T13:22:27Z")
Judge had a great night, big D and his homer of course. CC was great. A very good night ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/253 "2017-10-17T16:53:30Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think the collar is starting to get a little tight for the Astros. Losing the third game of a series you’re up 2-0 in, on the road, isn’t choking. I would caution everyone that Houston is still up 2-1 and the path to Yankee victory remains up a steep hill. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/254 "2017-10-17T18:12:56Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Losing the third game of a series you’re up 2-0 in, on the road, isn’t choking. I would caution everyone that Houston is still up 2-1 and the path to Yankee victory remains up a steep hill. I agree, unless the Yanks do take all 3 home games, this is still likely to be Houston’s series to win. I hope the hitters can hit tonight and Grey can give us 5-6 innings. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/255 "2017-10-17T19:08:29Z")
Right, the Yanks will have to sweep at home to become the favorites. If Houston goes home up 3-2 needing only either Verlander or Keuchel to win again, there’s your bet. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/256 "2017-10-17T20:04:50Z")
I work nights, so the late start isn’t a big deal for me as I’ll hopefully be able to see part of the game at work tonight, but the 9 PM Eastern time start for the Cubs/Dodgers tonight just seems determined to drive away the next generation of baseball fans. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/257 "2017-10-17T20:07:50Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I work nights, so the late start isn’t a big deal for me as I’ll hopefully be able to see part of the game at work tonight, but the 9 PM Eastern time start for the Cubs/Dodgers tonight just seems determined to drive away the next generation of baseball fans. And the current generation living on the east coast. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/258 "2017-10-17T20:14:25Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Right, the Yanks will have to sweep at home to become the favorites. If Houston goes home up 3-2 needing only either Verlander or Keuchel to win again, there’s your bet. Keuchel probably starts game 5, so it would be Verlander and TBA, but still. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/259 "2017-10-17T22:38:52Z")
Baserunning has not been great for Yanks in this round. Surprise pitching duel. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/260 "2017-10-17T22:54:34Z")
I keep waiting for McCullers to blow up. Since he came back from injury he’s looked great in each start until suddenly everything collapses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735.md?page=14)