So, scores so far in the postseason:
8-0
9-8
12-3
3-2
7-6
3-2
10-9
82 runs in 7 games, including five games where the winner scored 7 or more, and three games where the loser scored 6 or more.
Makes me wish gonzomax was still around to lecture about how “pitching shuts down hitting.” 
Royals currently lead the Angels 1-0. I’d love it if they went back to KC with a 2-0 series lead.
Ouch.
It appears that the only thing that Hamilton can hit these days is the catcher.
Lordy, what a painful game that was. Hard fought to the end, though. Glad to see at least the Dodgers’ offense doesn’t seem rusty.
Among the amusement in the stands was the woman who was thrown out of the stadium for being TOO enthusiastic. Through the wisdom of alcohol, she thought it would be useful to yell and curse at fans who weren’t standing up and chanting like she was. Apparently the last straw came when she got up and started calling out individuals with a “Fuck YOU, fuck YOU, and fuck YOU! Why the fuck are you even HERE?”
Well, there’s always tomorrow.
KC in the midst of their third extra innings game of the postseason. They just went up 3-1 and are threatening with a runner at 3rd and two out in the top of the 11th.
I predicted the Angels would hand KC their asses. So far, I am an idiot with the prediction skills of macaroni.
Aaaand 4-1.
I picked the Angels too, but i’ll be very happy if i’m proven wrong.
Two more outs.
Nice one, Royals! They lead the series 2-0 and now head back to KC.
I would LOVE a Royals/Orioles ALCS, and there’s now a pretty decent chance it could happen.
What would the preseason betting line on that ALCS have been?
What a day of baseball…three 1-run games, and the fourth went extra innings.
As a Philadelphia Flyers fan, I thank you. 
But to baseball: Dodgers/Cards - As amazing as Kershaw is, the Cardinals are a great team. They came to beat him, not just the dodgers. Maybe part of their plan was to get Puig angry and distracted from the get go?? Still the Dodgers managed to slug back and aaaaaalllllmost had it. Cards deserved that one.
Angels/Royals - Seriously?? The team with the most runs and best record can only muster 3 runs in two games? They’re batting like shit. KC is pitching well, and their bullpen is better than the Halo’s.
O’s / Tigers - Okay… Joba earns himself an ERA of 108.00. Even Kershaw has one less than 8.00. Is it possible for a pitcher to Suck more than this?
Giants / Nats - Zzzzzzzzz… The most boring small ball team beats the Nats by being so boring it’s incredible. Granted, they dominated over the Pirates, but I can’t watch the “thrilling” 1-0 wins by the Giants. The Teletubbies have more peril and close calls than the Giants do. They hypnotize the other team into not caring or something. Watching a Giants game is just like watching a late night lawn care infomercial. They bore their opponent, bore the away crowd, bore the HOME crowd and win a world series with a total of 7 runs in 12 games, 9 hits, no errors. America’s National Quaalude. But they deserved their win too.
Lets see what happens tomorrow!
As a Yankees fan, these are words I never thought I’d read. I’m happy to see it though. This post season has been awesome so far.
It feels like superstition is coming true in these playoffs.
“The Cardinals own Kershaw.” OK, yes, they do… but Kershaw gave up 39 earned runs and 9 home runs in the entire regular season. 8 earned runs and 2 home runs in a single game? It’s mind boggling. No team should realistically have that kind of ownage on him.
“Even year magic for the Giants.” Clearly ridiculous… but Panik appeared out of nowhere and seems poised to become 2014’s 2012 Scutaro. The Giants desperately needed a pitcher, and decided on 33-year-old Peavy, who promptly became one of the best pitchers in baseball as soon as he donned a Giants uniform (his ERA is 2.55 points lower with the Giants). It’s weird is all.
“The Royals will win with the running game”. Statistically, you need to successfully steal 75% of the time just to break even. That’s why speed is much less valued than it used to be. The Royals were excellent, and succeeded 80% of the time this year. How big an advantage could that extra 5% really be? But it has been huge for them so far, and in the case of the wild card game it was a dominant strategy.
“The Tigers bullpen is the biggest disaster in history.” The Tigers bullpen is indeed awful. But they shouldn’t be this awful. It’s like things are going too true to form. You can’t say “man, that bullpen is awful” and be guaranteed that Joba is going to put up an ERA of 108.00. It doesn’t work like that.
I will be very happy if all these trends continue.
[QUOTE=Carmady]
Statistically, you need to successfully steal 75% of the time just to break even. That’s why speed is much less valued than it used to be. The Royals were excellent, and succeeded 80% of the time this year. How big an advantage could that extra 5% really be? But it has been huge for them so far, and in the case of the wild card game it was a dominant strategy.
[/QUOTE]
80% in the regular season stealing bases is huge because a team doesn’t have the chance to steal a lot of bases. The Royals only attempted 189 steals, which is a lot these days but still isn’t much. When they won the pennant in 1980 they attempted 228. Back in the 80s it was not uncommon for NL teams to make over 250-300 attempts a year. OF course, one year Rickey Henderson made 178 attempts himself.
But if you’re just making one try a game, more or less, and getting there 80% of the time, the overall effect isn’t that great. Maybe, I dunno, ten runs.
The Royals however have stolen eleven bases in three playoff games, being caught once. If you could do THAT all year - that would be 594 stolen bases, 54 caught stealing - it’d have a huge, huge impact.
Well, that was just an awesome day of baseball yesterday.
I spent virtually the whole day in front of my computer, working on one screen (mainly grading papers) and watching four straight games of baseball on the other. It doesn’t get much better than that, especially when the Orioles came from behind to win their game and take a 2-0 series lead.
Today, i’m hoping that the Dodgers and the Nationals can each tie up their series.
I really like this video of Jarrod Dyson throwing out Colin Cowgill in the bottom of the 8th inning in Anaheim. Not only was it a potentially game-saving play—leaving the Angels with two out and none on instead of one out and a man at third—but the two kids in the video at the 18-second mark are a perfect little vignette of baseball fandom.
BTW, while we’re waiting for today’s games, here are the win probability graphs for yesterday’s games. Some huge swings, especially in the Tigers/Orioles and Cardinals/Dodgers games.
The Giants/Nationals game was the only one that saw a team take the lead and keep it for the rest of the game.
Wait…we have to do all this again?
I’m getting too old for this shit.
OK, let’s do this thing.
Go Giants!
HA! I loved those kids. Those rally sticks come in handy, I suppose.
Real pitchers’ duel in Washington, with the Nats leading 1-0.
I hate “God Bless America.” Worst song ever.
That is all.