Yeah, it’s going to be a short post-season for the Giants. In addition to the loss of their magic talisman leadoff hitter, they now have to save Bumgarner for the wild card play-in game, which means he won’t be available until game 4 of the NLDS. We’re hosed.
Losing Pagan sure hurts, but any team can win a five or seven game series.
It appears we are almost set for playoff teams, as Seattle has imploded at just the wrong time, topped off by King Felix being absolutely shellacked in a game they really needed to win, so without a KC or Oakland collapse, it’s KC-Oak in the AL wild card, and it’s SF-Pittsburgh in the NL - unless the Cardinals collapse and it’s SF-STL.
Looking at the NL standings I noticed that of 15 NL teams, only six have winning records. By comparison, seven AL teams have already won 82 games and two, New York and Toronto, just need a win or two to get there. This is of course largely because the AL has, once again, won most of the interleague games; it remains a demonstrably superior league. I suspect that if Cleveland, Toronto or the New York Yankees had switched to the NL, they would have made the playoffs this year. I am unconvinced ANY NL team in the playoff race, switched to its corresponding division, wouldn’t be desperately fighting for their lives right now.
I wouldn’t go awarding the AL Central to the Tigers just yet, RickJay.
I don’t know about that…
On the one hand, yeah…we’re screwed. Assuming we beat the Pirates in the play-in game, we’ve got Peavy, Petit, and pray in the first three games of the NLDS.
On the other hand…“Forget it, Jake; it’s the Playoffs.” Peavy and Petit are more than capable of shutting down any opponent if they’re on their games. And who’s to say that one of the Tims (Hudson and Lincecum) won’t come through in the clutch (assuming at least one of them actually makes the postseason roster)…and I just realized I’ve gotten this far without mentioning Ryan Vogelsong. He’s only used up 4 or 5 of his baseball lives thus far; there’s no way I’m counting him out just yet.
So, I could really see it going either way. They could easily get blown out in Pittsburgh and start the winter ‘early’…but I still think they have enough pitching to take them all the way - if they can all get reasonably hot. Which, admittedly, is a very big IF.
But in a ‘first team to 11 wins’ season, almost anything is possible.
I’d go with a 4-man rotation for the post-season, and put both Tims in the bullpen (or worse).
This actually might work out to the Giants benefit. Any team facing the Dodgers should put their #5 starter up against Kershaw. You’re going to lose anyway, but this way you get better matchups for the remaining games. 
Indians have knocked themselves out of the race, I’m pretty sure. But that’s ok - this team is not playoff-worthy.
They totally are on paper, but they don’t seem to be executing at the plate. And they make errors in the field. And our bullpen is good but worn out.
I am glad they’re not going to the playoffs because they don’t deserve to be there and woulda been sad to watch.
Very excited for 2015 if everyone gets their heads out of their asses and starts hitting and fielding like they should. And the pitchers continue on.
I dunno. jsgoddess warned me not to fall in love with this team, and even just five years into it, I begin to see why. The idea of going through another season of looking at these guys with so much potential not being able to pull it together when it counts is depressing.
And yet, after a long, baseball-less winter, I know I’ll be ready to do it all over again next season. LET’S GO TRIBE!
The baseball gods are smiling. Jeter’s last home game might be rained out.
I’ve got nothing against the guy but it would be nice karma as payback for the whole year of Jeter slobbering. I’m so burned out on the retirement tour especially after a previous year of the Rivera tour.
Why are they still even in it after trading Masterson and Cabrera?
Not sure you’ve been following too closely this year. Trading these two in 2012 might have been a “That’s it, we’re done. Trade to rebuild!” move but neither of those guys was playing anywhere near their potential and they were let go because they were bringing the team down. And their contracts were up.
Masterson’s ERA with STL is 7.54 and 5.97 on the year. Cabrera’s average is a respectable .243 (.233 with the Nationals) but he had 14 errors in the field for Cleveland this year, and we’ve got a glut of shortstops right now (see: Francisco Lindor is still IN LINE). Plus apparently he does better at second base.
I wish Asdrubal luck, as he was my favorite Indian since Omar. I hope he goes to the WS with Washington!!
Masterson is just flat out a great man. I hope he finds his stuff again.
In a bizarre continuation of their meltdown, Seattle tonight managed to lose a game 1-0 in part because, after getting the tying runner on in the ninth, they sent in James Jones to pinch run. He was promptly picked off.
Unbelievable that Jones thought that extra step was worth the risk.
Go Dodgers!
Kershaw never ceases to amaze. A triple, a behind the back catch, 11k.
So nice to clinch at home in front of the Giants. Time to prepare for the Cardinals.
Grumble, grrrr, bah…Kershaw…nadafinga! I curse him, and hope something slightly unpleasant happens to him, like an onion falling on his head.
(because my mom taught me that it was unsportsmanlike to wish actual harm on the other team’s players. Even if he is a Dodger)
It’ll be interesting to see what happens but this is, I suspect, the perfect situation for a pitcher to win the MVP Award. Kershaw is amazing, his team is winning, and there’s no standout hitter. The best position player in the NL is still Andrew McCutchen, but he won the award last year and he doesn’t have any one stat that traditionally gets the voters all worked up.
The perfect solution: he immediately converts to Judaism and decides to sit out the holidays.
The Giants showed some real class last night by saluting Kershaw as they exited the dugout. Almost makes up for the fact that they’re, you know, the Giants.
The kind of stats that only a baseball fan cares about:* At 21-3, he tied his career high in wins by capturing his last seven starts and became the first pitcher to win 21 games in as few as 27 starts since at least 1901.*
Go Blue!
If Ryu can be healthy for the playoffs I really like our chances. this team is really hitting right now. I feel sorry there hasn’t been a place for Ethier, but I’m loving me some Carl Crawford right now.
I see those words, I understand each one individually, but as a phrase they Make No Sense. 