# MLB: The Playoffs **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [September 30, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185 "2011-09-30T18:45:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/81 "2011-10-04T04:44:50Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Lendervedder] I’m liking Detroit’s chances to finish this tomorrow. The only thing sweeter than seeing the Tigers move on is seeing the Yankees sent home for the winter. [/QUOTE] Entirely possible. Then again I wouldn’t be at all surprised if AJ went out and threw 8 innings of shutout ball, he’s that consistently inconsistent. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/82 "2011-10-04T04:49:11Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > Theirs is merely the greatest closer of all time. And your right, the Yankees do have a huge hitting advantage, which is how they were able to score 4 runs off of the best pitcher in baseball with his A-game, the same number of runs the Tigers were only able to score off of a clearly struggling CC. > > I’m glad to see you’ve recognized the flaws in your logic and have finally realized the team with the best pitching staff (the Yankees) aren’t necessarily shoe ins to win a post season series, what with the game being as stochastic as it is. > > What? You were being facetious? Oh, I’m sorry. Your sarcasm had the unintended consequence of making it appear you had made a cogent and logical argument about baseball. I should have known better. Their closer’s history does not count in these games. Valverde has been perfect. How he blew out somebody a few years ago is irrelevant. Justin made a couple mistakes and paid for them. He owned the vaunted attack all night. You are wrong about the hitting advantage. The Yankees are living on reputation. A Rod has gone down since he quit steroids. The rest are looking old. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/83 "2011-10-04T04:56:37Z")
Tigers lead the Yankees in hits, Doubles, triples, batting Average and OBP. The Yankees ,playing on a smaller field lead in home runs. If you think the Yankees have a huge advantage in hitting, you are nuts. ---
**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 4, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/84 "2011-10-04T05:02:00Z")
Valverde has a 9.00 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in this series. Perfection, huh? You’re like ignorance on tap. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/85 "2011-10-04T10:41:54Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I’m liking Detroit’s chances to finish this tomorrow. The only thing sweeter than seeing the Tigers move on is seeing the Yankees sent home for the winter. > [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > I couldn’t agree any more with the last sentence. So you’d rather see the Yankees lose than your team win? ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/86 "2011-10-04T10:46:13Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Valverde has a 9.00 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in this series. Perfection, huh? You’re like ignorance on tap. No no,\*\* Blank Slate\*\*, don’t go throwing facts and numbers at him. It makes him retort with more baseball “wisdom.” The Tigers are up 2-1. Despite **gonzo’s** paranoid ramblings, no one expected the Yankees to blow them out, because of Verlander and the the other starters. They wouldn’t have made the playoffs if they weren’t a good team, even in the AL Central. The best team doesn’t always win. Oh wait, there’s still at least one more game. ---
**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 4, 2011, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/87 "2011-10-04T11:59:32Z")
If the Yankees must lose, I’d like to see AJ lit up like a Christmas tree tonight. Just another high priced pitcher who can’t pitch in New York. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/88 "2011-10-04T13:20:26Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Their closer’s history does not count in these games. Valverde has been perfect. How he blew out somebody a few years ago is irrelevant. > Justin made a couple mistakes and paid for them. He owned the vaunted attack all night. > You are wrong about the hitting advantage. The Yankees are living on reputation. A Rod has gone down since he quit steroids. The rest are looking old. Typical gonzo response. Heavy in paternalistic grandfather knows best overtones, lacking in facts. > [@gonzomax](#): > > Tigers lead the Yankees in hits, Doubles, triples, batting Average and OBP. The Yankees ,playing on a smaller field lead in home runs. If you think the Yankees have a huge advantage in hitting, you are nuts. The Yankees actually have a higher OBP, more walks, more stolen bases, more total bases and more runs scored. If that’s what you call living on reputation and looking old, I hope from now on they look down right decrepit. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/89 "2011-10-04T13:36:32Z")
Rick Porcello vs. AJ Burnett looks like a toss up to me. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/90 "2011-10-04T13:51:24Z")
Ron Washington’s bullpen decisions continue to be the leading cause for any stroke I may suffer. His confidence in Darren Oliver is mystifying and why he yanked Gonzales after 3 straight strikes to Damon I’ll never know. Yeah, Feliz got the next 4 to end it but I would have been satisfied with 3. T’wernt Mike Adams’ night, that’s for sure. The same can not be said for Napoli. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/91 "2011-10-04T13:54:48Z")
Wait… Darren Oliver is still pitching? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/92 "2011-10-04T13:56:51Z")
Also: I love how the great pitching is beating the great hitting in these series! I mean, there’s only been 10.3 runs scored per game! That has to be way below the average, right? Yet another piece of folk wisdom proving true! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/93 "2011-10-04T13:57:05Z")
You could call it that. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/94 "2011-10-04T16:51:05Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Also: I love how the great pitching is beating the great hitting in these series! I mean, there’s only been 10.3 runs scored per game! That has to be way below the average, right? > > Yet another piece of folk wisdom proving true! Well this just turns all the data upside down doesn’t i? We must throw out all the accumulated scores of the past out and restart. We have a brand new reality to deal with. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/95 "2011-10-04T16:52:44Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Valverde has a 9.00 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in this series. Perfection, huh? You’re like ignorance on tap. That proves Valverde is a bad pitcher. Thanks. How much would your team pay to get that slug ? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/96 "2011-10-04T17:42:50Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Their closer’s history does not count in these games. > [@gonzomax](#): > > We must throw out all the accumulated scores of the past out and restart. Does history count, or not? The reality is simple: in a 5-game (or even 7-game) series, almost anything can happen. Any predictions are nothing more than guesses. All of these teams are entirely capable of beating any of the other team’s starters. The difference between the very best team (probably the Phillies) and the very worst (probably the Cardinals) is not nearly big enough to reliably appear in a 5-game sample. Claims like “good pitching beats good hitting” or “pitching and defense wins championships” may be marginally true over decades but tell us almost nothing about how a particular series will pan out. Verlander got the win yesterday by pitching 8 innings and giving up 4 runs. Know how many times a pitcher pitched 8 with 4 ER and won in the history of the post-season? Once. Before yesterday they were 1-14. His performance was good enough to lose, historically, but his offense bailed him out. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/97 "2011-10-04T17:46:46Z")
As for Valverde, I would merely mention the last pitcher to have a perfect season of saves: Brad Lidge in 2008. Look up his 2009 season to see how predictable relief pitching performances are. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/98 "2011-10-04T18:18:16Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The difference between the very best team (probably the Phillies) and the very worst (probably the Cardinals) is not nearly big enough to reliably appear in a 5-game sample. How about a nine-game sample? The Card beat the Phillies 6 games to 3 in the regular season. 🙂 That said, your point is quite right. While it’s generally true that the better team will win a post-season series, nobody’s going to get rich by betting on it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/99 "2011-10-04T18:22:48Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Valverde has a 9.00 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in this series. Perfection, huh? You’re like ignorance on tap. I guess the last two years have ceased to exist in BLANKSLATE land. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/100 "2011-10-04T18:24:01Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > How about a nine-game sample? The Card beat the Phillies 6 games to 3 in the regular season. 🙂 Don’t I know it! Here’s hoping they can do it two more times. That said, I’m not betting on it… I was at the game where Oswalt closed down the old stadium and wouldn’t be shocked at all if he closes the doors on 2011 as well. Garcia v. Hamels should be a good matchup tonight. I’m always nervous about a young pitcher in the playoffs, but there have been plenty of examples of impressive performances by newcomers. And the Offense, so far, has shown they can put up runs. Of course a lot of that has been ridiculously good luck on batted balls - but that’s exactly the sort of thing that can last for 5 games and win a series. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185.md?page=6)