If it’s an oblique strain, he’s done for the series.
On another note, will Corey Seager win his second WS MVP? I know it’s early, but he’s on his way to that.
Were he to do so he’s be the fourth player to win two World Series MVPs and the second to do it with two teams. Sandy Koufax did it twice with the Dodgers, Bob Gibson did it twice with the Cards, and Reggie Jackson did it with the A’s and the Yankees.
Garcia not starting for the Rangers tonight. I assume it’ll be an Answerbacks night regardless for the D-Backs but this makes it easier for them.
I’m seeing reports that Garcia is out for the rest of the World Series. Scherzer as well, but not a big loss right now for the Rangers.
Well…
Man I hate bullpen games. I don’t mind the idea of an opener - if scheduled starter is a “five and dive” pitcher who tends to be more of a 4.1 and dive, then let’s throw off the other team by throwing out a high leverage reliever to burn through a chunk of the lineup first. But these games with 7 relievers all lining up to be mediocre and uninspiring? Ugh.
And Corey Seager rolls on…
Hope Rangers don’t pull an Indians 2016
Are the Diamondbacks really out of starting pitchers?
I mean, Ryne Nelson is a starting pitcher, and when they finally brought him in, he pitched brilliantly. So if they were willing to have him pitch 5+ innings anyway, why not have the starting pitcher start the game? What was the point of that? Ryne Nelson was evidently healthy and rested, but you use everyone in roles they aren’t used to and by the game you get to Nelson you’re losing 10-1? Nelson pitched heroically and it was wasted. Should have trusted him to start.
I get bullpen games if you’re really, really stuck in the middle of the long, brutal regular season. I also get that the Diamondbacks have a very poor starting rotation - they have had a hell of a run but we all know they are one of the weakest teams to ever make it to the World Series. But, my honest impression (I don’t have numbers in front of me) is that bullpen games usually don’t go well. It’s a “there is no real alternative” thing. Pulling that shit in Game 4 of the World Series? Come on.
And now the Diamondbacks have burned a bunch of their relief pitchers and they have to play for their lives tonight.
It was a dumber move that the Jose Berrios debacle.
Well, game one this year was down a whopping 20% from last year. I couldn’t find anything for games 2, 3, and 4. If Texas closes it out in 5, Fox is going to take a financial beating.
Why would anyone watch the post-Playoff season if their home team isn’t in it? And since hardly anyone in Arizona knows they have a team they still aren’t gonna watch.
Some of us baseball fans watch the World Series no matter who’s playing.
Although I have to admit I’m confused as to what the ‘post-Playoff season’ refers to.
As a Royals fan, it’s refreshing to watch quality baseball every so often.
But seriously - because I love baseball. Limiting your viewing to just the team you’re a fan of is boring - it’s ordering the same meal at every restaurant you go to.
Perhaps so, but the point isn’t whether or not your own taste is good. It’s convincing everybody else they’re missing out on something. “I got mine, it’s somebody else’s problem” will become problematic sooner rather than later
That was my feeling when I postulated that, since it is a “small market series”, it would do poorly in the ratings. I was taken to task for that opinion! May I now chortle triumphantly with glee? LOL
I really think that, with football now being the closest thing we have to a “national sport”, they should shorten the regular season to 150 games so that the playoffs aren’t being held in the heart of the college and pro football seasons. It’s snowing, we’re celebrating Halloween, and we’re gearing up for the holiday season, and they’re still playing baseball. They’re the “boys of summer”, not winter.
Yes - because that isn’t the reason the ratings are poor. If I had predicted that the ratings would be poor because Bruce Bochy is a puppy-kicking Martian, would I be able to chortle with glee because the ratings prove I’m right?
That’s a truly awful comparison. I’d say “apples to oranges”, but I think it’s more like “rocks to oranges”.
The thing about relief games is that they work pretty well. Pitchers are more effective over short stints. Teams have gotten so good at scouting, training etc… that the delta between their 5th best pitcher and their 15th just isn’t that much, so it worth throwing everyone outside of top pitchers for short stints. I think it is not great for baseball as a trend, but I also think blaming teams for optimizing win probabilities is silly. Manfred is open to rule changes to help with this, but it isn’t an easy think to prevent without unintended side effects.
On viewership I think there are some issues at play. Munch mentions watching great baseball, which I’m all for, but the Dbacks aren’t really a great team. They were outscored in the regular season. Part of the drawbacks of an extended playoff is you are going to get more world series with these 85 teams that played well for a couple weeks.
The other issue for me at least is I get the MLB regular season package from MLBTV. There isn’t a postseason equivalent though and I don’t have cable so watching the post season is more difficult.
Because I enjoy watching professional baseball. I’m a baseball fan.
The ratings aren’t poor because the markets are small - because the markets aren’t small. The ratings are poor for many other reasons. The Diamondbacks don’t have a large dedicated fan base (see: Washington Nationals, also in a big market, also have crappy attendance). If the Series had been Rangers v. Cardinals, the rating would be much higher, despite St. Louis being in a MUCH smaller market than Phoenix.
Also, casual to more dedicated baseball fans are generally aware that the Diamondbacks just aren’t the best team in the Series, so it doesn’t make for great viewing. Game 1 was awesome, but the rest of them have been pretty light on drama.
Then there’s that whole rumor going around about Bochy and the puppy-kicking…
While I agree they should try to keep things scheduled to finishing before November rolls around, “Avoiding football” is not a good reason to do so. Baseball fans will watch baseball and football fans will watch football, and my direct experience is that people who enjoy both will watch both.
Never mind ratings in the streaming era; MLB had a great 2023. Attendance jumped nine percent in 2023, one of the largest year over year increases in the history of the major leagues, and that’s despite one of the teams telling its home fans to fuck off.