2015 MLB Season Thread with Postseason Discussion

[FiddySicks]

How funny would it be if the Cubs swept the Astros in the World Series? Minute Maid Park becomes the scene where BOTH Chicago teams end their drought in a fairly lackluster manner.

[rxmc89]

How funny would it be if the Cubs swept the Astros in the World Series? Minute Maid Park becomes the scene where BOTH Chicago teams end their drought in a fairly lackluster manner.

If that does happen, it won't be this year. Game 4 of the WS is in a National League ballpark.

[FiddySicks]

Ahh yes, that's right. I forgot the AL won the ASG this year.

Ok, they clinch game 5 then.

[AnPheitseog]

Ahh yes, that's right. I forgot the AL won the ASG this year.

Ok, they clinch game 5 then.

also at a National league ballpark with the 2-3-2 format

[2001mark]

It would seriously be so awful if the Cardinals eliminated the Cubs, should they win. I just hate everything about them. Everybody hates their fan base.

Just.... off. For a decade. Begone. Fade into baseball obscurity and cease polluting things with your bullcrap.

I've always been fascinated how much I despise Cardinals & their fans, I think they're utterly undeserving of the Rams, & yet I root for the Blues to be solid each season.

There's probably a discussion there, about cities you feel 180 between one of their teams & their others.

I'm a Patriots fans so that's obvious because all other Boston teams should diaf. I think it softens that they do in fact represent New England proper & don't even play in Boston. New England states are cool, they seem intelligent & chill, & laugh at the rest of America as much as Canada does.

[teddthebucfan]

I know everyone's getting a bit tired of me complaining about the Pirates, well I've got good news: I'm done with them. The Pirates and I are getting divorced. It's not yet a "burn the photographs" divorce but right now I can't stand to associate myself with them.

No really, I've finally been broken to the point that I couldn't even bring myself the care to watch the game tonight. I realize that I probably sound like I'm feeling entitled but I'm just tired of "contending" after 23 years, I want some "accomplishing." There was a time when I would have gone to the mat to defend this team. I would tell people that had given up that "someday it'll get better." These past few years, for all the hope they've made all they've produced is "also ran" and participation trophies, and knowing the amount of players that are going to be lost in the coming few years have made me question if "someday" will come in my lifetime if at all.

And to tell the truth I'm feeling, for lack of a better word, a little disillusioned with the whole game of baseball. I'm fairly certain the two are related but to be honest I'm not sure which is the cause of the other, but nowadays I just can't find joy even in my visits to the minor leagues anymore. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm being whiny but this isn't even anger. It pains me to type these words but I just can't bring myself to root for the Pirates anymore, and right now I think I really need to take a break from the game.

[2001mark]

It pains me to type these words but I just can't bring myself to root for the Pirates anymore, and right now I think I really need to take a break from the game.

It's tougher being a fan of a team that indefinitely struggles to succeed without ever totally failing.

Go Leafs Go.

[FinsUp1214]

As a fan of parity, I'm really loving the look of the AL side. Sure Texas and Kansas City have been to the big show recently, but when you consider that of the 4 AL teams, two have never won it all and the other two haven't won it all in 30 and 22 years, it sure makes for good parity for me.

Then you look at the NL and almost see it 'till you hit St. Louis. I don't really have a hatred for them at all, just more of an annoyance. This seems like the kind of "happy flight" year where they make some "LOL NO PARITY FOR YOU" run and just mow everyone down. Not gonna lie, I'm half-terrified they will. Seems like a Cardinals kind of thing to do.

However, as stated by my predictions, I really like the Mets' chances. I'm hoping my gut feeling they get past St. Louis holds true. If not, then at the very least I hope the Cubs pull off the upset or the Grienke, Kershaw, and Co. can do the duty.

Again, I don't hate the Cardinals. I don't hate Subway either, but sometimes Subway three or four days a week at work gets a little boring and I want Panda Express instead. You get it.

[Still MIGHTY]

Pirates are garbage for 23 years, but they lose in the playoffs a couple times and that sends you off the boat?

Good luck, I guess.

[The_Admiral]

New England states are cool, they seem intelligent & chill, & laugh at the rest of America as much as Canada does.

New England is just as much of an uncultured cesspool as the rest of our country. These are the people who move away from home and complain that they can't find a Dunkin' Donuts. They have just as many post-industrial craters, mobbed-up hellholes, and ignorant hillbillies as the Midwest, they're just better at wrapping themselves in grad students and Puritan mythos.

[CS85]

Tonight was weird. Good weird.

Fowler & Schwarber broke the game open early and Arrieta, despite not having his best stuff at times, relied on his barely-legal infield to get out of some severe jams late. I have no idea what the Pirates were thinking by plunking Arrieta, either. That was your reaction to getting doubled up in consecutive innings? That was your final act of defiance against a system that screwed you out of winning any other division? Very odd. I have no ill-will to the Pirates and I hope they keep on making noise, if anything to spite the Cardinals.

Speaking of which, this upcoming series is already giving me nervous diarrhea. Losing to these insufferable baseball elitists/weirdos would be pretty damned heartbreaking.

[The_Admiral]

I like the Pirates and their fans, too. I feel bad about the whole thing, but yeah, the Arrieta plunking was ill-advised. The only strategic merit I can see is that they gambled on Arrieta losing concentration and hitting a third batter on the night, which would have ejected him with dugout warnings having been issued. Other than that, that was the crap you do in a series in May.

Go Cubs. Some of the unhappiest moments in my life were spent in St. Louis. I wish them ill forever.

[cubsfan2015]

I agree that the Pirates are one of the best teams,don't get me wrong,but they always seem to do bad in the playoffs the last three years.

[CS85]

I like the Pirates and their fans, too. I feel bad about the whole thing, but yeah, the Arrieta plunking was ill-advised. The only strategic merit I can see is that they gambled on Arrieta losing concentration and hitting a third batter on the night, which would have ejected him with dugout warnings having been issued. Other than that, that was the crap you do in a series in May.

Go Cubs. Some of the unhappiest moments in my life were spent in St. Louis. I wish them ill forever.

It certainly wasn't in retaliation. I don't think that the plunking of Arrieta was in any way a reaction to his hitting two Pirates earlier in the game. The guys freaking out during/after the bench-clearing brawl had nothing to do with the Cubs playing dirty or some "rivalry-rabble-rabble-rabble" stuff. It was obviously a reaction to winning 98 STUPID BASEBALL GAMES and having it mean nothing because they had to play a 1-game playoff against a starter who's having one of the best pitching runs in the history of this 140 year old league.

For the 2nd season in a row.

I feel terrible for them, and if I was in their shoes tonight I would be furious with MLB for this turn of events. Unfortunately one occurrence doesn't constitute a broken system. This happens in sports from time to time and until all leagues go the way of the NBA, there's not a lot to be done about it.

Stay tough, Buc fans. Don't let this destroy you.

[Cujo]

First postseason win since pre-Bartman. Man, that felt good!

[CubsFanBudMan]

I'm past my prime as a Cubs fan. 1984 will always be my favorite team, but as an adult maybe 1997-2010 marks the "disposable income, watch every game, see 30-40 in person a year" era.

BUT... tonight was really fun. And this team is really fun. I hope the ride is long because next year is never guaranteed, as the Cubs found out in 1985, 1990, 1999, 2004 and even 2008 when all they did was repeat the sweep.

I've seen them play in the NLDS & NLCS plenty now -- how greedy we've gotten since the 39-year postseason drought ended in 1984 -- so I'm hoping whenever a World Series appearance comes...

1. I'm alive.

2. It shakes the numbness admiral describes and I can find the Cubs fan of 1984, 2003 or 2008 in me again. Those three years are the peaks for me among many valleys, despite the endings. 1989, 1998, 2001, 2007 and even 2004 get honorable mentions.

And a Cubs-Cardinals postseason series blows my mind.

[Almighty]

Kang is wheeled out in a wheelchair to ovation :censored:ing Cubs man !

[TrueYankee26]

Central Illinois.... Peoria, Springfield-Champaign, and all other Illinois areas in between STL and CHI will be split in the NLDS.

[pmoehrin]

Blue Jays/Rangers

Even though on paper Toronto has the edge in every major statistical category, I still think this is a very even matchup.

If you go position by position through the starting nine, its hard to see where any team has much of an edge. Even at third base with Josh Donaldson. Obviously the Jays have the edge there, but would anyone be all that surprised if Adrian Beltre had a better series than Donaldson?

That being said I give a slight edge to the Blue Jays in more categories then not and added together it starts to paint a picture of a team that's just flat out better than Texas despite how loaded the Rangers are with veteran talent.

I think this series has a very good chance of going the full five. What I think will put Toronto over the top in this one is the doubling down of David Price. Both of his starts are going to come at home in front of an extremely loud Rogers Centre/SkyDome. I think the Rangers are capable of beating him in one of those two games, but not twice. So where as Toronto I think can afford a split to start the series, Texas has to beat Toronto in both of their home games and that means a back end rotation starter either shutting down the best offense in baseball in a hitter's park, or the Rangers just flat out outhitting the best offense in baseball. Again something I think Texas could do for one game, but not both.

I'll take Jays in five in this one.

Astros/Royals

This might be the biggest mismatch of the LDS.

KC is only going to see Dallas Keuchel once this series and that's probably the only game the Astros are taking.

Neither team really has great starting pitching, but as we saw last year and as will probably be the case this in a lot of games year as well, you have approach any game against the Royals as a six inning game and for the Astros to have a chance they need either or Colin McHugh and Scott Kazmir to out pitch Yordano Ventura and Johnny Cueto respectively. In both matchups I'd say its about even and the Royals are going to be at home for both games and have lights out bullpen to turn to that Houston just simply can't counter.

The Royals also gave up the second fewest home runs in baseball. Other than Jeremy Guthrie every Royals pitcher this year did at least a decent job of keeping the ball in the park and that does not bold well for the home run or die offense of the Astros.

The same could be said for Houston who gave up the fewest, but the Royals also hit the second fewest in the AL and still finished seventh in OPS and were second in steals. This is an offense that can nitpick you to death in a way that Houston just can't.

I'll take Royals in four here.

[Crabcake]

Here goes nothing.

TOR/TEX - Blue Jays in 4

KC/HOU - Royals in 5

NYM/LAD - Mets in 5

STL/CHC - Cardinals in 5

TOR/KC - Blue Jays in 7

NYM/STL - Cardinals in 6

TOR/STL - Cardinals in 6 (MVP: Matt Carpenter)