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2020 MLB postseason thread

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by HanSenSE, Sep 27, 2020.

Page 52 of 61
  1. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    The difference being the Dodgers didn't make a decision that sure seems like it cost them the game last night.
     
    outofplace, Oct 28, 2020
    #613
  2. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    Maybe, but we know Snell had been great and we know the decision did not work.
     
    outofplace, Oct 28, 2020
    #614
  3. Vombatus

    Vombatus Well-Known Member

    And a World Series game is not your average regular season game either. There is a huge potential for the pucker factor.
     
    Vombatus, Oct 28, 2020
    #615
    HanSenSE likes this.
  4. sgreenwell

    sgreenwell Well-Known Member

    I guess my mindset with this is similar to the "Tua vs. Fitz?" discussion from the NFL threads. Like, we *know* Fitz turns into a pumpkin at a certain point. Do you wait for him to lose a game or two, or do you pocket your gains and move on? Snell didn't hit six IP in any start this bizarro year. They made the same decision on Sept. 29 against the Blue Jays, with him having a similar stat line, and it turned out fine. I'm not sure exactly what their calculation was, but I imagine it was more of a move that improved their odds slightly vs. majorly, and hey, it didn't work out.

    It's always easier to "blame" the loss on a decision like this, and not that the Rays only scored one run in an elimination game. It is always easier to criticize a decision or an action, as opposed to inaction. Heck, even if he leaves Snell in there - He has zero career complete games. He was coming out at some point. The top of the order was batting against the bullpen at some point.
     
    sgreenwell, Oct 28, 2020
    #616
  5. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    FTFY
     
    TheSportsPredictor, Oct 28, 2020
    #617
    sgreenwell likes this.
  6. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    I would blame it on both, but as somebody already suggested, teams often do things differently in the postseason from how they would do them during the regular season. Snell was pitching well enough that he was clearly their best option for at least the rest of that inning.
     
    outofplace, Oct 28, 2020
    #618
  7. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I agree that the Rays were going to need more than one run, and their overall ineptitude on offense cost them the series more than any single managerial decision.

    I thought that Snell being pulled sucked, but what sucked even more was putting in Anderson and his six-game streak of giving up at least one run.
     
    playthrough, Oct 28, 2020
    #619
    sgreenwell likes this.
  8. sgreenwell

    sgreenwell Well-Known Member

    Yeah, I don't disagree with that. I suppose I'm just being a little sensitive, as one of those damn "The Numbers!!!" guys. I haven't heard as many people making the argument that Anderson was the wrong guy to put in, vs. that Snell just shouldn't have been pulled.
     
    sgreenwell, Oct 28, 2020
    #620
  9. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Matt Williams' Korean translator nods in agreement.
     
    HanSenSE, Oct 28, 2020
    #621
  10. micropolitan guy

    micropolitan guy Well-Known Member

    By watching the last two pitches, right down the middle. He only swings at balls out of the strike zone.
     
    micropolitan guy, Oct 28, 2020
    #622
  11. Elliotte Friedman

    Elliotte Friedman Moderator Staff Member

    A few thoughts....

    A few people here, in social media, and even one of my buddies have used the "Snell doesn't pitch 6 innings" line. Here's my problem with that argument: it isn't that he CAN'T go 6, it's that he's NOT ALLOWED to go 6. To me, that's a huge difference. The financial damage of COVID is the biggest issue facing the sport, but this is second. Baseball has been changed from what the athletes can do to what the numbers dictate they should do.

    Someone here mentioned Smoltz didn't sound engaged (I watched the international feed with Matt Vasgersian and Buck Martinez). Listening to Snell and Kevin Kiermayer rip the decision last night, I understand why. The players don't like the game they are playing.

    I was at an analytics conference a couple of years ago. I talked about how Kelly Hrudey, the former LA Kings goalie, always said there was only one stat that matters to him: "Wins." That's the way players think. How do we win? I agreed with the opinion that analytics give you a better chance of winning (just like blackjack), but others completely discounted the players' feelings and said that thinking was stupid.

    There's a huge disconnect between management and labour.
     
    Elliotte Friedman, Oct 28, 2020
    #623
    maumann and MTM like this.
  12. MTM

    MTM Well-Known Member

    Those of you without a rooting interest, does the season deserve an asterisk? I'd say yes if the Brewers or Reds or another team that wouldn't have been in the playoffs otherwise had won, but the Dodgers dominated the regular season, losing just one series, then beat the Padres, who had the second best record in the NL, the Braves, with third best record, and the Rays, the best record in the AL.

    It is curious that two of the last three Dodgers titles have come in shortened seasons.
     
    MTM, Oct 28, 2020
    #624
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