baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
The Numbers Say Lance Mccullers' Future Is in the Rotation
After stymying the Yankees offense over the course of four shutout innings in the decisive Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, questions have arisen regarding Lance McCullers. Is he durable enough to be a starting pitcher? Is he effective enough over the course of a game to be a starting pitcher? If the answer to either or both of those is no, does that mean McCullers will end up being a reliever who can go multiple innings?
By Matt Mocarsky8 years ago in Unbalanced
The 2017 Chicago Cubs Lacked That 'It' Factor
2017 wasn't necessarily a banner year for the Chicago Cubs. Well, for some teams, it would be considered a good year. But for the defending World Series champions, they fell short of their goal: to repeat. They just slid by the Washington Nationals in the Division series. Then come the NLCS, they weren't any competition for baseball's best team in the regular season: the LA Dodgers.
By Quinn Allen8 years ago in Unbalanced
Aaron Judge Has Been Great in October. Umpires Have Failed Him.
After a record-setting rookie season that may earn him the American League Most Valuable Player award, Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge has put himself in the record books in the postseason. The record he broke? Most strikeouts in a postseason series. Judge managed to do that in the five game ALDS against the Indians, striking out 16 times in only 20 at-bats. It’s incredible that he struck out 80% of the time in that series, and he’s continued that trend into the ALCS as well. Through five games, Astros pitchers have struck out Judge eight times in 16 at-bats, which is good for a 50% strikeout rate. Overall, he’s running a 60% strikeout rate in the playoffs, and yet he somehow has put up a .847 On Base+Slugging% (OPS).
By Matt Mocarsky8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Dodgers' Schedule will Win Them the World Series
If you've been a Dodgers fan since the last time the Dodgers won the World Series, you've been through a lot. You've seen Hershiser's career ruined by injuries, you've seen Jamie McCourt drive the team into financial ruin, and you've seen Manny Ramirez be, well, Manny. You've also had only three losing seasons in the past 25 years, so things haven't been all doom and gloom. But, in spite of eight postseason appearances since 1988, you've never seen the Dodgers win a pennant. And I can assure you, Dodgers fans — that long-promised World Series title is coming this year, too.*
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
Justin Turner: Postseason Great
The Dodgers are going to the World Series for the first time since 1988. It's remarkable how potent their offense has been, or rather how good Justin Turner has been in the absence of Corey Seager in the NLCS. Yasiel Puig has frankly been just as good, and Kiké Hernandez put on a show for the ages, but Turner is continuing a stretch of postseason dominance that is rare.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Dusty Baker: Forever Cursed. Top Story - October 2017.
The Nationals lost one of the most gut-wrenching games in recent playoff history (or at least it must feel that way). In what was becoming something to celebrate after another miraculous Michael A. Taylor homer was gutted by seeing Max Scherzer get beat by bloop singles. What was built up in that eighth inning rally was ripped away by Jose Lobaton getting his cleat awkwardly caught in first base leaving millimeters of space.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Tinkering with the Yankees' ALCS Roster
After an impressive win in the American League Division Series against the Indians, Joe Girardi is a good manager again! Like many baseball fans were last Friday after Game 2, we will be playing “manager” as the Yankees set themselves up for the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros. There are a quite a few things to consider, but before we do, let’s have New York’s ALDS roster on hand for reference:
By Matt Mocarsky8 years ago in Unbalanced
It's Time To Talk About Fenway
Fenway Park is quite the odd beast. The Pesky Pole sits only 302 feet from home plate with about a four-foot high wall separating the fans from the field, and the Green Monster is, well, the Green Monster. The strange dimensions of Fenway have led to some memorable moments — Fisk waving it fair, Ortiz's incredible grand slam, etc. And now, we have Fenway to thank for possibly drastically changing the outcome of the ALDS.
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
One More Big Hit from Carlos Beltran
The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox just wrapped up the end of their American League Division Series, with Houston coming on top by winning three games to one. The fact that the series did not go the distance will suggest, in hindsight, that there wasn’t much to it in terms of drama. This would be an oversight, as anyone who watched the whole series would tell you.
By Matt Mocarsky8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Future Is Bright for Astros' Alex Bregman
Confidence. Swagger. Two things that you don't see too often in a big league rookie. Well, with Alex Bregman, it's a different story. The Astros' rookie third baseman drips confidence every time he steps in between those white lines. That confidence was evident from the get-go against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS, where Bregman homered off Chris Sale for an absolute no-doubter on the first pitch he saw from the lefty.
By Quinn Allen8 years ago in Unbalanced
From a Die Hard Fan
In 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers played the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Although Game 1 was being played at Dodger Stadium, the A's, who won 104 games that year, were the heavy favorites to win the championship. In the bottom of the 9th inning (Hey there, anybody who's a baseball fan knows this story from the back of their hand, bare with me while I recap the end of the game. I'm trying to let the newbies [Don't be mean, baseball needs as many fans as possible] in on the action. Thanks for the patience), Kirk Gibson, who didn't play for the majority of the game, came in to pinch hit with two outs and one on, and put the Dodgers down 3-2. The crowd went wild simply by his presence. With the count full, Kirk Gibson hits a home run to right field and the Dodgers won Game 1. By many historians, it is considered one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.
By Carlos Navarrette8 years ago in Unbalanced
Surprise! Only Substantial Change Will Make Baseball Games Shorter
(Data via Baseball-Reference.com) Yes, baseball games are getting longer. What that means to a non-casual baseball fan like me is nothing, really. But, it matters to MLB and the people who call the shots because they think it will continue to hurt baseball's popularity in the future. The pace of play debate has been around for a few years now and MLB hasn't been afraid to experiment and implement different rules.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
