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Any interest in the playoffs? Predictions?

Tonight I have Astros over Yankees
Tomorrow I have Pirates over Cubs

In the ALCS I have Blue Jays over Royals
In the NLCS I have Cardinals over Dodgers

In the WS I have Blue Jays over Cardinals

I want to see Kershaw pitch in as many games as possible. He's the best pitcher we've seen since prime Pedro Martinez.

Did anyone see the curveball he threw last week? I can't find it but the batter crumpled as if the ball was coming high and inside...but it ended up going low and away for a strike. So gross.

Here's a decent one from late August to enjoy:


I'm no Dodger fan but I hope they can get far so he can shake off the moniker of being a postseason choke artist. He's too good to be this bad in October.

If I had my pick, I'd like to see a Dodgers playing the Blue Jays or Royals.

I started following the Mets a few years ago - it's a long story - and this is gonna be a pitcher's series. Kershaw is nasty.
Let's Go Mets!

ESPN ‏@espn 3m3 minutes ago
The Cubs and Cardinals have played each other 2,361 times since 1892...but never before in the playoffs.

Until now.
https://twitter.com/espn

Arrieta is from a different planet.

Jake Arrieta is now 17-1 with a 0.86 ERA in his last 21 starts and 13-1 with a 0.70 since the All-Star break. Insane.

And Arrieta didn't even have his good stuff last night ... Pirates had NO shot once the Cubs took an early lead

Arrieta is a witch... should have drilled him in the knee.

Go Rangers the rest of the way...

GO BUCS 2016.

I'm so sick of take-out slides at 2nd base. I understand they've been "part of the game" since 1850, but can we at least have the base runner slide normally (so if the middle infielder is standing or jumping to that side of the bag then it's incidental contact)?

On a normal slide into 2nd base the runner will slide 5-10 feet directly in front of the bag and use the bag to stop his momentum. Meaning, the runner should NEVER find himself on the far side of the bag. On take-out slides, the runners often begin their slide next to and even after the bag hiding under the "neighborhood" excuse. BS.

If the league is going to protect the catchers from dangerous contact then protect the middle infielders too. I don't see this happening on the corners.

They need to start enforcing the existing rule of calling interference on those slides AND implement a new rule that allows the player to be throw out of the game and suspended is the slide is especially brutal.

As for Utley, he should have been called out for interference but allowed to stay in the game and not be suspended because there hasn't been a rule change to allow them to suspend him. It seems like MLB is taking a page out of the NFLs book by suspending someone without a valid reason.

I heard they suspended Utley for two games.

That's the part that bugs me. If a runner can't tackle the fielder in the middle of the basepath when running by, then why can he do it when sliding into second?

Yet another one of those stupid "unwritten rules" that really need to go away. It's garbage like this that always winds up with the opposing pitcher head-hunting the next game. Which again, is one of those dumb unwritten rules. I always felt they could get rid of that, and the retaliations, if they just let the batter whip the bat back at the pitcher if he got drilled from a suspect pitch.

MLB did, yes, but I don't think they should have. They NEVER suspend base runners for this crap and they draw the line yesterday?! It can't be because he injured someone because the Pirates lost their SS to a dirty take-out slide a few weeks back and nobody was suspended then.

Change the rules and policies to MAKE the umps call interference and suspend when necessary.

Right, if take-out slides are "part of the history of the game" and the base runners job, why can't a runner blast the 1st baseman on a close play at first? Or have a base-stealer slide through the tag at 3rd and into the 3rd baseman's chest or legs...sliding into foul territory? It's essentially the same thing MLB has allowed to happen at 2nd base.

Like I said above, if the fielder goes into the normal sliding path of a base runner, then it's on them. However, the fielders should be able to plant their leg on the opposite side of the bag with confidence that a 225 lb. won't launch himself into his legs with NO intention of a normal slide into the base.

Those slide are meant to blast the middle infielders legs, maybe not hurt them, but it's a dangerous play. If the MLB changed the rules for home plate collisions, they need to do the same for 2nd base.

The Astros collapsed. Up 6-2 with 6 outs to go to advance to the ALCS....then give up 7 unanswered. Game 5 should be interesting.

Not gonna happen. Blue Jays...

astros just had an epic collapse. I'd be shocked if they recovered

The Mets got their revenge where it matters most - on the scoreboard. Now let's finish off LA and get to the NLCS.
Utley wasn't trying to hurt Tejada but it was a cheap play on his part.

I'm starting to worry for Cubs fans at this point. The further the go towards reaching the peak, the harder the sudden fall might be.

i want the cubs to win badly ... i'm living vicariously through their fans

I'm rooting for the Cubs just because they're the only city with a longer drought than us.

Bulls? Blackhawks? '85 Bears?

And the White Sox won in 2005 too. That would be 11 titles already for Chicago in my lifetime.

Idiot umpire called time. What an idiot.

That was your basic 7th inning in an elimination ALDS game. [/sarcasm]

lol what a WEIRD game. I was rooting for Texas (don't know why), but I've never seen a stranger game

Want to know why younger fans have a hard time getting "in" to Baseball. Showing emotion and passion like this:





Gets frowned upon. Dude just hit a GW home run to clinch a playoff series and he gets criticized for his celebrating.

ALCS is set with KC vs Toronto. NLCS will be Cubs vs either the Dodgers or Mets. Tonight's elimination game should be a classic pitchers' duel; Dodgers' Zack Greinke vs Mets Jacob deGrom. This one looks like it will be a throwback NL type game with both teams playing for a run. Lots of little ball; bunts, hit-and-run, moving runners, etc.

Y'know, I don't know how I forgot all that! I guess I just got stuck on the Cubs having gone so long and…

Oops.

I had a bad feeling all day yesterday about Game 5, was sure the Mets were gonna lose. Thank you Daniel Murphy and Mets' bullpen!!

Royals will win it all. They've just looked phenomenal all year to me.

Royals vs Mets

The Royals, if they get by TO, have not faced the kind of pitching New York will bring. Their starters are scary and if they remain healthy, the Mets will contend for years.

Unless they pull a Detroit.

could there possibly be a more irrelevant World Series to me than Mets-Royals? probably not

Any combination of the following teams would be a SNORE fest for me:

NL
Marlins
Mets
Giants
Rockies
Diamondbacks
Padres
Brewers

AL
Rays
Royals
A's
Mariners
Astros

The Royals seemed to have handled our power trio of Kluber / Carrasco / Salazar pretty well. They may not be on a par with the Mets starters, but they all have high-90's gas with nasty secondary stuff, when they are "on". I don't think KC will be cowed by good pitching because there's plenty of it in the AL.

KC is one of those teams when you look at their record and say"They won 95 games this year?"

They just don't give you a feeling of a dominant team but all they do is win ballgames.

J/C...

If the Pirates can't be in it, I love this World Series match up... Two teams that I have no personal fan anger towards and two teams that I wouldn't mind if they won it all.

I love the Mets pitching, but the Royals just seem to have "it". I'll say Royals in 6.

Rough 9th inning for the Blue Jays. Down 1, runner on 3rd, no outs, and they fail to get him home. That 2-1 strike to Revere was BRUTAL. The count should have been 3-1. Instead, Davis got the call and had the confidence to drop an offspeed pitch out of the zone to get Revere to chase.

Oh well, off to the World Series.

If Murphy stays hot, even kind of warm, the Mets will win this in 5 games. They have the pitching.