Game Thread: ALDS GAME ONE
UPDATE, 10:27 PM: The game has been officially postponed. They’re going to pick it up in the bottom of the second tomorrow; Game Two will now be on Sunday at 3:07. This sucks. A lot.
Just like at Opening Day, we’ve got CC Sabathia and the Yankees hosting Justin Verlander and the Tigers. I can’t believe it’s playoff time. The March to 28 starts in earnest tonight. Here are the lineups:
Detroit Tigers:
1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Magglio Ordonez, RF
3. Delmon Young, LF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Victor Martinez, DH
6. Alex Avila, C
7. Ryan Raburn, 2B
8. Jhonny Peralta, SS
9. Brandon Inge, 3B
New York Yankees
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Curtis Granderson, CF
3. Robinson Cano, 2B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Mark Teixeira, 1B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Jorge Posada, DH
8. Russell Martin, C
9. Brett Gardner, LF
LET’S GO YANKEES!
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Nice to see Cano and Teixeira flipped, it should’ve happened quite a while back when Mark showed he was delivering mostly just power numbers.
Looks like I might not be able to watch this game, since my power decided this would be the perfect time to go out for no reason… so hopefully this thread and gameday on my phone can keep me up to date.
Go Yankees!
Buster Olney tweeted that Rodriguez was key for the Yankees because the Yankees will be walking Cano. Maybe if Rodriguez gets a couple hits early, they won’t be so quick to walk Cano.
He’s had such an injured season, I just hope he got enough at bats to get his timing down as much as possible. He really carried the whole team through the first two series in 09, he just needs part of that production this time.
It’d be asking a lot for him to repeat that 2009 postseason, even if he was healthy. But I’ll settle for getting on base, even without power.
Maybe Teixeira is heating up. That’d be great, too.
He’s still capable of runs like that when healthy, but I don’t expect it this time. However if we reach the ALCS it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities for him to get hot like that. Depending of course how the DS goes.
If Jete or Curtis get on, that’ll make it harder, but you’re right, Buster has a good point, because the way Verlander pitches to Robbie is also at issue. So Alex is key, but jete, Curtis or Robbie could short circuit that, too.
T.O. Chris, long time no see! Or maybe I’ve just been absent from the game threads of late. I may not be by a computer for much of the game, but I’ll try to check in periodically. How’s everyone feeling tonight? I’m psyched.
I’m ready. I’m feeling positive about the Yankees. Let’s go.
I’ll feel better once we win this game. I believe this game is pretty much the series. They won’t pitch Verlander again until game 5, so I think we can take this in 4 if we win tonight.
Yeah it actually has been a while. I haven’t been on hardly at all for a good while, and it’s been even longer since I was in a game thread.
Alright, power just came back on! I have to wait through this long load section for the TV to start up, but fingers crossed the power will stay on!
Great to have you back, and hopefully the power will hold up.
Good to be back, couldn’t miss commenting with the crew in the playoffs!
If the power goes out, get to a sports bar, quick. Or won’t they play the Yankees-Tigers in a sports bar in Texas?
That’s an interesting question, I’m sure they would with no other games on. Though I wouldn’t be the most popular guy in the bar haha.
yeah, hi Chris. That’s a kick in the head that blackout.
I called someone to see if their power was out, and apparently the power was out in the Kroger down the way too. Thank god is got back on in time for pitch 1!
Hey, smurfy. Psyched?
kida psyched out by all the negative media waves, as well as the cold hard stats dished up hereabouts. Staying hopeful, tho.
I got a good feeling. Big at bat for Cano.
This may be a 1-0, 2-1 game if Sabathia pitches like this.
EDIT: Or maybe not…
Oh, crap!
Remember when Delmon Young was suppose to be a “right handed Barry Bonds”? His career has really been all over the map, but he still has tons of talent.
Came up with the Rays, didn’t he?
Yup. I use to trade for both him and BJ Upton when they were still prospects in MLB 2K waaaay back in the day. Back when Upton was coming up as a short stop.
Delmon was actually suppose to be the better prospect between the two.
We need to jump on Verlander early while he’s throwing that 93-94 feel out fastball, and before he gets into that 96-100 stuff he throws once he gets comfortable.
Gamecast has Tigers with a 51% chance of winning.
They should be the slight betting favorite everywhere I believe. It has a lot to do with how good Fister has been, and how dominant Scherzer can be.
The MLB network guys all picked Detroit. The Yankee Analysts all picked the Yankees.
Gotta have a little Yankee homerism to balance out all the Yankee hate haha.
And with that baserunner, it moves to Yankees 52%. Weird.
I like Jete’s plan to run there. If he hadn’t walked ‘im, we’d still have a man at second, surely. Great jump.
and the run feels fine, too.
Yeah, nice.
I still can’t believe Cabrera use to play third. He’s bad at first…
Yeah, that was just a bad play. No way around it.
Get that run in!!!!
Rodriguez’s first test.
Thought Inge had a play.
Yeah, he did for sure. Inge is usually a solid third baseman too.
Not pretty, but I’ll take it!
Oh, man, a 2-hour rain delay would be insane.
What is up with New York and rain this year? Seems like every game either has rain, a rain delay, or a threat of rain.
It seems like it’s been raining for a year straight.
the last two weeks have been nutty: lotsa gully wumpers.
It’s been the exact opposite in Texas. We’ve been going through such a monster drought all year long that Bastrop broke out in wild fires that took like half of peoples homes down.
You should run some gutters from the houses here to Texas.
If you can figure it out, I’ll do it. It’s still notching 100 degrees here, and it’s almost October!
You know I use to feel great no matter who Teixeira faced, now I feel like matchups against real power guys aren’t in his favor at all. No one feasts off of power guys sure, but he’s become much less effective against them than he use to be.
He swings at pitches way outside.
Pitches down, like that Verlander change have really become his kryptonite. It seems like it has also made him hesitant at times as well. I can’t count how many times he took frustrating strikes on 2-0, 3-0, and 3-1 this year. He didn’t use to be like that to the degree he has been lately.
23 pitches for Verlander.
He finished the first with 25.
I don’t think it much matters with Velrander and Leyland. He’ll throw 130 in this one if he has too.
Agreed. But if he gets there after 6…
That certainly would be preferable.
Well, some failure, but adequate success: made him work, evened the score.
Yeah. 1-1 feels a LOT better than 1-0.
Especially if we have to go into a rain delay. You don’t want to sit down and wait for an hour or two down a run, and come out pressing when the delay ends.
If both Verlander and CC come out because of a rain delay with the score tied in the third, is that good for the Yankees?
Well losing CC is never good, but not having to face Verlander isn’t bad. I think we have the better bullpen, but who do you go to coming out of the delay?
What if they go to Burnett? Shudder.
I never saw the final roster going into the playoffs, did he make it?
I’d say Phil. Yeah, AJ’s there. I liked Mike Francesa’s guess that he’s backstopping Nova, in case he gets rookie jitters, would take the second start.
Alex and Tex show us the GE Capital Partnership Play.
CC is killing them. Too bad they’ll have to stop this.
How long can he sit before he can’t go back out? I know he’ll want to come back no matter what, but anything past 45 minutes to an hour would put that in danger.
I think that’s the rule. And Michael Kay has been strong on the story that CC’s hard patch started in August when there was a double rain delay in his no-hitter.
Why don’t they take the pitcher out, and bring him back to start the 3rd game? I don’t know about muscle recovery, but if he could, be a better use, maybe.
I think CC was just so dominant for so long that he had to have a rough patch equal to it.
It would only be what, 2 days rest right? Physically it could be done, but I don’t see it happening.
Two days rest for 40 pitches(?) and the extensive warmup. Seems like that might work. Never saw anyone do it, but that’s me: always had to ask “why?” Nearly drove Mama mad, but she was too nice.
It could be done, but I’m not sure if the Yankees would want to do it. They are already bringing him back for game 4, so I think they would want to keep him on schedule.
His slider quit on him for several starts, tho everyone was denying that. It is the weird factor that lends some credence to Michael’s claim that something hurt him in that rain delay-restart process.
I’m not denying that could’ve played a role. It very well could have, but he wasn’t going to continue that dominating stretch all year. That very rarely happens, so based on the law of averages he was due for a significant decline. Both in stuff, and performance.
Did anyone watch Matt Moore today? They got something really special with that kid! I thought he might pitch 5-6 innings with 2 ER, but he simply dominated start to finish. Him and Price are a nasty 1-2 for the future!
I saw it. He looked fabulous. Scary good.
Yeah, another tough lefty in the division, just what we need.
The Yanks pound lefties, but they certainly didn’t pound him.
Well it was the first time we ever saw him, so that does play a role into it as well. He’s scary good though as you said. He has one of the strongest lefty arms I’ve seen since Randy Johnson. It’s not that strong, but it’s darn strong.
Exceptionally smooth delivery, too. Solid, no gimmicks.
I watched him pitch in the Futures Game during the All-Star break this year. He pitched 1 inning, and went below 100 maybe twice. I had no idea the future would be so soon though!
I wonder if I should wait this out, or go play Madden haha.
What’s the plan if they can’t play?
My plan would be Madden haha. However I’m not sure what would happen with the game at that point. You can’t do a double header both for the TV schedule, and because neither team would want to do it. I guess they make it up on the travel day? Then maybe remove one of the days off in the series.
Yeah, I guess that would be it. Game 1 tomorrow, no travel day. OK.
That would suck for the players though, flying to Detroit and playing that day. Good thing the Yanks always play night games in the playoffs.
Just looked over the roster. It’s probably Phil or Burnett if Sabathia can’t go, though this is probably exactly what the Yankees wanted to avoid when they left off Noesi.
If Burnett/Hughes could pitch 3 inning you could go Wade, Ayala, Soriano, Robertson, Mariano. Assuming of course you collect a lead at some point.
Someone on TBS said they’d both come out no matter what the delay.
I heard that. Still at some point, say around the 2 hour mark, you could get so stiff that it’s not worth going back out. Though at that point they may call the game.
Sabathia has 4 K’s through two, but Verlander has a no hitter.
I can’t believe the Sox are parting ways with Francona. Unless he just wanted out, that is a stupid reaction move.
I’ve been following that story, listening to WEEI for a few hours today. It seems to be Francona’s decision.
Based on his record, and the things we know, he should stay. But we don’t know what happened in the clubhouse, whether he still has the relationships with the players he needs going forward.
It was really telling to me when he said that the team hadn’t become as close as he would have liked during the season. When you look at the additions to the team though, you really only had Crawford, Gonzo, Jenks, Albers, and a couple other pen guys.
I wonder if Carl’s struggles, and the contract he signed might have alienated some people.
You forgot Gonzalez, who turned out to be a holier-than-thou excuse maker.
I put in “Gonzo” for Adrian Gonzalez…
I never read anything about that, what did he make excuses for? His terrible performances against the Yankees and Rays in Sept.?
He had a great year, possibly his best season ever if you go by WAR. But I do find it funny he had his second lowest amount of HRs ever, when everyone was predicting 40-50+ going into the season.
Right, Gonzo. My eye glazed over it.
He said after the last game that it wasn’t in God’s plan for the Red Sox to go to the playoffs. Also, he said that part of the problem was that the Red Sox had to play so many ESPN Sunday night games, which made it a very tough schedule, and that nobody talks about that.
It’s cool, I thought about putting A-Gone, to make it stick out more.
I don’t care much for the whole destiny talk that comes from some players/fighters. Because it only seems to come when they lose.
Haha, yeah those Sunday night games are killers. Good thing the Yankees don’t play any of those haha.
I guess when you only play for the Padres that’s not something that ever comes up haha.
God’s busy running a big operation. He has no time for worrying about MLB in general or, in particular, whether the Red Sox get in the post-season.
YES should have rain delay talk. They’ve got CenterStage. Bleh.
Wells haha! He said in his book how horrible Jeter was at singing, he must love bringing that up. He said in that book that he was the only one who like metal music too, so when his pitch day came he blew everyones ears out with his music haha. Torre apparently really hated it haha.
Is his book worth reading?
One of the best player autobiographies I’ve ever read. You get a real feeling for Wells, and you can really tell he put a lot of time in making sure you get his side of the story. Some auto’s you read they feel a lot more like the co-writer than the athlete.
It was also one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while haha.
It’s “David Wells: Perfect I’m not”.
I’ll keep an eye out for it.
Bob Gibson’s book is good too, though it gets a little much with all the race talk. I understand that was the time he grew up in, but after a while I want more baseball talk, and less racist people he encountered talk.
He does say in the book how Tim Mccarver was a huge racist when he joined the Cardinals, and it took a while for him to change his attitude in that respect.
Once he apparently asked Tim for a sip of some drink he had as a joke, and McCarver stumbled over his words and finally said “I’ll save you some” haha. Apparently they are good friends now though.
I’m still a big fan of Leo Durocher’s Nice Guys Finish Last. Hugely fun, and Durocher had a knack of being around the most famous teams in baseball history.
I’ll have to check that out.
yeah, thanks. Is it very good at getting into his psyche of pitching? Any other really good books in which the pitching process is discussed?
Gibby’s book certainly gets you in his unique mindset. Wells’ book doesn’t go into the real depths of his pitching beliefs, but more events of his life and games he was in. I also enjoyed Doc Gooden’s book. But a large part of that book talks about his drug use, and throwing his best part of his career away.
In Gooden’s book I found it interesting that he directly linked his loss of movement, and later velocity to his drinking. He said he was already on a physical decline when he started the cocaine, but the drinking killed what was special about him.
I read Ryne Duren’s book, too. He pitched in the 50s and 60s. He had a 100-mph fastball, very bad vision, and a drinking problem. They said hitters were afraid to stand in the box against him.
“I read Ryne Duren’s book, too. He pitched in the 50s and 60s. He had a 100-mph fastball, very bad vision, and a drinking problem. They said hitters were afraid to stand in the box against him.”
I wish we could have gotten some more definitive numbers on those old timers fastballs. Guys like Walter Johnson and Bob Feller for instance, their reported velocities rank as high as anyone pitching today.
Yeah, they may be overestimated. We can’t know.
“Yeah, they may be overestimated. We can’t know.”
I once saw a show where they broke down Walter Johnson’s fastball down on a video, and tried to come up with feet per second and convert it to MPH and said he was probably throwing 91 MPH. However who knows how accurate that is.
his fastball was really a beautiful thing, would rise a foot near home plate.
“his fastball was really a beautiful thing, would rise a foot near home plate.”
Doc said that was the first thing to go. He said he was still throwing hard as ever to start, but the rise on his fastball left. The following year the velocity went with it, and he could never reclaim it. It’s actually kind of sad to think at one point he realized he drank away such a beautiful, natural, once in a lifetime talent.
On Walter Johnson’s fastball: he slung it in such an easy, sashaying sidearm delivery. Smooth as casually flinging a rock in the river.
The shovel pass! Warms the cockles of my heart.
Dammit, I’m primed for baseball, not rain delays!
I’m going to need some caffeine.
that sounds good, but I think I’m tuned for popcorn.
I honestly think the Rays are the favorites in the AL to make it to the Series. With that pitching staff they can do serious damage.
Maybe, but I wouldn’t put a nickel on anyone in the AL. They’re too closely matched.
As overall teams I agree. But when you can throw Price, Shields, Moore, and Hellickson out. No one can really compete with that, rotation wise.
Except the reason they started Moore was Niemann’s banged up and Price has been awful in his last 4 starts. He may be gassed. That leaves Shields and Hellickson (pitching innings he’s never pitched). Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.
These are valid points, but I still have them as the favorites. Doesn’t mean they can’t lose, just means I think their rotation is really dominant.
I’ll take even a gassed Price over most of the league, and he may have enough adrenaline fuel to dial it up now that we are in the playoffs. Moore proved to be dominant enough against us and the Rangers, that I doubt they even want Niemann back in the rotation for the rest of the postseason. Shields is having by far his best year of his career, and with Hellickson’s change I think he can pitch well through the innings push. Plus usually pitchers with big time inning jumps don’t feel it until the following year.
All I know is if we had that rotation, I would be feeling very confident. Pitching usually wins comes postseason time, and we are going to have to ride the big man throughout.
That is impressive, and James Shields is masterful. But, I believe we got to Hellickson, didn’t we? Even Shields, we waited him out and did him in.
We beat Shields once I know, and I know he beat us once. But I feel like there was another Shields game I can’t remember…?
Hellickson pitched us tough, but I don’t remember what the final scores were at the end of those games in particular. He gives our lefties trouble with that change though.
So what are the odds we actually start this thing back up again?
I don’t know. Forecasts had light rain. Now this. Supposed to be a window, but who knows?
Looks like it won’t be happening.
Dang. I’m all pumped up.
I won’t be around the game thread either tomorrow or Sunday, probably tomorrow. So enjoy the game, everyone.
Yeah, what a way to ruin the first game of the playoffs!
So tomorrow is the finish of game 1, and then Sunday afternoon is game 2, with no off day Monday?
That’s it.
So Nova and Fister tomorrow I assume. But then do they go with Smurfy’s idea and pitch Sabathia Sunday, or do they wait and have Sabathia pitch Monday?
If Nova goes 7 innings tomorrow he will have thrown a complete game. It obviously won’t technically be a CG, but it would be the same thing in essence.
I’m all amped up. I don’t want to wait 22 hours.
Now they’re saying that Sabathia and Verlander may come back Sunday for Game 2. But Game 5, if needed, would be Wednesday. So neither would be able to come back.
If Sabathia came back tomorrow, he could start on short rest in Game 5.
Eckersley is saying there is no way they pitch tomorrow, and he fully believes they will pitch Sunday.
The real question is what happens if tomorrow gets rained out?
Doubleheader Monday?
Can they do that? With the way TV dictates schedules I can’t see them having the room to put both games on TV, and TBS isn’t losing the brodcast to fit it in. Plus I’m sure that’s the last thing the players want.
Then just one a day, until it’s over. What other choice is there?
I guess you’re right. I can’t think of anything else they can do.