a proper thread for the 2017 NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs

here

go cubbies (though I'd still root against them against HOU in WS)

go Kershaw, Puig & Granderson

NEED A FEED

TBS app not working for me

the streams listed on the MLBStreams subredditt have been pretty good: https://www.reddit.com/r/MLBStreams/comments/76febb/game_thread_cubs_at_dodgers_800_pm_et/dodj97u/

lol at the puig's batflipping double hahah

i guess this is kind of oldschool of me but i don't think i would have pinch hit for kershaw in the 5th inning of a tie game, even with puig standing out there on second.

i guess he was already at 87 pitches, but still.

lol NL

Charlie Culberson -- of course.

PUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG

So effing tired of Yasiel Puig’s act - particularly his apparently terrible vision #DontBatFlipSinglesAndDoubles

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 15, 2017

Fun guy.

wow rizzo what a play

John Lackey prefers to enter games with the bases empty, GOD FUCKING DAMN IT.

oh boy. this play at the plate should inspire a fun new round of arguments

ron darling just called the catcher collision rule the "silliest of rules"

obviously did not touch the plate

what is the ruling???

GIVE 'EM HELL, RON DARLING.

ron darling just said "just shut the tv off! just shut the tv off!"

granted, he was finishing the other dude's "all the old catchers watching the game....", but still, a funny thing to yell out twice when you're a broadcaster

Ron Darling in favor of concussions.

Waltzian exasperation.

lackey is probably going to be a little pissed off about this

reason #1 why he wasn't called out, for the Lackey lol.

if my lip reading is correct, maddon: "i'm just making a point right now. that has no place in this game"

i haven't read the ron luciano (the funny umpire) books since i was a kid, so i don't know how funny he actually was, but one recurring gag in his books was how often the manager would just be screaming and shouting out on the field while opening admitting that they were wrong, or that they had to yell at the umpire to pump the team/crowd up, or whatever

glad to see keith getting ratio'd over a puig take

yeah awful tweet

I still don’t know why my bats are so slippery 😝😝😝😇 pic.twitter.com/uHVT2d9gke

— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) October 15, 2017

<3

Willson Contreras on the reversed call at the plate: "I think we should go to Walmart, get some toys and...play."

https://www.fanragsports.com/cubs-bullpen-rears-ugly-head-in-game-1-nlcs-loss-to-dodgers/

But as a group, the Cubs’ bullpen was one of the worst in baseball in the second half of the season. They posted a 4.48 ERA in 247 innings with an awful 4.7 BB/9 after the All-Star break.
...
Through their first six games of the postseason, the Cubs’ regular relievers have posted the following line: 15 innings, 17 hits, 13 walks, 14 strikeouts, and a 9.00 ERA.

"Watch out for that terrible sun field, perpetrated by the start time my employer dictated."

Rich Hill reminds me a bit of Tom Glavine. His stuff looks slow and easy to hit, but it seems to drop like a rock out of nowhere right at the end.

He also reminds me of a movie I saw three years ago called Rich Hill.

I had forgot that Tony Watson was on the Dodgers. That is a heck of a loogy to have in the bullpen as he was about the best reliever in baseball for a couple years (even if he isn't as good now).

Rizzo gave him a good toss. This does not look good. I think Rondon is the scariest of the Cubs bullpen pitchers.

Wow...got the exact pitch and result needed. They had to go to Rondon with those guys on, it's game over.

So the chin-high fastball is total Cub kryptonite.

Kinda figured Davis instead of Lackey in this place.

wow lackey and contreras not on the same wavelength

It gets to Turner, I think it is game over.

It's been a damn good game, great pitching in intense situations by both sides.

Dodgers have been working the Cub pitchers all night, have not taken too many bad swings. I think Turner is going to get him and it's over.

it's always good to go with your good pitchers over your bad ones

WOW

Yep. Not surprised at all.

I grew up hating the Dodgers, but I really love Turner as a player. That dude has made himself into a really good player.

only disappointed that lackey didn't get the loss

i thought turner got under that (watching a sound off)

LOL the tbs sideline reporter said "gatorade" instead of "powerade" and then pretended that her mic was breaking up

It is not easy to hit one there at night.

Thought it was funny where Turner said he thought about doing a Gibson fist-pump as he rounded the bases.

congrats earlnash on your foresight.

I guess it's coffee in the 5th inning if i'm ever going to stay awake in a night game this year...

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-maddon-had-a-bad-night/

i generally agree with this, though i just think maddon doesn't have a lot of options with the cubs lineup the way it is. he started heyward and ignored pitch-hitters, but the more offense-oriented options they list haven't been particularly great this season either (though as i mentioned in the nlds thread i wouldn't mind seeing happ getting more playing time). he kept duensing in too long, but he's been one of the cubs' more reliable options out of a weak bullpen all season. they just have a bad bullpen and too many weak/underperforming hitters right now and it's too late to do anything about it at this point.

@BillShaikin
Maddon on Davis: "We needed him for the save"

this is a writer's dream because you can just publish literally the same article as last year with just a few different proper nouns https://t.co/IDmCtFO8oo

— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) October 16, 2017

interesting how quickly maddon's stature has fallen in some circles

https://deadspin.com/john-lackey-should-be-in-jail-1819503434

I didn't know Joe was capable of going Full Showalter in a LCS game

mold is high in Chicago!

https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017/10/17/16488628/chicago-mold-allergen-report-cubs-nlcs-dodgers

you guys know Ethier was still alive?

R.I.H. cubs

lot of weird plays involving catchers in these playoffs

have I bragged on this board about living around the corner from Puig? he's moving soon tho =|

does he have barbecues?

cubs have looked so bad this series

lol morbs.. the weirdest thing about puigs place is how normal it is. apparently he has family that lives there year round but you'd never know a pretty famous athlete lives there. I guess thats why he's moving.

ben zobrist has a house near me, apparently

#puig'snewhouseitswherebigmenhangout

http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-yasiel-puig-20171017-story.html

Rey Ordonez, career wRC+: 54
Kyle Schwarzer, wRC+ vs LHBs: 57

Schwarber is hitting 2nd against a lefty in a win-or-go-home game. Ok.

— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) October 18, 2017

Cubbies makin' em sweat

holy shit the Cubs got screwed there, not only was the call unreviewable but it was totally wrong to boot

better seal it w/ Kershaw tonight

the contreras HR was the highlight of the cubs postseason so far, he clobbered that ball

wtf is up with bryant and rizzo btw

what'd i miss? are they lovers?

no they've just both been bad, and also they are lovers

huh. i'd have thought bryant was out of rizzo's league

nah, bryant appreciates how rizzo cleans up after he drives in whoever's manning the 2-hole that night

NEED A FEED

(the Reddit links thread was taken down)

schwarber batting second. against kershaw. maddon should be fired

rip

Omg

Trump-Clinton WS avoided

mebbe in 2124, North Siders

Is this a dream?

Cool, just need NYY to win and I won't have to care about the WS at all.

Roberts should pull Kershaw after 6 so he'll be well rested on Tuesday

many xp's to NA: sometimes good hitters can be bad for a week... or two!

when i first became cognizant of the world series -- i.e. around 1977-78 -- i had the sense that the dodgers and yankees played in it every year

coulda been 1955-56!

Chris Taylor is more "likeable" than any of the fucking Yankeees btw

John Lackey now coming into the game for his fiinal #MLB appearances

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 20, 2017

*clicks like*

take CK out now

read Jon Lester. was heartbroken, guess how I felt when I read it was actually Lackey.

some people think baseball is boring but in that inning Javier Baez struck out looking and the team up 9-1 had a meeting pre-Tommy La Stella

— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) October 20, 2017

Projected high for LA on Tuesday (Game 1 of World Series): 101 degrees.

— Jonah Keri (@jonahkeri) October 20, 2017

What the fuck. this goddamned region.

congrats Hernandez on the record.

yuck to the dodgers in part, but the idea of a puig world series winning bat flip single is mouth watering.

and maybe the heat for Game 1 will kill Lasorda

Grew up hating the Dodgers, but this club looks about as good as you can get and they are missing Seager (who might be back for the series). Only saw them play a couple times this year, so the playoffs was the first time I saw them play for a few days in a row.

Chris Taylor is a ball player, he was really impressive in this series. Got to figure there is someone in Seattle's organization going "I told you he was eventually going to be good". The pitcher the M's got for him from LA is already gone from their club waived back in Dec 2016.

The Dodgers are going with Kershaw for the first game? I don't think I'd do that, unless he has a history of ineffectiveness on long rest. I'd be thinking two starts, 2-3/6-7.

LegallyEagle
For the World Series, no reason to save up for a next round. So should the Dodgers go with a 3-man rotation and put Wood into the bullpen?

Jeff Sullivan
Nah. You still don't want to overtax your players. I think you just start Wood and think from the get-go that he might get only four or so innings

btw

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-cubs-already-need-to-retool/

There is really no excuse. pic.twitter.com/Jx1KV2RiCk

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) October 18, 2017

Seager "expected back"

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21085932/corey-seager-expected-return-los-angeles-dodgers-game-1-world-series

There's hardly a team in baseball history that wouldn't start their well rested ace pitcher in game 1 of a playoff series (yes, I know the Indians just did it).

Starting in game 1 and 5, and being able to pitch in relief in game 7 is preferable to starting in game 2 and 6 anyhow.

If you count him as well rested, yes. But, based on Kershaw's track record in the postseason, I'm not sure if taking his regular turn does--I think giving him an extra day or two would, though.

If he's 1/5 and first guy out of the bullpen in 7, it's probably a moot point anyway.

his track record in the postseason doesn't mean shit

NoTime: Part of my reasoning would be that I don't see the Dodgers as being the Red Sox, where there's this chasm between Sale and the other starting pitchers. The Dodgers won 104 games, and could have won 110 if not for that bizarre October interlude. They've got three really solid starters besides Kershaw, any one of whom I'd be okay with in Game 1. Darvish has been great so far; I'd go Darvish, then Kershaw with the extra day.

Anyway, Kershaw it is. If he's facing the Astros, I hope he loses 1-0; Yankees, I hope he wins 1-0.

(September interlude--my favourite Frank Sinatra album.)

A.: Kershaw > Verlander > Keuchel = Darvish = Hill

10:32
Dave Cameron: I’d probably go Kershaw, giant gap, Verlander, small gap, Keuchel/Darvish, Hill.

10:33
Scott Wood: I think small gap is better than giant gap. In my humble opinion.

10:33
Dave Cameron: Nah. Kershaw is head and shoulders above every other pitcher.

Darvish has been lights out in his two starts but in general he's better on the road, while Hill pitches much better @ home if regular season stats mean anything at this point