baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
Bullpenning and Usage Featuring Brandon Morrow
After a year in which he notched a stellar K-BB% of 24.1 percent, Brandon Morrow fashioned himself into the most trusted reliever in the Dodgers bullpen not named Kenley Jansen. Morrow has appeared in 12 of the Dodgers 13 games this postseason, including every single game of the World Series. If 2016 was the year of bullpen usage in the highest leverage situations, 2017 has been the year of bullpen usage, period. Much has been made of the idea that “bullpenning” games work in the playoffs after Joe Girardi used his bullpen to shut the Twins down in the AL Wild Card Game. While a team with viable pitching depth, such as New York or Houston, can afford to pull their starters after two times through the order, let’s consider the toll bullpenning takes on individuals who are heavily counted on.
By Matt Mocarsky9 years ago in Unbalanced
MLB shows bark, no bite with Gurriel suspension
I'm going to save you the trouble of every other take on the Gurriel suspension that you've already read, and skip over the general talking points. Yes, Gurriel has no excuse for that behavior and his actions, he played in Japan and he should know better, racism is bad, yadda yadda. You've heard it all ad infinitum before. Glad we can all agree that racism is bad. It's far more important to address the MLB's response to Gurriel's actions, because we'll all forget about Gurriel come next spring (hell, Houston fans have already forgotten), but the precedent of the MLB's ruling will linger on for years and possibly decades.
By John Edwards9 years ago in Unbalanced
Power Breaking Ball Proves McCullers Jr. Could Be the Future of the Astros' Rotation
Lance McCullers Jr. has been absolutely outstanding for the Astros this postseason. The 24-year-old has thrown 13 innings in the playoffs with a 2.08 ERA. This was highlighted by his amazing performance out of the bullpen in Game 7 against the Yankees, where he shut down a powerful New York lineup for four innings in a rare relief role.
By Quinn Allen9 years ago in Unbalanced
The New Home Field Advantage Rules Stink as Bad as the Old Ones
Thanks to years of complaints by fans and media alike, for the first time since 2002, home-field advantage for the World Series was determined not by the All-Star game results, but instead by regular season record. I'm sure everyone out there who lobbied for this change is patting themselves on the back for getting a change that, in their minds, fixed the All-Star game. I'm hesitant about the new CBA, however, because I fear that in fixing the All-Star game, the MLB broke the World Series.
By John Edwards9 years ago in Unbalanced
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 Mocarsky9 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 Allen9 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 Mocarsky9 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 Edwards9 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 Mocarsky9 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 Edwards9 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 Mocarsky9 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 Allen9 years ago in Unbalanced
