Logically; the reason I am also picking the Astros first has to do with the major flaws of their 2 "expected" future opponents, being NYY and LAD. With the Yankees, they have a good bullpen, but their rotation is very poor (putting that MILDLY). They won't be able to get by the Astros (or even the Twins in their ALDS) without giving up some runs, which would inevitably tax that bullpen and wear them out. With the Dodgers, their rotation isn't that big of a question mark, but their bullpen is straight up HORRIBLE. Once deemed (by LA media) as "un-hittable" got DESTROYED by the Astros in the World Series. And it's now so much worse 2 years later. Their offense is much improved, but, especially in October, great pitching beats great hitting. Now on to the Astros, offensively, they are so much more LETHAL than they were either of these last 2 years. With the exceptions of Reddick and C position, there are no real holes in the lineup. They are extremely patient, hence having one of the fewest batting strikeout seasons in MLB History. They will make opposing pitchers have to throw strikes. As far as their bullpen goes, I have a "higher" level of confidence in the pen than I did either of the last 2 seasons. I still wouldn't be surprised at all if AJ decides to go with a starter in key moments in series-closing games like in 2017 (like JV in ALDS Game 4, Lance to finish off NYY Game 7 ALCS, and CFM to win the World Series in LA). As far as the rotation goes, the only real question I have is about Greinke. In his only postseason experience, it did not go very well for him while in the NL. If we can get run support for him, it should put him at ease during his starts. In all honesty, the Astros have one of the most complete teams in MLB history; a well-rounded rotation, good bullpen, a very sound defensive lineup, a "patient-but-potent" offensive lineup.
Marwin's '17 postseason basically sucked offensively. Brantley is a much better hitter but he too has struggling at the plate in the playoffs. Marwin is much better defensively and made big defensive plays all postseason, so he could balance the difference better. Brantley needs to hit better to balance the difference. Reddick-Tucker is another difference. Josh has struggled mightily in the playoffs offensively, but he's good in the field. How much better than Tucker, I don't know. But Kyle is a postseason unknown. He might hit better (or not), and will definitely be a better baserunner. Kyle does seem clutch from his small sample size this season. Will Kyle start on Friday? If he doesn't, how long will Josh's leash be if he doesn't hit?
Hader 2019: 2.62 ERA WHip .81 Didn't look like it last night. I suppose one reason the playoffs are often considered a different season is because some players some of the time have a drastically different performance vs their regular season numbers. Small samples do that I know. Washington was the team with the bad bullpen. Answer: Dont use them The Brewers had such a handle on this game, until they didn't. Wouldn't want to live their offseason. What a way to go down.
Glad Bud Selig is still alive to witness that. The combo of bad luck and bad play in that inning gives me serious flashbacks to 2015 Game 4
Can happen to any team any time. In a one game series, its lethal. Even in a 5 game series, it can be fatal. This is why it irks me a bit why some here act as though the ALDS is all but won already. Bad mojo.
Yep, one of those "wheels are falling off" moments. When everything that can go wrong...goes wrong. So close to the W.....2015.
The Brewers lost that game with walks and errors. Two cardinal sins. they caved in the moment. I can't complain about the strategy sending Hader out early even though I want to because the crew had prepared Josh all season to do that. Now if the Astros do that with Osuna it's playing with fire.
Me. I hate post season baseball. Every game is a 3.5 hour long heart attack that basically makes me want to puke at all times, and it goes on for an entire month if your team gets lucky, or it ends early and you are despondent and gutted. And, it's a fickle b**** in that it's a completely different sport, basically, from the 162 game regular season- where baseball is wonderful, daily, background noise where you pay attention to the big picture, follow trends, and understand that fickle, flukey, **** ass luck will even out over enough games and nothing that you are watching that night is all that big a deal. Then, the playoffs roll around and none of that **** matter. It doesn't matter that Lunhow basically has built the greatest roster I've ever seen, and that it's specifically designed to play up in post season, and checks ever box. It could all end with a couple cheap HR's for Tampa Bay in game 1 or 2 where they scratch out a 2-1 win, then Morton being better than Greinke (nobody is better than ZG as a 3 but Morton's their Ace) and then we are down 2-1 with a chance to get closed out at any moment, and the pressure starts to snowball, and we are huge underdogs b/c we are 3/5 favorites in each individual game which means to win both it's like a 36% chance. No, post season baseball is agony, and awful and makes me want to cry and break things and kick puppies. Unless you win it all. Then you slump into your chair in relief and wonder at the amazement that your team, this one time, came up biggest when it really mattered. Even though any one of about 10 things going differently could have killed it in it's crib. The only other thing I can compare it to that I care about, is watching a WC knockout stage game. ****, those are brutal. I think I lost 2 or 3 years of my life in 2014 watching the US get bounced by Belgium. I assume playoff hockey is the same way, but having never gotten into the NHL I don't follow it, but it seems like the same random flukiness and luckiness that reigns supreme exists in the NHL playoffs, and being similarly low scoring to baseball and soccer I imagine the tension and pressure exists in the same way it does in those sports. I'm going to Game 1 with my 7 year old. He hated baseball and has always hated all sports his whole life growing up, but we've got him on ADHD meds lately and he's watched some games with me in the same room lately, and asked me to go. I told him I wasn't sure (these are supposed to be for my business after all) until he named 6 or 7 astros (shocking me) and I got really happy and realized I get to surprise him by taking him out of school to go to a 1:00 pm game and see JV on the mound, and then go get a steak afterwards to celebrate or cry into our beer/root beer. Then, I get on a cruise ship with my wife and 3 kids and will be totally radio silent as we celebrate our 10th anniversary, when she started making me the luckiest man alive. I will get back into port on Thursday and either drop myself off at MMP on the way home from Galveston and uber it back to Kingwood, go find a corner to cuss in and marvel that the greatest team I will ever see couldn't get out of the first round, or first pump and start getting myself ready for the Yankees or Twins. I hate missing the bulk of this series (games 2, 3 and 4) but I imagine it will be ok, as if they lose this series I will be gutted in a way I haven't been by sports since Colt McCoy got hurt in the first quarter in a game that UT was going to prion rape Bama (and maybe kill the Saban dynasty in it's crib), and I won't want to go through that agony pitch by pitch. If we win, well, I get to experience that October baseball still for another 3 weeks or so. God help us all.
Absolutely agree. A lot of over-confidence about the ALDS, it was just 2015 when a series slipped away with some dinky hits and untimely errors. I don't want to sour the Astros best regular season ever by being overly paranoid. I just want to enjoy the ride but there is work to do folks, and no guarantees. Let's stay grounded about all this.
Great ****ing post! I completely disagree. The only thing I don't like about the postseason is it means we're getting closer to having no baseball for ~4 months.
I enjoyed 2017 too. It was nerve-wracking and possibly shortened my lifespan, but I wouldn't trade a second of it. I hope to enjoy this one just as much, and I'll be a nervous wreck yet again for however long it lasts.
I should post an addendum- I love the drama of post season baseball when it's drama happening to someone else. I enjoy watching that in a way I just can't watch regular season baseball that doesn't involve the Astros. I'm on the edge of my chair. And yes, after 2017, and seeing something I never expected to see (my team win a WS), I can deal with it all much easier having been to the other side at least once. But man, this Astros team deserves to fly another flag and I desperately want to see that happen. But that's the thing in post season baseball (that's unlike the NFL or NBA), deserve has nothing to do with it most of the time and the best team doesn't always (or even usually) win. Honestly, as much as I loved that 2017 team I think the Dodgers were probably a little better than us. So this decade you have what- the 2016 Cubs and 2018 Red Sox as probably the only "best teams in baseball" to win it all? Go back to the Yankees dynasty ending in 2000 and the list probably looks like this: 2005 White Sox, 2007 Red Sox, 2009 Yanks, 2013 Red Sox, 2016 Cubs, 2018 Red Sox, with arguments possible for 2017 Astros (LAD won 1 or 2 more games and that was even going like 4-18 for a stretch in August/September), and against the 2005 White Sox (not best record in baseball- St. Louis won an extra game on them- but I always thought Chicago was better that year as the AL was probably the better league). And even the 2013 Red Sox, who had the best record in baseball, finished last in their division in 2012 and then again 2014 so it wasn't like that team wasn't a flash in the pan. I'd take major points off for them. With it's championship pedigree and what we've done in winning 100 three years in a row I'd say this team is the best in baseball since the Jeter Yankees. The Yankees seemingly win every year where they are the best team in baseball but of course they do, they are the MF'ing Yankees- that's why everyone hates them.
The Yankee's championships in the 90's and 2000's have something in common, they had the highest payroll in baseball for each of their championship years. Since they don't have the highest payroll this year, there is a zero percent chance they win it all.
