2015 MLB ALDS - Texas Rangers (88-74) @ Toronto Blue Jays (93-69)

[hockeyfan1]

Their menu puts puts the dome to shame

http://www.txbaseball.com/uploads/2/8/6/3/2863169/2015_concessions_menu.pdf

I'll take the Kaboom Kabob and a bottled water, please.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Price's line looks terrible. 3ip 3runs 2ks 6 hits.

Thems Hutchinson numbers.

Don't get me wrong I'm thrilled there's a game 5. I'm just surprised at price's results.

Aren't David Price's post-season career numbers terrible?  He's what, O-7 or something thereof.  Whether he starts or whether he relieves, he's going to give up runs in the post-season considering his record there.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Harold Reynolds apologizes...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/reynold-offers-apology-for-comment-about-canadian-baseball-fans/


...but, he should know that Canadians can be quite inventive at catching a foul ball:

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Our results have turned around since the hitters started going back to just making solid contact, or taking walks, vs trying to pull homeruns with every AB.

Also when they hit the homeruns.

It also coincided with two pitchers who don't have great movement on their pitches.  Gallardo and Hamel were doing a good job of keeping balls to the outside but they were also having movement away from the plate.  I'm not sure that the Jays beating up on two bad pitchers necessarily guarantees a hot start on Wednesday.  Hopefully it's the case but no guarantee.

I was a little surprised they went with who they went with for games 3 and 4.  Jays actually hit Hamels okay in game 2 but really I wouldn't be surprised if he shut them down or was hit around.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

The decision to go with Price out of the bullpen has to be something that was talked about beforehand. As long as Price buys in, then I don't think there should be any animosity, but you have to wonder if this will be construed as a lack of confidence in his ability, which could quite possibly affect his decision this winter.

I'd say bringing him in during a must-win game shows confidence in his ability.  Jays had to win that game and they could bring in Price knowing they have another ace they could send out on Wednesday.

Also to consider was they were without both Cecil and Loup, leaving Price the only lefty in the bullpen.

 

[bustaheims]

Also to consider was they were without both Cecil and Loup, leaving Price the only lefty in the bullpen.

Yeah, which kind of raises the question of why they brought in Tepera to replace Cecil instead of Buerhle or Francis or any other potentially eligible lefty. Having another lefty in the pen could have been very useful.

 

[bustaheims]

I was a little surprised they went with who they went with for games 3 and 4.  Jays actually hit Hamels okay in game 2 but really I wouldn't be surprised if he shut them down or was hit around.

Yeah. I'm not sure why they didn't give Colby Lewis a start.

 

[herman]

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/video/dickey-price-discuss-pitching-change-forcing-game-5~725139

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit

Harry S. Truman, via R.A. Dickey, on getting pulled one out away from his first W in the playoffs.

 

[TML fan]

The decision to go with Price out of the bullpen has to be something that was talked about beforehand. As long as Price buys in, then I don't think there should be any animosity, but you have to wonder if this will be construed as a lack of confidence in his ability, which could quite possibly affect his decision this winter.

I'd say bringing him in during a must-win game shows confidence in his ability.  Jays had to win that game and they could bring in Price knowing they have another ace they could send out on Wednesday.

They also had a 6 run lead. But like I said if he buys in, it's not a problem.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

The decision to go with Price out of the bullpen has to be something that was talked about beforehand. As long as Price buys in, then I don't think there should be any animosity, but you have to wonder if this will be construed as a lack of confidence in his ability, which could quite possibly affect his decision this winter.

I'd say bringing him in during a must-win game shows confidence in his ability.  Jays had to win that game and they could bring in Price knowing they have another ace they could send out on Wednesday.

They also had a 6 run lead. But like I said if he buys in, it's not a problem.

And Houston had a 4 run lead in the 8th inning and were down by 3 runs by the bottom of the 9th.  Things can change quickly in the playoffs.  If it's a regular season game there isn't the chance Dickey comes out, but you can't afford to be careful when your season is on the line.  If you think Price is a better option to finish the game, go for it.

I think it's all being overblown anyway.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

I'd like to time-travel back to April and tell Jays fans that in October there will be many complaints about the Jays using David Price in middle relief during a Game 4 ALDS win, and that Marcus Stroman will be pitching Game 5.

I'm not convinced I would be fully believed.

 

[Kin]

Also to consider was they were without both Cecil and Loup, leaving Price the only lefty in the bullpen.

But I think that's why some fans are questioning it. The team has a bullpen. Yes, ideally you want your bullpen to have the platoon advantage but it's not the be-all and end-all of things. So if left handed arms are at a premium, you might not want to use the best one you have left in a low-leverage situation and leave yourself without that option(or at the very least compromising that option) for what looked like a fairly likely game 5.

What happened in Houston-Kansas City isn't typical of playoff baseball. In the history of post-season baseball what happened there had happened twice before. You don't typically see wilder swings in the playoffs than the regular season and, as such, that's not really a solid argument for this sort of decision.

 

[TML fan]

Anything less than 7 innings from Stroman and Price is coming in. Can't leave a guy like that on the bench in a do or die game.

 

[bustaheims]

So what time is Wednesday's game, for sure?  I keep hearing both 4pm and 3pm from various sources.

Game starts at 4. Pre-game shows start at 3, and that's how they've been advertising start times.

 

[Crucialness Key]

Anything less than 7 innings from Stroman and Price is coming in. Can't leave a guy like that on the bench in a do or die game.

I won't be surprised if they leave Price and his 7.20 ERA on the bench. 

 

[bustaheims]

Anything less than 7 innings from Stroman and Price is coming in. Can't leave a guy like that on the bench in a do or die game.

I won't be surprised if they leave Price and his 7.20 ERA on the bench.

They likely won't get much more than an inning out of him today any way, especially if they're looking for him to start one of the first 2 games in the next round.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

The dome will stay closed for the game. The cold temperature means risk of the roof not functioning properly.

 

[TML fan]

Anything less than 7 innings from Stroman and Price is coming in. Can't leave a guy like that on the bench in a do or die game.

I won't be surprised if they leave Price and his 7.20 ERA on the bench.

Yeah, they should probably bench Tulowiztki too, now that we're worrying about numbers.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Anything less than 7 innings from Stroman and Price is coming in. Can't leave a guy like that on the bench in a do or die game.

I won't be surprised if they leave Price and his 7.20 ERA on the bench.

Yeah, they should probably bench Tulowiztki too, now that we're worrying about numbers.

That's not really an equal comparison there, though I disagree with the initial comment anyway.

 

[Crucialness Key]

Anything less than 7 innings from Stroman and Price is coming in. Can't leave a guy like that on the bench in a do or die game.

I won't be surprised if they leave Price and his 7.20 ERA on the bench.

Yeah, they should probably bench Tulowiztki too, now that we're worrying about numbers.

That's not really an equal comparison there, though I disagree with the initial comment anyway.

Isn't 11 hits and 8 earned runs in 10 innings a good time to "worry about numbers", though? Texas just seems to be hitting Price really well in this round.