the Official Baseball thread

[Bean]

Cubs/Indians would be better in that regard then. That way, one baseball city wins after decades of not.

[InsaneIntentions1]

I'm pitching a fit watching our pitchers pitch

[YelseyKing]

Cubs/Indians would be better in that regard then. That way, one baseball city wins after decades of not.

Cubs/Rangers or Cubs/Mariners (admittedly a very long shot, but still) would also be interesting. 100+ year drought vs. never won a World Series.

[RedMageSusie]

Apparently no one wants to run away with the AL East.

[YelseyKing]

Apparently no one wants to run away with the AL East.

As long as the Yankees don't make a late-season comeback, I'm cool with whoever wins it.

[Bean]

Tonight was basically baseball's way of messing with people that don't like the Cards. Pirates chase Arrieta in Chicago and are going to win to take over the second Wild Card as the Cards blew a lead in Milwaukee! Or the Cards tie it up right away and take the lead in the ninth while the Pirates blow leads both in the ninth and extras to only further extend the Wild Card lead for St. Louis. Pfft.

[YelseyKing]

As someone who sees the Cardinals as the NL's equivalent to the Yankees, I find it frustrating how game after game, year after year, they do the same thing. They start off mediocre, then suddenly start getting all these crazy comeback victories. And this year, it's by the *same two guys* every freaking night. It's Gyorko or Grichuk. Grichuk or Gyorko. And just as I said, everyone's stepping aside for them. The Pirates, Giants, and Marlins have all fallen asleep, it seems. Granted, they'll never catch the *Cubs*, thank goodness, but they seem to be the *only* team in the wild card race that garbage like the Reds, Brewers, Braves, and Diamondbacks *aren't* beating. Gah. It's like. Can't I get a *break* from these guys and their trademark "miracle" rallies?

[pholtos]

By all means, do your best to hope the Cards stay out of the postseason. I'll just sit here and see how things turn out.

If they don't make it, I won't mind.

[Bean]

If I want to see any team miss out on the postseason this year, it's the Giants. The even year stuff has to stop just like how the odd year stuff stopped for the Cards last year.

[InsaneIntentions1]

If San Fran wins again, I'm calling black magic

[YelseyKing]

Well. At least we can all agree that none of us want a *fourth* Giants World Series win.

[pholtos]

How about this, Cards and Giants win Wild Card, Cards beat Giants, then lose in NLDS.

[YelseyKing]

How about this, Cards and Giants win Wild Card, Cards beat Giants, then lose in NLDS.

It's been done. Much as I'd like to see neither team make the Wild Card, I'd like to see the Giants get in, make ESPN and FOX go nuts at the prospect of a fourth world championship (because sports channels seem to think that the fans enjoy nothing more than one or two teams winning constantly, as opposed to a variety of teams winning, which IMO keeps sports far more interesting), then they get swept out of the first round, ideally with MadBum getting massively roughed up. As Rachel Phelps says in Major League, "that oughtta shrink their sphincters".

Though whether the Cardinals get in or not, historically, depends on which of the Dodgers and Giants win the NL West. If the Dodgers win it, the Giants will shut out the Cardinals in a 1-0 pitcher's duel. If the Giants win it, the Cardinals will beat the Dodgers in a 10-9 slugfest.

[YelseyKing]

I like how in three of the Mariners' last four home games against the Angels, they've fallen behind 3-0 after the first three batters, always on a three run homer to Mike Trout. I like it even more how in all three games, Trout's homer ended up not making the slightest bit of difference, ultimately, as the Mariners came back and won all of them.

[YelseyKing]

Another day, another "miracle" homer (or three) with two outs in the ninth for the Cardinals. Sigh.

I gotta wonder how incredibly tiny the strike zone must be at that point that the Cardinals can so reliably homer with two outs in the ninth game after game after game.

[RedMageSusie]

I hate the Yankees.

That is all.

[YelseyKing]

I hate the Yankees.

That is all.

I agree with this statement.

[InsaneIntentions1]

The Marlins really must want to miss the playoffs

[Bean]

Losing Stanton will do that for you. If the Cards lose Carlos Martinez, I'd say they're done, too. They need his backside out there every fifth day at this point.

[YelseyKing]

Losing Stanton will do that for you. If the Cards lose Carlos Martinez, I'd say they're done, too. They need his backside out there every fifth day at this point.

Hah. Are you kidding me? With the infinite depth their farm system appears to have, they could just throw any minor league call-up in there (*coughcoughAlexReyescoughcough*) and he'd put up Cy Young-caliber numbers. That's just what the Cardinals *do*. That's their super power. You go there, you pitch, you are amazing*. End of story.

*Except Mike Leake. I don't know what his problem is. He was better with the *Reds*, in their homer-haven ballpark. Go fig.

[Bean]

So the NL Wild Card is pretty much looking like it's going to be between the last three NL teams that made the World Series. The Cardinals have the longest drought of the three, hilariously enough. Come on, St. Louis. Get some wins and sneak in there.

[YelseyKing]

You know, I have to admit, as much as I dislike the Yankees, and as much as I sincerely hope their recent surge falls flat and keeps them out of the postseason, I *do* find it quite amusing that they've become *better* as a team since jettisoning A-Rod and focusing on young talent.

It's probably unfair to blame it all on one person, but I feel like the whole "A-Rod Era" was just one long stretch of mediocrity for the Yankees, due in large part to an aging core of veteran players and a number of high-end free agent signings/trades that did little to nothing for them. Sure, they had some good seasons, even won a World Series in there. But for the most part, that dominance and "fear factor" they had in the 90s just... hasn't been there.

Which, admittedly, suits me just fine.

[Bean]

Seriously. Don't lose that badly to the Brewers and miss out on at least a Wild Card appearance.

[YelseyKing]

Within the last two or three minutes, the Yankees hit a grand slam, and the Cardinals hit two two-run homers. Great.

[InsaneIntentions1]

Don't do it baseball gods