Not really…..our pitching has been elite. Generally, good pitching beats good hitting. Combined with really good production for a handful of guys, it's not a wonder at all how we've made it this far.

Mathguy64 said:

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Ugh. Starting the playoffs Altuve is 4-37. After game 1 against Seattle Yordan has been 3-28. And the DH position which is supposed to be a hitter is a combined 2-34.

We have 9 hits in 99 ABs out of 3 positions that should be hitting .300 with production.

Makes you wonder how we got this far.

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Near perfect pitching wins most games.

Gol***93 said:

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tjack16 said:

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Justin Verlander's 6.07 career World Series ERA is the worst in MLB history (min. 30 IP)

(h/t @Paul_CasellaMLB) pic.twitter.com/10lKbwPtIK

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 29, 2022

If the series goes far enough I wouldnt mind if we didn't start him again.

Game 2: Framber
Game 3: Javier
Game 4: McCullers
Game 5: Urquidy/Garcia/Brown
Game 6: Framber
Game 7: Javier/McCullers

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Look, I get your sentiment.. but this is about as dumb a take as they come. Don't give the ball to the probable Cy Young winner? Give me a break.

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You're probably right. I posted this out of frustration.

When game 5 rolls around I hope he redeems himself.

Furlock Bones said:

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One of the worst parts about last night was Smoltz telling us it was about to get bad for JV. He could see it from the booth that JVs mechanics were falling apart. Pitching coach and manager have to recognize it as well.

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I wonder if this broadcasting gig will parlay itself into a coaching job for him soon.

I've created/updated a spreadsheet for the Pickem game.

If you see something wrong on your entry, please let me know and point me to your original picks.

If you don't see your picks at all, please let me know. I might have you on ignore, but if I see you replying to me, I'll make sure to get you on the sheet.

Kudos to Funky Winkerbean being the only person with the balls to take Philly to win Game 1.

Still cant believe diaz got the green light after almost being hit twice and a wp

How does such an accomplished, experienced pitcher like JV get so far off track with his mechanics from one inning to the next? I think the pressure of winning a WS game must be getting to him.

The Porkchop Express said:

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I've created/updated a spreadsheet for the Pickem game.

If you see something wrong on your entry, please let me know and point me to your original picks.

If you don't see your picks at all, please let me know. I might have you on ignore, but if I see you replying to me, I'll make sure to get you on the sheet.

Kudos to Funky Winkerbean being the only person with the balls to take Philly to win Game 1.

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Dang I missed this yesterday. I wanted some Shrute bucks

tjack16 said:

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Furlock Bones said:

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One of the worst parts about last night was Smoltz telling us it was about to get bad for JV. He could see it from the booth that JVs mechanics were falling apart. Pitching coach and manager have to recognize it as well.

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I wonder if this broadcasting gig will parlay itself into a coaching job for him soon.

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If we just had him as advisor, we win game 1. He said, it starts to go bad for JV when he falls off towards first. Sure enough he gets into trouble in the 4th and his mechanics start breaking down.

Harry Dunne said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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Ugh. Starting the playoffs Altuve is 4-37. After game 1 against Seattle Yordan has been 3-28. And the DH position which is supposed to be a hitter is a combined 2-34.

We have 9 hits in 99 ABs out of 3 positions that should be hitting .300 with production.

Makes you wonder how we got this far.

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Near perfect pitching wins most games.

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As last night demonstrates near perfect pitching is vapid. Those 3 spots need to contribute.

Ags #1 said:

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Still cant believe diaz got the green light after almost being hit twice and a wp

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Agree, and then for him to swing. He's always seemed like a pretty smart player to me.

fullback44 said:

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This is a 7 game series .. we haven't lost in a while .. regroup and let's win some games…. We just need to get back in our grove .. I think We take 2 of 3 in Philly ..

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Have you watched the postseason games in Philly? It's Kyle Field level intensity and the Phillies kill it at home in the postseason..

McInnis said:

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How does such an accomplished, experienced pitcher like JV get so far off track with his mechanics from one inning to the next? I think the pressure of winning a WS game must be getting to him.

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Oh it's completely mental. He's one of the greatest pitchers of all time and prior to last night was 0-5 in 7 WS starts. There's zero chance that wasn't running through his head the second he dropped the liner.

There is a difference in recognizing it and doing something about it. They have all the video in the world and have someone watching the broadcast.

Dusty wasn't pulling him after the third so what does it matter if JV can't fix it on the fly.

yep, even worse...Altuve & Yordan hit in the top 3 in the order

7-8-9 are rolling the order into automatic outs

BCSGrubber said:

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There is a difference in recognizing it and doing something about it. They have all the video in the world and have someone watching the broadcast.

Dusty wasn't pulling him after the third so what does it matter if JV can't fix it on the fly.

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True.

The long leash and belief is what makes Dusty great. Framber directly credits that for his emergence. At the same time I feel like a great manager knows when to flip the switch. We're not playing to build belief anymore, it's win at all costs.

But the same guy that played Yuli all year even though he was terrible (and obv. eventually had that belief pay off) isn't also going to turn on JV. Hundred percent chance m Yuli would still be in the lineup even if he was hitting .180. That's just Dusty. You live and die by the sword

I love both JV and Dusty, but they each have very, very little time left to rewrite their legacy as "Hall of Famers who couldn't get it done in the World Series".

McInnis said:

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Ags #1 said:

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Still cant believe diaz got the green light after almost being hit twice and a wp

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Agree, and then for him to swing. He's always seemed like a pretty smart player to me.

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Just put yourself in his shoes. Keeping the bat on the shoulder is the right thing to do but man it's got to be incredibly hard for a journeyman with a chance to become a legend to keep the bat on the shoulder when you know you're probably getting a fastball in the strike zone.

We all grow up dreaming of that moment, and none of us in that dream take ball 4 and smartly trot to first so the next guy can be the hero.

I don't mind the Diaz green light at all.

I do have an issue with him swinging though. Green light doesn't mean swing at whatever comes.

He has to be smarter.

Harry Dunne said:

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McInnis said:

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Ags #1 said:

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Still cant believe diaz got the green light after almost being hit twice and a wp

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Agree, and then for him to swing. He's always seemed like a pretty smart player to me.

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Just put yourself in his shoes. Keeping the bat on the shoulder is the right thing to do but man it's got to be incredibly hard for a journeyman with a chance to become a legend to keep the bat on the shoulder when you know you're probably getting a fastball in the strike zone.

We all grow up dreaming of that moment, and none of us in that dream take ball 4 and smartly trot to first so the next guy can be the hero.

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Problem is strike 1 wasn't a fastball. It was a curve that was ball 4

Of course, and that's why he's a journeyman and not a Hall of Famer.

I didn't say he was right, I just said walk a mile in his shoes to understand the choice.

nice return to form for Dusty

just a noticer, that's all

Not like he is yordan or trout. He is exactly that, a journeyman. And he has seen 3 pitches nowhere close to the zone. You watch one till he shows he can throw in the zone

That's right. I think if you read what I'm writing you'll see that I agree.

Still upset….

Diaz swinging 3-0 on a curveball when he only hits the fastball. Swinging 3-1 on another ball and curveball, that he couldn't do anything with

Stanek not starting the inning when that's his role and he's the BEST out of our bullpen this season (ERA wise).

Mancini getting to hit in 7th/8th, after horrible ABs all game and postseason… I believe we had someone in scoring position too.

I dont think you can blame Dusty for last night.

Mancini and Diaz have both been putrid this whole postseason. Would I rather give Hensley a shot? Sure but that's not why we lost.

His one mistake was not pulling Verlander earlier but also JV has proven he can bounce back from a bad early start and settle in. So I don't mind sticking with him. I just don't get why he stopped throwing fastballs when they were hammering breaking pitches

Oh my bad. To me its not hard to take a pitch after he has seen 3 pitches nowhere close to the zone. Hell he leaned into one just to try and keep the train moving. She he had no issue with trying to get on. Just stand there. If robertson was close then maybe can understand swinging but he was nowhere close

I think he lost command of it. It seems like as soon as the color guys were fluffing him for how good he is at locating that high fastball he started to go away from and lose control of it.

They were chasing it all night and it just doesn't make any sense.