ALCS Game 3 -- Astros vs. Yankees

[DVauthrin]

reddick, i'm thinking just to give someone else an at-bat.

Same reason Maybin wasn't pinch hit for with either McCann or Beltran.  Hinch is saying go get them tomorrow.

[T. J.]

Dumbass.  Nibbling up 8-0?!

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Take that,  yankmees!!

[LonghornCDR]

Well that’s one way to break a shutout. 

[DVauthrin]

The shutout is gone.

[Limey]

Yankees booing an 8-1 lead in a playoff game. 


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[NeilT]

Well that was an interesting strike

[LonghornCDR]

Isn’t the temp in the 50s?

[DVauthrin]

Yankees warming Chapman up now.

[Limey]

Yankees warming Chapman up now.

That’s a moral victory right there. 


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[T. J.]

Isn’t the temp in the 50s?

48, according to the google

[JimR]

Those are not strikes

[MRaup]

Empty ass stadium for a 8-1 lead in the 9th. Fucking fair weather fuckface fans.

Buck gleeful in his "Gameover" call.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

 get em tomorrow.

[BudGirl]

Gotta get 'em tomorrow.

[Limey]

Those are not strikes

This guy was as bad as Angel. 


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[doyce7]

Hope we have a professional umpire behind the plate tomorrow. Jesus Christ he was terrible

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[NeilT]

get em tomorrow.

+1

[T. J.]

Keeping the fucking Yankees under a 4-hour game again is somewhat of a "win".  Get 'em tomorrow boys.

[MRaup]

Hope we have a professional umpire behind the plate tomorrow. Jesus Christ he was terrible

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Good flow, sir.

[jnh]

T9:
Betances in to pitch:
Gonzalez – ball inside, ball outside (not even close), ball high (not even close), Gregorius comes to mound to chat, ball low and inside.  4 pitch walk.  Rothschild out to talk.
Fisher pinch hits for Reddick – ball inside (not close), strike (generously given, looked outside), foul (outside pitch), ball inside (missed outside target), ball outside and high, ball inside.  Pitching change.
Kahnle in for Betances:
Maybin – ball (high and inside, checked swing), basehit to left – single, bases loaded no outs.
Springer – strike (looked high and inside), ball (low and outside), strike (outside black), swinging strike out (low and outside slider).
Bregman – strike (98 mph top of zone FB), ball (down and away), ball (high FB), ball  (FB low), ball (low and away FB). Walks in a run.  Chapman warming up.
Altuve – strike, ball high, strike (top of zone slider?), grounder up the middle 4U-3 double play.
8-1 Yankees, final.

[JimR]

Should have been 3-0 to Altuve.

Oh, well. Pound the ‘ol Budweiser, and get ‘em tomorrow.

[Aussie Astro]

I'm gonna kill a chicken... well a bucket of KFC anyway.

[NeilT]

I'm gonna kill a chicken... well a bucket of KFC anyway.

Time for a frito pie.

[doyce7]

Lose by 1 or lose by 51, counts the same. Put it behind you and go get a win tomorrow

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[doyce7]

Mccullers tomorrow... better have a short leash

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[juliogotay]

Should have been 3-0 to Altuve.

Oh, well. Pond the ‘ol Budweiser, and get ‘em tomorrow.

McCullers tomorrow per Hinch post-game.

[HudsonHawk]

Mccullers tomorrow... better have a short leash

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Oh shit.

[doyce7]

Oh shit.

Maybe the plan is mccullers/peacock tandem? Lance for 3 then peacock for 3? I could get behind that, I don't trust lance for more than 3 innings

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[JimR]

Crap

[juliogotay]

Right now, yes now, McCullers is throwing in the Fenway OF under a coaches supervision. 

[juliogotay]

Maybe the plan is mccullers/peacock tandem? Lance for 3 then peacock for 3? I could get behind that, I don't trust lance for more than 3 innings

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Has to be.

[DVauthrin]

McCullers tomorrow per Hinch post-game.

Interesting to say the least.  Wasn't expecting that.

[JimR]

We must score early.

[juliogotay]

We must score early.

And often.

[HudsonHawk]

Maybe the plan is mccullers/peacock tandem? Lance for 3 then peacock for 3? I could get behind that, I don't trust lance for more than 3 innings

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Maybe Hinch had a come to Jesus meeting with McCullers.  Maybe he hopes to get just three innings out of him. 

One thing's for sure...McCullers has the opportunity to grab the bull by the balls and make history.  I'd sure like him to do so.  We'll see if he has it in him.

[juliogotay]

Maybe Hinch had a come to Jesus meeting with McCullers.  Maybe he hopes to get just three innings out of him. 

One thing's for sure...McCullers has the opportunity to grab the bull by the balls and make history.  I'd sure like him to do so.  We'll see if he has it in him.

Hinch was really talking him up in the post-game press conference (as you would expect him to do). Talked about him being one of the best pitchers in baseball with electric stuff.

[JimR]

Maybe Hinch had a come to Jesus meeting with McCullers.  Maybe he hopes to get just three innings out of him. 

One thing's for sure...McCullers has the opportunity to grab the bull by the balls and make history.  I'd sure like him to do so.  We'll see if he has it in him.

He has the stuff to shut them down. I hope first half Lance shows back up.

I also hope Verlander makes Morton a project. His stuff is too good to not be an elite pitcher. He does not believe in himself.

[doyce7]

Maybe Hinch had a come to Jesus meeting with McCullers.  Maybe he hopes to get just three innings out of him. 

One thing's for sure...McCullers has the opportunity to grab the bull by the balls and make history.  I'd sure like him to do so.  We'll see if he has it in him.

Mccullers has ace level talent, I'd love to see that lance come out to play tomorrow.

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[JimR]

Mccullers has ace level talent, I'd love to see that lance come out to play tomorrow.

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I hope he can contain his emotions somewhat. He certainly has the talent and the stuff to shut them down. We need some better luck and our offense to wake up. Great opportunity for McCullers to show who he really is.

This is playoff baseball. (I know, Neil, postseason). This is the way it is supposed to be. There is nothing like it.

[Aussie Astro]

I hope he can contain his emotions somewhat. He certainly has the talent and the stuff to shut them down. We need some better luck and our offense to wake up. Great opportunity for McCullers to show who he really is.

This is playoff baseball. (I know, Neil, postseason). This is the way it is supposed to be. There is nothing like it.

I have wondered a few times if he is the surly little pick that he acts like or is he doing a John McEnroe and getting himself into a lather thinking that he plays better when he is angry?

[BudGirl]

I hope he can contain his emotions somewhat. He certainly has the talent and the stuff to shut them down. We need some better luck and our offense to wake up. Great opportunity for McCullers to show who he really is.

This is playoff baseball. (I know, Neil, postseason). This is the way it is supposed to be. There is nothing like it.

Technically it was HH that said postseason.  Then I tossed the joke at Neil.

[NeilT]

Technically it was HH that said postseason.  Then I tossed the joke at Neil.

I said playoff, caught the joke then passed it on. 

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Gattis slept on our couch for three years

He was a nice boy. He used to cut our grass

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

I can't believe i woke up in the middle of the night to watch that crap fest.

[juliogotay]

McHugh was really good last night. I wonder why Hinch didn't include him in the playoff rotation. He has pitched better down the stretch than any starter other than Keuchel and Verlander.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

It's P'ostseason.

Get it right.

[juliogotay]

Well, here is an explanation from Maybin on that FB “It’s a long run. Once I got there I kind of froze,” Maybin said. “It’s one of those things where you realize you’re by yourself, and in my head, I was thinking about if I missed it’s probably gonna be a triple. It’s just a tough play.”

[HudsonHawk]

Well, here is an explanation from Maybin on that FB “It’s a long run. Once I got there I kind of froze,” Maybin said. “It’s one of those things where you realize you’re by yourself, and in my head, I was thinking about if I missed it’s probably gonna be a triple. It’s just a tough play.”

Wow, that's an astonishingly bad approach.

[Bench]

Well, here is an explanation from Maybin on that FB “It’s a long run. Once I got there I kind of froze,” Maybin said. “It’s one of those things where you realize you’re by yourself, and in my head, I was thinking about if I missed it’s probably gonna be a triple. It’s just a tough play.”

That is brutal thing for a major leaguer to admit. 

[JimR]

Technically it was HH that said postseason.  Then I tossed the joke at Neil.

Neil corrected me last night, and this was a reply to him.

[juliogotay]

Wow, that's an astonishingly bad approach.

With an astonishingly bad result. If Astros are going to have a chance in this series they need to get some production from the OFers that is missing. Totally unproductive offensively so far.

[JimR]

Wow, that's an astonishingly bad approach.

Yes, and I threw home run pitches, and you had passed balls. Shit happens. We got two quick outs after that play. These games all turn on pitching, and Charlie could not close them out. I hope he gets another chance before our season ends. His stuff was electric.

[JimR]

That is brutal thing for a major leaguer to admit.

I look at it exactly the opposite: he is owning his misplay without excuses. In another interview, he said he was afraid a dive would give them a triple and did not realize it would bounce into the stands. He said they talked about it in the dugout, and he realizes he should have dived.

I would much rather a guy say “I fucked up” than hide behind cliches and excuses.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Yes, and I threw home run pitches, and you had passed balls. Shit happens. We got two quick outs after that play. These games all turn on pitching, and Charlie could not close them out. I hope he gets another chance before our season ends. His stuff was electric.

That was what struck me through the first few frames: his stuff was moving nicely.  Contrast with CC who was very effective but more in the crafty way (ie CCs FBs were arrow straight,  92 mph, but effective because of location and as change of pace from his breaking balls). 

Charlie's pitches looked like they had wood-repulsing technology there for a brief,  short while. As he started struggling,  he started missing spots and seems his confidence evaporated.

Then the bottom fell out.

[Bench]

I look at it exactly the opposite: he is owning his misplay without excuses. In another interview, he said he was afraid a dive would give them a triple and did not realize it would bounce into the stands. He said they talked about it in the dugout, and he realizes he should have dived.

I would much rather a guy say “I fucked up” than hide behind cliches and excuses.

All credit to his honesty.  I was referring to admitting that he froze in the situation, which is a tough thing for a major leaguer to admit to. 

[NeilT]

Neil corrected me last night, and this was a reply to him.

It wasn't a correction, just part of a running joke. 

[JimR]

That was what struck me through the first few frames: his stuff was moving nicely.  Contrast with CC who was very effective but more in the crafty way (ie CCs FBs were arrow straight,  92 mph, but effective because of location and as change of pace from his breaking balls). 

Charlie's pitches looked like they had wood-repulsing technology there for a brief,  short while. As he started struggling,  he started missing spots and seems his confidence evaporated.

Then the bottom fell out.

In my opinion, which is based on the many interviews of him I have seen, confidence is his entire issue. He does not believe he is good, and he has the stuff to be great.

[JimR]

It wasn't a correction, just part of a running joke.

As was my reply this morning.

[NeilT]

As was my reply this morning.

Excellent.  It's important to keep a level head during the playoffs. 

[Bench]

In my opinion, which is based on the many interviews of him I have seen, confidence is his entire issue. He does not believe he is good, and he has the stuff to be great.

You and Strom have both said Morton doesn't realize how good of a pitcher he is.   

He's a guy who has played for ten years in the major leagues as a sinker ball pitcher who could not get lefties out and suddenly has complemented his repertoire with filthy stuff.  Plenty of people would just say fuck yeah and dial it to 11 but Charlie seems to be a very introspective guy who cannot get out of the mentality he created in order to have that major league career in the first place.  Unfortunately part of his introspective personality appears to include a fair amount of self-doubt, almost as if he thinks his new ability is going to suddenly go away as quickly as it appeared, which is not an unreasonable fear to have, especially given his injury history.   

[HudsonHawk]

You and Strom have both said Morton doesn't realize how good of a pitcher he is.   

He's a guy who has played for ten years in the major leagues as a sinker ball pitcher who could not get lefties out and suddenly has complemented his repertoire with filthy stuff.  Plenty of people would just say fuck yeah and dial it to 11 but Charlie seems to be a very introspective guy who cannot get out of the mentality he created in order to have that major league career in the first place.  Unfortunately part of his introspective personality appears to include a fair amount of self-doubt, almost as if he thinks his new ability is going to suddenly go away as quickly as it appeared, which is not an unreasonable fear to have, especially given his injury history.   

Morton gave an interview before the game yesterday that wasn't exactly overflowing with confidence.  The interviewer asked him if the short porch in RF in Yankee Stadium affected the way he approached hitters.  I expected him to something along the lines of "as a pitcher, I can't worry about that, I have to go out and attack hitters and make my pitches".  Instead he sort of stumbled and said something like "yeah, I worry about that...I used to throw a lot of ground balls, but my sinker isn't what it used to be, so now I get more fly balls and it definitely affects your mindset out there".  I let out a long sigh.

[Andyzipp]

It was always easier for me to get over being blown out than losing a close game, so hopefully the Astros feel the same.  There's no time for a hangover today.

But Springer, Marwin, Reddick and a few others need to take full advantage of their familiarity with Sonny Grey this afternoon, and do it early.

[JimR]

He does not even believe in his new ability. In his interview with Sparks at Fenway, Sparks tried to get him to admit he has elite stuff. Morton’s response was “I throw the ball well, but i lack the pitching part.” Paraphrased because I do not remember the exact words.

[HudsonHawk]

It was always easier for me to get over being blown out than losing a close game, so hopefully the Astros feel the same.  There's no time for a hangover today.

But Springer, Marwin, Reddick and a few others need to take full advantage of their familiarity with Sonny Grey this afternoon, and do it early.

I kind of agree. By the 8th last night, the stadium was almost empty.  It was just another game.  The boys in the Fox studio acted like it was Christmas morning, but no one was watching. 

As a wise old man once said...it's the postseason, you're not going to win them all.  Go out and get a win today.

[JimR]

It was always easier for me to get over being blown out than losing a close game, so hopefully the Astros feel the same.  There's no time for a hangover today.

But Springer, Marwin, Reddick and a few others need to take full advantage of their familiarity with Sonny Grey this afternoon, and do it early.

I totally agree. I would much rather lose 8-1 than 2-1.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

I totally agree. I would much rather lose 8-1 than 2-1.

Certainly *something* needs to change offensively; hopefully getting curb stomped hit the reset button and NY can see some vaunting from the God Guys.

[juliogotay]

Certainly *something* needs to change offensively; hopefully getting curb stomped hit the reset button and NY can see some vaunting from the God Guys.

Uh, the God Guys are the ones wearing pinstripes.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Uh, the God Guys are the ones wearing pinstripes.

Oops. Another funny autocorrect.

I use android with Swype.   Now when I swype "you" 9 times out of 10 it comes out "yuli".

I'm ok with it.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Man, I really hate losing 6-4 after leading 4-0 in the seventh.

[JimR]

Man, I really hate losing 6-4 after leading 4-0 in the seventh.

Really?