2024 MLB season

[Ceez]

Dodgers 2 outta 3 from your boys. I'll take it you guys have a good team this year

 

[jaylach]

Dodgers 2 outta 3 from your boys. I'll take it you guys have a good team this year

Ya I would have loved to take two games but with how worn out the pitching is I'll still take one out of three with the white sox next. Ya never know but that series SHOULD give Cleveland a buffer.

 

[Ceez]

Ya I would have loved to take two games but with how worn out the pitching is I'll still take one out of three with the white sox next. Ya never know but that series SHOULD give Cleveland a buffer.

Don't talk to me about pitching staffs. Ours is in shambles

 

[jaylach]

Cleveland clinched the playoffs today with a 3-2 10 inning win over the Twins.


Magic number to win the division and a bye in the first round is 3.

Stephen Vogt has to be just about a shoe in for manager of the year!

<edit>
Is it just me or does it seem odd that with 8 games left only four of the twelve playoff spots have been clinched?

 

[Ceez]

Ohtani! Wow what a game last night. 3hr, 10 RBI, 2 SB's 6 for 6 at the plate almost hit for the cycle too..1st to 50/50 club. All but sealed up the NL MVP last night with that performance.

Unfortunately the pitching staff is obliterated and I can see a 1st round exit in our future lol

 

[jaylach]

Without the game not even being done between Cleveland and the Cards tonight (only second inning) the division race is done as KC lost and Cleveland has the division and first round bye. Only thing left is to win a few more to be the number one seed in the AL to give home field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. Right now they are half a game behind the Yankees on this. They are actually still within range of overtaking Philly for the best record overall between leagues. This only matters if Cleveland and Philly were to meet in the world series as the team with the best record would have home field advantage. This is also true with the Dodgers.

GOOD job boys!!! Projected at the start of the season to be a losing team you taught a lesson to all. Give desire, work and a manager the players totally believe in and anything can happen! You have surpassed all early expectations!

 

[jaylach]

Correction on my above post as they have not clinched the first round bye. Not likely but it is possible that Houston could end up being the number two seed for the bye.

Get it together in the last five games boys. The bullpen NEEDS the bye to rest the best bullpen in the game. Could be an interesting finish with the last five games. They have a two game series against the Reds the the final three games against Houston. The last three games against Houston could prove to be REALLY interesting as to playoff seeds...

 

[Ceez]

Dodgers may not have a shot in the playoffs with their pitching staff basically annihilated but Ohtani is doing crazy things. HR today to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th and 2 more stolen bases to give him 53HRs and 55 SB's. He's 2 HR behind Aaron judge. Still having a hard time understanding why he's batting leadoff. If I was making the lineup it would be Betts/Freeman/Ohtani/Hernandez. His RBI totals have suffered because Roberts is awful. The idea that Ohtani will get more AB's as the number 1 makes sense but it's super counter productive. Also Freeman could use Ohtanis protection in the lineup as this has been a down year for him stat wise at the plate. Teo in the cleanup spot is perfect because he's more likely to hit a double or HR than he is to single someone in.

I hope they let Roberts go in the off-season and finally move on from Kershaw. This team with the talent alone could have won the NL West without Roberts the last 11 seasons and his playoff track record of making bad decision after bad decision with the pitching staff is atrocious. Loyalty to long term players like Kershaw and Jansen has cost the Dodgers time and again instead of going with the hot pitcher. Kershaw is garbage in the playoffs straight up and Jansen when he was with them was a hot mess in the yoffs..

Hopefully the Indians can win it all for you Jaylach, I'm rooting for you guys because I know without pitching we don't stand a chance.

 

[jaylach]

Cleveland clinched two more goals today.

First they clinched the number two seed which gives them a bye in the wild card round. Haven't done the math so I'm not sure if they can get the #1 seed but I don't think they can. Regardless clinching the #2 seed, and getting the bye, is major as to giving their pitching staff, especially the bullpen, a bit of a rest.

Second is that they clinched the "Ohio Cup". Ohio Cup? Between Cleveland and Cincinnati they have a yearly competition involving a trophy; the Ohio Cup. If you are not aware of this tradition it is kind of cool. Even though Cleveland is AL and Cinci NL there is a bit of a rivalry. Each year the team that wins the season series keeps the trophy for the following year. Don't quote me on this but I THINK this is the sixth straight year that Cleveland has won.

So Cleveland is in the playoffs show with a bye. Cleveland is just a young and sort of weird team. Not many teams can beat with both small and big ball yet Cleveland does this all the time. As an example they scored three runs in the first inning in tonight's game with a solo and 2 run homer yet they are just as happy to play small ball.

In the playoffs no one wants to play Cleveland as they just can't figure what to expect as Cleveland just seem to do all of it well. Win or lose in the playoffs they are just fun to watch.

 

[jaylach]

Well the AL #6 seed, Detroit, takes out the #3 seed, Houston, in 2 games. I'm just happy to see Houston out as they have had a habit lately of knocking Cleveland out of the playoffs.

So... could be an interesting divisional series between Cleveland and Detroit; #2 seed, Cleveland with home field advantage, against the #6 seed Detroit but, with how hot Detroit finished, I don't know that they are the normal #6 seed.. Detroit has better starting pitching but Cleveland has the best bullpen in baseball and the best closer in baseball with Clase. With 2 gold glove outfielders and a 2nd baseman with both gold gloves and a platinum glove have to give a defensive edge to Cleveland. As to offense it is hard to figure Detroit as they will throw in a pinch hitter at any time so you never know who exactly a pitcher will be facing in an inning. Only Boston used more pinch hitters than Detroit. As for Cleveland they have the most runs scored with 2 outs and runners in scoring position which points to really good clutch hitting. They can also score anywhere in the batting order and are hard to strike out.

Bottom line is that we will have 2 young teams facing off but Cleveland has more playoff experience with 4 appearances in the last 6 years including this year if I'm not mistaken. Both teams are happy to take the extra base and steal bases so I would expect aggression on the base pads.

One never knows but it should be a fun and exciting series.

 

[jaylach]

Good start for Cleveland in the ALDS with a 7-0 win over Detroit. Awesome offensive start for Cleveland with 5 runs in the bottom of the first inning before Detroit got the first out.

 

[jaylach]

Good job by Detroit. ALDS between Cleveland now 1-1. Sigh, ONE bad pitch by Clase and a three run homer. Only his third homer given all season. While I'm not all that happy it was a REALLY good game.

 

[jaylach]

I may be grumbling while I type this but hats off to Detroit to go ahead in the ALDS 2-1. Cleveland had their chances but just could not score. In four innings they had two base runners, one with no outs, and could not get a run in. Sort of odd that all three games have been shutouts.

Cleveland will have ace Tanner Bibee starting game four in the series so it is quite possible there will be a game five in Cleveland but no matter what happens you have to give credit to Detroit and Cleveland as neither was projected to even come close to being in the playoffs.

​

 

[Ceez]

Fire Roberts please...Jesus H Christ can anyone have a longer track record of making bad decisions in the playoffs and still keep their job? No fire, no passion and the crying about Machado and a ball he "rocketed" into the Dodgers dugout (it was hardly a rocket, it bounced into the dugout and came nowhere near Roberts) has just further illustrated he's a clown. Friedman is fine picking up talent but the analytics have to go. Hire a coach/manager and let him do his job.


Another postseason and more proof of its not how highly you're ranked going into the postseason it's how hot you are. Mets gave the Phillies this lesson, bye Felicia lol. Up next the Dodgers...

 

[jaylach]

I'm not exactly sure what Cleveland is doing in the ALDS. While I consider Cleveland's manager Vogt a strong candidate for manager of the year I think his lack of experience had a bit to do with Cleveland's' loses in 2 games. Just seemed that he played Detroit's game instead of what got Cleveland where they are.

Good game by both teams but we go back to Cleveland for game 5.