Screw Weaver. We got the AL Cy Young going. We will win this game and we will sweep. **** the angels and whatever divisional opponents that are in our way, especially the rangers. Cant wait for this weekend. This is the beginning of the turnaround.
While KC is a better matchup, in the end, we still need to get through Toronto one way or the other. So getting them now, with Tulo hurt and 2 of 5 with Keuchel, is a good journey that I'd be willing to take on. We will be underdogs all the way to the trophy anyway. So let's take on the beast and see what happens.
Yeah, I mentioned this in another thread but people need to keep in mind that, beyond the potential randomness inherent in any one-game playoff, the worst part is that it almost certainly exhausts Kuechel. I think he'd be back for game 3? And that'd be it for the ALDS.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Astros lineup <a href="http://t.co/yTUfpa9Zqt">pic.twitter.com/yTUfpa9Zqt</a></p>— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/646056641792638976">September 21, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That's not necessarily true, and it looks improbable that he'd pitch the WC at this point. We'd have to somehow lock up the wildcard with no chance at the division with min 2 games to go for that to happen. He's scheduled Sunday vs Texas. 6 games to go after that with one off day. He's scheduled to pitch the 2nd to last game of the season (Saturday). The wild card game is tuesday. Even if they swapped him and mchugh and Keuchel pitched Friday, they'd still be pitching him on only 3 days rest. Looks to me like Kazmir would pitch the wild card game. The only other possibility I see is if they bumped Keuchel up to the Saturday Rangers game, but even then, he'd only be on 3 days rest for the WC game.
I'd much rather have at least 3 games against Toronto than just 1 @NYY and possibly be done. 162 games to play 1 playoff game just seems miserable. I love that MLB changed it to make the wildcard a huge disadvantage - and it really is one. Wanting that disadvantage to hopefully get a better matchup seems like the height of absurdity.
So far... not so absurd to be a disadvantaged wild card team. And losing a 3 game sweep vs. losing 1 game? Can't really say which one is worse for sure... I may lean towards the former there. And most first round playoff exits are going to seem short/unsatisfying compared to the 162 game season.... would be something if at one point, the "best" team got to advance to the LCS automatically. THAT would be something to play for.
3 game sweep?!? Losing 1 game?!? First round playoff exits?!? What have the last 10 years of Astros fandome done to you? :grin:
Of course it is. Assuming about a 50% chance to win a single wild card game, then it cuts your odds of winning whatever (WS, AL, ALDS, etc) by 50%. If the Astros have a 10% chance of winning a WS as a division winner, then they have about a 5% chance as a wild card team. Besides, if Toronto is unbeatable as people suggest, then we should assume we'd have to face them in the ALDS or ALCS either way. In that scenario, you'd want to face them in the shortest series possible since luck plays a larger factor in a 5 game series than a 7 game one. Assuming you like watching baseball, a 3 game sweep is unquestionably better. It's 3 times as much baseball, and 40,000 of your team's fans get a chance to see your team in a home game. Absolutely - but 3 games is better than 1. 5 games is better than 3. etc.
Yes, it would be great to have a playoff game here. But as a fan, if losing is for sure, it would suck more (to me) to lose in a first round sweep rather than a 50/50 1 game playoff game. At least in the latter, you can somewhat attribute fluke-ishness/luck a little bit more. When you get handled for 3 or 4 straight games, its a bit more obvious who the better team was at that time (as Astros fans just had to suffer through). Again, all hypotheticals...
Priority, obviously, is *making* postseason - so they can't maneuver until that's done. If afforded that luxury, though, they'll almost certainly set Kuechel up for WC/ALDS game 1.
The playoffs are such a different animal, so unpredictable - I'd never advocate or hope for anything less than the maximum possible experience. "Sure things" have a nasty habit of being anything but in the playoffs. Give me at least 27 innings to try and crack a team over just 9 any day - especially with our pitching staff, which is every bit as good as Toronto's. I would take guaranteed ALDS appearance 11 out of 10 times; I can't even understand any other mindset. Not to dismiss it - I think an opposing view is interesting, and certainly valid - I just don't get it.
yes, but how could be pitch that tuesday unless they are locked into WC and locked out of division with 2 or 3 games left in the season? and it seems somewhere between unlikely and impossible for both of those to be the case.
That will be a HR next year. Astros pitchers going to take advantage of Tal's Hill while they still can.
