2016 ALDS Death Match: Texas Rangers vs Toronto Blue Jays

http://groundballwitheyes.blogspot.ca/2012/04/maddux.html

As I said, there are only full regular season pitch count records since 1988, so that's the starting point for things here, but pitch counts were kept in the playoffs a few years earlier than that. For the years in which we have official counts, there has been just one postseason Maddux though, thrown by Bret Saberhagen in Game 7 of the 1985 World Series, when he shut the Cardinals out on just 92 pitches and won himself World Series MVP honors. (Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series reportedly took just 97 pitches.)

Estrada at 95 pitches, unlikely but possible.

That's a fantastic page you dug up there...Zane Smith and Bob Tewksbury #2 and #3 on the list--ahead of a Hall of Famer and a guy who's headed there, behind the guy who gave the stat its name.

Aargh, really wanted to see him get the shutout.

They were one blowout loss away from being outscored on the season, and only the Twins and A's (two terrible teams) gave up more runs in the AL this year. The only thing separating them from fringe wild card contenders like the Yankees is their all time best record in one run games.

So, after 163 games, the Rangers have won 95 games and been outscored on the season. They're a .500 team that got lucky.

The Rangers were supposed to have a starting pitching edge, but their "ace" (who was terrible the last month of the season) just got shelled, and now we've got Happ + Sanchez vs Darvish and whoever they dredge up for game 3 (starter TBD). I'll take those matchups.

Can you be that lucky over 163 games? I know clutchness is a dirty around these parts but surely it's a mix of both. It can't be all the one or the other.

It can be partly a mix of both (e.g. having a strong bullpen to protect leads) but the dominant factor is luck.

And the Rangers' bullpen, by today's standards, seems good but nothing particularly special.

the rangers would like cole hamels to be like jon lester but he's basically cj wilson.

he's like jon lester with an extra 10 WAR you mean?

ace my balls and WAR be damned that bastard killed my fantasy staff ~

Rangers now have a negative run differential on the season 0_o

They didn't win the division just by beating up on the Angels and A's. They were 12-7 against the Mariners and 15-4 against the Astros. They won the season series against the Tigers and Indians, tied the Red Sox and Blue Jays. They were 6-1 against Kansas City. They were 13-7 in interleague play.

Think they lost the season series to the Jays by a game, but were outscored by plenty.

Jays beat them 3-1, 4-3, 12-2, and 5-0; Texas won three one-run games, 2-1, 6-5, and 7-6.

Right, sorry. They were 4-3 against Baltimore, though, too.

Of their 67 losses this year:

29 were by four runs or more
18 were by six runs or more
10 were by eight runs or more

At the beginning of July, they had a stretch of nine days where they lost to the Twins three times by scores of 17-5, 10-1, and 15-5 and lost to the Red Sox 11-6 and 12-5.

(Just to clarify, the 29 includes the six-plus run margins and the eight-plus run margins, and the 18 includes the eight-plus run margins.)

time for some 1-run wins then

only have radio access, p sure i can't take 3 hrs of Berman and Sutcliffe

Tulo!

tulo now 4-for-6, 5 RBI

"It hasn't been 24 hours."

Berman and Sutcliffe actually discussing Martin's pitch framing, o brave nu world

J.A. happ remains puzzling to me

Pilar getting in on the fun!

http://fat.gfycat.com/InbornSereneAbalone.gif

pillar's inspiration

And now Carrera?!

poor darvish, another victim of the parrot man

good lord did edwing hit that ball hard

Yu Porcello.

what is happening

Joe Morgan shaking head over lack of smallball

@darenw
Kevin Pillar's HR was 4.2ft high... There were only 2 HRs hit higher than that pitch ALL season.

I was starting to feel a bit guilty, with Happ giving up hits all over the place but somehow only one run, whereas Darvish made just the one mistake to Tulo. But now the mistakes are starting to pile up (except for Pillar's, WTF was that).

prescient

https://theringer.com/the-blue-jays-want-to-homer-their-way-to-glory-b709906427d2#.hx1wbmueq

Typical Gibbons, trying to squeeze one inning too many out of his SP.

Although given our bullpen options, I'm not sure it wasn't worth a try (they pitched way over their heads in the WC game).

We've got a PD day today--workshops, no students--and in the middle of a full-staff math presentation by one of our resource teachers, our principal jumped up and half-yelled "Home run, Tulowitzki!"

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/kevin-pillar-hit-a-stupid-home-run

I don't know who made the dumber play, Desmond or Donaldson.

desmond, for not just going but hesitating first then going

The Jays don't really have anyone left to bridge to Osuna if Liriano gets hammered here.

this seems unwise, three run lead or not

Liriano didn't pitch well, but at least he's not seriously hurt after that comebacker.

At this point I'm wondering why we're carrying Tepera, Feldman, and Loop if they're not to be trusted unless it's the 17th inning and/or a blowout.

another weird passed ball

Tepera and Loop sighting! I wonder what it would take to get them in the game. Unless this game is tied going to extras, I'm guessing Gibbons sticks with Osuna win or lose.

melvin shoulda had that

rally cap on

I was almost in full panic mode when it was 3-1 to Odor.

That was a man-sized save by Osuna. Good thing there's a day off tomorrow.

@richardjustice
Francisco Liriano being taken to hospital. #ALDS

The mad dash.

wow nice finish

runner slid at bag, entirely legit afaik

Hey, I scooped the interviewer.

Putting the ball in play!!!

I can't believe they left Matt Bush out there to dry. Where was Dyson? Bush was obviously overthrowing.

What an exciting ending. Bush was so close to escaping too.

oic xp

i hate the blue jays but fuck if i'll ever feel bad for matt bush

may the cubs destroy the american league, just completely end it, i don't even care about how stupid it is to still not have the DH anymore

Would have loved a Dyson-Bautista rematch, but this is A-OK.

Hadn't even thought about the beauty of it ending on a botched DP attempt by Odor.

That, and a one run loss for the Rangers.

and Bush taking the L.