2018 World Series -- Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Christ, how obnoxious

This is an all-time choke job by the Dodgers.

Unless there's literally no one available--which after last night, may be the case--why on Earth would you pitch Kimbrel?

The Dodgers are 54-0 when leading by 4 runs at any point this season, including postseason. They're the only team without such a loss.

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 28, 2018

Guess just ending the game would've been too predictable.

Can we skip to Kimbrel allowing two walks?

― Van Horn Street, Friday, 19 October 2018

We should pin this post until the end of the series.

Man, what a throw.

6-9 fellas

this aint over, RSN elitists

Boston was one great play away from making maybe the dumbest pitching change I've ever seen. You've got a five-run lead, and Kimbrel and Price are both in a very good place after lots of previous trouble. Kimbrel almost brings the tying run to the plate, at which point you bring in Price so he can maybe lose the game. I don't get it. Anyway, they won.

This is an all-time choke job by the Dodgers

I don't get this; they lost a lead. It happened to, say, the 2002 Giants.

^^^ that was an all-timer too! They were what, nine outs from winning the WS with a five run lead? Blowing leads of 4+ runs from the seventh inning on is rare!

At the time I didn't hate the decision to remove Hill. Maybe you'll need him to start game 7, maybe he'll be needed in relief in game 6, and there's no need to compromise that by making him throw another 20-25 pitches with a lead that the bullpen should handle 99% of the time.

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Watching the Dodgers/Red Sox final innings. It is amazing how a manager takes out a pitcher who is loose & dominating through almost 7 innings, Rich Hill of Dodgers, and brings in nervous reliever(s) who get shellacked. 4 run lead gone. Managers do it all the time, big mistake!

I hear there’s a baseball job opening in NYC if he wants to step down from his current position and show MLB how it’s done.

I wonder if Trump would be weighing in if it were Craig Counsell.

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Verlander is great but very beatable. Does not have a good ERA in playoff games

7:12 AM - 16 Oct 2012

ok lol

It's like taking out Obama and putting you in

— Very Spooky Michael (@Home_Halfway) October 28, 2018

so much worse than Smoltz

I too thought taking out Hill was fine. I don't like preemptive and needless pitching changes, but Roberts gave Hill a baserunner, and even let him go one batter after that); if Hill puts another guy on, then Boston's in a position to make it a one-run game. That all of that happened and worse, that's just baseball.

Kimbrel still mystifies me, though. Besides what I posted above, everything NoTime writes about Hill also applies to Kimbrel.

A friend and I are planning to get together for a possible game six, so I'll absolutely be rooting for the Dodgers today.

Kimbrel has been extremely lucky, his control has been spotty since June and now it’s gotten worse at the worst possible time. But he still Ks batters at a high rate and he’s had some great defense behind him.

Removing Hill was justifiable, so was using Kimbrel with a five run lead (it's a stretch, but you can come up with a couple of reasons). Not having a LHP ready to face Moreland was not. On the broadcast I think they said that Wood was warming up but wasn't ready -- Roberts didn't think ahead to get him up in time.

No LHP, and they left in Madson who, let's face it, has been awful all year and has gotten worse in the playoffs.

Does not bother me at all watching Madson play the goat for the Dodgers after that chump hit job he did on Votto earlier this year putting him on the DL.

we still have a 24% shot at Game 7

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/zips-updated-playoff-probabilities-2018-world-series/

so was using Kimbrel with a five run lead (it's a stretch, but you can come up with a couple of reasons)

What are they? In all honestly, they escape me. Was there no one else to protect a five-run lead?

i didn't watch last night's game, but pretty much every red sox pitcher was used during the 7+ hour game the night before, right?

Pretty shameful of Trump to imply one of his guys is a nervous wreck

Madson, who hails from Southern California, believes the idea behind the wall is to keep away terrorists – not necessarily from Mexico – who might try to infiltrate the U.S. through its southern border.

“I think the media has spun it in a way to make him look like he’s anti-immigrant, so I think it’s more their fault and how they’ve made him look than what he’s trying to do,’’ Madson said. “I don’t think he’s doing it in a way to be a Zionist. He’s not trying to seal us off from the world. He’s trying to just slow down or stop as much as he can what’s been happening here in America with the terrorists.’’

Pretty shameful of Trump to imply one of his guys is a nervous wreck

Madson, who hails from Southern California, believes the idea behind the wall is to keep away terrorists – not necessarily from Mexico – who might try to infiltrate the U.S. through its southern border.

“I think the media has spun it in a way to make him look like he’s anti-immigrant, so I think it’s more their fault and how they’ve made him look than what he’s trying to do,’’ Madson said. “I don’t think he’s doing it in a way to be a Zionist. He’s not trying to seal us off from the world. He’s trying to just slow down or stop as much as he can what’s been happening here in America with the terrorists.’’

Re: Kimbrel

-- as mentioned by KM, every Boston reliever pitched the day before, two of their best had pitched the sixth through eighth, and David Price was next in line to relieve.

-- they wanted to give Kimbrel some easy work with a big lead to keep him sharp (at least that was the intention).

(xpost) True of Kimbrel, also, and he's more crucial than anyone else you're going to overwork. I would have sent Pomeranz out and given him a baserunner, possibly two. I know he had a lousy year, but he's presumably on the roster for a reason, for mop-up duty at least. Last night was mop-up duty.

Anyway, thanks to Devers, it worked. And if Kimbrel pitches today and pitches well, then no harm done.

re: the decision to pull Hill in the 7th, this quote from Roberts seems relevant:

“I had a conversation with Rich, and we talked about it. He said ‘Keep an eye on me. I’m going to give it everything I have. Let’s go hitter to hitter and just keep an eye on me.’ So right there, I know Rich did everything he could, competed, left everything out there” (https://deadspin.com/dave-roberts-helped-the-red-sox-grind-the-dodgers-into-1830056080)

according to Roberts, Hill said that during the bottom of the 6th (maybe during a mound visit? i didn't see the game)

btw Price starts tonight, not Sale (who may be hurt worse than let on?)

I think that guy used to play for the Blue Jays.

Keith Law to the contrary, Kershaw remains pretty damn erratic in the post-season. A few great starts, yes, but every time you think he's turned the corner, you're reminded that he hasn't.

1st pitch nice

you broke my heart in 2011 Freese, maybe you can do it to beantown

'turning the corner' must be like Learning to Handle Postseason Pressure

these condescending PLAY BALL promo spots on the radio are both annoying and out of season in the Northeast

No, "turning the corner" would be consistently pitching well. Complicated, I know.

he just lacks character

Nice to see Price get past that--I remember him unraveling with Toronto (against the Rangers, I think) after a playoff error in right field.

As always, you have to caricature. I haven't said or even remotely implied anything of the sort. I know you like things simple: Clayton Kershaw is a great pitcher, therefore he must be a great pitcher in the postseason, not someone who's a sometimes puzzling mixture of great and not-great. Bryce Harper is an incredibly talented player at his best, therefore he must be a great player even when he's hitting .240, not a great player having a poor season. The gray area, and being able to hold two contradictory thoughts in your mind at the same time--I know that's not your thing.

needed to cash that runner.... but it's a good thing Machado didnt hit that fly

It's funny how you're certain there's no mental component to it.

xps

not puzzling, clem, u just gotta cling to causation

the 'narrative' jazzbos are CONVINCED he's a choker, of course

cuz it's just gotta be

fwiw Harper had a well above average season in terms of offensive production (albeit not to his full potential). His defense dragged his overall value way down this year.

cling to causation

What does this even mean? What cause was implied by talking about turning a corner?

u just gotta cling to causation

Again, I implied nothing of the sort. I observed that his post-season pitching has been erratic. Didn't speculate on the why of it at all. It's you who clings to your one rhetorical trick: take one of the old myths that 40 years of sabermetrics has shown to be specious at best and pin it on someone for no other reason that that's what you do.

Buck Martinez called J.D. Martinez's hit a "hand-job."