October 22, 20196 yr So you more rational (or irrational) fans - why are the Astros so much better? Seems that the Nationals have an equal/better starting rotation, hitting has been much better in playoffs. Bullpen is slightly worse than ours but not saying much. They have the best current hitter (Rendon) and a bunch of guys who do their job.
October 22, 20196 yr If our hitters continue to stumble along and theirs keep coming up big in clutch situations, yes, we'll have trouble winning the series. But we have far more proven weapons in more places through our lineup. So if things are reasonably "normal," we should outscore them. I think there's also a belief we have an edge psychologically, given how many of our veterans have records of recent playoff success. That edge presumably also extends to the manager. Throw in the "rust" factor (real or not) for the Nats and HFA for the Astros and we're a really solid pick on paper. Obligatory caveat: They obviously won't play any of these games on paper, so don't quote me. Edited October 22, 20196 yr by Gut Wagon
October 22, 20196 yr 2 hours ago, IDIOTsavant said: Also, the 2 named corroborating journalists are from NY. The "Chronicle" reporter Hunter Atkins was one of them. He didn't even write the story on this ordeal FOR the Chronicle. Chandler Rome did. Just a whole lot of weird in this situation. http://www.hunteratkins.com/ Chandler Rome is that sniveling little shit bag that wrote a hit piece on Osuna comparing him to a rapist then left it as his top story for months. Color me shocked he wrote this.
October 22, 20196 yr 28 minutes ago, Teddyballgame said: Grienke has not looked great with plenty of rest. Hopefully he gets on track and is a better pitcher with out extended time off. He looked pretty damn good after the 1st in his last start. I thought AJ had an unnecessarily quick hook.
October 22, 20196 yr 49 minutes ago, HoustonFrog said: So you more rational (or irrational) fans - why are the Astros so much better? Seems that the Nationals have an equal/better starting rotation, hitting has been much better in playoffs. Bullpen is slightly worse than ours but not saying much. They have the best current hitter (Rendon) and a bunch of guys who do their job. They have 4 quality bats: Rendon, Soto, Kendrick, and Turner. We have 7 quality bats when Yordan is hitting and 6 if he's not. And we hit significantly more doubles and homers. They've hit better in the playoffs, but they've also had a week to cool off. And a new series could be a complete reset for our offense. I expect much better going forward. Our starters are only a slight edge over theirs, but it is an edge. Roughly: Cole > Scherzer, JV > Strasburg, Greinke = Corbin. Game 4 is the only one where they figure to have an advantage on the mound. Out bullpen is adequate, while their bullpen is an absolute disaster. It's possible that none of this plays out in our favor, but we're a pretty solid favorite on paper. Edited October 22, 20196 yr by TexArcher
October 22, 20196 yr 20 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said: What the ever living fuck? Just fire Taubman now. How can you be *that* stupid? Overexhuberent support for a player who blew a save? I mean he needed to be overexhuberent over Altuve.
October 22, 20196 yr This Taubman guy is obviously a complete fuckin dumb ass and probably should not hold the job he currently has if that is how he behaves. But Game 1 of the World Series starts tonight and the fact that this has been such a widely reported and circulated story is a joke. Not sure "person was a dumb ass" should be that big of a story. The guy did something stupid, he acted like a jack ass, who cares?
October 22, 20196 yr 58 minutes ago, HoustonFrog said: So you more rational (or irrational) fans - why are the Astros so much better? Seems that the Nationals have an equal/better starting rotation, hitting has been much better in playoffs. Bullpen is slightly worse than ours but not saying much. They have the best current hitter (Rendon) and a bunch of guys who do their job. The 25 man roster for the Astros accumulated 69.5 WAR on the season. The Nationals 52.7. If both teams bring their A games the Astros have the much better lineup and bullpen. When adding up the 4 starting pitchers that took the most starts for both teams, both groups had 21.5 WAR. Edited October 22, 20196 yr by HtownHorn
October 22, 20196 yr 5 hours ago, Gut Wagon said: (National media) "You know what we should do? We should try to drum up some controversy to push during the World Series. Otherwise, millions will simply want to watch a bunch of future Hall of Famers face off for the title, which serves no political purpose." The Houston Chronicle seems to be at the middle of this.
October 22, 20196 yr Astros Advantage Against Breaking Balls Could be Key By Jay Jaffee Strong pitching — aided, perhaps, by a less lively baseball — has been the predominant story of this postseason, and given the pair of rotations lined up for the the World Series, it may well continue to be. The Nationals’ Max Scherzer and the Astros’ Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke own five Cy Young awards between them, and all are likely bound for the Hall of Fame someday. If Verlander doesn’t win this year’s AL Cy Young award, teammate Gerrit Cole quite likely will, and both Scherzer and his teammate Stephen Strasburg are contenders for the NL award (though they may take a back seat to Jacob deGrom). Oh, and if that’s not enough talent, the Nationals’ Patrick Corbin, who signed last winter’s largest free agent contract, and Aníbal Sánchez, who took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of the NLCS opener against the Cardinals, are here as well. As Craig Edwards wrote, this is one of the greatest pairings of rotations for the Fall Classic since at least 1947. With that out of the way, a few additional thoughts about pitching, starting and otherwise, as Game 1 approaches. Breaking Stuff Could Be the Key As with the ALCS against the Yankees, the Astros appear to have an edge on the Nationals when it comes to matching up against certain pitch types. In terms of pitchers’ wOBAs allowed, the two teams are actually very close except for one pitch type: Pitcher wOBA Allowed by Pitch Type Pitch FF FF 95+ FT/SI CU SL CH Astros .346 .298 .343 .257 .221 .252 Nationals .349 .295 .374 .267 .237 .241 MLB Avg .359 .324 .361 .281 .278 .290 SOURCE: Baseball Savant This will be a series of hellacious sliders, given that the Astros and Nationals ranked first and second in terms of lowest wOBAs allowed on the pitch; good luck hitting those of Verlander (.164, the majors’ lowest mark), Scherzer (.169, second-lowest), Corbin (.202, sixth-lowest), or Cole (.224, 13th-lowest). Likewise, the Nationals had the majors’ second-lowest mark and the Astros the fourth-lowest on changeups, with Strasburg (an MLB-low .190), Greinke (.224, fifth-lowest), Sánchez (.271, 23rd-lowest), and Scherzer (.286, 28th-lowest) the ones to watch out for. Greinke was the majors’ best when it came to curves (.179), with Strasburg (.202, fifth) and Verlander (.222, sixth) near the head of the class. The biggest difference here is on two-seamers and sinkers, which Baseball Savant tracks separately; I’ve grouped them, as Pitch Info does. Corbin (.338) and Strasburg (.342) were still better than average with the offering; the former throws his nearly 35% of the time, the latter about half that, and Sánchez (.387) just under 10%. Greinke, the only Astros starter who ever throws the pitch with any real frequency, did so just 6.5% of the time (including his work with the Diamondbacks), and it got tattooed (.458 wOBA), though it’s a key offering from relievers Joe Smith (32.3%) and Brad Peacock (30.7%). Turning to the hitters: Hitter wOBA Against by Pitch Type Hit FF FF 95+ FT/SI CU SL CH Astros .389 .326 .382 .325 .343 .307 Nationals .358 .332 .419 .274 .273 .312 MLB Avg .359 .324 .361 .281 .278 .290 SOURCE: Baseball Savant The Nationals punished the aforementioned sinkers at the majors’ most proficient clip, so if Greinke keeps that pitch in his pocket, that advantage will be neutralized. Astros hitters were the majors’ second-best against four-seam fastballs, while the Nationals ranked just 17th in that category, though on the ones that registered 95 mph or higher — most notably the province of Scherzer (.187 against on such pitches), Strasburg (.220), Verlander (.253), Cole (.257), and relievers Sean Doolittle (.190), Roberto Osuna (.302), Hector Rondon (.329), Daniel Hudson (.333), Ryan Pressly (.334), and Josh James (.334) — Washington was slightly better. It appears they’re likely to face more of them, particularly in the late innings. That said, Astros hitters George Springer (.558), Alex Bregman (.478), and Jose Altuve (.411) were all better at the high-velo stuff than any Nationals regular, with Juan Soto (.392), Howie Kendrick (.373), and Anthony Rendon (.370) leading the team. The big difference, and I think one of the major keys to the series, is that the Nationals just don’t match up very well when it comes to the breaking stuff, ranking 17th against sliders (the Astros were first) and 19th against curves (the Astros were third). As noted, the Astros can offer some of the majors’ elites in that area, and very few Nationals hit well against such pitches: Nationals Hitters Against Breaking Pitches Player wOBA vs SL wOBA vs CU Anthony Rendon .358 .331 Howie Kendrick .344 .415 Ryan Zimmerman .330 .067 Kurt Suzuki .299 .234 Brian Dozier .280 .070 Michael A. Taylor .273 .263 Victor Robles .265 .456 Juan Soto .262 .420 Trea Turner .261 .338 Adam Eaton .250 .319 Yan Gomes .232 .238 SOURCE: Baseball Savant Some of the Nationals did at least do well against curves, but some are particularly vulnerable. By comparison, most of the Astros are at least competent on sliders, and some of them feast. Likewise on curves: Astros Hitters Against Breaking Pitches Player wOBA vs SL wOBA vs CU Yordan Alvarez .458 .256 George Springer .457 .383 Martin Maldonado .399 .000 Jake Marisnick .368 .312 Alex Bregman .366 .471 Josh Reddick .366 .373 Michael Brantley .361 .301 Yuli Gurriel .329 .380 Jose Altuve .323 .248 Robinson Chirinos .285 .410 Carlos Correa .280 .307 SOURCE: Baseball Savant This is definitely something to watch as the series progresses. Starting Pitching Is Back in Style
October 22, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, HoustonFrog said: So you more rational (or irrational) fans - why are the Astros so much better? Seems that the Nationals have an equal/better starting rotation, hitting has been much better in playoffs. Bullpen is slightly worse than ours but not saying much. They have the best current hitter (Rendon) and a bunch of guys who do their job. Astros are a fairly heavy favorite to win the series at -230. Vegas disagrees with your perceived advantages.
October 22, 20196 yr 36 minutes ago, justinjc7 said: This Taubman guy is obviously a complete fuckin dumb ass and probably should not hold the job he currently has if that is how he behaves. But Game 1 of the World Series starts tonight and the fact that this has been such a widely reported and circulated story is a joke. Not sure "person was a dumb ass" should be that big of a story. The guy did something stupid, he acted like a jack ass, who cares? If the Astros hadn't sent out that release calling the SI article fiction, this wouldn't be a story any more: Edited October 22, 20196 yr by Beau Vine
October 22, 20196 yr 2 minutes ago, Beau Vine said: If the Astros hadn't sent out that release calling the SI article fiction, this wouldn't be a story any more: Yep. If the statements issues today had come last night, the only takeaway would be, "that dude kinda seems like a douche." But the official team statement, followed by the completely contradictory statements today, are only fanning the flames. I don't know if Taubman needs to be fired, but the PR person who was in charge last night certainly needs to be.
October 22, 20196 yr Most amazing part of this story is that this must be the only time any Astros fan anywhere has ever uttered the words “Thank God we got Osuna.”
October 22, 20196 yr 3 minutes ago, Welch said: Most amazing part of this story is that this must be the only time any Astros fan anywhere has ever uttered the words “Thank God we got Osuna.” Disagree.
October 22, 20196 yr 40 minutes ago, Beau Vine said: The Houston Chronicle seems to be at the middle of this. To be fair the Houston Chronicle is a trash paper that wishes it was national media. Pretty much the same mindset. Edited October 22, 20196 yr by Alvin89 Spelling
October 22, 20196 yr 1 minute ago, Beau Vine said: Disagree. My recollection is that we framed that more like, “Thank god Kenny G is gone.” I don’t remember people celebrating the Osuna part.
October 22, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, HoustonFrog said: So you more rational (or irrational) fans - why are the Astros so much better? Seems that the Nationals have an equal/better starting rotation, hitting has been much better in playoffs. Bullpen is slightly worse than ours but not saying much. They have the best current hitter (Rendon) and a bunch of guys who do their job. It may seem that way to you, but if you’re truly looking at it rationally, the Astros bullpen and offense are significantly better. The rotation is the only place that’s even. Houston has the best offense since the 1927 Yankees. The Nats have a 103 wRC+ as a team-basically, league average. Despite the handwringing about the Astros bullpen, they are 3rd in ERA and 1st in xFIP. Washington is next to last in both categories-their bullpen is a tire fire. These are not small advantages. Edited October 22, 20196 yr by formermav43
October 22, 20196 yr 3 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said: Regular season stats don't mean much anymore
October 22, 20196 yr 5 minutes ago, Jshep34 said: Parked next to fox sports trailers also Is Smoltz in there? Set snares.
October 22, 20196 yr I remember posting when we traded for Osuna that no one would give any fucks about him being a woman beater when he is recording the last out of the WS. Thanks for fucking that up Taubman
October 22, 20196 yr Finally someone from the Astros says the right thing: Edited October 22, 20196 yr by Seasick Sailor
October 22, 20196 yr 9 minutes ago, Pimphand said: Regular season stats don't mean much anymore This is silly.
October 22, 20196 yr Is Smoltz in there? Set snares. There are autograph hounds out by wherr they come in. Homeless guy tried to sneak in to use porta potties
October 22, 20196 yr 2 hours ago, HoustonFrog said: So you more rational (or irrational) fans - why are the Astros so much better? Seems that the Nationals have an equal/better starting rotation, hitting has been much better in playoffs. Bullpen is slightly worse than ours but not saying much. They have the best current hitter (Rendon) and a bunch of guys who do their job. We had the third best bullpen in MLB. They just out-bullpenned the vaunted NYY bullpen, too. Our bullpen is a big advantage.
October 22, 20196 yr Hinch nailed it as lundhow’s top man and someone even being mentioned for the Red Sox job, you have to know better. He knew what was he doing Edited October 22, 20196 yr by tx 3 putt
October 22, 20196 yr 12 minutes ago, Jshep34 said: 24 minutes ago, Gut Wagon said: Is Smoltz in there? Set snares. There are autograph hounds out by wherr they come in. Homeless guy tried to sneak in to use porta potties Some collateral damage is acceptable in the fight for freedom from Smoltz.
October 22, 20196 yr 18 minutes ago, Jshep34 said: 30 minutes ago, Gut Wagon said: Is Smoltz in there? Set snares. There are autograph hounds out by wherr they come in. Homeless guy tried to sneak in to use porta potties He probably ran away when he got a whiff of the Joe Buck that Smoltz left in there.
October 22, 20196 yr 51 minutes ago, Jshep34 said: Parked next to fox sports trailers also Did you piss on it?
October 22, 20196 yr Oh for fuck's sake! He didn't say anything that should "frighten" a strong, confident, feminist sports reporter who feels entitled to be in a men's locker room. If those women were offended and "frightened" by some business office buffoon saying he's glad we have the best closer in baseball, then they shouldn't be in the fucking locker room. "I'm glad we got Osuna" wouldn't have "frightened" Ann Richards, it wouldn't have "frightened" Barbara Jordan and it wouldn't have "frightened" my grandmother. Why does everyone have to be a victim these days? Grow a pair gals! You're embarrassing yourselves. (If necessary, please move to the Unpopular Opinions thread.)
October 22, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, CurlyDumps said: Astros are a fairly heavy favorite to win the series at -230. Vegas disagrees with your perceived advantages. While I agree the Astros will win, I think -230 is ridiculous. That's not a good value bet especially given how the two teams have been playing recently. I have the Astros winning at +190 but I made that bet pre-playoffs.
October 22, 20196 yr 58 minutes ago, Scraps said: I remember posting when we traded for Osuna that no one would give any fucks about him being a woman beater when he is recording the last out of the WS. Thanks for fucking that up Taubman This will be out of the news cycle by then.
October 22, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, Seasick Sailor said: Finally someone from the Astros says the right thing: Exactly. This is the only type of statement that should have been released. Say the right thing to make it go away (because this should NOT be the story right now) and rip Taubman a new one in public and in private.
October 22, 20196 yr Lulz the national media already painting us as the bad guys huh. Huge surprise. We need a huge hurricane just to get positive news coverage? All over again
October 22, 20196 yr Biggest game of the season is tonight. Come out fast and dont let up. Let your nuts hang, we need everyone's best. Even 3Putts. Let's fucking go. About to start drinking, too
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