Series Thread: Rangers and Orioles Battle in the ALCS in a Best of Five Matchup October 7-13

[DT LUNA]

They need to find a way to get creative without Chapman in there….they got lucky and got out of it today but that won’t happen often when you put yourself in the hole, he put them in, in the 8th.

I said earlier today we were lucky to win with Sborz and Chapman.

 

[Bmurph]

As far as Bochy playing Grossman goes, all I can think of is Bochy is superstitious and doesn't want to change anything as long as they are winning.

Play him but don’t bat him 3rd for crying out loud

 

[Bmurph]

Watching a replay and Gunnar had a great jump. Nice job by Heim to throw him out.

Watching live I saw his jump and thought he got 2nd pretty easy. That was a big time throw from Jonah…

 

[saddles]

If, and I know it is a big "if," the Rangers make it to the World Series, we can have home field advantage if either the Phillies or the Diamondbacks are in it.

So far so good. The Diamondbacks are up 7-0 early, and the Phillies have already win.

 

[saddles]

 

[Bmurph]

D Backs up 9-0 in the 2nd….Corbin Carroll is a stud too.

 

[DT LUNA]

Watching live I saw his jump and thought he got 2nd pretty easy. That was a big time throw from Jonah…

I believe it was a game changer.

 

[saddles]

That's very telling. Lol

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

The offense has to get going.

Semien…

If he can get it going, this whole thing gets going. Especially with the bottom of the order producing as they are. He really could kick this offense into another gear.

 

[saddles]

Semien…

If he can get it going, this whole thing gets going. Especially with the bottom of the order producing as they are. He really could kick this offense into another gear.

Imagine if Semien and Garver are hitting.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Kershaw didn't even make it out of the 1st inning.

 

[WilltheThrill]

As I used to try to tell people who loved Ron Washington back in 2011- managers can do very little to win games but quite a lot to lose them. The 2011 Rangers won a LOT in spite of Ron Washington’s comically bad decisions.

The current Rangers are doing the same thing. Managers can’t go out there and hit the ball for us. They can’t execute pitches to shut down the opponent. But they ABSOLUTELY determine which players play and which don’t. And the manager’s job is to put his team in the best position to win. Bochy far too often does not do this. In fact, he makes it more difficult.

Robbie Grossman has done absolutely nothing to warrant batting 3rd in the playoffs, and he certainly hasn’t done anything since the playoffs began to prove Bochy right in leaving him there. It defies all logic to have a platoon guy who was ice cold in September (.100 avg) and who is batting just over .100 to continue to serve as the #3 hitter.

Same goes for his handling of the pitching. They managed to escape with a win today, but it was by the skin of their teeth thanks to the pitchers Bochy used and when he used them. He HAS to learn that his bullpen flat out sucks. They are to be used as little as humanly possible. But there goes Bochy, removing Dunning very early with more than 3 innings left to go. That cannot continue. We won’t get away with that on most days. The starters and long relievers need to pitch almost the entire game, with MAYBE 1-2 innings at most of guys like Leclerc and Stratton coming in. Trusting the likes of Will Smith and Josh Sborz to hold a lead is just illogical, and there is mountains of data to back that up.

Bochy needs to put his best hitters in the lineup, his best pitchers on the mound, and then get out of the way. Stop featuring our worst players. Less Grossman, more Garver. Less Smith, more Stratton. It’s not rocket science.

 

[Bmurph]

That's very telling. Lol

4 now with a HR

 

[Bmurph]

As I used to try to tell people who loved Ron Washington back in 2011- managers can do very little to win games but quite a lot to lose them. The 2011 Rangers won a LOT in spite of Ron Washington’s comically bad decisions.

The current Rangers are doing the same thing. Managers can’t go out there and hit the ball for us. They can’t execute pitches to shut down the opponent. But they ABSOLUTELY determine which players play and which don’t. And the manager’s job is to put his team in the best position to win. Bochy far too often does not do this. In fact, he makes it more difficult.

Robbie Grossman has done absolutely nothing to warrant batting 3rd in the playoffs, and he certainly hasn’t done anything since the playoffs began to prove Bochy right in leaving him there. It defies all logic to have a platoon guy who was ice cold in September (.100 avg) and who is batting just over .100 to continue to serve as the #3 hitter.

Same goes for his handling of the pitching. They managed to escape with a win today, but it was by the skin of their teeth thanks to the pitchers Bochy used and when he used them. He HAS to learn that his bullpen flat out sucks. They are to be used as little as humanly possible. But there goes Bochy, removing Dunning very early with more than 3 innings left to go. That cannot continue. We won’t get away with that on most days. The starters and long relievers need to pitch almost the entire game, with MAYBE 1-2 innings at most of guys like Leclerc and Stratton coming in. Trusting the likes of Will Smith and Josh Sborz to hold a lead is just illogical, and there is mountains of data to back that up.

Bochy needs to put his best hitters in the lineup, his best pitchers on the mound, and then get out of the way. Stop featuring our worst players. Less Grossman, more Garver. Less Smith, more Stratton. It’s not rocket science.

Some really asinine decisions

 

[Kelleyman]

Lol even Baltimore has not respected thre Heandawg
He has pitched well the last few outings. Maybe just being a team player now is more important than any respect issue

 

[redskinsfan1963]

seems most of the favorites but houston lost.hate like hell to see the astros win it again,but if they do so what?

 

[Kelleyman]

Seriously… did Mitch Garver kick Bochy’s dog or something? He was one of the better hitters on the team in September, now he can’t get off the bench in the postseason.

I would hope he is starting today and do like him at 3. I do no want Seager and Carter back to back

 

[Kelleyman]

Bochy is not only nuts, he is lucky too.

Maybe some baseball magic happening with our new mix

 

[Kelleyman]

Sborz when on has real nasty stuff. I can barley watch when Chapman pitches and LeClerc may have gotten bailed by Heim.

Point is our relievers are all flawed but somehow we skate through.
Bichy is dancing with the ones that got us to the dance. You can’t override your starters as frail as they are and it looks like game 4 may be pieced together. Going to take a team pitching effort to get through this. I just hope he has short leashes when needed

 

[Kelleyman]

Offensively it was offensively how goes Semien so goes the Rangers but now Carter is in the mix things after different

This new blood has infused the Rangers and there is more to come. So awesome to see this

Do hope Bochy tweaks the lineup. Maybe Jung up a bit. No idea except hope Gsrver DHs