The 2016 World Series thread.
keets
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This will sort of be a "designer" thread, very limited in scope and of short duration!!! 
The Indians have named their starters for the first three games, Kluber/Bauer/Tomlin. I was a little surprised, I thought they'd push Bauer back as far as they could for extra days of healing on that finger, choosing to use Merritt again. An added bonus if you're a Cleveland fan is that Salazar will probably be ready to start in Game 5.
Has anyone heard anything about who the Cubs plan to start??
Al H.
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Not unless Maddon blurted it out while sleeping, but the announcement comes later today. Likely Jon Lester in Game 1, Arrieta Game 2, Hendricks Game 3, Lackey Game 4, rewind.....
Seems strange this concept of a solid pitching rotation, but here they are, so can they stop a group of hitters that makes a lot of contact? This will be a much tougher test than L.A.
you're right about "contact" hitters which is what makes the AL playoffs weird: with all the talk about the power hitters for Boston and Toronto it was those "contact" hitters for Cleveland who actually had the HR's. I posted it somewhere else, but I think it was Jimmy Rollins on a TBS post-game who commented that the other clubs have power hitters that also make good contact, the Indians have contact hitters that have power.
I think it's a combination of the pitcher making a mistake and the hitters guessing right. players at this level and time of year really make the pitchers pay, I think that was what happened with CK on Saturday. with an extra day or two of rest he might have had more giddy-up and movement on his pitches. he pitched well but wasn't sharp. the same thing happened to Kluber in Game 4 vs. Toronto and he paid for it.
to your point of solid pitching rotation, that was Cleveland until September 9th when the wheels came off!! I can't believe the train is still rolling down the tracks.
Indeed. And I found a reason to support the notion that they are currently the American League's finest team, however, I now hope and expect them to eventually be Major League Baseball's second finest team.
Schwarber in the lineup as a DH for game 1.
One of those wait and see the results type of moves.
First reaction is WHAT!!
But Heyward is out so not much loss there.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
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here we go, baby!!! this will be a good game and a good series between two pretty good Teams. as for the fans of each Team, it is sort of sad that one city will have to wait.
Boy, if all the pitchers for Cleveland are as good as this guy.......the Cubs are in TROUBLE!!!!
This guy is nasty!
Kluber is terrific but there's a dropoff after him whereas Chicago has three bonafide aces. Long way to finish.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Boy, the Cubs blew a BIG chance there! Bases loaded and no outs.......and no score.......geeze!!!!!!
I think that game can be summed up by the at bat of Contreras --- down 6-0 in the 9th inning and he hits a nice ball, flips his bat to show up the pitcher and then the ball is almost caught. what a jerk!!!
Game 1 goes to the Tribe and I'm sure many who watched are surprised: you shouldn't be. this is the way the Team played during the season and in the first two rounds of the playoffs, solid baseball and underestimated by the media and fans who aren't familiar with them. it might not be beautiful the way they scrap out runs but they win.
as for a "drop off" in their rotation I would expect that there won't be a "drop off" in the number of curve balls and hard sliders that the rest of the staff throws. the Cubs suffer from the same thing the Red Sox and the Blue Jays did, they get stuck looking dead red. also, I hope no one starts to complain about the strike zone because the plate umpire was calling it the same for both Teams. he seemed wide to his right but was OK aside from that. the batters adjust or they go back to the dugout and think about it.
no telling where the rest of the Series goes, but unlike the game announcers I don't see it as advantage Cubs right now as they said after the game. I would call it even and if the Indians can win tomorrow the Cubs are in trouble.
I don't think many are surprised by the game 1 outcome. I know I'm surprised by Roberto Perez hitting not one but two homers. Now I will be surprised if the Cubs lose game two. I don't think Cubs hitters will be shut out from Trevor Bauers. How effective will Andrew Miller be tomorrow or if he even pitches? On the flip side, which Jake Arrieta will show up?
Contreras went to twitter after game to apologize.
"I apologize to the fans from both sides I didn't meant to disrespect My Team @Cubs and The game.!! I Promise It Won't Happen Again."
I also was not surprised by the outcome of game one. I did think it was going to be a much closer game than a blowout but the Indians played a complete game on both sides. I give them alot of credit. I'm not too worried about game two. There is alot of fight in this Cubs team and they will come back and compete. I do think Arrieta will have to be better than his last two postseason games though.
of course I'm an Indians fan, so no one should be surprised by my comments. what I will say is that I try to be objective about what is going on and don't fool myself about what I think will happen. the facts tend to present themselves and work out the truth of what has taken place.
last night was no fluke.
with that simple statement I will agree with Jeremy that I think the Cubs will come back and compete but there is a fact that needs to be acknowledged about the Indians --- Cleveland is now 8-1 in the 2016 Playoffs and four of those games have been shut-outs!! think about that for a moment and then think about grote's comment about a "dropoff" from Kluber to the rest of the staff.
I have a hard time understanding how and why it's happening, that the Indians have been able to get this far with what they have left. a large part of it starts with Francona and I think that trickles down through the players to what happens on the field. it ends up being a case where the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. I expect that Trevor Bauer will pick up the ball today and show people his heart, lay everything he has in the only game he might pitch. I also expect everyone in the bull pen to be ready to work on short notice. that will mean Tito will probably end up calling guys like Macallister, Otero, Shaw, Miller and Allen to finish what Bauer starts.
and as good as the Cubs rotation might be I wouldn't expect that the Indians hitters will be intimidated. they will work the count and put the ball in play, run when they can and take advantage of mistakes if any are made.
I will leave it to others to describe what the Cubs might do, I don't know the Team that well.
Game 1 was a good game. The Cubs had their chances and didn't get it done. The Indians played good and got it done. They deserve the win.
Cubs need to win game 2. I don't think they can get down 2 to the Indians and expect to win the series.
I thought the piece on the 102 and 104 year old ladies was neat. Too bad one of them will still be heart broken.
The Mets also had three bonafide aces last year against the Royals. I think we remember what happened.
Indians are the same sort of scrappy team as KC, and they've got Andrew Miller to even things up.
That's why I said it's a long way to the finish. With the starting pitching the Cubs have, I'm not panicking after one game vs their ace.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
last night was a good example of why records get thrown out the window in a short series. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard my dad tell me about the 1954 World Series. I ate lunch with my parents Tuesday afternoon and we were joking about the Rookie that was playing in centerfield for the Giants that year and how the Indians had 111 wins.
things don't always go as scripted. in a 7-game series like this and enough off days for rest it is reasonable to assume that dominance which would be a factor during the regular season is diminished. also, players react and play differently which is why we see results like what Roberto Perez had yesterday. MLB history is full of Championships where the "Best Team" doesn't win and otherwise average players stand head and shoulders above their more talented peers.
that's what makes it so much fun and accounts for my land-line phone bill being higher than usual!!
Great game, IMO. Despite the score, knowing what the Cubbies are capable of, it didn't feel it was close to over until out #3 of the 9th
If they don't stop Lindor's coming out party it could be a problem. He continues to drive that club emotionally, physically and mentally. Cubs power means they will need to hit some bombs. I like their chances against Bauer - if he hangs a couple belt high they will pounce. The managers should get busier tonight.
The Cubbies are just fine. They'll be smooching Uncle Mo again after they win tonight.
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
If your Cubbies do go down 0-2 don't despair. 20 years ago the Braves went up 2-0 at Yankee Stadium and still didn't win.
Reading the box score in the newspaper today I was surprised at the attendance figure. Was 7000 short of a sellout. 37+ k. Capacity 45+k. No show ticket holders or?
not sure, but I don't think the capacity is 45k. it used to be around 42-43k but they did some major renovations during the last off-season and it probably stole some seats.
just now, a quick online check shows the capacity at 35,225 which sounds right. last Friday they placed some extra SRO seats on sale which is probably how it got up to 37k.
Just seeing this matchup creates more interest and helps MLB. Looking back at the beginning of the season, who would have predicted this matchup??
I have always considered Washington an Americam League town. And it still seems strange that Washington has an NL team and has not hosted a World Series since 1933.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Judging by crowd reaction/noise, when the Cubs get a hit/score there sure is alot of crowd cheering for them. Wonder just how many Cub fans are at this game. Seems like close to half judging by the cheering noise for them. Did Cleveland ticket holders sell many of their tickets for the quick profit to Cub fans?
I'm liking game 2 a lot more than game 1.
the Cubs have been much more patient in this game and the result has been Cleveland pitchers trying to nibble at the corners. I've seen them do this before and it's very frustrating. add to that Arietta being hot and Ben Zobrist being lights out and the result is a 1-1 tie and heading to Chicago.
the only opportunity Cleveland has had thus far was in the first, Ramirez almost got it.
The dropoff from Kluber is apparent tonight.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I like the earlier 1 hour start. I realize it's weather related, nonetheless I would like to see it done more.
as bad as the game has been for Cleveland it is only at 5-1. to be honest, I don't think the Cubs really hit the ball as well as it appears --- there have been eight walks and two errors from Cleveland. for all that Chicago has stranded 13 to this point.
Hard to spin 8 walks and 9 hits in any kind of positive light, though. I suppose the score could be worse.
I still believe Chicago will win this series in 6 games, but as I said last night, there's still much baseball to be played.
Schwarber hasn't missed a beat, has he? LOL..
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Friday will be insane.
my dilemma is how to listen to games 3-4. a pre-planned trip to the Cabin means I won't know what happens(ed) in those games until Sunday afternoon.
Yeah, that's right. I'm quoting myself.
Amazing at bats given his situation.
Never would have believed that he'd be productive.
The media is/will beat this to death which takes the spotlight away from other good stories on both sides.
Next up......how to get him in the lineup at Wrigley.
It's not like the Cubs were dog-meat without him though.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
I was wondering that too. Without the DH they will be losing a big bat.
Josh Tomlin gives up alot of homers. The wind Friday is supposed to be blowing out at Wrigley. The Cubs are very good when this happens. I believe the 19 games that the wind blew out at Wrigley this year they were 15-4. Kyle Hendricks is a ground ball contact pitcher and was 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA at home. Advantage Cubs game 3. So what I'm saying is do we really need to risk playing Kyle Schwarber on defense. I say pinch hit only game 3.
I agree. The Cubs are best served saving Schwarber for a late game pinch hitting role. He has no business playing LF at this point. It's not like they struggled this season without him.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Exactly. Schwarber was awful in LF when he was healthy. Now he has a brace on that leg, he has no reps out in the field and you would think he be very limited going left to right. Mentally and physically it's not the right thing to do. Like you said Grote, they did just fine without him. Why risk it? Should be a no brainer.
Is he even cleared to play the field?
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
He was coy about it when interviewed by Rosenthal after Game 2 but the impression I got was that he is not a viable candidate for playing the field.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I agree.......I would pitch hit him only.
Just saw tonight that he has not been medically cleared to play the field so that takes care of that.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Woo, what a game.
That's some quality pitching by the tribe.
Edit: Actually quality on both sides. 1-0 with no extra base hits.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
Cubs are in trouble. Down 2-1 and have to face that tuff guy 2 more times.
I hear the fat lady tuning up.
Good Series, I'm neutral as a fan. Pulling for the Indians just because I've visited the city numerous times before and have never been to Chicago.
DM, you always throw in the towel at the first sign of adversity, LOL..
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
He acts like Tony Romo is pitching tonight. FWIW the Cubs are favored tonight.
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Not throwing in towel.......just stating the facts. Plus more importantly.....Cub HISTORY!
This is starting to look like the Cubbies of old!
Cleveland is rolling....... Man I've seen them do this a lot this year. Everything coming together now
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Why aren't the CUB fans who catch a Cleveland HR ball not throwing the ball back onto the field? That is their custom.