Ned Yost pulls their best pitcher after a cheap hit, a tough at bat leading to a walk, and 85 pitches. What?

bringing in Ventura on a days rest after he threw 70+ pitches is pretty stupid

I just don't get the thought process. Realistically was Shields' lost game in uniform coming into tonight, and he pulls him after 5+. I just cannot understand.

KC dug themselves too big of a hole but at least they made a game out of it

It's been an epic game thus far. Fuck me, I love baseball.

lol A's

Game's been really good so far.

Sit The Fuck Down

the A's of's colliding on that play to allow the triple and eventual tying run was hillarious

Dipshit A's fans in the crowd smiling at losing the lead. Why go to Kansas City and not root for your team?

We lost the lead :D

<font color=goldenrod>What a game. Whoever loses this is going to be in for a brutally long winter.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>What an incredible game. That's one I'll always file away for people who say baseball is boring.</font>

Great fucking game. Royals take their manager off the hook for a loss. Instant classic this game was.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ROYALS?src=hash">#ROYALS</a>.</p>&mdash; Matt Fraser (@TheMattFraser9) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMattFraser9/status/517175571705372672">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<font color=goldenrod>Can't even imagine being an A's fan right now. Went from the best team in baseball and going all-in getting Lester and Samardzija, to having an atrocious second half and completely backing their way into the last playoff spot, to then losing their one playoff game in heartbreaking fashion.

Lester's a goner this offseason, but on the plus side their pitching should still be boss as Samardzija and Kazmir have another year left on their deals to go along with Gray.</font>

fuck off

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Fake <a href="https://twitter.com/OaklandAs">@OaklandAs</a> fans smiling as they lose the lead in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wildcardgame?src=hash">#wildcardgame</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB">@mlb</a> <a href="http://t.co/ag6TJnDGLs">pic.twitter.com/ag6TJnDGLs</a></p>&mdash; Ryan Damon (@rdamon1982) <a href="https://twitter.com/rdamon1982/status/517174661185282048">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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if the braves didn't epic collapse and the d-backs didn't flat out suck I would have nailed this

You should have known the Dbacks would flat out suck but good picking.

sucks I didn't predict out the playoffs though.

Phenomenal game

hard to imagine Giants/Pirates being better but..it should be a good game

rooting for the Pirates so I can get cheap game 2 tickets for a noon start on friday

Yeah dude, you definitely should have known that everyone on the team was going to get injured.

Playoffs starting and y'all are talking about the dbacks

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" lang="en"><p>THIS JUST IN: Adam Dunn tells <a href="https://twitter.com/pedrogomezESPN">@pedrogomezESPN</a> he is retiring. Dunn hit 462 HR with 5 teams over 14-year career. <a href="http://t.co/9ou8ErC37h">pic.twitter.com/9ou8ErC37h</a></p>&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/517191841641676801">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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LET'S GO PIRATES

they made it to the WC game in my mind back in march

What was there excuse last year by being 11 games out of first and 9 games out of a WC game?

Also 13 out of first and and 7 in the Wild Card in 2012?

Well players generally don't play when injured.

But f this for now because PLAYOFFS

<font color=goldenrod>Felt so bad for Adam Dunn waiting all that time for his first playoff appearance only to not get into the game, but in fairness he hasn't been good since 2010.

Even more shocked realizing he's only 34.</font>

Game 1: Max Scherzer
Game 2: Justin Verlander
Game 3: David Price
Game 4: Rick Porcello

:drool:

4 CG SHO

Nelson Cruz is going to relive the 2011 ALCS vs the tigers when he hit 6 hrs and 13 RBI.

He's the one batter that terrifies on me on that team

Even with Ubaldo making 1/3 of a season's starts the Orioles starters posted a 3.61 era which was better that the Tigers 3.89. The bigger difference is the Orioles bullpen who was 3rd in the AL with a 3.10 era vs the Tigers 13th ranked bullpen at 4.29.

in closing, you need all 4 to pitch CGs cause the tigers bullpen is a joke.

O's are the first ALE team since 2006 to be the only ALE playoff team .

Worst to first to worst. Does that ring a bell?

wouldn't that be more like worst to worst to first?

Seeing all those black flags

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mFOTw6%2BQL.jpg

probably kills Giants as well as gnats..and Washington Gnats too

Josh Harrison looks like a bowling ball.

Hanged and banged.

I felt that grand slam coming in my bones.

Volquez is a jinx, got no hit his last playoff start and getting 1 hit tonight

This is why you pitch Cole when you have a chance to avoid this Winner take all game. Stuff can happen and it has. It's not over yet but the crowd is killed and Bumgarner looks unhittable.

noon on Friday..I'm gonna have to get up about the same time I go to work. blah

You can't blame the Pirates for throwing Cole on Sunday in n attempt to win the division.

Dallas Braden looks like he could have wrestled in the 80s

Bwa haha just came here to make fun of him.

<font color=goldenrod>While I get why the Pirates did it...they still only had like a 2% chance of actually winning the division. If they beat the Reds, Wainwright was going to pitch against the D-Backs with everything on the line. Can't really see how the Cardinals would have lost that one.

Seems moot anyway. It didn't matter who the Pirates threw in the Wild Card game, nobody was touching Bumgarner.</font>

Damn @Sandoval

5:30 needs to come the hell on

forealz

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visu...dy2014NLWC.gif

Grandma somehow got into the Giants dugout

security these days, first people are jumping the fence at the white house, now old people are getting into dugouts at baseball games..

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/...pqsftble4w.gif

1927 looks like it was done in ms paint and 1961 looks awkwardly surprised

love the '61 logo

lol @ 1927 and 1934 though

Cruz continuing on owning the Tigers in the playoffs

Did Joba eat Bray Wyatt?

Andrew Romine

I have no words

I love Detroits Bullpen..

Well then. I was all worried that that Torii Hunter line drive could have potentially lead to a go-ahead run by Miggy (Kinsler would have been at 3B, Hunter at 1B then the HR)


Thankfully, that hypothetical is so far in the rear-view.

That was fun, lets do it again tomorrow. Hahaha

gonna be there up in the nosebleeds

nice

plz punch anyone that starts OLE or Seven Nation Army chants though

<font color=goldenrod>Listened to the meltdown on the way home. Chris fucking Berman was doing the announcing. Ugh.</font>

Chris Berman is the "Detroit Tigers bullpen" of announcing

Im not going now. Wait til the ALCS now.

Braves will keep Fredi Gonzalez around. They also hired Bo Porter as Third Base coach.

PEAVY

Kershaw is a fucking dreadful playoff pitcher.

who could have possibly envisioned an Orioles/Royals ALCS..? I'm actually more concerned if the o's have to play the Royals because they have good pitching/defense...


/wish I had went through with my predictions

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Royals: 6th team in MLB history to win 3 extra-inning games in a single postseason. The previous 5 won World Series. <a href="http://t.co/TcOSNAz8I0">pic.twitter.com/TcOSNAz8I0</a></p>&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/518273839898583040">October 4, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Need 1 more against the Angels to tie another record of that type.

Royals currently seem like a team destined to win it all.

Have tickets to every Nationals playoff game but ent been able to go to either one so far... Nats gonna get swept and leave OssMan at a paltry 2 games watched this year

BTW watched the last 4 innings of last night's 3-2 loss at the hands of Giants... Bruce Harper home run insane

The Tigers are crumbling and weren't helped by their manager's inept decision making regarding his bullpen. I never understood Ausmus' hiring in the first place, since he had zero experience at any level. Not the kind of guy to helm a championship caliber team, imo.

I've said a dozen times that Ausmus isn't the right manager for this particular team. Maybe in a year or two after the window has closed, THEN bring in the young guy. But for a team that's built basically to try to win a WS, go with a guy who's been there before.

That all being said, I don't know if any manager could make this bullpen work.

<font color=goldenrod>Frankly I don't think we're too far off from every single manager in the big leagues being a former catcher. It seems to be all you need to get a job nowadays.</font>

Buck Showalter eats bumbling inept coaches for breakfast. Ned Yost doesn't stand a chance.

They have both Sanchez and Porcello who can throw multiple innings out of the pen. If he wasn't a robot about using relievers Detroit could be dangerous at the backend of playoff games.

That was Leyland's main problem at the end of his tenure too, he would have a strict "8th inning guy" (Benoit) and 9th (Valverde) regardless of anything else, and wouldn't stray from that

I understand being cautious with Sanchez but this is the time of year where you have to take some risks.

Also, you don't set strict pitch limits on guys, even when they're returning from injury. You analyze mechanics, velocity, pitch effectiveness and command. There's no magic number for being tired.

since Albuquerque was their 6th inning only guy didn't understand why they used Sanchez in the 6th yesterday

Sanchez pitched two perfect innings, at a time (even before this series tbh) when the bullpen as a whole has been a giant fucking flashing red flag. I just don't get why you don't let Anibal pitch as long as he can go, need to eat those innings.

Maybe if Price falters early tomorrow he will loosen the leash on Sanchez. Who knows.

And yeah, AlAl has been criminally under-used this series.

<font color=goldenrod>Speaking of idiotic managing...Jordan Zimmermann carried the Nats for 8.2 innings. Gave up his first walk of the night with 2 outs. Had about 100 pitches on the night. But Matt Williams immediately gave him the hook and Drew Storen promptly gave up 2 hits. Tie game.</font>

Drew Storen trying to relive 2012

<font color=goldenrod>Knew I should have made my playoff predictions public earlier this week. My AL picks aren't looking very good admittedly but I saw a Cards/Giants NLCS coming from a mile away for no reason other than the fact that the baseball gods seem to feel they're the only 2 NL teams that can ever be in the World Series anymore.</font>

thought for sure the Giants had delmon younged the nats there but Posey wasn't fast enough to score from first like JJ hardy was

watched practically all 18 innings of this shit.. only get to add 1 game to my total though

<font color=goldenrod>That loss still falls on Matt Williams. Zero reason to pull Zimmermann especially with Storen's terrible playoff track record.</font>

lol everyone's bullpen sucks..as the Dodgers blow a 2-0 lead in the 8th

can't believe the Os could be the only team to win at home out of the 4 series.

Matt Williams getting in his own way. Why in God's name teams hire fresh meat managers who have no experience nor a fucking clue what they're doing is beyond me. I don't buy into playoff experience or any of that horse shit. I buy into logical thinking, progressive thinking and not falling in line with old school tactics that are far outdated. Honestly, I can see the O's and Giants in an Orange and black attack world series for the sheer fact they're not managed by morons.

I watched from about the 5th inning on in that game, and Zimmermann was dealing. No idea why he was pulled at all. Honestly felt like if he kept him in that would have been a 1-0 final. Devastating loss for the Nats there.

Is there any afternoon baseball in this playoffs? Baseball isn't meant to be played at night exclusively.

You're kidding, right?

Watching football. Is there a game on now?

yup

Sickest starting rotation in baseball goes down in 3 straight games. A Damn shame.

to quote Oriole 1983 WS MVP Rick Dempsey, "They turned Cy Young into Cy-onara"

CJ Wilson 2/3s of an inning 3 ER and he's done son.

Stole that and is now on my facebook wall.