Open Thread: The Postseason Schedule

August 11, 2011 by Mike Axisa 72 Comments

APTOPIX World Series Phillies Yankees Baseball — November baseball in 2009 was cool. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

You know it’s getting late in the season when MLB announces its postseason schedule. They did just that yesterday, and the good news is that they’ve cut down on the number of off days. Now teams will only be off for travel, so that miscellaneous off day in the middle of seven-games series has been eliminated. Now there’s a maximum of two off days per series, which is perfect. The postseason starts on Friday, September 30th this year, and the World Series will begin on Wednesday, October 19th. A potential Game Seven would be played on Thursday, October 27th, so the season is going to end pretty early this year, at least compared to the last few.

Anyway, here is the night’s open thread. You can watch the replay of this afternoon’s game on YES, but there will also be a live game broadcast on MLB Network. at 8pm ET. The team’s depend on where you live. Oh, and apparently the NFL preseason starts tonight, but I have no idea if there’s a game actually on television. You all know what to do by now, so have at it. Anything goes.

MatUk

NFL game is Seahawks vs Chargers
Winston Smith

So if Phil pitches well this weekend it’ll be Burnett in the pen, Nova and Hughes in the rotation with Nova the frontrunner for 4th starter in the postseason. That’s the way it should be.
- JobaWockeeZ
  
  I agree. It will never happen however.
  - MikeD
    
    Burnett will not be in the postseason rotation. I don’t know if AJ will end up in the pen the rest of the season, but unless he goes on some wicked-ass revival (something we’d all be happy to see) he will not be in the rotation. It’s CC, Bartolo, Garcia and Nova.
    - JobaWockeeZ
      
      I pray you are right.
    - Cuso
      
      AJ isn’t getting bumped from the rotation. It’s just not going to happen, so don’t get your hopes up.
      
      The postseason roster, however, has a high probability of being AJ-less.
BGrider85

Baseball > Football
- JobaWockeeZ
  
  Opinion =/= fact.
  - https://twitter.com/TheRealJeromeS Jerome S.
    
    Michele Bachmann disagrees.
    
    That’s a fact.
- FIPster Doofus
  
  More than one “>” is necessary in this case.
StanfordBen

“Now teams will only be off for travel, so that miscellaneous off day in the middle of seven-games series has been eliminated.”

There wasn’t a miscellaneous off day last year either, was there? Here’s last year’s schedule: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/ps.jsp?y=10
J-Rod

Baseball>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Football
- FIPster Doofus
  
  Damn right.
- nedro
  
  Thank you so much for showing me I’m not the only person on the planet who thinks so.
Brian S.

Baseball>>>Hockey>>Football>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Basketball.
http://www.twitter.com/stophamm3rtime Dela G

Fun fact. I was 3 rows in front of where the Granderson shot landed, and about 1 section or so from the cano slam ball landing

fun game today :)
Raul

Mike, I have a somewhat important question. Why was Cervelli taken out of the game today to be pinch run by Martin? Should we read into this? (Montero?)
- bonestock94
  
  I’m wondering too. Montero’s playing tonight so that’s not it.
  - The Big City of Dreams
    
    Damn it
    - Raul
      
      It’s weird because Cervelli is statistically faster than Martin. Plus, why would the Yankees use their last catcher? They certainly wouldn’t want Posada to catch if Martin gets injured in the game. I just don’t get it and don’t understand why no one even asked Girardi about it.
- http://www.yankeeanalysts.com/ Steve S.
  
  As long as Posada’s on the roster, there’s nowhere to put Montero. We’ll have to wait until September 1st.
  - Raul
    
    I don’t think there’s huge significance in bringing him up on September 1st. If Cervelli has the option, demote him to AAA and call up Jesus. The Yankees need to evaluate Montero in the bigs before Sept 1 because they need to know if he could be used in the postseason as a big DH bat. If he tears it up, the answer could be yes. Win now…
    - Hank
      
      The Yankees can game the DL system and put Cervelli on the DL a couple of days before Sept 1, bring up Montero before Sept 1 (just a few days before the postseason deadline and you can have Martin still catch the games until Sept 1).
      
      If Montero lights things up in Sept, you now have the option of adding him to the postseason roster. If he’s not good you go with Cervelli. Once you hit Sept 1 you can also callup G Molina as a true backup catcher until Cervelli comes off the 15 day DL.
      
      You could also run this game by DL’ing a bullpen arm and replacing that spot with Montero just before Sept 1 and working with a short pen for a day or two. Once rosters get expanded Sept 1, no more issues.
      
      You don’t even need to do a DL move… if you have an arm you know won’t be on the postseason roster (Noesi?), send them down Aug 29 or 30th and callup Montero. You can then bring Noesi back after 10 days and in the short term you have guys coming up from AAA once they expand the rosters.
      - Cuso
        
        Yeah, except you’re assuming that MLB isn’t monitoring DL moves.
        
        Which they are.
        
        Contrary to popular opinion, and regardless of what people think about Hughes’ DL stint this year, you DO have to have a legit injury to be placed on the DL.
        
        This will not only be an issue with Commissioner’s Office, but eventually MLBPA as well.
Brian S.

Before this game started, Mark Teixeira was ranked 11th in terms of wOBA among Major League first basemen. (Fielder, Cabrera, Gonzalez, Votto, Morse!, Konerko, Kotchman!, Helton!, Pujols, and Cuddyer! all rank ahead) The 1-4 he put up today probably isn’t going to change that either.

Just sayin.
- bonestock94
  
  He hasn’t looked like the perennial high AVG/OBP/HR guy I thought they were signing in the past 2 seasons.
  - Brian S.
    
    I mean the 40 home runs he will get this season is nice and all…but his OBP is hovering near .340. Not too happy with that.
- Death By BB Gun
  
  I’m confused. Was there a previous story that I missed?
- Slugger27
  
  he’s not the same hitter he used to be. advanced scouting reports, pre-pitch positioning, and teams emphasizing defense have lowered his true talent level at the plate permanently.
  
  obviously still a good (yet overpaid) player, but this is what we can expect going forward. its become pretty apparent that his low BABIP from the left side isnt a case of bad luck.
Chris

So with Arod coming back in a few days what does everyone think about the lineup? Who gets bumped down? There is no way Arod is not batting clean up, Cano is protecting him, Granderson should be as a number 2 or 3 and I see no reason why Gardner should not be in the top of the order, hes got a slightly smaller OBP than Jeter but his speed screws with pitchers enough that doesn’t make a difference. That leaves either Jeter or Tex being bumped down behind Cano or Swisher. Personally I like the idea of batting Gardner, Granderson, Tex, Arod, Cano ect with Jeter as a no. 7 behind swisher but we all know that isn’t going to happen. I also like the idea of Gardner, Jeter, Granderson, Arod, Cano, Tex, Swish ect. But Girardi will most likely move Gardner Down back to the 9 spot.
- Chris
  
  Scratch the OBP with jeter and gardner was looking at the wrong line in the stats
- Brian S.
  
  What should happen but won’t: Platoon leadoff Jeter/Gardner.(Jeter still crucifies southpaws, wRC+ over 170 against them)
  
  What will happen: Gardner will get moved down. Same lineup as pre-Rodriguez injury.
  
  Amout of difference batting order makes: Not enough to warrant the uproar it causes.
- vin
  
  “But Girardi will most likely move Gardner Down back to the 9 spot.”
  
  You answered your own question. And it’s probably the right move… especially against lefties, when Derek Jeter is STILL Derek Jeter.
- Hank
  
  Against righties…
  
  Gardner/Jeter/Granderson/ARod/Cano/Teix/Swisher/Chavez/Martin
  (Girardi’s not likely to move Jeter down, with the way Teix has been hitting left bumping him to 6 might not be all that bad)
  
  Against lefties:
  Jeter/Granderson/Teix/ARod/Cano/Swish/Jones/Martin/Gardner
  
  (or the rest starter at DH day and put Nunez at the back of the lineup and take out Jones)
Avi

Very impressive what Gary Sanchez is doing this year. Now all those reports of “having a higher ceiling than Montero” don’t seem so crazy. In an age where power is becoming more and more scarce Sanchez is a guy to get excited about.
- vin
  
  Yeah, I really hope he starts next season in Tampa. I think his recent hot streak has certified that he is talented enough to handle the jump. The big questions are – what’s he like behind the plate, and how does the organization view his attitude/maturity level.
  - Avi
    
    I think another big question he has to answer is will he be able to make more contact and strikeout less as he moves up and the pitching becomes more difficult. If he does, he likely has a long MLB career ahead of him. If he doesn’t he can easily be the next Wily Mo Pena.
- http://www.yankeeanalysts.com/ Steve S.
  
  Yeah, he really looked like he was exposed after first promotion from rookie ball. People forget he struggled in the small sample of ABs when he was initially promoted last year, so for most of this year it looked like he was just a rookie ball wonder. But he’s made the adjustment and has been just unstoppable lately. I’m always a bit wary of a big 2nd half (after promotions occur) by a prospect, but with the way he’s been swinging the bat lately it would be impressive at any level. Maybe he’s just very streaky as a hitter, or maybe as an 18 year old he just had a loot to learn. Either way, I’m back on board the Sanchez train.
Bartolo’s Colon

Just got the new si out of my mailbox, i think they are working with espn! makes me want to puke: grittiest guttiest, scrappiest player ever, i hear he never leaves the park and sleeps on the infield using his glove as a pillow
- Sarah
  
  I saw the cover on SI’s Facebook page. Nauseating.
- bonestock94
  
  If its referring to Pedroia he deserves the praise this season. His offense plays at any position let alone as a 2b with great defense.
  
  Now whether this is consistently gonna happen or a career year is another thing tho.
  - Brian S.
    
    Pedroia could end up leading the league in fWAR when it is all said and done. That being said, I hope that he loses the MVP to someone else, especially after he stole Sizemore’s MVP back in 2008.
Avi

Klaw on Nova today:
Lando (Lake Tahoe, NV)

I keep hearing from the NY Media that Ivan Nova is “the real deal” but I look at his K/9+BB/9 and I say, sure, if real deal = 4th-5th starter at best. Is that accurate or does he project to be a #2 starter down the line?
Klaw (1:20 PM)

Better than 4th/5th guy. Gets a lot of groundballs with good life on the fastball. Walked just over 8% of TBF. Would expect him to miss more bats with the quality of his stuff.
- bonestock94
  
  Wow, that’s exciting.
  - Avi
    
    What I like about what he said (and I agree with this) is that he expects him to miss more bats with the quality of his stuff. A lot of people who call Nova no more than a #4 or #5 cite the low K rate as their reasoning. I think his arm strength and the at least serviceable secondary pitches (albeit inconsistent) indicate more K’s down the road.
    - bonestock94
      
      I hope, it’s hard to think of mlb pitchers with stuff like that and low k’s…unless they can’t find the zone at all.
      
      I think his performance now is good enough for a back end guy. If he can hold that position in the future, and get the work and coaching to take it the next level we’ll all be ecstatic.
    - Accent Shallow
      
      Nova has had this issue since he was in A ball, though — scouts loving his stuff, and the results not being there.
      
      Now, the results have improved over the years, but I don’t know how much further he’s going to go. That said, I wouldn’t say he’s a finished product.
- http://www.yankeeanalysts.com/ Steve S.
  
  We all have to rethink our projections on Nova. If that slider is for real, he has a legit swing and miss pitch and that raises his ceiling substantially. But we won’t really know how effective that slider is until he goes around the league with it for a while. So we need a lot more data. You have to like the fact that can do what he did yesterday, fall back on the 2 seamer when his other pitches aren’t working. I’m a fan.
Alfredo

I like Gary Sanchez but i still think Montero will be a better Major League player. Sanchez might be better in the Minors, i have a feeling that montero will be the type of player that does better in the majors then the Minors.
- Gonzo
  
  Why do you think Sanchez might be better in the minors? Montero has better #’s at 18 than Sanchez does. The only thing Sanchez has on him is the HR’s so far.
  - Alfredo
    
    i meant to say that Montero will be better in the majors then Sanchez.
    - Gonzo
      
      Ahhhh. I think Montero’s gonna be something to see.
The Great Balboni

Montero, Romine, Sanchez; Montero, Romine, Sanchez; Montero, Romine, Sanchez; and the future starting catcher of the New York Yankees is:

J.R. Murphy!
Kramerica Industries

Mike – there was no extraneous off-day last postseason either. Only travel days in all three rounds.

Also, I’d like to take you to task a bit from your Granderson piece earlier today. It was a very fine piece, but there was a minor tidbit you mentioned from the Texas series where Granderson and KLong were working on adjustments. You mentioned the game Lee started, and later filed it as “forgettable”.

That game, the Yankees were down 6-1 entering the 6th, against Cliff frigging Lee, and scored one in the 6th, two in the 7th, one in the 8th, and then scored two in the 9th to take a 7-6 lead, and then in the bottom half of the inning, Andrus led off with a line drive to the RCF gap, resulting in a triple. Against the heart of a very good Texas lineup and nobody out, Mo maneuvered around Young, Hamilton, and Guerrero and held on to the victory.

That was probably one of the most memorable games from the 2010 season, along with Thames vs. BOS, the LA comeback, the Steinbrenner game, and the Game 1 comeback against Texas (where the Yankees officially peaked last season).
Avi

If someone told me before the season that Pettitte would retire, Cliff Lee would sign with Philly, Hughes would be hurt and/or awful and they’d have injuries to Joba, Soriano, Feliciano and Arod for 6 weeks , I’d say the Yanks would be about a .500 team on Aug 11th.
They’re 26 Games over – wow!
- http://www.yankeeanalysts.com/ Steve S.
  
  Its almost as if we have a manager who knows what he’s doing.
  - Avi
    
    I wouldn’t credit the manager. Rather better than expected performances from Colon, Garcia, Nova, Granderson and Robertson.
    - Cuso
      
      Seems like noone ever wants to.
      
      I will. I think Girardi AND Cashman have done a great job so far in 2011.
jon

wow watching the pats game and they just showed the cheerleaders

holy shit now those are some uniforms
- Owen Two
  
  I would have to agree: http://www.nesn.com/2011/05/patriots-cheerleaders-announce-2011-squad.html
  
  Although I’m partial to the Miami Heat Dancers: http://miasportsguy.com/heat/miami-heat-dancers/
Jimmy McNulty

18 in Low-A for Sanchez, he’s had some strikeout issues, but a .230 ISO and a good shot to reach 20 HRs. He’s slowly building up his top 50 prospect status back up.
- Avi
  
  Yeah, Like I said above his K rate is my biggest concern with him. He needs to bring it down as he moves up the ladder. Not an easy task.
  - Jimmy McNulty
    
    He’s pretty young for the age…he’s not as advanced as Montero was, but the power’s definitely there.
    - Jimmy McNulty
      
      Young for the league*
      - Avi
        
        I’m looking at the K rate of current successful Major Leaguers when they played in the SAL or the Midwest league (equivalent) at age 18 or 19. So far I’ve looked at Miguel Cabrera, Hanley, David Wright, Hamilton, Mauer, Adrian Gonzalez, Delmon Young, Grady Sizemore, Prince, Justin Upton and Jay Bruce. Sanchez’s K rate is the worst of all. The only two that are somewhat close are Hamilton and Bruce.
  - Avi
    
    Sanchez taken out of the game after one AB tonight..
mbonzo

Andrew Brackman has got it tonight. 28 pitches, 21 strikes. 3.0 IP so far. 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO!!!!
- Phife Dawg
  
  Progress!
Raul

I have a kind of important question I was wondering. Does Francisco Cervelli have an option to be sent down to the minor leagues? I can’t find anything that says he doesn’t have one…
- mbonzo
  
  http://riveraveblues.com/2011/03/who-has-minor-league-options-left-and-how-many-44067/
  
  To sum it up, he’s got 1 option remaining.
pat

Great job by Sciosciaface not DHing Branyan at least 1 game against the three RHP we threw this series. I forgot he was even on the team. I guess they really need to get their money’s worth from Wells.
Phife Dawg

Guys, the city of Boston has a new theme song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ds-woOtfcgs#at=115

The singer’s voice isn’t bad but the lyrics are kinda…. yeah.