2016 NLDS Game 5 Live Blog

8:02	Dave Cameron: Hey friends

8:03	Dave Cameron: Craig Edwards, Sean Dolinar, and myself will be your hosts for the evening.

8:03	Craig Edwards: Can confirm my presence.

8:03	Dave Cameron: One note; I’m fighting a cold — sending your kid to daycare has some downsides — so if any of my comments seem insane, I blame that.

8:08	Bork: Will there be the excitement of game pace vs laptop battery pace tonight?

8:08	Dave Cameron: No, watching from home this time. Which means there will be excitement from toddler and dog vying for my attention.

8:08	CarrotJuice: Cubs fan: who should I be rooting for?

8:08	Sean Dolinar: Hi, everyone. I had to remember my password…It’s been a while since Opening Day.

8:08	Dave Cameron: Probably the Nationals. No Strasburg means they’re a bit easier opponent, I think.

8:08	Minty: I’m just rooting for a big Harper AB and some quality pitching from Urias.

8:09	Dave Cameron: Pretty sure we’ll get at least one big Harper AB.

8:09	Craig Edwards: I would also side with the Nationals. Scherzer going tonight means he can’t pitch until game 3. Kershaw is currently lined up for Game 2.

8:09	asabin: HERE WE GO

8:10	5 Run Homer: Does Urias pitch tonight and if so how much and when?

8:10	Dave Cameron: Definitely. I’d guess 2 innings, probably 6-7.

8:10	Clayton Kershaw: I’m ready to go if needed.

8:11	Blue Moon: Chances we see Jansen before the 8th inning tonight?

8:11	Dave Cameron: 2%

8:11	Zach Britton: I’m ready to go too if needed 🙁

8:12	Nodog: Better route than he took on the Justin Turner flyball in Game 4, for sure.

8:12	Zmccoy: Will we see Baez tonight after that ugly outing in game 4?

8:12	Dave Cameron: Guessing they’re going to try to stay away from Baez and Avilan tonight.

8:12	Craig Edwards: there isn’t a reasonable scenario where Jansen pitches in the 7th or earlier. Not one good for the Dodgers anyway.

8:12	Dave Cameron: Update: my son just brought me our rice cooker.

8:13	britishcub: Can’t root for the dodgers of the 5 teams remaining they have the most recent title…it’s someone else’s turn! (tad sarcastic even if true)

8:13	Michelle: Please keep giving us updates on the child, wife and dog.

8:14	Dave Cameron: 90 mph change?

8:14	Craig Edwards: If you are rooting for players who haven’t won one yet, Adrian Gonzalez and Clayton Kershaw have to be pretty high on the list.

8:14	Dave Cameron: The velocity in MLB now is ridiculous.

8:14	Jason: Curious what fan graphs intelligentsia thinks of Turner in cf short and long term

8:15	Dave Cameron: I think it’s the best spot for him. That speed is wasted in the infield.

8:15	kp: Jays are actually more recent. 93

8:15	Zmccoy: If Cubs win the World Series, does Theo go down as best sports exec ever?

8:16	Craig Edwards: I think Branch Rickey is going to hold on to that one for a while.

8:16	Dave Cameron: I would hope that no one is judging the quality of an executive based on the results of an LCS.

8:16	Dave Cameron: Would you think less of Theo today if the Giants bullpen didn’t suck?

8:17	Nick : time for all the curveballs

8:17	BLA: Turner seems like he moves slowly laterally for a guy with his speed

8:17	Craig Edwards: given his experience on the infield, if this is an actual problem now, it isn’t likely to be one long-term.

8:18	asabin: Let’s enjoy the amount of emotion Rich Hill attaches to every pitch.

8:18	Joe: Rich Hill curveball is easily my favorite pitch to watch

8:18	PHW: am i crazy for thinking the double lefty idea with hill and urias is great?

8:19	Craig Edwards: using two starting pitchers for relatively short bursts is probably a good idea regardless of handedness.

8:19	Dave Cameron: I still would have preferred Urias in game four and full-rest Kershaw tonight.

8:20	ChatzMcGee: Should the Dodgers have put Alex Wood on the playoff roster, or did Urias make him redundant?

8:20	Dave Cameron: Bullpen already a little heavy on lefties.

8:20	Bork: That curveball is more dreamy than Chase Utley

8:21	JC: Old man reflexes

8:21	Cale: It’s a good thing you don’t need your wrist to pitch

8:22	Jeremy: And this is the ‘luck’ part that people discount as part of a short-series playoffs

8:22	Drake: Was Justin Turner always this big?

8:23	Sean Dolinar: That slow-mo curve grip.

8:23	Craig Edwards: No, although few people stay the same size in their 30s compared to their mid-20s. The beard also helps/hurts in that regard.

8:23	Ben: what is Marlins Man’s budget like?

8:23	Dave Cameron: At this point, he has to be sponsored or something, right?

8:24	Eric Y: I miss 2015 Bryce Harper 🙁

8:24	Warren: So Bryce Harper’s zombie is only gonna be here until next season right?

8:24	Dave Cameron: He has to be hurt.

8:24	Craig Edwards: maybe he writes it off as an advertising expense

8:24	Ben: sponsored by the Marlins?

8:25	Dave Cameron: It’s way cheaper than buying ad space on the behind the plate boards, right?

8:25	Sean Dolinar: Marlins Man works from his hotel room during the day, right?

8:25	Ned Yost: What does Justin Turner’s free agent stock look like?

8:25	Craig Edwards: hearty

8:25	Bork: Marlins Man apparently worked in corporate law and had one major win then retired.

8:26	ChatzMcGee: These “scouting reports” have been terrible.

8:26	5 Run Homer: That curveball makes my pants feel tight

8:26	Craig Edwards: When we talk about Marlins Man, he wins.

8:27	Bork: We should give Marlins Man the Voldemort treatment.

8:28	Lord above: As a nationals fan, I hope espinosa just bunts for a hit every time, feel like it’d work at least once.

8:28	Craig Edwards: or have him swing for the fences 12 times and see what happens, which isn’t far off from his general strategy.

8:29	Nodog: Marlins Man would be a Marlins fan, though, amirite? He’s like the franchise personified — desperate for attention but ultimately disappointing, self-interested, and annoying.

8:30	5 Run Homer: Why do you all hate Marlins Man? If I could I would be Marlins Man

8:30	Dave Cameron: Warning track power.

8:31	asabin: What’s the difference between the gray and green lines on the win expectancy charts?

8:31	Sean Dolinar: Green is talent agnostic, gray has projections built in.

8:31	Aaron (UK): he only swings for the fences if it’s a ball. if it’s a strike he leans in

8:31	Sean Dolinar: So green begins at 50% WE…gray will adjust for our Game Odds. This gets discounted as the game goes on.

8:32	PeteD: To whomever approves each chat message, you stink. You take too long, and in doing so are complicit in limiting conversation. Thanks for nothing. Next season get better.

8:32	Dave Cameron: You’re welcome!

8:32	PeteD: If anybody else hates Joe Buck’s call, the international feed of the World Series (accessible online… legal?) is called by Vasgersian and Smoltz. So choice.

8:32	Sean Dolinar: That outage during Gm1 of the WS last year was amazing when they had to switch feeds.

8:33	Dave Cameron: (Also, this isn’t a chat. This is a live blog.)

8:33	Tomas: Hill for 3, Urias for 2, then . . . does Kershaw pitch an inning tonight?

8:33	Dave Cameron: Hill for ~4, Stripling for ~2, Urias for ~2, Jansen for ~1, at least from what J.P. Hoornstra told me.

8:34	JC: (I like Joe Buck)

8:34	Andy J.: Hi Dave, i signed up to be bone marrow donor after being inspired by you. Hopefully I’m a match some day and I can help someone in need.

8:34	Dave Cameron: Thank you!

8:34	Dave Cameron: Scherzer is good. /analysis

8:35	Sean Dolinar: Usually, I have podcasts going. I wish I could just have an effects mix with no announcers.

8:35	Bork: I have the game muted because Borkwife is watching the bachelorette. I still think it’s better commentary than Joe Buck.

8:36	Tim: So in honor of Jeff’s poll today, which of these teams is most likely to miss the playoffs next year? Or is it simply inconceivable that either of them do?

8:36	Dave Cameron: Anyone can miss the playoffs in any given year. I’d take Washington as slightly more likely, given that Stras’ health is not a sure thing, and they won’t have Ramos for at least part of the year. Melancon likely leaving too.

8:37	Sean Dolinar: I also like the other teams in the NL East a little more than the West.

8:37	Cale: What does everyone do during commercials? Early season Simpsons episodes are on FXX for me.

8:38	Craig Edwards: I eat, drink, and look at twitter.

8:38	asabin: Murphy is actually unstoppable.

8:39	Matt: Why wouldn’t the Nats make a serious effort to resign Melancon? He’s been a god-send.

8:39	Dave Cameron: He’s going to be very expensive.

8:40	Bob: Are there any future FG playoff game blogs? Is there any reason why its not posted anywhere ahead of time like a schedule?

8:40	Craig Edwards: It will be really interesting to see if Washington spends this winter. They’ve had a few creative/deferred contracts/offers of late and just inked Strasburg long term.

8:41	Dave Cameron: They are subject to writer availability and interest, so we can’t really predict when someone will be available to do one, or when an elimination game will be.

8:41	mtsw: the announcers are a strange thing to get upset over in some ways but i don’t blame people considering you aren’t given any choice. being able to select home/road/radio on mlb.tv is an underrated innovation that hopefully gives MLB some data on who people actually like and don’t

8:41	Sean Dolinar: Sometimes the things they say are ridiculous. Though overall, being on-air talent is difficult especially in baseball where you need to fill.

8:41	5 Run Homer: I’m supposed to be reading Macbeth for my English class right now. Anyone care to summarize it for me?

8:41	Craig Edwards: Macbeth was the name of the sled.

8:42	Pat: bunch of guys die

8:42	ChatzMcGee: Kevin Spacey is Macbeth.

8:42	Nelson: Does Rich Hill have one of the most remarkable careers in recent memory?

8:42	Dave Cameron: The most remarkable.

8:43	JC: Javy Baez would’ve made that tag

8:44	Jeremy: If Murphy would have momentarily come off the bag, Dave would have flipped

8:44	Dave Cameron: They have to change that rule. It’s so dumb.

8:44	Arpeet: It seems like Washington is willing to spend almost every offseason.

8:45	Aaron (UK): Hill is getting a much tighter zone than in game 2 (which was absurd)

8:45	ChatzMcGee: Probably should’ve swung 3-0.

8:45	Cale: Should batters swing more on 3-0?

8:45	Craig Edwards: missed on Heyward and Cespedes, in part because of the way the deals were structured. They are wiaiting to get tv money that hasn’t come their way yet.

8:45	Neil: The Effectively Wild guys have a great solution. Once a runner hits the bag, it (theoretically) extends upwards. Can’t come off of it upwards, only slide past

8:45	Dave Cameron: That was my idea…

8:46	JC: The Effectively Wild guys have really done a great job being the managing editor of Fangraphs

8:47	Craig Edwards: batters should swing at hittable pitches if they are strikes, regardless of count if they are comfortable doing so and the pitcher doesn’t seem wild.

8:47	ChatzMcGee: Jeff Sullivan’s Twitter informed he that Joey Votto had more 3-0 swings than like 6 or 7 entire teams. Jeff Sullivan’s Twitter is alright.

8:47	Dave Cameron: Jeff Sullivan is a national treasure.

8:48	mtsw: i don’t buy the “its so hard to be on-air talent” when there are 15-20 local broadcast teams who are easily better than buck/reynolds are

8:48	ChatzMcGee: Terrible throw Reddick.

8:48	Minty: Did Nick Cage discover Jeff?

8:48	Dave Cameron: Nothing like a five hopper on a ball you have to charge…

8:49	Craig Edwards: this is true, but also keep in mind, broadcasters are generally going to be better focusing on one team. McCarver had declined a ton on the national broadcasts but did a decent job only doing a handful of Cardinals games the past few years.

8:49	Erik: Dance Dance Fever, huh?

8:50	Eric: Is there any precedent for Hill? From nothing to big game starter at 36?

8:50	JC: Why Fields instead of Uriah?

8:51	Dave Cameron: Probably takes Urias a while to warm up.

8:51	Dave Cameron: Plus if you’re going to take out Hill, probably want to do it when an RHB is up.

8:52	Dave Cameron: Didn’t hang that one.

8:52	Craig Edwards: He wasn’t quite nothing. He was a solid starter early on, got hurt, tried to be a reliever who specialized, changing his motion. He then went back to his original, successful motion to be a starter again and it miraculously worked. It’s a nutty story, but he’s always had talent.

8:53	Guest: Also, lots and lots of curveballs

8:54	Dave Cameron: Uh, no, you don’t try a steal with the pitcher up. If you get thrown out, the pitcher has to lead off next inning.

8:54	mtsw: I’m not a scout but am I crazy to think Julio Urias looks like a guy who’s gonna gain a ton of weight in his late 30s? Are we looking at the next generation’s Bartolo Colon without knowing it?

8:54	Dave Cameron: That’s been a knock on him for a while now.

8:54	Ben: more remarkable than Arrieta?

8:54	Craig Edwards: Arrieta was a decade younger. much different situation.

8:55	Dave Cameron: Whether to let Hill hit here will be interesting.

8:55	Dave Cameron: I’d guess they PH for him if there’s no bunt situation, but let him put one down if there is.

8:56	Aaron (UK): do Fangraphs’ WE charts take into account the position in the order that is due up?

8:56	Sean Dolinar: No, it’s just basically score and inning.

8:57	Rick: Re Washington spending: could they decline Gio’s option (relying instead on Lopez, Giolito, and Cole to round out the rotation) and spend the money on the bullpen?

8:57	Craig Edwards: That option is way too reasonable not to be picked up.

8:57	Sean Dolinar: Re: WE — Oh and base-out state.

8:57	Andy J.: Hill is getting ready to hit

8:58	Bork: Walking Grandal. Okay.

8:58	Dave Cameron: Grandal is a good hitter.

8:58	ARC: Does the MASN dispute ever get settled? I think we see more aggressive spending when this happens.

8:59	Craig Edwards: eventually, but Washington has already spent as though it will get the money. A massive spike isn’t likely.

8:59	Pat: 10/10 eyebrows: 1) andrew toles, 2) matt moore

8:59	Aaron (UK): wow, they got a 3-6-3 even with Zimm’s arm. Espinosa’s compensates

8:59	Dave Cameron: Espy has a cannon

8:59	AJ: How long does Scherzer go tonight? Do we see more of him or do they go to their bullpen soon?

9:00	Dave Cameron: I bet Dusty tries to get 7 out of him.

9:01	Bork: As someone who generally doesn’t watch the Nationals, how is their bullpen?

9:01	Dave Cameron: Underrated.

9:01	Dave Cameron: Treinen is solid, Kelley is excellent, Melancon is a quality closer.

9:02	Aaron (UK): We’re now on “faced the minimum” watch. Whenever a broadcaster uses that phrase you know there’s been a GIDP or CS

9:02	Netflix and Rich Hill: Uh oh, Hill is looking and rubbing his fingers. Blister Watch!

9:04	Lord above: As someone who generally watches the nationals, usage of kelley as high leverage guy has been a huge improvement over the matchup games we used to play.

9:04	Minty: What do you do to counteract the Colon weight gain path for Urias?

9:04	Dave Cameron: Well Colon is 40 and still really good, so I’m not sure you care.

9:04	Jeremy: If a team is very good at stealing signs, any motivation to stay at 2nd instead of going 1st to 3rd? Or value minimal compared to extra 90ft?

9:04	Craig Edwards: Extra 90 feet.

9:04	5 Run Homer: That was a Pillar-ian swing from Trea

9:05	Dave Cameron: If Turner doesn’t take second, I’ll be shocked.

9:06	Ballbase: rich hill LOOKS like a nice man

9:06	Netflix and Rich Hill: Rich Hill looks like he was the template for those inflatable dancing guys at car lots

9:06	Eric: How May innings does Hill likely go, assuming no more runs?

9:06	Dave Cameron: I think he’s done soon.

9:07	Mark: Turner the fastest non-Billy Hamilton player in MLB?

9:07	Dave Cameron: Buxton is faster.

9:07	Netflix and Rich Hill: That split screen was fantastic for seeing how tremendous Turner’s jump was. I’m quickly falling in love with him

9:08	5 Run Homer: Jesus Christ he can really burn

9:08	JJK: Do you think there is going to be more of a trend of using upper tier relievers earlier in games like Cleveland did with Miller? Kinda seems like a more valuable spot to put a fire out than a fresh 9th during a save situation.

9:08	Cale: I wish Terrance Gore could hit. I love watching fast guys run the bases.

9:09	Roger: So, Turner or Seager for the next five years? And does it matter if Seager can’t stick at ss?

9:09	Dave Cameron: Turner’s a nice piece, but he’s not in Seager’s class.

9:09	5 Run Homer: Joe Blanton warming up. Why not Urias?

9:10	Dave Cameron: Same reason as earlier; you want an RH reliever who can warm fast to get RHBs out.

9:10	Craig Edwards: I’m not convinced it will be a trend. Need a manager willing to do it/make more decisions, and as long as arb and FA pay for saves, makes it tough for player happiness as well.

9:11	Sean Dolinar: I’d say in the postseason, yes. But it’s been a trend for a while now there in some form or another.

9:11	Tim: When they bring the infield in, what effect does that have on a hitters slash lines?

9:12	Dave Cameron: They go up

9:12	Sean Dolinar: Plus the day-to-day regular season is a different animal.

9:12	CTMike: Walk Murphy?

9:12	Dave Cameron: No.

9:12	Dave Cameron: But Roberts disagrees.

9:13	Dave Cameron: And that’s it for Hill.

9:13	Bork: Why not walk murphy?

9:13	Dave Cameron: Putting an extra potential run on base.

9:14	Michelle: Why walk Murphy if you’re just going to pull Hill?

9:14	mtsw: Do you find any significance to the fact that Joe Girardi, who is normally seen as a progressive manager working for a data-savvy organization, moved towards more traditional bullpen roles this season than he had in the past?

9:14	Dave Cameron: You walk Murphy because you’re going to pull him, get RvR with Blanton.

9:14	Ballbase: How many outs does Roberts plan for Blanton?

9:14	Dave Cameron: I would guess 4, then try to start Urias in the 5th.

9:14	Craig Edwards: He basically couldn’t screw that situation up, so why not go with what’s easy.

9:15	Cale: I actually don’t like pulling Hill he’s been getting a lot of swings and misses. But I can understand it.

9:15	Dave Cameron: 3 days rest, was always going to have a short leash

9:15	Mr. Jones: So I admittedly haven’t watched the Dodgers much at all this season, but doesn’t Joe Blanton suck?

9:15	Dave Cameron: Nope.

9:16	Youppi!: Will anyone steal 100 bases again? Can Turner do it?

9:16	Noah: Hypothetically why isn’t an outfielder put behind the catcher during an intentional work just incase there is a wild pitch.

9:16	Dave Cameron: Too rare to justify it.

9:16	Chuckb: At least Roberts is smart enough to use one of his top relievers here.

9:16	Craig Edwards: You would have to be willing to get caught more and try to steal third a bunch. Probably not wise unless the run-scoring environment goes down further.

9:16	Dave Cameron: Right.

9:17	Sean Dolinar: You also can’t have a fielder line up in foul territory aside from the catcher.

9:17	Andy J.: Why does the current pitcher intentionally walk the hitter? Why not make the RP responsible for that run?

9:17	Craig Edwards: better to come in fresh

9:18	Bork: that slider

9:18	asabin: Another reason not to walk Murphy.

9:18	Chuckb: Very smart steal of 2nd there

9:18	Sean Dolinar: That double steal could have been fun to watch.

9:18	Bork: welp

9:19	Wsopsup : Scary

9:19	Dave Cameron: That’s another example of luck.

9:19	Dave Cameron: Rendon scorched a bad pitch, but Dodgers get an out.

9:20	Jart: someone please tell me why so many pitchers have goop on the bills of their caps and nobody does anything about it?

9:20	Dave Cameron: Batters don’t want to get hit in the face by an errant pitch because pitchers can’t grip the ball.

9:20	Andy J.: Is Hill still in this game if Grandal or Reddick make a decent throw?

9:21	Dave Cameron: Maybe, but they were always going to pull him early.

9:21	ChatzMcGee: I bet if Kershaw had put those guys on they’d both have scored.

9:21	Dave Cameron: We have Nationals at 63% to win now. http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2016-10-13&team=Nationals&dh=0&season=2016

9:22	Norrin Radd: How bad strategically is the first and third play where the guy on first intentionally gets in a run down to try and let the guy on third dash home?

9:23	Craig Edwards: depends on what the chances are of the player scoring, but if they are good and there are two outs, it can be a good play.

9:24	JC: That K guy is PUMPED

9:24	Wsopsup : Do what extent are the dodgers FO calling pitcher subs and starting lineup?

9:25	Dave Cameron: They aren’t. They work with Roberts pregame, but in-game, it’s his call.

9:26	ChatzMcGee: Giving praise to Lobaton for the terrible framing attempt.

9:26	V: JC, that K guy is Robin Ficker, a well known Bullets/Wizards superfan/heckler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker#Sports_heckler).

9:26	Chuckb: Not a strike

9:27	Stevie Wonderful: oh come on that was even worse than the earlier outside call

9:28	aj: Max Scherzer looks like a bond villian, he is even named like one.

9:28	Andy J.: Are Dodgers currently getting hosed with these calls?

9:28	Dave Cameron: Yeah, these are not strikes.

9:28	Chuckb: If Scherzer is going to continue to get calls down there, he’ll be unhittable.

9:30	aspergillus fumigatus: where do you rank scherzer’s change in a list of best starting pitcher offspeed pitchers?

9:31	Craig Edwards: not that high-it’s the FB-slider combo that makes him dominant. change helps, but not as good as his top pitches.

9:31

Matt: Dave … do you have the ability to access specifically when Scherzer’s times-thru-the-order penalty indicates he becomes less effective than the Nationals RPs?

Meaning, for example, when should Scherzer be lifted, statistically – not matter how this game is going – for the first RP (say, Treinen)?

9:31	Sean Dolinar: We do have times thru the order splits for the players. http://www.fangraphs.com/splitstool.aspx?playerid=3137&position=P&splitArr=29&strgroup=season&type=1&startDate=all&endDate=all

9:31	Sean Dolinar: You’d have to do some comparisons, but the data is there.

9:31	Bork: gold glove to that ballgirl

9:32	ChatzMcGee: This is a good AB.

9:32	Dave Cameron: I always find it funny that people think lots of fouls = good hitting. Good hitting = hit the ball hard, fair.

9:33	libre: Ginger Jesus is so good at baseball

9:33	Table: forget it, put him on!

9:33	Netflix and Rich Hill: I played with Turner at CSUF, he is the kind of guy who would foul off pitches to stay alive. It is a skill.

9:34	Dave Cameron: Not saying it’s not a skill, but it’s a better skill to not have to foul balls off.

9:35	Stevie Wonderful: Fellow Titan?? Class of 2010 here!

9:36	Craig Edwards: the expected batting average on that Rendon lineout earlier based on launch angle and exit velocity was .686.

9:37	Drake: Basically your standard BA on line drives…

9:38	aspergillus fumigatus: it’s just every time I see him pitch (admittedly not often) it seems that he gets a ton of swing and misses on that change.. but I guess you’re right, could just be that his other pitches are so good hitters have to hedge their bets

9:38	Dave Cameron: The change-up is also very good. I think Craig undersold it.

9:40

Matt: Thank you for the info Sean.

After looking it up, if anyone is interested … statistically, Blake Treinen is better 1x thru the order than Scherzer is 3x thru the order. So, technically/statistically, assuming this game stays close, Scherzer should only go, at most, 2 more full IP … despite not giving up a hit yet and seemingly throwing well.

Thoughts from the Fangraphs staff?

9:40	Dave Cameron: It’s not quite that simple, since you have to account for the fact that Scherzer is much better vs LHBs than Treinen.

9:40	Dave Cameron: But in general, yes, I think Dusty will leave Scherzer in too long.

9:40	Stevie Wonderful: Does Justin Turner go over/under on 20 million AAV on his next contract?

9:41	Dave Cameron: I think around there, depending on years.

9:41	Sean Dolinar: You can look up that split, too! Times through the order and vs LHH.

9:41	libre: JT: $80/4 ?

9:41	Dave Cameron: Yeah, something like that. Maybe a little less.

9:42	Ampersand: Is there a way to see the playoff games to the players’ game log pages? I was trying to look up how individual guys have done so far this postseason, but can’t find it.

9:42	Dave Cameron: On the player pages, you can click postseason to see their playoff numbers.

9:43	Jeremy: Blanton get multi-year offer?

9:43	Dave Cameron: For sure.

9:43	aspergillus fumigatus: I’m sure you guys have written at least a couple articles about it..but what’s been behind Turner’s transformation from meh utility player on the Mets to what he is now? a fair response is “read our damn article”

9:43	Dave Cameron: Same thing as almost every change of late; guy with contact skills figured out how to hit for power.

9:44	bada bing: Also, this obviously isn’t a statistical analysis, but when Scherzer is “on,” he is just as good as any pitcher in baseball

9:45	Craig Edwards: fair-but he’s also at 67 pitches through four. The sixth and seventh will present some tough choices.

9:45	libre: Do they try to ride Blanton, even with Urias ready?

9:45	Dave Cameron: I’d bet they just want to get through this inning.

9:46	Alex: Just woke up. Is Kershaw available?

9:46	Dave Cameron: Nope.

9:46	S: Why is Guacamole so much more expensive than other dips?

9:47	Dave Cameron: Avocados are not cheap.

9:47	Matt : Any examples of a reverse JT? Power hitter who gained contact skills to become elite? I seem to remember Miggy was a 270 hitter in 03 but that could have just been adjustments

9:47	Dave Cameron: Miggy’s always made good contact. I think Mike Schmidt cut his strikeout rate in half.

9:48	Bubba: Kris Bryant made more contact too, although he struck out a lot only for one season.

9:48	Dave Cameron: Yeah, and he was pretty good even as high K guy.

9:49	Erik: What separates the guys who can make such big adjustments from the guys who can’t? Doesn’t everyone try to hit for more contact or more power all the time?

9:49	Craig Edwards: Beltre lowered his k-rate as well, although it was never very high.

9:49	Dave Cameron: If we could answer that question, we’d be running a team.

9:50	asabin: That was so far out!

9:50	Strike Thief!: If the nats win is Lobaton their MVP for pillaging the strike zone like he is?

9:51	Alex Reinhart: How huge is this strikezone tonight

9:51	Dave Cameron: It’s only occasionally huge. Was small early.

9:52	JC: Surprised Reddick didn’t try and take the extra base there

9:52	mtsw: bunt here?

9:52	Dave Cameron: No.

9:52	Well, Actually…: Never Bunt. Hit Dingers.

9:53	mtsw: shoulda bunted

9:53	ethn: With Grandal hitting like this, bunt 100 times out of 100

9:54	Dave Cameron: Recency bias.

9:54	Cracker Jack: MLB doing a solid job displaying those hoodies. Everyone looks comfortable af.

9:54	Sean Dolinar: They are well worth the money.

9:54	Craig Edwards: bunting here would actually be worse than normal given Scherzer’s likelihood of striking out the next hitter.

9:55	Chuckb: Definitely good not to save Ethier.

9:55	5 Run Homer: Max Scherzer is like, really good

9:56	mtsw: just sitting here watching my “sometimes you should bunt” stance be vindicated

9:56	HappyFunBall: Scherzer is pitching low he’s not expecting his team to score any more runs

9:57	Alex Reinhart: “You gotta like this move” – Harold Reynolds — are there any managers that don’t make this move?

9:57	Dave Cameron: Nope.

9:57	Craig Edwards: unless there’s something wrong with the data, statcast is saying the expected batting average on lobaton’s at bat last inning was 1.000.

9:57	Dave Cameron: Seems like a data error.

9:58	Ampersand: Big pitch time

9:58	S: Why is Toronto’s crowd so much more exciting than everyone else?

9:58	Sean Dolinar: Because of that 7th inning last year. Also large dome stadium and a fan-base that doesn’t have playoff fatigue yet.

9:59	aj: im rooting for scherzer just because i really like seeing him

9:59	Chuckb: That sound you hear is my brother, the Dodger fan, cursing.