Astros vs. Yankees ALCS Game 5 Chat

October 18, 2019

6:36	Meg Rowley: Hi! Craig Edwards, Eric Longenhagen, and I will be your chatters for Game 5. Craig and Eric for the duration, me until about 6:15 PT or so. We’ll get started closer to first pitch, but until then, so good reading you may have missed.

6:36	Meg Rowley: Here’s Jay Jaffe on CC Sabathia: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/cc-sabathias-storied-career-reaches-a-roug…

6:36	Meg Rowley: Jake Mailhot on Yordan Alvarez’s October slump: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/how-to-neutralize-a-rookie-sensation/

6:37	Meg Rowley: Craig on all the many innings Justin Verlander has thrown: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/justin-verlanders-innings-could-fill-a-boa…

6:37	Meg Rowley: Devan Fink on Ottavino, and how the Yankees still need him: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-yankees-still-need-adam-ottavino/

6:37	Meg Rowley: And Ben Clemens on yesterday’s Game 4: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-astros-edge-toward-the-world-series/

6:38	Meg Rowley: Also, Ben Clemens and I recorded a FanGraphs Audio that I think is good listening: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-audio-ben-clemens-isnt-giving-yo…

6:39

Meg Rowley: Also also, if you’re going to be in the New York City area on November 21, many of your favorite FanGraphs writers and several of our friends will be doing a ticketed event for readers. Tickets are on sale now — details can be found here: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/announcing-fangraphs-live-new-york/

6:40	Meg Rowley: Alright, that’s all until a little closer to first pitch. Happy reading/listening/ticket buying, and thanks for hanging out with us!

6:59	Eric A Longenhagen: Hi, everyone

7:00	Andrew: Hello!

7:00	Phil Buck: Hello

7:00	Meg Rowley: Hi all!

7:01	Bronx Bombed It: We may be about to finish up a decade without a Yankees World Series. What team do you think is least likely to appear in the World Series in the 2020s?

7:02	Eric A Longenhagen: Colorado

7:03	Meg Rowley: Behind them, tempted to say KC, Detroit, and Seattle because at some point if you’re the Mariners, you become less interested in baseball and more interested in performance art?

7:03	Meg Rowley: Let us take a moment to appreciate Verducci’s blazer, because it is sharp.

7:06	Bill: Eric, what would you say the most important things you look for while scouting pitchers and hitters?

7:07	Eric A Longenhagen: Depends on wher they’re at, age/developmentally. Athleticism uber alles. For pitchers after that it’s fastball utility and breaking ball execution. For hitters it’s plate coverage and bat control.

7:07	Arthur Kinney : I know this is off topic, but do any of you have any opinions on the upcoming contraction of minor league baseball?

7:08	Eric A Longenhagen: Nothing cogent until more details of the proposal emerge. Today’s report wasn’t illuminating in any way, people in baseball have noted this was likely to occur for some time.

7:09	Meg Rowley: As first pitch approaches, a poll:

7:09	Meg Rowley: Who wins Game 5 Astros (50.0% \| 12 votes) Yankees (29.1% \| 7 votes) The friends we made along the way (20.8% \| 5 votes) Total Votes: 24

7:09	Meg Rowley: (I am very tired)

7:09	Eric A Longenhagen: Man, lotta empty seats at first pitch.

7:10	Meg Rowley: The other night, the Mariners’ Justin Dunn was sitting back there and it made me think how neat it would be if those seats were reserved for players.

7:10	Meg Rowley: I would get a lot of words out of that.

7:10	Craig Edwards: Well that’s an inauspicious start.

7:10	Craig Edwards: Speaking of. I’m here.

7:10	Meg Rowley: Hi Craig!

7:12	Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: Waiting for the announcers to say “professional hitter” so we can start drinking…

7:12	Meg Rowley: You’re allowed to start now.

7:13	Belli Flop: As a Dodgers fan, I feel empty. As a Verlander fan, I am so excited.

7:13	Ben: Do you think baseball will gain popularity in China? I believe MLB has done some minor outreach stuff there over the past 5 or so years, but nothing major. Do you think the current issues between the NBA and China will affect those chances?

7:13

Eric A Longenhagen: I think it’d take a Chinese player reaching the Majors for baseball to ascend to a level of cultural relevance over there, the same way it took Yao Ming for the NBA to grab hold. If it does, MLB will need to be ready to deal with a situation like this, which means they’d need to control optics better than the NBA has. $ is amoral, they’d do what mad]e the most of it, nothing else

7:13	Craig Edwards: Baseball inspires a lot of emotions. That’s a good thing.

7:13	Belli Flop: Waiting for Smoltz to establish his “establish the fastball” so I can start drinking.

7:14	Craig Edwards: It’s Friday. You are probably okay.

7:15	Eric A Longenhagen: i’ve muted the tv and am listening to the WFAN cast

7:15	Meg Rowley: Man, I love watching Brantley at the plate.

7:16	Meg Rowley: Who is less expressive while pitching: Pax or Greinke?

7:18	Spooky_Ougi: I’m going with Greinke

7:18	Orbit: Gotta see Paxton lose a no hitter in the ninth before we know that one.

7:19	Nate: Greinke easy. Dude is stone cold out there

7:19	Meg Rowley: I suppose Pax always looks sad, which is an expression, albeit a consistent one, while Greinke is genuinely mellow.

7:20	Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: With a truly staggering lack of self-awareness, are they really complaining about having to hear the same narratives over and over again in the postseason?

7:21	Meg Rowley: The postseason has a way of laying bare folks’ humanity, yes.

7:22	Bill: Going back to what you look for while scouting hitters really quick: how are you able to discern above average bat speed from average bat speed? While watching prospects that has been the hardest thing for me to pick out

7:22	Eric A Longenhagen: I don’t think it’s possible to do it with a half-grad]e level of precision. It’s either obviously bad, fine, or obviously exceptional.

7:23	Paul: Springer is from Connecticut, where it’s freezing in the winter, and went to UConn. Surprised he needs a hood in 50 degree weather

7:23	Eric A Longenhagen: I’m from PA but living in PHX for 5 years means I need a hooide when it’s 60

7:24	Meg Rowley: As an often-cold person, I can’t judge either.

7:25	Belli Flop: DJ LEMAHIEU

7:25	5 Run Homer: It’s French for…

7:26	Spooky_Ougi: Has defense been a Yankee weakness throughout the season? I didn’t follow the Yanks too closely until the postseason.

7:26	Eric A Longenhagen: Sanchez has been a bad receiver since he was 15, otherwise it’s not a bad defensive team (Andujar is bad, too)

7:27	Eric A Longenhagen: Verlander missing down, beneath where his heater should live, twice already

7:27	Eric A Longenhagen: We’re gonna start seeing a ton of sliders frlom him now, i bet

7:28	Eric A Longenhagen: slider, slider, curveball to Gleyber

7:29	Hire Joe Morgan?: As a human being, I cannot root for the Yankees, but I really want more baseball. I am such a roil of emotion!

7:29	Meg Rowley: So really no downside for you.

7:29	Meg Rowley: Everything’s comin’ up Joe.

7:31	Arthur Kinney : Outrage level in New York on a scale of 1 to 10 if Nike messes with the pinstripes?

7:31	Eric A Longenhagen: I’d riot and I’m not even a Yankee fan

7:31	Meg Rowley: Strong agree

7:31	Meg Rowley: it. already. has. a. brand. on. it.

7:32	Dystopian Future: LeMahieu has really closed off his stance this year. Are open and closed stance indicative of what a hitter is trying to do? What can it tell us?

7:33	Eric A Longenhagen: What’s important is what happens from the stance, not the stance itself. So Altuve and Stanton are both closed but what they do from it is totally different

7:33	Eric A Longenhagen: It often forces hitters to open up as they stride, that’s your natural inclination when you start closed

7:33	Eric A Longenhagen: but Altuve, it helps him cover the plate away despite how short his arms are

7:36	Eric A Longenhagen: Doink

7:36	5 Run Homer: Ruh roh

7:36	Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: Off the fair pole!

7:37	Meg Rowley: well then

7:37	Hire Joe Morgan?: Wait, what? Is there talk of messing with the pinstripes? Where’d that come from?

7:37	Jim: What’s the deal with Nike and the Yankees?

7:37	Eric A Longenhagen: MLB is moving away from Majestic and to Nike. Nike has had issues with other teams’ jerseys in other sports, like they couldn’t dial in the Eagles green for the longest time. Non-zero chance it happens with some baseball team, too.

7:39	Hire Joe Morgan?: They’re not planning to deliberately mess up the pinstripes, though, right?

7:39	Eric A Longenhagen: Not that I’m aware

7:40	Meg Rowley: Hicks’ confidence at a foul pole home run was delightful

7:40	Casual Observer: Thoughts on the postseason de-juiced ball?

7:41	Meg Rowley: On the one hand, it has likely contributed to starters going deeper in games, which I like. On the other, it’s awful! Anything that makes us talk about something other than what’s going on on the field during October is awful!

7:41	Eric A Longenhagen: 29 first-inning pitches for Verlander 23 for Pax (only 11 strikes)

7:43	Jim: Google says games 1,2,6, and 7 of the world series start at 1:00pm eastern. This has to be incorrect…

7:43	Meg Rowley: Indeed Kyle Glaser @KyleAGlaser Start times and broadcast schedule announced for the rest of the ALCS and the World Series 18 Oct 2019

7:44	slurvestl: These early starts make no sense. Does MLB realize that people work?

7:44	Meg Rowley: Population concentration in the eastern and central time zones is pretty compelling for them.

7:45	Dystopian Future: So will there be chats for WS game one and then the if necessaries, like for the DS and CS rounds?

7:45	Meg Rowley: Barring something unexpected, we’ll have chats for… EVERY WORLD SERIES GAME

7:46	Meg Rowley: Oh man, I want to let off an air horn. Is this how Kiley feels all the time?

7:46	Greg: FOX sure does take its time switching from the CF camera shot to the actual outfield where the ball is traveling.

7:46	Eric A Longenhagen: Fox’s broadcast appears to be comprimised by MLB’s wishes to never ever show what signs the catcher is putting down.

7:48	Meg Rowley: Yeesh, Sánchez.

7:48	Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: Hold up, I’ve been soapboxing for years that it’s better for the east coast to actually be awake for the end of games than it is for the west coast to catch the first inning. I am willing to die on this hill, Pacific Ocean people.

7:49	Meg Rowley: When I lived in Wisconsin, it was perfect. Now that I work from home and get to watch anyhow, it’s fine.

7:49	kevinthecomic: Westcoast girls are hip, I really dig those styles they wear

7:50	Eric A Longenhagen: Athleisure? Pass.

7:51	Hugh: As a pacific coast convert (from NYC) I don’t mind these times. Easy solution… just stop working.

7:51	Eric A Longenhagen: Yeah it’s probably easier said than done for a lot of folks, but telling your boss to stick it once in a while is a good impulse. Sneak out, says I.

7:51	Meg Rowley: Yeah, didn’t your pipes just burst? I bet your pipes burst.

7:51	Meg Rowley: better sort that out

7:52	Eric A Longenhagen: “Hey, Gerald, didn’t your grandmother die last World Series, too?:

7:52	Eric A Longenhagen: “And the one before that?”

7:53	Dumb Chatter: Pipes don’t burst in the West

7:53	Eric A Longenhagen: “My fixed gear bike is possessed by a demon and plowing over Trader Joe’s employees.

7:54	Eric A Longenhagen: Wonder what Pax has under his cap brim

7:54	Meg Rowley: Hopes and dreams, probably.

7:55	Eric A Longenhagen: Licks fingers “wipes on pants” touches brim

7:57	Matt: Are you accusing James Paxton of cheating.

7:57	Eric A Longenhagen: The use of topical substances is generally accepted by teams.

7:58	Wire Fan: How long is Paxton for this game with that pitchcount?

7:59	Meg Rowley: will depend on game state obviously but, while he’s done it less with NY (I believe), he’s gone 110/120 in the past comfortably

8:01	Joe: There’s no way that Boone lets Paxton throw 120 pitches today. We will definitely see the bullpen before that.

8:01	Meg Rowley: Agreed, but he’s got some range, ya know?

8:03	kevinthecomic: is gurriel sporting golden spikes?

8:03	Meg Rowley: Indeed

8:03	Hire Joe Morgan?: Paxton seems to have a nice, easy motion. Is he doing something mechanically that’s caused his injuries, or is it just that he’s pitching?

8:03	Eric A Longenhagen: Eh, I know Seattle had him scrap the curve for a while after he came back from injury. Some guys just get hurt.

8:04	Eric A Longenhagen: Like Adrian Morejon was scratched with a back thing today. Just keeps getting hurt.

8:06	Eric A Longenhagen: lol, Altuve is open now

8:10	Hire Joe Morgan?: Paxton looks like Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys.

8:10	Meg Rowley: his features aren’t as sharp

8:11	bartolos_colon: Assuming he can’t go more than 5 at this pace, do you think Hinch will go with someone who can provide multiple innings first from the ‘pen? Or just right to single inning usage?

8:11	Eric A Longenhagen: I think he’ll need 1.2 or more from someone at some point but when you deploy that guy matters, and so I ask…

8:11

Eric A Longenhagen:

When would you insert multi-inning reliever

His first few hitters should be the top/middle of opposing order (50.0% | 17 votes)

Let him face bottom of order firt then ready another reliever in case there’s traffic the following inning against the top (50.0% | 17 votes)

Total Votes: 34

8:12	kevinthecomic: DJLM flashing the leather!

8:12	Matt: It was so nice getting a new fangraphs audio podcast today! Thanks for recording.

8:12	Meg Rowley: Thanks for putting up with my inconsistent schedule and for listening!

8:14	bosoxforlife: Am i allowed to say ride the starter as long as he is getting the hitters out.

8:14	Eric A Longenhagen: we’re just talking about multi-inning reliever deployment here so it assumes that doesn’t happen.

8:15	Joe: I think that inserting your multi inning reliever should be more a function of start /end of innings

8:15	Eric A Longenhagen: Tampa’s strat would be to use Anderson against the middle of the order, no matter when. Yarbrough they’d be choosier.

8:15

Dystopian Future: I feel like, without looking at the numbers, relievers tire quickly, so you’d rather have this reliever at their highest efficacy against the hitters who are the hardest to get out, right? So, the top/middle of the order first, I think. Although it depends on the quality of that reliever.

8:19	Eric A Longenhagen: Pretty amazing adjustment by Torres there. Pulled way off a much more hittable slider the pitch before, kept front shoulder closed on the second one and hit it hard.

8:22	Meg Rowley: Yankees win expectancy currently at 80.4% after that out.

8:22	Chewbalkus: I always think of a very posh New England disk jockey when I hear DJ LeMahieu

8:24	kevinthecomic: Welcome to “The Midnight Hour”, I’m DJ LeMahieu and we’ll be together for the rest of the night. Oh ya………

8:25	Hale: Odds going forward on a Yankees win? Over/under on Astros at 75%

8:26	Craig Edwards: Even with the Yankees at 80% tonight, given 50/50 odds the next two games, the Astros are still at 80% to win the series right now.

8:27	Dystopian Future: Is moving the glove as aggressively as Sanchez is detrimental to framing?

8:27	Meg Rowley: the best framers don’t make you realize they’re doing it

8:27	Mad Joe-Don: Whenever the audio drops I imagine someone at the park just let rip a really loud swear.

8:27	Meg Rowley: often they have!

8:27	Mick: And a hypothetical game 7 is very likely not 50/50 odds

8:28	Craig Edwards: though even moving the game to 60/40 only makes it 84% for the Astros instead of 80%.

8:29	Hire Joe Morgan?: And then you consider the pitching and the likely state of the Yankee bullpen by game seven….

8:30	Craig Edwards: Bullpen game tomorrow, too, maybe from both sides if Severino can’t go long.

8:30	Craig Edwards: But, also, this game isn’t exactly in the bag.

8:32	sonic the hedgehog : what do you guys think the astros rotation will end up being going into next year?

8:33	Eric A Longenhagen: Verlander, Greinke, McCulllers, Whitley, Urquidy, maybe piggyback Whitley with Framber Valdez or Cionel Perez?

8:34	Craig Edwards: Verlander, Greinke, maybe Whitley, McCullers, guessing Sanchez isn’t really going to be an option. Seems like they are going to need to sign someone. maybe two someones.

8:35	Guest: As a Nats fan I dislike that analysis Craig. I want the yanks

8:35	Craig Edwards: you’ll take the World Series and like it.

8:35	Meg Rowley: sometimes I get distracted by the game and forget to chat

8:35	Meg Rowley: (sorry)

8:37	Nate: Speaking of Whitley…did you have a chance to see him at all in the AFL? Any long term concerns there?

8:37	Eric A Longenhagen: Body has regressed a little but I’m not too concerned about it. Velo is down, 92-94 early reaching back for more late. Secondaries are still great. He’ll likely be behind Gore on our list this offseason but still think he’s gonna be good.

8:37	bartolos_colon: Marisnick can definitely captain the “permanently wet hair guy” team for MLB. Finalist for Golden Conditioner award

8:38	sonic the hedgehog : do you think the Whitley is gonna get a full season or they are gonna limit his innings if he makes the rotation next year?

8:39	Craig Edwards: The odds of him pitching 150 innings even if the Astros wanted him to seems low.

8:40	Casual Observer: Yankees bailing Verlander out on pitch count… he could go all night long at this rate.

8:40	Craig Edwards: all night

8:41	Craig Edwards: Big inning for Paxton here. High pitch count, third time through the order. Yankees probably need him to get through just like they needed Tanaka to get through six. Didn’t work out last night.

8:43	Craig Edwards: Looked like a strike to me on Springer.

8:43	Meg Rowley: Yerp.

8:43	Meg Rowley: Friends, I have to duck out — Eric and Craig will remain. Enjoy the rest of the game!

8:44	Craig Edwards: Bye Meg.

8:44	Eric A Longenhagen: peace

8:46	bartolos_colon: James Paxton’s hats always looking all big on his head; My column

8:46	Eric A Longenhagen: lol, Ariel Miranda

8:46	Craig Edwards: We’ve moved from big inning to big at bat. Brantley up with Altuve on first. It doesn’t look like Sanchez has any idea where the pitches are going. Not sure whose fault that is.

8:47	Eric A Longenhagen: Tommy Kahnle is warming

8:49	kevinthecomic: that pitch missed badly — Brantley had a reason to be upset

8:50	Craig Edwards: that one was a tough one. Then Paxton finished the job. With the Bregman ground out, too. Probably should be it for him.

8:50	Eric A Longenhagen: Then he swung thru a slider in the zone, so no stone throwing

8:54	Joe: Is there a tool anywhere that lets you punch in a bunch of hitter outcomes in a given number of innings and it spits back out expected runs?

8:54	Joe: I just feel like outcomes and expected runs have not matched up well this series

8:55	Craig Edwards: I don’t know, but wOBA in the playoffs is .300 with runners on and .290 with bases empty so you are probably just noticing a lack of offense generally.

8:55	Arthur Kinney : Could Whitley’s velo issues be due to the long season?

8:55	Eric A Longenhagen: He barely threw this year

8:58	Dystopian Future: What are guys saying to the umps after they strike out swinging? Asking if they tipped it? Asking if the pitch was a strike?

8:59	Craig Edwards: Could be asking about where a pitch was earlier in the at bat or just saying thought it was low, thought it was inside, etc.

8:59	Byron Buxton : Why is sign stealing illegal? Seems like it is just a competitive advantage similar to pitch framing

8:59	Craig Edwards: it’s not. Certain forms of stealing are if it is aided, as are certain forms of communication.

9:00	Eric A Longenhagen: right, and that’s what people think Houston is doing

9:01	Craig Edwards: Verlander would be doing really well if this game started 7:30 eastern. He’s kept Houston in the game.

9:02	Craig Edwards: He’s also up to 245.1 innings this season, the most since Kluber threw 249.1 in 2016.

9:03	Craig Edwards: Interesting to see how many batters Paxton gets here.

9:03	Joe: Is wOBA on contract noticably different in this postseason? I would guess it probably is given the dejuiced ball suspicions

9:04	Craig Edwards: It probably is, but that’s not going to tell us much because the pitching in the postseason is so much better than the regular season.

9:05	Jeff: Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, and CC Sabathia are three of the most athletic pitchers of any generation probably.

9:05	Eric A Longenhagen: Eh. Not Verlander.

9:06	Craig Edwards: I think pitchers generally are very athletic. Watching many of them hit makes it seem like they aren’t athletic, but they are probably just 95-98% batters instead of the 99.99 it takes to be a good MLB hitter.

9:07	Marcus Banks: Nor Sabathia.

9:08	Eric A Longenhagen: CC is athletic, he’s just heavy

9:08	bartolos_colon: Eric what grade would you give Sanchez’s glove and/or framing at present. I hate to buy into the Foxxxxxxx narrative but my goodness he is sloppy even if some egregious misses come with the bases empty

9:08	Eric A Longenhagen: He’s been asking for a first base mitt since before he signed.

9:09	Mick: How Didi-esque was that Chirinos flyout

9:09	Eric A Longenhagen: well, that was close

9:09	Dystopian Future: Alright then Eric, who’s the least athletic player you’ve seen in, I don’t know, the last five years?

9:09	Eric A Longenhagen: Tyrone Perry?

9:09	Eric A Longenhagen: Seth Beer?

9:10	Dystopian Future: Aaron Boone is reverting to his 2018 form all over again. Paxton probably should’ve already been out, right?

9:11	Craig Edwards: He gambled. It’s hard to say given potentially four games in four days. They just barely got out of it here. He certainly would have deserved the criticism if something had happened.

9:11	Mick: 100.4 mph EV, 30 deg LA

9:11	Arthur Kinney : Great point on CC, Eric. If one says CC is not athletic because he’s big, one would have to say the same thing about Shaq.

9:11	Eric A Longenhagen: older Shaq, yeah. Young Shaq was bouncy.

9:14	Dylan: Young Shaq was all muscle

9:14	Eric A Longenhagen: The Orlando-era highlights are incredible

9:14	Knuckleball: And there is the de-juiced ball robbing a HR

9:16	Craig Edwards: So in the regular season, that ball goes 390 feets. We can take off 9 feet for the temperature, so 383. There’s still 10 feet there since the ball went 373. With the wind blowing left to right, I’m not sure the regular season ball goes out. It’s close though.

9:17	Dystopian Future: So, how long does Torres stay at second base? What’s the precedent for 2B moving down the defensive spectrum, other than 1B?

9:17	Craig Edwards: There’s Mookie Betts.

9:19	Craig Edwards: Nine outs from the Yankees bullpen with a three-run lead should be a good recipe for New York.

9:19	lukewarmtakes: What are the odds Mookie gets traded in the off-season?

9:19	Craig Edwards: Not high.

9:20	kevinthecomic: Yankees WE up to 89%

9:20	Jeff: Why do I like Drew Waters’ bat so much more than Pache’s and therefore so much more overall as a prospect?

9:20	Craig Edwards: Still one in five for the series, but they’ve got a shot.

9:20	Eric A Longenhagen: Why do I like vanilla ice cream more than chocolate?

9:20	John: statcast says the chirinos ball had 61% hit probability, so it wasn’t necessarily a robbery

9:21	Craig Edwards: though a lot of those go to center field where the walls are deeper so you can’t always look at hit probability.

9:21	Jeff: How about Lindor?

9:21	Craig Edwards: I just don’t see it.

9:21	Jeff: Syndergaard?

9:21	Craig Edwards: I could see it, just because we don’t know what the Mets are going to do.

9:22	lukewarmtakes: Where does one get real time Statcast data?

9:22	Craig Edwards: there’s a gamefeed on baseball savant

9:22	Trade: biggest name traded this offseason?

9:22	Eric A Longenhagen: robbie ray

9:25	Robbie Ray : best haul for Ray possible?

9:26	Eric A Longenhagen: something centered around clint frazier or maybe a package from MIN around Jeffers+?

9:26	Eric A Longenhagen: or someone like that

9:28	FantasyHandbook: Hey Eric, what are your thoughts on Matt Beaty this season? Do you see improvement? Regression? Doing a profile and I need a second opinion.

9:28	Eric A Longenhagen: I think he’s a 45 FV type, corner platoon guy. He and Edwin Rios are redundant. One of them should be dealt.

9:28	Eric A Longenhagen: I’d rather have Beatty, better ABquality

9:30	lukewarmtakes: Frazier seems like an overpay for Ray.

9:30	Craig Edwards: Come on.

9:31	lukewarmtakes: Agree on the quick hook for Kahnle?

9:31	Eric A Longenhagen: A LH 1B gets you two there

9:31	Craig Edwards: Yeah. Leverage shot up.

9:31	Eric A Longenhagen: agreed

9:32	Wire Fan: Over/under on Smoltz “bowling ball” references?

9:32	Craig Edwards: I thought he was a golfer?

9:32	Eric A Longenhagen: how long before the Joe Buck sucks guy gets tossed?

9:33	Sam: If you’re the nats what do you hope for? Yankees win game 7 in a 18 inning marathon?

9:33	Craig Edwards: 11 would probably be sufficient.

9:33	Eric A Longenhagen: Britton vs Bregman has happened a few times and I wonder if NYYthinks the way to get Bregman out is with sink away from him

9:34	kevinthecomic: Welp, the Yanks took care of the Stros 1-2-3-4 hitters

9:34	Craig Edwards: Now they just need to deal with those pesky 5-6-7-8-9-1 hitters and not allow any baserunners so they don’t have to see those guys again tonight.

9:36	Eric A Longenhagen: Houston with their more hit-friendly OF in now with Marisnick out

9:37	Jeff: I’m still pissed the Yankees picked up Aaron Hicks for nothing. I was all like but the Cubs should be doing these things….everyone was all like he sucks stfu…then I was all like have imagination guys have you forgotten about redemption and hope….

9:38	Craig Edwards: Even if it cost them the 2016 world series because they were carrying a poor hitter all season long? There’s reasons to be mad at the Cubs but I don’t think Aaron Hicks is one of those reasons.

9:38	Nick: You sound sarcastic Craig, but is that really out of the question, given the arms in the Yankees’ pen?

9:39	Craig Edwards: There’s a decent shot at it. Need to make sure there is only ever one baserunner, not two.

9:40	Jeff: Was Hicks 2016? When you put it that way….

9:40	Section329 : Not long

9:40	Eric A Longenhagen: lol

9:40	Craig Edwards: In 2016, the Yankees gave Hicks 361 PA and he put up a 64 wRC+. They were patient in their one reloading year.

9:41	Jeff: Springer is going to hit FA next year, isn’t he? That should be fun

9:41	Craig Edwards: Paxton, too.

9:42	Craig Edwards: and Betts and maybe Realmuto.

9:42	Fangraph’s Lurker: Fun fact: the indians traded CC Sabathia to the brewers for michael brantley and others

9:42	Craig Edwards: although when the trade went down I believe it was others and Michael Brantley.

9:43	Wire Fan: Do the Cubs turn Hicks into the hitter he became? The Yankees track record has been pretty good recently (Didi, Hicks, Urshela, Tauchman, Maybin? )

9:43	Eric A Longenhagen: it was headlined by Laporta, Brantley was PTBNL

9:43	Craig Edwards: They have done very well lately

9:43	Eric A Longenhagen: Don’t forget Voit and flipping McBroom and Cooper

9:43	Dystopian Future: Springer is the guy you assume Houston’s letting go of if they start trying to cut payroll, right?

9:43	Eric A Longenhagen: Yes

9:44	Dystopian Future: Laporta was the big prospect in that deal. And he busted in a huge way.

9:44	Eric A Longenhagen: r/r 1B profile, man

9:45	Eric A Longenhagen: DIdi di not swing

9:46	Craig Edwards: Houston also only has 120 M committed to 2021 right now and $42 M to 2022 so long term they still have a ton of flexibility.

9:46	Eric A Longenhagen: That 0-0 curveball to Ushela has been a strike with the Robozone here in Fall League

9:47	Arthur Kinney : Brantley best PTBNL ever?

9:47	Craig Edwards: David Ortiz, I think.

9:48	Arthur Kinney : Ortiz was a PTBNL?

9:48	Craig Edwards: to the Twins, yes.

9:48	CTBNL: Trea Turner = best PTBNL

9:49	Craig Edwards: that’s a weird one because it wasn’t like he wasn’t a known part of the deal. It was due to draft rules.

9:49	Dystopian Future: Brantley isn’t a true PTBNL, is he?. Cleveland really wanted him and Milwaukee didn’t really want to give him up. It was contingent on MIL making the playoffs; the story’s been told quite often.

9:49	Eric A Longenhagen: Well, he is a player who was named later…

9:50	Will: Cano was almost a PTBNL in the A-rod trade. Texas picked Joaquin Arias from the most the Yankees offered instead.

9:50	Reid: If Shane Baz ends up being the best PTBNL the Archer trade would be even more comical

9:50	Craig Edwards: They passed on Cano? Are you Joaquin with me?

9:50	Eric A Longenhagen: Chapman already warming

9:51	Nick: How do you pronounce “PTBNL” in your head when reading it?

9:51	Craig Edwards: Player to be named later. the acronym helps save space on paper but not word space in my head.

9:52	Patrick: I skip the B for some reason

9:52	Craig Edwards: but that’s the most accurate one!

9:53	kevinthecomic: peanut buns L

9:53	Fire Ken Tremendous: I had to download a new Fox Sports app on my (Android) phone the other day and it doesn’t give me a Chromecast option. Anybody else encountering that issue?

9:53	Craig Edwards: We are getting pretty close to still having baseball tomorrow.

9:55	Eric A Longenhagen: Chapman shuts the door in the 9th yep (80.4% \| 33 votes) nope (19.5% \| 8 votes) Total Votes: 41

9:55	Craig Edwards: Yordan Alvarez did not look good there.

9:56	Wire Fan: Why are Urshela’s defensive stats so bad? Just noise or is it something real? He seems like a solidly above average fielder.

9:56	lukewarmtakes: How do PTBNL in trades come about? Acquiring team just wants more time to decide?

9:56	Eric A Longenhagen: Yeah, typically the two teams agree on a list of a handful of players and the acquiring team takes the next month or so to evaluate those guys further and decide

9:56	Craig Edwards: He’s plus 3 career by UZR and -4 by DRS. seems about average.

9:56	Nate: Is there a point where you think about benching Yordan Alvarez if you’re Houston? Love the guy, but he looks lost AF right now

9:56	Eric A Longenhagen: agreed, it’s bad enough that I’d have that convo internally

9:57	Patrick: The article by Jake Mailhot was very good. And Alvarez just swung and missed at breaking balls low and away.

9:57	Craig Edwards: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/how-to-neutralize-a-rookie-sensation/

9:58	Eric A Longenhagen: Altuve 80 hit, Sanchez 80 arm strength (pop times aren’t 80 though), Correa 80 arm (but not 80 arm utility), Aroldis 80 fastball, Brantley maybe 80 hit, too.

9:58	Dystopian Future: Ah, we tried creating a list with the Braves and Cardinals and couldn’t find that many, so let’s try this again; what are some 80 tools on the baseball field here today, in the non game-power or raw-power division?