Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat

stever20: what do you make of the Dodgers having Urias on the LCS roster?

Jeff Sullivan: So the word is out that Urias is on the roster to replace Alexander. Both, of course, are left-handed

Jeff Sullivan: I think in one sense there’s a general disappointment that Alexander hasn’t been better. He’s a guy with an awful big platoon split. Urias isn’t so good against lefties, but he’s better against righties, and even though he had something of a lost season he might well currently have the fresher arm

Jeff Sullivan: Little doubt that, at or around 100%, Urias should be a more effective pitcher than Alexander is

Jay Jaffe: Hey folks, welcome to a postseason off-day edition of my chat. Frankly, Ii’m a little relieved not to have a baseball game  for the second night in a row because of how out-of-whack my sleep schedule and that of the rest of my household (baseball-editing wife and two-year-old toddler) is.

Jay Jaffe: I’ve got a big NLCS preview-ish type thing going up tomorrow morning that explores some of the contrasts between the Brewers and Dodgers. It’s by no means comprehensive, but it sure is long!

kderg: How much do you believe that the Yankees thought Monday night’s game started at 8? On the one hand, someone must have double checked. On the other hand Severino’s late warmup, Gary’s fingernails were unpainted in the first, Gardner wasn’t wearing metal cleats in the first.

Jay Jaffe: I don’t believe there was any mistake regarding the time. This is a non-story.

Jay Jaffe: Boone made plenty of mistakes during the ALDS, some of which he wasn’t very clear about explaining the thought process behind in pre- and postgame interviews. He has said that he had no issue with Severino’s warm-up time, and on that note, I have no reason to doubt him.

Bruce: What kind of a contract would Stanton get if he was a FA this year?

Eric A Longenhagen: Oh, hi there. Welcome to today’s chat. I’ll get right to it.

Tumbler, Whiskey: Hi Eric, thanks for the time today. Are Kristian Robinson and Geraldo Perdomo the two best prospects in the Diamondbacks’ system?

Eric A Longenhagen: I woudn’t have Perdomo all the way up there, he’s still behind guys like  Jazz, Varsho, Dup, Thomas…but he is a good prospect. Kristian, you already know.

JJ: Just seen Santiago Espinal has been sent to the AFL – thoughts on him as a prospect?

Eric A Longenhagen: Fall League disclaimer: It’s early and I might change my mind on these guys over the next six weeks. Think Espinal is probably an org guy.

Daniel: Were there any exciting names in Cubs extended or AZL? Reivaj looks interesting (and not just b/c the of the name)

Kiley McDaniel: Hello from Florida! Think I just saw my last instructional league game yesterday, have a podcast and big Victor Mesa article both going up later today, we’ve already started work on offseason lists and new features for THE BOARD

RS: How do you scout for useful spin rate? Trackman just provides raw spin rate, but not all 3000 RPMs are equal.

Kiley McDaniel: Well you wouldn’t be scouting at that point, that’s data analysis. But if a curveball has a huge raw spin rate and also really big movement, then you can assume there’s a good ratio of useful spin. You either need a fancy camera or Rapsodo to know useful spin and neither is really practical in game situations.

Rbrewers : No love for  Brandon Howlett on the board? He’s looked great as a pro for the Red Sox so far.

Kiley McDaniel: Big swing and miss issues this spring, but he may end up on there when we do the Red Sox list

Ryan: Hey Kiley, what do you think of Dbacks shortstop prospects Geraldo Perdomo and Blaze Alexander? Thank you!

Meg Rowley: Hello, and welcome to the chat!

Meg Rowley: It feels strange to chat without the help and humor of my colleagues but I guess we must soldier on.

Nate: Angel Hernandez’s performance last definitely hurts his lawsuit, does it not?

Meg Rowley: Obviously, I don’t know anything more about his case or claim than what has been reported, but I think it is important to remember that his poor performance does not mean that he couldn’t have faced discrimination. I would hope (and imagine) that whatever judge or arbiter is hearing his case will approach it more dispassionately than sports fans watching a playoff game.

CamdenWarehouse: As we sit here watching Osuna pitch, do you get any sense that MLB has heard people about DV suspensions and post season play? Any chance of a change coming?

Meg Rowley: I don’t have a sense of how the league office is viewing this, or how much of the discourse online has gotten to them or the union.

Dan Szymborski: Noon: A Time for Chats

Dan Szymborski: Let’s have some fun travelling an hour farther on the road between the cradle and the grave.

J: Wander Franco: the next Juan Soto?

Dan Szymborski: How did this Wander Franco meme start?

Matthew: What teams do you think do the best scouting amatuer talent?

Dan Szymborski: It’s a difficult question as I’d be judging more results than the individual abilities of the scouts on each team. I’m not as connected with individual scouts, I think that’s a McDongenhagen question.

Jay Jaffe: Hello folks, and welcome to a day of baseball madness, with four Division Series games piled high starting with the Indians and Astros at 2 PM. I’m the starter today, not the opener. Hopefully I’ll be able to give you several good innings of delightful commentary.

Klubot: How much of a factor do you think Kluber’s hard hit % will be today? His rate this year is his career high

Jay Jaffe: I’m less worried about Kluber’s hard hit rate and more worried by the fact that his 7.7% drop in K rate was the majors’ largest for anybody with 150 innings last year and this one. Number two on that list? Kershaw, with a drop of 5.9%. https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/season-stat-grid?position=P&seasonSt…. Both are still excellent pitchers, and perhaps the hard-hit rate for Kluber is  as indicative of a decline as the K rate is, but the rest of his numers say he’s still a vary valuable pitcher.

TJF1777: Have the Yankees ever played the Red Sox in the playoffs? Didn’t see any articles on it this week

Jay Jaffe: I can’t tell if you have the sarcasm font on or not, but to answer you in earnest: three times, all in the ALCS: 1999, 2003 and 2004.

BK: I’m just a sad Braves’ fan looking to watch some more baseball and wallow in my sorrows

Carson Cistulli: Hello. The chat will begin in earnest momentarily. Dan Szymborski will be here. Maybe Craig Edwards. Possibly other writers. Also possibly not them.

Carson Cistulli: In the meantime, please consider responding to a poll.

Carson Cistulli:

Ozzie Ozzie Albies Free: What are the drinking game rules for today?

Carson Cistulli: Drink anytime you want but also employ reason while doing so.

bosoxforlife: Couldn’t care less who wins but can’t wait for the game to start.

Craig Edwards: Hello everyone. Chat/Live Blog to begin shortly. Feel free to load up the queue.

Craig Edwards:

Craig Edwards: Just so everyone is aware, the game is on ESPN, so plan accordingly.

Dave: Odds we see Josh Hader if the Brewers are down 3+?

Craig Edwards: 10%? If the team is down three, you are probably going to want multiple innings from him tomorrow, which would preclude an appearance today.

5 Run Homer: I’d just like to say that MLB is very rude for scheduling these games while I have assignments to do and classes to attend. Why can’t they cater to my specific needs?