NL Wild Card Live Chat

by
October 2, 2018
7:49
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.
7:49
Carson Cistulli: In the meantime, please consider responding to a poll.
7:50
Carson Cistulli:

Are you “stoked” about tonight’s Wild Card Game?
Yes, obviously. (34.7% | 59 votes)
 
No, I am dead inside. (11.7% | 20 votes)
 
I’m dead inside, but I’m still stoked. (53.5% | 91 votes)
 
Total Votes: 170
7:57
Ozzie Ozzie Albies Free: What are the drinking game rules for today?
7:58
Carson Cistulli: Drink anytime you want but also employ reason while doing so.
7:58
bosoxforlife: Couldn’t care less who wins but can’t wait for the game to start.

7:59
He Hate Me: The wild card format as it stands is perfect. Starting on Opening Day everyone is 0-0, tied for the Division lead. Every team’s first goal should be to win their division. There needs to be a legitimate reward that only goes to the division champions — not just hats and tees. With three divisions and two wild cards, the current system elegantly both bestows that reward and taxes the runners up.
7:59
carrotjuice: Which team do you think feels more pressure to win tonight? I feel strong arguments for both teams exist.
8:00
Dan Szymborski: PLAYOFF TIME
8:01
Dan Szymborski: ALL THE CHAFF HAS BEEN DISPOSED OF. ALL WHEAT, TIME TO MAKE SOME BREAD OR I GUESS SOY SAUCE IF WE HAVE SOYBEANS TOO
8:01
Dan Szymborski: I believe the combination that refers to as Shmegsog are here too!
8:01
Carson Cistulli: My sense, and I’m quite possibly wrong, is that major leaguers are constantly pressing to be the best possible version of themselves. I’m not sure to what degree the outside forces affect them.
8:02
Dan Szymborski: You gotta pace yourself, be an average version of yourself sometimes
8:03
Carson Cistulli: Dan, are you performing your nerdly duty and watching the Statcast Edition of this game?
8:04
Lunar verLander: I’m 1 minute into the ESPN2 broadcast, and I already love it
8:04
Walking Stephen Piscotty: How is Ian Desmond playing in a postseason game?
8:05
Dan Szymborski: Of course I am!
8:05
Dan Szymborski: Gotta support Mikhail Petrovich or whatever his name is
8:05
JoshR: Dan, what will Khris Davis projected batting average be next year? Can you dare part with one nugget of information?
8:05
Dan Szymborski: I hoard my nuggets!
8:05
Tim: Well FG finally gets its wish Liam Hendricks starting a bullpen wildcard game with one starter joining 10 relievers as presumably the long man in case of extras!
8:05
Carson Cistulli: The Rockies have been (strangely? commendably) loyal to their veteran starters this year. Desmond, Parra, Gonzalez: they’ve been among the league’s worst. The team also tied the Dodgers.
8:06
Dan Szymborski: I’m willing to be some national writers prove to be unaware.
8:06
Christian: I’m watching via MLB TV and they don’t have the ESPN 2 broadcast 🙁
8:06
Dan Szymborski: Loyal is the nicest way to put it
8:06
Carson Cistulli: If anyone’s interested, YouTube TV has a free seven-day trial. ESPN2 is available there.
8:07
Jason, Ben, Eddie: Re: statcast broadcast, for a moment I thought Eduardo Perez was about to break out live stats on Jon Lester’s heart rate. That could have really raised the stakes here.
8:07
5 Run Homer: The lack of Statcast broadcast on MLBtv is truly vexing
8:07
Carson Cistulli: Watch out: user 5 Run Homer is vexed.
8:08
Craig Edwards: I’m also watching baseball.
8:09
kevinthecomic: Loyalty to Parra, Gonzalez and Desmond cost the Rockies the division — let’s see if they get away with it by winning tonight
8:09
Dan Szymborski: God help the Rockies, I think they actually think those players are good.
8:09
Dan Szymborski: Where did I stash that image I always use?
8:10
druidiful: Playstation Vue refuses to play ESPN/ESPN2 in anything other than SD 🙁
8:10
druidiful: All other channels broadcast in HD
8:10
5 Run Homer: That pro-celebration pump up video MLB put out earlier today has me so goddamn excited
8:10
Dan Szymborski:

8:11
Morty: What would Emil Cioran say about Wild Card games?
8:11
Pie: Can it really begin in earnest if Dan is headlining?
8:11
Dan Szymborski: I am earnest. I once heard about the importance of being so.
8:11
CamdenWarehouse: You and Dan are going to be in the same chat?!
8:11
Carson Cistulli: That they distort our concept of the “wild,” Morty.
8:11
Shirtless George Brett: Its still a bit shocking Colorado did not trade for someone like Smoak at the deadline.
8:11
Dan Szymborski: I am not shocked.
8:11
Carson Cistulli: Craig Edwards wrote a good piece about Lester earlier today: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-jon-lester-has-left/.
8:12
Dan Szymborski: Relevant plug!
8:12
Carson Cistulli: What he found is that Lester’s likely to have more success by nibbling.
8:12
Carson Cistulli: Or, I *think* that’s what he concluded.
8:13
Jason, Ben, Eddie: Mike Petriello seems to at once be a gifted orator and a definite robot, and my senses don’t quite know how to process this fact
8:13
Walking Stephen Piscotty: Lester’s just going to spend the whole game giving up baserunners and stranding them I bet
8:14
Carson Cistulli: Petriello is giving me the precise information I’d like to have but which I lack the energy to find.
8:14
Mike: Inject this broadcast directly into my veins
8:14
CamdenWarehouse: New game plan tonight for Lester: walk then pickoff everyone
8:15
Sadman: bad idea to bunt here?
8:15
Craig Edwards: I don’t think he was actually trying to bunt.
8:15
Carson Cistulli: Surprised he just took 3-1, though.
8:16
Carson Cistulli: But he also makes a lot of contact.
8:16
Carson Cistulli: Um, like that.
8:16
Carson Cistulli: He hit the shit out of that.
8:16
Carson Cistulli: 113 mph.
8:16
Craig Edwards: Lester going to the middle of zone isn’t a great sign. He’s gone more inside to righties of late, but needs to get more inside.
8:17
Craig Edwards: It appears the fix is in.
8:18
Craig Edwards: that pitch to Arenado was a better example of getting far enough in so he couldn’t do damage.
8:18
Carson Cistulli: LeMahieu didn’t hit a ball above 110 mph this year.
8:18
Carson Cistulli: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/statcast_search?hfPT=&hfAB=&hfBBT=&hfPR…
8:18
druidiful: Ian Desmond has a 43% hard hit rate! If only those weren’t all straight into the ground.
8:18
Dan Szymborski: All teams should have a carnivorous plant that eats baseballs on the field somewhere.
8:18
Craig Edwards: Both Lester and Freeland would be happy if that strike one to Story keeps getting called.
8:19
Dan Szymborski: Fenway would look great with that kite-eating tree from Peanuts.
8:20
Carson Cistulli: Not sure that was actually a cambio by Lester to Story, but I guess it had a changeup effect?
8:21
Carson Cistulli: Nice rebound for Lester. His performance *already* on slow stuff is way better than fastballs.
8:21
Walking Stephen Piscotty: Pretty good job by Lester to only give up 1 run that inning I’d say
8:22
AJ: Talk about settling back down…
8:22
skyline: why is kyle freeland good?  i dont understand, where is the smoking gun in his stats?
8:22
Carson Cistulli: He’s limited hard contact. He’s up with Kyle Hendricks and those.
8:23
Ryan: I mean, getting Story to strike out on what should’ve been a 2-0 count helped. (Partisanship.)
8:23
Shirtless George Brett: Getting two balls called strikes helped…..
8:23
Hank: Easier to settle down when the ump turns a 2-0 count into an 0-2 count.
8:24
Carson Cistulli: Petriello et al are doing a good job of illustrating how hard-hit rate doesn’t correlate perfectly with run-scoring!
8:24
Denji: I’m imagining Petriello in front of six monitors spitting out raw statcast data that he reads like the Matrix
8:25
Carson Cistulli: Freeland spotting pitches well in first at-bat here.
8:25
Craig Edwards: Freeland has a fourseamer that induces ground balls, which is really helpful. Batters don’t whiff on it, but they miss by just enough.
8:26
Carson Cistulli: Except for the fifth pitch of the at-bat, I mean.
8:26
fishman: he lives in Colorado!!!!
8:26
CamdenWarehouse: The MLB video was great and it also will let M’s fans see their team’s cap on TV in October
8:26
Mike: The ground ball generating four seamer was a Kershaw phenomenon thing for years
8:26
druidiful: Mike Petriello has nothing on Dave Cameron when it comes to being a robot/blinking.
8:26
5 Run Homer: I don’t know how but I keep forgetting about Zobrist
8:26
Ford: Hey, Zobrist had a year
8:26
Dan Szymborski: I like slow-motions of pitchers avoiding hard grounders because it always looks like they’re testing out some funky dance move.
8:27
CamdenWarehouse: if they’re carnivorous, wouldn’t the fielders have difficulties?
8:27
Gabe: Do I have to turn in my stat-nerd card for watching the main ESPN broadcast? (I like Vasgersian, Mendoza, and A-Rod, okay!!)
8:27
Dan Szymborski: Yes
8:27
Howdy: Grade my NLWC dinner: lasagna, chips and dip, and cream of wheat
8:27
Craig Edwards: If that 95 mph is real, it’s about as hard as Freeland has thrown all year.
8:28
Hank: Should Bryant be hitting 2nd given his struggles?
8:28
Carson Cistulli: Howdy, are you in a weird, nice prison?
8:28
Craig Edwards: He’s Kris Bryant and just hit a homer in the last series.
8:29
Howdy: If my own mind counts, then yeah
8:29
Mike: This life is a prison to many
8:30
Carson Cistulli: Not sure the Freeland K to Bryant was located *super* well. Not as in or high as you’d like, I’d guess.
8:31
Sadman: that looked like the wind really caught that one
8:31
Anonymous: RIP ZOBRIST
8:31
kevinthecomic: Picked!!!!!!
8:31
Airport Banana: That was an incredible move.
8:31
Walking Stephen Piscotty: WOW what a MOVE
8:32
Guest: Very very safe
8:32
Walking Stephen Piscotty: Boy’s safe though
8:32
5 Run Homer: I… think he’s safe
8:32
Brendan: Looked safe to me
8:32
Carson Cistulli: Verdict: good move, but Zobrist probably safe.
8:32
Thom: Safe but holy moly that move
8:32
Ryan: It’s mean to do that when Jon Lester is the other pitcher.
8:32
Dan Szymborski: Zobrist should refuse to leave  no matter what. It’s not like they’ll get security.
8:32
Dan Szymborski: Passive resistance baseball!
8:32
Mike: Guile Freeland
8:32
Craig Edwards: in the last two years, Zobrist has been picked off 3 times with ust five steals.
8:33
Peanuts Wilson: Matt Holliday was on the 2007 Rockies playoff team. Who on the 2018 Rockies will be on their 2029 playoff team?
8:33
Dan Szymborski: Matt Holliday.
8:33
Carson Cistulli: “Guile Freeland” has my full-throated endorsement.
8:33
Sadman: Zobrist might be safe but *I* certainly feel picked off.
8:34
Morbo: If the Cubs get eliminated here, the Dodgers have by far the highest chance of a WS title, right?  I would sure like them to be eliminated as well.
8:34
Carson Cistulli: Yes, but only because the AL clubs are so competitive. The AL team will likely be the favored one.
8:34
Carson Cistulli: I think.
8:34
Carson Cistulli: Without looking at the numbers.
8:34
Carson Cistulli: Nevermind, I’m probably wrong.
8:34
Erik: Why did anyone ever think Desmond should play first base? Wasn’t he an average hitter at best for a shortstop?
8:35
Sadman: maybe from the nl
8:35
igor: Astros hello?
8:35
Craig Edwards: He was good in 2012-2013. Would’ve been a slightly above average 1st baseman, then.
8:35
Mike: Dodgers are heavy underdogs to Astros, light to red Sox, slightly favored vs NY and cle, favored vs oak I believe
8:35
Carson Cistulli: Thanks, Mike, for actually looking it up.
8:36
Mike: I look every day because it makes me happy
8:37
Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: There is something perverse about the nerd broadcast showing me a ticker with the AL leaders in RBIs.
8:37
Carson Cistulli: It’s actually a psych experiment constructed by Stanley Milgram.
8:38
Steve: Welp, that looked like a very 2016 Baez at bat there….
8:38
Dan Szymborski: Javy’s never going to be Captain Science.
8:38
Carson Cistulli: I think a lot of the 2018 at-bats have looked like the 2016 ones… right up to the part where Baez hits an opposite-field homer.
8:38
Craig Edwards: Did Freeland just throw an 88 mph change?
8:38
Dan Szymborski: He’s not going to be Javy Votto.,
8:39
Carson Cistulli: Yeah, Craig, I don’t know. Ball just went straight into the ground.
8:39
igor: Random stat of the night:  Yoán Moncada had 217 Ks in 650 PA this season.  Nellie Fox had 216 Ks in 10,351 PA over NINETEEN seasons–his entire career!
8:39
Jason, Ben, Eddie: There’s no way Cubs fans actually enjoy watching Baez hit, right?
8:39
Dan Szymborski: And now he’s dead.
8:39
Craig Edwards: 74% of the time, he does not strike out, and yes, they definitely enjoy it.
8:40
Sadman: javy votto hah good one dan
8:40
Dan Szymborski: Javy Votto would be an  unbelievably great player.
8:40
Dan Szymborski: And various Brennamans would still complain about the lack of RBIs
8:40
Skyline: What was the game time temperature does anyone know?
8:41
Dan Szymborski: Mid 60s?
8:41
Stephen: The Nerd Broadcast posted Charlie Blackmon having .8 bWAR, but FG has him at 2.8? I know you guys use difference defensive metrics, but is that one of the big splits out there between the two, what is the largest you guys have ever seen between the two calculations?
8:41
Sadman: oh shit!
8:41
5 Run Homer: Albert Almora good
8:41
Walking Stephen Piscotty: I thought that was gone
8:41
Craig Edwards: Gameday called it a slider
8:41
Dan Szymborski: It’s certainly among the larger ones. One of the nice things about projections is that the defense gets smoothed out a bit!
8:41
Dan Szymborski: If this were a SyFy movie, then the ivy would have eaten Almora.
8:41
Omega Red: Dahls to the wall
8:41
Lachlan: 61 per the Boxscore on MLB.com Skyline
8:42
Jason, Ben, Eddie: I know he’s not bad, Craig, but watching someone who chases that much has to be maddening.
8:42
Dan Szymborski: Go by the Earl Weaver philosophy. Focus on what a player does well rather than what he can’t.
8:42
Ryan: Carson, is Charlie Blackmon the best ever fringe five alum?
8:43
Craig Edwards: Another interesting development with Lester is that he is much more of a Fly ball pitcher than he used to be due to abandoning the sinker.
8:43
Carson Cistulli: Actually, he predates the Fringe Five. Mookie Betts and Jose Ramirez appeared among the top five in the first season, though. Obviously I didn’t anticipate what they’d really become.
8:43
Morbo: Surely Kluber must still be the best Fringe Five alum.
8:43
Carson Cistulli: Kluber predates it, as well!
8:43
Andrew: Until future MVP Max Schrock debuts.
8:43
Carson Cistulli: Right. Naturally.
8:44
CamdenWarehouse: Kluber and Mookie were FF guys, right? they’d be above Blackmon
8:44
druidiful: Carson does not anticipate anything actually occuring.
8:44
Carson Cistulli: Also true. All is darkness.
8:44
Dan Szymborski: Carson’s optioned Fringe Five to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
8:44
Alex: Have to follow this game through MLB Gameday and this chat because my streaming service doesn’t include ESPN. Jokes on you now MLB you are getting my eyeballs for ad revenue.
8:44
Ryan: Don’t I remember you being obsessed with his minor league numbers though?
8:46
Carson Cistulli: Yes — and, perhaps wrongly, an AFL season. But he seemed to have a great foundation of skills. Lot of ways he could be non-elite and still quite good.
8:46
igor: Listening to baseball on radio, the way it is meant to be experienced!
8:46
Nitro Nic: I am watching on my parents log in because they’re adults
8:47
Sadman: shellacked
8:47
Carson Cistulli: Over 100 mph for Almora.
8:48
Jason, Ben, Eddie: As a fellow left handed person named Kyle, I feel as though I’m living and dying with each pitch by Freeland. I’ll let you know in a couple hours if this was healthy or not.
8:48
druidiful: Look at that first baseman move!
8:48
Carson Cistulli: Was that on Freeland for not getting to first?
8:48
Craig Edwards: Freeland needed to get over just a hair quicker, I think.
8:49
Carson Cistulli: Hm. Yeah. Was probably late. Should probably beat Murphy.
8:49
Gila Monster: Is everyone outside Chicago rooting for the Rockies. A Rockies-A’s World Series would be insane.
8:49
Craig Edwards: MLB and tv executives would not be fans.
8:50
Joe: These postseason patches are disgustingly horrible looking.
8:50
Skyline: How many more over 3 WAR years will zobrist have, and is it at all related to the size and constitution of his beard?
8:50
Sadman: “I agree with k-zone all the time. It’s a safe place to be.” lol
8:51
Carson Cistulli: Charlie Blackmon!
8:51
Tyler: That ball just seemed to float at the end.
8:51
Shirtless George Brett: The seem to be hitting Freeland pretty damn hard
8:51
5 Run Homer: The hell happened to Willson this year?
8:51
Jason, Ben, Eddie: As a black man not named Charlie, I am elated by that defensive play. I may have run out of loose connections to Rockies players.
8:51
HB47: Why have Rockies outperformed projections so much yhe
8:52
Dan Szymborski: I dont’ think they’ve outperformed *that* much. They’ve overperformed, but we’re not taking A’s overperformance
8:52
Dan Szymborski: They could be ab etter team, but they also squander opportunities
8:52
Craig Edwards: He was still decent, but big dropoff in second half could be related to his first mostly full season a year ago, plus a full load this year. Catching takes a toll.
8:53
Jason, Ben, Eddie: Are those ump stats they keep citing available on the interweb somewhere
8:53
Dan Szymborski: Is Blister in the Sun the most commonly played musical riff from a song about masturbation heard in baseball parks?
8:53
Carson Cistulli: Hey, Dan and Craig and everyone, I have to make dinner for my wife, who’s working late. Because I’m a #hero. Will return, though.
8:53
Craig Edwards: Not sure, but I was looking at this piece today on ump zones. https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/mlb-umpires-2016-review-world-series-pre…
8:54
Meg Rowley: We also published a piece on how different umps’ zones differ at THT earlier this year that is interesting. https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/an-exploration-of-mlb-umpires-strike-zon…
8:55
Craig Edwards: thanks Meg!
8:55
Meg Rowley: Also hi all, I’m going to tag in for a little bit while Carson attends to his responsibilities!
8:55
Lunar verLander: A wild Meg appears!
8:55
Meg Rowley: It me, a wild Meg.
8:56
Meg Rowley: This Nerdcast has been very good so far imo.
8:57
CamdenWarehouse: “The heart rate is real” uh, I sure hope so
8:57
Meg Rowley: Would explain some of the command issues if he were actually a ghost, though.
8:58
Poor Mans Rick Reed: Do we have anybody watching the ARod/Jess broadcast? I like them, but can’t pass on the nerdcast
8:58
Craig Edwards: I listen to Jason Benetti on White Sox boradcasts regularly so this doesn’t feel like some weird nerdcast to me, which is probably a really good way to do this.
8:59
Clay (2000 lbs.) Kershaw: Jason Benetti is great
9:01
Meg Rowley: Think they are striking a really nice balance of personalities and styles here. Good, good stuff.
9:01
Ryan: I’m not the world’s best lip reader, but it seemed real clear what Lester said just there.
9:02
Craig Edwards: As the world’s best lip-reader, I can say with certainty that he said, let’s go get some flapjacks after the game.
9:02
Craig Edwards: That was a really good pitch from Lester.
9:03
francis_soyer: Too many people picked the Cubs based on reputation. They aren’t that good this year.
9:03
Craig Edwards: They won a lot of games, like almost more than anybody in the NL. They are a good team.
9:04
Meg Rowley: They won 95; their BaseRuns record is 94. Rickety bits for sure but they’re a good team.
9:06
Jason, Ben, Eddie: I feel like most folks have gotten used to the strike zone box. Is there anyone else who still wants to fire it directly into the sun?
9:06
Craig Edwards: I like it, though there are a lot of people who don’t like it.
9:07
Sadman: why don’t people like it?
9:07
Craig Edwards: It can be sometimes not accurate and it also takes up a lot of the screen.
9:07
Meg Rowley: It not being perfectly precise also inspires a lot of complaining.
9:07
He Hate Me: I prefer when it’s down in the bottom corner of the screen
9:08
igor: I am surprised the Cubs have fallen this far.  A few years ago they looked like a dynasty and here they are in a Wild Card game.  That’s not what anyone expected hence the “not a good team” feelings.
9:08
Meg Rowley: This is what they do on a lot of broadcasts, and It is better imo, though it means not having tracking for every pitch sometimes.
9:08
Craig Edwards: I think expectations are a bit out of whack. Look at the Nationals. They have had teams as talented as the Cubs in multiple recent seasons and not even made the playoffs.
9:10
Meg Rowley: I think when your favorite team has disappointed you and your parents and your grandparents, it is hard to overcome the muscle memory of cynicism, too.
9:10
Hank: What does the Cubs pitching look like in a year or two?   Especially if/when Lester declines.
9:11
Craig Edwards: They have Quintana and Hendricks through 2020. I don’t think anybody reasonably thought Lester was going to keep things going at the same level too much longer. If Darvish doesn’t get things back, they are going to have to go out and buy another pitcher.
9:13
Stephen: How much will the Darvish signing haunt the Cubs?
9:14
Meg Rowley: unrelated: I get what they are going for, but nothing looks dorkier than the MLB Network dudes doing baseball stuff in slacks and a dress shirt.
9:14
Craig Edwards: It won’t. They will be fine. He will tie up a good bit of money, but Cubs revenues are huge and will continue to grow. They could increase payroll by like 50% and be fine.
9:15
HB47: how much better would freeand have had to do to be considered for the cy young?
9:15
kevinthecomic: Isn’t Corbin a FA this year? – could be a good pick up 4 Cubs
9:15
Craig Edwards: Corbin, Keuchel, and Kershaw.
9:16
Craig Edwards: Matt Holliday muscles one. Still has that same swing.
9:16
Dan Szymborski: Why I’m not a broadcaster #58: If I’m interviewing Black on national TV, I demand to know if he actually thinks Ian Desmond is good at baseball.
9:16
Meg Rowley: I am going to answer this question in a way that let’s us think about how good deGrom was: if his season was twice as good, it would still be technically less good than deGrom’s.
9:17
Meg Rowley: Now I am envisioning two Kyle Freeland’s, with one standing on the other’s shoulders, in a trench coat.
9:17
Craig Edwards: With Freeland’s relative lack of strikeouts, I think he would have had to halve his walk rate.
9:18
adam: isn’t it a little weird to interview the manager during a playoff game?
9:18
Meg Rowley: It isn’t my favorite thing. We wait all season to watch this baseball. Let us watch this baseball.
9:20
KhrushOakland: Robo umps now
9:20
Meg Rowley: Tech isn’t there now!
9:21
Erik: Does a pitcher have more control of his hard-hit rate or his groundball rate?
9:21
Craig Edwards: ground ball
9:21
5 Run Homer: I don’t know bout that call, chief
9:22
Craig Edwards: stop calling me chief
9:22
Anonymous: October beards in baseball? or just a hockey thing
9:22
Craig Edwards: I am generally pro beards, and while it is definitely a hockey thing, it does happen in baseball quite a bit.
9:22
KhrushOakland: Ah fair enough. Do you think we could automate some
9:23
Meg Rowley: Not sure how that would work, exactly.
9:23
HankLloydWright: The broadcasters just said Matt Holliday was sick for a long time because of mercury poisoning, but now I can’t find anything about it. Is this true?
9:23
Meg Rowley: Once you cross that line, you can’t reintroduce judgment sometimes.
9:23
Craig Edwards: I thought it was mono, but maybe he was just really bored.
9:24
druidiful: Why do high strike out pitchers seem to generally give up a higher hard-hit rate than non-strike out pitchers? Is it just natural selection through the minors?
9:25
kevinthecomic: How do u even get mercury poisoning these days anyway???
9:25
Craig Edwards: Not positive, but high strikeout pitchers tend to throw more fastballs up in the zone and more offspeed pitches. High fastballs and hanging breaking pitches get hit pretty hard.
9:25
Meg Rowley: snap a thermometer in half, drink it, boom mercury poisoning
9:26
druidiful: Almost all thermometers now don’t contain mercury.
9:26
Skyline: Would the ‘bullpen game’ trend have worked in other eras of baseball?
9:26
Meg Rowley: Wait, WHAT?
9:27
David: was Jacob DeGrom the best SP in all of MLB this year?
9:27
Meg Rowley: Yes.
9:27
kevinthecomic: U think Addison Russell would be on the field if he was actually a good player?
9:28
Craig Edwards: I don’t think bullpen games would have worked as well previously because we’ve had a ton of expansion for decades that has slowed meanwhile the game has more areas in the world to go get talent. In eras when the talent was more diluted there weren’t enough pitchers to do credibly do bullpen games.
9:28
robertobeers: Maybe the moth put the mercury in his ear.
9:28
Meg Rowley: The administrative leave is MLB determined I’m pretttty sure, so that makes it less likely.
9:28
Jay: Any clue what’s going on with Bryant? Or is the shoulder 100% to blame
9:28
Craig Edwards: yes, just dealing with injuries, I think.
9:29
H_Vaughn: How does Molly take the blame for the Twin’s mess?
9:29
Craig Edwards: He wasn’t hired by the current GM so this was perhaps inevitable if things went south for the team.
9:30
Walking Stephen Piscotty: Kyle Freeland is pitching really well
9:30
Craig Edwards: Yes, the short rest seems to be going pretty well so far.
9:30
Hank: Any chance the Rockies retain Arenado after next year or is he just going to be too expensive?
9:31
Meg Rowley: They have shown they are willing to spend money! They have not proven that they always do so wisely!
9:31
Meg Rowley: I am skeptical, especially given their other payroll obligations.
9:32
He Hate Me: Freeland with 50 pitches thru 4 IP.  Over/under 2.0 times through the lineup for him?
9:32
Craig Edwards: Over.
9:33
KhrushOakland: How many more outs do you give Freeland if he continues like this?
9:33
Craig Edwards: all of them.
9:33
Craig Edwards: or maybe through 7.
9:33
Nick Powels : Who will be the Patrick Mahomes over baseball in 2019?
9:33
Craig Edwards: Pat Venditte
9:34
Mitch: Am I crazy for liking Alex Rodriguez do this baseball commentator thing?
9:34
Dystopian Future: Between the Cubs and Rockies, who has more to lose this game? Is it the Cubs under the big media market pressure, or the Rockies because they might get bumped in the WC game again?
9:34
Dan Szymborski: I think Rockies do.
9:34
Craig Edwards: I agree with Dan.
9:34
Meg Rowley: Though the expectations for them were lower, I agree.
9:34
Dan Szymborski: They’re running out of time with Arenado and they have a real confusing disinterest in addressing difficult decisions with their team.
9:35
Dan Szymborski: They essentially need two MVPs a year in the lineup to get the lineupa round league-average. That’s hard to sustain.
9:35
Meg Rowley: Easy to fix, annoyingly unaddressed.
9:35
Manny Pete: Cubs definitely they are not getting any younger
9:35
Meg Rowley: None of us are.
9:36
Dan Szymborski: Says you. I’m hoping to get back into my thirties in 2019.
9:37
PitchClocksPlease: Freeland has not faced 30 batters in a game all season. Last 3 starts…28, 29, 29. Coincidence or is that perhaps an actual limit the Rockies use on him?
9:38
Craig Edwards: He also pitches in a home park where you get fatigued more quickly. But somewhere around there is probably the limit, yes.
9:38
He Hate Me: The funny thing about the Rockies is that everyone hates the moves they make but somehow they’ve been top-5 in the league two years in a row. (And I’m not a Rockies fan.)
9:38
Meg Rowley: The Rockies play half their games in Coors, and had a team wRC+ of 87 this year.
9:39
Dystopian Future: Another question. When we look back in 3 years at this rotation who will we say was the best starter of the Rockies’ bunch? Gray, Freeland, Marquez, someone else?
9:39
Dan Szymborski: And that’s an 87 with *two* legitimate MVP candidates in the lineup.
9:39
Craig Edwards: I’d lean Marquez right now, but Gray is close.
9:39
Dan Szymborski: That’s like running a 12 minute mile when you’re allowed to DRIVE A CAR HALF THE WAY
9:39
Anonymous: Coors penalizes wRC+ overly harshly
9:39
Craig Edwards: I think it penalizes it the right amount.
9:39
Dan Szymborski: That effect is exaggerated – the Coors hangover theory is wortha  few points
9:40
Dan Szymborski: Not enough to make them remotely good.
9:40
Meg Rowley: As a weird bit of roster construction, I don’t dislike them being led by pitching because that is weird, and I like weird stuff. But this is… not good.
9:40
Dan Szymborski: We’re talking that *maybe* 80 wRC+ were truly, say, 83-84 guys. It doesn’t make Desmond or Parra or Cargo or Wolters etc. etc. good.
9:40
Guest: Does ESPN have their own WAR metric? Some of these are crazy.
9:40
Dan Szymborski: They use BR, I believe.
9:41
Craig Edwards: I don’t believe so. I’m guessing they use baseball reference, which uses DRS, which has a wider range for players that will lead to some big swings.
9:41
Lunar verLander: Any idea why they use BR instead of Fangraphs?
9:41
Meg Rowley: They dislike me personally. I have apologized to my coworkers.
9:41
Meg Rowley: (no, I don’t know)
9:42
He Hate Me: David Bote with the David Bowie walk-up music. Can’t argue with that.
9:42
Craig Edwards: I’m partial to Ziggy Stardust myself.
9:42
Dystopian Future: I assume they use BBRef because Fangraphs WAR for pitchers is FIP based, which means it projects for the future rather than being a representation of the previous year’s results, which I think appeals to the ESPN audience more.
9:43
Craig Edwards: FIP is results based, using homers, strikeouts, walks, infield flies and innings pitched. It just also happens to be more forward looking than ERA.
9:44
Skyline: The pause in Freelands delivery is so aesthetically pleasing.  Up there in my favorite wind ups
9:44
Cowdisciple: Seems like Freeland is locating much better than in the first two innings.
9:44
Craig Edwards: He might have been overthrowing a bit.
9:46
Dan Szymborski: Could very well be, he was hitting the most 95 MPH I’ve ever seen him unless the gun wa sjuiced
9:46
Harmony: FIP doesn’t “project for the future,” it’s a measure of pitcher performance instead of team performance. Being a more precise measure, it understandably correlates better with the future, but its function is to measure performance, not project.
9:46
Erik: BR pitcher WAR also does weird things for pitchers to adjust for team defense right? I think Nola’s is super high (like nearly tied with deGrom) because the Phillies had such a terrible defense and yet his ERA still beat his FIP by quite a lot.
9:47
Dan Szymborski: Unless I’m remembering wrong, I think Freeland was able to push it to mid-90s when he wanted to as a prospect and the Rockies dialed it down after he had shoulder fatigue
9:48
Dan Szymborski: And I totally appreciate Mahomes, who had just the right amount of performance so that I won both of my fantasy games!
9:48
Craig Edwards: there are different ways to account for defense including not factoring it in at all or trying to account for it after the fact. DIfferent WAR measures different things. It’s up to the reader to decide what’s important in analyzing the numbers.
9:48
Dan Szymborski: One or three touchdowns, I would have lost!
9:48
ben: Gotta be Lester’s last inning, right?
9:48
kevinthecomic: Thinking ahead to the Brewers, Eric Thames kinda disappeared didn’t he?
9:48
Dan Szymborski: Cue that drinking video
9:49
Dan Szymborski: https://t.co/bGJu8LY4fg
9:49
Craig Edwards: Lester is up next so have to think their is a pinch hitter.
9:49
Sadman: when should cubs fans start worrying?
9:49
Meg Rowley: You’re alive so when you wake up?
9:49
Dan Szymborski: May
9:50
Meg Rowley: It’s still just one run.
9:50
Kaiser in Iowa : They didn’t have a 12 pack of old style so I got a 24 pack. I was really hoping to drink it over next couple of (cubs) games. Now I might finish the rest of the cubs lose tonight
9:50
Silence DoGood: Arod just said Lemahieu is good at “Hitting behind runners”? What are the odds this is even remotely close to being a skill that someone could possess?
9:51
Craig Edwards: If you are talking about going the other way, yes hitters can possess that skill. It usually just isn’t more useful than hitting the ball hard if you can pull it.
9:51
Dan Szymborski: Definitely last inning for Lester
9:51
Mike: Lemahieu actually is good at that.  Dude hits an amazing number of oppo ground balls
9:52
Dan Szymborski: But is that an ability or just a residue of hitting a lot of oppo ground balls?
9:52
Dan Szymborski: Does he hit more with a runner on 1st?
9:52
Dan Szymborski: I actually don’t know, I’m not being Socratic.
9:52
5 Run Homer: Cat update Dan?
9:52
Hank: Pull Holliday after this AB?
9:53
Craig Edwards: good question. His spot will come up again, but they have a lead.
9:53
Joe: Who died and made Szymborski in charge of ethics?
9:53
Dan Szymborski: Mercutio’s hiding because I have the game loud, Galileo’s sleeping on living room couch, Cassiopeia is sleeping on my couch (she has a sore throat and is on antibiotics, so she’s not super active right now)
9:53
Craig Edwards: Plato
9:53
Dan Szymborski: Boom.
9:53
AROD: Dan, Lester is going to pitch all night. Can’t even think of taking such a competitive gamer out of this game.
9:54
Dan Szymborski: Cubs aren’t that sentimental
9:54
Dan Szymborski: If Lester were a Met, he’d pitch all nine, I’m sure.
9:54
Meg Rowley: If Lester were a Met, he’d be drinking a beer on a beach.
9:54
Craig Edwards: Big Out.
9:54
Dan Szymborski: Of course, if Lester were a Met, he’d tear a rotator cuff and the Mets would diagnose it as strep throat and have him pitch through it
9:54
HankLloydWright: How do you know when your cat has a sore throat?
9:55
Dan Szymborski: The vet looked at it and said it was red. She was doing like these little half-gags every once in a while
9:55
Lunar verLander: False. If Lester were a Met, he’d contract the plague
9:55
He Hate Me: Strep throat is actually pretty serious, Dan.
9:55
Dan Szymborski: Actually, my mom got scarlet fever from it as a kid
9:55
Dan Szymborski: I just hated those damn throat cultures.
9:55
Plouffe Bonser : Dan update, cats?
9:56
Dan Szymborski: I’m eating spaghetti.
9:56
HankLloydWright: Get well soon, Cassiopeia!
9:56
CamdenWarehouse: I’m not used to cat updates where Galileo isn’t asking for food
9:56
Will: I’d love to see an article about this broadcast. How it came about, the content, the ratings. How much did it cost ESPN to make it, how did it market it? I only found out from the Effectively Wild podcast. Are most people watching it just on ESPN2 by accident? I have so may questions.
9:56
Dystopian Future: Dan update, spaghetti?
9:57
Dan Szymborski: The spaghetti is being consumed and not in a position to communicate.
9:57
Story’s Story: Can I be the NL MVP next season?
9:57
Craig Edwards: I don’t think it works that way.
9:57
Shirtless George Brett: I used to get strep throat every year as a teenager. It sucks
9:57
Dan Szymborski: I used to talk my doctor into not giving me throat cultures. I frigging HATE those.
9:57
Anonymous: If the spaghetti starts communicating, let us know so I can flee the city
9:57
Spaghetti: Why won’t somebody stop him?
9:58
Dan Szymborski: OK, back to baseball, this isn’t my weirdo weekly chat!
9:58
Josh R: Am I crazy for hating ARod in the announcer booth? Seriously, I think he’s terrible.
9:58
Erik: Luckily, Dan, there’s a site called “FanGraphs” that can answer your LeMahieu question. Turns out his career groundball rate remains unchanged at 53.8% with runners on base, though his oppo rate jumps all the way from 35% to…36%. (Couldn’t find the precise split for just a man on first but that should get you most of the way there.)
9:58
Meg Rowley: Hate is strong, but I prefer him in studio, where I think he is really very good.
9:58
Meg Rowley: I think a full broadcast is too long for him
9:58
Harry: Going back to the earlier question about how we’ll view the Rockies rotation in retrospect, what makes Freeland worse/less promising than Marquez and Gray?
9:59
Dan Szymborski: I don’t see the link to that.  This is the site I use.

9:59
He Hate Me: You can’t get strep throat more than once. It’s a single organism so after the first time your immune system is wise to it, like chicken pox.
9:59
Craig Edwards: What happens if any of Freeland’s numbers drop off or if he give up a few more homers? There’s less margin for error.
9:59
Dan Szymborski: Then why was he taking the throat cultures still!
10:00
Dan Szymborski: LIES!
10:00
Dan Szymborski: From the CDC “
Prevention
People can get strep throat more than once, so having the infection does not protect you from getting it again in the future. While there is no vaccine to prevent strep throat, there are things you can do to protect yourself and others.”
10:00
Dystopian Future: I think national broadcasts are really difficult for anyone, honestly. And A-Rod is new to this. So yeah, I don’t think he should be as far up the ladder as he is, but you can’t blame him for it. And he’s quite good for a new announcer.
10:00
Meg Rowley: Broadcasting is very, very difficult.
10:00
Dan Szymborski: Freeland could theoretically get a CG under 100
10:01
HankLloydWright: Unless Big Throat Swab is lying to us all
10:01
Craig Edwards: The difficult part for the national broadcast is that the audience is often people who actually watch more of the teams playing on a daily basis so getting minor things wrong that aren’t that important feel like major insults.
10:01
Geoff Williams: I was more excited about that walk than Dave’s Cameron dog
10:01
Lunar verLander: I saw somewhere that these broadcasts should have 1 national play-by-play announcer, than 1 person from each team for a 3-person booth. Thoughts?
10:02
Craig Edwards: I think chemistry would be difficult.
10:02
Craig Edwards: which is what makes tonight’s broadcast more impressive.
10:02
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, there wouldn’t be room for Bunsen burners.
10:02
Disco is Dead: this chat doesn’t have enough Poll
10:02
Meg Rowley: Generally prefer a two-person booth but this one has been quite good
10:04
Meg Rowley: Wooooof
10:04
Craig Edwards: oh Dahl
10:04
Dan Szymborski:

Who Will the Rockies Sign to Fix the Offense?
Ain’t no problem, Coors Field is a myth! (6.2% | 12 votes)
 
Hunter Pence (6.8% | 13 votes)
 
Just Give Ian Desmond Two Paychecks (36.1% | 69 votes)
 
Adam Jones (10.4% | 20 votes)
 
Nick Markakis (18.3% | 35 votes)
 
Neil Walker (4.1% | 8 votes)
 
Pablo Sandoval (6.8% | 13 votes)
 
Andrew McCutchen (10.9% | 21 votes)
 
Total Votes: 191
10:04
Anonymous: Playoff idea: Each team should be allowed to rent a player from their opponent’s rival team.
10:05
Craig Edwards: a soccer-style loan system would be pretty crazy.
10:05
Meg Rowley: It would be amazing
10:05
Meg Rowley: What a gift
10:05
Meg Rowley: What a little gift
10:05
Craig Edwards: big double play there.
10:05
Meg Rowley: What a big little gift.
10:07
Dan Szymborski: Whenever I see a commercial for Basketball A Love Story, I initially think it’s a plug for a very weird Expendables sequel.
10:07
Mike: Oceans ESPN
10:07
Will: If the renting a player thing were allowed, Rockies would have to choose Matt Carpenter, right?
10:07
Dan Szymborski: They’d probably take Matt Adams
10:09
Matt: Is Terrance Gore on the roster tonight?  If so, would the correct move not have been to run for Happ (unless he entered as a double switch)?
10:09
Dan Szymborski: Every single time he appears in a game I realize I forgot the Cubs got him. It’s a very specific brain ailment.
10:09
Nitro Nic: Didn’t say eliminated rival. Yelich to Colorado
10:10
Dan Szymborski: It would actually be fun if when you defeat a team, you could loot their roster for the rest of the postseason
10:10
Dan Szymborski: Terrible, but amusing.
10:10
Meg Rowley: would make being a middle seed more interesting, right?
10:10
Dan Szymborski: You would have your 25-man roster and a 10-man captured roster that you can use as a taxi squad
10:11
Lunar verLander: Oh look, Desmond got a hit, maybe he’ll end up sco
aaaaaaaaaaand he makes a silly play for an out…
10:11
5 Run Homer: Desmond TOOTBLAN haaaaaahahahahah
10:11
Ryan: Ian Desmond is like if Daniel Murphy’s defense was a whole player.
10:11
Dan Szymborski: I need crying laughter emoji!
10:12
Brian CashGod: yeah wait Dan, where are the emojis?!
10:13
Dan Szymborski: I open the emoji in my chats, but I don’t think anyone else does.
10:13
Brian CashGod: if Dan has a chat without emojis, is it really a chat with Dan?
10:13
Josh R: Jon Gray was unlucky early, then pretty good for a while, but then seemed legitimately bad at the end.  What was going on with him?
10:13
Dan Szymborski: Honestly? Beats me.
10:13
Craig Edwards: Probably wearing down? Lost some velocity in September
10:13
Dan Szymborski: I don’t know what to make of Gray anymore.
10:14
kevinthecomic: Now is when Syzm should ask Bud Black if he thinks Desmond is good
10:15
Craig Edwards: Maybe there is just something about being a left fielder at Wrigley that causes people to think they can run.
10:15
Walking Stephen Piscotty: All I know is I’m drafting Ian Desmond first in fantasy next year
10:15
Lunar verLander: I feel like the only thing this SaberCast is missing is a tOPS+ reference
10:16
Joe: Winner between the bizarro all stars and the champs gets to split all forfeited salary from suspended players for the year.
10:16
Meg Rowley: give. it. to. the. minor. leaguers.
10:16
Dan Szymborski: I’d hate to see someone pronounce it “topsplus” and then I can never unhear it.
10:16
Anonymous: This game is real fun
10:16
Dan Szymborski: Gotta keep minor leaguers hungry. Literally, apparently.
10:16
Craig Edwards: yes it is. October baseball is great
10:17
Matt: The drama of this game would be so, so, so much better had the Cubs not won the World Series in 2016.  Now, its just a bit meh, unfortunately.
10:17
Nitro Nic: Would current age Todd Helton be an upgrade at first?
10:17
Craig Edwards: That’s a crazy alternate reality.
10:17
BoBo the Angsty Zebra: Jesse Chavez, high leverage reliever?
10:17
Dan Szymborski: It would be fun to imagine and say yes, but it’s been five years and he was breaking down so no.
10:17
Meg Rowley: 2018 is flipping wildddd
10:17
Skyline: Alright I’ll ask the question we are all thinking but wont ask…if you had to build an MLB team using 25 non-humans which animals do you pick for what?
10:18
Dan Szymborski: Gorillas?
10:18
Hank: Is there anything to the Cubs having the 2nd most 0 and 1 run scored games?   Or is it just random?
10:18
Disco is Dead: Todd Helton over Chris Davis?  maybe
10:18
Dystopian Future: Watching this game is finally beating it into me that Kyle Freeland is a really good pitcher, like wow.
10:18
Dan Szymborski: I don’t have a vote this year, but Freeland would make my CY ballot.
10:18
Carson Cistulli: Hello, friends.
10:18
Harry: Are they right to keep Freeland in the game here?
10:18
Craig Edwards: I’m going to say random.
10:18
Dan Szymborski: You wanna go to that bullpen?
10:19
Dan Szymborski: It’s a big box of nasty surprises and Freeland’s pitch count isn’t high
10:19
Craig Edwards: I think it is fine. He’s at 77 pitches and doing well.
10:19
Dan Szymborski: Welcome back, double c
10:19
Meg Rowley: Carson, a gentleman earlier wanted to thank you for your YouTube suggestion.
10:19
Erik: How was dinner, Carson?
10:19
Meg Rowley: You are a gentleman and a scholar.
10:19
Carson Cistulli: Serviceable. Which is fine.
10:20
RyanW: Oh God Carson is back. Hide the children
10:20
Carson Cistulli: Yes, please hide them. I have one of my own, which is a sufficient quantity of children for me.
10:21
kevinthecomic: This message for fangraphs readers only: in Szym’s chats next year, let’s make Desmond the new Markakis
10:21
Disco is Dead: Cheetah leadoff, Ant second, Hummingbird third, Polar Bear fourth, Anteater fifth, Garden snake sixth, Gray fox seventh, Siamese Cat eighth, Electric Eel ninth
10:21
Dan Szymborski: Who is pitching?
10:21
Carson Cistulli: Excuse me, Szymborski, but why is the queue full of comments re animal ballplayers? What have you done?
10:23
Carson Cistulli: The dynamic SB% graphic is pretty cool.
10:23
EonADS: Ooh, Story with the big dive.
10:23
Garrett: STORY
10:23
5 Run Homer: Story good!!!
10:23
kevinthecomic: Stab!!!!!
10:23
Walking Stephen Piscotty: WOW what a catch
10:24
Shirtless George Brett: I feel like Grizzly Bears are a DH. Lots of power but no defence.
10:24
Meg Rowley: Carson, that catch gave me the vapors and so with your permission I will depart and fetch a beer.
10:24
Carson Cistulli: Sure, sure.
10:25
stever20: one of the best starts in recent memory on short rest….
10:25
5 Run Homer: Hats off to Kyle Freeland, that was an unreal performance
10:25
Jon : Freeland piched so well I forgot he was on short rest
10:25
Depressed Nats Fan: Ottos crazy slider upcoming
10:26
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, Freeland was badass this game.
10:26
Carson Cistulli: Kyle Freeland must belong to one of the first generations of player whose “favorite childhood team” could be the Rockies.
10:26
Grizzly bears: We’d be amazing defenders.  Have you seen us move up close?  Zero to 30mph instantly.
10:26
Dan Szymborski: The problem with animal defenses is that you have to make sure they won’t eat other fielders in the vicinity
10:27
NotGraphs Revivalist:

In case you were wondering what a motion tracker would look like on that Ottavino Slider.
22 Aug 2018
10:27
Dan Szymborski: An antelope sounds like a good defensive centerfielder, but that lion in rightfield could be a problem
10:27
stever20: just a bit outside!
10:28
Dan Szymborski: Francoeur would have swung at it
10:28
Lunar verLander: crazy slider is right…
10:28
Morbo: Dan, easy solution all predator fielders
10:28
Walking Stephen Piscotty: One pitch from a non-Freeland pitcher and everything is already in danger
10:28
CJ: Be nice Dan..
10:28
Dan Szymborski: What’s the fun of that?
10:28
Carson Cistulli: This was a pretty great piece from erstwhile contributor Travis Sawchik:
10:28
Carson Cistulli: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/adam-ottavino-rebuilt-himself-in-a-vac…
10:28
Alex: 2 Crazy 2 catch
10:29
Lunar verLander: 2 fast 2 furious actually works on that
10:29
Evan: Favorite piece on FG this year^^
10:29
Guy Smiley: That was a good piece.  Is Travis erstwhile now?
10:29
Carson Cistulli: He chased both Fame and Riches at 538.
10:29
5 Run Homer: Bat flips on walks are Good Baseball Shit
10:30
Skyline: 100% swing rate on fame and riches
10:30
Guy Smiley: They’re richer than FG?
10:30
Hank: Contreras pumped up after that tough 3-1 take!
10:30
Craig Edwards: Baseball is more fun when you can tell it matters to the players.
10:30
Dan Szymborski: I think I once saw Francoeur swing at a baseball shaped cloud.
10:31
Brian CashGod: 538 has that ESPN (meaning Disney) money
10:31
Dan Szymborski: ABC!
10:31
HankLloydWright: I enjoy Dan’s running commentary on what Francoeur might swing at
10:31
Ham: omg i’m in heaven…i love playoff baseball
10:31
Dan Szymborski: A commercial for marshmallows – Francoeur would swing at that.
10:31
KhrushOakland: Still the right move to pull Freeland? Love the emotion on a walk
10:31
Dan Szymborski: Someone telling an anecdote about a slider.
10:31
Craig Edwards: I’ll tell you in a second, but yes
10:31
Skyline: oh god dont mess this up for freeland
10:32
Brian CashGod: doesn’t it go ESPN -> ABC -> Disney?
10:32
Dan Szymborski: ABC and ESPN aren’t under or over each other
10:32
Craig Edwards: oh my
10:32
Carson Cistulli: Yeah, that was interference.
10:32
Craig Edwards: catcher interference
10:32
Gila Monster: WHAT
10:32
kevinthecomic: Catchers interference!!!!
10:32
kevinthecomic: Wow
10:32
Dan Szymborski: At least you can explain catchers interference.
10:33
Dan Szymborski: The balk rule is from Calvin and Hobbes.
10:33
Whitty: HOLY SHIT
10:33
Guest: WOWOWOW
10:33
Hank: Hayward over Schwarber?
10:33
JB: Why are they not hitting Schwarber here?
10:33
HankLloydWright: Francoeur sees the glove coming off the catcher, swings a second time. Dan is better at this than me.
10:33
Ozzie Ozzie Albies Free: I think the balk rule is more Far Side
10:33
Craig Edwards: going for contact here, I guess.
10:33
Gila Monster: It is fun that the Rockies rotation has been excellent and the bullpen was sort of a dumpster fire after spending that money
10:34
AdamZ: On the subject of strange rules, why does an IBB count as a walk for both the pitcher and batter, but defensive indifference doesn’t count as a stolen base?
10:34
Guy Smiley: So is a balk Calvinist or Hobbesian?
10:34
Dan Szymborski: And team indifference still counts as a win for teams facing the Orioles in August/September
10:34
JD: guys did you know that Kyle Freeland grew up a Rockie fan?
10:35
Dan Szymborski: I don’t like people being old enough to be in the majors and growing up as rockies fans
10:35
Craig Edwards: Jerome Bettis is from Detroit.
10:35
Lunar verLander: most clutch catchers interference?
10:35
stever20: team indifference=Phillies in August/September…..
10:35
HankLloydWright: Francoeur sees Dan throw that strike at the Orioles… doesn’t swing. That was the last one.
10:35
Carson Cistulli: Crazy 2-1 slider from Vino.
10:35
Ryan: HUGE STRIKEOUT
10:35
EonADS: Big Fastball!
10:35
Craig Edwards: Kyle Freeland got to yell twice.
10:36
Michael J: Wow. That moved like a mother
10:36
Sadman: OH MY WORD
10:36
Brian: Even better 2-2 fastball
10:36
5 Run Homer: That was a fun half inning
10:36
Omega Red: Oh I guess he throws 97 too
10:37
Brian CashGod: pitch moved like Jagger
10:37
Shirtless George Brett: This is so good
10:37
Dan Szymborski: This has been a terrific game to start the playoffs
10:37
Confused Englishman: This game is so good that even following this on Gameday and Fangraphs chat is fun
10:38
Disco is Dead: Oakland bullpen game tomorrow!!!  I hope they win because of it
10:38
Erik: That’s not gonna help Heyward’s reputation in Chicago
10:38
Craig Edwards: I think Maddon might wear that one more than Heyward.
10:38
Dan Szymborski: Is google translate drunk?
10:38
Dan Szymborski:

10:38
Guy Smiley: So Ottovino means Eight wine, right? I don’t know what to do with that.
10:39
Mike Piazza’s Forehead: Wade Davis for the save vs his erstwhile team?
10:39
Gila Monster: How can baseball balance the excitement of the wild card game without the BS of a 1 game play-in game?
10:39
Dan Szymborski: Think of it as punishment for not winning the division, punishment which we enjoy.
10:39
Fangraphs reader: Should Joe Maddon have put Schwarber in there instead of Heyward?
10:40
Dan Szymborski: I would’ve, but I didn’t say it, so it doens’t count
10:40
Confused Englishman: Has anyone else become a lifelong Rockies fan in the last ten minutes?
10:40
Evan: That “up and down never side to side” shaving advice in that Mazda ad; totally wrong right? Gotta go with the grain, across the grain, then against the grain to get a really close shave.
10:41
Eastman: I just found a gummy elephant in my bag of gummy worms. What does it mean?!?!?!
10:41
Craig Edwards: I only shave my neck and I just go down, so not sure.
10:41
Dan Szymborski: It’s marijuana
10:41
5 Run Homer: Lol if Butera hit a bomb there I don’t know what I’d do myself
10:41
Dan Szymborski: Is Rosario the best choice?
10:41
Michael J: Who else does Bud Black trust? Oberg? Maybe Davis?
10:41
Carson Cistulli: Butera with two actually kinda well hit balls.
10:41
Craig Edwards: pretty sure he trusts Davis even if the results haven’t been there.
10:41
Carson Cistulli: Foul balls, I mean.
10:42
Dan Szymborski: I mean, I know we’re still in the lol part of the rockies lineup
10:42
Garrett: Joe Maddon read Jeff Sullivan’s article on Schwarber
10:42
Dan Szymborski: That’s not actually *predictive*
10:42
Lunar verLander: Dunno if I missed it, but I’m kind of surprised they haven’t brought up xwOBA
10:42
Josh R: He definitely trusts Oberg. He’s pitched in 80% of games since the all star break it seems
10:43
Craig Edwards: I’m guessing that was a strategic choice. Don’t want to go too heavy.
10:43
The FAAB Four: Butera walks in the playoffs. It’s his thing.
10:43
He Hate Me: Genius Joe Maddon strikes again.  What’s he thinking with 6 outs to get and the bases loaded?  Was he waiting for an even bigger situation for Schwarber?
10:43
Carson Cistulli: Hm. Walk of Butera not… ideal.
10:43
Craig Edwards: I think he liked Heyward against Ottavino or a lefty better than Schwarber against a lefty.
10:44
Craig Edwards: also a single would have tied the game, which is maybe more likely with Heyward.
10:44
Carson Cistulli: Anyone know the fourth catcher on this Colorado team?
10:44
Craig Edwards: Guess what? It’s you.
10:44
Dan Szymborski: Probably Ian Desmond since he’s not good at anything anyway.
10:44
Chest Shaver: I also only shave down
10:45
Ryan: Does Bud trust Oberg?
10:45
Craig Edwards: We will find out.
10:45
HankLloydWright: In a weird twist the fourth catcher is Kyle Schwarber
10:45
Carson Cistulli: Dan, what’s the penalty for just a regular position player going behind the plate? Can you project that?
10:45
Ryan: HOW DID DREW BUTERA WALK?!
10:45
Ryan: So far, I’ve loved the NerdCast
10:45
Dan Szymborski: I don’t have one for going to catcher!
10:46
Mike: how did drew butera hit a foul ball 300 feet?
10:46
Dystopian Future: How did Drew Butera end up playing in a do or die playoff game
10:46
Dan Szymborski: Well, one that I have any confidence in
10:46
Hugh: Can anyone explain why the Cubs pen is so bad?  Justin Wilson is basically Tyler Chatwood at this point and is on the roster.
10:46
Dan Szymborski: I always liked TOOTBLANS. It does what it says, it’s kinda mean, and it sounds like it could be fart-related.
10:46
Craig Edwards: Brandon Morrow and Carl Edwards are hurt and sort of hurt and those were their two best relievers. Take the top two off a lot of teams and this is what they look like.
10:47
Michael J: Do you think Bud Black plays Desmond because he actually thinks he’s good, or do they not want to bench the guy who they paid 70 million dollars?
10:47
Dan Szymborski: At that point, you’re just trying to figure out which incompetent scenario is the right one.
10:47
kevinthecomic: Replay at 2nd
10:47
Dan Szymborski: Given Bridich’s comments on young players, it might actually be the former
10:48
Five Iron Frenzy: Steve Cishek 6 appearances in last 7 days?!
10:48
Shirtless George Brett: That looked safe?
10:48
Carson Cistulli: Really looked safe.
10:49
RockiesFan: Was that the best Rockies SP performance in the playoffs ever? I think it has to be considering it was Kyle’s first and on 3 days rest.
10:49
Dan Szymborski: LeMahieu’s just gonna stay at first and hope nobody notices.
10:49
HankLloydWright: In the booth: enhance! enhance!
10:49
Craig Edwards: I don’t think any Rockies pitcher has ever gone at least 6 innings with 0 runs, per Play Index so I’d have to think yes.
10:49
Anonymous: Daniel Murphy: smartest man at the ballpark
10:50
EonADS: Wow, what did they see to uphold the call?
10:50
Larry: Man, Baez really bailed Murphy out on that one.
10:50
Muxosk : wow
10:50
Nitro Nic: Do they have an angle not shot from the ISS
10:50
Carson Cistulli: No, it’s part of their contract.
10:51
tigerbreak: shocked by that call
10:51
Miike: Replay is seriously a joke.
10:52
Bob: IDK, I thought it was possible the foot landed on Baez’s foot on top of the bag. enough doubt for me to uphold instead of reverse.
10:54
Andrew: On nerdcast they showed slide might have been over bag and landed on top instead of hitting side.
10:54
EonADS: Ottavino staying in. Lot of trust from Bud Black there.
10:55
Craig Edwards: might be for Bryant and Baez-decent matchup.
10:55
Carson Cistulli: Crazy 1-1 two-seamer from Ottavino.
10:55
Carson Cistulli: Sorry. *Two* crazy two-seamers.
10:55
Guy Smiley: Vino is improving with age.
10:56
Shobae Ohtani: You can’t hit that
10:56
Craig Edwards: getting exciting.
10:56
Anonymous: Who of y’all was sleeping on Adam Ottamotopoeia?
10:57
RockiesFan: When Otto is on, he’s a treat to watch. Such a nasty slider and 2 seam combination.
10:57
5 Run Homer: Ottavino is looking great
10:57
Nate D: Do you agree with pulling Rizzo?
10:57
Craig Edwards: I don’t love it.
10:58
kevin: Pulling Rizzo to play for a tie?
10:58
Shirtless George Brett: GORE!
10:58
The 6ix: Great Gore stat there re SB vs. pA.
10:58
Guy1: You know it’s October when you see Terrance Gore
10:58
Carson Cistulli: I want this to end in a stolen base of home by Gore.
10:58
Brian CashGod: ^this this this
10:59
bb: Tie game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10:59
Craig Edwards: worked out for the cubs.
10:59
CJ: Oh my
10:59
Skyline: OH SNAP
10:59
Ryan: OMG
10:59
Walking Stephen Piscotty: WOW
10:59
CJ: One batter too many?
10:59
Craig Edwards: it was the right matchup. he just got too much of the plate.
11:00
Muxosk : Well, gore over rizzo looks pretty good now
11:00
Carson Cistulli: The fuck Baez reached second on that hit?
11:00
Ryan: Right decision by both managers
11:00
igor: Gore:  16 official at bats, 27 stolen bases
11:00
Ducklin: Yeah, but who is going to play 1st base???
11:00
Shobae Ohtani: Baez grabbing that extra bag is huge.
11:01
RockiesFan: Luckily for the Rockies they have Arenado and Story up vs a not so good pen. They need to keep it tied though.
11:01
Nate D: I want to see Gore play 1B
11:01
Dan Quinn: With Rizzo out, would you rather be the Cubs or Rocieks
11:01
Carson Cistulli: Without looking, I’d have to assume Gore’s a pretty strong defender.
11:02
Craig Edwards: Cubs. They are the home team.
11:02
Carson Cistulli: He could move… Bryant to first, maybe?
11:02
Carson Cistulli: An outfield of Gore/Almora/Hewyard?
11:02
Brian CashGod: Brewers watching this game potentially going to extras like

11:03
Walking Stephen Piscotty: How can you even think about throwing a ball in the zone to Baez there?
11:03
Craig Edwards: I don’t think that was the intention.
11:03
Barry: Gore in the outfield and Zobrit st first?
11:03
Shobae Ohtani: Murphy can move to 1st.
11:04
Carson Cistulli: Sorry. Didn’t realize Bote was gone. Yeah, Zobrist to second and Murphy to first.
11:04
The 6ix: Zobrist to first, Gore to LF.
11:04
Guy Smiley: Zobrist to 1B, Gore to LF
11:05
5 Run Homer: Baez gonna steal home
11:06
RockiesFan: Thoughts on taking out Blackmon and putting Dahl in CF, CarGo in RF? I actually like it. Dahl is a much better CF defender.
11:06
Carson Cistulli: I could be convinced otherwise, but the prospect of removing Blackmon is a strange one to me.
11:07
Carson Cistulli: … except for that he just batted in the previous inning.
11:07
Craig Edwards: I don’t like taking your best players out. Too risky.
11:07
Alex: Let Gore pitch
11:07
adam: they took blackmon out?
11:07
Barry: Umm Blackmon gone why
11:08
Shobae Ohtani: Did Meg ever make it back from fetching a beer?
11:08
Carson Cistulli: Oh no. Meg!
11:08
Nate D: This is fun.
11:08
Depressed Cardinals Fan: How does this games win probability look right now? Leaning any specific direction?
11:08
Carson Cistulli: It’s, like, exactly 50-50 right now.
11:08
Erik: Seems like every pitcher should throw a slider in the dirt every pitch
11:09
Craig Edwards: Late career Carlos Marmol just missed his perfect era.
11:09
Michael J: The question should be why the hell is Parra still in over Blackmon
11:10
Nat: Hendricks or Strop? Because there warming up.
11:10
Carson Cistulli: Appears as though Strop is the answer.
11:10
Craig Edwards: kind of wild that strop is in this moment after not pitching for so long.
11:10
Nate D: Heading into the 9th without Blackmon or Rizzo in the game…didn’t see that one coming.
11:10
HB47: Bud black loves double switches. Highest double switch percentage among qualifying managers
11:12
Craig Edwards: Now that Matheny is gone, maybe.
11:12
Guy1: @michael J, lineup placement for the double switch
11:12
Michael J:

11:13
Muxosk : So Blackmons splits page lists his Away wRC+ as 107, Away vs R wRC+ as 97, and Away vs L wRC+ as 84. ???
11:13
Craig Edwards: I see it as 112 and 99.
11:14
Bridich’S Folly: Parra at bat with the season on the line
11:16
Carson Cistulli: If the Cubs don’t score in the next inning, Blackmon’s spot would probably come up in 10th.
11:17
Ham: loving all the popping off we’re seeing
11:17
bb: Strop!!!
11:18
Carson Cistulli: Pedro Strop was, I think, satisfied with the outcome of that AB.
11:18
RockiesFan: This is what is wrong with Black. He should’ve PH McMahon here for Desmond. Inexcusable not to.
11:18
Dan Szymborski: You’re supposed to get Desmond out!
11:18
Craig Edwards: I’m sure there are excuses. There are always excuses.
11:18
Dan Szymborski: Desmond has The Will to Win. If McMahon was a winner then tell me why he isn’t 30, smart guy!
11:19
Craig Edwards: Wonder if the Cubs go with a starting pitcher soon.
11:19
KimByung Slice: Announcers said Hendricks is slated to start the 10th.
11:20
Nate : Do the Rockies go Senzatela if they are looking for a long guy?
11:20
Craig Edwards: I think they have better options.
11:22
bb: What 10th? Imminent walkoff.
11:22
2015 World Series: Is that Wade Davis pitching to Drew Butera?
11:22
Nat: Gutsy curve there by Davis.
11:23
Carson Cistulli: Tough pitch to Murphy.
11:23
EonADS: Hamels up for the 10th. Ooh man.
11:23
Matt: Seems about time that Willson Contreras hits one about 440 feet
11:24
Craig Edwards: He just tried to.
11:25
Dystopian Future: So these are quite literally the highest leverage at bats so far of the season, correct?
11:25
Craig Edwards: The Jason Heyward at bat is the biggest one thus far.
11:25
Nathan: MLB.com says the Cubs “stormed back” … is finally scoring a single run really a storm ..?
11:25
Craig Edwards: a quiet storm
11:25
Carson Cistulli: A single run, or… INFINITELY MORE RUNS?
11:26
EonADS: Hamels has ONE regular season relief appearance, 2011 with the Phillies. None in the postseason. This is an outright gamble by Maddon.
11:26
Craig Edwards: He just pitched a guy who hadn’t thrown a competitive pitch in two weeks. This is just where we are.
11:27
Nate : Davis made some great pitches that AB. Great takes from Contreras.
11:27
kevinthecomic: Schwarbs shed the Mr. Unclutch rap?
11:28
Haushinka: What is Ian Desmond’s WPA so far?
11:28
Craig Edwards: https://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2018-10-02&team=Cubs&dh=0…
11:28
Craig Edwards: -.125
11:30
Craig Edwards: Wade Davis went to the same spot on different pitches to get Schwarber out.
11:30
Dan Szymborski: Free baseball!
11:31
The 6ix: Best food for extra innings: chicken TENders to start right?
11:31
Craig Edwards: with EXTRA BBQ sauce.
11:31
Poor Mans Rick Reed: 163 games weren’t enough for either of these teams to finalize their playoff spot, 9 innings certainly isnt enough to settle the wild card!
11:32
Ryan: Is it worth it to use Hamels just to get Dahl, CarGo, and Butera? Aside from Dahl, can’t basically anyone do that?
11:32
Craig Edwards: It’s the 10th inning. You don’t save anybody. Butera was walked last time.
11:33
Michael J: How thrilled is Milwaukee that Hamels is in?
11:34
Craig Edwards: He still might be ready for Friday depending on how this goes–for a lot of reasons–but Milwaukee is probably pretty pleased to not be playing more than anything.
11:35
PitchClocksPlease: Not much. They don’t consider Hamels a rival.
11:35
kevinthecomic: Mcmahon?
11:35
Craig Edwards: Nope. Butera.
11:36
Craig Edwards: it went as expected.
11:36
Ryan: If I know Bud Black, we’re gonna see Pat Valaika.
11:36
Craig Edwards: somebody in this chat knows Bud Black.
11:38
Carson Cistulli: Perhaps someone IS Bud Black?
11:38
Craig Edwards: Pretty weird-looking Charlie Blackmon batting now.
11:38
Ryan: I am not Bud Black, but happy to field Szymborski’s questions about whether Ian Desmond is good.
11:39
Mike: on a team with the 2 allstars and a bunch of AAA guys strategy, taking out a dude who was once one of the allstars seems unwise
11:39
Garrett: Rockies offense:as bad as advertised
11:39
Craig Edwards: didn’t look too good right there.
11:39
Jim: I’m reading the MLB feed for this game and they called Valaika’s substitution offensive. Guess they didn’t like the Blackmon move either.
11:39
Shirtless George Brett: I just want to see Terrance Gore bat
11:40
Mike: youre about to
11:40
TJ: Breaking: Cole Hamels has a good changeup
11:40
Craig Edwards: Pretty sure a change is considered offspeed and not Breaking:
11:41
Carson Cistulli: Zobrist, Bryant, and… Gore! this inning.
11:41
Matt: Although its nice to have a new team involved in the playoffs … the Cubs just have better / more exciting players than Colorado.  So, objective fans just get more bang for their buck with a Cubs / Brewers series
11:41
Craig Edwards: Is it a rivalry, though?
11:42
TJ: Offspeed: Cole Hamels has a good changeup
11:42
Anonymous: “Final Boss” when opposition has a chance to walk off is tempting the nickname gods to end this game right here.
11:42
Ligma Baseballs: Coors > Wrigley
11:42
Will: Will Gore actually hit? Or will they PH Caratini, put him at first, slide Murphy back to second, and Zobrist back to the OF?
11:42
Bill: Will they let Gore hit?
11:42
Craig Edwards: Hot take
11:42
Carson Cistulli: They better let him.
11:43
Matt: Walk-off HR with Gore on Deck.
11:43
Stringer Bell: Prediction: Gore hits walk off
11:43
Seth Moko: America NEEDS a walk-off inside-the-park HR from Gore right now
11:43
Rookie_Rojas: Terrence Gore walkoff
11:43
Morbo: The Penultimate Boss doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as The Final Boss
11:43
Guest: I want to hear some hypothetical newspaper headlines for a walk off Gore HR
11:44
Carson Cistulli: Gore-ing, Gore-ing, Gone!
11:44
Brian CashGod: Gore finally wins!
11:44
Guest: Terrance The Cover Off The Ball
11:44
Adam: “Oh no!”–Denver Post
11:44
Abe: OMGore!
11:44
Denora PA: Penultimate Boss is very good
11:45
Oddball Herrera: Gore-ky’s Park!
11:45
Hunter Johnson: Gore-geous win by the Cubs!
11:45
Craig Edwards: I can see Gore-geous getting some headlines
11:45
Brian CashGod: Gore-n to run
11:45
Tom: Nolan is good
11:47
Carson Cistulli: 2-1!
11:47
5 Run Homer: That sure was a swing
11:47
EonADS: Gore’s swing is UGLY, dear god.
11:47
KimByung Slice: Spoilers Carson!
11:47
Brian: 2-3!!
11:48
Craig Edwards: Excited for the 11th. It’s like the 10th, but louder.
11:48
The 6ix: Best food for extra innings: next up is torti11as.
11:49
Craig Edwards:

Who wins (T11)
Cubs (54.8% | 62 votes)
 
Rockies (45.1% | 51 votes)
 
Total Votes: 113
11:50
Anonymous: I am now invested in The 6ix food saga
11:50
Adam: Who was the pitcher that gave up a hit to Gore?
11:50
Carson Cistulli: Max Scherzer!
11:50
Morbo: I hope it ends in the 11th. Then headlines can read: “Rockies – Cubs Turn the Post Season Up to 11”
11:50
Carson Cistulli: https://www.fangraphs.com/statsp.aspx?playerid=13658&position=DH/OF&se…
11:50
Adam: In order for the Rockies to win they need to score, right?
11:50
Craig Edwards: working to confirm.
11:50
Morbo: Craig, you forgot the third option in your poll. Baseball fans
11:51
Craig Edwards: whoever has the most fun wins, really.
11:52
Erik: Wait where’s the runner who starts the 11th on second?
11:52
Anonymous: Hidden shutout! Someone wake Jaffe up
11:52
The doctor: I guess Nolan really is good
11:53
Brian: Does Whole Camels have a path to the HOF?
11:53
Craig Edwards: If he pitches 10 shutout innings tonight, maybe. Probably not though.
11:55
Carson Cistulli: Craig, in terms of the effect of one appearance on a player’s HOF candidacy, you think Jack Morris is No. 1?
11:55
Carson Cistulli: At least on our lifetimes?
11:56
Craig Edwards: I would think so.
11:56
Adam: Mazeroski as well?
11:56
Craig Edwards: how old do you think we are?
11:57
Zack: You guys dig this broadcast crew or nah?
11:57
Craig Edwards: Yes. They are doing a good job.
11:57
Garrett: After Arenado and Story, the Rockies lineup doesn’t seem like they are going to get a hit EVER.
11:57
Carson Cistulli: Mazeroski is an option. I think elite-elite defenders have also received more attention than one might expect. Esp relative to just the mostly elite defenders.
11:57
Erik: Mazeroski is the correct answer for that not in our lifetimes
11:57
Late Night Baby: Very old
11:57
Dipoto: good at bat by parra
11:57
Ryan: This is what being a Rockies fan is like, everybody. It’s like, oh, Story popped out, so we gotta make it to like the 14th so Arenado and Story can hit again.
11:58
Walking Stephen Piscotty: How is it that EVERY TIME it’s Ian Desmond LOL
11:58
Craig Edwards: It only feels that way. Sometimes it is Drew Butera.
11:58
Abe: SAFE!!!
11:58
EonADS: CLUTCH run by Parra.
11:58
Ligma Baseballs: Wow, silenced
11:58
Craig Edwards: Parra making things happen.
11:58
Lunar verLander: is…is this why they kept Parra in?
11:58
The 6ix: OMG
11:59
Guy Smiley: Wow. Nice hustle by Parra.  Was he running on the pitch?
11:59
Brian: Halladay playoff no hitter?
11:59
Craig Edwards: I don’t think he needs that to make the Hall. It isn’t the crux of his argument.
11:59
Dan Szymborski: 10/2/18: Parra is finally useful
12:00
HappyFunBall: How much does Dahl’s playing time NEXT season depend on the results of this at bat?
12:00
Unkent: I’m following along on gameday–could someone explain what happened on that Desmond FC?
12:00
Craig Edwards:

Will the Cubs walk it off this inning?
Yes (53.1% | 67 votes)
 
No (46.8% | 59 votes)
 
Total Votes: 126
12:00
Dan Szymborski: Parra beat the throw from Bryant
12:00
Mike: if Dahl does not hit a 6 run homer that goes to Milwaukee and brains Christian Yelich so he’s out for the whole series, he’ll get cut.
12:01
Craig Edwards: How many pitches has Dahl seen today? Like 5?
12:01
kevin: Dahl will be a year older. Black will like him more next year.
12:02
Ryan: Yeah, gonna be no room for Dahl after the Rockies sign Nick Markakis for 5/75.
12:02
Carson Cistulli: Unkent: Bryant threw to second, but Parra beat the throw. All runners safe.
12:02
Mac: Dan takes a half hour power nap; both offenses are yet to wake back up
12:02
Dan Szymborski: I had to go to the bathroom. I was watching, but I didn’t want to type in there.
12:02
Dan Szymborski: And then there wasn’t a great moment to stop going to the bathroom
12:02
HappyFunBall: Oops. I guess Dahl’s going back to the bench when the Rox pay $50M to someone like Michael Brantley
12:02
Nate: If you don’t accidentally piss on the keyboard, are you really committed, Dan?
12:03
Dan Szymborski: I need my laptop!
12:03
Mike: Dahl has seen 9 pitches according to fg boxscore
12:03
Anonymous: Should more dudes swing on 3-0? I forget what the research says
12:03
Craig Edwards: sometimes, yes.
12:04
Dan Szymborski: Is Baez walking evne legal?
12:04
Mike:

PETRIELLO: welcome to the top of the 47th
[sun rises]
[sun keeps getting bigger]
PETRIELLO: it’s rising at a launch… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
3 Oct 2018
12:04
Guy Smiley: Lead off walk in the bottom of the 11th is pretty much game over.
12:04
5 Run Homer: Javy not swinging in this situation makes me feel like I’m in a simulation
12:04
Dan Szymborski: Unrealistic fanfiction
12:05
Dan Szymborski: “Javy Baez Walked by the Pitcher” by Chuck Tingle
12:05
Guest: Dan I’m pretty sure that’s how you prevent blisters from typing.
12:05
5 Run Homer: Javy almost ran himself outta town there
12:06
Dan Szymborski: Once, in a walkoff in an elimination game, I want to see the runner continue running out of the park and to the next city.
12:06
Craig Edwards: Didn’t look like he made too much of a commitment there.
12:06
Oliver: that’s why butera’s in
12:07
bananas: Love that wide-angle camera view of the whole infield to see Butera was headed to 3rd basically on contact.  ESPN doing a good job tonight
12:07
Shobae Ohtani: If the Cubs lose this game does it change the attitude in signing or not signing Harper?
12:07
Dan Szymborski: No
12:07
Craig Edwards: fast curve for Oh at 70 mph
12:07
Ryan: That curve was meat
12:08
Ham: given how emotive contreras has been with his walks tonight, what do we think happens if he hits a walk-off here? does he combust?
12:08
kevinthecomic: Contreras hurt!
12:08
AJ Ellis: Contreras down
12:08
Dan Quinn: Was the IBB there something you agree with?
12:08
Dan Szymborski: Caratini is my favorite pasta shape
12:08
Nate: I can’t wait to see this game decided by relief pitcher at bats.
12:08
Craig Edwards: the run expectancy barely moves so if the matchup is better then it is a good move.
12:09
I <3 Bunts: Carson, both of your names combined are very close to Caratini – is there any relation?
12:09
Guy Smiley: Get Contreras out and Hamels is due next.
12:09
Carson Cistulli: Yes. Specifically for the reason you cite, I <3 Bunts.
12:09
Blob Saget : Yes that’s how names work
12:10
Carson Cistulli: Walkoff now?
12:10
Pd: Kirk Gibson moment coming up?
12:10
Nick: If Contreras walks it off after the injury, he’s bat flipping it to outer space, isn’t he?
12:10
Meg Rowley: So how punchy is everyone?
12:10
Dan Szymborski: If he wouldn’t, he should go to jail
12:11
Jeremy: Meg!
12:11
Harmony: Meg!
12:11
Pie: Meg lives!
12:11
Mike: Theyve posted my jokes, Meg, so ‘a lot’
12:11
Morbo: Meg, how far away is your fridge?
12:11
Ryan: If Wilson Contreas homers here the NBA is rigged
12:11
Meg Rowley: Ah yes, my people.
12:11
Sertorius: Contreras’ bat flip would land next to Schwarber’s homer on the scoreboard
12:11
jj: more paunchy than punchy, but still
12:11
Carson Cistulli: Did that pitch not count?
12:11
Da Bears: Daaaaaa bears!
12:11
tb.25: Meg! It’s been pretty Rowley here (get it, rowdy? ill see myself out)
12:12
Pie: We were so worried about you that we let no one score
12:12
Craig Edwards: apparently not.
12:12
kevinthecomic: Someone. Called timeout
12:12
Meg Rowley: Oh no, it was my fault
12:12
AJ Ellis: Launch angle on that hypothetical batflip?
12:12
Dan Szymborski: All the degrees
12:12
Dan Szymborski: Playoff bat flips have to qualify as a barrel or you lose the game
12:12
Austin Cooper: Cubs trying hard to ice Oh
12:12
5 Run Homer: This has been a strange AB
12:12
Guy Smiley: [obligatory Me Growley joke]
12:12
Craig Edwards: yes.
12:13
Meg Rowley: This has been a strange game.
12:13
Carson Cistulli: That was weird. We had the audio on the broadcast, but they didn’t in the booth.
12:13
TJ: #Hugwatch
12:13
Anonymous: Great takeout hug there to prevent the double play
12:13
Craig Edwards: even stranger.
12:13
Adam: Cub-hug
12:14
Craig Edwards: Contreras did run okay just then.
12:14
Guy Smiley: There’s no hugging in baseball.
12:14
Whitty: Wait a sec isn’t that interference?? That would’ve been two
12:14
Carson Cistulli: Nooooooooooooooo.
12:14
Craig Edwards: need to make an attempt.
12:14
Carson Cistulli: It was a hug.
12:14
Meg Rowley: You know what they say
12:15
Erik: Arenado hugged him first
12:15
Dan Szymborski: Can they instant replay a hug?
12:15
Harmony: @Anonymous “takeout hug,” that’s beautiful
12:15
wOBAseft: Is this in any way reviewable?
12:15
Meg Rowley: I have no second half to that joke
12:15
Brian CashGod: HUG GATE
12:15
Carson Cistulli: This is pretty on-brand for a certain kind of baseball man. See this delightful moment? I THINK IT WAS AGAINST THE RULES.
12:16
East Coast Fan: I look forward to 700 words by either Jeff or Meg on that hug.
12:16
bananas: There was consent
12:16
Carroteeny: I think we’ll soon see a FG article on Baez’s intangible hugging skills
12:16
Meg Rowley: shhhhhh
12:16
Jacob: Arenado is such a nice guy, he just wanted a hug, and now its gonna cost them.
12:16
Adam: What kind of lesson will we be teaching the kids if this hug results in a 2nd out?
12:16
igor: Meg!  you are alive!!!!  thought your beer keg maybe ate you.
12:16
Meg Rowley: Jeff might hear you and steal it
12:16
Morbo: I would like to see numerous slow mo hugs
12:16
bananas: That was mutual hugging
12:16
Morbo: Meg, can we get a compendium of baseball hugs post?
12:16
Guy Smiley: If I’m Arenado’s teammate, I’m happy.
12:17
Shirtless George Brett: In an all animal game hugging another player is instant death
12:17
Mike:

be the change you want to see in the world
3 Oct 2018
12:17
HUGS YAY:

12:17
igor: did that hug have loss probability added?
12:17
Lunar verLander:

.@statcast had that hug at 1.23 seconds… Longest of the year.
3 Oct 2018
12:18
Dan Szymborski: Oh man, I gotta go see if Old Hoss is mad about the hug
12:18
Normal Game: I have never flipped open my laptop quicker to get here to see yall’s reactions to a baseball thing
12:18
Ryan: Carson’s pasta relative is gonna be the hero
12:18
TJ: Odor would’ve punched him
12:19
Barry: Goose Gossage just imploded
12:19
Ace: Dan would be proud to know I switched tabs from playing CK2, just to see the commentary around the hug
12:19
Dan Szymborski: Who were you playing as?
12:19
MORE HUGS: Sad that the hug had no game consequences.
12:19
Dan Szymborski: Except FRIENDSHIP
12:19
Meg Rowley: I mean we were all delighted
12:19
Craig Edwards:

Who wins (T12)?
Cubs (47.4% | 85 votes)
 
Rockies (52.5% | 94 votes)
 
Total Votes: 179
12:19
Brian CashGod: speaking of Paradox games, anyone here play Stellaris?
12:19
Carson Cistulli: Hey, dopes. I have to go to bed, on account of my child will be waking up in a few hours.
12:20
Dan Szymborski: Yup
12:20
Dan Szymborski: Though it hasn’t been my rotation in awhile
12:20
Shirtless George Brett: The hug was too much for Carson.
12:20
Poor Mans Rick Reed: sleep when you’re dead, we’ve got exciting baseball to watch here
12:20
Ace: Dan – playing as the Empire of Francia (started out as a tinpot Count in Thouars, now running an Empire that stretches from Britain to Jerusalem). And yes, Im bragging about my performance in a single player RPG on the internet…
12:20
Barry: I think it’s safe to say we are all winners now
12:20
Carson Cistulli: I’m dead on the inside, which is sufficient in this case.
12:21
Meg Rowley: Carson be well, friend.
12:21
CJ: I feel like old baseball broadcasters who says ‘just when you thought you’ve seen everything, you see something new’
12:21
Dan Szymborski: I love the wacky things that happen. Once while playing in eastern europe, there was a scottish muslim king that also got spain
12:21
Brian CashGod: @Dan yessss, it’s so good. Hear you on the rotation though, I haven’t played in a bit either. Feels like I play the most right after a new patch / DLC
12:21
Defenestrater: First baseman Ryan McMahon
12:21
I <3 Bunts: Carson, if you’re son of Car, is your child Carsonson?
12:21
Craig Edwards: I don’t think we’ve ever seen teams play a game 163, lose and then get to play again.
12:21
Dan Szymborski: Carson is already his nickname for Carsonson. Hhe has Carsonsonson
12:22
robertobeers: Dan, who wins in fatigue? Odd Warrior Cubs or Secret Hunter as DK?
12:22
Dan Quinn: Who’s manager has done least bad
12:22
Dan Szymborski: Cubs. They can keep recycling Gore with Dead Mans Hand
12:23
Dan Szymborski: OH wait, odd warrior
12:23
robertobeers: ODD WARRIOR DAN DEAD MAN’S HAND COST 2
12:23
Craig Edwards: Tossup. Black has done better with pitching, I think, but the lineup calls haven’t been great.
12:23
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, I saw it before you said!
12:23
Guy Smiley: Now that every player is a millionaire they don’t really care about winning or losing.  Just hugs all around.  And get off my lawn!!
12:23
Anonymous: You’d need Gore and Dee Gordon in the same lineup for that strat
12:23
Gossage: “Old man yells at hug”
12:24
Mike: Hey guys, sorry I’ve been up late reading about bankers financing wars for Italy in the 15th century & the Catholic Church being passive towards it. What’re you guys up to?
12:24
Meg Rowley: same really
12:24
Muxosk : LOOGY in the 12th is a bold move.
12:24
Shudderwock: May I get a shoutout Dan
12:24
Dan Szymborski: God, Shudderwock Rockies. You see Ian Desmond played 10 times
12:24
Whitty: Who tf gonna pitch in game 1 if the Cubs play in the NLDS??
12:24
Erik: Is that an irresponsible use of a pitcher in the 12th inning to pull him after one AB?
12:24
Dan Szymborski: Schwarber
12:24
Craig Edwards: Hendricks can go a lot of innings and his spot won’t be up for a while.
12:25
Adopt Me Dayn Perry: I was serious, I really want Dayn Perry to adopt me as his large adult son
12:25
Mike: Ian Desmond is a 6 mana 1/1 with battlecry: deal 2 damage to  itself
12:25
Alexios Komnenos: Playing as Byzantines is the best to reclaim those Roman Borders
12:25
robertobeers: That’s about right. Desmond just gets more powerful the more he’s played in a game?
12:25
Thom: Maddon would definitely use Hunter DK and build zombeasts in the dugout
12:25
TIRED MLB FAN: The best part about playoff baseball. It allows me to stay up past my bedtime.
12:25
Mike: cant even be useful with Keleseth
12:25
Cranky Old Man: Are you all still speaking English?
12:25
Garrett: I don’t see a realistic end to this game. I just can’t see how anyone wins this game at any point.
12:26
Meg Rowley: At some point we’ll all be dead.
12:26
robertobeers: Yes we have playoff hearthstone chat
12:26
Dan Szymborski: What happens if a player dies in-game and the team is out of bench including pitchers?
12:26
Dan Quinn: Let’s go for the 19 inning record.  Is Devine still active?
12:26
Anonymous: We mourn, dan.
12:26
Kaiser in Iowa : Cubs summon Exodia. Win game. Oh wait, you’re taking MTG not yugioh
12:27
Dan Szymborski: Exodia’s called Exodia in Hearthstone
12:27
Meg Rowley: I only know what the rules are if a certain amount of a roster is killed or disabled in-season
12:27
Jacob:

JOE BUCK: Welcome to the top of the 47th
[Sun rises]
[Sun keeps getting bigger]
BUCK: yes
[World engulfed by flames]
BUCK: oh god yes
28 Oct 2015
12:27
Meg Rowley: I’m not sure during a game.
12:27
TJ: When do the video guys get to be put into the game
12:27
Dan Szymborski: I think I’d still release Desmond before the dead guy.
12:27
Alexios Komnenos: Also CK2 makes you relate to Tywin Lannister so well. I’d be livid if my firstborn disinherited himself and if my youngest son had a genius trait but was a dwarf in the game
12:28
robertobeers: Blue Eyes White Bryant
12:28
Pie:

kiss you cowards
3 Oct 2018
12:28
Meg Rowley: I have no regrets
12:28
Kaiser in Iowa : The game has been very Black-Blue control deck. Sacrifice own guys to kill opponents. I guess cubs are hoping to deck the Rockies
12:28
Unkent: Looked away from the chat for a bit and all of a sudden it’s all about death. I guess I should have predicted that.
12:28
Dan Szymborski: Death and video games. That’s what happens when hugs become a thing and Carsonson’s not around to babysite me.
12:28
5 Run Homer: Makes us all better at our jobs (those jobs being watching baseball)
12:29
Bounce throw to first: Brewers biggest winners tonight right?
12:29
Jkim: Brewers are the winners tonight
12:29
Garrosh: “Victory or Death!”
12:29
Scenario: But do you sacrifice your worst player or sacrifice your best player and absorb his energy?
12:29
Erik: Pretty sure the Brewers aren’t playing tonight
12:29
Meg Rowley: Part of the winning.
12:29
Kaiser in Iowa : Idk, I think whoever wins tonight is biggest winner tonight. I know vanilla answer
12:29
Lit Ref: Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for [baseball playoffs].
12:30
Anonymous: HEY WHERE’S THE 6IX WITH THE EXTRA INNINGS FOOD?!
12:30
Dan Szymborski: At some point, all this excitement is going to make me want more spaghetti
12:30
Dan Quinn: I know from experience, brotherhood and fistbumps win in OT
12:30
Cranky Old Man: The Brewers are making beer tonight, duh. The beer doesn’t make itself…
12:30
Brian CashGod: MLB games really start to resemble two card burn decks playing each other by the 12th inning or so
12:30
Matt: Can we get a poll on this:  Does it bother you that Apollo doesn’t include the planting of the American flag on the moon by Neil Armstrong?
12:30
Silence DoGood: Anyone else tired of the emoji riddled MLB atbat notifications?
12:30
Apollo: Pasta is off season food
12:30
Meg Rowley: That isn’t the name of that movie?
12:30
Kaiser in Iowa : I have already drank 12 old styles, got hungry, made chicken Alfredo, consumed it, and here I am.
12:31
Anonymous: Wow, you still believe in the moon?
12:31
Morbo: I feel like the video game that most captures the essence of baseball/this game is dark souls. Just keep trying until you succeed, probably on pure luck, then go right back to failing until you get lucky again.
12:31
Probably. Maybe.: You just know Bridich is scheming about somehow cloning Desmond this winter.
12:31
Bartolo Colon: Pasta is food
12:31
The 6ix: Extra innings food, 12th inning edition: a dozen wings.
12:31
Meg Rowley: Dan, you have to chill just a little.
12:31
Dan Szymborski: I’m passionate!
12:32
Nom nom: Meg, any update on dinner?
12:32
Dan Szymborski:

Would You Be in Favor of Deciding Games by Hugs?
Yes (53.1% | 76 votes)
 
Yes (46.8% | 67 votes)
 
Total Votes: 143
12:32
Meg Rowley: I remain hungry.
12:32
Rob Madfred: Ben and Jeff have joked about the low number of clicks on Rockies posts. Do the Cubs get the most clicks on articles about them or their players?
12:32
Meg Rowley: I am happy to say I have no idea, but that makes sense.
12:33
Still Comiskey: The statcast broadcast is pretty great, Benetti is a gem
12:33
stever20: wow what a brutal factoid about Heyward- worst MLB hitter in playoff history with at least 100 pa’s- 18-121 now.  .149
12:33
Craig Edwards: that was almost a blunder.
12:34
Dan Szymborski: The worst hitter in playoff history by WPA is Reggie Sanders at -2.702
12:34
CJ: Rox outfield defence bad
12:34
Meg Rowley: Pretty pretty bad
12:34
Dan Szymborski: Heyward was 3117th of 3154 hitters coming into tonight by WPA at -1.019
12:34
Craig Edwards: Good thing Heyward is good at defense.
12:34
Bartolo Colon: I ate Heyward’s lunch today and I’m still hungry for more
12:35
Harry: Okay but who has higher speech giving WPA than my guy jhey
12:35
Silence DoGood: Bud Black looks like the type of guy who would help a young kid put the chain back on his bicycle if he saw him on the street
12:35
For a friend: One of my friends needs to take a 6:45am train to his law school class and has the long-weekend scaries and his nutritionist gave him expired Melatonin so he should definitely stay up for the rest of this game regardless of its length, right?
12:36
Jim: I had plans for the night. Now
12:36
Bert: Yes
12:36
Oliver: (skip the class)
12:36
Dan Szymborski: I’d answer, but you should never listen to me or do what I advise in any situation ever.
12:36
Shirtless George Brett: Expired melatonin is basically meth.
12:37
Vic Romano: I didnt know melatonin could expire.  Learn something new every wild card.
12:37
Pie: Cubs hitters have a WPA of -0.854, which includes Baez’s 0.305. Crazyness
12:37
Tucker: Answer is always skip the class, I skipped 40% of college classes and no I’m…hmm…maybe go to that class.
12:37
Airport Banana: I don’t understand how Khris Davis and Matt Carpenter have way way more power than Jason Heyward. Just look at them!
12:37
Meg Rowley: It has not been an especially sharp game
12:37
Six Ten: The only bathroom in the apartment is through the bedroom where my light-sleeping girlfriend has been in bed since 9:30. This game has begun to get uncomfortable.
12:37
Craig Edwards: That’s part of what makes baseball great.
12:37
Dan Szymborski: You have a sink, don’t you?
12:37
Morbo: As a former law student, I say skip the class
12:37
Nathan: Dan, I’d read your advise column. You’d be like Cassandra, telling me what not to do, but watching with horror as I do it all the same.
12:37
Jack: Expired Melatonin is a great nickname seeking player
12:37
Brian CashGod: what if they have to poo…
12:38
Matt: Who would you take … Kris Bryant from here on out based on you project he will do for the rest of his career … or post 1984 season Ryne Sandberg’s career?
12:38
Lunar verLander: Anyone remember that Sam Miller article about a hypothetical 40+ inning game?
12:38
Dan Szymborski: Garbage disposal
12:38
Craig Edwards: I’ll take Bryant. More mystery.
12:38
Anonymous: Expired Melatonin: Pedro Baez
12:38
Meg Rowley: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21986511/what-happen-baseball-game-…
12:38
Meg Rowley: It is delightful
12:38
Abe: I went to as many college classes as I could to decrease my $$/class ratio.
12:38
TJ: Late night fangraphs chats truly bring out the degenerates
12:39
Dan Szymborski: I’ve been here all night!
12:39
Craig Edwards: you will generally learn more by showing up than trying to figure out what you missed later.
12:39
Craig Edwards: what a pitch.
12:39
Dan Szymborski: If someone doesn’t want to go to class, I’ll write a note for them.
12:39
Meg Rowley: A fan is definitely going to try to fight this ump.
12:39
5 Run Homer: I just have Patton Oswalt humming circus music running on a loop in my head now
12:40
Craig Edwards: just set an alarm and drink some coffee.
12:40
Craig Edwards: coffee is so good.
12:40
Dan Szymborski: I once wrote a note for a reader in high school for opening day
12:40
Meg Rowley: You should mostly go to class. School is important, as is your education.
12:40
BK: Can you write a note for me if I have to teach a class?
12:40
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, hold on.
12:41
Craig Edwards:

Who wins (T13)
Cubs (47.9% | 82 votes)
 
Rockies (52.0% | 89 votes)
 
Total Votes: 171
12:41
Hal: I’m reviewing some econ notes on sunk costs while watching this game, in case anyone was wondering if irony was dead
12:41
Airport Banana: Most underrated player of the past 25 years? Mike Cameron gets my vote.
12:41
Craig Edwards: Jim Edmonds
12:42
Rockiesfan2: More Rockies articles please
12:42
Craig Edwards: they have a say in that.
12:42
Tucker: Re: class. Most underrated skill in life, autodidacticism.
12:43
Meg Rowley: Yeah, but go to class. Turns out professors are smart and have studied very hard.
12:43
All Cats Are Beautiful : Just woke up here in Germany. Went to check last night’s score. Holy crap! This game is still goong on?  Morning baseball!
12:43
MJA: How much worse would this be if Manfred’s dumbass rule of having a guy at 2nd existed?
12:44
Meg Rowley: It’s 2018. They’d still be playing somehow because the world is hell.
12:44
Dan Szymborski: Here BK, you’ll be all set.
12:44
Dan Szymborski:

12:44
Dan Quinn: Fatigue = lack of offense in late extras?
12:44
Mac: Dan, I have class Friday during the Indians-Astros game. I’ll take that note.
12:45
Matt: Gun to your head … you need the batter to reach base on this plate appearance.  Do you bat Jason Heyward or Rafael Palmeiro?  Tough call, I think.
12:45
Meg Rowley: Doesn’t help but pitchers are tired too
12:45
Dan Szymborski: Why do you guys point guns to head for baseball questions?
12:45
The 6ix: Extra innings food, 13th inning edition: a baker’s dozen donuts with lots of sprinkles.
12:45
Nat: Most underrated pitcher of the past 25 years?
12:45
Meg Rowley: Uh oh
12:45
Bartolo Colon: Morning Cats! Dreaming of Oktoberfest…
12:46
Craig Edwards: A lot of possibilities-Santana, Lee, maybe Brandon Webb on some level.
12:46
Not Dan Szymborski: Dear Cubs Manager – Please excuse the Cubs from their teaching duties on 10/3/18. They have come down with a case of being dead. They ought to be able to resume their normal schedule by 10/4/18 or after they’re eliminated, whichever comes first.
12:46
Craig Edwards: Javier Baez looks like he needs a hug.
12:46
Meg Rowley: We all do
12:47
Dan Szymborski: I swear A-Rod said devil instead of double
12:47
Mitch: #fangraphsafterdark
12:47
NPC: Meg, Craig, and Dan: Let’s cut the complaining and revel in BASEBALL! MORE BASEBALL! MORE PLAYOFF BASEBALL!
12:47
Dan Szymborski: I still get to complain about everything
12:47
mussina: mussina
12:47
Still Comiskey: Dan go to ESPN2
12:47
Dan Szymborski: I’ve been going back and forth.
12:48
Craig Edwards: hard for a guy getting close to induction to be underrated.
12:48
Dan Szymborski: I switched becuase I wanted some dad jokes about hugging
12:48
Craig Edwards: just like Bud Black drew it up.
12:48
The 6ix: Parra useful: 10/3/18.
12:48
Dan Szymborski: It happened earlier!
12:48
Shirtless George Brett: Roy Oswalt
12:49
Pie: It feels like the only purpose for the Rockies at bats is to turn the lineup over quicker so Arenado can come back up
12:49
Harry: Craig how do you feel about Kevin Brown
12:49
Dan Szymborski: It’s weird, but you would actually prefer Ian Desmond
12:49
Craig Edwards: very underrated
12:49
Lunar verLander: …just like Bud Black drew it up…
12:49
Erik: Ah man this game might actually end
12:49
Meg Rowley: Oh my
12:50
Craig Edwards: TONY
12:50
Meg Rowley: Best player alive, I’ve always said so
12:50
Dan Szymborski: Here’s the thing though. If Tony Wolters beats you, it wasn’t your year anyway.
12:51
Ted in HR: None of your notes will work tomorrow. Be at work or be fired.
12:51
Dan Quinn: All babip luck or poor pitch?
12:51
Mike: is it bad i want the rockies eliminated just because the rocktober stuuff is super dumb
12:51
Craig Edwards: Yes
12:52
Muxosk : Dans gonna look real dumb when Tony “2011 David Freese” Wolters shows up in november.
12:52
Graig Needles: BTW the answer is Javier Vasquez! How many of you knew he has over 50 fWAR include 3 season of 6+?
12:52
Mike: I mean on the other hand #ThatsCub
12:52
Marz: I feel a personal sense of joy when pinch hitters succeed. I realize Tony Wolters wasn’t pinch hitting. Shut up. I still feel joy.
12:52
Meg Rowley: None of the postseason hashtags are good
12:52
Dan Szymborski: It’s nice to see Tony Wolters bust out of this slump he’s been in over his career.
12:52
Meg Rowley: Marketing is generally pretty inauthentic
12:53
zkello: Is it bad I want the Cubs eliminated just because of this awful camera angle?
12:53
Meg Rowley: Truly as good a reason as any
12:53
Craig Edwards: they will combat that next year with #Authentic
12:53
Ryan: If the Rockies win the World Series, Szymborski will still be like, “If you let a team that gives this many PAs to Gerardo Parra and Ian Desmond win the World Series, you should cancel baseball.”
12:53
Dan Szymborski: I agree.
12:54
5 Run Homer: Bad process, good results
12:54
Craig Edwards: You know what they say, trust the results.
12:54
Dan Szymborski: But I’ll survive because it’ll make Rockies fans so angry for YEARS when I note that the Rockies won the Series despite Desmond and Parra
12:54
Meg Rowley: Did… did they just say jug runs?
12:54
Dan Szymborski: Royals fans are *still* angry when I bash Alcides Escobar
12:55
Dan Quinn: I’m used to bad process, bad results
12:55
Craig Edwards: you have forgotten dumb luck.
12:55
Dan Szymborski: If Cubs lose, a lot of it is Contreras’s fault. He didn’t even TRY to give Story a hug before letting him score.
12:56
Shirtless George Brett: No we arent. Escobar is a dumpster fire.
12:56
Dan Szymborski: Oh, I got those on Twitter!
12:56
?Rockies?: If my Rockies win the Series it will be despite Desmond and Parra.
12:56
Guy Smiley: Kiss Alcides’s ring, Dan!!
12:57
Meg Rowley: The only fans who consistently don’t like me are Mariners fans when I talk about BaseRuns records.
12:57
adam: gore homers here
12:57
Anonymous: Reminder: The Cubs popped champagne for this.
12:58
Meg Rowley: It is ok to be happy and celebrate incremental accomplishments
12:58
Meg Rowley: Getting to the end of the season is amazing
12:58
Amy: Dan, as a Reds fan, I am still angry at you for bringing up Reggie Sanders’ playoff WPA like an hour ago
12:58
Jack: Dan – was the intensity of some of those Escobar tweets kind of scary for you?
12:58
Dan Szymborski: They would be for someone not used to it!
12:58
Ozzie Ozzie Albies Free: Is this Gore’s first game with multiple PA’s?
12:58
Craig Edwards: I don’t know.
12:59
Joey Wheeler: Why is Gore not being pinch hit for
12:59
Craig Edwards: they have nobody else
12:59
Walking Stephen Piscotty: Oh god, Gore just got a HBP triple
12:59
Craig Edwards: that’s not good.
12:59
Anonymous: Robo ump would have taken that much better than old-fashioned meatspace ump.
12:59
Meg Rowley: He had one other with multiple PAs
1:00
Jack: Guys I think we all need to brace ourselves for even MORE announcers pleading for bunts throughout the playoffs. THEY WILL DIE ON THIS HILL.
1:00
francis_soyer: Jeter would be on the ground writhing
1:00
Morbo: I’m not sure that hit him. Is that reviewable?
1:00
Meg Rowley: Yes
1:01
Ryan: Nobody in the history of the game should have taken a pitch more than Gore right there
1:01
Meg Rowley: Terrance Gore’s last game with 2 or more PAs https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA201609150.shtml
1:01
Nathan: Meg your tweet made my night.
1:01
Meg Rowley: (I swear I didn’t put that in here)
1:02
All Cats Are Beautiful : Who is objectively the handsomest baseball pkayer on either of these teams?
1:02
Craig Edwards: 3-2 count now
1:02
Dan Szymborski: The very nice young(ish) woman I was in Denver with swooned over Charlie Blackmon
1:02
Craig Edwards: he swung at a ball.
1:02
Probably. Maybe.: Iran Desmond!
1:03
Abe: Has she ever seen Charlie Blackmon? He has a mullet!
1:03
Dan Szymborski: She has a beard thing
1:03
Meg Rowley: Ian Desmond is insanely handsome. This has been my handsome take.
1:03
Ace: Throwing Gore a ball on a 3-2 pitch? That’s … brave or exceedingly stupid.
1:03
Dan Szymborski: Gore swings like a six-year-old.
1:03
Anonymous: A thing can be two things.
1:04
Abe: To be fair, Gore also looks like a six year old.
1:04
Meg Rowley: Excuse the swear but
1:04
Meg Rowley: this

Ump has been standing for almost 5 hours. If I stood for 5 hours straight I’d be in such a bag of shit mood.
3 Oct 2018
1:04
David: Seriously, shouldn’t a manager tell Gore to take no matter what on a 3-2 count?
1:04
Walking Stephen Piscotty: Imagine being stood there for 5 hours then betting nailed in the arm/chest by a fastball
1:05
Meg Rowley: Seems unpleasant
1:05
Vic Romano: Oh well.  This has gone badly.  But I really shouldn’t be upset about 4 straight 90-win seasons, right?
1:05
Craig Edwards: If you are Gore, you really going to listen? Is it going to prevent him from getting his next job as guy who they try not to have hit?
1:06
Meg Rowley: I think what I’ve come around to on being upset is feel upset if you are upset. It is disappointing for you! We should all remember that other people aren’t going to be upset for us necessarily though. I don’t mean that snarkily.
1:06
Craig Edwards: down to their final strike.
1:06
Meg Rowley: I just think it is useful.
1:06
Craig Edwards: HUGS!
1:06
The 6ix: I guess I will put the 14th inning four-bean salad back in the fridge.
1:06
Craig Edwards: SO MANY HUGS!
1:06
Dan Szymborski: only four beans? SMDH
1:06
Meg Rowley: Wowzers.
1:07
Meg Rowley: Alright team, management has informed us that we can all go to bed, and so I think we shall.
1:07
Meg Rowley: In our own homes, but to bed in those homes.
1:07
Dan Szymborski: Goodnight everyone!
1:07
Meg Rowley: Thanks for hanging out with us!
1:07
Craig Edwards: Rough ending to a really good Cubs season, but I’m interested to see what the Rockies rotation does against the Brewers.
1:07
Fat Matt: I hope you have night rerrors dan
1:07
Craig Edwards: Good night.
1:07
Meg Rowley: You’re all delightful baseball weirdos and we appreciate you spending your evening with us.
1:08
weezy: grown humans celebrating unscripted is entertaining television
1:08
MJA: Night errors sounds like what a baseball obsessed parent calls his kid wetting the bed
1:08
Meg Rowley: It is indeed.
1:08
Dan Szymborski: *I’m* not the one that let Tony Wolters hit a baseball!
1:08
Meg Rowley: Dan, stop putting new comments in! It is time for sleeping!
1:09
Dan Szymborski: I can talk until someone hits end chat!
1:09
Dan Szymborski: THATS THE LAW
1:09
Meg Rowley: On that note! Night all! Back again tomorrow!
1:09
Dan Szymborski: OH GOT 27 SECONDS LEFT
1:09
BK: You keep doing you, Dan
1:09
Shirtless George Brett: #RESIST!
1:09
david: wolters hair though
1:09
Guy Smiley: Lightning round!
1:09
Dan Szymborski: no spaghetti





 

Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.

8 Comments
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Dave P
5 years ago

None of my comments posted in 10 min. Thanks for the chat!

-25
Bipmember
5 years ago
Reply to  Dave P

Well you got your look in eventually buddy congrats

0