2015 Division Series: Astros vs. Royals, Rangers vs. Blue Jays, Cubs vs. Cardinals, Mets vs. Dodgers (Royals, Blue Jays, Cubs, Mets advance)

[1992casey]

Rangers vs. Blue Jays, Game 5

 

Rangers

1. CF Delino DeShields Jr. ®
   
2. RF Shin-Soo Choo (L)
   
3. DH Prince Fielder (L)
   
4. 3B Adrián Beltré ®
   
5. 1B Mitch Moreland (L)
   
6. LF Josh Hamilton (L)
   
7. SS Elvis Andrus ®
   
8. 2B Rougned Odor (L)
   
9. C Chris Gimenez ®

 

Blue Jays

1. LF Ben Revere (L)
   
2. 3B Josh Donaldson ®
   
3. RF José Bautista ®
   
4. DH Edwin Encarnacion ®
   
5. 1B Chris Colabello ®
   
6. SS Troy Tulowitzki ®
   
7. C Russell Martin ®
   
8. CF Kevin Pillar (R
   
9. 2B Ryan Goins (L)

[bill hAll Star]

To add to this "which I rather would not see win a World Series" - I am not going to lose sleep over it, but in terms of rivals, I've already resigned myself to the fact that the Cardinals will win 20+ more World Series in my lifetime and that I will likely never see the Brewers win one. If I'm being a jerk about it, I'd like to see a division/sports team rival like the Cubs toil in this baseball hell with me.

 

Of course, it's over, and I think the Cubs are by far and away the best team left. They're probably going to win multiple titles now as well.

[jerichoholicninja]

Can someone explain what is happening in Toronto with the protest and all these "rules check" reviews?

[trwi7]

Can someone explain what is happening in Toronto with the protest and all these "rules check" reviews?

 

Martin was throwing the ball back to Sanchez, it hit Choo's bat which should've made it a live ball but Dale Scott ruled the play dead. Odor ran across the plate anyways. Umpires then got together and changed the call saying Odor should've scored. Jays fans started throwing crap on the field and then the umpires went to the headsets to make sure they made the correct call on the rule by allowing the run to score.

 

Jays fans have been a complete embarrassment the past hour or so as they throw more crap on the field after Bautista's homer.

 

The Rangers have choked this game away though. The first three batters of the inning reached on errors.

[1992casey]

Russell Martin threw the ball back to the pitcher, the ball hit Shin-Soo Choo's bat, and the Ranger runner on third scored the lead run. Since Choo wasn't doing anything close to interfering, the run was allowed to count. The rules check was just to double-check to make sure that the umps applied the rule correctly. The play itself was a judgment call and not reviewable.

 

This is really the tip of the iceberg. There was an 18 minute delay for the review and to calm down the fans. Someone on the Blue Jay's bench was ejected, but I don't think we know who that was.

 

The bottom of the seventh has been even stranger, starting with the Blue Jays loading the bases on three Rangers errors.

[1992casey]

53 minute seventh inning.

[trwi7]

I like how 1992casey and myself basically made identical posts on what the delay was for, even including the disastrous back to back to back errors by the Rangers.

[Baldkin]

And Tulo just did the exact same spin that Tejada was about to try in New York.... gosh, it's almost like that's what you do when you take a feed from behind 2B.

[1992casey]

trwi7 and I just covered the main stuff. The benches cleared twice, although nothing came of it. Once was after José Bautista thoroughly inspected his three run homer before starting to run. The other time, Sam Dyson thought Edwin Encarnacion was trying to incite the crowd when he was really trying to get them to calm down and stop throwing stuff.

[trwi7]

trwi7 and I just covered the main stuff. The benches cleared twice, although nothing came of it. Once was after José Bautista thoroughly inspected his three run homer before starting to run. The other time, Sam Dyson thought Edwin Encarnacion was trying to incite the crowd when he was really trying to get them to calm down and stop throwing stuff.

 

Cleared after the inning too when Dyson did/said something to Tulo.

[1992casey]

Yeah, that was the second incident. The Encarnacion thing was tied to the Bautista homer. Too much to keep track of.

[1992casey]

Astros vs. Royals, Game 5

 

Astros

1. 2B José Altuve ®
   
2. RF George Springer ®
   
3. SS Carlos Correa ®
   
4. LF Colby Rasmus (L)
   
5. CF Carlos Gómez ®
   
6. DH Evan Gattis ®
   
7. 3B Luis Valbuena (L)
   
8. 1B Chris Carter ®
   
9. C Jason Castro (L)

 

Royals

1. SS Alcides Escobar ®
   
2. 2B Ben Zobrist (S)
   
3. CF Lorenzo Cain ®
   
4. 1B Eric Hosmer (L)
   
5. DH Kendrys Morales (S)
   
6. 3B Mike Moustakas (L)
   
7. C Salvador Pérez ®
   
8. LF Alex Gordon (L)
   
9. RF Alex Ríos ®

[dlk9s]

Am I the only one who loved the posing and bat flips from the Jays (omg Bautista's was just incredible) and at the same time got mad because I knew that if the Brewers did that in the playoffs, the media would be talking about how classless the team was?

[yfinn6]

AJ Hinch with the curious move of bringing in his best starting pitcher against the Royals, who promptly gives up three runs. Keuchel hadn't come out of the pen in two years and was coming off two days rest. I get it to an extent, you want your best to pitch if you're going to go down - but wow, that's a curious move. I thought this when he started pitching, obviously it looks way worse after the fact.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

Wow did that ump screw Keuchel over. He had Morales struck out on the pitch before the HR. Keuchel's already gassed and the ump does him no favors screwing him out of strikes. Just horrid officiating. Of course it's Houston's fault for putting themselves in that position. If their idiot manager had brought in Sipp back in game 4 maybe there wouldn't have been a game 5. Bad coaching kills teams. Hinch needs to go if they want to maximize this young ballclub's potential.

 

I'm so tired of the extreme bias shown in favor of the queens. They aren't even trying to hide it anymore. MLB badly wants the Royals to win. I hope the Blue Jays sweep them.

[1992casey]

I never realized that Johnny Cueto required a translator. Even in Spanish, it was pretty clear that he was referring to himself in the third person.

[danzig6767]

Are playoff crowds really louder or does TV just turn up the crown volume?

That Toronto crowd was the loudest i've ever heard in a baseball stadium through a TV at least. Helps obviously though that the roof was closed.

 

What a game to watch. I became a Toronto fan before the playoffs started and then decided bet money on them to beat Texas. Sure wasn't looking good after the first two games, thought they were likely toast.

 

Glad i'm no Texas fan. First they lose a World Series when in back to back innings vs the Cardinals, Texas was only one strike away from winning and then today three straight errors on ground balls. Some serious gut punch losses.

[Bombers]

Are playoff crowds really louder or does TV just turn up the crown volume?

Having been to all the playoff games of the Brewers in recent years, the stadium is amped and they do not need to bump up the noise. Playoff baseball is awesome. It is just non stop screaming / yelling / standing / cheering. I remember in 2008 when the Brewers handed out those boom sticks. Those things made a weird noise with 45k+ banging them

[Bombers]

Am I the only one who loved the posing and bat flips from the Jays (omg Bautista's was just incredible) and at the same time got mad because I knew that if the Brewers did that in the playoffs, the media would be talking about how classless the team was?

for sure - I am on the same page with you. Joey bats is awesome. His career has been an odd one

[Patrick425]

Am I the only one who loved the posing and bat flips from the Jays (omg Bautista's was just incredible) and at the same time got mad because I knew that if the Brewers did that in the playoffs, the media would be talking about how classless the team was?

 

 

C'mon. I don't have this same "the media and everyone else is out to get us" mentality like many other Brewer fans seem to have. Seems like a general Wisconsin fan thing. Packer fans always seem to think the announcers or the refs hate the Packers and are pulling for the other team.

 

I can take or leave bat flips. With that crazy 7th inning atmosphere and emotions, I completely get Bautista's bat flip and don't have an issue with it. However, in general, I'm more of a put your head down and circle the bases type of guy. I will say that I think media makes too much of bat flips sometimes. There was a short article on Yahoo the other day regarding one of the playoff games (I forget if it involved the Cubs or the Astros) and it had gifs highlighting two bat flips. I didn't think they were bat flips. Just because a player doesn't place his bat down or immediately drop it, doesn't mean it's a "bat flip".

[DuWayne Steurer]

Are playoff crowds really louder or does TV just turn up the crown volume?

That Toronto crowd was the loudest i've ever heard in a baseball stadium through a TV at least. Helps obviously though that the roof was closed.

 

What a game to watch. I became a Toronto fan before the playoffs started and then decided bet money on them to beat Texas. Sure wasn't looking good after the first two games, thought they were likely toast.

 

Glad i'm no Texas fan. First they lose a World Series when in back to back innings vs the Cardinals, Texas was only one strike away from winning and then today three straight errors on ground balls. Some serious gut punch losses.

 

 

Not only that, but Andrus is out there for his glove. First he boots the grounder. Then Moreland makes a bad throw to 2nd, but it wasn't off line or anything, it was a throw Andrus *could* have handled, but he just couldn't make a play on. Then a feed to third on the bunt that he just clanked off the heel of his glove. Just a complete disaster.

 

This is definitely a game where the Rangers, and especially Andrus will have to look back and say "woulda shoulda coulda".

[Baldkin]

http://m.mlb.com/images/6/3/8/154473638/101415_tor_bats_batflip_lowres_gjvlzoc9.gif

 

I still can't get over that inning. That inning was just... I mean.... damn.

[AKCheesehead]

I would have liked a better look at how good of a chance Gimenez had at a dp throw to 1b without the takeout cleat slide from Pompey. Espn has it omitted from their clips, I can't find a look at it. Because if Texas turns 2 there, Odor is playing 2b at normal position instead of DP position, and easily catches Donaldson's flyball to end the inning. That takeout of the catcher might well be the straw that broke the Rangers' backs. Oh well, good for Toronto.

[Baldkin]

I would have liked a better look at how good of a chance Gimenez had at a dp throw to 1b without the takeout cleat slide from Pompey. Espn has it omitted from their clips, I can't find a look at it. Because if Texas turns 2 there, Odor is playing 2b at normal position instead of DP position, and easily catches Donaldson's flyball to end the inning. That takeout of the catcher might well be the straw that broke the Rangers' backs. Oh well, good for Toronto.

 

I don't think there is any way they double him up. Ben Revere was flying down the line.

[tmwiese55]

What a crazy inning yesterday, I don't remember anything like it. I like reading peoples comments today against the bat flip and general excitement/celebration. Things like, well if you enjoy it the you must like beanballs and brawls because that's what it will lead to. It's like they don't get that is exactly the problem, the mode needs to be broken so that people can show some emotion and it doesn't lead to a beanball or a fight. This old way of thinking needs to go. In all other sports you're allowed to celebrate within reason and it doesn't lead to a fight.

 

Of course Batista's thing last night in a random regular season HR would be over the top but in that situation I think anything goes other than turning and screaming in the catchers face or pointing at the pitcher and barking at him.