Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2022: "DIVIDED DIVISIONAL"

 

Marco’s Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2022: Divided Divisional


Seattle Mariners vs. Houston Astros


Well-rested or Energized and Ready for More?


That’s always the question with the Playoff Schedule. I wish MLB would go ahead and fix the discrepancies but since they have to jimmy the schedule anyway next year maybe they can do away with extra off days like the American League contenders have this year.


The Divisionals start on Tuesday with all teams playing. The way it is now, Seattle can pitch Castillo on 3 days rest to start the divisional in Houston. Then the Mariners get an additional day off before playing Game 2 at Houston on Thursday. Robbie Ray could start that game on his regular four days rest. Friday is another off day so they travel to Seattle. The Mariners can start Castillo again on three days rest . Only two starters used up in 3 games as long as they win one.


Actually, the better strategy, I think, is to hold Castillo back until Game 2. He’s very sharp now and if anybody is a good bet to win one of the games in Houston it’s Luis on 5 days rest. The Mariners can try Logan Gilbert, who pitched well against the ‘Stros earlier in the season...or pitch a bullpen game in Game 1. They probably can’t beat Verlander on long rest anyway. They should give themselves the best chance to win one game in Houston and then they have Robby Ray on good rest for Game 3 in Seattle. Robbie pitches much, much better at home this year. If it goes to the full five games the Mariners will have Castillo going on his regular 4 days for the fifth game back in Houston.


The Astros will have had one game in a week if they face Castillo in Game 2. They just may have trouble timing that new triple digit heater he was featuring up in Toronto. I think Castillo could be the X-Factor. If he can win 2 games the Mariners have a chance. Mariners in 5.


Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees


Everybody is saying what a classic game it was when the Clevelands and the Tampa Bays hooked up in that 15 inning 1-0 Game 2 of their Wild Card series. I thought it was a disaster that magnified everything wrong with the game of baseball right now. 15 innings. 1 run. 11 hits. 39 strike outs! 39?


Siri of the Rays struck out 5 times. A Golden Sombrero plus. Giminez of the Guardians also struck out 5 times. I thought it was the most boring game I’ve seen in quite awhile. Just endless hopeless flailing at the plate. If they can’t get some hitting back into the game, this sport is doomed. “Look Kids! He got the batter to swing and miss at ANOTHER slider in the dirt! Are you not Entertained???”


Bring on your pitch clocks, make the hitters keep one foot in the box when they need (yeah right!) to adjust their batting gloves, lower the mound, and reconfigure the strike zone up from the bottom of the knees to the top of the knees. Let’s see some hitting like we had in the Seattle/Toronto game...10 to 9. That’s a whole lot more fun than 1-0 unless you never get tired of .211 hitters missing sliders.


The Yankees had Aroldis Chapman miss practice and give them some half-lame excuse. What a Team guy! So they sat him for the Divisional round. The Yankee bullpen has a lot of injuries so they need him...except that they actually need the former version of Aroldis Chapman. The guy who could actually control his fastball.


The Yankees are a great big question mark. They seem to be a team with 4 good starters, a wounded pen, and a lineup with a superstar in Aaron Judge and an occasional long ball from the others. The long rest probably was welcome to the pinstripers so they could heal up some players. I think they’ll have trouble with the Guardians’ youthful exuberance, especially if Jose Ramirez finds the range.


The Guardians don’t hit the long ball. But they strike out all the time like everybody else. I think the Yanks will outslug them in 5. With their pitching staff the Guard Dogs have a chance, but the rest factor is big when it comes to pitching staffs.


Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres

Rested pitching staffs, rested pitching staffs….who has a rested pitching staff? Hmmm...tough one...OH YEAH!...The Dodgers not only have the best pitching staff...they also have the most rested pitching staff.


This one is ridiculous. The Padres pay the price of letting their Wild Card series go to three games by not having any of their three great starters able to start the Divisional with normal rest. No Darvish, no Blake Snell, no Joe Musgrove. The best they can do is rock n’roll Heavy Metal hair stylist Mike Clevinger. Darvish will go in Game 2, then Musgrove will probably jump ahead and pitch Game 3, depending on how things stand, win- wise.


Maybe the Dodger starters in Game 1 and 2, Urias and Kershaw, will be over-rested and have a fit of Southpaw Willies. You know... hit some batters, increase their spin rate and bounce pitches in the dirt, overamp the fastball and bean the mascot, rub too much resin on their ears and have to get an umpire to caress their Cartilaginous Lobes in a tantalizing and sensuous manner.


But I don’t really think any inactivity adjustments will last passed the 2nd or 3rd inning. Maybe the Pods will score early and give the Dodgers trouble but I don’t really think pitching will be an issue for the Heads. They absolutely killed the Padrinos all season (won 14 lost 5) and they’ll be ready. So will their hitters. Especially Mookie Betts, Trea Turner and Freddy Freeman...the Dodger’s 3-headed offensive Monster.


I predict the Dodgers...especially Trea Turner and Betts... will break out the running game and torture the Padres pitchers and catchers. (Darvish is especially vulnerable.) But I look forward to seeing Joe Musgrave pitch a gem at Petco. His two finger salute with ear rub resin check was a classic and nobly restrained “F--- You” gesture to the Mets. And he likes the Dodgers even less. Dodgers in 4.


Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies


The Phils somehow dodged the tired starter dilemma by sweeping the Cardinals in St. Louis. Now they start a well-rested leftie Ranger Suarez against leftie Max Fried and the Bravisimos. The Braves are favored, but the Phils are wearing their hitting shoes against lefties this year (.266/ OPS .771) (The bench however, is fairly feeble vs. lefties.)


The next two starters coming up for the Phils are Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Both were terrific against the Cardinals. I believe that if the Braves come out a little lethargic after five days off, there could be a bloody ambush at Dry Gulch Gully. I am concerned that the days off will have effectively ended the hitting hotstreak the Braves have been on with Olson, Swanson and Riley. I guess we’ll see. After Game 3, the starter cupboard is bare for the Phillies. The Braves will still have some vittles stored up. Let’s say the Braves in a tight 5.


So I predict the Dodgers and Braves in a National League Championship Series Redux. And the New York Yankees will go Goliath against the Cinderella Seattle Mariners.


I’ll wait a while before calling that one and see how bad I look after the Divisional Rounds.


Adios for now.



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