GAME THREAD CUBS/DODGERS LCS

bushmill's is piss
jameson or tullamore
fuck that northern ireland ira swill

 

can't disagree
and hopefully it doesn't come to that
but at least curtis has pretty solid career numbers against lester
not sure about this year though

 

belfast was the largest ira command area
bushmills is in belfast, hence the (perhaps poorly placed) ira dig
but was more of a slam at nothern ireland
fucken uptight self-righteous protestant ckunts
always acting like they're superior to us southerners
and maybe they are
but last i checked, they were the ones still under british rule
now all that said, i know a shit ton of cool northern eires here in the states
they still love their bushmills, but most admit our beer is better
of course they can always throw those posers u2 back in our faces

 

you buying the first round?

 

i'm hearing (reading actually) mixed reports on seager
some saying roberts isn't certain corey will start tomorrow, but no actual quotes
in fact the only quote i could find from roberts was “we’re very optimistic he’ll be in there on saturday”
hmmm...

 

okay, but don't bring any boxcutters fkag

 

NLCS start times announced for remainder of series
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — 4 hours ago

LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball announced start times for the remainder of the League Championship Series round, with the Dodgers and Cubs NLCS getting night games in three of the four potential days with two games.

The middle three games at Wrigley Field will start at 6:01 p.m. PT, 6:01 p.m., and 5:08 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Wednesday’s Game 4 will shift to 5:08 p.m. should the American League Championship Series between the Astros and Yankees end in a sweep.

Game 1 on Saturday will start at 5:08 p.m., and Sunday’s Game 2 at 4:38 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

Game 6, if necessary, will start at 1:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium, though if the ALCS ends before seven games, the NLCS will shift to a 5:08 p.m. start.

The NLCS will be televised by TBS, with Brian Anderson, Ron Darling and Sam Ryan on the call.

 

homo?

 

Who has the edge in NLCS rematch between Cubs, Dodgers?
by David Schoenfield | ESPN Senior Writer — 13 October 2017

The Cubs advanced to play in their third straight National League Championship Series, beating the Nationals in an epic, absolutely insane -- if not necessarily beautiful -- Game 5. They get a rematch with the Dodgers, the first LCS rematch in either league since the Phillies beat the Dodgers in 2008 and 2009.

A few items to consider heading into the series, which begins Saturday night:

Clayton Kershaw won't see the seventh inning.

We all know about Kershaw's postseason history of hitting a wall in the seventh. It happened again in Game 1 against the Diamondbacks. Leading 7-2, manager Dave Roberts sent Kershaw back out for the seventh, and after getting one out, he promptly gave up back-to-back home runs to light-hitting Ketel Marte and Jeff Mathis -- his third and fourth home runs allowed in the game. Given his performance in that game and his postseason history, it's going to be six and done for Kershaw -- no matter the score.

Even knowing that, and even knowing this is the best Dodgers team Kershaw has been part of, no player left in the postseason has more weight on his shoulders than Kershaw. Look what's happened to the other big-time aces this year: Corey Kluber had two bad starts (he may have been injured); Chris Sale had one rough start and then faltered in relief; and Max Scherzer had a great start and then also faltered in relief. Only Stephen Strasburg carried over his domination from the regular season. Pitching in October is a different animal than April through September.

The Dodgers have a big advantage in Game 1.

Kershaw will be starting with plenty of rest, but in the final two games of the Division Series, Cubs manager Joe Maddon churned through Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana. That likely leaves No. 5 starter John Lackey, who gave up 36 home runs in 170 innings, to pitch the opener. Closer Wade Davis pitched both games, including 44 pitches in the clincher, so you have to wonder about his availability. Other than Lackey, it's going to be an exhausted Chicago pitching staff for Game 1.

The big-picture concern for Maddon is the state of that bullpen. Carl Edwards had become the top setup guy, but he had a rough NLDS, allowing six runs over 2.2 innings as he pitched in all five games. He faced one batter in Game 5 and walked him; Maddon immediately went for the hook. Maddon used Lester for 3.2 innings in Game 4 -- even though the Cubs were up in the series -- which seemed a bit of an indictment of the trust he has in the back end of the pen. The guess is if the Cubs are to steal one of the first two games, they're going to need some big outs from Justin Wilson, Brian Duensing and Pedro Strop.

Meanwhile, Roberts has figured out his bullpen.

Heading into the postseason, the big concern for the Dodgers was the middle relief situation in front of closer Kenley Jansen and Brandon Morrow, who emerged as the top setup guy. Roberts had a masterful game in Game 3, a strong indication of what he'll do moving forward. He used Tony Cingrani in the sixth to face lefty David Peralta. He then brought in Morrow to face the heart of the Arizona lineup -- Marte in the sixth and then Paul Goldschmidt, J.D. Martinez and Jake Lamb in the seventh. Kenta Maeda then faced the bottom of the order in the eighth and Jansen closed it out.

An important note there: Maeda had a dominant inning, with his fastball hitting 95 mph, much harder than he throws as a starter. He absolutely looked like a weapon. Now, with his slider as his big wipeout pitch, he has had sizable platoon splits, so Roberts will use Maeda only against righties or a situation where two of the three batters he's going to face are right-handed. The key is the flexibility with Morrow to face the meat of the lineup, having two lefties in Cingrani and Tony Watson to face the lefties who won't get pinch-hit for and then Jansen's ability to go more than three outs when necessary.

The Dodgers are going to grind out at-bats.

If you saw the game when the Dodgers beat Zack Greinke, you saw what this offense can do when it's locked in. The Dodgers led the majors in chasing the fewest pitches out of the zone, a pretty remarkable achievement for a National League team. Greinke thrives on getting batters to swing out of the zone, but the Dodgers did a nice job laying off those pitches and hitting 21 foul balls, running up Greinke's pitch counts before finally hitting home runs on his 98th and 105th pitches of the game.

Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager are the young studs, but Justin Turner is the heart and soul of this lineup. We all know how he changed his swing to transform himself from utility infielder to All-Star third baseman, but he found another way to improve this season, adding not striking out to his résumé. In 2016, he had 2.2 strikeouts for every walk; this season, he had more walks than strikeouts and was the second-toughest hitter to strike out. Against the Diamondbacks, he went 6-for-13 with a home run and five RBIs, and he has hit .377 over 21 career postseason games.

Another key is Yasiel Puig, who went 5-for-11 with a double, triple, four RBIs, two walks and just one strikeout against Arizona. He looked much more controlled at the plate compared to previous postseasons, when he had a career 34 percent strikeout rate. If he can keep producing disciplined plate appearances, it makes the lineup that much deeper beyond Seager, Turner and Bellinger.

Albert Almora is a key guy for the Cubs.

With Kershaw, Rich Hill and Alex Wood, the Cubs will likely see three lefty starters, along with Yu Darvish. Maddon moves guys all over the place, but against lefties that means Almora in center field, Ben Zobrist to left and Kyle Schwarber to the bench. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Cubs lose a lot in the power department, but an Almora/Zobrist defense is better than a Jon Jay/Schwarber defense. It's a small sample of 125 plate appearances, but Almora did hit .342/.411/.486 against lefties.

It actually may be difficult for Maddon to make Schwarber's presence felt in the series. Since he and Zobrist don't play center, Almora's platoon partner would be Jay or Ian Happ, so if a righty comes in, one of them is the more likely pinch hitter -- otherwise you're using two guys off the bench. But if Schwarber is reduced to a late-inning pinch hitter for a pitcher or somebody else, there's a greater chance he will see Cingrani or Watson out of the pen, and he hit just .171/.306/.341 against lefties.

Defense will matter.

The defense across the board in the first round was atrocious. Both Game 5 losers -- the Indians and Nationals -- hurt themselves in the clinching game with some shoddy play, and even the Cubs had a four-error game earlier in the series (which they won).

Watch the catchers. We saw Willson Contreras' ability to pick off runners at first base when he nailed Jose Lobaton in the controversial replay overturn. Roberts has two good catchers, Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes. Grandal is one of the best pitch-framers in the business, but struggled at the plate the final two months (.187/.281/.403) and Barnes started two of the three games in the Division Series.

Anthony Rizzo vs. Dodgers lefties.

These showdowns are going to be fun. Rizzo doesn't really have a platoon split and hit 10 home runs off lefties (only Bellinger had more left-on-left home runs). Rizzo doesn't try to do too much with runners on base, hitting .283/.416/.531 with men in scoring position, and he's a rare hitter today who will choke up with two strikes and try to get the ball in play. Last postseason, Rizzo didn't necessarily dominate, hitting .277 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 17 games, but he seemed part of every crucial Cubs rally, whether with a hit, walk or hit by pitch. If the Cubs advance, it's probably because he managed to get on base against Kershaw, Hill & Co.

Prediction: Kershaw's four-homer game certainly creates the concern about whether he's at the top of his game, but this team doesn't need him to carry it. Plus, the Cubs' bullpen may be an even bigger concern right now. After that awful stretch where they lost 16 of 17 games, the Dodgers are back on track. Kershaw delivers six great innings in the opener, they win the first two at home and take the series in six games.

 

Dodgers' free-agent moves pay off in playoffs
Turner convinces Jansen to return for 'unfinished' NLCS business
by Ken Gurnick | MLB.com — 13 October 2017

LOS ANGELES -- Who knew an offseason wedding in Curacao would have such impact on the balance of power in the National League?

It was at the wedding of Dodgers free-agent closer Kenley Jansen in his homeland that fellow free agent Justin Turner convinced Jansen to re-sign for $80 million and not take more money ($85 million) from the Nationals.

On Saturday, the Dodgers and Jansen open the National League Championship Series against the Cubs, who beat the Nats.

Chances are, had management not spent $194 million to bring back Jansen, Turner, Rich Hill and Chase Utley, the Dodgers wouldn't have had the best record in baseball. With the nucleus intact, the Dodgers have reversed roles in a rematch of last year's NLCS, when the Cubs had just the best regular-season record, the home-field advantage and eliminated Los Angeles in six games.

This year, Jansen cemented his place among the game's best closers. Turner battled for a batting title until the final weekend of the regular season. Hill is good enough to start Game 2 and Utley is the clubhouse compass. But while Turner, Hill and Utley were never really headed anywhere else if the Dodgers wanted them, Jansen said he was leaning toward taking the Nats' money until Turner intervened.

"It was a little more shifted to Washington, to be honest with you, but then J.T. convinced me," Jansen said. "We were getting a haircut the morning of my wedding and he was talking to me, and then during my first dance, he came and whispered in my ear and told me he re-signed back and he wants me to be back, too, and it showed me that these guys are like family to me. I shifted back to the L.A. side. But I've got a lot of respect for the Nationals' organization."

And if Turner hadn't talked Jansen into returning, what would have happened?

"I don't know. That's a crazy question," Jansen said.

Turner said he wasn't as much recruiting for the Dodgers as he was sharing with Jansen his experiences from changing teams in the past, including the intangible benefit of playing for the only team you've known in a city that has embraced him.

Jansen calls the NLCS loss to the Cubs "unfinished business," and Turner said that tone carried over with the four free-agent signings.

"That was huge morale for everyone in the clubhouse, not just us excited to be back," Turner said. "That told me the front office believed in the club we had last year. We fell two games short and they wanted to give us another run at it."

Hill said keeping the club together can't be overstated.

"It was extremely important, because you're bringing back quality players and the experience in the clubhouse," Hill said.

 

Cubs still undecided on NLCS Game 1 starter
by Anthony DiComo | MLB.com — 1 hour ago

LOS ANGELES -- The Cubs' frantic itinerary following Game 5 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile wound them from Washington to Los Angeles by way of Albuquerque, with precious little time to rest and debrief.

As such, the Cubs have not yet decided on their starting pitcher for tonight's Game 1 of the National League Championship Series presented by Camping World. Upon arriving at Dodger Stadium late Friday afternoon, manager Joe Maddon said right-hander John Lackey and lefty Jose Quintana are the Cubs' primary candidates. But Maddon did not plan to make anything official until after meeting with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and other staff members Friday evening at the team hotel.

"We'll go back, try to get information, and try to make our best decision," Maddon said.

The choice is between the Cubs' least and most experienced postseason starters. Quintana, who went 11-11 with a 4.15 ERA during the regular season with the White Sox and Cubs, came into this year without any games played in the playoffs. He has since gained his share of big-game experience, delivering a shutout over the Brewers in September to help fend off Milwaukee's postseason push, then adding a strong effort in NLDS Game 3 and two key relief outs in Game 5.

Including his postseason contributions, Quintana is 7-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 16 games since coming to the Cubs in a mid-July trade. Although he hasn't allowed an earned run in two career starts against the Dodgers, the most recent of those occurred in 2014.

Compare that to Lackey, whose postseason resume dates all the way back to 2002, when he went undefeated in October to help lead the Angels to a World Series title. Since then, Lackey has appeared in playoff games for the Angels, Red Sox, Cardinals and Cubs, going 8-6 with a 3.27 ERA in 26 career appearances.

Ten days shy of his 39th birthday, Lackey's star may not shine as bright as it once did. But he was still a competent pitcher for the Cubs this season, going 12-12 with a 4.59 ERA in 30 starts and one relief appearance. Lackey lost both games he started against the Dodgers this season, though he struck out 10 over six innings in the first of them.

It is an imperfect decision for the Cubs, who cannot start Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks or Jon Lester due to their recent workloads. Maddon said he believes Lester, who last threw 3 2/3 relief innings in NLDS Game 4, will be ready to go for NLCS Game 2.

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/truebluela/status/918975712169639936

 

not sure what to expect tomorrow
all the signs point to a game 1 win, which is what worries me
cubs -- with all the disadvantages -- have nothing to lose and can play looser