P-p-p-playoffs! '08

[zioxide]

Lester threw 159 2/3 innings last year. He's around 230 for this year, a 70 ip increase. Usually teams try to limit their young pitchers to 30ip increases every year. I'm pretty sure he's hit the wall. Shut him down and come back in the spring. There's no sense in risking injury to him.

 

[aloofman]

Lester threw 159 2/3 innings last year. He's around 230 for this year, a 70 ip increase. Usually teams try to limit their young pitchers to 30ip increases every year. I'm pretty sure he's hit the wall. Shut him down and come back in the spring. There's no sense in risking injury to him.

While it's true that the increased workload is risky, at this point in the season it's very difficult to tell a manager that your best pitcher today is unavailable, even if he's uninjured. The time to manage the innings is during the season. Pretty much any team will roll out any pitcher that can get it done.

Maybe the way to go is to keep an overloaded pitcher on a short leash and go to the bullpen at the first sign of trouble.

 

[furcalchick]

espn should learn their lesson, they were pumping up lester so much by being automatic wins for the sox and that game seven was going to be a sox win and blah blah blah about the sox going to win by default, and they get shelled, and garza works them. espn is still underestimating the power of the rays and i fear it will be too late for the sox when they realize this.

 

[robo]

Oh boy.... here we go.

Matt who...

 

[aloofman]

Man, what a bad time for the Dodgers bullpen to fall apart. Three wins in a row is a tall order.

 

[robo]

Man, what a bad time for the Dodgers bullpen to fall apart. Three wins in a row is a tall order.

What was Torre thinking

 

[aloofman]

What was Torre thinking

Torre probably made one too many pitcher changes. But the bottom line is that Broxton threw a fastball right down the middle to Stairs, a pretty risky thing to do. If Broxton puts that pitch where he wants it, then Torre's not a goat.

The Dodgers also left a lot of runners on base and had some bad luck on line drives that ended innings, especially Martin's scorcher with the bases loaded. Torre can't do much about that. It was a tough-luck loss and the Phillies got the hits when they had to. The team that does that deserves to win.

I think the Dodgers need to win Game 5 emphatically if they want to put doubt in Philly's minds and a have a chance for a series comeback.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I have tickets for tomorrow night's game. After seeing last night's game frittered away, along with any realistic hopes for the World Series, I'm almost dreading it. Oh well, at least we'll have our memories of game three of the division championship.

 

[thechidz]

I have tickets for tomorrow night's game. After seeing last night's game frittered away, along with any realistic hopes for the World Series, I'm almost dreading it. Oh well, at least we'll have our memories of game three of the division championship.

c'mon IJ! Your boys have to come back. the phils should not be in the WS. Go to the game and will them to win!

 

[robo]

c'mon IJ! Your boys have to come back. the phils should not be in the WS. Go to the game and will them to win!

I know one thing,the Mets/Brewers won't be in the WS

Peace

 

[Counterfit]

espn is still underestimating the power of the rays and i fear it will be too late for the sox when they realize this.

While I wouldn't say I'm not worried, the Red Sox have been in worse positions before. Don't count your pennants before they're won.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I know one thing,the Mets/Brewers won't be in the WS

What are the Mets/Brewers -- one new team combined from two old ones?

 

[robo]

What are the Mets/Brewers -- one new team combined from two old ones?

Gtr Boy knows what I'm talk'n about

Peace

 

[furcalchick]

grr...i'm so mad at the media right now. they kept claiming that the only way the rays were up 2-1 (and winning 3-0 tonight) was that lester, beckett and ortiz, among others were hurt and didn't want to claim the rays were just a better team than the sox this year (the won the season series 10-8).

 

[Banacek]

All I can say is...

go Phils!

 

[MacNut]

Great game tonight.

 

[MacNut]

Somewhere a few Fox executives just shot themselves.

 

[berkleeboy210]

Congrats to the Phillies.

Holding out some hope for my sox , but I think we're dead in the water.

 

[zephead]

Somewhere In Los Angeles, a few bunch of Fox executives Dodger fans + Furcal just shot themselves.

Fixed.

P.S. Go Rays!!

 

[thechidz]

this is going to be the most pathetic ws ever. who even cares about these teams really?

 

[furcalchick]

Fixed.

P.S. Go Rays!!

welcome to the fold.

btw, i'm so glad that fox is stuck with a ratings poison world series with their failure to recognize teams that don't have huge superstars or stick to their rigid storylines. i'm hoping they learn their lesson to start talking about things both ways instead of trying to put all their eggs in one basket and push for that matchup only. but they won't.

 

[robo]

this is going to be the most pathetic ws ever. who even cares about these teams really?

You want a little wine with that cheese... You really are clueless

 

[furcalchick]

this is going to be the most pathetic ws ever. who even cares about these teams really?

i do. the phillies are a big braves rival and i have a few friends from philly, and i've been checking in on that team. they are built with a bunch of second tier players and have great chemistry, unlike the mets. and of course you know about me and the rays this season.

btw, anyone watching espn right now? kruk is saying phillies win the world series. i don't think so.

 

[robo]

Fixed.

P.S. Go Rays!!

Now you can go back to your Blackberrys and Sushi bars

 

[ucfgrad93]

this is going to be the most pathetic ws ever. who even cares about these teams really?

Obviously, the residents of those cities. I'm looking forward to a Phillies/Rays World Series. I love how the Phillies and the Rays combined have a payroll that is slightly higher than Boston's.

GO RAYS!!!!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=3324146