Cardinals, Braves, Rays, Red Sox Shoot To Clinch Playoff Berths Tonight

by Charlie Wilmoth on Sep 28, 2011 9:52 AM EDT

The Brewers/Pirates series that ends the Pirates' season tonight is relevant for home-field-advantage reasons, but there are still four teams fighting for playoff spots, so we may as well discuss those games as well. The Cardinals and Braves are knotted at 89-72 after the Cards made a surprising playoff push, and Chris Carpenter and the Cards take on the Astros tonight. (Lucky them.) The Braves play the Phillies.

In the AL, both the Red Sox and the Rays are 90-71. I don't have any real problem with the Red Sox (well, besides their fans being just about the most annoying group of people on the planet), but I'll be rooting for David Price and the Rays against the Yankees tonight. Jon Lester and the Sox are in Baltimore.

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Screw the Red Sox

by BigB2323 on Sep 28, 2011 10:05 AM EDT reply actions

Go Rays

I can’t take Boston fans, and the Rays are easier to relate to as a Pirate fan.

by bishopmp1 on Sep 28, 2011 10:08 AM EDT reply actions

Lester

is terrible, right? Kind of the equivalent of us starting JVB with a playoff spot on the line. They wouldn’t be in this trouble if they had Josh Fogg in his spot.

O’s ought to light Lester up for about 8, bad as they are. Just a matter of whether the Sox score 9.

by bucdaddy on Sep 28, 2011 10:17 AM EDT reply actions

You're thinking of Lackey, I think

Lester is 15-9 (yeah, I know) with a 3.49 ERA, 3.78 FIP, and 3.61 xFIP. Baseball Reference has him at 4.6 WAR on the year (and 5 each of the past three years before that) and a 122 ERA+.

Not actually affiliated with whygavs.

by WHYG Zane Smith on Sep 28, 2011 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions

He has been kinda terrible recently, though...

by maguro on Sep 28, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Last 3 starts he's been bad, yes...

Mechanics issues supposedly, but he’s very good overall.

by NastyNate82 on Sep 28, 2011 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Don’t forget the 3 days rest though, not only will the pressure of the moment be on him, but also a more tired arm. I’m sure he can get through a couple innings ok, but after that it remains to be seen whether he can finish at least 6 or 7 without giving up a couple runs at least.

by Akshay R on Sep 28, 2011 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe...

he only went 55 pitches last outing. Of course, I’m writing this post-rain delay. He did his job, kept them in it.

by NastyNate82 on Sep 28, 2011 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed, but it was a close call at the end of his outing. He was starting to labor quite a bit before escaping, cause the Orioles had a man in scoring position with no outs in both the 5th and 6th but couldn’t cash in.

by Akshay R on Sep 29, 2011 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions

picks anyone?

Cards win, Braves lose, capping an epic late-season meltdown in Atlanta. Rays win, Sox lose… caping an epic late-season meltdown in Boston.

by theatrain on Sep 28, 2011 10:36 AM EDT reply actions

I guess I would like to see both of those things happen

I don’t usually watch any games except the Pirates during the regular season, but I love to watch the playoffs. I would kind of hate to see teams that have played as poorly as the Braves/Red Sox the last month or so make the playoffs.

by WestCoastBuc on Sep 28, 2011 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions

tonights game in Milwaukee will be my last viewed baseball game o' the year

by white angus on Sep 28, 2011 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Me too. Although I may catch a WS game or two.

Put on your dancin' shoes.

by PensFan024 on Sep 28, 2011 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions

you should try watching a playoff game sometime, Angus

Even if you don’t care about the results, it’s always refreshing to watch generally well-played baseball after a whole season of the Bucs.

by Garrett122 on Sep 28, 2011 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions

ha! i hear ya. but ive seen lots of good baseball this season... granted not much since July...

but im a big minor league guy. i love minor league baseball. once that season is over, im pretty much running on fumes.

by white angus on Sep 28, 2011 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m going with the double-tiebreak scenario: Rays+Sox both win, Braves+Cards both lose, then Rays win at home tomorrow, Braves win in Stl tomorrow.

by Akshay R on Sep 28, 2011 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions

dang, dude... wrong on all counts... heheee

by white angus on Sep 29, 2011 8:08 AM EDT up reply actions

Not all counts, only 50%; I did pick the Rays to win and Braves to lose hahaha

by Akshay R on Sep 29, 2011 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

My sister wants me to root for the Cards.

When they looked completely out of it earlier this season, her boyfriend told her “If the Cardinals make the playoffs, we’ll go to all the Cardinals playoff games in St. Louis.” So yeah, she wants to go to the playoffs.

Considering they’re going against the Braves, I don’t have too much of a problem with rooting for the Cardinals. But I’m still not gonna do it.

You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu

by IAPiratesFan on Sep 28, 2011 11:53 AM EDT reply actions

Cards vs. Braves . . .

think I’ll root for cholera instead.

by Garrett122 on Sep 28, 2011 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Excellent choice.

I’m rooting for Dysentery. I died of it a lot in Oregon Trail.

You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu

by IAPiratesFan on Sep 28, 2011 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Drowning, man

I never had enough clothes to trade to the Indian guide and always had to ford the river instead. Nope. Got me almost every time.

"WHITESNAKE! DOKKEN! NIGHT RANGER!" -- Ronny Cedeño

by Superstar25 on Sep 28, 2011 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh come on.

You can’t Ford that river. It’s always too deep. Just caulk the wagon and float it across. Usually at worse, your stuff will get wet and you’ll lose a day or two. Of course, i wonder how they get the Oxen across the river if it’s too deep to Ford it.

You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu

by IAPiratesFan on Sep 28, 2011 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I always shot myself hunting

Kind of wish they had tougher gun laws when it came to my Oregon Trail.

by NastyNate82 on Sep 28, 2011 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions

It's incredible to see the Rays

only drew 22,800 last night, given the circumstances, and the fact they were playing the Yankees. Outside of the Red Sox and Yankees, the Rays draw flies for everyone else.

by SteelStealth on Sep 28, 2011 12:35 PM EDT reply actions

worse stadium in baseball. plus its SEC territory.

ive been there a few times, none since they became winners. it was pretty much like watching
rookie league ball “indoors”

by white angus on Sep 28, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Dick Vitale

is a huge Rays fan, and they had him on the radio last year basically ripping the city apart for not showing up to a huge 4 game series in September against the Yanks. Surprising and sad because thats a really good team. And as a small market, they’ve been “relevant” for 4 years and counting now.

by NastyNate82 on Sep 28, 2011 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions

The Bucs are going to outdraw the Rays by over 400K, just because they were a .500 team for four months. I’d love to see the reaction if they really contended.

You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts.

by WTM on Sep 28, 2011 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Jack Wilson

When he was acquired by the Braves August 31 I mentioned that he had the third most games played without a playoff appearance among active players and that run was going to end. Oops. Maybe he’s just bad luck.

by ElDuce on Sep 28, 2011 1:27 PM EDT reply actions

Bad Luck??!!

All-Star Jack Wilson? How can that be??

You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts.

by WTM on Sep 28, 2011 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Sox are getting desperate

they are thinking of acquiring Chen from KC in case of a wild card tie breaker. Talk about a short term rental.

by theatrain on Sep 28, 2011 1:29 PM EDT reply actions

wow... has that ever happened?

by white angus on Sep 28, 2011 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

And the Sox would get a comp pick out of it. Great system.

You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts.

by WTM on Sep 28, 2011 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Ha ha ha ha ha

by Charlie Wilmoth on Sep 28, 2011 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions

When you see things like that

you realize the system really needs to be tweaked…or more than tweaked.

by NastyNate82 on Sep 28, 2011 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions

There have been significant trades after the roster deadline before. Bill Mueller to the Giants on 9/4/02, for example. The last day of the season, though? That’s a new one for me…

by Vlad on Sep 28, 2011 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Too bad

…that Correia is hurt. What’ll ya give us for Brian Burres?! C’mon, debatably better than Tim Wakefield on three days rest!

by Aphthakid on Sep 28, 2011 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Bigger story of the night

can YOUR Pittsburgh Pirates avoid a 90 loss season, by winning #73 and having the second best mark PNC Park has seen? Thats the story Im watching out for tonight

Thats what she said! - Michael Gary Scott

by C Shint on Sep 28, 2011 2:17 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I'm with you on the hope

of win #73, but even with a loss, I’m satisfied with the progress shown this season. 15 game improvement, and much more competitive, even in the losses as compared with 2010.

by SteelStealth on Sep 28, 2011 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions