Easy fellas.....no need to spat here
Going to Matt Moore is for two very simple and solid reasons, imho watching here in Tampa Bay
1) Jeff Niemann is not at full health, per his last few starts - most notably his one inning appearance this past Saturday. In the interim, Maddon played it down with "We have no worries about Jeff....we're fully confident he'll be ready for his next start, blah blah"
2) Moore is frankly pretty filthy. He was without question the most crushing starting pitcher at AAA level for any organization this season during April-August.
In his start vs NYY earlier this month, he became the first pitcher in NYY history to fan 11 batters in the first five innings.
He's also left handed which - in the unlikely event NYY beat Detroit and advance (heh) - makes for a distinct improvement in general odds vs the Yankee lineup.
I posted the likely Rays playoff pitching rotation in another thread the other day and it included a direct mention that Moore might start this game.
Following Friday, the scheduled offdays will frankly permit the Rays to go Shields/Hellickson/Price at least three times in a row with none being on less than four days rest. If that works out, then they are obviously deep into the ALCS at which time they could consider bringing Moore back for a second postseason start. In the meantime, he would be available in Game 5 ALDS and even first couple ALCS to pitch in relief.
I have not seen the Rays announced postseason roster yet, but I'm almost certain it will not include either Niemann or righthander Wade Davis
Going to Matt Moore is for two very simple and solid reasons, imho watching here in Tampa Bay
1) Jeff Niemann is not at full health, per his last few starts - most notably his one inning appearance this past Saturday. In the interim, Maddon played it down with "We have no worries about Jeff....we're fully confident he'll be ready for his next start, blah blah"
2) Moore is frankly pretty filthy. He was without question the most crushing starting pitcher at AAA level for any organization this season during April-August.
In his start vs NYY earlier this month, he became the first pitcher in NYY history to fan 11 batters in the first five innings.
He's also left handed which - in the unlikely event NYY beat Detroit and advance (heh) - makes for a distinct improvement in general odds vs the Yankee lineup.
I posted the likely Rays playoff pitching rotation in another thread the other day and it included a direct mention that Moore might start this game.
Following Friday, the scheduled offdays will frankly permit the Rays to go Shields/Hellickson/Price at least three times in a row with none being on less than four days rest. If that works out, then they are obviously deep into the ALCS at which time they could consider bringing Moore back for a second postseason start. In the meantime, he would be available in Game 5 ALDS and even first couple ALCS to pitch in relief.
I have not seen the Rays announced postseason roster yet, but I'm almost certain it will not include either Niemann or righthander Wade Davis
hm. no spat at all. i like mlink. he's made me some monies and is very mature and level headed....even if he is a Giants fan
i was more getting in the head of TB manager who starts Moore (who has had 1 start this year) seemingly to avoid having a solid starter face CJ when the Rangers starters are all fairly equal...
good write up.... moore is pretty good but there isnt a pitcher who doesnt dominate the yankees the first time the yankees see him... luke hochevar went 9 innings 1 hit shutout with 11k last year against yankees... it was the first time yankees saw him, just saying they dont know his stuff, its hard to hit a guy you never seen... i know this is not nearly a good example but betances last night if he went 2-3 more shutout innings we would be saying, oh betances also went 5shutout against the rays... (because rays havent seen him before)
anyway you must be on cloud 9 right now, im happy for you and 5team you guys are dedicated fans and you deserved it...enjoy the ALDS
**side note, yankees hit lefties much better than they hit righties.... jeter, arod, tex, swish, martin, montero all righties...cano, grandy hit lefties just as good as righties actually cano is 1st in MLB lefty hitter v lefty pitcher.... anyway just saying
best of luck if you dont mind posting what you feel on the series that would be great because not many people know the rays better than you
i meant CJ wilson is a better pitcher than any of the rest of the starters, colby lewis yes had a great postseason in 2010 but he isnt as good as the rays pitchers, matt harrison, derick holland are good but they also faced angels, As, mariners 18 times each just saying... i think rangers are good but the rays have the obvious pitching advantage here and i think that in maddons eyes he sees shields, hellboy, price going against lewis, holland, harrison and sees advantages there...when he did not have an advantage in game 1 with neimann and moore... i can bet you he was scared of wilson and wants to put his rookie out there to see what he has to offer and maybe dominates............. that is what i think his thinking is, kind of play with house money game 1, you know you are set up with your studs games 2, 3, 4 against the rangers LESSER pitchers, sorry i used the word low end, i meant "worse than CJ wilson"
goodluck to you both, ill let you two feud this one out
hm. no spat at all. i like mlink. he's made me some monies and is very mature and level headed....even if he is a Giants fan
i was more getting in the head of TB manager who starts Moore (who has had 1 start this year) seemingly to avoid having a solid starter face CJ when the Rangers starters are all fairly equal...
Jimmy Shields, Jeremy Hellickson & David Price started Mon-Wed and are not available for Friday.
And Moore is no ordinary "first timer"...in comparison to say - the guys on this chart:
*Well since Rays pitching staff has held the Yankees to just 4.0 runs per game in first 18 matchups this season, seems that Moore would just be another one of a good bunch
*I'm composing a short list of Supposed Relevancy for the TEX/TB series which I'll do my best to get up before Game 1....and if not, for sure on Friday evening after Game 1 with reasonable adjustments made to the forecast based on first outcome
Core thesis is that the Rays since July 29 are a far different group both pitching and scoring than they show when looking at "season stats".
Any team that permits just 3.3 Total Runs per game for 59 games in a row (a pace that would shatter all existing season-long MLB records) and that in the same span averages 4.6 runs per game seems like a pretty good group to back with my $$
Texas is - imho - the second best team of the four AL playoff clubs, so it will be no easy go.
yanks were 9-5 against the rays in games that counted... last 4 games do not count bud, they had backups in each game, pitchers going 2 innings, SP going 4 innings...yanks were 9-5 against rays in the regular season in games that counted, rays took the last 4 games in which yanks had betances, colon twice, noesi...NONE of which are on the playoff roster...
who is your 1st best team in the AL playoffs? lets hear this joke... i bet you will say a team other than the yankees, being the yanks had best record in AL, better record than tampa obviously, better reg season series against tampa, better run differential than tampa, better lineup than tampa, better BP than tampa....
permits 3.3 runs per game for 59 games in a row? i am guessing that is an average because they gave up 7 yesterday.... so i think that streak may be over
*Best time in AL Playoffs is the team with the strongest pitching
*24 hour hindsight observation to congratulate you on learning an important lesson about "averages". A pitching staff that is averaging 3.3 rpg allowed over 59 games and gives up seven runs one night and zero runs the next is pretty much right on track
