HarveysWBs

So JJ coming back for more, then? Hold on to your butts.

These Dodgers will not extend the strike zone by so much as half an inch, unless they’re named Puig. This is going to be tough.

WOW!!! That is absolutely huge!

Good challenge! Remember when we couldn’t buy a successful review?

Hernan Perez, supposedly though I think that is largely mythical. Shaw came in for him at 2nd already. Good call, forgot about that. Yikes. Thank goodness for postseason patience by umpires.

Hernan Perez, supposedly though I think that is largely mythical.

Huge K, way to hang in there JJ.

JJ time. So you want to be a closer?

Rubber meeting the road now.

I’m with you. I figured he’s saving his bullets on the bench, but who knows. CC is the mad scientist.

He whiffed so badly it made your TV jump to commercial. Thanks!

My FS1 jumped prematurely to commercial. Did Muncy strike out?

I know nothing. CC knows.

Way early. No idea why. He’s up for show for now. Game within the game. Keep the lefties (and Puig) on the bench until CC squeezes every drop he can out of Woody tonight.

Brandon Woodruff: early leader for series MVP.

Road appearances this year for Gray: 15 starts, 3.17 ERA, 1.155 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 3.55 K/BB, 61 tOPS+. That isn’t mediocre or average. That’s a guy who is in need of new scenery, who was probably messed up by what his coaches were asking him to do in NY. If Johnson could build wonders out of clay like Chacín and Miley, count me excited by what he could do with Gray, whose pedigree and track record looks like fine marble by comparison. Oh, and then there’s the history between the two. Frankly, it makes so much sense I’m hesitant to call it likely, only because Stearns seems to be all about zigging when he’s supposed to zag. Otherwise, this seems like a fait accompli.

We just dominated a team with multiple MVP vote-getters. I don't like the narrative that the Rockies were a bad team. They weren't. Arrenado/Story are better than any two Dodgers hitters. They had just exploded 11 runs or something like that on the eve of the playoffs. We lucked out by missing Freeland, but even German Marquez has been on par with any of the Dodgers starters this season (in fact better by advanced stats). There's a reason the Rockies and Dodgers were tied after 162 games, and it's not because the Dodgers are amazing and the Rockies terrible... I like your optimism, and to be clear, I’m done underestimating this Brewers team. They’ve exceeded my loftiest expectations, and I thought they’d be quite good this year. To your points, I wouldn’t say the Rockies are terrible, and perhaps calling their offense “pseudo-strong” was a bit pointed, but their home/road splits are what they are, and always will be. Plus, I like Marquez, but he was not nearly as effective at home as he was on the road, as one would expect when comparing the Colorado environment to the cavernous rest of the NL West parks. That being said, we played well in Colorado this year and definitely took it to them when it counted, but I just wonder to what extent this was a matter of the Rockies pressing (which I believe some of their hitters admitted, especially Story). I don’t expect the Dodgers to have the same problem. I’m not in the prediction-making business, which is utterly foolish in baseball, but I suspect the Brewers will at least drop a game or two this series. This one should be tough.

The Nationals massively under-performed their talent, the Cubs did not. For the life of me I can't understand why the Nationals did not win 95+ given the roster they had. Dusty Baker knows, but he ain’t saying. http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/Dusty-Baker-Bryce-Harper-laugh-sidebar.jpg

The Dodger starting rotation is solid, but somewhat inexperienced. Walker Buehler is good, but quite green, and although Ryu has been around for a while, he hasn't pitched as much in the postseason as you would expect for being on the Dodgers all these years (his small October sample size is quite good: 10.3 K/9 and minuscule 0.5 WHIP). Everyone knows the book on Kershaw: he's had his postseason struggles but looked better last year (game 7 of the World Series aside), and is becoming craftier as his dominance fades with age and high mileage. The Dodgers bullpen is probably the Brewer’s best chance at making a dent. They have some nice pieces here and there, but for stretches this year they looked like a total minefield. Closer Jansen is nigh unhittable, but has a heart condition (which I bring up not to wish anyone poor health or injury, but to mention that while it seems his condition is manageable, it also appears to be unpredictable and if it flares up during the series, it could easily sideline him for several games). Unlike Milwaukee, their bullpen did not see much use in the Division Series, with starters tending to go long, as you would expect from their pedigree. Of the relievers who did see action, Pedro Baez looks nasty and figures to see a lot of high-leverage work if (or optimistically, when) the Dodger starters run into trouble. They've taken a few starters and made them into interesting relievers: -Kenta Maeda has had some success in the role, and certainly did fine work in last year's postseason -The ageless Rich Hill may be used exclusively out of the bullpen, and that probably suits him well at this point in his career (HR problems, doesn't have to turn the lineup over, etc.) -Alex Wood, while talented, has looked pretty hittable at times The offense looks like a real juggernaut, and not pseudo-strong like the altitude-enhanced Rockies. Midseason acquisition Machado is on a tear, and his remaining hot would include some extra lemon juice in the wound after the Brewers couldn't land him at the deadline. They have thump up and down the lineup (sound familiar?) and they don't figure to be rattled by the pressure seeing as this is their third consecutive trip to the NLCS. Even old enemy David Freese already has 3 postseason rbi in just 2 at bats (figures--expect him to have at least one appearance this series that will test your ability to abide by forum standards for appropriate language). Defensively, the outfield comes out average overall. Matt Kemp is a butcher sometimes, but Puig, Bellinger, and Pederson make up for him a bit. Puig, of course, is famous for his throwing arm and willingness to go all out to make the extraordinary play, so Brewer baserunners will need to be aware on balls hit in play towards right. Looking at their infield defense, nothing really stands out as a huge liability, and it even seems Machado has somewhat surprisingly acquitted himself well at short, where Baseball Reference credits him with five defensive runs saved above average. Bottom line is that modern defensive adjustments should play to players' strengths and opponents' tendencies, so the Dodgers, like most teams, only need to be average in the field to be more effective than ever before and it seems that they meet that bar this year. Dodger catchers seem clearly inferior defensively to Brewer backstops, however, so give the Brewers the edge there in both pitch framing and stopping the running game. On paper the Brewers appear better at the hot corner, but Shaw seems to be the one carrying the Crew's strong statistics there, and if he gets most of his appearances at second, which seems likely, that may be an area of concern. Shortstop and keystone defense leans Dodgers slightly (Arcia, for all his wizardry, is prone to some stomach-churning miscues), and 1B defense--there's a contradiction in terms--is a bit of a wash. Overall, the Brewers' playoff journey is shaping up to be something like a video game, as each successive opponent looks to be tougher and have fewer weaknesses than the last. Frankly, in my estimation, the Brewers need to hope that iron sharpens iron, since whichever AL opponent awaits will either be historically powerful (Yankees), boast multiple MVP vote-getters (Red Sox), or will be the battle-tested defending champs themselves (Astros). What has come before, while a ride unlike any I've ever witnessed, has all been just a prelude. The real test starts Friday.

Huge win! Now don’t lose the next three...

You know he’d be game for it.

Oh good, Perez has been the un-body-snatched.

The Mous is still loose!

I hear you, brother. My 8-month-old is teething and just became mobile. This is making both sleep and camping in front of the TV for the game darn near impossible.