JotCast | White Sox/Astros ALDS Game 1 Chat

White Sox/Astros ALDS Game 1 Chat

Jay Jaffe

4:01

Good afternoon, folks, and welcome to our AL Division Series Game 1 chat! We'll be starting things off shortly

Jon Becker

4:02

Hi everybody! So glad you could be here with us for some afternoon ball.

Luke Hooper

4:02

What's up! Excited for a good day of ball to get started.

David Laurila

4:06

Greetings, all.

Luke Hooper

4:08

ZiPS has this as the closest series of the opening round. 50.1 to 49.9 in favor of Houston.

David Laurila

4:08

Not worth a poll, but today's Lance matchup begs a question: Who is the best-ever baseball Lance? Berkman and Parrish are presumably the top candidates?

Jay Jaffe

4:09

no love for Lance Broadway?

I'd probably go with Berkman on that one.

DarthNateR

4:09

Now that we are into the meat of the playoffs, are there any projections for any of the teams or series that any of you personally think are way off? I appreciated the article earlier today about the disagreements of the projection systems. Looking for a little personal perspective on that topic.

Jay Jaffe

4:09

Looking at the ZiPS series projections, I'm surprised that the Astros, Rays, and Brewers aren't as heavily favored in their series as the Dodgers are in theirs (~55%-45%). I know that Dan's a beat behind as far as the Astros-White Sox matchup in that neither Odorizzi nor Keuchel were included on their respective rosters, but I haven't taken a very close look at any of these that are further off.

David Laurila

4:09

Red Sox fans remember Rick Lancellotti.

10 Games is Great Sample Size

4:11

8-2 for TA, Moncada, Abreu, Grandal, Robert, Eloy in the Lineup for the 2021 White Sox!

Jay Jaffe

4:13

having their main guys healthy is key for the White Sox but I don't think anybody's hanging their hats on a 10-game sample. Luis Robert has been freakin' unreal since returning from injury (.350/.389/.622, 173 wRC+)

EcoResto

4:13

No love for Layne Nix huh

Jay Jaffe

4:13

we Nixed him, offficially

David Laurila

4:13

A matchup between a pitcher who throws mostly fastballs (albeit three varieties of such) and another who throw few fastballs is kind of fun.

Jay Jaffe

4:14

Agreed, this should be a cool contrast

Jon Becker

4:14

Really fun matchup, McCullers is going to be all about tunneling the two-seamer and breaking balls for whiffs and Lynn's just trying to blow it right by you or miss the barrel with more subtle movement

David Laurila

4:15

FWIW: I picked the Astros to win the World Series in our recent staff predictions thingy. Not rooting for this to happen, but it is my prediction.

4:18

FWIW #2: Today's home plate umpire, Adam Hamari, is from Marquette, Michigan. Upper Peninsula town close to where I grew up, and where I went to college.

5 Run Homer

4:18

This new Fox scorebug is atrocious

Wireless Joe Jackson

4:19

Is this a baseball chat or a jousting chat?

David Laurila

4:19

Both.

Zander

4:19

Thoughts on the new Fox scorebug? Those base icons are...something

Luke Hooper

4:19

First thoughts are that I don't hate it. The base perspective is cool. The important stuff is nice and big.

Jay Jaffe

4:19

Yikes, that thing is awful

Jay Jaffe

4:20

I think the actual scorebug is way too clunky and busy. The old one was one of the best around — very clean.

Steven

4:20

Perhaps a better question for KG, but what in the world do the Astros know about catching that public facing metrics haven't captured considering Martin Maldonado and his 63 wRC+ starts behind the plate for them?

Jon Becker

4:20

He's an above-average framer and has a cannon; I don't think that outweighs this level of badness at the plate, but FWIW (I think this is FWIW #3 now, David) I think pitchers love throwing to him too

David Laurila

4:21

Astros batters had the lowest strikeout rate, the lowest swinging-strike%, and the second lowest O-Swing% in the A.L. Good qualities, those.

Deb

4:21

At least FS1 still giving us the pitch speed and strike zone outline. Was weird without either in the TBS broadcast last night

Jon Becker

4:22

My perhaps-controversial take is that I don't miss the K zone at all, gives me a new appreciation for umpiring

Jay Jaffe

4:22

apparently they had some technical difficulties. It was weird but also I didn't miss the k zone thing because I had Gameday and Baseball Savant going

Steven

4:21

MVP batting 6th. Damn the Astros are good.

Pablito

4:22

Score bug should be at least 50% smaller otherwise it’s ok. The previous one seemed bland but was never distracting

David Laurila

4:23

Broadcast thought: "A big strikeout" is maybe a bit hyperbolic when it's the leadoff hitter in a scoreless first inning.

Pale Hose Time

4:23

Fun fact (or not so fun if your a Sox fan like me):Roger Clemens was the Game 1 starter the last time the White Sox won a playoff series

David Laurila

4:23

Definitely a fun fact.

Jon

4:25

Plug for David's near hometown: Marquette, MI is a great place to visit. Some good breweries, good hiking/biking, ski hill, and pictured rocks lakeshore not far away. Been there numerous times from the Green Bay area.

David Laurila

4:25

Jon sounds like a good guy.

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