Reality: Baseball might be hurting themselves by putting the playoffs on networks that are not accessible to everyone.
Perception: Colin Cowherd from ESPN said, “”ESPN, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, TBS, TNT, ESPPN2, MLB network… Are the MLB playoffs trying to play hide and seek with me?”
Pay Sajak tweeted: “Maybe MLB can get 2 or 3 more networks to air their playoff games. Right now, I’m able to find them in under 30 min.”
That’s the sense many are getting. I don’t have cable or satellite so without my connections, I wouldn’t be able to get Fox Sports 1 (for National League playoff games) or TBS (for American League playoff games).
TBS promotes that you can watch their programming live online for free… but you can’t do it without having a local cable or satellite subscription to log-in. So it’s a bit deceiving.
There is no reason MLB couldn’t have stayed with Fox Sports, or looked to partner with NBC, CBS, or ABC. If the NBA can get their playoffs on network TV, baseball certainly should be able to do the same.
Reality: The Orioles are glad they swept the Tigers for more than just on-field reasons.
Perception: Zach Britton’s wife, Courtney, is full term with her pregnancy, and because the Orioles have a few days off, she induced labor Monday night. The time off this week gives Zach enough time to fly to California, be there for the birth of his first child, and then fly back to Baltimore in time for Thursday’s workout.
Not only is that great timing, but Zach’s wife seems like a great wife! Roch Kubatko of MASN tweeted Monday night: “Gotta give Courtney Britton props for running with We Won’t Stop slogan. Labor induced tonight so Zach back Game 1. Put THAT on a t-shirt.”
Minutes later, he received the following response from Courtney: “lol.. You’re welcome,” and Roch said, “she included a thumbs-up symbol. On the day that she was due to give birth to the couple’s first child in California.”
Reality: Chris Davis has 5 games remaining on his suspension.
Perception: There is no way that Buck Showalter saves an ALCS roster spot for Davis. It’s the Best-of-7. That means you play “a man down” for 5 of the potential 7 games? No way.
Kubatko talked about this in his column today:
I totally agree. No way Davis is given an ALCS roster spot, and no way Buck lets the team decide that. I think it’s more likely the Buck surveys the team to see how they feel about Davis on the World Series roster, should they get that fair. But if they do, do they need Davis? They would have obviously done okay without him.
Reality: The Orioles starting rotation will most likely remain the same for the ALCS as it was for the ALDS.
Perception: Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, and Miguel Gonzalez should be rotation in order, just as the plan was for the ALDS. Some people think Kevin Gausman earned a rotation spot… and he may have pitched well enough to make the debate. However, I think he is a much better weapon out of the bullpen in the playoffs. He can pitch like a starter if he needs to go more than a couple of innings, but he is overpowering, if you need just 1 inning of work.
It’s likely going to be harder for Ubaldo Jimenez to make the ALDS roster. Showalter might want to add a left-handed reliever, like Brian Matusz or T.J. McFarland. We won’t know until Friday morning.
Reality: The Orioles and Royals are very similar teams with one drastic difference.
Perception: The Royals batted .198 in the ALDS, but their pitchers had a 1.74 ERA. The Orioles batted .263 and posted a 3.33 ERA in the ALDS. Both teams play above average defense and have good starting pitching as well as a good bullpen. The O’s 3.10 bullpen ERA ranked 3rd and the Royals’ 3.30 bullpen ERA ranked 5th.
The biggest difference is Baltimore hits home runs (most in MLB, Royals were last), while the Royals steal bases (most in MLB, O’s were last). I see that as being a reason that we see more Caleb Joseph, instead of Nick Hundley. Joseph was one of the best catchers in the AL at throwing out runners (23 of 57, 40%). He is struggling offensively, but he is the Birds best chance to keep base runners honest.
Reality: Game 1 of the ALCS is Friday at 8pm. Game 2 is Saturday at 4pm.
Perception: It seems that we are back to normal baseball times. According to the TV listings for TBS, Game 3 would be 8pm, Game 4 at 8pm, Game 5 at 4pm, and Game 6 at 8pm.
Plus, if Washington or St. Louis comes out of the National League, instead of San Francisco or Los Angeles, that should help with not only game times but also with travel for the teams.
