DAT 9/30: Rays(Rasmussen) @ Astros(Framber) 7:10

Let’s win tonight to clinch HFA. And if the Rays want to clinch a playoff spot, let them get that help later. Their magic number is 1 and the Orioles play the Yankees this weekend. So hopefully the Rays will still be trying to clinch Monday.

Also, if you subscribe to The Athletic, Rosenthal has a story on the Crane-Click-Baker dynamics. It doesn’t sound good for intelligent Astros fans like DATers, though Rosenthal is such an anti-owner bitch that you have to keep that in mind when reading what he wrote.

Playoff picture. Paired with the 4/5 wild cards

4. Blue Jays (87-69 +2) vs 3 Red Sox,3 @ Orioles
5. Mariners (85-70 +0.5) 3 vs A's, 4 vs Tigers
6. Rays (85-71) 3 @ Astros, 3 @ Red Sox


Do we have a preference? I know after drawing the Nats and Braves in the world series and coming up empty, the "preferred" opponent doesn't mean much. The "best" team isn't always playing the best come playoff time.

The Blue Jays played us tough earlier in the year. It's a long travel trip and their fans are always rowdy in the Rogers Centre.

Mariners are as familiar with us as anyone. They've given us some trouble this year and their stadium environment should be electric after their playoff drought.

The Rays always have some type of voodoo shite. The sum is always greater than their parts, they find excellent pitching and Tropicana is a horror show for us. Somebody is going to run into a road weary Tampa team though. Their last home game was September 25th, they've gone to Cleveland, Houston then on to Boston. They get an off day before the wild card series starts in Cleveland or Toronto. If they advance in the wild card, they'll be on the road for 19 days before they get back to Tampa.

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Also, if you subscribe to The Athletic, Rosenthal has a story on the Crane-Click-Baker dynamics. It doesn’t sound good for intelligent Astros fans like DATers, though Rosenthal is such an anti-owner bitch that you have to keep that in mind when reading what he wrote.

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I don't care what the simp who wrote this thinks:

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To understand the situation in Houston, go back to Jan. 13, 2020, and owner Jim Crane’s firings of GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch in the wake of the team’s penalties for illegal sign stealing. Crane hired Baker, a veteran manager, 16 days later, and Click, a first-time GM, five days after that. Usually, the GM comes first, then they pick the manager. But Crane needed the stability Baker could offer before he could worry about the GM.

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Yes, the manager stability of Baker was so desperately needed in JANUARY that Crane simply could not wait for the new GM to be hired and then pick a compatible manager.

There is zero chance both are back next year.

That was a tremendously stupid statement by Rosenthal, who seems to be on Team Baker.

Here’s the whole part about the stros..

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Does anyone else find it odd that Click and Baker are not certain to return when their three-year partnership has resulted in an ALCS appearance, a World Series appearance and an expectation the team again will play deep into October?

Good. I thought maybe I was missing something.

To understand the situation in Houston, go back to Jan. 13, 2020, and owner Jim Crane’s firings of GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch in the wake of the team’s penalties for illegal sign stealing. Crane hired Baker, a veteran manager, 16 days later, and Click, a first-time GM, five days after that. Usually, the GM comes first, then they pick the manager. But Crane needed the stability Baker could offer before he could worry about the GM.


Astros owner Jim Crane (Elsa / Getty Images)
In the three years since, the Astros have won the most regular-season games in the American League. And yet, their internal dynamics are fragile. Baker and Click occasionally clash over the GM’s desire for a more analytical approach. The bigger problem, though, appears to be between Crane and Click.

Crane is difficult, demanding and heavily involved in baseball operations, acting almost as an owner/GM. He said he had no knowledge of the Astros’ illegal sign stealing in 2017 and 2018, and some in the organization believe he took a more active role because he did not want to get blind-sided and embarrassed again. In any case, Crane does not trust Click the way he trusted Luhnow, with whom he worked for eight seasons, enduring a painful rebuild and then enjoying great, albeit tainted, success. Crane also is more inclined to act quickly and boldly than Click, who came from the Rays, a more frugal, deliberate operation.

None of Click’s transactions has been particularly flashy — Crane handles major signings — but most qualified as solid. Click acquired Phil Maton, a quality reliever, and catcher/first baseman Yainer Diaz, the Astros’ No. 3 prospect, for center fielder Myles Straw, who has the lowest OPS in the majors with the Guardians. Click also hit on a number of other bullpen moves, a minor trade for Brooks Raley, a bigger one for Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero, and the free-agent signings of Ryne Stanek and Héctor Neris. His in-season haul this year, however — utility Mauricio Dubón, catcher Christian Vázquez, designated hitter Trey Mancini and lefty reliever Will Smith — was decidedly modest.

Click, 44, has succeeded in not screwing up a good thing, which is not always as easy as it looks. And keep in mind, he’s working with a manager he inherited, a manager with his own ideas, a manager who draws credibility from his 2,089 career regular-season victories, ninth on the all-time list. Baker, 73, wants to keep going, too, even if he wins his first World Series as a manager. “People are all, wouldn’t you want to go out on top?” Baker told me last year. “No … I need two in a row.”

Baker, who tends to rely on his instincts and experience, probably would be a handful for any of today’s data-driven GMs. But he is not a total dinosaur, closed off from all information. His pitching coaches help create game plans and shape pitching decisions. Espada, his bench coach, also serves as a strategic resource. And, lest anyone forget, Baker just keeps winning. For all he has accomplished, for all the leadership he provided the organization coming out of the sign-stealing scandal, he deserves to go out on his own terms. Crane couldn’t justify parting with him, even if he wanted to.

So what happens? If Crane parts with Click, prospective GMs might think twice about taking the Astros’ job, knowing they, too, would be unable to choose their own manager, and that Click, for all his success, somehow could not satisfy the owner. The best solution might be to keep the entire group together, but the Astros seem to be approaching a breaking point. An early departure in the postseason might serve as an impetus for Crane to effect change.

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. For all he has accomplished, for all the leadership he provided the organization coming out of the sign-stealing scandal, he deserves to go out on his own terms. Crane couldn’t justify parting with him, even if he wanted to.

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There it is. They've set the trap.

Yeah I don't love any of our ALDS Matchups. Tough draws for sure. I'm kind of hoping Tampa makes it through and is so drained by the time we run into them that we can get by. That's a hell of a road gauntlet for them.

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“People are all, wouldn’t you want to go out on top?” Baker told me last year. “No … I need two in a row.”

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OMG, FODB