MLB Playoffs

To answer someone's question, Terrence Long struck out looking a few years ago to end an Oakland-Boston series. I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think it was 2004.

I am constantly amazed at the number of pitchers who thrive in the National League and can't keep the ball inside of 450 feet in the American. Suppan goes 51-61 in his AL career, only once with an ERA below 4.50 (4.37 in 2001), gets traded to Pittsburgh in 2003, and since then is 54-33. (In the interests of full disclosure, he did go 1-7 for Arizona as a 23-year-old in 1998.) His highest ERA since moving to the NL for good is 4.16.

Apparently, both Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux told other players they would never go to the American League for any reason. They knew they'd get killed. (I'm not a guy who believes in superiority for one league over the other, but I find it to be an amazing discrepancy.)

And how about Scott Rolen walking away from Chris Myers?

 

Oh no, Beltran gets some blame. You sign a $119 million contract because of your bat, you get blamed for striking out in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7 of the NLCS with the bases loaded and your team down by two runs. Fact o' fucking life.

 

So I've missed all the fun and games tonight because I couldn't log in from work.

Despite the outcome, that was a great fucking game to watch.
The Mets loss doesn't bother me all that much.
Losing a bet to the cocksuckingmotherfuckingsonofabitchpieceofshitscumbagasshole dickhead.... well that's another story.

 

Leyland has got to set it up so Rogers goes Games 2 and 6. Why mess with Rogers' home-field mojo?

And BYH, why would Beltran have been fooled by an 0-2 curveball? That's Wainright's money pitch, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna give him a fastball to yank out of the park.

VERY bad AB by a normally clutch performer: Looks at a grooved, 84 mph nothing ball for a strike, takes a bad hack at a curve out of the zone, and then looks at strike 3.

 

Actually, if YOU REALLY want to blame Willie, there's two reasons to do so:

a) Keeping Wagner in the 'pen for the entire game. Use your best pitcher in a Game 7, please. That's what he's there for. (And no, I don't blame Grady Little. You always go with your best pitcher when you can.)

b) Sending Cliff Floyd up to go for the game-ending home run ... instead of THE RIGHT MOVE, which was to bunt those two runners over and put *both* runners into scoring position with one out. That changes the entire mindset of the Cardinals' defense, which could afford to be more "relaxed" (if you can be relaxed in the ninth inning of a Game 7, I mean) with a double play in order. As it was, neither Reyes or Lo Duca or Beltran could get a hit, so the point is moot. But you change the situation if those runners are 2nd and 3rd, as they should have been, not 1st and 2nd. And I'd take my chances with Reyes and Lo Duca to get a hit with RISP, and get the tying run home.

Nail in the coffin, baby. Willie blew it.

 

No problem with him not using Wagner. He'd had a lousy series and I don't blame Willie for not trusting him.

You're right about the ninth inning strategy, though. Tough to send Floyd up there hoping for a homer when he hadn't faced live pitching in a week. Send your best bunter up to the plate and get the runners to second and third. Then you have two .300 hitters coming up and all you need is a single to tie instead of an extra-base hit.

Fuck. Maybe next year the Mets can get to the playoffs with an actual pitching staff.

 

Games like this are why I love baseball. It just defies reason.

 

Okay, so where were you when Pube was fellating A-Rod three weeks ago?

 

I see the point on bunting the guys over, especially with Reyes coming up (presumably, the Cards would not want to intentionally walk the leading thief in the game). But I'm not big on giving away an out when you're down to your last three. Of course, if Willie bunts and Reyes' liner is hit just a little softer and it drops...tie game.

As for Beltran, I was just so shocked to see the guy taking there I had to think he was completely fooled. but that couldn't be the case. What was it I was saying...oh yes, complementary piece, not the centerpiece.

 

Beltran can swing all day... there's no way he's hitting that.

And THAT is what the NY pricks should be writing.

 

Point b is being criminally undercovered in the "Why didn't Beltran swing" simpleton coverage in that hellhole.