Looking at the Schedule, the projected starters for the Nationals series are... John Patterson, Livan Hernandez, Ryan Drese, and Tony Armas. We're supposed to have Wandy, Zeke, Pettitte and Roy. I was thinking...with this off day, why not skip either Wandy or Zeke and start Pettitte on regular rest Wednesday night vs. Hernandez? That would then allow us to get Clemens to the mound for the finale. All I know is that the more starts our big 3 make on this homestand, the better. This is our chance to put the Nats out of the Wild card picture...don't screw around with the 2 rookies. Oh by the way, If I had to choose between Wandy and Zeke Tuesday night, I would go Zeke. I know that Wandy was nails vs. the Nats last time out, but Zeke has been pretty darn good his last 3 or 4 starts. Comments?
I agree. Unless Roger or Roy ask for an extra day, they need to be out there against our closest competitors. Also agree, Zeke over Wandy. i wonder if they'll keep Zeke when Backe is backe.
While the idea has merit, Roy has mentioned the dreaded words "dead arm" lately. And he's a diminutive pitcher with a power arm who needs his rest. He's alot like Pedro minus the ego and huge paycheck. An extra day can only help him, and hopefully he will be able to recharge before the playoffs.
I made a boo boo. It's only a 3 game series, but we'll still have to see Patterson and Hernandez. Sam brings up a good point about Roys dead arm comments. I would go Zeke,Pettite, then Wandy. This way Roy and Roger still get their extra day off, and we have Pettitte going on regular rest vs. Hernandez. Ryan Drese is alot more winnabale for Wandy also. Damn, I should be a manager!
Roy - dead arm & legs 2 starts ago Roger - bad back 2 starts ago Andy - elbow tightness 3 weeks ago It's only one game, against the worst offense in the NL. Let them rest.
We lose 2 of 3 and we're tied with them for the wild card. We take 2 of 3 and we're up 3 games. And if we sweep, we're up 5 games and the Nats are out of the picture. The way Garner has let them pitch 7 lately, I'd say they're ok. Oswalt and Roy would still get an extra day off. If Pettitte could give us 6 on Wednesday, turn it over to Qualls,Wheeler,Lidge.
Nick Johnson & Vinny Castilla back in the lineup, Jose Guillen out for the series. Patterson is one of the most extreme fly-ball pitchers you'll see (about 2:1 last time I looked). Too bad the roof prolly won't be open. Zeke, since learning to get the fastball down and to locate the splitter after his trip back to AAA, has been about neutral.
the key thing is that we don't get swept. AFAIK, this plus the last 4 game series are the only 7 games we play vs the nats this year (since they're in the nl east that has to be the only 7), and we've already won 3 of them. if we get the 4th, we'll have the tiebreaker over them. although, now that i think about it, do they do tiebreakers for the wild card? or do you just go to a one game playoff no matter what?
There is no tiebreaker for the wild card. There would be a playoff. The only time a tiebreaker is used is if two teams in the same division tie for 1st place AND they both qualify for the playoffs. The team with the better head-to-head record gets 1st place, the other gets the wild card.
It's my understanding that part of the reason scouts traditionally focused on taller pitchers was an assumption that shorter ones would have durability issues, due to having to throw the ball faster through a shorter arc to generate the same velocity. I could be wrong.
You are correct, that is the assumption. I would just like to see empirical evidence to support the claim. It may be the case, but I'd like to see it verified.
If you have a chance in August to give everyone an extra day, I say give it to them. Wandy and Zeke have been pitching very well of late. There is no reason to think that they can' handle it. Roy and Roger can definitely use the extra day.
I think the Nationals have proven time and time again they will take themselves out of the race. Let's not worry about a perrenial loser until they show us they'll be there down the stretch. Which, by way of philosophy, elminates the cubs too Who's left.
I'm not gonna take the Nationals lightly this week (they will, after all, be seeking some payback)... but I agree with your point overall. All of the NL East teams are gonna end up taking each other out one by one, preventing any of them from making a serious run. The Mets, Phillies, and Marlins look good on some days... then they all cough up stinkers to the likes of the Reds, Rockies, and Brewers. Frankly, its that last team that might play the biggest factor. We still have quite a few games with Milwaukee, and they're only 4.5 back. Also, until the Cubs do ANYTHING positive, I don't think they warrant discussion.
