Springer, Altuve, Bregman, Yuli, Correa and Reddick all have Rings. They need to act like it and hit the ****ing ball all over the park tomorrow night.
Bullpen games during the season are fine when you don't face the same lineup again and again. I do think this is going to catch up with them... definitely if it was a 7 game series, but wouldn't be at all surprised to see a bat explosion tomorrow. In the end, the Astros do not have the bullpen depth to attempt something they tried only once or twice this year. Verlander remained the best option, albeit not the best Verlander. (Just like not the best Greinke was nowhere good enough either)
And you can't expect Cole and Verlander to be perfect every time. The offense needs to save them from a bad start sometimes. If the offense doesn't show up, anything can happen in a 5 game series. The Astros need a breakout game offensively.
I know little baseball, but I predict we win the game 5 on Thursday as I predicted that Astros won it all on 2016.
Besides the Astros game, other two games also go to the game 5 elimination, maybe the league just wants to make more money.
It can be somewhat difficult to do that. Relievers are notorious for inconsistent results season to season.
The League would probably be super annoyed at the Cardinals, Nationals, and Rays all making it. They would probably be even more annoyed if the Yankees bow out prior to the World Series.
Almost 100% of St. Louis would watch those games, which would boost overall ratings... and the DC area has enough people to make things palatable. The Rays (or Oakland) would draw things down regardless of what other markets were still in the game. As said before, baseball is local/regional. The collective nation does not have an interest in these games outside the home market. That includes other rival MLB cities as well (This isn't must see TV for Red Sox fans, Giants fans or Rangers fans).
Sitting here watching the Cardinals put a 10 spot on Atlanta in the first. I really hope the Rays aren't thinking, "Why not us?" I just keep telling myself... 1. These are not the Rockets 2. These damn sure aren't the Texans 3. We have Gerrit Cole and they don't
Or the Cardinals are telling the Braves and their fans they can take their tomahawk chop and stick it where the sun don't shine. Astro bats: Please wake up for game five. The last two games were hard to watch.
Thing is, by ERA, they already have a bunch of stud relievers. We just don't trust them when it counts. If they relax, start hitting, putting the ball in play like we know they can, we can laugh this off. Might be too much to expect a Cardinals 1st inning, but it should be better.
History shows starters perform about ~40-50% worse starting on short rest in the playoffs. That pretty much sums up how Verlander looked in Game 4 despite all the puffery, chest beating about Verlander by Hinch and fans before game and now even after the game. So no, Verlander did not look like a better option before game, at best he looked about as good an option, as going with a bullpen game or Urquidy. Bullpen did their best trying to save the game.
Or making him part of a bullpen game which was also a possible plan... but at that point, he’s better off starting. There are times when an elite pitcher on 3 days rest is the best option. Your statement implies that no pitcher should ever pitch on 3 days rest. In the end, there have been more examples of elite pitchers on 3 days rest giving you a better chance to win the game vs. a Brandon Backe or Urquidy (or even Peacock) putting together an elite start in the playoffs. Verlander also pitched better on 3 days rest than the previous day #3 starter... and you automatically expected better from their #6 starter? They lost the game at the plate, regardless of who was the starter.