You would think so. He would have been on normal rest going into game 1. He got an extra day and still was sitting 2 mph below his playoff average. By the time the 4th inning came around he was sitting 94 pretty consistently which was 2 mph under his season average. I noticed Alex Rodriguez talking about the same thing after the game. Think it's pretty clear he is dealing with something. I sense a little Toradol might be in the equation to get him through the postseason.
That’s what I mean. Javier could be available in relief in a potential game 7 of he started game 4, but McCullers could not. I’d rather Javier pitch game 3 and 7 on normal rest.
I understand that, I’d rather Javier pitch twice on full rest and Lance once. With Lance going twice, Javier can pitch in relief though and Lance can’t.
But Verlander has always sucked injury or not the deeper he goes in the playoffs. Unless he's always been injured in the WS dating back to Detroit.
Verlander retired the first 10 batters before the dropped liner and three soft contact hits. Only the double was well hit in that inning. He’ll be fine in game 5, but Dusty needs a shorter leash. He’s left Verlander in one inning too many both times. Getting the win for the team is more important than trying to get JV a World Series win.
Have some bad news for everyone. Diaz is 2/6 with a HR against Syndegaard. He will be DH'ing game 3. Lame.
I, like most here, would rather see Hensley. But it's clearly between him or Mancini, and neither is even the slightest bit appealing right now.
isnt this when Click or the FO steps in and takes a more active approach in the post season? They already gave Baker a long leash for game 1 who gave JV too long a leash
Pitchers across teams all throughout the postseason have been getting longer leashes (see the Phillies aces as examples). JV got a long leash his last outing and became dominant. Lance similarly was kept in for an extra inning after giving up 4 runs in 4 innings last series. Teams are finally realizing that going 6 or 7 innings with a bullpen is not an ideal strategy over the course of a series as teams start teeing off on those relief pitchers the 4th or 5th time they see them. The less you see them, the more effective they are.
My thoughts on our DH: 1. Aledmys Diaz has done nothing this postseason (1 hit in 18 at bats) and has done little in the regular season to justify the start. We know what we are getting here. 2. Trey Mancini has done nothing this postseason and did little in the regular season to justify the start. He does have a historical track record of very good hitting. So there is some hope there that he figures it out... like Altuve did. Could be a feel good story that provides a spark if he hits a key home run. Of course there is a limit to how long we can wait for this... and we've been waiting for 16 hitless at bats this postseason. 3. Hensley is a rookie and had some nice moments against the Mariners. In a short sample size during the regular season, he had a 1.027 OPS. So while we don't exactly know what we are getting in the World Series, there is hope. For Game 3, my preferences would be Hensley, Mancini and Diaz, in that order. Which means Dusty will almost certainly go with Diaz.
What we'll see play out is actually the opposite of what you suggest. As a World Series wears on, we'll see much shorter leashes on starters. Particularly true when bullpens are rested (Game 3) and/or a Game 6-7 when there are no more games left to save pitchers for.
Team showed some serious grit and forcing their game script: dominant pitching and timely hitting. Gives me hope that Game 1 was a fluke (seems everyone forgets we had the winning run at 2nd in the bottom of the 10th) and "underdog" magic is fleeting.
Why 10th? In the 9th Altuve stole 2nd if Jeremy punches that in a 1ft to the right and the sliding catch is missed. We had a couple of those vs the Mariners and Yankees that went our way. The baseball gods just didn't want to show favoritism.
According to Intellicast at 7:00 first pitch it will be 64 degrees with 66 percent humidity and 4mph wind. I don’t think we can ask for better. Cool enough so he doesn’t get hot and fatigue from the heat. Not so cold that he loses grip on the baseball. Good humidity so his hands don’t dry out improving his grip. I think that is ideal.
