Lance Lynn getting the game 1 start tells me LaRussa is not using any logic in this decision. The worst choice he could have made. Thank goodness he did.
I think its a bit smarter than that. They punted game 1 with Lynn vs McCullers, but are betting their entire season on Giolito outpitching Valdez, a bet they weren't willing to make with McCullers on the mound. We win game 2, they're done. They win game 2, or season comes down to a tossup of Garcia vs Cease and Urquidy vs ????. They did all this to ensure a single victory in game 2, time for the offense to blow their plans up.
Giolito isn't God's gift to starting pitching. You're talking like he's Max Scherzer. He's a JAG. LaRussa is a putz. Nobody in their right mind is "throwing" game 1 of a 5 game series. Think about what you're saying.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. We've hit Sherzer in 2019 better than we've hit Gio this year. He shifted the rotation down to get 1 v 4, 2 v 1, 3 v 2, 4 v 3.
I'm ready for Framber to go 7, If they couldn't hit any of Lance's breaking stuff I doubt they fare much better against Valdez. Another shout out to Lance for ZERO (0) walks. Fearlessly threw the super slider and the snapdragon for strikes at 3-2. Not once did they take those 3-2 breaking balls for hits.
I don't think they punted the game. You can't punt any game in a five game series, that's just crazy. What if Gio is a little off today and Framber shuts them down? Then they're ****ed. Lynn has simply been a little better this season than Gio.
I don't know....this strategy now involves the White Sox having to win 3 straight games against Houston just to advance. Sure the next two are at home but still it's still kinda....bold.
I don't know about the logic of giving up on a Game 1 (seems like a bad idea to me), and I definitely won't argue against the assertion that LaRussa is a putz. Don't think Giolito is a JAG though. If he is, he is one who threw a complete game 3-hit, 1 run game against the Astros this season. He's also been an All star and a fringe Cy Young candidate with an ERA+ that's averaged over 125 the last three years.
Lynn had a 2.69 ERA in 157 innings. Throwing Lynn in game 1 was punting the game? He was pitching in one of these first two games and with the potential of 2 off days in a 5 game series the Sox could have either of these starters available on regular rest for a possible game 5.
I think it’s ridiculous to think that the White Sox punted game 1. Unless the White Sox are going for rope a dope strategy. Lynn isn’t just another guy, he’s a star pitcher. A guy who was instrumental in getting them to the playoffs and the division a title. By yanking him early, the Sox were trying to keep him fresh in case they need to use him again. But this next game is super important, because Astros only have two bonafide Ace style pitchers in MCCullers and Frambert. I wonder if MCCullers gets the ball again in Game 4 or game 5? Giolioto is good too, so it’s gonna be a game of chess to try and get to him! I trust Valdez will hold the fort, to allow the offense to do their thing. But I think Astros just did their thing in game 1.
Not me. I've not always been glowing on Meyers, but outside of thinking he was horrible with one shoulder in 2022 and was being rushed back, I think I've been fair. He's hitting better than my median expectation for him, but median expectations are rarely hit dead on (i.e., I've thought he had better chances of busting out than the random AAA guys and even if he didn't was likely good enough to be a platoon bat).
I always saw Meyers as a 4th OF offensively and overrated defensively. Hope Meyers continues to prove me wrong
