The way the 7th inning turned out was a trickle effect of not scoring enough runs when we had the chance. What is unfortunate is that unlike our other losses where we struck out or GIDP with runners on, we put up some great at bats that were just unlucky. Springer smokes a ball that couldve scored two more runs but it went straight to Soto, Alvarez had a deep fly to dead center that wasn't far enough, Altuve also had a fly ball that was dropping fast, but not fast enough. Reddick hit a grounder off the 1st base bag that bounces perfectly into Zimmerman's glove - a high bounce scores a run. In the 7th, after the Rendon homer and the Soto walk, it was too close and late to afford Grienke the luxury of working out of it. If it's 4-1 or 5-1 at that point, you can. Instead, Will Harris who has been an absolute expert at finishing up unclean innings in high leverage moments didn't get it done. The way I see it, had Harris gotten us out of the 7th, Cole starts the 8th and carries us from there. When things unraveled in the 7th that took Cole out of the game. I did not expect Harris to disappoint in that moment, and neither did Hinch. Grienke maybe could have stayed in but if he got knocked around and gave up the lead everybody would say why didn't you go to the 'pen. I don't think Hinch made the wrong call for the situation, our guys just didn't make enough pitches, enough plays. It sucks.
Game 7’s aren’t everyday occurrences tho. You allow yourself to deviate from norms in win or go home situations.
well yeah. the playoffs aren't every day but it's not like game 7's aren't pretty common when it comes to competitive sports. you have decisions to be and they were made
What are you talking about? What luxury ? He made ONE bad pitch out of 80 pitches all game long. After not getting the 2-1 strike on Soto, the right decision was to walk him. Did you want a repeat of what Verlander did the other day? Did you want Zack to throw a 3-1 fastball so Soto can go back to back? Zack pitched his heart and he deserved to finish that inning OR bring in cole. The advanced numbers show that Zack only gets better as the game goes on. Players study film all day long. You need to understand this aspect. The more exposure a reliever has in a postseason the more likely it is for opponents to gameplan against such player. Study what he throws after what counts, etc. Bringing in a X factor like Cole would have thrown them off their gameplan. There is so film on how Cole pitches out of the bullpen and it would've been the perfect strategy.
i fully believe hinch is one of the best managers in baseball, hands down, but he mismanaged us to a loss last night, or at the very least put us in a significantly worse position. as others have said, grenkie was traded for exactly for this reason. cy young winner, future HOF, having a career game and you pull him for someone other than your absolutely, undoubtedly best pitcher? why? think about it - you lost the game by pulling one of your best pitchers pitching an incredible game and you never went to the single best pitcher you had in your arsenal. you simply cannot lose game 7 of the world series by taking the ball OUT of your best pitchers hands. whether or not cole is a "reliever" on "short rest" is irrelevant. put the game in the hands of your best players and live or die w them. instead hinch managed game 7 of the world series as if it was the rubber match of a regular season game. Hinch needed to manage the game as if 2 runs were all we were going to get. to me it's flat out inexcusable.
X Factor? Is coming out of the pen somehow going to change Cole's repertoire? Using your logic they would have MORE study on Cole who started two games this series already.
I'm just going to say it... The pitch Harris gave Kendricks had no right turning into a homerun, the probability of that turning into an HR is insane, the Nats were just fated to win.
This. It wasn't even a bad pitch. bottom left corner. That's just an example of the batter making an extremely tough play on the ball and obviously magnified to the extreme given the situation
Remember the last game of the World Series 2017, who finished the game?!?!?!? This is why I'm puzzled that Hinch didn't do that when he did in the past. Whatever the case, I support Hinch until he gives up.
"We could have all lived with Cole blowing it if that happened cause he was our best. The idea that you’re saving Cole when the Nats are in the midst of a rally inning is...! +1 I could of lived with Cole, or Greinke losing the series, but Willy that is kind of hard to take.
this is a dumb take. cole was THE best pitcher in all of baseball this year. you don't "study" for guys like cole and grenkie and strasburg bc if they're on you're getting beat. that's what you're betting on, not some unquantifiable "x-factor" if you're pulling grenkie towards the end of a gem of a game 7 performance, it has to be for your best arm period.
I wanted Cole to come in. But, if the relievers had done their job, then everyone today would be saying what a masterful job Hinch did. And really, I'm more disappointed in our hitters. Seemed like we had runners in scoring position every inning and failed to get the big hit. So much easier to know what to do the day AFTER the game.
Pretty sure when the time came for the Nationals to pull Scherzer that they put their #3 starter on the mound.........like you're supposed to in a game 7.
If Robinson Chirinos gets the sacrifice bunt down in the second inning, the Astros have runners on second and third with one out, and they likely get at least one more run. If Springer’s missile to end the second finds a gap, there’s two runs. Alvarez missed a three-run homer by a few feet in the next inning. The offense gave the pitching staff and Hinch no margin for error in any of the home games. They should have had a four-or-five-run lead heading into the seventh inning.
Exactly.....That’s what was in front of him. Just needed 2 and a half innings of shutout baseball. It was extremely possible. I wouldn’t be so devastated if we used all our bullets.
