I dont even think the Dodgers make it out of the NLDS. Mad max looked unstoppable today. Cody is in a slump. What a fickle thing Playoff baseball can be.
No its not. Not sure Washington has a chance, despite tying it up 1-1. They can wrap it up at home though given the next two are in Washington. Unlikely, but possible. But, even in losing, they can affect the NLCS. If they make LA use up guys and wear out their pen, it could weaken them making them a bit more vulnerable to STL/ATL. The STL/ATL series also tied up at 1 has some of the same implications as the above. Some might think the NLDS doesnt mean much to the Astros, directly anyways. But I want to have the pulse of team that wins the NLCS. And not knowing for sure who that will be, I am following all the NL playoff teams.
It's best for our legacy to play either the Dodgers or Nationals, and the Yankees. So those are my rooting interest. My only preference is to not play a team along the way that feels like it just escaped being eliminated because those teams don't feel the pressure anymore, they just let it go. It's the same reason the Astros are so good, we have no fear. Everyone remaining, has a little fear, some pressure. They feel it. Astros are coasting right now, untested, but that's to be expected. I mean it was 0-0 yesterday in like the 3rd inning, and the broadcast team was like, well, this could be the series if the Rays give up a hit here. That is the kind of pressure we are putting on everyone. Intense.
I don't know who to cheer for in this Braves-Cardinals series. Which team will give the Dodgers a stiffer test in the NLCS?
BOOM. Juan Soto with a 2 run dinger. Nats 2, Dodgers 0 in the bottom of the first. BTW, Anibel Sanchez escaped a bases loaded situation in the top of the first.
Man, these NL games are fun to watch. Back and forth. Late come backs. Momentum swings. In the AL, one team in both series seemed doomed from the start.
Nationals made a mess of things because they didn't trust ANYONE in their bullpen to pitch *one* inning in game 2 with a 2 run lead. They ran Scherzer out there, which destroyed their rotation of Scherzer, Corbin, and Strasburg. Instead, they got 1 trainwreck inning out of Corbin on 2 days rest, and then they'll run Scherzer out there tomorrow on 2 days' rest (though he only pitched 1 inning in game 2). The whole thing is an epic disaster because they panicked in game 2.
I wouldn't call it panic. But I would agree the idea of recycling starters on short rest seems to have backfired. Even worse, they have made it harder to win later in the series. Going down 2-1 here, makes both remaining games must win. On the other hand, the Astros have used fewer arms than even Washington has, and its worked out a lot better.
? It's been covered pretty extensively in the media. Their plan is have their starters throw their between-start bullpen session in-game instead of outside of the game. It's been done before and it's not a particularly crazy idea, seeing as the Red Sox beat the Dodgers using that strategy in the WS last year. Scherzer is basically going on normal rest in game 4. He threw his bullpen session in-game (successfully). I don't remember if the Astros used this exact strategy in the 2017 playoffs, but their starters certainly threw a lot of bullpen innings that season.
So far the playoffs have been "they are who we thought they were". LAD, NYY, and HOU are clearly the best. But yes. **** the Dodgers and **** the Yankees.
