2019 Baseball season (2 Viewers)

[jazzeum]

In addition to what George has said, relief pitchers are very specialized these days. You need pitchers who can pitch the 7th, the 8th (the set up man) and the 9th (the closer). Relief pitchers like to know their roles. The most important job in the pen is having a bridge from your starter to the closer. Over the years, even the way closers are used have changed. From the 60s probably through the 90s your closer would come in with men on base and shut the door. Nowadays, they usually only start an inning. You also have pitchers who are there to get one batter out, usually left handed specialists. Building a bullpen is the most important job there is for a team. A good one will take you deep into the playoffs. A poor one will wreck a season.

 

[lancer]

Mike, thank you and good luck to you and the Astros. I'm a little uneasy about Corbin. His last effective start was against LA on October 3rd, and he lost that. Even though he beat the Cards, he was not sharp. I think the Astros are in good shape tonight. -- Al

 

[mikemiller1955]

Brad...thanks for the input...appreciate your insight...

Al...
this is a really pivotal game...
but they all are in a 7 game series...^&grin
if the Astros can somehow tie it up...
both of our starting rotations will get another chance in a 3 game series...
I would hope both JV and Cole would preform better...
I think JV is 0-6 in WS starts...

 

[Warrior]

All it took for the Astors to get back on track was to fire their assistant GM, who knew?​

 

[mikemiller1955]

why pull Urquidy?
James comes in and walks the first batter!!!!!

 

[jazzeum]

All it took for the Astors to get back on track was to fire their assistant GM, who knew?​

They are coming in for a lot of heat on their corporate culture. The only one who came out of this honorably was Hinch.

 

[jazzeum]

why pull Urquidy?
James comes in and walks the first batter!!!!!

Hinch provably assumed they’d gotten more than they though possible.

 

[jazzeum]

Kiss that game goodbye. Rodney, again. Unreal. Did Martinez have brain lock? The Nats are now on the back foot. Tomorrow’s game will be a must game for them. They don’t want to go to Houston down 3-2 whereas if Houston goes back down 3-2 they have two home games.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Hinch provably assumed they’d gotten more than they though possible.

Urquiday was supposed to in line to be a starter...
67 pitches seems low to me...
I'm glad they only gave up one run...
Harris bailed them out...
I bet Smith will be in next inning...^&confuse

 

[Warrior]

Fernando Rodney, the human gas can.

What a bomb that was.

That thud you heard was the Natstown bullpen crashing back to earth.

And just like that, a 2-0 series lead is blown.

I've seent this movie before back in 1986.

 

[Warrior]

When Rodney retires, he's got a future as a pitch man for a gas can company.

Or a company that sells crooked hats.​

 

[jazzeum]

And in 96. If Nats don’t win tomorrow, it will be over in 6.

 

[Panzer ace]

You can sleep in November.

I nominate this for post of the year in this thread.

 

[lancer]

That 'BOOM!' you all heard in DC last night was the inevitable (and long awaited) implosion of the Nats bullpen, the return to normalcy, that all Nats fans had hoped was over. A leopard can't change it's spots, even if it can hide for a while. Astros proved that they are what everyone thought they were, the best team in baseball. Nats are going to have to scramble to get back into this series, and Brad is right, if the Nats don't win tonight, Astros win it in 6 games. The series has come back to the 4 aces, as it started out. Not optimistic that the Nats can beat Cole and Verlander again, but, as usual, that pain the the butt called 'Hope' just won't quite die...
Congrats, Mike. Your team is looking good. -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

That 'BOOM!' you all heard in DC last night was the inevitable (and long awaited) implosion of the Nats bullpen, the return to normalcy, that all Nats fans had hoped was over. A leopard can't change it's spots, even if it can hide for a while. Astros proved that they are what everyone thought they were, the best team in baseball. Nats are going to have to scramble to get back into this series, and Brad is right, if the Nats don't win tonight, Astros win it in 6 games. The series has come back to the 4 aces, as it started out. Not optimistic that the Nats can beat Cole and Verlander again, but, as usual, that pain the the butt called 'Hope' just won't quite die...
Congrats, Mike. Your team is looking good. -- Al

I think you’re being too hard on yourself. If there’s a culprit, I’d point to Corbin. I just think the Bergman HR was the icing on the cake. The pitching matchups the next two games favor the Nats. However, with three games left in the season, they need to get length out of Doolittle and Hudson.

 

[Warrior]

I think you’re being too hard on yourself. If there’s a culprit, I’d point to Corbin. I just think the Bergman HR was the icing on the cake. The pitching matchups the next two games favor the Nats. However, with three games left in the season, they need to get length out of Doolittle and Hudson.

I love the analysts after game two who proclaimed the Astros cannot possibly win 4 out of 5, then after game 3, said they can't win 3 out of 4.


Well guess what; it comes down to a best out of three, so someone is going to have to win 2 out of the next 3. Yes, it did look bleak after the Expos beat the Astros two aces back to back, but it's a whole new series now, we'll see what shakes out going forward.

Those two Astros home runs last night were both no doubters, man oh man were they crushed.

 

[Warrior]

Just out of curiosity, how old is Zimmerman, compared to Buckner in ‘86? If the parallels to 86 continue, he’d better really stretch before G6.​

 

[lancer]

I think you’re being too hard on yourself. If there’s a culprit, I’d point to Corbin. I just think the Bergman HR was the icing on the cake. The pitching matchups the next two games favor the Nats. However, with three games left in the season, they need to get length out of Doolittle and Hudson.

Brad, I was uneasy about Corbin going in. He hasn't been very sharp in the post-season (1-3, 6.64 ERA), especially as a starter. I also agree about the Bregman GS, Nats were DOA at 4-0. All down to best of 3 and with Scherzer and Strasburg, we can't ask for a better shot. With just the 3 possible games left, time to ride the horses named Scherzer, Strasburg, Hudson, and Doolittle to the finish line, one way or the other. -- Al

 

[lancer]

Just out of curiosity, how old is Zimmerman, compared to Buckner in ‘86? If the parallels to 86 continue, he’d better really stretch before G6.​

Zimm just turned 35 last month and is in decent shape, mobility wise. Didn't Buckner have bad pins? Anyway, thanks for the warning.:wink2: -- Al

 

[lancer]

Fun with numbers: series tied at 2 wins apiece; visitors are each 2-0; each team has scored 19 total runs. Pretty much even going into the best of 3 finale. -- Al