tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post2111810143902828306..comments2024-03-29T00:38:31.950-04:00Comments on The Heath Post: MLB Playoffs: Day ThreeGoHeathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-54757331197704909402019-10-06T21:59:56.509-04:002019-10-06T21:59:56.509-04:00Natstown will try again tomorrow night with Max Sc...Natstown will try again tomorrow night with Max Scherzer. In the meantime, I'm gonna watch the Colts and the Chiefs.<br /><br />But consider what we saw in these two games. The moment the Cardinals and Nats showed any weakness on the mound, that weakness was ruthlessly exploited by the Braves and the Dodgers. That's how you're supposed to play the game.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-29269051864920778572019-10-06T21:58:11.210-04:002019-10-06T21:58:11.210-04:00Chris Taylor walks. Kiki Hernandez whacks a doubl...Chris Taylor walks. Kiki Hernandez whacks a double to left. The Dodgers lead 5-2. To be fair, they are dramatically better than the Nats.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-88491175064845068142019-10-06T21:53:50.123-04:002019-10-06T21:53:50.123-04:00Corbin fails. He gives up a lead-off single to Co...Corbin fails. He gives up a lead-off single to Cody Bellinger. Then he strikes out Corey Seager and A.J. Pollock. But David Freese hits a single to right. And Russell Martin doubles to left. The Dodgers score two runs, they lead 3-2, and now it's just a matter of how many more runs they'll score tonight.<br /><br />Again, the Nats cannot use any more good pitchers in this game. They now have to save everyone for tomorrow night, when Max Scherzer will be trying to save their season.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-9256540139364884482019-10-06T21:37:29.827-04:002019-10-06T21:37:29.827-04:00Now the Nats are going to take another chance. Th...Now the Nats are going to take another chance. They are bringing in Patrick Corbin (their Game One starter) to replace Sanchez. I don't think Washington is scoring any more runs, so their fate is in Corbin's hands.<br /><br />This is exactly how I used to manage games in Extra Innings. I'm really excited to see the Nats trying all these desperate tactics. It's a lot better than just getting crushed.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-17754081421336839452019-10-06T21:34:24.457-04:002019-10-06T21:34:24.457-04:00Zimmerman grounded out to first. The Dodgers walk...Zimmerman grounded out to first. The Dodgers walked Trea Turner to pitch to Adam Eaton. Eaton flew out, and the score remains Washington 2, Los Angeles 1.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-8605576280765285232019-10-06T21:27:30.616-04:002019-10-06T21:27:30.616-04:00While I was typing that, Michael A. Taylor -- who ...While I was typing that, Michael A. Taylor -- who may be the worst-hitting outfielder I've ever seen in the Big Leagues -- pokes a one-out single up the middle. Now the Old Legend, Ryan Zimmerman, will come up as a pinch-hitter for Sanchez.<br /><br />I have to give credit to the Nats -- they aren't even pretending that they can apply a normal strategy to this series. They are not as good as the Dodgers, and they are accepting that and taking appropriate chances. Good for them.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-15990469211237949382019-10-06T21:25:46.221-04:002019-10-06T21:25:46.221-04:00If you notice, you'll see that teams like the ...If you notice, you'll see that teams like the Nats, the Cardinals, and the Rays are all really struggling to score in the playoffs. These days, teams at that level tend to have a lot of guys who feast on bad pitching. If you really want to watch the Nats hit, you should see them against the Marlins or the Phillies. Then they can whack the ball all over the place. But outside of Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto, they will struggle against really good pitching.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-57448965205721012872019-10-06T21:23:58.333-04:002019-10-06T21:23:58.333-04:00Sanchez is done. The Nats are going to pinch hit ...Sanchez is done. The Nats are going to pinch hit for him in the bottom of the 5th.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-71997429962227289382019-10-06T21:20:57.590-04:002019-10-06T21:20:57.590-04:00Sanchez finishes the 5th with no further damage, a...Sanchez finishes the 5th with no further damage, and the Nats lead 2-1 going into the bottom of the 5th.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-42965521211527631222019-10-06T21:20:10.980-04:002019-10-06T21:20:10.980-04:00In the top of the 5th, Max Muncy crushes Sanchez&#...In the top of the 5th, Max Muncy crushes Sanchez's 82d pitch of the game into the right field seats, and the Nats now lead 2-1. That was painful -- it was an 0-2 count with two outs. But it shows the chasm over which Sanchez has been walking. If he can hold the Dodgers to 1 run through 5 innings, he will have done significantly better than I expected.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-9192799429607328342019-10-06T21:12:38.485-04:002019-10-06T21:12:38.485-04:00Nats still lead 2-0 after 4. Green Bay beat Dalla...Nats still lead 2-0 after 4. Green Bay beat Dallas 34-24.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-85836047873796561082019-10-06T20:15:37.940-04:002019-10-06T20:15:37.940-04:00The Nats do no further damage, and they lead 2-0 a...The Nats do no further damage, and they lead 2-0 after 1.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-58993861534045737382019-10-06T20:15:21.750-04:002019-10-06T20:15:21.750-04:00Sanchez pitches out of a bases-loaded jam in the t...Sanchez pitches out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, and escapes without yielding a run. In the bottom of the 1st, Adam Eaton walks, and Nats' young superstar Juan Soto crushes a pitch to dead center field for a TWO-RUN HOMER. The Nats lead 2-0, and they do their dance in the dugout. Natstown is going nuts.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-61786490669226891992019-10-06T19:55:26.446-04:002019-10-06T19:55:26.446-04:00With 1:41 left in the fourth quarter, the Packers ...With 1:41 left in the fourth quarter, the Packers lead the Cowboys 34 to 24.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-747860997551548322019-10-06T19:49:48.238-04:002019-10-06T19:49:48.238-04:00Sanchez starts off with an 0-2 count on the Dodger...Sanchez starts off with an 0-2 count on the Dodgers' lead-off hitter, and then throws four balls in a row. I don't think this game will be very close.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-49842207418355878192019-10-06T19:41:35.477-04:002019-10-06T19:41:35.477-04:00In Washington, Natstown has decided to go with Ana...In Washington, Natstown has decided to go with Anabel Sanchez instead of Max Scherzer for this game. In effect, the Nats are willing to concede this game, in the hopes that a well-rested Scherzer can win Game Four, and a well-rested Strasburg can win Game Five. In effect, the Nats have concluded that Strasburg and Scherzer are their only remaining good pitchers, and they want to maximize their chances of success.<br /><br />Tom Boswell tweets out that he agrees with this strategy. And I do, too. Once the Dodgers beat Scherzer or Strasburg, it's over for the Nats anyway. Let's postpone that evil day for as long as possible.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-36469263074746879962019-10-06T19:35:15.377-04:002019-10-06T19:35:15.377-04:00Molina flies out to center, and the Braves WIN by ...Molina flies out to center, and the Braves WIN by a score of 3 to 1.<br /><br />This is the first time since 2002 that the Braves have led in a post-season series.<br /><br />I will be stunned if the Cardinals come back from this defeat.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-24473421821204900122019-10-06T19:33:00.301-04:002019-10-06T19:33:00.301-04:00Ozuna is called out on strikes -- he was badly foo...Ozuna is called out on strikes -- he was badly fooled by the last pitch. The Cardinals' last hope is Yadier Molina.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-7420857812832420402019-10-06T19:28:27.750-04:002019-10-06T19:28:27.750-04:00With one out, and the Cards down to their last cha...With one out, and the Cards down to their last chance, Paul Goldschmidt whacks a double. This brings up Marcell Ozuna, the St. Louis cleanup hitter.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-11008658884567112602019-10-06T19:22:37.823-04:002019-10-06T19:22:37.823-04:00I really don't understand what the Cardinals g...I really don't understand what the Cardinals gained by walking McCann. His run scored, and that's the difference between a one-run game and a two-run game.<br /><br />The truth is that most teams don't have very good bullpens -- they have to pitch too many innings, and they wear out over the course of the season. You really have to pay attention as the manager, and you have to be something of a pessimist.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-4825718718208967712019-10-06T19:20:27.688-04:002019-10-06T19:20:27.688-04:00Albies lines out to right, and the inning is merci...Albies lines out to right, and the inning is mercifully over. The Cardinal fans shown on TV look like they want to do that thing from "All the Right Moves" where the angry fans trash the coach's house after his blunder lost the game. I can't really blame them.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-65236114077675241682019-10-06T19:19:08.677-04:002019-10-06T19:19:08.677-04:00Now the Braves send up the top of their order with...Now the Braves send up the top of their order with Ronald Acuna, who is one of the best players in baseball. Apparently they've all gone to sleep in the Cardinals dugout, because they let Martinez pitch to him, too. Martinez hits Acuna to put runners on first and second. He's thrown 24 pitches in this inning, and now he's pitching to Albies.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-15370238800045560122019-10-06T19:16:37.770-04:002019-10-06T19:16:37.770-04:00Now it's Adam Duvall batting for the pitcher. ...Now it's Adam Duvall batting for the pitcher. He singles to center field, and THE BRAVES TAKE THE LEAD 3-1.<br /><br />I have to say that this was terrible management by St. Louis. Your relief pitcher, Carlos Martinez, has already given up two doubles in this inning. He clearly doesn't have good stuff. You absolutely must retire Duvall to preserve the tie, and give your team a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Even a single will put you into a 2-run hole. I just don't see how you can let Martinez face Duvall there. GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-31325071919342904282019-10-06T19:12:48.821-04:002019-10-06T19:12:48.821-04:00No it's not. The Cardinals walk McCann, who i...No it's not. The Cardinals walk McCann, who is replaced by pinch runner Rafael Ortega. Now it's up to Dansby Swanson, the Braves' shortstop.<br /><br />Martinez v. Swanson:<br /><br />Pitch 1: Swanson CRUSHES A DOUBLE OFF THE LEFT FIELD WALL. Hamilton scores and the game is TIED. Ortega stops at third -- the ball was hit too hard and came straight back to the left fielder, so he could not score. The Braves have tied the game at 1 run apiece.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1697242053625998558.post-60244088497829683992019-10-06T19:10:28.746-04:002019-10-06T19:10:28.746-04:00On a full count, Martinez strikes out Adeiny Hecha...On a full count, Martinez strikes out Adeiny Hechavarria. Two out. But Hamilton steals third base. Now it's up to Brian McCann.GoHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11122010542579322600noreply@blogger.com