Game stuff here! (Sorry. I got a family of little soulless automatons to take care of)
It's Ross and Ross is ok. As a starter he's pretty good. His splits basically say that once around really good (because it accounts for his terrible relief outings). Twice around ok. Three times around uh oh! So figure he will give the Nats 3 good innings and then.... ? But not a 7 inning masterpiece.
What's also going to matter a big deal is what's going on on the other end. If the Nats can't score then those PH opportunities loom large and might cut off a decent Joe early. Expect him to bat once if doing well but not twice.
OK go to it.I'll update underneath as the game goes on.
Post Inning 1.
So Max vs Cole and Stras vs Verlander set itself up as an awesome 1 & 2 games in this now 3 game series. But it didn't happen. That's too bad. Before that you probably liked the Astros again to take the series if only because that last game takes place at home. Now you really do. But baseball is funny. Even huge favorites tonight I bet the Nats chances are below 1/3rd. They have a decent chance of winning tonight.
Even if they don't Stras is the pitcher of the post-season and can come through in two days easy. So don't fret. Well fret, it is the series and you may be down 3-2 but don't become despondent. It's far from hopelesss
So far Joe looks to be doing what I thought...
Mid 2nd
Gotta put kid to bed now. Joe's kind of all over the place, which isn't unexpected with such a long layoff. The homer pitch looks like a sinker in the spot they wanted but just not sharp. He then proceeded to K Correa on a armpit high fastball he missed his spot by 12 inches. So he's hit or miss on stuff. Hit or miss on location. If he gets one or other it can work, but it doesn't always. The homer was a hit on location and a miss on stuff. If it's a miss/miss that's a problem.
Post 5
Well that all sucked. I will say that pitch to Correa? More likely a ball than a strike. Sorry.
You got what you wanted from Ross to a point. 2 runs in 5 would have been fine. 4 isn't great but you'd take it and hope your team could score enough to stay in the game. Though right now Doo and Hudson should be in to make sure it stays close. Not these guys.
End 6
So now we get Doolittle? Well I guess better late than never. And yes I know it worked but that's not the point.
Mid 7
SCORE SCORE SCORE. DO SOMETHING
End 7
Soto is so good and Cole is getting iffy. The bad calls have been a problem but the Nats are still in this game. Despite Ross starting and going through the B-Team they are still in it. If the bullpen can hold this they can get back around to Rendon and Soto - at least if they are going to have a chance to win it they will
Top 8
Dammit. Hudson hasn't been perfect but he's come up with the big out seemingly every time. But not tonight. A weird "Shouldn't Eaton have been closer there?" double eventually led to an RBI single and the slight momentum the Nats had dashed. Gotta get two here imo
End 8
Sigh. There was a brief moment of SPringer looking like he was going to let that ball over his head and roll around the corner but after he caught that... Sigh
Top 9
Well that's enough for live posting. This was going to be a rough game Ross v Cole and it was. Not immediately but one big step at a time.
Now what happens? A game I take as a coin flip, with the slightly better in the post season Strasbrurg vs the slightly better in the regular season Verlander. A game the Nats can win and would win 5 out of 10 times if played 10 times. I worry, because Stras has been used so heavy recently, but what can you do? You have to believe.
If the Nats can win this game then Game 7 is madness. Will Max be ready. If not then Sanchez and Corbin and literally everyone vs the same sort of group from the Astros though they get to start with Greinke. It would be fun. Let's get there
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ReplyDeleteROBOT UMPS. So sick of these jerks.
ReplyDeleteSlider for strike 3 to Correa called a ball. That hanging slider would never have been thrown.
Gary Cederstrom's zone eliminated the knee-high strike in Game 3, which neutralized Sanchez's advantage (easier to lay off change ups when you know it's gonna be called a ball).
I'm gonna go ahead and despair, thanks anyway Harper. We have no chance with RISP, and no chance with Lance Barksdale.
ReplyDeleteJoe gives up another two run dinger this one to Correa.....AFTER HE STRIKES HIM OUT AND THE UMP CALLS IT A BALL. I don't like to blame umpires, but I swear it seems the strike zone has consistently been bigger for the Astros pitchers than for ours. Granted, we're not helping things by not scoring runs, but dangit, the Astros are good enough to win without extra help. It's enough to piss off the Pope.
ReplyDeleteAnd if every other ump in every other game calls a strike in the box at the knees... how does Gary Cederstrom have a job?
ReplyDeleteSeems like umps only call a strike on an offspeed pitch if it ends up where catcher sets up. If the catcher reaches for it near the edge of the strike zone it's a ball. Or the umps are corrupt and making four mistakes that favor Astros for every one for Nats.
ReplyDeleteSlider against Correa was on the black. Take a look at GameCast; pitch clips the zone, and that's all you need for a strike. Cole has thrown plenty of pitches tonight that clipped the zone and were (rightly) called strikes.
ReplyDeleteIn the sixth, Rainey throws a fastball that is completely in the strike zone that should have been strike three, but is inexplicably called a ball.
Ross and Cole both got a few generous strikes that should have been called balls, but I don't think Cole threw a single pitch completely inside the strike zone that got called a ball. This isn't the only night where the strike zone has been lacking.
#RoboUmpsPlease
GCX - The correa non-strike was terrible but you look zone to zone Cole vs Nats and there's nothing egregious going on.
ReplyDeleteSoto answers Harper's call! Nats score a run.
ReplyDeleteZimmerman should have been called out on strikes. That last pitch clipped the zone. I suppose you could call the zone 'incorrect, but consistent' tonight?
ReplyDeleteOK that was bad.
ReplyDeleteYup. Now there is something egregious going on.
DeleteAnd.....Robles called out on a strike that wasn't...........guess that was a makeup call for Zim.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there's nothing 'egregious' going on, but I still think there's been plenty of missed calls on both sides.
Inconsistency is the big issue. Players will get mad, but will adjust. But if you arne't consistent you can't adjust and all the pitchers and hitters are just guessing up there for 9 innings.
ReplyDeleteNo. You don't give the intentional walk. You hit
ReplyDeletehim.
At least there was some action in the crowd behind home plate. Bottom 7,1 out,just before the walk. Crowd making their own highlights...
ReplyDeleteI would say the following.
ReplyDelete1. It’s NOT surprising that the Astros ended up sort of shelling Corbin, Sanchez, Joe Ross. That’s one below average pitcher, one meh but ok pitcher, and one very good pitcher who is lefty vs the best offense (by wRC+) in like half a century. So them slapping those guys around isn’t super wild. Nor is it surprising Cole shut down the Nats in one of his two games.
2. Here is what’s surprising. Nats going 1-21 with RISP during 3 games at home. Turner vanishing. Rendon and Kendrick pretty much vanishing.
The Nats, even with their 2 game lead early, were going to have to play close to perfect to win this series. max waking up hurt, the offense being incapable of getting a hit with runners in scoring position....not good enough. They still could do it, but now they need a bit of luck and fortune. You really hope that they at least don’t go out meekly in 4 straight and can at bare minimum have Stras be excellent in game 6 and score some freaking runs.
Umps have been terrible, but not as bad as Washington's offense. Trea Turner should be on a milk carton and you can't win if you can't score. However, really, Houston is just really good. The Nats needed to dominate them with starting pitching and unfortunately, Corbin failed at that so instead of a Big 3, they were relegated to a big 2 and with Scherzer going down, relegated to "Hope Houston beats themselves." It's been a great season though. Enjoy Rendon's last game or two as a Nat.
ReplyDeleteThe bullpen sucks. The starting pitchers (excluding Stras and Max) have not been particularly good. And none of it matters if the Nats can only score one run per game. It's one thing to have trouble hitting Cole, but no excuses for not hitting (and scoring) on Greinke and second tier relief pitchers.
ReplyDeleteMy concerns for Tuesday night:
Can Nats score more than one run?
Can Nats score more than one run?
Can Nats score more than one run?
Strasburg pitches six good innings, but can we get three good innings out of the bullpen? I suppose Corbin is available on Tuesday, in addition to Doo and Hudson. I don't want to see Rainey or Suero. I'm pretty sure that Rodney has already thrown his last pitch as a National, regardless of the score in the last (two) games.
I don't want to see Harris. That guy is unhittable.
I think they'll win game 6. They were down 2-1 to Dodgers and fought back. Strasburg saved our season versus the Cubs, and versus the Brewers. Keep it to 2 runs or less and they'll win. Zim actually hits Verlander. Win game 6 and then anything can happen in game 7. Hopefully, Scherzer can give us something in game 7.
ReplyDeleteWell at least doo and Hudson aren't burnt out for g6&7. Hope scherzer can get some crazy injection or massage or something...we're gonna need to "Schilling and Johnson '01 it" at this point.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that the impact of the umpires in general is minimal when the offense can't score, but part of the reason they can't score is due to the umpires' inconsistent strike zones, particularly last night. Correa's homer should have never happened, and Robles should have walked. Arguably, at the end of the 7th, the Nationals should have been down 2-1, if not tied or leading. That completely changes the complexion of the game. Yes the bullpen got hit around after that, and there's no guarantee the Nationals pull off a victory (in all honesty they probably still lose), but as Davey put it "this is the damn world series, wake up" and we simply cannot allow umpires to be completely changing the complexion of the most important game of the year to date for either team.
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ReplyDeleteObservation: How many pitcher's does Houston have,anyway? Seems like there's always someone new coming out.
ReplyDeleteOr is it simply that half of the Nats' pen has been sent packing already so that's why we only see a couple of guys?
Unless we are making the assertion that the ump's strike zone is favoring the Astro's hitters/pitchers in a statistically significant way (please share the data if it is), I don't see why anyone is complaining about it vis-a-vis Nats vs Astros.
ReplyDeleteThe calls have gone both ways, and the Astros have had no problem scoring the past 3 games.
The conversation about robo-umps or ump accountability certainly has a place, just like the jucied ball phenomenon, but unless you show me the data I don't think you can complain that one team is disadvantaged, "should have won or been ahead at a certain point in a game," or whatever.
Both teams have the same shitty Ump calling the same shitty strike zone. All 30 teams had the opportunity to have a 95 mph hit juiced ball leave the park during the regular season (That's why Scherzer said you can't cry about it, Verlander).
The story of why the Nats are losing is they aren't playing loose at the plate. It goes beyond balls and strikes. Nats came into the series as massive underdogs, a me-against-the-world attitude, and low expectations/pressure. Lightning struck, went up 2-0, came back for the homestand expected to close out a WS sweep and the moment was too big.
Astros came into the WS as a massive underdog, huge expectations to dominate, opened up their homestand tight as hell and the moment was too big. With lowered pressure and many counting them out of the series playing 3 straight away games, they loosened up and played for themselves, and the result was the result.
The balls and strikes are ancillary.
@Cautiously Pessimistic Robles should have walked, but Zim should have been called out on strikes, so Robles shouldn't have even gotten a turn to bat in the 7th.
ReplyDeleteI think calls were missed on both sides, and did not make a meaningful difference in the game. The Correa non-call was wrong, but was not egregious (the pitch clips the strike zone. Its hard to get that call right in real time).
The call that bothers me the most from last night (and not because it made the slightest difference in the outcome) is the Rainey non-call against Brantley. The pitch was clearly in the strike zone, and gets called a ball. That is not the egregious part, as that type of non-call happens all the time in baseball.
The egregious part is the umpire's reasoning. Here's an article that talks about it near the bottom:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/10/28/game-umpire-controversy-raises-question-should-mlb-use-an-electronic-system-make-calls/
If you don't have access to WaPo, here is the relevant portion (discussing the Rainey non-call):
“You were taking off on me,” Barksdale said, seeming to suggest he had called the pitch a ball because Gomes had leaped out of his crouch in anticipation of a strike call, which could be perceived as a form of showing up an umpire.
“Oh,” Gomes replied, putting both hands on his chest. “It’s my fault?”
Again, this has nothing to do with the outcome. But, we can't have umpires making calls based on perceived (and likely unintentional!) slights. Gomes probably pops up like that because in his mind, its a no-doubter strike, not because he's trying to show up the ump.
Ok guys, I'm getting irrationally optimistic. I know it's crazy. But check it:
ReplyDelete-If Stras pitches well and the offense wakes up...then in the late innings, cameras show Max throwing in the bullpen...
-If the cortisone shot works, and Max can throw even 2 or 3 innings in Game 7, then Corbin and Sanchez can string along a few more and the offense can scrape together a few runs...
@Mr. T: you are irrationally optimistic. Hey, maybe Verlander will get hit with a line drive in the first inning, or hurt his hamstring running to first. But then the bullpen could still shut down the Nats.
ReplyDeleteThe pitch to Zim was a ball as well. It should have been 1st and 2nd with 2 outs with Gomes up. Now I doubt he would have gotten a hit bc Gomes. Anyway, I am of the opinion that both the starting pitching and offense came up short. The Nats do a great job of scoring late and scoring with 2 outs. They led the league in runs scored 7th inning or later and runs scored with 2 outs. Sanchez, Corbin, and Ross needed to keep it at 2 runs or less. Anyway, I agree with Mr. T. I think they are going to win game 6 and who knows what will happen in game 7. Stras needs to keep Houston to 2 runs or less. The Nats will find a way to score and win game 6. I think the Nats actually benefit from the DH bc of Cabrera and Kendrick. It is time for someone to be a hero and help Strasburg win game 6. Game 7 will be crazy.
ReplyDeleteIF the offense wakes up. And that is a big "IF." That's all we need to know. If we can throw up 4-5 runs, I have faith in game 6, and look forward to the "anything can happen G7." However, IF they crumble the way they have in the last three games, it's not happening. In reality, Strasburg doesn't really matter, same like Scherzer didn't matter yesterday, if we can only scratch across 1 run.
ReplyDeleteIt's blind faith at this point. Go Nats! Stay. In. The. Fight!
Boz' reporting on World Series team slumps is haunting. Has a team that has scored three runs or less in 3 WS games ever snapped out of it? (say, scored 4+ in any subsequent game in the series)
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with his comments. The Nats won games 1 and 2 and weren't hitting until the 7th inning of game 2. They won game 1 bc Soto went 3/4. Rendon and Kendrick went 0-8 in that game. Game 2 Rendon had the 2 run double in the first inning and that is pretty much it. If Strasburg can keep it to 2 runs or less I think they win tonight. The problem is when the other team scores 4+ then a 3-4 run lead feels like 10 when you're not hitting. Finally, I think the Nats unlike most NL teams actually benefit a great deal from the DH. It allows both Kendrick and Cabrera to play. I think they win tonight. I have no idea how game 7 will go, but I think they win tonight.
ReplyDeleteJust remember that Bos has stated numerous times that he is not really a fan. He roots for a good story. The Nats losing 4 straight is a great story for him.
There are few sports, Golf/Baseball/Cricket where if you press too much, you will hurt your chances. That's exactly what has happened so far in this series. Nats need to loosen up again and pieces will fall in place. They have nothing to loose. Just enjoy this one and hopefully next one. Go Nats!
ReplyDelete