Sunday, October 7, 2012

Breaking down the NLDS



ST. LOUIS -- One owns 11 World Series titles, including the most recent one, and features a roster loaded with postseason experience yet a rookie manager who has never been here before.

The other owns zero World Series titles -- at least, technically, as a franchise -- and features a roster with barely any postseason experience yet a veteran manager who has guided four different organizations into October.

You want contrasts? The National League Division Series between the Nationals and Cardinals is all about contrasts, pitting one of baseball's most-storied franchises against one of the game's historically least-successful towns.

But how do these two teams stack up on the field? Let's break down the matchup...

ROTATION
NATS: After boasting the majors' best rotation most of the season, the Nationals slipped a bit in September and wound up slightly behind the Rays while still posting a dominant 3.40 ERA. The best thing they've got going for them: All four of their playoff starters (Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson, Ross Detwiler) are capable of completely dominating an opposing lineup. The worst thing they have going for them: Any one of the four (but particularly Jackson and Detwiler) is capable of getting knocked out of a game early. What they lack in experience, they more than make up for in raw ability. Their two big guns also pitched extremely well down the stretch, with Gonzalez going 5-1 with a 1.35 ERA over his final six starts and Zimmermann going 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA over his final five starts.

CARDS: With a collective 3.62 ERA, the Cardinals rotation ranked fourth in the majors, behind only the Rays, Nationals and Dodgers. This is a unit loaded with big names who have performed on the big stage before, but the name recognition outpaces their actual performance this season. Game 1 starter Adam Wainwright posted the highest ERA of his career (3.94), though he did steadily improve during his first season back from Tommy John surgery. Game 2 starter Jaime Garcia's season was interrupted by injury, though he finished strong (4-1, 2.50 ERA in September). Former ace Chris Carpenter barely pitched at all this season due to a shoulder and neck injury and wound up making only three September starts. Their best starter this year, Kyle Lohse (16-3, 2.86 ERA) was burned up in the NL Wild Card Game and now won't be available until Game 4 of this series.

WHO HAS THE EDGE?




BULLPEN
NATS: The Nationals finished with the seventh-best bullpen in the majors, based on a 3.23 ERA. But they've also got one of the deepest relief corps in the postseason, with all eight guys boasting ERAs under 3.73 (six of them under 3.00). Drew Storen returned to his top form late in the season and earned his closer's job back. Tyler Clippard, though, struggled big-time down the stretch and is a question mark entering this series. Sean Burnett had some struggles late but seemed to right himself just in time. Ryan Mattheus, Craig Stammen, Michael Gonzalez and Tom Gorzelanny quietly put together outstanding seasons. And the X-factor might well be rookie Christian Garcia, who made the postseason roster after only 13 big-league appearances.

CARDS: This was not one of the better units in the majors, ranking 20th with a 3.90 ERA. But the Cardinals do have a lights-out trio at the back end, with midseason acquisition Edward Mujica (1.03 ERA), setup man Mitchell Boggs (2.21 ERA) and closer Jason Motte (42 saves) lined up well for the seventh-through-ninth innings. Their biggest weakness: a lack of lefties. Marc Rzepczynski is the lone southpaw in the bullpen, and manager Mike Matheny will have to pick his spots to use him.

WHO HAS THE EDGE?




LINEUP
NATS: Beset by injuries for much of the season, the Nationals finally got healthy late and became quite productive because of it. They boast eight different regulars capable of hitting the ball out of the park and four players who mashed at least 22 homers. It all starts at the top, with Jayson Werth reaching base at a .387 clip and Bryce Harper causing all kinds of havoc as the No. 2 hitter. There are some lingering concerns about Michael Morse (dealing with a hand and hamstring issue) and Danny Espinosa (led the NL with 189 strikeouts) but these guys are capable of scoring runs in bunches when everyone gets going.

CARDS: Only the Brewers scored more runs in the NL than the Cardinals, who have thunder up and down the lineup. Five different guys hit at least 20 homers and three different guys drove in at least 90 runs. The 2-3-4 combo of Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday and Allen Craig is particularly tough to hold in check, and Yadier Molina remains one of the best clutch hitters in the game. The Cardinals lineup is skewered toward the right side of the plate, and they lost a key piece in leadoff man and shortstop Rafael Furcal (though rookie Pete Kozma was fantastic down the stretch).

WHO HAS THE EDGE?




BENCH
NATS: Davey Johnson made it a priority last winter to upgrade his bench, and the Nationals went out and did just that. Chad Tracy is one of the best pinch-hitters in the game. After years of teasing everyone with his ability, Roger Bernadina blossomed into a fantastic fourth outfielder and triple-threat at the plate, in the field and on the bases. Rookies Tyler Moore and Steve Lombardozzi showed maturity beyond their years. Backup catcher Jesus Flores often struggled when called upon, but he's not likely to see much (if any) action in this series, unless starter Kurt Suzuki gets hurt.

CARDS: Manager Mike Matheny has some versatile pieces at his disposal, with just about everyone having the ability to play multiple positions. Corner infielder Matt Carpenter and utilityman Skip Schumaker are the best of the bunch. What the Cardinals don't have is a ton of speed off the bench or a true pinch-hitting specialist in the mold of Tracy.

WHO HAS THE EDGE?





HEAD-TO-HEAD THIS SEASON
(By Chase Hughes, CSNwashington.com)
These teams met seven times during the regular season, all late, with the Nationals winning four of those games. Most of the contests, surprisingly, were blowouts, but overall the head-to-head stats are close...

Games won: Nats 4, Cardinals 3
Runs: Nats 43, Cardinals 40
Hits: Nats 74, Cardinals 64
Home runs: Nats 10, Cardinals 8
Batting average: Nats .294, Cardinals .268
Strikeouts: Nats 59, Cardinals 53

Here is a look at how those seven games played out...

Aug. 30 at Nationals Park
Nats 8, Cardinals 1
The Nationals began the season series with a blowout of the Cardinals thanks to some early offense and one of Edwin Jackson's best starts of the season. Facing his former team, Jackson struck out 10 and allowed just four hits with zero earned runs in eight innings of work. His 123 pitches that day were a season high. Bryce Harper got things started early with a two-run homer in the first. The Nationals continued to pile on runs and gave Jaime Garcia one of his worst starts of the season.
Original game story

Aug. 31 at Nationals Park
Nats 10, Cardinals 0

In the second game the Nationals saw a similar result, this time with Gio Gonzalez pitching the gem. Gonzalez threw a shutout, the first of his career, with just five hits allowed in his 17th win of the year. The Nationals got out to a first-inning lead once again as Adam LaRoche hit a two-run single off Adam Wainwright. The Nats ended up scoring six earned runs off the NLDS Game 1 starter in just 2 2/3 innings.
Original game story

Sept. 1 at Nationals Park
Cardinals 10, Nats 9

The Nationals again got off to an early lead, scoring four off Kyle Lohse in the first inning. Jordan Zimmermann gave it all back, though, and the Nats entered the eighth inning up 9-8. St. Louis tied it at 9 when Carlos Beltran hit an RBI single off Sean Burnett. Drew Storen entered for the ninth and allowed a leadoff single to Allen Craig, who then stole second and scored the winning run off a deep line drive by David Freese.
Original game story

Sept. 2 at Nationals Park
Nats 4, Cardinals 3

The fourth game of the series didn't feature the kind of high scoring that the previous three did, with Stephen Strasburg pitching six scoreless innings and striking out nine. Strasburg, though, didn't earn the win after Sean Burnett allowed a two-run homer to Daniel Descalso in the seventh. The Nats were able to earn the victory by getting to reliever Lance Lynn. Lynn allowed RBI singles to Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa in the bottom of the seventh and gave up a lead the Nats would hold. Tyler Clippard came in to pitch the ninth and earned his 29th save.
Original game story

Sept. 28 at Busch Stadium
Cardinals 12, Nats 2

Edwin Jackson could not recreate the magic from his first start against the Cardinals and put in his worst outing of the season. Jackson allowed eight earned runs in 1 1/3 innings and left the game completely out of hand. St. Louis had won eight of its previous 10 games and was showing no signs of slowing down. Adam Wainwright, on the other hand, was able to redeem himself in his second start against the Nats. He pitched six innings of one-run ball and allowed just five hits and one walk. Despite the loss, the Nats' magic number to win the division was lowered to 2 after the Braves blew a late lead to the Mets.
Original game story

Sept. 29 at Busch Stadium
Nats 6, Cardinals 4 (10)

After taking a beating the day before, the Nationals earned a big win in extra innings off an RBI double by Kurt Suzuki. Jordan Zimmermann pitched masterfully against a hot Cardinals lineup by beginning the game with six scoreless innings. He ended up surrendering three in the seventh before getting pulled. Michael Morse got Washington started with a phantom grand slam in the first off Kyle Lohse, told by umpires to recreate his swing following a video review. It was the second time the Nats dropped four on Lohse in the first inning of a game this season. The Nats' magic number for the N.L. East was lowered to 1 as the Braves won to prevent the champagne celebration.
Original game story

Sept. 30 at Busch Stadium
Cardinals 10, Nats 4

Ross Detwiler took the mound in his home state with a chance to help the Nationals clinch the N.L. East. But St. Louis regained its hitting stroke and quickly made sure there would be no celebration for the Nats at Busch Stadium. Detwiler allowed five runs in the second before being yanked, and his replacement, Chien-Ming Wang, couldn't stop the bleeding with two runs allowed in the third. The Nationals did make it interesting in the fourth by getting to Lance Lynn once again for three runs, but Wang immediately served up a homer to Carlos Beltran and the Cardinals ran away with it.
Original game story

THE FINAL VERDICT
Every matchup in October is a tough one, and this certainly qualifies for the Nationals. The Cardinals obviously have the experience and talent up and down the roster to win this series and make a deep run at their second straight World Series title. The Nationals, though, won 98 games for a reason. They had one of the best pitching staffs in the majors, one of the most productive lineups, one of the deepest bullpens and have one of the best managers around.

They must win at least one of these first two games in St. Louis, though, because the prospect of returning home down 0-2 and needing both Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler to keep their season alive is not one they want to experience. If either Gio Gonzalez or Jordan Zimmermann (or both) can churn out quality performances in Games 1 and 2, and if someone can produce a big late hit against a potentially shaky St. Louis bullpen, the Nats should be able to steal at least one game here.

Then it becomes a matter of whether they can beat veterans Chris Carpenter and Kyle Lohse in Games 3 and 4 at home. If they manage to win only one of those, this thing goes to a decisive Game 5. In that potential showdown, look for Gonzalez to step up big and pitch the Nationals into the NLCS.

WHO WINS THE SERIES?



101 comments:

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

JayB from the other post Aroldis Chapman was supposed to be a starter. That turned out to be stupid money for a Rookie closer, now a Veteran closer who has had injury issues.

Last night was looking like a scene of HRod.



Eugene in Oregon said...

Mark Z: Here's hoping your analysis proves spot-on. GYFNG!

MicheleS said...

Don't forget the manager: Edge Nationals.

Tcostant said...

I cannot wait. I feel young again!

Joe Seamhead said...

uh-oh, now I'm nervous. Mark Z hasn't been too good on his predictions so far this year.
Just kidding,we got this.
GYFNG!!!

JayB said...

injury issues like strass or zimNN...come one.21 year olds have injuries and bad outings...see strass..he would be a great asset for the next 6 years....Maya and Martin....never will be and never were....Rizzo said point blank that on the day of the move and several times later.....Maya was MLB ready.......

Tcostant said...

The Nats have won a lot of series this year. They just need to win another few. I'm not worried.

nats guy said...

JayB Can't you just enjoy anything without screwing it up for everybody else. I swear if they win the WS you'll be worrying about somebody that Rizzo took a chance on that didn't pan out. Calm down and enjoy. You and Peric just need to stop pretending you know everything and stop having to be always right even when you aren't.

natsfan1a said...

Seriously? This team won the division, and it isn't done yet. Could we maybe hold off on the GM critiques for the time being and enjoy the ride? Just a thought.

Doc said...

Yeah Mark, don't forget Davey.

Davey vs. Dusty----no contest!

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

MicheleS said...

Don't forget the manager: Edge Nationals.

October 07, 2012 10:53 AM

Big-time edge. Huge.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

JayB, much has been written on closers and while they technically dont win games, they preserve the Win, the difference between the best and 5th best closer is small. Statistically the 2 best closers are sitting at home now in Fernando Rodney and Craig Kimbrel.

Aroldis Chapman, Jim Johnson, Drew Storen, Motte, Soriano, Balfour, Valverde, are your last guys standing.

Chapman walked bases loaded last night and wild pitched in a run.

mick said...

Looking ahead, the Reds really impressed me last night. Losing there ace will have an effect down the road, but to bounce back like they did verse Giants on the road was inmpressive

mick said...

Impressed with Cards, but gang this team does not have Pujols and is Carpenter really 100%?

I think those factors really help the Nats in the long run

zregime said...

Joe Seamhead: Yes, excellently put. We got this.

Remember, O My Brothers and Sisters and Friends, that back in '87 our stepchildren the Twins faced a team in the World Series...wait for it...yeah, that's it. Steve Lombardozzi Sr. was on that team. The mojo is workin' and it's a darn fine thang.

We DO have this. Not because of kismet or karma or mojo or anything else. It's because we have better athletes, better ballplayers, than they do.

As they say in Chicagoland...Cuck the Fards.

GYFNG!!!

mick said...

zregime

Tom Kelly who was Twins manager is also very similar to Davey

peric said...

Well, JayB is still right about the International signings. Given the new Nats inspired draconian draft rules the GM needs to convince ownership to forget about Smileygate and move forward with that.

As for closers. The Nats feature a bullpen chock full of high velocity closers: Storen, Mattheus, and Garcia have closed at least in the minors and are capable of being shutdown closers. Pitchers like Clilppard, Burnett, and Gonzalez are capable of closing but use guile more ... instead of vast variance in velocities of their pitches. If necessary Detwiler is also capable of filling in as a high-octane relief specialist.

Given his previous performance against the Cardinals he will be looking for a way to make up for it. Detwiler's relief appearances weren't as good as his starting performances but he might raise his game for the playoffs and now he'd have a veteran catcher in Suzuki calling his pitches.

You want to know the X-factor? The next Cody Ross? It may just be Ross Detwiler. Just because he is a young, talented lefty just finding out how good he can be.

Edge NATS.

zregime said...

Mick: Spot on!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, after this series, look for the Nationals to be watching from home. They just don't have the bats. One little hickup in a short series and they're done. But hopefully....GO NATIONALS!!!!!!!!!!!!

peric said...

You and Peric just need to stop pretending you know everything and stop having to be always right even when you aren't.

Get a life bandwagon dude. Here's a quarter go out and play in traffic ... or maybe stand on your head and spit nickels. Do something useful moron.

Gonat said...

Go Tommy Milone!!!!!!

Manassas Nats' Fan said...

The Cards are a tough match up but all would be at this point. GYFNG

Doc said...

In truth Mark, our Nats were better hitters than the House of Cards during the 2nd half of the season. So we have to give the Nats the edge here too!

Post ASG, 2012 Nats vs. Cards:

Nats 50 more Runs

Nats 41 more HR's

Nats better SLG & OPS

Nats better BA: .273 vs. 268

Nats even stole a few more bases Post ASG than the Cards!

Go Gio, Go!! GoooooooooooooooNats!!!!!!!!!!!

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

MLB Network with the coolest intro. Hope you all saw it. A photo album comes to life on the pages.

peric said...

Rizzo said point blank that on the day of the move and several times later.....Maya was MLB ready.......

He may be. He had a pretty decent year in AAA for the Chiefs. Just not for the post-Riggleman Nats. Trade, signing, plus Detwiler and Zimmermann finally maturing. He isn't needed. He can pitch in relief but is he better than Stammen or Gorzelanny?

Maya will get a job in the majors. Its just going to take longer than he thought it would mostly because he no longer has the 94 mph inside heat that he used to effect in the World Baseball Classic. I guess its kind of hard to scout Cuban pitchers ... at this point it sure seems as if the position players are panning out as better than the pitching crop. And many held that the reverse would be true.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Michael Morse hits 2 HRs today is all I have to say.

MicheleS said...

Rabbit.. Thanks for the lock.

Peric.. Unless you got to see the 1924 World Seris Nats like the gentleman in the WaPo Profile did, everyone is a bandwagon fan.

MicheleS said...

Ghost.. and none of Beast's HR's will be Phantom ones ;-)

A DC Wonk said...

They just don't have the bats.

Silly wabbit. Do you just make this stuff up?

How in the world do you claim that a team that has splits of .273/.331/.441/.772 after the ASG a team that doesn't have bats?

(St.L. for that same time period: .268/.334/.406/.740)

Since you're looking to speak ill of the Nats, at least make it halfway factual.

peric said...

MLB Network with the coolest intro. Hope you all saw it. A photo album comes to life on the pages.

I still like the Gangnem Style video ... hilarious.

A DC Wonk said...

(Doc, I owe you a coke!)

MicheleS said...

And Peric.. here is the link to the article on
Bertram R. Abramson.

Since you are not him, please include yourself in the bandwagon fans.

MicheleS said...

Gonat.. agree..

GO TOMMY MILONE!!!!

peric said...

Peric.. Unless you got to see the 1924 World Seris Nats like the gentleman in the WaPo Profile did, everyone is a bandwagon fan.

I'll compromise and say the 1933 team ...

Except that franchise now lies in the land of 1000 lakes. Was lost to DC JUST BEFORE it got really good and in good part due to those "International signings" JayB likes to bring up. The key to those Senators/Twins teams were in fact international signings.

The other franchise lost to the verdamned Orioles in the Wild Card. It took a bit longer to get good after the move.

So, I guess we start in 2005 and carry over the Montreal Expos franchise records and history. Adding in some transgeneration grief over losing seaasons and losing teams that the Nats fans have suffered. Makes for an interesting mix ...


A DC Wonk said...

Peric, why do you keep calling others bandwagon fans? How the heck do you know if they are? And, further, so what if they are? It really comes across as infantile, and reminiscent of 2d graders saying "my dad can beat up your dad". I mean -- who cares?

Do you know the first Nats game I attended? You have no idea, do you? But does it matter?

And another thing: the Nats had pretty lousy attendance during those 100+ loss season. So your choices are:

(a) reject/insult any new fan since then, and make sure the Nats have poor attendance forever; or

(b) welcome new fans, so that some day the Nats will be pulling in more than 2.3M fans.

peric said...

Since you are not him, please include yourself in the bandwagon fans.

Dear Miss Google. Look up transgenerational grief.

Doh!

MicheleS said...

Sorry Peric, no compromise on bandwagon fans, Unless you actually saw the 1924 WS, you are a bandwagon fan. Welcome aboard.

MicheleS said...

Loving that Tommy is playing today. Just want the A's to win today.

peric said...

(a) reject/insult any new fan since then, and make sure the Nats have poor attendance forever; or

YOU AGAIN FAIL TO SEE THE POINT? Are you sure you are a Math graduate? I mean it surprised me to see your post about Boz using trigonometry when basic statistics works just find in nature? Talk about insulting someone who didn't deserve it dude!

He started with the insults dunce cap ... I wasn't saying anything ... if you are going to insult someone who wasn't saying anything at all? You have to expect some feedback.

Go ahead and start the gang up wars there Wonk and MichelleS ... you know what will happen ...

natsfan1a said...

Go, Nats! Go, A's! :-)

natsfan1a said...

Oh, and Giants, too! :-)

peric said...

Sorry Peric, no compromise on bandwagon fans, Unless you actually saw the 1924 WS, you are a bandwagon fan. Welcome aboard.

Sorry MichelleS but its not the way we true locals see things. And since you are not ...

MicheleS said...

This is funny by Kilgore:

Adam Kilgore‏@AdamKilgoreWP

Total facial expressions for Jordan Zimmermann during his press conference: 1

MicheleS said...

Really Peric? All the true locals that I have met at the games are thrilled to see all the new fans. There is a retired couple from DC in my section and they love seeing all the people come out to the park. I mean they have been to every game since 2005 and are thrilled.

What has been your experience at Nats Park?

Swift Eagle said...

The main thing I noticed from the first few playoff games was an increase by all the teams in errors, wild pitches, wild throws, dropped balls, etc...It will be interesting to see which Nats raise their games, which ones play the same, and which ones maybe shrink a little...

Hopefully the Nats find their Scot Brosius, Scott Spiezo, and Rick Dempsey types!...

peric said...

What has been your experience at Nats Park?

It still galls me that my tax money made Camden Yards better ... and that damned Boog's barbecue.

It should be more like PacBel ... which I deem the very best in the majors.

Let me know when you figure out where Hoover's cats are buries Miss Google.

zregime said...

peric + playoffs = buzzkill

peric don't want it...never did want it...

peric, you WANT our Natties to lose so you can keep wallowing in the mire

As the B-52's sang, "Get out of the state you're in"

We got this

MicheleS said...

Swift there has definitely been some jitters in the first few days. Let's hope they attack the cards.

peric said...

Zregime the zMantis just ate your head off ... you are now a headless zombie.

peric said...

You know y'all can keep ganging up on me and show your true maturity levels. Or you can back off before you start something where Mark has to step in again ...

My god probably the same numbskulls who constantly complain about Howard Stern's sardonic humor.

Gonat said...

I'm signing off. The insults on such a happy day is a joke. Who is the bigger fan. Who said what first. Blah blah blah. Call me when you grow up.

MicheleS said...

I wonder if with the weather if anyone shows up to the MASN party at the Fairgrounds?

peric said...

And once again, the sites self anointed genious exhibiting his total lack of social skills.

And once again the self-appointed king of onomatopoeic edicts joins the gang up ... back to your lawn chair old man.

MicheleS said...

When did Jhonny Peralta start playing SS for the Tigers?

Swift Eagle said...

Probably just people who live nearby Michele...I doubt very many will brave traffic on a Redskins home date to get down there on a day like this...

Swift Eagle said...

Why did they start Det/Oak game at 12N??? Isn't that 8am Oakland time?

NatsLady said...

Eagle, yes, I notice that too. Gotta play a clean game and not give away bases and runs.

I wonder why Melvin scheduled Tommy to pitch away from home. The A's look overmatched--it's early yet, but they do. Wild pitch.

Swift Eagle said...

While I agree with others who been critical of the TV announcers in the playoff games, one thing they have been correct on is: "Every base runner is a rally" Amazing how different it feels than a game in July...

MicheleS said...

Swift 9 am local.

Can't have the Giants start early because of time zones, no 11 am local time start for the Cards. And GOD forbid they put the Yankees at an earlier time.

NatsLady said...

9 a.m. LOL. Well, they are used to football at that time, I guess.

peric said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Swift 9am out here. Been up for hours.

MicheleS said...

NatsLady.. Isn't Comerica considered a pitchers park (excluding the Prince/Miggy tandem)? Maybe that's why Melvin thought it was okay to pitch Tommy there.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Signing off too. NatsJack, you're the best.

NatsLady said...

If you don't mind the delay (or you can DVR for about a minute) the Detroit guys are excellent.

Swift Eagle said...

That's right, 9am in Oak and 11am in Detroit..Wonder if the the Nats first home game will be early afternoon? The Sun Monster may be back...

I can't imagine too many of those Oakland Mosh Pit fans are awake and watching on TV at 9am on a Sunday!

NatsLady said...

Tommy--what? Nerves?

peric said...

I wonder why Melvin scheduled Tommy to pitch away from home. The A's look overmatched--it's early yet, but they do. Wild pitch.

The outfield in Oakland is cavernous. But Milone is their most effective starter after Bartolo Colon (I can't believe I am saying that!) Brandon McCarthy should be but ...

Have to figure they feel Oakland's cavernous confines are safer for Colon than for Milone.

The Real Feel Wood. Accept no substitutes. said...

Clearly when peric ordered his meds from Canada pre-season he didn't factor in the possibility of the Nats making the playoffs.

MicheleS said...

Swift.. those folks in the Mosh pit are just getting home.

NatsLady said...

Detroit is in the Eastern time zone. It's the same time there as here.

Swift Eagle said...

Wild pitches, walks, and hit batters from T. Millone....

The play by play guy just described the HBP saying: "That one was just a little too far inside"

Lol..

NatsNut said...

Get all the bickering out of your systems here so it's not on our first postseason game thread.

Swift Eagle said...

Haha..Thanks NL, obviously I don't get out much! It's still about 12:45pm in NoVA right? Lol

MicheleS said...

How great is this:

Mark Zuckerman‏@ZuckermanCSN

John McLaren, who managed #Nats 3 games last June between Riggleman and Davey, here as advance scout for A's. Also managing China in WBC.

peric said...

Clearly when peric ordered his meds from Canada pre-season he didn't factor in the possibility of the Nats making the playoffs..

And clearly when FeelWood ordered his toys from the Canadian Adult Stores he was clearly ready for his groping groupies ... except he is all alone? What will he do with all of those toys?

Swift Eagle said...

My radio is actually ahead of my TV broadcast, it's annoying, but I will still be listening to Charlie and Dave while watching....I'm not letting TBS ruin this for me

zregime said...

My last post of the day, before gametime: When (not if) we win it all, I want to host a World Series Winners Happy Hour at a local joint and it's on me. Don't know where y'all are at but I'm gonna start the bidding by saying Growlers in G'Burg. Other nominations definitely welcomed. We will high five and hug and cry when it comes over us, realizing that, as Seals and Crofts once sang, We May Never Pass This Way Again.

peric, you're welcomed too.

C-Y-Y! G-I-O!

MicheleS said...

For those not on twitter from Kolko:

Drake's living the life

peric said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Swift Eagle said...

There's just no such thing as a routine play in these games...

NatsLady said...

There was a bad play on both ends. LaRoche would have picked it.

MicheleS said...

UGH:

Mark Zuckerman‏@ZuckermanCSN

Marvin Hudson umping first base for Game 1. Somebody at MLB has a twisted sense of humor.

peric said...

peric, you're welcomed too.

You'll need the County fair grounds ... I fear going there ... it has changed so much from the bucolic farm land it once was ...

MicheleS said...

Come on Oakland! Get some runs!!!

Swift Eagle said...

They called the Cabrera play a hit?? So the run is earned, for now...

NatsLady said...

It was an error on both ends, so they compromised by calling it a hit. ;)

NatsLady said...

Nice throw!

Swift Eagle said...

Great throw..Anyone else get the MLB TV Postseason Add on? Pretty cool with extra camera angles and you can watch Batting Practice..

NatsLady said...

Yes, I have it. It was free... not sure how that happened. Didn't know you could watch batting practice.

NatsLady said...

Cards new mascot

https://twitter.com/MattSebek/status/254978096359428096/photo/1

natsfan1a said...

Sweet.

MicheleS said...

For those not on twitter from Kolko:

Drake's living the life
October 07, 2012 12:51 PM

peric said...

Yes, I have it. It was free... not sure how that happened. Didn't know you could watch batting practice.

Crap that didn't work for me ... Not sure I like having to pick camera angles seem to end up in quad mode. Not why we are stuck having to pick camera angles as the only means to watch the game? Have to wait until 2014 for mlb to take back its rights for its online broadcasts.

natsfan1a said...

Also, his doo-wop skills are seriously lacking.

Chapman walked bases loaded last night and wild pitched in a run.

natsfan1a said...

http://mlbfancave.mlb.com/fancave/video.jsp?content_id=22404919&topic_id=21106446&c_id=mlb#fbid=Qn59DtMfXp9

Doc said...

Thanks for the future coke DC Wonk!

Make it diet, Kid!

Looking for a Nats' sweep, and enjoying my delusions on TBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GoooooooooooooooooNats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe Seamhead said...

zregime, I hope to take you up on your offer!

Section 222 said...

zregime, you're a good man. and if you're buying, you can pick the place. i'll be there if i can. i still remember you're the guy who predicted the Nats would win over 90 games. hats off to you my friend. even the know it all of this board didn't get that right, except maybe in his history rewriting head.

SonnyG10 said...

Most of our boys will be getting their first post-season experience today. They will be changed forever, in a good way. Go Nats!!!

JaneB said...

two strikes!

Section 222 said...

I like having the pitchtrack up for every pitch. Even when it shows that the pitch was, in fact, not "on the outside corner." MASN take note. It can be done.

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