The Nationals head home for Game 3 after a lopsided 12-4 to the Cardinals in St. Louis. Despite splitting the series before their home field advantage kicks in, the Nationals have to correct some mistakes if they are to win the series. One of those problem areas is pitching as Mark reported on in last night's Geico SportsNet Central:
All-Star Bryce Harper has been a weak link in the Nats' lineup through two games. In ten at-bats Harper has just one hit with six strikeouts. After yesterday's game he was asked if perhaps he was being "over-anxious" at the plate. It was a question Harper didn't particularly like:
Jordan Zimmermann had one of the worst starts of his career in Game 2 as Mark outlined last night. Here is Zimmermann describing the outing in his own words:
Manager Davey Johnson took stock of the loss after the game, here are his comments:
Adam LaRoche put the loss in simple terms. "We got smoked," he said:
Danny Espinosa, who is 1-for-6 with three strikeouts in the series, echoed a feeling around the locker room that getting one game in St. Louis sets them up well as the series now moves to Washington:
81 comments:
I don't like the attitude of 'one win outta here'.
Jackson pitched Game 4 of the NLDS last year. The series was 2-1 Filly, so it was an elimination game. He had a rough first inning (2 runs) but settled down after that. He's felt pressure and I would bet he wants another ring.
Brian Oliver had a great comment on Twitter just now.
Nats win 3-2 and get blown out and everyone is hysterical about their pitching and their diminished chances. Orioles do THE EXACT SAME THING except in reverse order, and everyone is talking about their poise and spinning things positively.
The only differences between the Nats and Os right now is the Nats get to play the next 3 at home while the Os have to go to New York. But if you read the papers this morning you'd think the Nats are as good as eliminated due to their horrible pitching and the Os are about to advance.
The Nats' pitching staff had a bad night last night, and the starters have had two iffy outings in a row. But before that they had three well-pitched games in a row, including a stellar start from tomorrow's starter just a week ago. Neither tiny sample means anything.
These 5 game series are crucial to the first team that gets to 2 wins whether its 2-1 or 2-0. The Nats have to find a way to go up 2-1 tomorrow.
The Nats can't afford for EJax to throw a stinker in the 1st or 2nd inning. I would much rather see him throw a simulated 1st inning in the bullpen since EJax has difficulty getting thru the 1st inning and get 6 innings out of him instead of riding him to 7 innings.
The Cardinals know him well and EJax knows them well.
Wait, isn't that way too many characters for the Tweeter? I like the sentiment, though.
bowdenball, excellent points.
I paraphrased, natsfan1a. And then added some of my own thoughts.
It's a point worth repeating. Fans and the media always react to the most recent result, but this is baseball. One game's result has almost nothing to do with the next one. Nats fans need only harken back to the gloom and doom after the Nats blew a nine run lead to the Braves in July for evidence of that.
The Nats are probably more likely to win this series than they were three days ago. And the pitching is no more or less likely to excel than it was three days ago. I don't know how it will turn out, but I know that yesterday's disaster only means that the Cards won a game and the series is tied, nothing more.
Bowdenball,
I think overall the Nats are in a decent position because they get to finish up the series at home. You have to figure that the Nats have at least a 55% - 60% chance of winning this series.
I am concerned that the 1st too games pitched by our best 2 pitchers were mediocre followed by bad and going into the next 2 games we have our 4 - 5 starters ( or 3 - 4) pitching for our playoff lives.
Come hell or high water this is and has been a tremendous season and nothing will put a sour taste in my mouth but having said that I bought tickets for games 1 and 2 of the NLCS and made hotel reservations in DC and took Monday and Tuesday off work so nothing I say should be misconstrued as doom.
Hmmmmm.....throw a simulated first inning in the pen before taking the mound. Thats a pretty good idea Ghost. Don't know if it would work, but it couldn't hurt.
But we desperately gotta get the sticks going. Wish we played at our normal 7:05 time. But at least the sun shouldn't be a problem at 1pm
I would love to know more of how McCatty, Suzuki and the pitchers go about Game Planning.
Pure ability will win games but ability with good game planning should raise your chance of winning.
I still see too many fastballs and not exploiting the batters weaknesses. I don't know the Cardinals batters well enough to know their weaknesses but this is why you have scouting and planning sessions to put those scouting reports to work.
Ghost,
'These 5 game series are crucial to the first team that gets to 2 wins whether its 2-1 or 2-0. The Nats have to find a way to go up 2-1 tomorrow.'
Last year the Cards came back from 1 - 2 to beat the phills. I think that every single game is equally important. There is no law that says the Nats or the Cards can't win 2 games in a row even after losing tomorrow.
I'm still savoring the fact that Medlen and the Braves are watching these games on their TVs.
The Nats still have a lot of baseball to play because they won the Division.
I'm not upset by the "L" yesterday. I am upset by the pitching strategy, and the lack of clutch when the Nats had Garcia on the ropes.
Thanks for clarifying, Bowdenball. Good points, as noted.
An excellent note of sanity bowdenball. Just imagine what this blog would look like if the two results were reversed. We'd be fired up and optimistic now, even rabbit.
Ghost, I've heard this idea of a simulated first inning thrown around for years. Wang supposedly needed it. Even JZnn, who sometimes got tagged in the 1st, now E-Jax. Have you ever actually heard of team trying it and having it work?
I guess I'm just not convinced that this is an idea that has any merit in the real world. Facing a guy standing with the bat on his shoulder is just not the same as pitching to the top of the Cardinals' lineup. And if it's all just mental, well, the pitcher is going to have the same mental issues when he sees Jay, Beltran, and Holliday in the "second" inning as the first.
JD, the odds have always been the team that gets to 2 wins 1st has the advantage. It is certainly no guarantee.
Memo to JZim.....let it rip on the first pitch. You are always down 0-1 with that first pitch fastball right down the middle.
bowdenball said...
Brian Oliver had a great comment on Twitter just now.
Nats win 3-2 and get blown out and everyone is hysterical about their pitching and their diminished chances. Orioles do THE EXACT SAME THING except in reverse order, and everyone is talking about their poise and spinning things positively.
Except the Orioles didn't get "blown out" in Game 1. That game was tied until their closer Johnson melted down in the 9th inning. Also, the Orioles immediately countered that loss of momentum by bouncing back in Game 2. The Nats have yet to show that they can bounce back from yesterday's drubbing.
Aside from knowing who won or lost, just focusing on the final score really doesn't tell you all that much about a game.
I don't know how it will turn out, but I know that yesterday's disaster only means that the Cards won a game and the series is tied, nothing more.
Oh, it means a lot more than that. But exactly what it means won't be known until after this series is over.
Feel Wood,
The blown out things means nothing. I felt throughout the game that the Nats had a chance to come back right up to the silly running error by Harper. The pen blew up a bit yesterday especially all the lefties but in the end it counts as 1 game.
As I recall the Cards crushed Zimmermann in one game in early September as well but the Nats came back and won the series 3 - 1.
JD, actually Nats had tied that game and taken lead at one point in that blowout loss. they could have done that yesterday also but just did not click as much as last time.
31-17 is Cards' record against LH starting pitchers and 57-57 against RH pitchers. Let's hope Ejax sticks to these numbers.
Feel Wood said...
"I don't know how it will turn out, but I know that yesterday's disaster only means that the Cards won a game and the series is tied, nothing more.
Oh, it means a lot more than that. But exactly what it means won't be known until after this series is over."
Your second sentence actually disproves your first one and proves my point. If yesterday meant something you wouldn't have to wait until after the subsequent results to tell us what it is. Any fool can draw up a narrative to fit the results after they're known. If you think the result yesterday have significance beyond a single game, NOW is the time to say it.
Oh, it means a lot more than that. But exactly what it means won't be known until after this series is over.
Which means people will assign meaning to events after the fact, and create a narrative to fit the data. It's what we do.
I still see too many fastballs and not exploiting the batters weaknesses. I don't know the Cardinals batters well enough to know their weaknesses but this is why you have scouting and planning sessions to put those scouting reports to work.
I have heard McCatty in interviews say he favors pitching to your own strength, not the hitters' weaknesses, unless it's fairly extreme. How that is supposed to look in practice, I won't bother guessing.
Do I owe Bowdenball a coke, or did I merely agree with him before I saw his post? We'll have to wait until the thread is done to find out, I guess.
Yay, bow ties are cool. Not sure if they are as cool as fezzes.
Section 3, My Playoffs Sofa said...
"Do I owe Bowdenball a coke, or did I merely agree with him before I saw his post? We'll have to wait until the thread is done to find out, I guess."
Don't want to employ and overused internet abbreviation but I literally laughed out loud at the second sentence.
Section 222 said...
Ghost, I've heard this idea of a simulated first inning thrown around for years. Wang supposedly needed it. Even JZnn, who sometimes got tagged in the 1st, now E-Jax. Have you ever actually heard of team trying it and having it work?
It worked with JZim in 2009. EJax generally gets better as the game progresses and just thinking of ideas to change his 1st inning woes.
Just can't afford to get out to a shakey start. The reason EJax is here from what people have said over and over is for his experience and playoff experience.
The time is now.
not as cool as 11 wins, FS. ; )
After a 9-day layoff JZ had trouble locating his fastball. He is the one guy in the rotation who suffers when deviating from his normal routine.
Each game stands on its own, and tomorrow's game is no different.
Harp will be fine. He seems to rise to every challenge. If he and Werth get on, then Zim, ALR and Morse will drive them in. The Nats proved that they can pitch to the Cards in game 1, and that they can hit the Cards' staff in game 2. They can put those 2 factors together for 2 more games and prepare for the Reds (or Giants) next.
And is it just me, or are all those videos up there making this page load r .... e ... a ... l ... l ... y s ... l ... o ... w ... l ... y?
Heck, that's our specialty. :-)
Which means people will assign meaning to events after the fact, and create a narrative to fit the data. It's what we do.
As I recall the Cards crushed Zimmermann in one game in early September as well but the Nats came back and won the series 3 - 1.
That game wasn't a blowout. The Nats went up 4-0 in the first, Zim gave back 2 in the second and the Nats answered with 2 in the bottom of the inning to go up 6-2. Zim then gave up 2 and 4 in succesive innings to put the Nats down 8-6. They came back with 3 in the bottom of the 6th to go up 9-8. But then Burnett gave up 1 in the 8th to tie the game, and Storen gave up 1 in the 9th to lose it 10-9.
Does the way they lost that game mean something? If so, then losing a blowout has to mean something too. Otherwise nothing means anything.
It means they pitched like crap, that day.
Depends on what you mean by "meaning," I guess. The Astros and Cubs lost a lot of games; does that mean they are bad teams? Yeah, probably.
But what happens in St. Louis on Monday doesn't have any real predictive meaning for what happens in DC on Wednesday, between two fairly evenly matched baseball teams.
Facing a guy standing with the bat on his shoulder is just not the same as pitching to the top of the Cardinals' lineup.
Throwing a simulated inning means more than just having a guy stand there with a bat on his shoulder. It means mixing up your pitches, varying your timing, and doing other such things that you might not do in the normal course of warming up.
And at this point in the season, the W is all that matters.
Davey used the words "young" and "inexperienced" and "learning" quite a few times in a two-minute interview.
Pappy, I noticed that. I wonder if it's not starting to get on his nerves a little.
But what happens in St. Louis on Monday doesn't have any real predictive meaning for what happens in DC on Wednesday, between two fairly evenly matched baseball teams.
If nothing else, the Monday result has meaning in that it will affect how they choose to respond to it. Can they ignore it, put it behind them, play game 3 as if game 2 never happened? Remains to be seen. But had game 2 played out differently, the team would now be asking themselves different questions heading into game 3. There's your meaning. It's not "nothing."
Throwing a simulated inning means more than just having a guy stand there with a bat on his shoulder. It means mixing up your pitches, varying your timing, and doing other such things that you might not do in the normal course of warming up.
Wow really? I never knew that! I just thought they warmed up with a guy standing at the plate and called it a simulated inning. So glad you're here to review my comments and educate me.
Now, since you're such an expert on simulated innings, have you ever known it to actually be done right before a game as an antidote for first inning blowups, with the pitches counting against the pitcher's pitch count? While you're at it, say that 10 times fast. Or did you just want to school me without actually answering the question I raised.
Ghost, I remember JZnn's 2009 problem, and I remember the suggestion of a simulated first inning. But did they actually do that? I don't remember that being reported. Did they add the pitches in that "inning" to his pitch count?
There's your meaning. It's not "nothing."
Fair enough, it might affect their approach to game 3. That's why I added "predictive."
I am sure every "young", "inexperienced" Nat has gained a lot of necessary post-season experience over the last few days dealing with their emotions, their expectations, big crowds, etc. That can't be easy, no matter who you are (except, seemingly, Ian). I am sure that learning curve was steeper than they are willing to admit, especially Gio and Jordan, perhaps even Bryce too. Hopefully they can put some of that nervousness behind them now and just play the kind of ball we all know they are capable of playing. Go Nats!
Win or lose, they're learning plenty, Pappy, that's certain.
222, lose the combative attitude. It doesn't become you. As has been said before, it's not an argument, it's a discussion. Although I guess for you a discussion is the same thing as a monologue, eh? If you aren't willing to accept responses to your comments, why not just quit commenting altogether and make both our lives better?
Feel Wood said...
"If nothing else, the Monday result has meaning in that it will affect how they choose to respond to it. Can they ignore it, put it behind them, play game 3 as if game 2 never happened? Remains to be seen. But had game 2 played out differently, the team would now be asking themselves different questions heading into game 3. There's your meaning. It's not "nothing.""
Tomorrow is Polish Arbor Day. If nothing else, Polish Arbor Day has meaning in that it will affect how the Nats choose to respond to it. Can they ignore it, put it behind them, play game 3 as if it wasn't Polish Arbor Day? Remains to be seen. But if it was not Polish Arbor Day, the team would now be asking themselves different questions heading into game 3. There's your meaning. It's not "nothing."
How big is tomorrow's game? By my rough count, the Nats played 36 3-game series this year. (I did not look at 4 game series, or count the two series that were originally scheduled to be 3-gamers, but ended up being 2-gamers because of a rainout.)
The Nats won 23 of those 3-game series. In 20 of those series wins they won Game 1. Of the Nats' 13 series losses, not a single one started with a win. In other words, the winner of Game 1 of our 3-gamers this year won the series 33 out of 36 times.
No pressure E-Jax, but we're counting on you.
I believe they tried a simulated 1st inning with Wang last year, and I know they tried extending his warmup, far beyond that of the opposing pitcher. It certainly worked for a while in his case. Also, I recall Gio got amped up in a start when he only three thirteen warmup pitches, and later that abbreviated warmup was second-guessed.
The playoffs are a different animal. No matter how hard you try, the schedule is different, the travel is different, the rest between starts for pitchers is different--and that doesn't even count the extra interviews, reporters on site, crowds, and so forth. You can't avoid it, you have to manage it.
The Nats won 23 of those 3-game series. In 20 of those series wins they won Game 1. Of the Nats' 13 series losses, not a single one started with a win. In other words, the winner of Game 1 of our 3-gamers this year won the series 33 out of 36 times.
Some would probably tell you that means just about as much as a blowout loss.
I re-watched that inning from yesterday where JZim got shelled. Disclaimer - yes, he is a favorite player of mine. But - in watching again, I was astounded at how the BABIP worked against him. He tries for ground balls and every one of them found a hole or had eyes. You would have thought that at least one of them would go right at a defender. No - they all found holes. That can happen to a ground ball pitcher. The cardinals were possibly on their last game this season at home, they were stung from the night before. We were shaky.Usually we have good pitching or good hitting or good fielding. We can get by with either pitching or hitting, but not without both in the same game. The guys's routines have been exploded, the game is moving very fast for them right now. Hopefully they can regroup.
Sorry Feel, I'm not going to quit commenting, and I would never suggest that you quit either. I love discussions. That's why I raise questions and enjoy hearing what people have to say rather than trying to show them up. But if it's just a discussion, why did you selectively quote my comment and respond as if you were correcting me or suggesting that I don't understand the difference between a warmup and a simulated inning.
If I start a discussion and you want to add something, by all means do it. You have a lot to contribute. In this case, you're the one who turned it into an argument with your snide response.
By the way, say hi to pRAA if you see him. I've thought for a long time he was your alter-ego. Now I'm sure.
Some would probably tell you that means just about as much as a blowout loss.
I'm not a statistician, but I'm pretty sure anyone who would say that is probably incorrect.
I am not a big fan of a simulated inning before a game. Unless you are facing a hitter who is trying to crush your pitches and you are trying to get him out I see no special value in such an exercise.
With EJax it's sometimes a question of figuring out which pitches are working on a given day and getting a feel for certain pitches; you have to have a heat of battle to get all this straight.
Swami,
That's the downside of pitching to contact. You have to have pitches which miss bats. I think that when Zimmermann matures into a star he will strike out about 9 - 10 batters again making the BABIP odds better for overall success.
FYI, the Cards took Garcia off the playoff roster and put Shelby Miller on it.
playoff roster
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/09/the-cardinals-remove-jaime-garcia-from-the-playoff-roster-add-shelby-miller/
Section 222 said...
"In other words, the winner of Game 1 of our 3-gamers this year won the series 33 out of 36 times."
Out of curiosity, did you run the numbers for Games 2 or 3? Because 33 of 36 doesn't strike me as all that unusual. You'd expect it to be 27 out of 36 even if every game was 50/50, i.e. before adjusting for lopsided matchups and home field advantage.
I agree that tomorrow is obviously huge, but it's not really a momentum thing. It's the fact that one of two teams winning two baseball games in a row is unlikely, especially after you adjust for factors that might have played a role in the first result like talent disparity or home field.
But if it's just a discussion, why did you selectively quote my comment and respond as if you were correcting me or suggesting that I don't understand the difference between a warmup and a simulated inning.
If you haven't noticed, I selectively quote other people's comments too. Then I add some words of my own in response or amplification to them. Because that's what I do. That's how I always thought that discussions are created and carried on. Otherwise we'd all just be talking to ourselves, wouldn't we?
And since when is adding on to a point someone else made "correcting" them? Did I ever say what you said was wrong, 222? No I didn't. If you stood there and said "the sky is blue" and I added "azure blue", you'd say I was arguing with you. Cuz that's just what you do.
@BigCat, regarding RZim and the first pitch. He's batting .143 swinging at the first pitch and .270 when the count is 0-1. When he's ahead in the count, he's a monster. Seems like he's one of those guys that has to see one first.
In case anyone is ever looking to continue a discussion with something that is not a snide response, try this one. It has the Section222 Seal of Non-Snide Approval.
Wow really? I never knew that! I just thought they warmed up with a guy standing at the plate and called it a simulated inning. So glad you're here to review my comments and educate me.
One loss and everyone is cranky; sheesh !!
JD, people were cranky after Sundays win. This is high stakes on each game.
No need to worry Nats Nation , Rizzo said all year long that we are a year early , so no presure , he promise we will do it again next year , and the year after for the next 5 . :)
D'Gourds said...
Does anybody have any clue what time the game will be on Thursday? It's outrageous that mlb keeps us hostage--there is no reason they can't announce it earlier. It's as if people don't work or have lives and can drop everything at the drop of a hat to go to a game without prior notice.
There are four possible games on Thursday, and since MLB Network has already had its two, they will all have to go on TBS. Since we now know that game 4 of the Yankees-O's series will be necessary, it's a lock that that will be the night game. So the Nats game will be in the 1:00 or 4:00 slot. Which one probably depends on the outcome of the other two series (A's-Tigers and Reds-Giants). If one of those goes to a deciding game 5, it would go at 4:00. If both do, they'd probably put one at 4:00 and the other one late night (probably the Oakland game) unless they use TNT to have two games at the same time. But the Yankees and game 5 will always have priority over a game 4. So the only way the Nats game will be at 4:00 would be if both Oakland and SF are eliminated. Otherwise, it will probably be another 1:00 start. We could know as early as tonight, but I wouldn't put it past MLB to wait til tomorrow to announce it.
The Nats had 32 blowout games (5+) runs. They were 21-11.
On the day after the 11 blowout losses, here is what happened:
4/20: HOU 11-4. Next game won 2-0 (Miami)
5/6: PHI 9-3. Next game lost 5-4 (Pit)
5/15: SDP (6-1). Next game won 7-4 (Pit)
6/15: NYY (7-2). Next game lost 5-3 in 14 innings.
7/27: MIL (6-0). Next game won 4-1 (MIL)
7/31: PHI (8-0) Stras lost that one. Next game lost 3-2 (PHI)
8/14 SFG (6-1); Next game won 6-4 (SFG)
8/28 MIA (9-0); Next game won 8-4 (MIA)
9/9 MIA (8-0); Next game won 5-1 (NYM)
9/28 STL (12-2); Next game won 6-4 (STL)
9/30 STL (10-4); Next game lost 2-0 (PHI) - but clinched!!!
So, the record after blowout games is 7-4.
I would worry about Stammen, because it was 5-1 when he came in, and he didn't keep it there. Garcia and Mattheus were fine. As far as Burnett and Gonzalez and Gorzy (all lefties) if I'm McCatty I'm telling them, do your best, but don't throw your elbow out...just throw some pitches.
'JD, people were cranky after Sundays win. This is high stakes on each game.'
See; I don't think we should approach it this way. The season is already a huge success and anything we accomplish in the post season should be viewed as a bonus. I don't think the Nats should feel any pressure at all.
NL,
Stammen hasn't pitched well but he has to be the key long man in this series with all the right handed batters St.Louis brings. We can give Garcia more responsibility but I don't think he is up to pitching more than 2 innings max.
You know what has absolutely no meaning for tomorrow's game? Whether or not anyone here or on any other blog is cranky.
NatsLady- I don't think Davey made many errors over the weekend but his use of Stammen was one. Since Stammen's conversion to the pen I think he works best when he's used as a normal reliever instead of as a long man. He struggled when he came out for a second inning on Saturday before Mattheus bailed him out, and as soon as I saw him on Sunday I was worried because I thought he had tired just 24 hours earlier and it was too soon to bring him back.
Hate to criticize Davey, though, when he's doing such a great job with the team and did such a great job with the Tracy/Moore switch Saturday.
I meant Sunday, not Saturday obviously.
JD, I agree. That's why I'm a little worried about Stammen. He pitched so great that last game of the season, striking out 6 of 6. (Not that the Fillies cared that much). You can see that he is Davey's first "go-to" guy. Hopefully he will get the day off tomorrow because E-Jax is going seven and we are getting 10 runs...
My faith in Detwiler is limited. I'd like to see him do well on Thursday but I expect he will be on a very short leash.
NatsLady said...
JD, I agree. That's why I'm a little worried about Stammen. He pitched so great that last game of the season, striking out 6 of 6. (Not that the Fillies cared that much).
That was the Monday clinch loss when Stammen struck out six straight, not the last game on Wednesday. The Phillies might have cared a little on Monday, and definitely more than they did on Wednesday.
NL,
Well Thursday will depend on Wednesday. If we are pitching for our playoff lives on Thursday I'm sure everyone is in play; even Zimmermann but if we win on Wednesday Det may get a longer leash.
Det has pitched some really nice games when we least expected it but that Cardinal lineup against Det just does not feel like a good match up.
THURSDAY
NLDS Game 5, SF @ CIN: 1:07 p.m. (ET) TBS
NLDS Game 4, STL @ WSH: 4:07 p.m. (ET) TBS
ALDS Game 4, BAL @ NYY: 7:37 p.m. (ET) TBS
ALDS Game 5, DET @ OAK: 9:37 p.m. (ET) TNT
FRIDAY
ALDS Game 5, BAL @ NYY: 5:07 p.m. (ET) TBS
NLDS Game 5, STL @ WSH: 8:37 p.m. (ET) TBS
Thursday is @ 4:07pm barring sweep in A's/Tigers. Friday is 8:37pm.
https://twitter.com/BJRains/status/255735810022850562
FW, correct you are. Stammen didn't pitch on Oct 2 or 3, so he came in Sunday on 5 days' rest. Pick your explanation then--rust, nerves, pain...Or just the Cards finding their spots.
Did anyone catch Bryce's priceless quote. This is him in a nutshell.
Reporter: Have you found yourself to be overanxious...trying to do...
Bryce: [Interrupts, looking square at him] Do you think I look overanxious?
Reporter: Yeah
Bryce: Well maybe you should be our hitting coach [immediately looks away to next reporter]
Awesome.
Actually, Nats Lady, re your interesting post @2:26 on record after blowout losses, it would be 8-3 if you look at it in terms of how the Nats performed on the field, which is what we're getting at/hoping for (i.e., bounceback quality performance). The 5-3 "loss" was a 4-3 win in terms of the quality of how the Nats performed on the field, i.e., winning run by TMo did in reality (rather than Tim Timmons' "when in doubt, it's the Yanks" blown call) scored on LaRoche's bloop single in the bottom of the 8th.
Having a bounceback quality performance after 8 out of 11 blowout losses is an awfully good record. One of which was our 6-4 win on the road against the Cards only 10 days ago.
(When JZimm, contrary to Boz's fantasy that the Cards are kryptonite to him, pitched 6 innings of 4 hit, 1BB, 5K, shutout baseball -- but was left in two hitters too long by Davey.)
I heard that Bryce was getting some heat for his comment. I have heard a million times worse. If that's all they can find fault with him for this season I will take it. Even though he is 1 for a lot, he hasn't looked over matched in all his at bats and has been robbed of hits by good defensive plays a couple of times. He makes contact, fouls off - more than Espi does.
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