Cardinals pitching rotation is unfortunately in disarray going into the WS. Just what the Tigers wanted to see. A battered team coming in with their rotation screwed up. Game 1 Reyes Game 2 Weaver Game 3 Carpenter Game 4 Suppan Game 5 Reyes Game 6 Weaver Game 7 Carpenter I don't see LaRussa going on short rest for any of his pitchers. If he doesn't, then thats your rotation. Tigers in 5. Here is the short rest rotation: Game 1 Weaver (short rest) Game 2 Carpenter (short rest) Game 3 Suppan Game 4 Reyes Game 5 Weaver Game 6 Carpenter Game 7 Suppan same exact rotation as NLCS. Tigers in 4, if he does that. Weaver and Carpenter get killed in games 1 and 2.
good series. i dont think anyone was outmanaged. someone has to win it. and yep the first pitch to beltran he was def. taking. that was right where he likes it. i was surprised as well. not sure how rolen wasnt rung up on the heilman 2-2 pitch then floyd getting a strike above his belt and a few wainright curves below the knees as strikes. oh well, glad im not a mets fan. p.s. also, joel zumaya is known around the league as zoom-by-ya by the players. im sure mccarver will eventually get wind of this and run it into the ground and ruin the nickname berman style. i cant wait.
I reccommend listening to ESPN radio with the TV muted... much better broadcast... though the TV is about 1second delayed.
McCarver called the 93 MPH pitch by Heilman that Molina hit the homer on "a letter high changeup". This just in: Aaron Heilman now sports a 103 MPH Zumaya-like fastball. Is he just not paying attention to the small details like a radar gun? What a dufus.
i agree, soup campbell and the other dude is really good. its pretty embarrassing they're doing radio while these idiots get to do tv.
yeah, u're right, both managers did a great job, but somebody had to lose you might be right about Beltran....if so, it just makes me think that LoDuca and Beltran were both up there thinking that they didn't want to be the last out...and just weren't aggressive at all at the plate. the pitch to Rolen was too far inside...not a strike. the only poor call was the 1-1 pitch to Floyd...which changed the entire at bat around. I really thought Reyes would come thru, and he almost did. Talk about placing Edmonds perfectly in center on that stroke of the bat. Any other center fielder would probably have been a few steps further back and that's a RBI single and men at first and 3rd and one out.
this is what i first-guessed not second guessed. randolph committed floyd by having him out on deck yet with 2 on and no outs after theres no way i bat floyd in a bunt situation. i was also wondering who was left on the bench but i dont think it matters. you gotta get someone out there and sacrifice with slap hitters reyes and loduca on deck. at least thats what i decided I would do if i was him. moment of silence for martian. nah screw that.
Well let's analyze the inning further had someone come off the bench to bunt. Assume the bunt is successful. I think LaRussa calls for the intentional pass to Reyes, since he has been clutch in RBI situations this season. His run means nothing and it forces a play at every base. That loads the bases with just one out. That puts triple the pressure (yes I calculated it precisely, dammit) on Wainright not to walk in a run with LoDuca at the plate, which is what he ended up doing, walking him. It could have been a totally different inning. What you can't argue is the added pressure you would have put on the Cardinals had you bunted them over (which of course is exactly triple in value, as I alluded to earlier).
i dont blame heilman at all. the bullpen has to give up some runs eventually. i think floyd being hurt was a big factor, and also wright not really coming through in the middle of the order. certainly cant blame the motley crew of pitchers who really were muy fantastico (except trax, that guy is terrible). blame list: 1. trax. 2. lastings milledge, for not blossoming into a solid offensive threat to backup floyd before the postseason. 3. floyd's achilles. 4. pedro's hip/foot/calf/shoulder. 5. wright's offense. none of those things really deserve much blame, because it was a great season that ended in an absolute masterpiece of a game, highlighted by maybe the best big-game defensive play i have ever seen by chavez. i mean that catch was ****ing spectacular. opening day pitching rotation: glavine (mutual option, may or may not return) (zito?...matsusaka?) the unflappable john maine the hard-throwing lefty former head-case oliver perez the former rice star philip humber the wichita state shocker/ the next verlander, mike pelfrey brian bannister if anyone flames out. pedro returns in june or whenever. trax, duque, feliciano, floyd, all free agents. 2007 world champion position players: LF: endy chavez? lastings milledge? soriano? CF beltran RF green (?) 3b a ravenously hungry for another playoff chance david wright ss happiest man on earth jose reyes 2b julio lugo? jose valentin? anderson hernandez? 1b the gentlemanly carlos delgado c clubhouse leader paul lo duca i think it would have been fascinating to see tom glavine there, he is a bunter nonpareil (first and last time i will ever use that word, but it was fun while it lasted).
