Game 3 Recap

Did I say feels like a big day from Rolen? Did I say they should pitch around Albert?

What I meant was, they would strike Albert out twice, and Rolen would continue to swing the bat like he was yet to have that shoulder sugery. It was supposed to help, right?

What else is there to recap? It was 3-1. It should have been 8-0.

The problem with five game series is that you never have a commanding lead. It's 2-1. If the Pads win Sunday, they go from impossible underdogs to favorites. I hate the first round.

We do have Carp going tomorrow. We can't do better than that. If we lose, it simply means we aren't good enough. He's our best, and he has to be good enough. We'll see.

Game 3 Preview

It's Suppan v. Chris Young. A matchup straight from the marketing department at ESPN.

I'd like to be able to offer some statistical good news regarding Young, who carved the Birds up two weeks ago. I'd like to, but I can't. He's been good. He posted a 3.40 ERA. Only one team really hit him hard, and that was our second favorite NL team....the Braves. Factor out the two short starts against the Braves, and Young's ERA drops to 2.90.

He’s also been better away from Petco, which is odd, since that’s supposed to be a pitchers park. His only weakness? He doesn’t pitch deep into games, going over 7 innings only 3 times.

It will be our second look at Young. This season, that hasn’t seemed to effect Young, but we are undeniably better against pitchers we have faced before.

Suppan will keep us in the game. That’s what he does. He’s never spectacular, and we’re not sure how he does it. But he does. He won’t strike out many. If the grounders find holes, he’s doomed. You know the rest.

The real question is: Will Bochy pitch to Albert? Pujols has achieved mythical status in this series. It’s nearly a shock when he makes an out. Bochy is in a tough spot. If he pitches to Albert, he runs the risk of getting crushed.

If he doesn’t, he sends a message to his club that Albert is better then they are. Then what happens if he’s forced to pitch to Albert.
The thing is, Albert is better then the Padres pitchers. I think Bruce will walk Albert at least twice today. Feels like a big Rolen day to me. Seems like he’s due.

It’s a really big game today. If the Cards can sweep, we can set up our anemic starting staff to face the Mets anemic starting staff. Carpenter would pitch game 1, and probably games 4 and 7, with Weaver and Suppan each pitching two games; the second on three days rest.

If the Cards lose today, Carpenter pitches tomorrow. Then your game 1 starter is either Suppan on 3 days rest. Or Jeff Weaver. Hard to imagine giving the ball to Weaver for three games in 7, so look for Suppan to start Game 2 on regular rest, Carpenter to start Game 3 at home, and Anthony Reyes to start Game 4.

If the Cards lose today and tomorrow, and somehow regroup to win on Monday, it’s either Suppan on 3 days rest or Reyes in Game 1. Neither of those is good.

The sweep would be huge.

Random thoughts of other series.

A few thoughts as I let my blood pressure drop on this off-day for the Cards.

Nice job today by the Oakland Athletics. While all of productive America worked, two teams we’ve never actually been able to confirm the existence of played. Oakland swept the Twins, propmting Karl Ravich to say it was an outcome “few could have predicted.” Nevermind that a sweep by Oakland was one of only 6 possible outcomes. No way to see that coming.

Oakland played all three games at noon on a weekday. The Cards will get a weekend game tomorrow and on Football Sunday. Unless the series goes five games, it will be a rumor to most of America.

So if the A’s meet the Cards or the Padres in the Series, will anyone notice? Do you think Bud watched any of the A’s? I think a reporter should corner Bud as ask him to spell Scutaro. Then fire him if he can’t. Invoke the “best interest of baseball” clause.

We’re watching history tonight, as Detroit has postseason baseball for the first time since the Reagan administration. Good times.

Some random thoughts as I enjoy the possibility of a Yankee loss to the Tigers.

Randy Johnson has a herniated disc in his back, just had an epidural injection, which they give women to make childbirth bearable, and now he’s pitching.

It’s worth mentioning that his nickname is, of course, the Big Unit. It’s what you call tall people with the last name Johnson in puritanical America. Anyway, the Unit looks like he can’t bend over and touch his toes. Not that you need to when you pitch. Look at David Wells. I doubt Boomer can even confirm he has toes.

But Johnson doesn’t look right to me. We’re about two innings from someone making the comment to the effect that the Unit looks a bit stiff. My money's on Jeanne Zelasko. Welcome to puritanical America.

I suppose Big Unit is better than what my mother-in-law always thought he was called. She thought it was the Big Eunich. For some years, she thought this.

Don Mattingly has replaced Don Zimmer in the Yankee dugout as the guy that sits next to Torre. The scary thing is, Mattingly’s face is starting to look like Zimmer’s. Take the hair away, and he looks like a young Zimmer. (Look at the size of that man's Cranium...it's got it's own weather system.) Assuming Zimmer was ever young.

If the Yankees drive A-Rod out of town, will anyone ever want to sign with them again? If the Yanks lose this offseason, especially to Detroit, New York may well go insane. That much, I think, A-Rod could survive.

The real question is, will Jeter say something. A-Rod is hitting .111 in the series. Must be because he’s so damn handsome. Jeter is hitting .636 this series. One of these things is not like the other.

We’re one well placed Jeter comment away from the Yanks trading A-Rod. It’s so much fun to think about, you can’t help but hope for it.

The postseason commercials have been memorable. At least, they look memorable as I fast-forward them with my TiVo. In three times speed, the commercials are far more amusing.

I haven’t heard a word, but, apparently, Domino’s is now selling small cubes of a poo-like substance that rubs off on kids shirts.

Welcome to puritanical America.

What happened? Did I black out? Did I land the plane ok? Passengers hurt?

Was that Jeff Weaver on the hill yesterday? Really? Was I dreaming? What a game.

I’d like to spend today sticking it to ESPN for not believing in the Cards. I’d like to, but I really can’t. ‘Cause there ain’t no way I can say I saw Weaver, Flores, Kinney, Johnson and Wainwright combining on a shutout.

I suppose I could point out to Kieth Law that game 1 of a five game series is of ultimate importance, and Carpenter is the best NL starting pitcher still pitching. I suppose I could say that a game 1 victory wasn’t a completely unexpected event, and that the Cards could put up a fight. But I didn't see this.

Game 2 was insane.

If I had told you in June that we’d win a playoff game with the dynamic five listed above, you’d have trucked me away.

A few quick thoughts:

Time to review TLR’s love/hate relationship with rookies. No one would disagree that Anthony Reyes is far nastier than Weaver. Tony places so much emphasis on experience, that he’d rather see Weaver start games 2 and 5 than Reyes start one game.

And yet, rookie bullpeners got the last ten outs yesterday. That says a lot about Johnson, Kinney and Wainwright. It probably says more about Looper.

Jose Alberto has simply overwhelmed the Padres…with a little help from San Diego. Albert is aggressive on base, always putting pressure on the opponent. The Padres wilted with their botched rundown. Nice play by Pujols to take third on a grounder to the SS’s right as well. It’s little things that can win close games. Pujols does the little things better than any other $100 million baseball player.

Question: Can you have a “I’m Keith Hernandez” moment if you’re only as accomplished as David Wells? Can that moment last five years? Boomer looks like he put it in neutral a few seasons ago, and has simply been pitching for kicks and grins ever since. That said, WHY DO YOU PITCH TO ALBERT WITH A MAN ON SECOND AND ROLEN ON DECK?????????

Asinine.

They played a lot of baseball in New York yesterday. If you haven’t seen it, find a highlight of A-Rod’s K with the bases loaded. I’d like to say he choked. But it’s hard to fault a guy for being carved up by two 101 MPH fastballs, followed by a slow curve. Verlander has an arm.

How does Todd Jones keep his job as Detroit’s closer? I’ve never been in an MLB bullpen, but I’ve got to think there is a pecking order out there. The closer has to be the pen’s Alpha Dog. Zumeya and Rodney can throw 102 MPH, and they have to carry Jones’ bags? Does this make any sense?

For 7 innings, the Yanks saw fastballs averaging 99 on the gun. In the ninth, they saw Jones and his fu manchu throwing 89 MPH gas. You know Zumeya and Rodney get more chicks on the road than Jones does. It’s just bizzarre.

Grady Little is managing the Dodgers the way Mr. Burns managed his powerplant’s softball team. Let’s see. Penny has been having back spasms, we’re not sure he can pitch, so let’s test him out in a tie game in the 7th inning of game 1. Then we’ll wait on Maddux in favor of a rookie in game 2. In game 3, we can expect Homer to pinch hit for Drew, against a lefty, since Homer is righthanded.

Finally, boy does the NL suck. The Mets can’t pitch, the Padres can’t hit, and the Dodgers can’t do either. We just had a playoff games featuring Weaver v. Wells and Kuo v. Glavine. Tomorrow we get Trachsel v. Maddux. Glavine and Maddux were fantastic pitchers when David Caruso was a legtimate actor. This is bad.

One of the great questions of this postseason will wind up being, can an NL team win one World Series game.

TLR----The Gambler Version

If there is anything eleven years of LaRussa managing has taught us, it is to expect the unexpected. How else do you explain Jeff Tabaka.

LaRussa will think every scenario through over and again, then decide on which one he believes gives us the edge. There are few hard and fast rules governing his thinking. All but a few of those are bendable.

Typically, LaRussa prefers to be relentless. Get a team down, and stomp on them. This year, however, he’s starting Jeff Weaver in Game 2 against the Padres, with a rested Suppan ready to go. By starting Weaver against David Wells (a lefty, with a pulse, meaning we can’t hit him), TLR is putting us at a huge Game 2 disadvantage. He’s doing it to gain a smaller advantage in Game 3 and 4 at home. The relentless axiom flies out the window.

LaRussa is playing as if he’s short-stacked at a poker table. He’s not giving up on Game 2, but is simply pressing his advantage in other games. It’s fascinating to watch, since it is how I would manage if I were playing EA Sports MLB 2006. Give up one game to win another later. Give up last Sunday to save Carp. Give up today to press Saturday. Going all in for Games 1, 3 and 4.

It’s a strategy that has merit, if only Reyes were on the playoff roster. More on that later.

If the Cards win today, or fail to score more than 3 runs, the strategy is a good one. If the Cards put up five or more runs today, then presumably Suppan could have won the game, or at least have been favored to do so. In that case, it’s a bad gamble. We’ll see.

What really bothers me is we're giving San Diego a chance to get up off the mat. A 2-0 lead would be nice.

The one axiom TLR is not willing to bend on, apparently, is his belief that you don’t start a rookie in the post-season until you have absolutely no one else left. I can’t blame him for being gun-shy on rookies after Ankiel.

TLR did start Bud Smith in 2001 in the first round of the playoffs. He also started Alan Benes in 1996 in Atlanta. This year, if the series goes 5 games, the options are limited. Anthony Reyes isn’t on the roster, so Weaver would have to go on three days rest. Or Marquis could start. If that happens, I hope you’ll join me at Hrobosky’s saloon for a 12 drink minimum.

I really don’t understand Reyes not being on the roster. There isn’t a situation that screams for Marquis to pitch. Even in mop-up duty, with all the off-days in this series, the pen should be rested enough to pitch seven innings, and still have something for the next day. Why not keep Reyes in case you need him for Game 5. He is our best option, right?

Maybe Reyes is tired or hurt or both. I dunno. Maybe Marquis will be that key pinch hitter. If so, we’re in fantastic shape, with Marquis being such a great hitting pitcher, and all.

If you were listening to 590 this morning, you heard the Grinders bemoan Weaver starting today because of the Game 5 scenario and the NLCS Game 1 scenario. Game 1 would be on Wednesday, leaving either Suppan to go on three days rest, Carpenter on two days rest, or Weaver, assuming he doesn’t have to pitch a game 5. If he does, we’re back to either Reyes or Thompson. Or Marquis. Hell, maybe Andy Benes is available.

This 590 conversation took place a full three days after the Grinders advocated Weaver in Game 2 because he’s “better” on the road and Suppan is good at home. Way to cover your bases there 590.

First, I don’t put much stock in home/road splits. There simply isn’t a big enough sample size to make a difference. Second, Weaver being “better” simply means he’s better than he normally is. Normally, he’s a pitcher with a 5.76 ERA and an OPS over 1.000 against lefties.

It wouldn’t shock me to see an infield for the Padres of Gonzales, Walker, Blum and Branyon…lefties all. In the outfield, Roberts and Giles (lefties) will team with Cameron. That means Cameron and Piazza will be the only righties in the lineup. Essentially, with Weaver on the hill, six of the nine hitter Padres will have an OPS better than all but one of our hitters. Are you an alcoholic if you are drunk by 3:30?

The beauty of this team lies in its superstars. It’s hard to find better players than Carpenter and Pujols. When they do their thing, we’re tough to beat. That’s why winning Tuesday was huge. We held serve. Now, it’s the Padres serve, with us having the opportunity to steal one.

If it’s close, look for Weaver to get pulled near the 5th or 6th inning when the top of the order comes up. Look for Tyler Johnson and/or Flores to get some innings. Plural.
Gotta hand it to Tony. He’s never afraid to be wrong. No comedian I admire has ever been afraid of silence. No manager not named Grady Little has ever been afraid of sports talk radio. It’s a big role of the dice, but then again, he is short-stacked.