World Series 2006: We've Only Just Begun
Just a few comments today:
• Last night was an absolute gem by Chris Carpenter. Best stat of the night: 82 pitches. That will be important if La Russa needs to/wants to bring him back on short rest for Game 6.
• Looking at the weather in St. Louis, I'm not sure that we're going to get in a game tonight, or even tomorrow. This is a plus for the Cardinals; if Game 5 gets pushed back to Friday (a rain delay tonight or tomorrow would do that), Jeff Weaver can pitch on regular rest. On the other hand, given the way he struggled with the cold in Detroit, it may be best to just skip him and give Anthony Reyes another turn.
• A rainout today would especially help the Tigers, given that they went through most of their bullpen last night.
• Even though they trail, Tigers fans shouldn't be worried. The top of their order will come around soon, and Jeremy Bonderman (and Justin Verlander next game) have electric stuff. They're good enough to single-handedly shut down the opposition on any given night.
• A great performance and a win by Jeff Suppan tonight would enhance his reputation as a money pitcher in the playoffs, and as Buster Olney pointed out today, increase his value on the open market this winter. A win tonight might also earn him the designation of "a poor man's John Smoltz", at least in these circles. It would also increase the odds that someone will regret giving him a 4-year, $40 million contract about a month from now.
• As for the lineups, I can't see Detroit making any changes to their starting eight, though they could make changes to the batting order. As for the Cardinals, I'm guessing La Russa goes with Chris Duncan in leftfield against the righthanded Bonderman. Your guess is as good as mine as to who out of Wilson, Encarnacion and Taguchi will get the call in rightfield.
• This series is far from over, but it's also obvious that Detroit needs a win tonight (or whenever Game 4 happens) or else they'll be in a world of trouble. Because of this, it will be interesting to see how patient Leyland will be with Bonderman if he struggles.
• Finally, there was a noticeable lack of John Mellencamp in last night's broadcast. That didn't impress me.
Enjoy the game, and feel free to use this thread to comment through the day and the game.
posted by Alex @ 11:17 AM
7 long time listeners, first time callers
7 Comments:
Well, the game is (probably) on tonight, and the weather report MLB.tv just aired said they hope to get the game in before the deluge later tonight.
Tomorrow is the opposite: by late afternoon they expect the overnight storm to start abating, and easing off in the early evening. There might be some squeegie-ing to be done and a slight delay, but the only question mark remains today (and remains whether November baseball will be a twice-in-a-century/decade/lifetime event).
The rainout may have helped the Tigers bullpen, but I hear that Detroit has had to change hotels due to the delay which is always a bad omen (from a superstition POV) and also an unwelcome change (from a scientific POV). Still, I feel that the Tigers should win tonight, provided that Bonderman can keep it together.
Gah. I decided to go to a 6pm meeting since when I checked the weather at 5:15, it was raining with 100% chance of precipitation and a chance of thunderstorms during the evening. So I get out of the meeting at 7 and find out that we're in the second inning when I turn the radio on in my car. In conclusion, I am an idiot. I won't leave watching a World Series game to chance in the future.
With that being said, your prediction is looking good thus far, Feynman Jr.
Well Detroit got the early lead, which is pretty much the cheatsheet for the 2006 postseason Tigers to secure a win. But now that both pitchers are out this is a battle of the bullpen, and with only 1 run to makeup, this looks to be the Cardinals game to win.
They better start converting better with RISP if they want to complete the comeback.
Alex:
Shaddup! I think they heard you! Preston Wilson(!) does what Edmonds/Rolen could not.
A propos nothing, the home plate umpire for tonight's game is named Mike Winters.
Huh. I would have bet anything that Todd Jones would be the first closer in this series to blow a save.
Post a Comment
<< Home