forsberg_us wrote:

I'll go one better. With Wainwright only at 96 pitches and the bullpen having pitched as much as it has recently, I think I send him out for the 8th. He'd be on a short leash, but I let him start the inning.

Unless his spot comes up in the order this inning, it's tempting.

forsberg_us wrote:

APIAD wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

As discussed earlier, their bench is little thin for pinch-hitters. Let the Giants pitch around Waino again.

I know I am way ahead of myself but this team is going to look stupid if they make it to the WS and Beltran cant go.  They have no DH.

Sure they do. Matt Holliday.

Then their left fielder sucks.

artie_fufkin wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

I'll go one better. With Wainwright only at 96 pitches and the bullpen having pitched as much as it has recently, I think I send him out for the 8th. He'd be on a short leash, but I let him start the inning.

Unless his spot comes up in the order this inning, it's tempting.

It's less tempting now that they've added to the lead. Now I'd use Salas. If you can't pitch him up 7-1, he shouldn't be on the roster.

5 outs to go

forsberg_us wrote:

APIAD wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

Sure they do. Matt Holliday.

Then their left fielder sucks.

The left fielder won't be a great hitter, but he'll be a defensive upgrade.  In a big ballpark like Detroit having a better fielder could be important.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still need 6 outs tonight and then we have to win again before we worry about the DH.

I assume they would move Craig to lf and play Robinson in RF.  Either way the outfield gets better.

Scutaro ups his average to 1.100.

One win away. I'm not counting San Francisco out. Lynn goes tomorrow; Zito owned the Cardinals last time out and Lynn goes tomorrow.

Plus, there's no way they win in five games. No way. History won't let that happen.

APIAD wrote:

I still feel pretty comfy with the Cards taking 1 of the next 3.  That is my morning feeling.  If the Cards fall behing tonight I will be in panic mode.  It post-season baseball folks.

I won't be able to watch because high school football beckons, but my fear is that the Giants jump on Lynn and the Cardinals struggle with Zito.

APIAD wrote:

I still feel pretty comfy with the Cards taking 1 of the next 3.  That is my morning feeling.  If the Cards fall behing tonight I will be in panic mode.  It post-season baseball folks.

I don't know if I'll panic because the Giants would still have to go through Carpenter and Lohse, but I don't want to see the series go back to San Francisco. I know the Giants have won something like 15 of Zito's starts in a row, and he pitched very well against the Cardinals last time he faced them, but he was awful in his last start against the Reds. Unless Lynn melts down completely in the first couple of innings, I like the Cardinals' chances tonight.

artie_fufkin wrote:

APIAD wrote:

I still feel pretty comfy with the Cards taking 1 of the next 3.  That is my morning feeling.  If the Cards fall behing tonight I will be in panic mode.  It post-season baseball folks.

I don't know if I'll panic because the Giants would still have to go through Carpenter and Lohse, but I don't want to see the series go back to San Francisco. I know the Giants have won something like 15 of Zito's starts in a row, and he pitched very well against the Cardinals last time he faced them, but he was awful in his last start against the Reds. Unless Lynn melts down completely in the first couple of innings, I like the Cardinals' chances tonight.

I will panic.  I believe in stressing to the extremes.  Either not at all or dooms day.  It is the olny way.

After looking it up Zito didnt pitch that well.  He allow 8 hits and 2 HRs in 6.2 innings.  Craig had both homers.  Lynn was on the mound that day as well, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings.  Hopefull we see a better game then that from him today.  On August 7th the Cardinals left 8 men on base and were 0-4 with RISP.

I think we're in pretty close agreement, TK, in that I would like to see Matheny manage today's game as if it is a do-or-die Game 7.

tkihshbt wrote:

The good thing here is that Wainwright set them up for a Game 7 type situation where Matheny can be aggressive with the bullpen. If Lynn is struggling in the second or third inning, Matheny can't wait to pull the trigger. They had an off-day yesterday and they have an off-day tomorrow. He can't make the Cardinals hit or make Lynn pitch well, but he can sit on his ass and give him the benefit of the doubt that he'll get it right.

Also, if the situation calls for it, bring in Motte for a two-inning save. If Boggs has to pitch in the sixth or seventh, so be it. I don't think he should be trusting Mujica right now. In fact, Rosenthal should be the bridge between either Lynn or Miller/Kelly and Boggs.

My dad asked me last night what I thought would happen. I said the pessimist in me thinks the Giants just need to win one and they should be the favorites. I just can't see a situation where the Cardinals would be likely to win against Vogelsong or Cain in SF. This is the most tenuous 3-1 series lead I've seen since Cleveland-Boston in '07.

Ask your dad about the '96 NLCS.

Last edited by artie_fufkin (10/19/2012 1:02 pm)