IST -- NLDS 2019 -- Braves & Cards

[Frayed Knot]

And now the REAL part of the playoffs start.



Game 1, in Atlanta, the 97-65 Braves host the 91-71 Cardinals; 5:02 first pitch (or so they claim) on TBS with (I assume) the same trio as the WC game (Ernie Johnson, Jeff Francouer*, and our own Ronnie D.).

Mid-season import Dallas Keuchel [19 starts, 8-8, 3.75, 1.37] goes for Atlanta; Miles Mikolas [9-14, 4.16, 1.22] will wear the Birds on the Bat uni

Braves won 4 of 6 during the reg season



The Braves, for all their recent-ish history and their overall pain-in-the-ass-ed-ness to us, have won exactly ONE playoff series this century and even that one was so long ago that the team they

beat (in the first series of the first year of the century, NLDS 2001) is no longer part of the National League (swept Houston 3-0). They followed up that win with a loss to the eventual WS Champ

Diamondbacks in five games and since then have lost SEVEN** times in the opening (NLDS) round plus in their only time as part of the WC play-in game (to the Cards in 2012)







* Francouer has been doing Braves games on TV for just a short time (full time only this year I believe) but was somehow chosen as the replacement for Dennis Eckersley who had to drop out with some family issue

I wonder this makes Tom Glavine feels as, in addition to being the bigger name, he's also been in the ATL booth for a longer time than 'Frenchy'.











**2002 to the Giants 3-2

2003 to the Cubs 3-2

2004 to the Astros 3-2

2005 to the Astros 3-1

2010 to the Giants 3-1

2013 to the Dodgers 3-1

2018 to the Dodgers 3-1

Edited October 3, 2019 by Guest

[Centerfield]

Two teams I hate. The one thing I'll root for is for Josh Donaldson to have a crazy good series, so that some team will give him a multi-year deal to leave Atlanta.

[Guest 41Forever]

Pulling for the Cards. Been to a number of games there over the years after going to college at Mizzou. I see them in spring training.



And, no tomahawk chop!

[LWFS]

I'm rooting for, like, 40 oblique strains over the next week.

[LWFS]

Nice at-bat from Carpenter to tie the game there.



Should Wong have run? It was a good throw by Duvall, but not, like, Cespedes/Bellinger-class or anything.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Crackerjack game happening here.



Ron's partner really screwed up the call by the way. First he called the hit as though it would be a foul, no hint it might fall fair or for a hit, then he neglected to mention that the tying run scored getting all caught up in the Wong play. Then he says we *remain* tied when it was just tied but hadn't said so.



I dunno if Wong should have run but he seemed to be arriving too late, thanks in part to the shitty call.

[Centerfield]

Saw a Make Atlanta Great Again Sign.



As if I needed to hate them even more.

[LWFS]

Suck it, Atlanta.



I guess I'm a situational St. Loo Boo.

[kcmets]

I hope that plaid shirted guy behind home plate doing the double chop

every pitch finds his Lexus in the parking lot has three flats.

[Centerfield]

=LWFS post_id=23716 time=1570151667 user_id=84]
Suck it, Atlanta.



I guess I'm a situational St. Loo Boo.

[Methead]

I was rooting for the giant asteroid

[G-Fafif]

Happier Braves lost than I am disdainful Cardinals won.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I'm a let the worse team lose kinda guy with this series.

[MFS62]

I'm rooting for, like, 40 oblique strains over the next week.

The "greatest baseball fans in the world" against the most obnoxious.

Neither fanbase deserves diddly.

This series makes me want to fwow up.



Later

[bmfc1]

Lots of talk about Acuna's base "running" in the 7th, which cost them a run (they lost by one) and his "styling" in the 9th after his HR (a solo HR which brought his team within 2). I'm sure that Cardinals fans are saying that this would never happen with their team.

[G-Fafif]

Nobody is winning this series, which can be interpreted as they're both a bunch of bleeping losers.

[Frayed Knot]

38 y/o Adam Wainwright, in what could be his final game as a StL Cardinal and even possibly as an ML'er, was one out short of getting through the 8th but will leave after 120 pitches

w/the bases loaded and two outs. 4 hits (all singles), 2 walks (final two batters), 8 Ks

In comes Andrew Miller to face FFF and ... Fly Out to CF to end the threat



Meanwhile, the much younger Mike Soroka went 7 with just 2 hits and no walks/7 Ks

1-0 Cards, heading for bottom 8

[Frayed Knot]

Are they enforcing the mound visit limit in the post-season, because I'm pretty sure Molina has made like 17 trips to the mound in this game?

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Braves rallying here to spoil a shutout in the 9th.

[Frayed Knot]

Carlos Martinez apparently remembered Acuna's HR trot from the other day, but he forgot to save the game.

Braves put up a 3-spot after 2 were out. 3-1 and now it's Melancon's turn to try and save it.

[MFS62]

There's a certain sweetness about Wainwright being deprived a playoff victory.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

I've decided that the key to these series where you have no rooting interest (or, perhaps more accurately, a couple of anti-rooting interests) is to simply root for a gut-punch loss by the home team.

Because if you're going to be denied happiness no matter what the outcome, at least you get to see pissed-off fans, crushed entitlements, and crying children, which is pretty much the next best thing.

[MFS62]

Makes sense to me.

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

Frayed Knot wrote: I've decided that the key to these series where you have no rooting interest (or, perhaps more accurately, a couple of anti-rooting interests) is to simply root for a gut-punch loss by the home team. Because if you're going to be denied happiness no matter what the outcome, at least you get to see pissed-off fans, crushed entitlements, and crying children, which is pretty much the next best thing.

I watched that 9th inning meltdown and even though I hate the Braves, the shell-shocked Cardinal fans and the church-quiet stadium were a thing of beauty.

[Frayed Knot]

Ozuna just went deep for the second time in the game (Goldschmidt = 1) ... 3-1 Cards, bottom 4

[G-Fafif]

Albies is testing that legendary Best Fans in Baseball sportsmanship.

[kcmets]

Me venom for the Braves FAR outweighs any dislike (aka hat) that I have

for any other National League team.



Just thinking out loud, we now return you the IST.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

We're seeing a lot of failure in this series. Love it

[Frayed Knot]

Yadier tied it (bloop single in the 8th) and Yadier just won it (Sac Fly in the 10th).

[Lefty Specialist]

Can Aaron Heilman pitch for the Braves in Game 5? Asking for a friend.