IST NLDS - Nationals & Cardinals

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Ceetar wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: Incredible! How do the Cards pull this stuff time and time again? #blamebeltran.

Blame Bud for "the shitty teams can get into the playoffs on a coinflip" rule.

[Edgy MD]

Left the restaurant last night at 6-1.

Until just now, I thought the Nats had won.

[Ceetar]

Mets � Willets Point wrote: Ceetar wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: Incredible! How do the Cards pull this stuff time and time again? #blamebeltran. Blame Bud for "the shitty teams can get into the playoffs on a coinflip" rule.

Cardinals aren't a shitty team. The Nationals had their chances but they got outpitched and outplayed despite having plenty of time to set up their rotation and rest guys and what not. And that certainly could've happened if it was the Braves, or the Giants too. If the Cardinals really are the "5th best" team in the playoffs, that's even more of an advantage for the Nats, who still couldn't do anything with it. so sad. Maybe if they'd had one more good pitcher...

[Frayed Knot]

Swan Swan H wrote: Boy, am I sorry I missed the end of this one. I went to bed assuming the Nats had won and woke up to see this. The highlights cannot do it justice.

You could almost see it creeping up on them as Gonzalez started laboring and getting a bit wild: 29 of 46 strikes in innings 1-3; but only 25 of 53 in innings 4 & 5
Then when the Cards got single runs in the 7th & 8th to close within one it looked like it was really on then.
But, even then, they missed some opportunities to get more, and when the Nats tacked on a 2-out insurance run in bottom 8 you figured they were safe

- Then Beltran doubled to start the 9th ...
Storen followed that up by getting the next two outs ...
but then came the two straight killer walks on 3-2 pitches ...
and then the two straight 2-RBI singles which changed the stadium from real loud to real quiet real quickly

In all Storen had I think it was 8 different 2-strikes counts where the next pitch could have ended the game in favor of the Nats without defense, chance, or bad luck even getting involved. Obviously he converted none of them.

The 'Win Probability' numbers at BB-Ref had the Cards at 7% when the inning started.
It jumped to 16% with Beltran's double, but then fell to 9% & 4% with the first and second outs.
The walks then sent it to 8% then 14%, and the singles to 50% then 92%


And (not sure if the hi-lights showed this) I don't want to say that Harper was a bit over-anxious in the bottom of the inning, but the 3rd strike he swung at for the 2nd and penultimate (I love that word) out in the game was about a foot over his head.

[bmfc1]

I wanted the Nationals to lose but boy do I feel sorry for my Nationals friends today--what a stomach punch.

Good highlight package:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_10_12_slnmlb_wasmlb_1&mode=wrap#gid=2012_10_12_slnmlb_wasmlb_1&mode=video

and local reaction that the station probably regrets--23 seconds (the CBS station broke into Letterman for fan reaction):

[Ceetar]

and supposedly an automated email from the Nats about the WS presale went out early this morning.

[HahnSolo]

You know, as crushing as the bullpen meltdown is, if I were a Nat fan I'd be irked that Gio couldn't give me more after being staked to a 6-0 lead.

[Frayed Knot]

HahnSolo wrote: You know, as crushing as the bullpen meltdown is, if I were a Nat fan I'd be irked that Gio couldn't give me more after being staked to a 6-0 lead.

Plus they were lucky to have won the first game he pitched.
In the end it was the worst of both worlds for them: not having Strasburg AND having the de facto #1 behind him (who actually had a better season overall) stumble trying to fill the role.