NLCS -- Cards vs Giants -- IST

[Frayed Knot]

[u:2jnmlqnq]Game 1[/u:2jnmlqnq]

Bumgarner got his ass kicked early on and the Cards had a 6-0 lead. 2R HRs from Freese & Beltran
But then the Gigantes clawed back against Lance Lynn to get to 6-4 but have since stalled against a parade of pen guys.

6-4 Cards top 9 in SF

[Guest Swan Swan H]

[u:1552bvk3]Game 2[/u:1552bvk3]

Holliday buries Scutaro with a very late slide/roll block in the first. Pagan leads off the bottom half with a solo homer. 1-0 Jints.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Scutaro, who survived the Holliday slide, steps up with the bases loaded and lines one into left-center, and Holliday lets it do through his legs to clear the bases. Karma, or just a lousy outfielder?

5-1 Giants, bottom of the 4th.

[Frayed Knot]

I vote for lousy outfielder.

[Frayed Knot]

The Giants get the one-time lead singer from 'Tower of Power' to sign GBA during the 7th inning stretch but don't have Victor Conte out there backing him on bass?
I guess that wouldn't have gone over too well in Selig's office.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Ooh, the bossman no likin'
(at Bud City)
The blood pressure be spikin'
(at Bud City)

[Frayed Knot]

And now Scutaro's replacement puts down the hammer with a 2-run single in the 8th.
7-1 Giants and still batting.

[metirish]

Rooting hard here for the Giants, screw Holliday, that was a dirty takeout,Scutaro is lucky his leg wasn't snapped.

Loved when he got the hit and then Holliday kicked it.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Guest

[Ceetar]

metirish wrote: Rooting hard here for the Giants, screw Holliday, that was a dirty takeout,Scutaro is lucky his leg want snapped. Loved when he got the hit and then Holliday kicked it.

is it just the small sample i watch Hollliday, or is he really that bad an outfielder?

[Frayed Knot]

We had an ongoing argument/discussion about that here back the year he and Bay were both FAs.
Not that I recall anyone taking the 'Bay = better overall' position, but how much worse Holliday's defense was (or wasn't) was one of the factors being thrown into the mix. He had made a bad error that October too so the topic was fresh in everyone's mind with some taking the position that he was usually pretty bad (I was on that side IIRC) while others claimed that he was, at worst, adequate and that his rep was being blown up by that one recent high-profile gaff.

I still vote for notably below average even within the universe of LFers who, as a whole, aren't exactly known for their glove work.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: We had an ongoing argument/discussion about that here back the year he and Bay were both FAs. Not that I recall anyone taking the 'Bay = better overall' position, but how much worse Holliday's defense was (or wasn't) was one of the factors being thrown into the mix. He had made a bad error that October too so the topic was fresh in everyone's mind with some taking the position that he was usually pretty bad (I was on that side IIRC) while others claimed that he was, at worst, adequate and that his rep was being blown up by that one recent high-profile gaff. I still vote for notably below average even within the universe of LFers who, as a whole, aren't exactly known for their glove work.

maybe he can be a DH for Bay one day.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

My point in this debate iirc, was that Holliday appeared to me to be an unlikely get for Omar who for all his faults appeared to value outfielders who could catch. The impression I had of Holliday then and now is not that he's a butcher, but that he's kinda clumsy.

Of course he was a better offensive player than Bay and a better bet to avoid a decline but I'm just thinking if Omar had two outfielders to choose from who were somewhat comparable, he'd choose the one with the better glove (to the scout's eye, not to metrics necessarily) even if he gives up in other areas.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: My point in this debate iirc, was that Holliday appeared to me to be an unlikely get for Omar who for all his faults appeared to value outfielders who could catch. The impression I had of Holliday then and now is not that he's a butcher, but that he's kinda clumsy. Of course he was a better offensive player than Bay and a better bet to avoid a decline but I'm just thinking if Omar had two outfielders to choose from who were somewhat comparable, he'd choose the one with the better glove (to the scout's eye, not to metrics necessarily) even if he gives up in other areas.

I don't know if it was just bluster, but supposedly they did run some internal metrics that suggested Bay would be a good fit. And hell, I thought he was the better sign, they didn't need a super star, just a slugger and the shorter commitment seemed like a good idea. 100 home runs over 4 years would've been just fine. overpaid, but very helpful. Now it's clearly one of the worst Mets contracts ever but this is far beyond even what people against the signing thought would happen.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Frayed Knot wrote: The Giants get the one-time lead singer from 'Tower of Power' to sign GBA during the 7th inning stretch but don't have Victor Conte out there backing him on bass? I guess that wouldn't have gone over too well in Selig's office.

Barry Bonds' favorite band.

[Frayed Knot]

[u:1r8b8l91]Game 3[/u:1r8b8l91]

Lohse vs Cain and they say it might rain.
And that's not just there for the rhyme, it's actually supposed to at some point and could interrupt the game, although they're OK so far.

Giants score one in top 3

Beltran took one AB, hit into a DP, and left the game with apparent knee problems.
He's had a great year but we always knew there was a downside to his signing too.

[Frayed Knot]

And so, in typical StL post-season fortune, Beltran's replacement (the hitting Carpenter on their team) goes deep in his first AB with a man on and it's 2-1 Cards.

[Frayed Knot]

NL game is back on anyway ... after like a four hour delay

3-1 Cards in the 8th

[MFS62]

Cards win, and Beltran is listed day-to-day with a "sprained knee".

Later

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

If this is leading to a rematch of the 1968 World Series, then I hope next year we see a rematch of the 1969 World Series.

[Gwreck]

The Cardinals and Tigers also matched up in 2006 (I know, probably no one here watched that one).

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Gwreck wrote: The Cardinals and Tigers also matched up in 2006 (I know, probably no one here watched that one).

Apparently I expunged that from my memory. I'm operating on the belief that if the Tigers win the World Series a Mets championship will follow in 1 to 2 years.

[Frayed Knot]

[u:d247yjpz]Game 4[/u:d247yjpz]

8:00 tonight.
Anytime in the last five years, telling SF Giant fans that Tim Lincecum was going to be out there while their season was pretty much on the line would have been a good thing. Right now, though, it's pretty iffy even as he's been good in relief forcrissakes lately.

Wainwright for the Cards

Prediction: Some peanut vendor from section 356 will be called out of the stands and get an important hit with runners on for StL.

[Edgy MD]

Ceetar wrote: Now it's clearly one of the worst Mets contracts ever but this is far beyond even what people against the signing thought would happen.

He could somehow produce next year, but as we stand now, it's number one with a bullet, no?

[Frayed Knot]

Gwreck wrote: The Cardinals and Tigers also matched up in 2006 (I know, probably no one here watched that one).

That was the one where the Tigers finished up the ALCS early and had a week to sit around waiting for the NL winner.
And then once the WS did start their pitchers made a ton of errors and virtually handed the Cards the series.
The odd part about the whole thing was that Leyland had used that week off to do something that teams almost never do once the season starts; he had them working on pitchers fielding practice.

[Frayed Knot]

Last year it was Allen Craig and David Freese who nobody much had heard of prior to them starring in the post-season for StL
This year it's Pete Kozma and Daniel DiScalso who nobody had much heard of before this year and now nobody can get them out.

None of these guys are all that young or had a great amateur/minor league pedigree coming in, they just started succeeding once they got there.

[Frayed Knot]

Anybody here have Barry Zito taking his AB in the 7th inning?
Yeah, I didn't think so and I didn't either, but he just did.
I mean, sure, he struck out, but just the fact that he took it was certainly unforeseeable.

4-0 Giants in top 7 -- although the Cards just brought in this Rosenthal guy and he's K'd 4 in a row on like 13 pitches and now gets an infield pop from Pagan.
Giants have been throwing around the leather in this game.

[Centerfield]

Watching my first game of post-season NL baseball tonight.

I am suddenly overcome with an irrational rage that Carlos Beltran is no longer a Met. I'm trying to replay the events in my head how two productive Mets (Beltran and Reyes) are wearing different colors.

I see why old men mutter to themselves.

[Lefty Specialist]

Chris Carpenter looks like Mike Pelfrey with a beard. He's pitching like him, too.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

So Vogelsong's your MVP if the Giants take this, yes? (With additional consideration paid to Scutaro and Fat Panda.)

Who you got on the Cards side? Beltran? Wainwright if he does a solid 6 tomorrow? Matt Carpenter in part-time duty?

[Frayed Knot]

So this is great!
We/MLB get every series going to the maximum ... except of course for the one (heh, heh) that went the minimum.