Nationals at Cubs, 2:30 PM PT, TV: TBS
This is the only game today, and it’s an elimination game for the Nats. They ask RHP Tanner Roark (13-11, 4.67 ERA) Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52 ERA) to stop the Cubs, who have hardly been a juggernaut but have managed to get past excellent performances from the Nats’ aces Strasburg and Scherzer to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Cubs counter with RHP Jake Arrieta (14-10, 3.53 ERA), who hurt a hamstring five weeks ago but had been 7-2 with a 1.79 ERA over the previous two months.
After much Sturm und Drang yesterday centered on Starsburg’s health and whether he was too queasy to pitch today on regular rest, apparently he recovered overnight. He’ll start today after all.
Yesterday in baseball history:
- 1920 The Indians’ Bill Wambsganss becomes the only player in World Series history to complete an unassisted triple play when he makes a leaping catch, steps on second base, and then tags the [Dodger] runner arriving from first base. After the play, a dead calm engulfs Cleveland’s League Park as the hometown fans try to digest what they had just witnessed.
- 1948 The largest crowd ever to attend a World Series game, 86,288 fans, jam into Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium to witness a showdown between two future Hall of Famers. Braves’ southpaw Warren Spahn beats Bob Feller and the Indians in Game 5 of the Fall Classic, 11-5.
- 1968 Cardinal fireballer Bob Gibson sets the mark for total strikeouts (35) in a World Series, but loses the seventh and deciding game to ]Mickey Lolich and the] Tigers, 4-1.
- 2009 The Dodgers advance to their second consecutive National League championship series, beating St. Louis 5-1 to complete a three-game sweep of the Redbirds in the NLDS. Solid pitching by late-season pick-up Vicente Padilla and timely hitting by Andre Ethier, who had three extra-base hits, and Manny Ramirez, who broke out of a slump with three hits and two RBIs, close out the series, which will be best remembered for the team’s dramatic Game 2 comeback when Matt Holliday’s error on James Loney’s ninth-inning two-out line drive leads to a stunning two-run walk-off rally.
Today in history:
- 1978 Rookie right-hander Bob Welch strikes out Reggie Jackson with two men on base and two out in the top of the ninth inning, dramatically preserving a 4-3 Dodger victory over the Yankees in Game 2 of the Fall Classic. The relief performance will put the 21 year-old in the national spotlight.
Weather.com predicts rain in D.C. manana! https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USDC0001:1:US
Cubs lose officially.
Grand slam, Taylor. WOWSER.
Relievers walk two, Maddon pulls one during the at-bat and the newbie gives the slam.
Wrigley starting to empty I guess
Strasburg IS out, but it looks safe to say there will be a Game 5.
Hope the Cubs tie to go into many extra innings, with the Nats finally winning to play manana (when I hope the Cubs win).
ALDS Game Five thread above.
Meestah Puig does commercials.
Intrigue over Nats’ starter — seems Strasburg, not Dusty, made the decision he wouldn’t — http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/report-stephen-strasburg-turned-down-game-4-start/ar-AAthnhS?li=BBnb7Kz
No matter what, the Nats have to win two games – if he’s unwell, he could hurt his team. If the Nats win tomorrow, presumably he’ll be ready to go on Thursday (though I’d prefer another rainout tomorrow, so that the winner of Game 5 has to fly out to LA with no rest).
Grant Brisbee has an essay about Houston and its Astros.
Game postponed till tomorrow.
Both the Cubs’ and Nationals’ rotations will suffer, meaning we are unlikely to face an ace this weekend.
Works for me!
I like the scenario on the previous post, with another rainout . . . just so the game scheduled for Saturday is played Saturday. I COULD go on Sunday, but I need to be back in Vegas and ready to give a 2-hour class Monday morning. (My plan is to leave the game and drive northeast at least an hour, to Victorville, and spend the night there, cutting the remaining trip shorter).
The stars, they are aligning.
— and hopefully covered by storm clouds in Chicago.
Another recap of last night’s game.
https://twitter.com/adamdberry/status/917861801617788928
If Wood starts game 4 he will be rusty.
Puzzles. “How can wood rust?”
First it has to petrify.
Ah, of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir9VmO0cBbQ
My god that was a long time ago. Neil looks like a kid.
Hey, WBBsAs, I emailed you re flight schedule.
Young’s Harvest album from 1972 one of my all-time favorites. It included the voices of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Ronstadt and [James} Taylor. Maybe I should replace my vinyl with a CD.
You should.
That’s the album that did so well it freaked Neil out. From Wiki: ‘He would later write that the record “put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there.”[7]’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_(Neil_Young_album)
Had the same reaction to Harvest. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere still my fav.
I wore out my Harvest album, and I still have it. I love my vinyl.
I may have more vinyl Neil Young than I have of The Beatles.
That is easy for me. I did not care for the Beatles, as I was heavily into folk music, so Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkle.
Imagine that might give him another sim game, like they did for the NLDS. Time off might help his velocity, as it did before.
I hope Joc replaces Granderson on the playoff roster for the next two series. In my mind, a rental has to do well before he bumps a young player off the roster. Martinez did well for AZ. Grandy did not do well for the Dodgers.
I’d say the Nats (not to mention the Gnats) are in real trouble.
Yesterday’s NLDS post has 426 comments. Only four posts have had more: NLDS Game One in 2016 (564 comments), NLDS Game Five in 2016 (503), NLDS Game Three in 2015 (476), and NLDS Game Five in 2015 (441).
Thank you for checking.
You’re welcome. I thought it would hard, but it turns out the comments field is sortable in the database.