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I tend to root for the NL unless it’s the Cubs. There’s the Scherzer angle as the local guy to root for. On the other hand, they have that punk Juan Soto. The Astros are a juggernaut and it’s hard to imagine them losing. I’m still miffed about the whole Correa thing, as I suspect the Astros were far from innocent in the ordeal (Correa was definitely wrong to do what he did, of course).
Rooting for the Nats in 7.
Expect the Astros in 6.
I, too, usually back the NL club, but as a Texas boy I have a soft spot for the Astros, who after all spent most of their baseball life in the National League.
Astros in 5.
I predict the Astros win in 6 but I really don’t like either team. Soto is a punk and Lunhow seems slimy to me.
The only positive I can say about this series is that it includes the best starting rotation matchups of any series in recent memory.
Ironically, I was beating the Juan Soto drum a few years ago when he was still in A ball. I had really hoped the Cards could swindle the Nats out of him in a bullpen trade at the deadline, as Robles was their main man then. But the Cards didn’t part with Rosie or Oh, then Rosie went down with the injury and that was all she wrote. Hopefully Dylan Carlson will give us our own young OF dynamo starting in 2020.
The anticipated pitching duel between Scherzer and Cole got off to a rocky start. Houston two runs in the 1st and then Zimmerman a petunia in the 2nd.
2-1 Houston after two innings.
r/Esteemed Rat
Nats win. Bregman approaching his ABs like he has been Matt Carpenterized. Definitely not the stuff of an MVP.
Maybe Cole’s price will come down a tiny bit with his less great start.
I’m rooting for this one to go 7 games either way, as I think it would give us some good pitching matchups, which have been rare through most of the season.
An incredible Stephen Strasburg tidbit:
This will be the first time in World Series history that a No. 1 overall pick will start a Series game *for the team that drafted him*!
The others to start – David Price & Mike Moore – started for a different team.
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) October 24, 2019
Nats score 2 off Verlander in the 1st, then Bregman hits a 2-run bomb off Strasburg in the bottom half to tie it. I’m sure the Astros hope this means they have their MVP back.
Odd that these two teams are meeting, as I would have them in opposite leagues when Mlb did the realignment to two 15 team “conferences”. My alignment would lose one intra-division rivalry, but create three.
Do not know much about Soto so am surprised some characterize him as a “punk”. I wonder if he is the new Pujols. Young guy who seems to play like a vet from the start.
Nats have now won 8 straight in post season. They really have that “2004 Red Sox” mojo going.
bikemike, I don’t have a huge opinion on Soto, but here’s why somebody might have made negative comments. I think stlcards25 is not a fan and the one you might be referring to, so he can say whether or not he agrees with me here.
Soto really caught the ire of the Cards pitchers (Waino et al) in their last regular season series at Busch. There were some heated words and the 1B ump had to step in between Soto and the Cards’ dugout to tell people to knock off the verbal exchange. There was a lot of gamesmanship, with Soto backing out of the box at the last moment, etc. One of the main things is Soto likes to give a stare down to the pitcher while he grabs his package standing in the box as he digs in. He even throw a little hip flex in when he does this. And then when he takes a pitch, he sometimes does a martial arts-like gesture toward the pitcher. It’s all obviously meant to be provocative. If he doesn’t mature enough to tone it down a bit, I see a few beanings in his future.
Also, during the NLCS, Mikolas blew Soto a kiss as he walked to the dugout after retiring Soto for the final out of an inning. It was done in response to Soto’s mannerisms in the box.
The Nats have turned into a buzz saw. They tallied 6 in the 7th and lead 8-2. The vaunted Astros look like they’ve been punched in the gut. Their swagger has vanished.
I said last night that Bregman looked like he had been Carpenterized at the plate. He looked very timid, taking some good pitches with runners on base only to later strike out, etc. He did get back on track with his home run tonight. Tonight though, his problem is poor 3B defense. His two miscues in the 7th led to all the damage. It’s hard to overcome your best player going so poorly, plus Verlander and Cole not delivering either.
Cards might not be the only team the Nats sweep. DC will be rocking.
It’s looking like Houston is putting up a far less fight than we did. I actually think we could have taken the Stros if we had clipped Washington.
And just like that…..with one swing of the bat, Martin Maldonado makes this a 9 run ballgame in the bottom of the 9th in Houston.
Back to Houston? The Astros will be darn lucky to see a Game 5. But Houston is just too talented not to win at least one game. Washington completes their magical run in front of their home folk. And has there ever been a more menacing team? Both fans and players slapping their hands together mimicking the jaws of a baby Great White Shark….sends a chill right down the spine! Opposing batters must feel like they are sitting ducks, being circled by hungry sharks when standing at the plate…..dinner plate for these Nat hurlers.
Who’d have thought that letting Harper go would lead to the Nats winning a World Series? That rotation is just so tough in a postseason series.
Hint, hint Mo.
stlcard25 said:
Who’d have thought that letting Harper go would lead to the Nats winning a World Series? That rotation is just so tough in a postseason series.
Hint, hint Mo.
Well, he got the part about letting Harper go… 😉 But passing on Scherzer as a free agent when he expressed interest was a monumental mistake by the Cardinals.
P.S. It is interesting that neither Harper’s nor Machado’s new teams made the playoffs and then both changed managers.
Well, he got the part about letting Harper go… 😉
P.S. It is interesting that neither Harper’s nor Machado’s new teams made the playoffs and then both changed managers.
Indeed, spending money on a “generational talent” who’s really more just a very good player has proven to be a fool’s errand. There are a handful of guys who probably move the needle enough to spend that kind of huge money on…Trout (who will never get to that position) and Betts come to mind. It will be interesting to see how this affects guys like Lindor, Correa, Baez and (potentially) Arenado when they hit FA, as they are all more Machado/Harper type good rather than all world players like Trout or Betts.
There is a fine line between winning and losing sometimes. A couple of weeks ago the Nationals were six outs away from being eliminated while facing Josh Hader. Now they are two games away from winning the World Series. Go figure.
Further, a wild card team that many left for dead well into the season is in the driver’s seat to win it all.
If there was a magic formula, the same teams would win every year. The Cubs dynasty lasted one year. The Yanks haven’t won in a decade. Even the Astros have just one title and may be facing a narrow window with their vaunted pitching. Cole is likely gone and both Greinke and Verlander are 36 years old.
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