Home › The Cardinal Nation Forums › Open Forum › Who pitches in a Wild Card game?
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September 4, 2018 at 11:31 pm #68222
Don’t want to count our eggs before they hatch, but it’s looking more and more like we’re headed to a wild card game. If we make it there, who pitches?
My vote today would be for Austin Gomber. 5-0, 2.77 ERA with a take-no-prisoners attitude. 5 of Brewers’ best hitters are lefties and only one has seen Gomber this year (Yelich). 2nd choice is Flaherty, but he is trending slightly down lately, while Gomber is improving. 3rd choice is Mikolis – veteran with a winning record. Rest of Sep is auditioning for the WC game — assuming we stay above the cut line.
September 5, 2018 at 12:49 am #68225Gomber, Gant, or Flaherty. I would rather go with Gant in order to have Gomber and Flaherty available for the playoffs. I suspect that Flaherty could win two in a five-game playoff. Isn’t Flaherty kind of a Brewer-killer?
September 5, 2018 at 5:44 am #68227I dont think we are going to have the luxury of setting up a playoff rotation. If we get in, we will be pitching our best just to get in.
September 5, 2018 at 6:33 am #68231If we get a choice, it will be Mikolas. He’s had the best overall season, and has the best chance to pitch deep into the game.
September 5, 2018 at 7:03 am #68239PadsFSParticipantFlaherty had a 1.13 ERA in August and a 2.24 ERA in the second half altogether. He’s been lights out lately.
September 5, 2018 at 8:44 am #68253Sad thing about all of this is that should we win the wild card game then we would probably have to face the Cubs in a best of five series. And you know how that would go. It would be a repeat of 2015.
I still think the rule should be that the winner of the wild card game would NOT face their own division winner in the 1st round.
r/Rat
September 5, 2018 at 8:47 am #68254I don’t “know” that it would go the same way as 2015. I think the Cards very well could beat the Cubs. They are very good against lefties and the Cubs basically run all lefties and the junkball Hendricks out there. If the bullpen could hold, I wouldn’t put it past St Louis to beat Chicago.
September 5, 2018 at 8:49 am #68255NJ315ParticipantI would say Flaherty but Mikolas a close second.
September 5, 2018 at 9:18 am #68263I would go with Flaherty also but you don’t know who would be available. We might need to use Flaherty and Mikolas the last two games of the year just to make the wild card game.
And if we do face the Cubs in the NLDS chances are it will be a repeat of 2015 but I hope we get to find out.
September 5, 2018 at 9:25 am #68266probably played against the Brewers I think i want Mikolas…doesnt walk guys and with the sluggers in that lineup i would rather give up solo HRs over 2 or 3 runners if they happen
Still, short leash on anyone…including Mik or Jack…
September 5, 2018 at 9:55 am #6827514NyquisTParticipantThose last 3 games at Wrigley may become must wins and we’ll need to pitch our best in those situations. It all depends on the wild-cards. Clinching one early would be very nice and would allow us to set up for it.
I would like Flaherty to pitch the wild card, if he is available for that one game.
Other options: Mikolas-Gomber-Gant-Weaver-Poncedeleon. That’s three good options and three pitchers that would need to step up on their performances.
I doubt that there would be time in the regular season to stretch out Hudson or CMartinez but they would be nice options to have. Just thinking outside the box.
September 5, 2018 at 10:06 am #68278My take is to let the chips fall where they may. Trying to get too cute could backfire.
Look at Sunday-Monday. After announcing Flaherty as the Sunday starter, they decided to hold him back a day for the Nats on Monday and pitch Weaver instead. In hindsight, they lost both games, when they probably could have taken Sunday (and the Reds series) had they just left the rotation alone. Beating Scherzer would have been a tall order no matter who the Cardinals started.
(I know the rationalization was to give Flaherty more rest, but I don’t think that was the main reason for the change.)
September 5, 2018 at 6:18 pm #68329Still a little more vetting to do, but I’d like to see Schildt put the best possible team, including pitcher, on the field for a WC w/o consideration for a follow on series. For pitcher I’m still going with Gomber but will be watching him close over his next two starts. Flaherty close 2nd.
September 5, 2018 at 6:43 pm #68334Mikolas gets no respect, but he is the leader of this staff.
September 5, 2018 at 7:02 pm #68336No disrespect to Mikolas but he’s had two bad starts against Mil this year and two good starts. Is he really the best to put on the mound against that team in a one game winner take all? He’s evenly split at Busch and in Mil with good/bad starts as well. I like a high performing lefty in that situation right now.
September 5, 2018 at 10:21 pm #68447With 22 games left at current rotation with no skipping a starter with off days it goes
Gomber games 1,6,11,16,21
Flaherty 2,7,12,17,22
Gant 3,8,13,18
Wainwright 4,9,14,19
Miles 5,10,15,20That leaves Flaherty for the last day of the regular season if it means something, if all is set and the last day does change anything he can be skipped and used game 1 of the playoffs.
September 6, 2018 at 2:58 am #68453Depends on who it falls on but my guess is it’s a basic bullpen start with Carlos in the mix. If indeed he in the bullpen come the playoffs. I could see a change of heart from the brass in regards to his status.
September 6, 2018 at 7:37 am #68466PadsFSParticipantWith the Rockies winning 5 in a row and the Dodgers coming on hard, the D’Backs and Phillies are seemingly in the rear-view.
We are already a half game back of the Brewers and if the Rockies continue this resurgence, we are fighting with the Dodgers. That’s not preferred. The Tigers series couldn’t happen at a better time.
September 6, 2018 at 7:50 am #68472The Rockies have six games left vs the Dodgers, 7 with the Dbacks and 4 with the Phillies. They’ve played like a .500 team this year with great luck. They could continue it, but I’d expect them to hit a cold patch. I’d rather face them than LA though.
September 6, 2018 at 10:17 am #68493Too early to know the team we face or if it’s even an elimination game.
Mikolas has earned it, so if we burn him up in an elimination game, we still have bulldog Flaherty as a game 1 SP.
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