Did they actually field the first team against the Dodgers, or were those some people they recruited from the stands?
Oh, well. Long flight, little rest, two best starters not available. That’s not a good concatenation of circumstances. The team had no hitting, and no relief pitching, and Howie Kendrick picked a bad time to show off the wacky Dick Stuart impersonation that always leaves the clubhouse in stitches.
I’m guessing the Nationals must use Bill Buckner as a special first base coach.
What can ya say? As Scarlet O’Hara declaimed, “After all, tomorrow is another day.”
(Actually, Corbin did fine under pressure in the starter role. He was the only bright spot. But you can’t win a game when you score no runs.)
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Meanwhile that Atlanta-St Louis game was pretty soporific for seven innings – but the last two were pretty wild!
ESPN notes:
“Atlanta has lost nine straight playoff series and is just one away from tying the Chicago Cubs’ record for postseason futility — 10 postseason losses in a row between 1908 and 2003. Atlanta has not won a postseason series since 2001, and hasn’t even led a series since going up 2-1 on San Francisco in the 2002 NLDS. The Giants won the next two games to advance.”
I had not really noticed that. 2001? That’s a lot of years. I can still remember the previous decade when they were the favorites to win every post-season series, thanks to having three Hall of Fame pitchers in the rotation.
As mentioned, I am a lifetime Cards fan. Not technically a well played game but certainly exciting with most of the action coming the last two innings. A Braves relief pitcher comes in and is injured warming up. Their late season upgrade at closer gets lit up with a bunch of two strike hits that were inches inside the foul line. The Cards have a four run lead in the 9th and Martinez walks Hamilton who can only get on base if he walks, bunts or is hit by a pitch (possibly the worst roster hitter in MLB) Martinez then gives up two straight HRs to match his total for the season. Only two amazing defensive plays by Goldshmidt ( people forget how much a good defensive 1B can change the game) keep the game from slipping away. The Braves gotta be thinking “oh shit now we have to face the guy who is without a doubt the second half NL Cy Young, if there was such a thing.