Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
That was Game 2 of the ALDS between Cleveland and New York on October 5, 2007 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. Thousands of midges suddenly swarmed Joba Chamberlain and the Yankees in the 8th inning with New York leading 1-0.
Watching Chamberlain trying to pitch with hundreds of midges swarming all around him and even getting in his eyes was one of the most frustrating and bizarre things I’ve experienced as a sports fan. To this day I can’t believe they didn’t at least temporarily suspend the game. Still gives me chills when I think about it. And not the good kind.
Sportscenter last night said the Braves are the first team since the 1905 Giants to have 4 shutouts in a span of 5 postseason games. Christy Mathewson was responsible for 3 of those shutouts on his own.
The Braves sure didn't look they are going to go quietly into the night against the mighty Dodgers. An explosion in the 9th helps them take game one. The Braves are now 6-0 in the post season and have allowed a grand total of 6 runs!
This is so exciting! The Braves are setting up Atlanta for one heck of a crushing loss. It is going to be epic as only Atlanta teams can accomplish. I predict a 3-1 series lead and at least 2 8th or 9th inning blown saves on the way to the Dodgers winning in 7 (and the Dodgers will win game 7 by at least 5 runs).
It won’t be quite 28-3, it it will come close.
Jason “that said, Austin Riley’s 9th inning bomb was one of the loudest homers I have ever heard” Evans
I'm a lifelong fan of the Yankees (the biggest treat we got growing up was going to Yankee Stadium to see Mantle and Maris and Elston Howard and Whitey Ford). Transplanted to the Midwest, and have lived in St. Louis (except for college/law school) since 1973. In the1996 NLCS, the Cardinals had a 3-games-to-1 lead on the Braves (I had been at Game 4), and Atlanta won the next three. Gave 6 was close, but the scores of games five and seven were 14-0 and 15-0. I still curse Donovan Osborne for going out to the mound and peeing in his pants for his game 7 start.
The worst part of it was, I had tickets to this dream World Series between my two teams, and of course it never happened.
Osborne was drafted by the Cards in the first round(13th pick) in the 1990 amateur draft. Injuries kept him from becoming the pitcher most fans thought he would be. His best season was 1996 when he won 13 games and lost 9. He had a 3.53 ERA with 2 of his 4 career complete games that season. Donavan missed the entire 1994 season due to injuries. He pitched 7 seasons for the Redbirds with a 47-45 won lost record and a 3.92 ERA. Another Cardinal pitcher that never lived up to the expectations of many Cardinal fans.
The Braves have replaced Adam Duval on the post-season roster with Johan Carmago. Duval was a major power hitter for the team and will be missed. Braves are carrying an absurd number of pitchers and have very limited replacement options among position players.
But, the far more significant news for today is that Clayton Kershaw is suffering from back spasms and has been scratched from today's start. The Dodgers will start Tony Gonsolin instead. Gonsolin has been excellent this season, but you cannot replace the kind of experience and playoff savvy that Kershaw brings to the mound. Gonsolin has 16 career starts... of course, he is going up against Ian Anderson who has been a Major league pitcher for less than 2 months.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Wow! Could be a big break for the Braves. I know that kid has been really good but as you said he's really inexperienced. I know Anderson is as well but he already has 2 playoff wins under his belt and should be more poised. I think the bigger implication here is what do the Dodgers do from here on out. They are now in the same position as the Braves in that they probably have to have a bullpen game 4.
"The future ain't what it used to be."
As a Dodgers fan and a Kershaw fan, crap. He's had another excellent year, but his back has been an issue on and off for about 5 years now. As much as you may feel the Braves are doomed, the Dodgers have shown a consistent ability to field excellent teams that fall short of a WS title over the last 32 years, too.