NLDS: Pirates/Cardinals

[joncarlos]

Who ya got?

Burnett, Cole, Liriano, Morton, Burnett

vs

Wainwright, Lynn, Kelly, Miller/Wacha, Wainwright

It looks like Matheny is putting Miller/Wacha in the 'pen for game 1, and maybe game 2. He'll start Joe Kelly in game 3 and whichever rookie is available for game 4.

Allen Craig (Paul's beloved Wrench) is out for the series so we'll get a full dose of Matt Adams at 1B, making the Cards' bench historically awful. Bench (huge) and bullpen (small) are the Pirates' biggest advantages, if Clint Hurdle can find a way to use them.

[DJBeasties]

I'm going with Pirates in 5. Huge road win to close it out.

[joncarlos]

I'm going with Pirates in 5. Huge road win to close it out.

I just don't trust Burnett in St. Louis in game 5. My heart says Pirates in 4, my head says Cards in 5.

[Don Quixote]

I said Cards in 5, because with my Pirates, heartbreak in the last game of non-World Series playoffs is a tradition. 1991, 1992, and worst of all for me, 1972.

I want my team to win, I'll be ecstatic if they do win, but I won't be grieving if they don't win--unless it ends like '72 or '92.

[james33]

Allen Craig (Paul's beloved Wrench) is out for the series so we'll get a full dose of Matt Adams at 1B, making the Cards' bench historically awful.

Good point. Also makes the Cardinals very vulnerable to lefties - so with Liriano having just pitched, the Cardinals are facing the Pirates at the right time. I hadn't realized Locke was done - what happened to him?

[virgonomic]

I just don't trust Burnett in St. Louis in game 5. My heart says Pirates in 4, my head says Cards in 5.

After today, neither does anyone in Pittsburgh.

[Don Quixote]

HOIST THE JOLLY ROGER!

Pirates go for the series win tomorrow. Unbelievable!

[joncarlos]

What a game yesterday. We went down before the game to check out the atmosphere and PNC Park was electric.

Liriano was battling a cold, and was clearly not himself. Or, maybe he was, since he was wild and inconsistent

Some questionable moves for Hurdle along the way, but everything worked out anyway. Melancon has not pitched much lately and I hoped the rest would do him good, but he still seems very shaky. Or maybe Carlos Beltran is just too good.

Charlie Morton goes today, the game might be delayed a little bit as a storm came through last night and it's still raining. Yesterday it was 85 degrees and today's high is 60. But it is supposed to clear up in the afternoon. I think it will be clear by 3 but I'm not sure.

The Bucs need this game because they don't want to go back to STL. Especially with a controversy over who will pitch. AJ got lit up by the Cards in game 1 and Gerrit Cole could be rested enough to take game 5. Hurdle is very loyal to his vets but he's also willing to listen to suggestions from the front office this year.

[james33]

Interesting matchup in Game 5 - Wainwright vs. Cole would seem to this biased Cardinal fan as a big edge to the Cardinals. But really I think the matchup is more like Wainwright vs. Cole/Bucs excellent relievers.

If Wainwright struggles a bit in the first three innings, he probably isn't pulled. If Cole struggles a bit, I bet he gets pulled early. That'll be two days rest for Liriano; could he pitch 2-3 innings?

Also - a big interesting decision point for Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny is the 8th inning, if, say, Wainwright has thrown a lot of pitches and has given up 3 or 4 runs through 7. Does he go with the sometimes wild Carlos Martinez or does he let Rosenthal try a 2-inning save?

[Don Quixote]

Well, it ended with kind of a whimper. But what the he**, it was FUN, wasn't it, Pirates fans? And won't it be nice to actually have positive expectations going into next season?

Good luck to the Cardinals. You have a heck of a team, and if my team has to lose, let it be to the eventual champions.