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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 7, 2012 17:55:52 GMT -5
Whew! The Nats came through, but they sure didn't make it easy on the old arteries! The Cards got two runs on one hit, thanks to Gio's wildness and 7 (count 'em) walks! I was beginning to think we were seeing a contest that accentuated seasoned, postseason experience vs. untested postseason youth, which it may have been up to a point. But the Nats earned their stripes. Looks to be a good series!
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Oct 7, 2012 18:23:56 GMT -5
It looks that way. Unfortunately, I didn't see the game (watched NASCAR and confess to not knowing when the Nats were playing). I happened to check the team's site and caught the last inning on that. Let's hope the O's and Nats defy all odds and meet in the World Series.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 7, 2012 18:45:02 GMT -5
I'd sooooooo love to see that, Paul!
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 8, 2012 8:21:10 GMT -5
Well, we were 1 and 1 for the day yesterday. There are a lot of ways to describe what happened in Baltimore last night, but I can't say any of them here.
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Post by loucapitano on Oct 8, 2012 18:20:05 GMT -5
Now it's time for game two. We'll see if Pettitte is fully recovered. Notice how close to the vest Girardi played it? CC gives up one hit with a 5 run lead and it's a call to the bullpen. The O's shut the Yanks down until Russell broke the tie and everyone else piled on. I still think the Yanks expect a split in Baltimore and hope to finish in the Bronx. But it ain't over til it's over! ;D How about them Nats? What happened to the Giants?
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 8, 2012 23:11:28 GMT -5
If these two teams don't stop this nail-biting marathon, there will be nothing left of my arteries! Whew! The Os let me off the hook tonight and Jim Johnson returned to form. Now, it's on to N.Y. and a really serious challenge.
Boy, do I need a drink!
Nats come home with the series divided.
I think what happened to the Giants was simply the Reds, a much better team than anyone's been noticing all year. The Tigers also seem to have hit their stride. I feel sorry for the Bay Area; hopes look dim for either of their teams making it this year.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 11, 2012 8:18:54 GMT -5
Well, my hopes for a beltway series seem to be fading. I can't believe that Jim Johnson blew two out of 3 save opportunities, but I guess that's the way it goes. The guy led the majors with 51 saves this year, 6th most in all of baseball history. But, Raul Ibanez pulled a Dusty Rhodes on two outstanding Os relievers. The Os have battled the mighty Yanks toe-to-toe for 3 days and disproved everyone who thought they didn't belong on the same field with the Bronxers. All three games have been excruciatingly close nailbiters. I hope the Os can pull one more out today so we can go to a game 5. A series like this deserves a game 5. I wish the results were different, but it's been a great series so far whoever wins. How can you not love the job Gonzalez did last night, which was only about one pitch better than Kuroda's? The Nats pitchers have been a real disappointment compared to the job they've done all year. Jackson got shellacked by his former teammates in the first D.C. postseason game in 79 years yesterday.
Well, it's time to "Play Ball" here at 1 p.m.; Os take on the Yanks again in the Big Apple at 7:30. Hang on!
MEANWHILE - Let's not allow the turnaround Bay Area teams to be neglected! Two comebacks as the Jints blow out the Reds in Cincinnati, while the As hold on by the skin of their teeth against Detroit with a miraculous 3-run rally in the 9th. For a while there, I thought this postseason was going to be dull compared to last year, but it's turning into a great one!
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Post by Hiram on Oct 11, 2012 14:55:11 GMT -5
Heavy heart this morning (and heavy eyelids) with the result of last night's Orioles - Yankees game. Having said that, I read the transcript of Showalter's postgame press conference and he apparently took it better than I did. He chalked it up to essentially "that's baseball."
Of course he's right. That's what makes him a great manager. Buck understands the nature of the game and of the playoffs. Baltimore has played their heads off all year and I have no doubt that they will do the same tonight and let the chips fall where they may.
If it wasn't for the Cardinals, I'd be rooting for the Nationals; but you don't have to be a St. Louis fan to appreciate the pitching performance of Chris Carpenter. To be out the entire regular season, then step onto the mound without a single actual game pitched and throw the ball the way he did against a team the caliber of Washington was amazing to witness.
Note to Bryce Harper: Rick Hummel was right. You do look overanxious. I'm sure you'll come around...might even be this afternoon.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 11, 2012 16:12:32 GMT -5
There's still a chance, but less than there was yesterday. The Giants just pulled off the near-impossible, completing a sweep of the Reds in the last 3 games of the NLDS; first time a National League team has done that and the first time this year Cincinnati has lost 3 in a row. Nats are still struggling; tied 1-1 in the 4th with the Cards. I think several of their hitters look too anxiious. Ironically, the raves have gone to the Nats' pitching all year, which has not been great in the postseason. Instead, its the Orioles starters who have been terrific and kept the team in the games. Johnson has failed twice, but neither team has been scoring much, putting a lot of pressure on the closers. And let's give Ibanez credit! He's just plain hot right now! Wish Adam Jones would wake up and look alive. He's pulling a post-season Eddie Murray fade here.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 11, 2012 23:36:39 GMT -5
Wow! Could the Os-Yanks series be any more tense??? Tonight they topped themselves & went 13 before the Os put us out of our misery, setting up a Game 5 -- absolutely essential in this series! The rest of the postseason is going to have a hard time living up to this standard! Fasten your seatbelts! The Os and Nats give us one more chance for a step toward a Beltway Series tomorrow!
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Post by Chuck T on Oct 12, 2012 10:02:29 GMT -5
Funny you should mention a Beltway Series Allen. My wife did the same thing the other night, and last night gave up the VP debate to watch the O's. The surprising thing is that she is a political junkie. Would it not be more proper to name this theoretical series the Parkway (B&W) Series or the Clash on I95. I would think that a decent series venue would be Laurel, about halfway between. Somewhere Mickey Vernon, Bob Porterfield, and Eddie Yost are smiling.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 12, 2012 10:18:00 GMT -5
Ha! Good thought, Chuck! I think they actually called the 1983 Series between Baltimore and Philadelphia "The I-95 Series." That one was certainly fun (for me, anyway). Some people are calling this a potential "Parkway" series, probably referring to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, which still connects the two cities, but is rarely used anymore; the most common route is I-95, but both cities have Beltways that surround them (I-495 in Washington and I-695 in Baltimore), but I'll take that series under ANY name at this point! Both teams have really ratcheted up the tension! I don't know if I can handle two Games 5 in one day, especially if they are at all like yesterdays' games. Wow!
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Post by Hiram on Oct 12, 2012 14:30:27 GMT -5
Well, if A-Rod comes up big today...it will be in a big moment, because he's benched in favor of Chavez (batting ninth) with Ibanez (batting in the fifth slot as DH.) If the Yankees do advance, makes you wonder about what effect this will have on A-Rod and the team as a whole.
Laurel would be a good neutral site...I know Hardy (J.J.) would like that.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 12, 2012 15:04:48 GMT -5
They can play in Frederick for all I care -- just as long as they win!!!
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Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 12, 2012 21:10:52 GMT -5
Well, crap. The Os didn't make it; just wasn't in the cards this year. Nonetheless, Orioles fans are justifiably very proud of their team and their manager (of the year, if there's any justice). I recall my flight from Boston to Baltimore two Aprils ago and chatting up another Baltimorean about the Os. He said "I don't expect them to win anything. I'd just like them to do something to keep us interested!" Well, the Birds did a lot more than that in this amazing season. All of Maryland thanks them and looks forward to next season. I somehow think that going all the way to Game 5, and playing the Yanks this tough every step of the way means a lot more to Orioles fans that another championship would mean to Yankees fans. I've seen only two Orioles World Series appearances; one win and one loss. Don't know if I'll ever see another one, but right now I'm glad to be an Orioles fan.
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