Hmm. Cards win 4-2, square series 1-1. 3 run seventh inning lost it. Farrell should have taken Lackey out sooner. Salty should have done better to stop the double steal, then Breslow's error allowed an extra run. Pretty poor all round there.
Both teams make errors and get punished. I'll take 1-1 going to Busch. Major concerns over Buccholz health. Something is up there, maybe Doubront in game 4. I expect this to come back to Fenway.
I do like Wacha, 2 plus pitches, he will need to add something else over the summer, and he will. I simply cannot believe he was only drafted last year, looks like he has been around a while.
Normal service is resumed. Mike Matheny - MVP, MVP ! Jarrod Saltalamacchia? You can take the boy out of Atlanta but you can't take Atlanta out of the boy ;o)
Watching again on Fox tonight here in Galveston before flying to St Louis tomorrow AM. Get away from this heat. Three weeks a year in Southern California means I can't do humidity anymore!
The World Series of Errors. All three games now dictated by costly errors.
Farrell's right that it's a tough pill to swallow, but by the letter of the law, obstruction was correct, so that's just the way it goes. I'd feel sorry for Middlebrooks, but the fact is, if he'd caught the ball, the play would never have happened.
Farrell and Matheny have both made some interesting decisions in the three games so far, and with the benefit of hindsight, Matheny's decisions are looking better calls. I wonder if this will be the deciding factor in the Series? As it is, I feel that game 4 is crucial for the Red Sox now. Lose this one and I fear the Series is gone.
Disappointed in Salty and Farrell. Both made awful calls, you should never make that throw to third, especially with the 0-4 Kozma coming up. Farrell should have pinch hit for workman, he should have brought Ross in for Salty. How could Napoli not even pinch hit?
If Salty starts behind home plate tonight it will be a travesty.
Leaving for the airport for St Louis. Result almost doesn't matter. I am off to realise a lifetime dream to see the Sox play in a Series. Have seen them 6 times in my life and have never seen a defeat but fear that will change tonight.
Disappointed in Salty and Farrell. Both made awful calls, you should never make that throw to third, especially with the 0-4 Kozma coming up. Farrell should have pinch hit for workman, he should have brought Ross in for Salty. How could Napoli not even pinch hit?
If Salty starts behind home plate tonight it will be a travesty.
Easy to say now JD. We all have 20-20 in retrospect. Salty weighed it up and figured Craig wouldn't make it. He was wrong. Just a misjudgement IMO. Farrell's decisions regarding Workman and Napoli were based on expecting the game to go to extra innings. He wanted another couple of outs from Workman so he could save Koji a little. If it had worked, he would've been celebrated for smart management. The way things panned out, it didn't work. As I said before, both managers have gambled with some interesting decisions, but those decisions are inevitably judged on how well they pan out. In baseball, the criticism and praise doled out to managers by commentators always sounds very black and white to me, when in reality the situation is usually a shade of grey.
At the time I was calling for Ross instead of Salty and even Farrell admitted he should have made the switch. Salty has a massive hole in his swing when he bats LH and STL exploited it. I would have Ross starting over Salty especially in an NL park. There is no way Ross makes that throw, nor Molina.
I understand regarding Workman but I still consider that a bad call. If WMB had got on base Napoli would have been in, not putting him in was too conservative for me. I hope Xander and Drew start again tonight I think WMB has lost all confidence during the post season and not sure Nap can play 3B.
I take your point JD. The trouble is there's an argument and a counter argument for any managerial decision. I didn't have an issue with Salty staying in and, to take a positive, I think he'll come back stronger from this. I agree that at the time I was, like you, uneasy about leaving Workman in, but it's all part of the calculation of risk isn't it? Farrell made a choice, presumably based on the gameplan of containing St Louis for an inning or two (with Koji) while trying to land a sucker punch. Both bullpens were looking thin, so I do get what he was trying to do. It's a shame, but whether you think bad tactics, bad play, bad luck or a combination of all three are to blame, after the way the team has performed this year, I'm willing to forgive any one of them a couple of bad days at the office.
Anyway, it's gone now. Good to discuss with you though! This is why we love the game, eh? Now, let's tie this series up. If we can win tonight, them at least we know they've got to come back to Fenway.
Comments
3 run seventh inning lost it. Farrell should have taken Lackey out sooner. Salty should have done better to stop the double steal, then Breslow's error allowed an extra run. Pretty poor all round there.
Ah well. On to Busch!
Got to be happy to go into three games at Busch with the score 1 - 1.
I do like Wacha, 2 plus pitches, he will need to add something else over the summer, and he will. I simply cannot believe he was only drafted last year, looks like he has been around a while.
Mike Matheny - MVP, MVP !
Jarrod Saltalamacchia? You can take the boy out of Atlanta but you can't take Atlanta out of the boy ;o)
cards win on a flukey error!
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/stl/umpires-point-to-rulebook-in-explaining-world-series-game-ending-obstruction-call?ymd=20131027&content_id=63396774&vkey=news_stl
Can you imagine football referees doing a press conference like this?
All three games now dictated by costly errors.
Farrell's right that it's a tough pill to swallow, but by the letter of the law, obstruction was correct, so that's just the way it goes.
I'd feel sorry for Middlebrooks, but the fact is, if he'd caught the ball, the play would never have happened.
Farrell and Matheny have both made some interesting decisions in the three games so far, and with the benefit of hindsight, Matheny's decisions are looking better calls. I wonder if this will be the deciding factor in the Series?
As it is, I feel that game 4 is crucial for the Red Sox now. Lose this one and I fear the Series is gone.
If Salty starts behind home plate tonight it will be a travesty.
Salty weighed it up and figured Craig wouldn't make it. He was wrong. Just a misjudgement IMO.
Farrell's decisions regarding Workman and Napoli were based on expecting the game to go to extra innings. He wanted another couple of outs from Workman so he could save Koji a little. If it had worked, he would've been celebrated for smart management. The way things panned out, it didn't work.
As I said before, both managers have gambled with some interesting decisions, but those decisions are inevitably judged on how well they pan out.
In baseball, the criticism and praise doled out to managers by commentators always sounds very black and white to me, when in reality the situation is usually a shade of grey.
I understand regarding Workman but I still consider that a bad call. If WMB had got on base Napoli would have been in, not putting him in was too conservative for me. I hope Xander and Drew start again tonight I think WMB has lost all confidence during the post season and not sure Nap can play 3B.
The trouble is there's an argument and a counter argument for any managerial decision.
I didn't have an issue with Salty staying in and, to take a positive, I think he'll come back stronger from this.
I agree that at the time I was, like you, uneasy about leaving Workman in, but it's all part of the calculation of risk isn't it? Farrell made a choice, presumably based on the gameplan of containing St Louis for an inning or two (with Koji) while trying to land a sucker punch. Both bullpens were looking thin, so I do get what he was trying to do.
It's a shame, but whether you think bad tactics, bad play, bad luck or a combination of all three are to blame, after the way the team has performed this year, I'm willing to forgive any one of them a couple of bad days at the office.
Anyway, it's gone now. Good to discuss with you though! This is why we love the game, eh?
Now, let's tie this series up. If we can win tonight, them at least we know they've got to come back to Fenway.
Come on you Red Sox!