Heading into this game, we weren't sure whether D.J. would give the ball to Jose Quintana or Marcus Stroman. As it turned out, the answer was: both. Quintana got the start, but only as a "cover pitcher" for (eventually) Stroman. Luckily, we were able to get Christian Villanueva one at-bat against Quintana, and he made the most of it, depositing a 2-2 pitch into the bleachers in left to give us an early 1-0 lead.
By the time Villanueva stepped to the plate again, D.J. quickly turned the game over to right-hander Corbin Burnes. Burnes retired Villanueva with ease, but then ran into trouble -- big-time -- in the following inning. By the time that inning ended, we had put five runs on the board and opened up a comfortable 6-0 lead.
Stroman finally entered the game in the fifth inning and tossed two shutout innings before he, too, ran into trouble in the seventh inning. We caught a break when Brandon Nimmo hit a routine fly ball to center field with two outs, and ended up on first base when the center fielder slipped on the wet grass. Jose Ramirez took full advantage of that break by hitting a two-run homer to make it an 8-1 game.
Meanwhile, our starter, Anibal Sanchez, pitched one of his best games of the season. Through six innings, he allowed just one run on five hits and no walks. I nearly pulled him from the game in the top of the sixth inning when he stepped to the plate with two outs and a runner on third, but I decided to give him one more inning. That turned out to be a good thing, given how our depleted bullpen would fare in this game.
Pedro Strop immediately ran into trouble in the seventh inning, allowing a single, a double, two wild pitches, and a passed ball to the first three batters he faced. He eventually settled down, and I handed the ball to the normally-steady Taylor Rogers. He, too, ran into trouble, by allowing back-to-back singles. He, too, settled down and got out of the inning.
I left Rogers in to start the ninth, hoping that he'd keep his pitch count low enough to face pain-in-the-ass Jesse Winker. He didn't make it long enough to do so, however. After serving up a single and double to the #7 and #8 batters in the Akron lineup, I quickly yanked him out of the game and asked Jonathan Holder to get us out of this jam.
Instead, the normally-reliable Holder threw gasoline on the fire by serving up a two-run double to pinch hitter Josh Bell. That cut our lead to 9-5. Two batters later, Starling Marte made it a 9-6 game with an RBI double. That brought Joey Wendle to the plate, with Ronald Acuna on deck. If Wendle had reached, Acuna would have represented the tying run of the game. I could instantly envision a scenario where the rookie Acuna played the hero at home in Akron, winning Game Five single-handedly, and rallying his team to two straight victories back in Salem to snatch victory from the hands of defeat.
Instead, Wendle struck out. Then Acuna struck out as well.
And so now we head to the OL Championship Series where we will face off against our division rivals, the Joplin Miners. This is pretty much my greatest nightmare. I could live with losing a postseason series to just about any other team in the league. Losing to Joplin would haunt me for the rest of my life.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Monday, November 4, 2019
2019 Playoffs Diary: Scouting the Final Three
Game Five will be a challenging game in many ways. We're playing in Akron, which has been anything but kind to us this year. We will be starting Anibal Sanchez, who has been incredibly ineffective most of this season. Thanks to the "bullpen game" in Game Four, our bullpen is completely depleted at this point.
Our two best relievers, Ryan Brasier and Oliver Perez, will be unavailable. The same is true with Shohei Ohtani and Richard Rodriguez. We will have to get by with a bullpen of Taylor Rogers, Jonathan Holder (on a very short pitch count), Pedro Strop, one inning of Trevor Cahill (our Game 7 starter if it comes to that), and -- gulp -- Jon Gray.
On the plus side, Akron has a choice between Jose Quintana and Marcus Stroman to start this game. Neither one is ideal. Quintana is a left-hander (which means Christian Villanueva and Danny Valencia finally come into play in this series) and Stroman is...well, not very good (although he pitched fine against us.)
The Akron bullpen will also be missing their closer, Josh Hader, who tossed 18 pitches in Game Four and 36 in Game Three. This plays well into our late-inning game if Quintana gets the start.
I see no issues on either team in terms of usage. We both should have enough PA's to get through this series without having to sit anyone important. I am a little worried about Brasier. We've relied heavily on him so far (although he did allow that game-deciding homer to Acuna in Game Three) and he's gotten us out of a number of jams. He threw 31 pitches in the last game, and 48 over the last four days. He may be done for the series.
It's a little ridiculous that Perez is unavailable. He is rated "Pr" for durability, but you'd think he'd be able to pitch after throwing only 19 pitches last game, and only five pitches three days before then.
We need to put Akron away EARLY or it might be a very rough ride from here on out.
Our two best relievers, Ryan Brasier and Oliver Perez, will be unavailable. The same is true with Shohei Ohtani and Richard Rodriguez. We will have to get by with a bullpen of Taylor Rogers, Jonathan Holder (on a very short pitch count), Pedro Strop, one inning of Trevor Cahill (our Game 7 starter if it comes to that), and -- gulp -- Jon Gray.
On the plus side, Akron has a choice between Jose Quintana and Marcus Stroman to start this game. Neither one is ideal. Quintana is a left-hander (which means Christian Villanueva and Danny Valencia finally come into play in this series) and Stroman is...well, not very good (although he pitched fine against us.)
The Akron bullpen will also be missing their closer, Josh Hader, who tossed 18 pitches in Game Four and 36 in Game Three. This plays well into our late-inning game if Quintana gets the start.
I see no issues on either team in terms of usage. We both should have enough PA's to get through this series without having to sit anyone important. I am a little worried about Brasier. We've relied heavily on him so far (although he did allow that game-deciding homer to Acuna in Game Three) and he's gotten us out of a number of jams. He threw 31 pitches in the last game, and 48 over the last four days. He may be done for the series.
It's a little ridiculous that Perez is unavailable. He is rated "Pr" for durability, but you'd think he'd be able to pitch after throwing only 19 pitches last game, and only five pitches three days before then.
We need to put Akron away EARLY or it might be a very rough ride from here on out.
2019 Playoffs Diary: OLDS, Games 1-4
I tell myself I don't care. I have been so bruised and scarred from 20 years of postseason failures that it doesn't affect me anymore. I'm immune to it. It no longer matters to me whether I win or lose.
Then I sit down to play my first postseason game and realize I've been lying to myself. Again.
I see Lucy holding that football once more. This time I'm gonna kick the shit out of that ball. This time I won't end up flat on my back. This time I won't shout, "AAAAAARGH!" This time, the audience won't laugh at my gullibility. This time, it will be different.
Before I can even settle comfortably in my chair, I already regret my decision to start Anibal Sanchez. He walks the leadoff batter, Jesse Winker, on five pitches. That is not surprising. All that motherfucker does is walk. Then Starling Marte lashes a base hit up the middle. Two batters, two base runners. Already, we're fucked.
I call to the bullpen. I can't take any chances here. We can't let this game get out of hand this early. "Get Perez up!" I shout into the antiquated dugout phone. "Now!" Less than two minutes into the first game, and I'm already in full-on panic mode. This leaves no room for doubt: I do care.
Two quick outs -- including the dangerous Ronald Acuna -- and the panic subsides. Then Scooter Gennett doubles home both runners with a clutch two-out knock. Fucking Johnny Bo! He just HAD to trade Gennett to Akron!
Nimmo leads off the bottom of the first with a home run. Now D.J. is surely shouting "Fuck Tony DeCastro! He just HAD to trade Nimmo to Salem!" At least, it would comfort me to know D.J. was shouting from his dugout. Instead, I imagine he's reclining in his easy chair, barely paying attention to the game while he listens to some obscure band playing on his record player. (And yes, I imagine he still owns and uses a record player.)
Two innings later, J-Ram crushes a three-run blast off of Mike Clevinger. I punch the air so hard I pull a muscle. I definitely still care about this stupid game. Although I breathe a sigh of relief, the game is far from over. Sanchez can blow it at any minute.
Nimmo leads off the fifth inning with a single -- his third hit of the game. I usually don't try to steal with Nimmo, given his horrible SB/CS rate, but since the pitcher has a "Pr" hold rating, and since we own a two-run lead, I roll the dice. He's gunned down at second. Idiot! Of course, Ramon Laureano follows with a triple, which would have scored Nimmo. Because of course. A long fly ball by Ramirez brings Laureano home. At least we scored one run out of that debacle.
We're still clinging to that 5-2 lead in the eighth inning when that rat-bastard Acuna hits a solo shot off of Taylor Rogers. Rogers then coughs up a single to the left-handed Gennett. That's all for him. Get him the hell out of there. Jonathan Holder takes over and, after walking a batter, gets the inning-ending double play. Another punch to the air.
On to the top of the ninth. After two quick outs, Roberto Perez draws a walk off of Holder. That brings up the very dangerous Starling Marte. Holder is at 26 pitches now. He can't go much further. Marte hits a little worse against lefties. With the tying run at the plate, we go with Oliver Perez, our most dominant reliever.
Perez gets Marte to ground one to third. Game over, I think. Nope. Justin Turner boots it. So, not only did he go 0-for-4 at the plate, with a GDP, he also made what could be a game-deciding error when we're one out away from taking Game One!
Joey Wendle steps to the plate. Tying run now at first base. 2-2 count. Perez deals. Strike three! Salem wins!
Yep, I totally care.
Stephen Strasburg has had his ups and downs as a Cowtipper. Instantly, the highlight of his entire Salem career takes place when he leads off the game by striking out that pain in the ass Winker. As if he needed to do anything more to please Salem fans after that, he then steps to the plate in the third inning with no outs and Trea Turner on first. After failing to bunt Turner over twice, Stras somehow draws a walk! From a count of 0-2 to four balls in a row! God, I love him.
Nimmo follows that heroism by popping out to right field. I decide we're going to test the arm of rookie Acuna, and the over-exuberant rookie takes that challenge by sailing his throw over the third baseman's head. Turner scampers home for the first run of the game.
Another clutch, two-out, hit ties the game for Akron in the top of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, with two outs and two on, Wendle hits a nubber down to third...which Turner boots. AGAIN. The fucking useless waste of roster space, who cost us $6.5 million last winter, has made his second error of the series, all while going 0-for-5 at the plate. Is it possible he has heard the rumors from the media that he's already been traded this winter?
That brings Acuna to the plate. With the bases loaded. Man, I can't even watch. I place my hands over my eyes and wait for the sound of the crowd to tell me what happened. Stras ties him up with a change-up in the dirt, and the kid strikes out!
Strasburg then comes through again! He leads off the bottom of the fifth with a double! Is it too early to retire his number in Salem? Unfortunately, he's stranded in scoring position as Nimmo, Ramirez, and Travis Shaw go down in order.
The score is still knotted at 1-1 when Strasburg is due to hit against Mychal Givens with two outs and two runners on base. Stras has thrown 103 pitches in his six innings of work. He wants to hit, but I tell him he's done for the day. I give him a swat on the backside, and he heads to the showers as Ramon Laureano grabs a bat.
Givens has one job to do on the Akron roster: get right-handed batters out. Laureano is right-handed. But it doesn't matter. He takes a 1-0 hanging curveball deep into the left field bleachers for a three-run jack. The crowd goes absolutely crazy, shaking Sam Adams Stadium to its foundation.
Not even ANOTHER error by Justin Turner to start the following inning can deflate the exuberance of the Salem crowd. Rich Rodriguez gets the job done in the seventh inning. Taylor Rogers takes over in the eighth and works around a pair of singles to keep the score at 5-1 in our favor.
With a bunch of lefties due to bat, and with Rogers' pitch count low, I decide to leave him in the game to start the ninth. He faces three batters and allows a walk and single. We quickly hand the ball to Perez, who records out number two. Lefty Wendle then steps to the plate. No problem, I think. But then he singles, plating a run. That brings Acuna to bat, suddenly representing the tying run of the game.
Perez is the best reliever on our staff, but Ryan Brasier is the best we have against right-handers. I roll the dice and go with Brasier. This time, the gamble pays off. Acuna whiffs to end the game.
The series shifts to the unfriendly confines of Akron, where we lost five out of six games this year. As game time approaches, we're met with a surprising discovery: Salem-killer Mike Clevinger is somehow well-enough rested to start Game Three! We never anticipated that turn of events.
Nonetheless, the game gets off to a good start. Akron practically hands us a run when Clevinger throws a pickoff toss down the right field line, and Chris Taylor then air-mails a throw to home plate on a base hit by Shaw. Just like that, we're up 1-0.
...and just like that, we're tied at 1-1. Our best starting pitcher, who is limited to less than eight innings in usage the entire series, allows two doubles in the first inning. Both pitchers settle down at that point, and not a single run is scored for the next four innings. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Starling Marte greets Buchholz with a home run. Then two more doubles and a sac fly. As it turns out, our best starting pitcher turned out to be our worst so far.
Trailing 3-1 in the eighth, Akron turns to Will Smith to face the top of our lineup. I called on Enrique Hernandez to pinch hit, and he delivers with a single. Another pinch hitter, Laureano, lines a double to the gap. That brings Ramirez to the plate with no outs and two runners in scoring position. A base hit ties this game. A home run puts us ahead.
Instead, Ramirez hits a nubber to second base. It gets the job done. A run scores, and we advance a runner to third. With Shaw due to bat, and the lefty Smith still on the hill, we call on Christian Villanueva to pinch hit. We know damn well that D.J. won't let Smith face Villanueva. Sure enough, Craig Stammen then came into the game, so we counter with Hunter Renfroe. Better for Renfroe to face Stammen than for Shaw to face Smith. Renfroe hits one to center field -- far enough to score the tying run.
We're in good shape at this point. We've turned this into a bullpen game, and Akron has already blown through their two best relievers, Josh Hader and Smith. We're golden! Brasier allows a base hit to lead off the bottom of the eighth, but no worries. He gets the next batter, Wendle. That brings Acuna to the plate.
The last time these two faced each other, Acuna whiffed to end the game with the bases loaded. Apparently, Acuna must have picked something up during that encounter. He takes Brasier deep into the night to give Akron a two-run lead.
We're not done yet. We still have one more inning. Akron hands the ball to Jeurys Familia to close it out. He walks the first two batters he faces. We just have to get them into scoring position. Who better to do that than Strasburg? He pinch hits for Jonathan Holder and proves worthy to the task at hand, moving both runners into scoring position with a clutch bunt.
That puts the tying run -- in the form of Vg-speed Trea Turner -- at second base with two chances to knock him in. Kike Hernandez whiffs for out number two. Laureano then grounds out to short. Game over.
Heading into this series, this was the game we dreaded the most. Who should get the starting nod? The inconsistent Trevor Cahill? The scary Jon Gray? Or do we go with the bold option of pitching a "bullpen game" with Shohei Ohtani as our two-inning "opener?" Ultimately, we decided to go bold or go home.
This is the most crucial game of the series. If we lose, the series is tied, with one more game to be played in Akron. If we win, at worst, we leave Akron up by one game. It all rested on our bullpen, which has been our greatest asset all season. Thankfully, they were well-rested.
Ohtani starts on shaky ground by walking that annoying motherfucker Winker, but he gets out of that jam. With two outs in the second inning, Chris Taylor homers for Akron. The way this game could go, that could be the only run needed to decide it.
We go with Rich Rodriguez to start the third inning. He ends up striking out three of the six batters he faces. Then it's Jonathan Holder's turn. He walks the bases full in the fourth inning, but gets out of the jam by getting Josh Bell to pop out to deep center. Holder then tosses another shutout inning in the fifth.
Meanwhile, we can't make heads nor tails out of Garrett Richards, for some inexplicable reason. He's good, but he's not THAT good. He throws five innings of shutout baseball before he's yanked from the game due mostly to usage issues. Now, once again, it becomes a bullpen game. We have a fighting chance in those games.
With two outs in the sixth, Justin Turner, the goat (not GOAT) of Games One and Two, finally earns his salary by knocking in a run with a clutch base hit. That ties the score at 1-1. The following inning, Francisco Cervelli gets hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He moves to second on a bunt, and then scores on a base hit by Laureano.
Clinging to that one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth, we turn once against to Ryan Brasier to face Acuna with the game on the line. Brasier wins again, getting him to fly out to right for out number two. That brings the always-dangerous Scooter Gennett to the plate with a runner on first.
Now...I know you're not supposed to put the go-ahead run on base. I know this decision backfired against me in 2002. I'm well aware of the odds. But I do it anyway. D.J. then wisely pinch-hits lefty Kolten Wong for the right-handed Wilson Ramos. Incredibly, Brasier gets the whiff to end the threat.
On to the bottom of the ninth. We're still clinging to that slim 2-1 lead. Every pitch is excruciating. The pressure and stress of it all has me climbing the walls of the dugout. Brasier, however, is cool as a cucumber. He retires the first two batters he faces, no problem. That brings lefty David Dahl to the plate.
Now...I know you're not supposed to put the tying run on base intentionally -- especially with two outs and no one on base! BUT...this time I had a really good reason for doing so. Josh Hader was due to bat next, and Akron had no other options left on their bench.
Dahl was walked. And Hader struck out.
Then I sit down to play my first postseason game and realize I've been lying to myself. Again.
I see Lucy holding that football once more. This time I'm gonna kick the shit out of that ball. This time I won't end up flat on my back. This time I won't shout, "AAAAAARGH!" This time, the audience won't laugh at my gullibility. This time, it will be different.
Game One
Before I can even settle comfortably in my chair, I already regret my decision to start Anibal Sanchez. He walks the leadoff batter, Jesse Winker, on five pitches. That is not surprising. All that motherfucker does is walk. Then Starling Marte lashes a base hit up the middle. Two batters, two base runners. Already, we're fucked.
I call to the bullpen. I can't take any chances here. We can't let this game get out of hand this early. "Get Perez up!" I shout into the antiquated dugout phone. "Now!" Less than two minutes into the first game, and I'm already in full-on panic mode. This leaves no room for doubt: I do care.
Two quick outs -- including the dangerous Ronald Acuna -- and the panic subsides. Then Scooter Gennett doubles home both runners with a clutch two-out knock. Fucking Johnny Bo! He just HAD to trade Gennett to Akron!
Nimmo leads off the bottom of the first with a home run. Now D.J. is surely shouting "Fuck Tony DeCastro! He just HAD to trade Nimmo to Salem!" At least, it would comfort me to know D.J. was shouting from his dugout. Instead, I imagine he's reclining in his easy chair, barely paying attention to the game while he listens to some obscure band playing on his record player. (And yes, I imagine he still owns and uses a record player.)
Two innings later, J-Ram crushes a three-run blast off of Mike Clevinger. I punch the air so hard I pull a muscle. I definitely still care about this stupid game. Although I breathe a sigh of relief, the game is far from over. Sanchez can blow it at any minute.
Nimmo leads off the fifth inning with a single -- his third hit of the game. I usually don't try to steal with Nimmo, given his horrible SB/CS rate, but since the pitcher has a "Pr" hold rating, and since we own a two-run lead, I roll the dice. He's gunned down at second. Idiot! Of course, Ramon Laureano follows with a triple, which would have scored Nimmo. Because of course. A long fly ball by Ramirez brings Laureano home. At least we scored one run out of that debacle.
We're still clinging to that 5-2 lead in the eighth inning when that rat-bastard Acuna hits a solo shot off of Taylor Rogers. Rogers then coughs up a single to the left-handed Gennett. That's all for him. Get him the hell out of there. Jonathan Holder takes over and, after walking a batter, gets the inning-ending double play. Another punch to the air.
On to the top of the ninth. After two quick outs, Roberto Perez draws a walk off of Holder. That brings up the very dangerous Starling Marte. Holder is at 26 pitches now. He can't go much further. Marte hits a little worse against lefties. With the tying run at the plate, we go with Oliver Perez, our most dominant reliever.
Perez gets Marte to ground one to third. Game over, I think. Nope. Justin Turner boots it. So, not only did he go 0-for-4 at the plate, with a GDP, he also made what could be a game-deciding error when we're one out away from taking Game One!
Joey Wendle steps to the plate. Tying run now at first base. 2-2 count. Perez deals. Strike three! Salem wins!
Yep, I totally care.
Game Two
Stephen Strasburg has had his ups and downs as a Cowtipper. Instantly, the highlight of his entire Salem career takes place when he leads off the game by striking out that pain in the ass Winker. As if he needed to do anything more to please Salem fans after that, he then steps to the plate in the third inning with no outs and Trea Turner on first. After failing to bunt Turner over twice, Stras somehow draws a walk! From a count of 0-2 to four balls in a row! God, I love him.
Nimmo follows that heroism by popping out to right field. I decide we're going to test the arm of rookie Acuna, and the over-exuberant rookie takes that challenge by sailing his throw over the third baseman's head. Turner scampers home for the first run of the game.
Another clutch, two-out, hit ties the game for Akron in the top of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, with two outs and two on, Wendle hits a nubber down to third...which Turner boots. AGAIN. The fucking useless waste of roster space, who cost us $6.5 million last winter, has made his second error of the series, all while going 0-for-5 at the plate. Is it possible he has heard the rumors from the media that he's already been traded this winter?
That brings Acuna to the plate. With the bases loaded. Man, I can't even watch. I place my hands over my eyes and wait for the sound of the crowd to tell me what happened. Stras ties him up with a change-up in the dirt, and the kid strikes out!
Strasburg then comes through again! He leads off the bottom of the fifth with a double! Is it too early to retire his number in Salem? Unfortunately, he's stranded in scoring position as Nimmo, Ramirez, and Travis Shaw go down in order.
The score is still knotted at 1-1 when Strasburg is due to hit against Mychal Givens with two outs and two runners on base. Stras has thrown 103 pitches in his six innings of work. He wants to hit, but I tell him he's done for the day. I give him a swat on the backside, and he heads to the showers as Ramon Laureano grabs a bat.
Givens has one job to do on the Akron roster: get right-handed batters out. Laureano is right-handed. But it doesn't matter. He takes a 1-0 hanging curveball deep into the left field bleachers for a three-run jack. The crowd goes absolutely crazy, shaking Sam Adams Stadium to its foundation.
Not even ANOTHER error by Justin Turner to start the following inning can deflate the exuberance of the Salem crowd. Rich Rodriguez gets the job done in the seventh inning. Taylor Rogers takes over in the eighth and works around a pair of singles to keep the score at 5-1 in our favor.
With a bunch of lefties due to bat, and with Rogers' pitch count low, I decide to leave him in the game to start the ninth. He faces three batters and allows a walk and single. We quickly hand the ball to Perez, who records out number two. Lefty Wendle then steps to the plate. No problem, I think. But then he singles, plating a run. That brings Acuna to bat, suddenly representing the tying run of the game.
Perez is the best reliever on our staff, but Ryan Brasier is the best we have against right-handers. I roll the dice and go with Brasier. This time, the gamble pays off. Acuna whiffs to end the game.
Game Three
The series shifts to the unfriendly confines of Akron, where we lost five out of six games this year. As game time approaches, we're met with a surprising discovery: Salem-killer Mike Clevinger is somehow well-enough rested to start Game Three! We never anticipated that turn of events.
Nonetheless, the game gets off to a good start. Akron practically hands us a run when Clevinger throws a pickoff toss down the right field line, and Chris Taylor then air-mails a throw to home plate on a base hit by Shaw. Just like that, we're up 1-0.
...and just like that, we're tied at 1-1. Our best starting pitcher, who is limited to less than eight innings in usage the entire series, allows two doubles in the first inning. Both pitchers settle down at that point, and not a single run is scored for the next four innings. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Starling Marte greets Buchholz with a home run. Then two more doubles and a sac fly. As it turns out, our best starting pitcher turned out to be our worst so far.
Trailing 3-1 in the eighth, Akron turns to Will Smith to face the top of our lineup. I called on Enrique Hernandez to pinch hit, and he delivers with a single. Another pinch hitter, Laureano, lines a double to the gap. That brings Ramirez to the plate with no outs and two runners in scoring position. A base hit ties this game. A home run puts us ahead.
Instead, Ramirez hits a nubber to second base. It gets the job done. A run scores, and we advance a runner to third. With Shaw due to bat, and the lefty Smith still on the hill, we call on Christian Villanueva to pinch hit. We know damn well that D.J. won't let Smith face Villanueva. Sure enough, Craig Stammen then came into the game, so we counter with Hunter Renfroe. Better for Renfroe to face Stammen than for Shaw to face Smith. Renfroe hits one to center field -- far enough to score the tying run.
We're in good shape at this point. We've turned this into a bullpen game, and Akron has already blown through their two best relievers, Josh Hader and Smith. We're golden! Brasier allows a base hit to lead off the bottom of the eighth, but no worries. He gets the next batter, Wendle. That brings Acuna to the plate.
The last time these two faced each other, Acuna whiffed to end the game with the bases loaded. Apparently, Acuna must have picked something up during that encounter. He takes Brasier deep into the night to give Akron a two-run lead.
We're not done yet. We still have one more inning. Akron hands the ball to Jeurys Familia to close it out. He walks the first two batters he faces. We just have to get them into scoring position. Who better to do that than Strasburg? He pinch hits for Jonathan Holder and proves worthy to the task at hand, moving both runners into scoring position with a clutch bunt.
That puts the tying run -- in the form of Vg-speed Trea Turner -- at second base with two chances to knock him in. Kike Hernandez whiffs for out number two. Laureano then grounds out to short. Game over.
Game Four
Heading into this series, this was the game we dreaded the most. Who should get the starting nod? The inconsistent Trevor Cahill? The scary Jon Gray? Or do we go with the bold option of pitching a "bullpen game" with Shohei Ohtani as our two-inning "opener?" Ultimately, we decided to go bold or go home.
This is the most crucial game of the series. If we lose, the series is tied, with one more game to be played in Akron. If we win, at worst, we leave Akron up by one game. It all rested on our bullpen, which has been our greatest asset all season. Thankfully, they were well-rested.
Ohtani starts on shaky ground by walking that annoying motherfucker Winker, but he gets out of that jam. With two outs in the second inning, Chris Taylor homers for Akron. The way this game could go, that could be the only run needed to decide it.
We go with Rich Rodriguez to start the third inning. He ends up striking out three of the six batters he faces. Then it's Jonathan Holder's turn. He walks the bases full in the fourth inning, but gets out of the jam by getting Josh Bell to pop out to deep center. Holder then tosses another shutout inning in the fifth.
Meanwhile, we can't make heads nor tails out of Garrett Richards, for some inexplicable reason. He's good, but he's not THAT good. He throws five innings of shutout baseball before he's yanked from the game due mostly to usage issues. Now, once again, it becomes a bullpen game. We have a fighting chance in those games.
With two outs in the sixth, Justin Turner, the goat (not GOAT) of Games One and Two, finally earns his salary by knocking in a run with a clutch base hit. That ties the score at 1-1. The following inning, Francisco Cervelli gets hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He moves to second on a bunt, and then scores on a base hit by Laureano.
Clinging to that one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth, we turn once against to Ryan Brasier to face Acuna with the game on the line. Brasier wins again, getting him to fly out to right for out number two. That brings the always-dangerous Scooter Gennett to the plate with a runner on first.
Now...I know you're not supposed to put the go-ahead run on base. I know this decision backfired against me in 2002. I'm well aware of the odds. But I do it anyway. D.J. then wisely pinch-hits lefty Kolten Wong for the right-handed Wilson Ramos. Incredibly, Brasier gets the whiff to end the threat.
On to the bottom of the ninth. We're still clinging to that slim 2-1 lead. Every pitch is excruciating. The pressure and stress of it all has me climbing the walls of the dugout. Brasier, however, is cool as a cucumber. He retires the first two batters he faces, no problem. That brings lefty David Dahl to the plate.
Now...I know you're not supposed to put the tying run on base intentionally -- especially with two outs and no one on base! BUT...this time I had a really good reason for doing so. Josh Hader was due to bat next, and Akron had no other options left on their bench.
Dahl was walked. And Hader struck out.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
2019 Playoffs Diary: On Second Thought...
This is how the process works, folks. I spend a good deal of time formulating a strategy based on considerable thought, logic, reason, and common sense. Then, a day or two later I toss it all out the window and do the opposite. Welcome to November baseball.
I have tossed around so many different ideas when it comes to my OLDS starting rotation that I've scratched out an entire sheet of paper, both sides, with potential ideas. I had sound reasons for each and every idea, mind you, but after playing a few exhibition games, I've come to realize that my latest strategy may easily backfire.
First, the decision to start Strasburg for three games on three days rest seemed reasonable on the surface. I have gone with a three-man rotation in the postseason before, with both positive and negative results. Stras could handle pitching on three days rest...BUT I would have to limit him to around 85 pitches per start. After playing a few exhibition games against the Akron squad, I've realized that 85 pitches only equates to around six innings -- at best.
In the last exhibition I played, I pulled Stras after six innings, with a 6-0 lead, and proceeded to watch Akron tie the game the very next inning. I realize that I shouldn't make rash decisions based on one fluke inning in one meaningless exhibition game, but that one shook me to the core. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that actually happens in a game that counts.
So, I have decided (for now) that Stras will only pitch twice in the series, on full rest. Which brings me to my next change of heart. I originally had Strasburg written in ink to start Game One of the series. However, it really doesn't matter if he pitches Game One or Two, given that Mike Clevinger and Trevor Williams are both equally-matched opponents. If I were to start Strasburg on Game Two, then he wouldn't start again until Game Six -- both home games. Given Strasburg's penchant for allowing home runs, and given Akron's very generous home run ballpark factors, I think it's best to avoid pitching Strasburg in Akron altogether.
I have also had a change of heart about that "bullpen" game. I've tried to manage that game in several exhibition contests, and it just doesn't seem to work well with our personnel. We blow through too many pitchers, too quickly, and it leaves us vulnerable in the late innings. This strategy also heavily depends on having a fully-rested bullpen -- which is very unlikely to happen.
As of this moment, our OLDS rotation looks something like this:
Game 1: Sanchez
Game 2: Strasburg
Game 3: Buchholz
Game 4: Cahill or Bullpen (depending on many factors)
Game 5: Sanchez
Game 6: Strasburg
Game 7: Cahill or Bullpen
Cahill is limited to 8.2 innings in usage for the series, so he can only pitch one of those two games. We will likely be forced into a bullpen game if this series goes seven games. I originally planned to make Felix Pena the 25th man on our roster, but now I'm leaning toward Jon Gray -- just in case. He would give us another option for Game 7 if necessary. But let's hope it doesn't get to that point.
I have tossed around so many different ideas when it comes to my OLDS starting rotation that I've scratched out an entire sheet of paper, both sides, with potential ideas. I had sound reasons for each and every idea, mind you, but after playing a few exhibition games, I've come to realize that my latest strategy may easily backfire.
First, the decision to start Strasburg for three games on three days rest seemed reasonable on the surface. I have gone with a three-man rotation in the postseason before, with both positive and negative results. Stras could handle pitching on three days rest...BUT I would have to limit him to around 85 pitches per start. After playing a few exhibition games against the Akron squad, I've realized that 85 pitches only equates to around six innings -- at best.
In the last exhibition I played, I pulled Stras after six innings, with a 6-0 lead, and proceeded to watch Akron tie the game the very next inning. I realize that I shouldn't make rash decisions based on one fluke inning in one meaningless exhibition game, but that one shook me to the core. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that actually happens in a game that counts.
So, I have decided (for now) that Stras will only pitch twice in the series, on full rest. Which brings me to my next change of heart. I originally had Strasburg written in ink to start Game One of the series. However, it really doesn't matter if he pitches Game One or Two, given that Mike Clevinger and Trevor Williams are both equally-matched opponents. If I were to start Strasburg on Game Two, then he wouldn't start again until Game Six -- both home games. Given Strasburg's penchant for allowing home runs, and given Akron's very generous home run ballpark factors, I think it's best to avoid pitching Strasburg in Akron altogether.
I have also had a change of heart about that "bullpen" game. I've tried to manage that game in several exhibition contests, and it just doesn't seem to work well with our personnel. We blow through too many pitchers, too quickly, and it leaves us vulnerable in the late innings. This strategy also heavily depends on having a fully-rested bullpen -- which is very unlikely to happen.
As of this moment, our OLDS rotation looks something like this:
Game 1: Sanchez
Game 2: Strasburg
Game 3: Buchholz
Game 4: Cahill or Bullpen (depending on many factors)
Game 5: Sanchez
Game 6: Strasburg
Game 7: Cahill or Bullpen
Cahill is limited to 8.2 innings in usage for the series, so he can only pitch one of those two games. We will likely be forced into a bullpen game if this series goes seven games. I originally planned to make Felix Pena the 25th man on our roster, but now I'm leaning toward Jon Gray -- just in case. He would give us another option for Game 7 if necessary. But let's hope it doesn't get to that point.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
2019 Playoffs Diary: Scouting the Ryche
We went 6-6 against Akron during the regular season. Aside from one blowout 12-1 win, most of those games were close. In fact, seven out of the twelve games were decided by just one run. Needless to say, our teams are evenly-matched.
Any time you face an opponent that is so evenly-matched, it places a greater emphasis on advanced scouting. Any advantage that can be found must be exploited. Each game could very well be decided by one decision.
My first question as I scan the Akron roster is: who will D.J. Shepard pitch against us? Mike Clevinger and Trevor Williams are the only two guaranteed starters, and will likely start the first two games, in either order. Clevinger started a game in all three series, and absolutely dominated. He allowed only 3 runs on 8 hits in 20+ innings. It is tempting to start Shohei Ohtani in right field against him, just to have one more left-handed bat in the lineup. The only other option would be to give Ramon Laureano a start, but Clevinger dominated right-handed batters (.219/.264/.380) this season.
Williams started twice against us this season and held us in check both times. His split stats are more consistent than Clevinger's, so adding another left-handed bat wouldn't help much. The first two games in this series are all but guaranteed to be low-scoring affairs for us. Whatever advantage we get from having the home field will be negated by those two pitchers.
Clevinger could possibly pitch on short rest, given his Vg endurance rating, but Williams is thankfully rated only Av. My guess is that Clevinger starts Games One, Four, and Seven, and Williams starts Games Two and Six. Who starts Games Three and Five? Your guess is as good as mine. Jose Quintana (16-8, 3.87 ERA in 32 starts) and Robbie Ray (6-5, 4.87 ERA in 24 starts) racked up the next two highest start totals during the regular season, but D.J. seems reluctant to throw left-handers against us. Of the twelve games we played this season, a lefty started only three of them.
Marcus Stroman started twice against us, but didn't pitch particularly well. There is such a disconnect between his MLB and BDBL numbers that I don't know what to make of him. Garrett Richards (3-4, 3.78) started one game against us, but he is eligible to throw only six innings in the Division Series. If I had to guess, I would say the pitching matchups for this series will be:
Game 1: Strasburg vs. Clevinger
Game 2: Sanchez vs. Williams
Game 3: Buchholz vs. Quintana
Game 4: Strasburg vs. Clevinger
Game 5: Bullpen vs. Richards
Game 6: Sanchez vs. Williams
Game 7: Strasburg vs. Clevinger
I could be completely wrong about that. Time will tell.
Akron's bullpen is filled with left-handers, which works to our advantage. Two of those lefties, Jose Castillo and Josh Hader, are very homer-prone, which also works to our advantage. If we can keep the score close heading into the late innings, we should be in good shape.
Offensively, we will have to deal with one of the most potent lineups in the league. Akron's ballpark is heavily-tilted toward power hitters from both sides of the plate. We're starting Buchholz in Akron for that reason, as he was the best starter on our team for preventing home runs. For that reason, Strasburg will likely struggle.
Jedd Gyorko (1.130 OPS vs. LH), David Dahl (1.075), Ronald Acuna (1.031), and Yairo Munoz (1.030) all pummeled left-handers all season, so we'll have to do our best to avoid using Oliver Perez and Taylor Rogers against them. Against righties, newcomer Scooter Gennett (.975), Acuna (.972), Kolten Wong (.942), Jesse Winker (.941), and Starling Marte (.931) are all pains in the ass.
Strategically, D.J. is pretty much a "1-1" type of manager. He doesn't run a lot, doesn't bunt a lot, and led the league with the fewest number of intentional walks. This is neither an advantage or disadvantage. He does control the running game well, and Akron's main catcher, Wilson Ramos, keeps base stealing to a minimum with his Vg arm. This diminishes one of our big weapons, but won't entirely erase it.
At first glance, there don't appear to be many areas for exploitation for this series. We'll just have to pound the "1" key and hope the Gods of Random Dice Rolls are kind to us.
Any time you face an opponent that is so evenly-matched, it places a greater emphasis on advanced scouting. Any advantage that can be found must be exploited. Each game could very well be decided by one decision.
My first question as I scan the Akron roster is: who will D.J. Shepard pitch against us? Mike Clevinger and Trevor Williams are the only two guaranteed starters, and will likely start the first two games, in either order. Clevinger started a game in all three series, and absolutely dominated. He allowed only 3 runs on 8 hits in 20+ innings. It is tempting to start Shohei Ohtani in right field against him, just to have one more left-handed bat in the lineup. The only other option would be to give Ramon Laureano a start, but Clevinger dominated right-handed batters (.219/.264/.380) this season.
Williams started twice against us this season and held us in check both times. His split stats are more consistent than Clevinger's, so adding another left-handed bat wouldn't help much. The first two games in this series are all but guaranteed to be low-scoring affairs for us. Whatever advantage we get from having the home field will be negated by those two pitchers.
Clevinger could possibly pitch on short rest, given his Vg endurance rating, but Williams is thankfully rated only Av. My guess is that Clevinger starts Games One, Four, and Seven, and Williams starts Games Two and Six. Who starts Games Three and Five? Your guess is as good as mine. Jose Quintana (16-8, 3.87 ERA in 32 starts) and Robbie Ray (6-5, 4.87 ERA in 24 starts) racked up the next two highest start totals during the regular season, but D.J. seems reluctant to throw left-handers against us. Of the twelve games we played this season, a lefty started only three of them.
Marcus Stroman started twice against us, but didn't pitch particularly well. There is such a disconnect between his MLB and BDBL numbers that I don't know what to make of him. Garrett Richards (3-4, 3.78) started one game against us, but he is eligible to throw only six innings in the Division Series. If I had to guess, I would say the pitching matchups for this series will be:
Game 1: Strasburg vs. Clevinger
Game 2: Sanchez vs. Williams
Game 3: Buchholz vs. Quintana
Game 4: Strasburg vs. Clevinger
Game 5: Bullpen vs. Richards
Game 6: Sanchez vs. Williams
Game 7: Strasburg vs. Clevinger
I could be completely wrong about that. Time will tell.
Akron's bullpen is filled with left-handers, which works to our advantage. Two of those lefties, Jose Castillo and Josh Hader, are very homer-prone, which also works to our advantage. If we can keep the score close heading into the late innings, we should be in good shape.
Offensively, we will have to deal with one of the most potent lineups in the league. Akron's ballpark is heavily-tilted toward power hitters from both sides of the plate. We're starting Buchholz in Akron for that reason, as he was the best starter on our team for preventing home runs. For that reason, Strasburg will likely struggle.
Jedd Gyorko (1.130 OPS vs. LH), David Dahl (1.075), Ronald Acuna (1.031), and Yairo Munoz (1.030) all pummeled left-handers all season, so we'll have to do our best to avoid using Oliver Perez and Taylor Rogers against them. Against righties, newcomer Scooter Gennett (.975), Acuna (.972), Kolten Wong (.942), Jesse Winker (.941), and Starling Marte (.931) are all pains in the ass.
Strategically, D.J. is pretty much a "1-1" type of manager. He doesn't run a lot, doesn't bunt a lot, and led the league with the fewest number of intentional walks. This is neither an advantage or disadvantage. He does control the running game well, and Akron's main catcher, Wilson Ramos, keeps base stealing to a minimum with his Vg arm. This diminishes one of our big weapons, but won't entirely erase it.
At first glance, there don't appear to be many areas for exploitation for this series. We'll just have to pound the "1" key and hope the Gods of Random Dice Rolls are kind to us.
Monday, October 28, 2019
2019 Playoffs Diary: Setting the OLDS Roster
One other, Jon Gray, is an enigma. He was unexpectedly outstanding this season: 10-3, 3.48 ERA in 108+ innings, with only 98 hits allowed, and 111 K's. He held both lefties (697 OPS) and righties (662) at bay, which would be a very big asset against the balanced offensive attack of the Akron Ryche.
...BUT...
You have to take his numbers with an Everest-sized grain of salt. We only used him against the worst teams in the league this year. The only above-.500 teams he faced all season were Joplin (who crushed him) and Ravenswood (who didn't.) I simply can't trust that Gray would perform well against a team like Akron. So he will be sitting out the month of November as well.
That leaves two pitchers with unlimited innings in the playoffs: Stephen Strasburg and Anibal Sanchez. The problem with Sanchez is that we never know which version will show up on game day: the one who dominated Major League Baseball last year of the one who continually disappointed us all season in the BDBL. Sanchez allowed six runs in three different games this season, and one of those was against Akron.
I don't think we have any other choice but to keep him on the playoffs roster and give him two starts in the Division Series. Our best starter, Clay Buchholz, is limited to 7.2 innings. Trevor Cahill is limited to 8.2. Shohei Ohtani is limited to 4. It is tempting to use our bullpen as much as possible, but we can only "bullpen" so many games.
At this point, our LDS rotation looks something like this:
Game 1: Strasburg
Game 2: Sanchez
Game 3: Buchholz
Game 4: Strasburg
Game 5: Bullpen game (start Ohtani for 2)
Game 6: Sanchez
Game 7: Strasburg
There are a lot of "X-factors" involved with this plan. Strasburg will be pitching on three days rest, which means we'll have to limit him to around 90 pitches per game. Or we could move our bullpen game to Game 4 and have Stras start Game 5 on full rest. Or we could give Cahill a start. The problem is that if we did either, we'd have no one to start Game 7. However, you should never plan a series to go the distance. One game at a time. We can worry about Game 7 if we get there.
Our bullpen is set: Taylor Rogers, Ryan Brasier, Jonathan Holder, Oliver Perez, Rich Rodriguez, Pedro Strop, and Ohtani for two. We will also keep Cahill on the roster in case we get ourselves into an extra-innings jam.
Our offense is also set in stone. Akron will likely start two left-handers (Carlos Quintana and Robbie Ray), which means our two lefty-bashers, Christian Villanueva and Danny Valencia, are no-brainers. Akron's two best relievers are also left-handed, so we need to max out their usage this series.
Odubel Herrera and Hunter Renfroe were dreadful all season, but we may need to give Renfroe a start, as Ramon Laureano is limited to just 6 PA's against lefties in this series. Otherwise, the rest of the lineup shakes out as it has throughout the season.
We have a big decision to make regarding our lineup against right-handers. Shohei Ohtani's bat is far too valuable to waste on the bench. He hit .279/.369/.487 this season against righties -- and that was a drastic under-performance. He is a huge liability in the field, however, as he is not rated at any position. We used him a lot in right field this season, and he was absolutely dreadful. If he cost the team a run per game in the field, his bat made up for it throughout the course of the long 160-game season. In a short series, however, those small mistakes are magnified and every run is crucial.
The problem is that if Ohtani's bat isn't in the lineup, then he'll be replaced by either Enrique Hernandez (.213/.299/.448 vs. RH this year) or Renfroe (.186/.234/.350). We can't afford to start either of them. At this point, it may need to be a game-time decision. On the plus side, both Hernandez and Renfroe are right-handed power hitters, which plays well in Akron's home park (RH HR factor of 115).
Another question we will need to eventually address is what to do with our 25th roster spot. At the moment, it's empty. We could give it to Herrera or Danny Jansen, but that seems like a waste of a spot. Trevor May is only eligible to pitch two innings in the series, but they would likely be two great innings. Felix Pena was lights-out (.218/.262/.280) against righties, but was pounded by lefties, so he wouldn't be all that useful against Akron's balanced lineup. Mike Montgomery would be a waste of a roster spot as well.
This Division Series will be decided by a series of coin flips. Akron is a 100-win team with a potent offense and a quality pitching staff -- which is exactly why we didn't want to face them in the playoffs. We still have a lot of work to do to prepare for this series.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Chapter Five Review
We wrapped up the fifth chapter with a record of 18-10, and now sit with a record of 91-41 (.689) on the season. The division race is all but over, as we lead Joplin by sixteen games. However, we're on pace to finish this chapter two games behind Los Altos for the best record in the league, which means we would have to face the Akron Ryche in the Division Series if the season ended today.
We only lost two series last chapter. Sadly enough, one was to Akron and the other was against Los Altos. This does not bode well for our fate in the coming Tournament of Randomness.
Our franchise record for wins in a season is 112, which means we'd need to win an improbable 21 games in the final chapter to tie that record. We're only nine wins away from 100 wins, which would be the eighth time we reached that figure in the league's 21-year history. It would be our first 100-win season since 2014, and only our second 100-win season since 2008. Of course, it would also be our first division title since '08 as well.
Jose Ramirez seemed to fall into a slump during our ill-fated rematch with Los Altos last chapter, but his overall numbers for the chapter were impressive: .279/.401/.577, 8 HR, and a team-leading 29 runs created. Trea Turner (.333/.417/.465, with 19 stolen bases) enjoyed an impressive chapter as well. As did Travis Shaw (.273/.408/.558.) Each of those three players created 20 or more runs on the chapter.
The other newcomer to our roster, Brandon Nimmo (.316/.402/.500) began paying dividends for us last chapter. Justin Turner (.322/.363/.456) broke out of his mini slump. Kike Hernandez hit only .216/.310/.534 for the chapter, but tied Ramirez with eight home runs in Chapter Five. Ramon Laureano (.355/.487/.710), Danny Valencia (.409/.519/.682), and Christian Villanueva (.286/.412/.536) also had outstanding chapters.
On the flip side, Andrew Benintendi was all but useless in Chapter Five, hitting just .152/.227/.182. Francisco Cervelli had been clutch for us all season until last chapter. He hit just .194/.296/.226. Hunter Renfroe (.227/.280/.636) continues to be useless except for the occasional home run. Rafael Devers went just 3-for-24 while filling in for Justin Turner at third. And Odubel Herrera (0-for-11) continues to play his way off the postseason roster.
Our bullpen was, once again, the strength of our pitching staff in Chapter Five. Rich Rodriguez (0.75 ERA in 12 IP), Ryan Brasier (1.00 in 9), Pedro Strop (1.08 in 8+), and Taylor Rogers (1.80 in 15) were all on their "A" games in Chapter Five.
In the starting rotation, Clay Buchholz (2-1, 1.23 ERA in 22 IP) stepped up his game, but was inadvertently overused. As a result, we'll only see him start one game in the final chapter. Jon Gray (2-1, 2.79 ERA in 29 IP) continues to impress and exceed expectations by leaps and bounds.
On the flip side, Sonny Gray (7.25 ERA in 22+ IP) was an absolute disaster on the hill, reversing his surprising performance over the first four chapters. Mike Montgomery (6.75 ERA in 18+) was the almost-hero of that 21-inning marathon against Los Altos, but was unfairly stuck with some ugly numbers to end the chapter.
Our 2020 season is taking shape, and with nearly a full month remaining on the MLB regular season calendar, a lot can happen from here on out. You may recall how our entire team went into a collective slump in September of last year, seemingly destroying any chance we had of competing in 2019. (Boy, did that prediction age poorly.)
As it currently stands, it looks as though Rafael Devers will be our MVP. He's hitting .318/.367/.575, with 48 doubles and 29 homers. Justin Turner (.292/.370/.518, 27 HR) is having an excellent year as well. Jose Ramirez (.254/.325/.463) finally turned his game around after his massive first-half slump...and then proceeded to injure himself for the rest of the season. Our problem is that all three of those players will most likely be rated only at third base. We'll need to do something about that this winter.
Trea Turner (.298/.357/.480, 13 HR, 31 SB) is having another good all-around year. Andrew Benintendi (.281/.356/.462) has been a disappointment, but is still useful to have in the lineup and in the field. Ramon Laureano (.284/.334/.518, 21 HR) was enjoying a breakout year before he, too, injured himself for an extended period. (Although he's back now.) We still haven't figured out what we'll do with Shohei Ohtani (.286/.344/.492), but he seems too good to just let him rot on the reserve roster or bench all year.
Hunter Renfroe has hit a career-high 31 home runs, but is batting only .224 with a .293 OBP. Our catching situation hasn't played out the way we had hoped. Francisco Cervelli (.223/.309/.322) was in a massive slump before he concussed his way out of the game for several months. Danny Jansen (.208/.280/.366) began the season in a massive slump and stayed in that slump for the next five months. Thank god we managed to pick up Tom Murphy (.275/.312/.573, 17 HR) off of the free agent scrap heap.
On the pitching side, Jon Gray (150 IP, 3.84 ERA) was shaping up to be our ace before he...yep, you guessed it...injured himself for the rest of the year. Thankfully, his brother Sonny (151+ IP, 2.80 ERA) has picked up the slack and has been one of the better pitchers in baseball in the second half. Of course, we also have franchise pitcher Stephen Strasburg (179 IP, 3.47 ERA) returning for another year of schizophrenic performance. If Mike Montgomery (73+ IP, 4.42 ERA) keeps pitching well for his new MLB team, we may see him in the rotation as well.
Anibal Sanchez (140 IP, 4.11 ERA) was beginning to look like a possible front-end starter until his last disastrous outing completely destroyed his overall numbers. Steven Matz (133+ IP, 4.04) has had a very Steven Matz-like season. Clay Buchholz (36+ IP, 5.45 ERA) is probably going to end up costing us to release him. Trevor Cahill (94+ IP, 6.20 ERA), who we foolishly signed through 2021, will definitely cost us. Daniel Norris (132+ IP, 4.76 ERA) looks like he won't fulfill his potential until his contract ends with us after 2021. I don't know what we'll do with Felix Pena (96+ IP, 4.58 ERA), who also managed to injure himself for the entire remainder of the season.
Our bullpen currently consists of three Minnesota Twins: Taylor Rogers (60+ IP, 2.52 ERA), Trevor May (53+ IP, 3.21 ERA), and the newly-acquired Ryne Harper (49+ IP, 3.62 ERA).
We only lost two series last chapter. Sadly enough, one was to Akron and the other was against Los Altos. This does not bode well for our fate in the coming Tournament of Randomness.
Our franchise record for wins in a season is 112, which means we'd need to win an improbable 21 games in the final chapter to tie that record. We're only nine wins away from 100 wins, which would be the eighth time we reached that figure in the league's 21-year history. It would be our first 100-win season since 2014, and only our second 100-win season since 2008. Of course, it would also be our first division title since '08 as well.
Hitters of the Chapter
Jose Ramirez seemed to fall into a slump during our ill-fated rematch with Los Altos last chapter, but his overall numbers for the chapter were impressive: .279/.401/.577, 8 HR, and a team-leading 29 runs created. Trea Turner (.333/.417/.465, with 19 stolen bases) enjoyed an impressive chapter as well. As did Travis Shaw (.273/.408/.558.) Each of those three players created 20 or more runs on the chapter.
The other newcomer to our roster, Brandon Nimmo (.316/.402/.500) began paying dividends for us last chapter. Justin Turner (.322/.363/.456) broke out of his mini slump. Kike Hernandez hit only .216/.310/.534 for the chapter, but tied Ramirez with eight home runs in Chapter Five. Ramon Laureano (.355/.487/.710), Danny Valencia (.409/.519/.682), and Christian Villanueva (.286/.412/.536) also had outstanding chapters.
On the flip side, Andrew Benintendi was all but useless in Chapter Five, hitting just .152/.227/.182. Francisco Cervelli had been clutch for us all season until last chapter. He hit just .194/.296/.226. Hunter Renfroe (.227/.280/.636) continues to be useless except for the occasional home run. Rafael Devers went just 3-for-24 while filling in for Justin Turner at third. And Odubel Herrera (0-for-11) continues to play his way off the postseason roster.
Pitchers of the Chapter
Our bullpen was, once again, the strength of our pitching staff in Chapter Five. Rich Rodriguez (0.75 ERA in 12 IP), Ryan Brasier (1.00 in 9), Pedro Strop (1.08 in 8+), and Taylor Rogers (1.80 in 15) were all on their "A" games in Chapter Five.
In the starting rotation, Clay Buchholz (2-1, 1.23 ERA in 22 IP) stepped up his game, but was inadvertently overused. As a result, we'll only see him start one game in the final chapter. Jon Gray (2-1, 2.79 ERA in 29 IP) continues to impress and exceed expectations by leaps and bounds.
On the flip side, Sonny Gray (7.25 ERA in 22+ IP) was an absolute disaster on the hill, reversing his surprising performance over the first four chapters. Mike Montgomery (6.75 ERA in 18+) was the almost-hero of that 21-inning marathon against Los Altos, but was unfairly stuck with some ugly numbers to end the chapter.
Looking Ahead
Our 2020 season is taking shape, and with nearly a full month remaining on the MLB regular season calendar, a lot can happen from here on out. You may recall how our entire team went into a collective slump in September of last year, seemingly destroying any chance we had of competing in 2019. (Boy, did that prediction age poorly.)
As it currently stands, it looks as though Rafael Devers will be our MVP. He's hitting .318/.367/.575, with 48 doubles and 29 homers. Justin Turner (.292/.370/.518, 27 HR) is having an excellent year as well. Jose Ramirez (.254/.325/.463) finally turned his game around after his massive first-half slump...and then proceeded to injure himself for the rest of the season. Our problem is that all three of those players will most likely be rated only at third base. We'll need to do something about that this winter.
Trea Turner (.298/.357/.480, 13 HR, 31 SB) is having another good all-around year. Andrew Benintendi (.281/.356/.462) has been a disappointment, but is still useful to have in the lineup and in the field. Ramon Laureano (.284/.334/.518, 21 HR) was enjoying a breakout year before he, too, injured himself for an extended period. (Although he's back now.) We still haven't figured out what we'll do with Shohei Ohtani (.286/.344/.492), but he seems too good to just let him rot on the reserve roster or bench all year.
Hunter Renfroe has hit a career-high 31 home runs, but is batting only .224 with a .293 OBP. Our catching situation hasn't played out the way we had hoped. Francisco Cervelli (.223/.309/.322) was in a massive slump before he concussed his way out of the game for several months. Danny Jansen (.208/.280/.366) began the season in a massive slump and stayed in that slump for the next five months. Thank god we managed to pick up Tom Murphy (.275/.312/.573, 17 HR) off of the free agent scrap heap.
On the pitching side, Jon Gray (150 IP, 3.84 ERA) was shaping up to be our ace before he...yep, you guessed it...injured himself for the rest of the year. Thankfully, his brother Sonny (151+ IP, 2.80 ERA) has picked up the slack and has been one of the better pitchers in baseball in the second half. Of course, we also have franchise pitcher Stephen Strasburg (179 IP, 3.47 ERA) returning for another year of schizophrenic performance. If Mike Montgomery (73+ IP, 4.42 ERA) keeps pitching well for his new MLB team, we may see him in the rotation as well.
Anibal Sanchez (140 IP, 4.11 ERA) was beginning to look like a possible front-end starter until his last disastrous outing completely destroyed his overall numbers. Steven Matz (133+ IP, 4.04) has had a very Steven Matz-like season. Clay Buchholz (36+ IP, 5.45 ERA) is probably going to end up costing us to release him. Trevor Cahill (94+ IP, 6.20 ERA), who we foolishly signed through 2021, will definitely cost us. Daniel Norris (132+ IP, 4.76 ERA) looks like he won't fulfill his potential until his contract ends with us after 2021. I don't know what we'll do with Felix Pena (96+ IP, 4.58 ERA), who also managed to injure himself for the entire remainder of the season.
Our bullpen currently consists of three Minnesota Twins: Taylor Rogers (60+ IP, 2.52 ERA), Trevor May (53+ IP, 3.21 ERA), and the newly-acquired Ryne Harper (49+ IP, 3.62 ERA).
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