2017 NLDS: Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals

Kyle Schwarber plays the outfield like I did back in the day. Terrible!!!!!!! #Nats #Cubs

— William Ladson (@washingnats) October 9, 2017

Whoa!!!!!!!!!

Somewhere, Tom Emanski just had a heart attack. pic.twitter.com/BVnbPrJKD0

— SI MLB (@si_mlb) October 9, 2017

I had no idea who that other Murray brother was.

Murray voiced Cheetos mascot Chester Cheetah from the character's inception in 1986 until 1997. He was replaced by Pete Stacker in 1997.

Heck of a play there in center by the Nats.

Could not get to the bloop that time.

Taylor or Werth might've gotten it with a dive but it seemed like no one called it. That was a tense game.

dusty

was Dusty being Dusty again? pulling your ace after he gives up one hit? smh

playing the .211 Schwarber for his bat instead of anyone who can actually play outfield seems worse than anything Dusty did

still; i enjoy seeing dusty lose.

otm

Dusty leaves him in and Max blows it at 110 pitches, he'd get blame for leaving a hurt pitcher out there when he should know he was done.

Not being a Captain save a Dusty, it's just Nats fans to learn the hard way.

He was coming off an injury and was supposed to be on a 100 pitch limit ... Dusty being Dusty (or Washington being Washington, because it happens every year with them even pre-Dusty) is giving up the tying and winning runs in the late innings without using your best relievers.

well Scherzer only had 74 pitches, i didn't see the game but seems early after just one hit. but it's Dusty.

good point NoTime, i just have some bad memories of Dusty under pressure.

Scherzer was at 98 pitches not 74, which is why I made that point. Dusty will never use his setup guy or closer except in the 8th or 9th. That's going against the vet clutch hustler law of physics.

Madden is opposite, sometimes he gets too clever for his own good and the Cubs have a couple times bailed him out in big playoff games. Dude got spared being added to the goat pile big time last year in Game 7.

98 pitches is a different ballgame, read the MLB app wrong.

would any manager pull their ace who's pitching a no hitter in a one run playoff game?

i think the problem is going to Sammy Solis in a tight situation, regardless of pitch counts or inning. there is 4 much much better relievers on the Nats squad.

i agree that it's 20/20 hindsight, the guy had a bad hammy a few days ago

Amazing to think: Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg have both taken no-hitters into the seventh in this series -- and the Nats lost both.

— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) October 10, 2017

it's supposed to rain all afternoon and evening here

Dusty being Dusty is giving up the tying and winning runs in the late innings without using your best relievers.

otm

otoh, i suppose farrell/hinch would have brought in strasburg

5:30 ET start time seems unprecedented when there is only one game

Forecasts for Chicago on Tuesday evening led MLB to establish the 4:38 p.m. local first pitch time at Wrigley Field.

OK thx

4-9pm forecast only a jot better than later on.

Matz, espn:

The Accuweather forecast for Wrigley Field calls for a 70% chance of rain throughout the late afternoon and evening. If Game 4 of Nats/Cubs, (slated to start at 4:38 central) gets rained out, it would be rescheduled for Wednesday. If that happens, Game 1 starter Stephen Strasburg would be available on regular four days rest. Ditto for Chicago's Kyle Hendricks.

Cameron exculpates Dusty

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/in-defense-of-dusty-baker/

if they play, Heyward sits. And Dusty bats Bryce third.

That defense of Dusty is embarrassing. "Pitcher X wins that battle most of time" makes no sense because even the worst pitchers win 65% of the battles. It's not a reason to not have a better pitcher in the game. The manager gets blamed for the decision making process, not the results -- "it was a lucky bloop that fell in" doesn't get the manager off the hook for making a bad decision. John Kruk must have hacked into fangraphs or something.

Margin of defeat for the Nationals' past 9 postseason losses, going back to 2012 NLDS Game 5.

Nine losses by 12 total runs ... oof. pic.twitter.com/bdZGwp6gdX

— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) October 10, 2017

even if they can play today it's going to be cold and damp, could be a messy game

looks awful dicey on the radar, they might play 4 innings til the skies open.

NLDS Game 4 is officially in delay. MLB officials will meet at 4:30 pm CT and have an update after that. #Cubs

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) October 10, 2017

Looks like there won't be a game today (which favours the Nats, I think, because they won't have to start Roark).

except...

Baker says Roark will start Wed for Nats vs #Cubs

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) October 10, 2017

sounds good, Dusty, you gotta save Strasburg for game 5

I mean we'll see I guess...

apparently strasburg has a cold or something?

Dusty said Strasburg did throw a bullpen today in anticipation of starting Thursday. So by time game was called, couldn't pitch tomorrow.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) October 10, 2017

They didn't anticipate...today's weather?

the tone of this article is so obnoxious:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2017/10/10/stephen-strasburg-declines-game-4-start-after-rainout/752350001/

i get it, he's getting paid $175 million, he's expected to tough it out, etc. but these same sportswriters (and fans) will absolutely tear apart a manager over relatively minor things like not bringing in a lefty to face a lefty, benching a player based off of short sample sizes and PvP matchups, etc. everything in baseball is about trying to slightly change the odds that something will happen in an inherently unpredictable game. but when you have a player who knows he's going to incur the wrath of National Nation and still knows that it's better that he doesn't pitch, isn't it possible that he's actually REALLY SICK, and if he's really sick, isn't it better to turn to someone who is healthy? when i'm really sick i can't even check my email without fucking everything up, i can't imagine trying to strike anthony rizzo out during a make or break playoff game.

Nationals manager Dusty Baker tried to cover for Strasburg at their press conference, saying that Strasburg threw a bullpen session Tuesday and was simply unavailable.

Only Strasburg actually threw his bullpen session Monday.

He didn’t throw a pitch Tuesday.

And decided, apparently, that he couldn’t go in Game 4.

Unbelievable.

...“We have full confidence in Tanner,’’ Baker said.

Yet he is not Stephen Strasburg.

He is not a $175 million pitcher.

He is not one of the faces of the franchise.

There’s a reason why he was the Nationals’ fourth choice to start a playoff game.

hey Bob Nightengale on Twitter: FUCK OFF

Also you suck at writing

it's so dumb that I suspect gamesmanship

Also.

You suck.

At writing.

maybe he gets a little dorito every time he hits enter twice in a row.

yum

i love it

there's cheese all over my keyboard

i can't stop

He is not a $175 million pitcher.

He is not one of the faces of the franchise.

There’s a reason why he was the Nationals’ fourth choice to start a playoff game.

That reason is this:

He's trash.

Human filth.

His change up is a change down.

He misses bats so much he wants to see them more, so what does he do?

He gives up more hits. Intentionally.

He's in the pocket of big bat. And he's a pitcher.

looool

i feel like a batter should get to run on a passed ball third strike, but not a wild pitch third strike. (why reward someone for swinging at a terrible pitch?) there's obviously no way to do it that way, so whatever, this is fine

Yeah, technically there's a loophole in the current rule that batters could exploit. But if it were that simple then it would happen all the time, and it doesn't. So the rule is fine the way it is.

running on PB strikeouts is exciting therefore good

I wish I would have seen this one, it looks like it was a totally insane game.