Much will always be made of how long managers leave Blake Snell in various postseason starts. It’s a callback to a dramatic postseason of the past. It’s an emotional issue for the pitcher involved. It’s a flashpoint between tradition and analytics.
One thing that feels very significant, though, and different between the 2020 World Series and last night’s game—in which Bob Melvin left Snell out there and Snell effectively navigated a tightrope, nearly giving San Diego six innings of work—is that Bob Melvin was facing much different bullpen constraints than Kevin Cash was two years ago. The Rays were playing a normally-timed World Series, and were arguably the best-rested postseason team in history thanks to the shortened season and the single-location playoffs. The Padres were facing down two more games in a row after last night’s and angling for trips to the Eastern Time Zone this coming week.
It’s these little ways in which the condensed schedule is making its presence felt. Everyone’s going to be a little more tired today. Everyone’s going to be a lot more tired tomorrow.
Thoughts on the other series:
Second-Guessing Snitker (or Whoever Made the Call)
Spencer Strider starting Game 3 was dubious from the start, and more than anything it points to the lack of starting pitching depth Atlanta perceives itself to have. Strider didn’t get hurt, but he lost his command and then his velocity and then the ballgame. Now, the Phillies lead the series 2-1, and while they face Charlie Morton—who should have started Game 3—today and don’t enjoy a great matchup tomorrow, either, in the event Game 5 happens, they get two chances to finish off the upset. Leading 2-1 is a major upper hand, and Atlanta just sort of gave it to them, not even trotting Strider out as an opener or in a multi-inning relief role. The whole thing was wacky from the start. Wishful thinking is not strategy.
Is Oswaldo Cabrera to Blame?
Oswaldo Cabrera probably should have caught the José Ramírez “triple,” right? Or at least kept it to a single? The errant throw overshadowed a bad play on the ball, and the Guardians got their win behind Bieber, and now they get a Yankees team in Cleveland facing all the pressure in the world.
We talk a lot about pressure, and it’s easy to overhype, but it’s easy to overreact to that overhype and ignore things like Cabrera being 23 years old amidst a three-strikeout game as that ball descended towards the left field grass. Was pressure the reason he didn’t come through? Maybe not. But it might have played a role, and now it’s even higher.
George Kirby’s Moment
George Kirby was one of a few prospects who, early this year, were tasked with signaling the Mariners’ emergence to prominence. Now, he’s starting Game 3 in Seattle with his squadron’s backs against the wall. Lance McCullers is a bit terrifying to oppose—the guy’s got a 3.35 career FIP and has never finished a season with that number above 4.00—but you could do worse than Kirby. Winning three games in a row, even against a team as good as the Astros, is a rather common baseball feat. The Mariners may be done today, but win and we’re suddenly in a one-in-four situation.
Iowa State Goes to Austin
This game’s already (uglily) underway, but the spread is shocking, and I do think it has more to do with belief in Texas from just about everybody than doubt of Iowa State. Iowa State’s down, but they aren’t terrible. This isn’t one the Cyclones need in the quest to make a bowl, but it’d be a great win. A turn-the-season-around win. And it’s possible to win it. The defense has played two great games in a row. The offense, at its best, has caused opponents a whole lot of problems. They can’t afford slop (like the blocked punt with which they started things off), but they will allow big plays and the trick is going to be generating some of that explosiveness themselves.
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No viewing schedule today, in the interests of time. I’d imagine we’ll have notes again tomorrow, but no promises on that. Head’s still spinning a bit.
