2014 NLDS: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

yeah, these marathons will be great for growing the game with all those fakey FIFA World Cup hipsters

lol at jp howell praising the heavens

Kemp, one hand

can't really expect Jansen not to surrender the lead, it must be in the rules

why is Lasorda not sitting with Magic? Getting a new intestine?

hey, we might have one 5-game series here

Game over? No blown save + extra innings, no credibility.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/97769336/dodgers-tab-ace-clayton-kershaw-for-game-4-on-short-rest

I don't know--I always start from the assumption that this is a bad move, even though I know it sometimes works out. I'd rather have a rested Kershaw for game 5, with Greinke ready to go in Game 1 of the LCS if you win. No real sample to speak of in the regular season, but what is there isn't good: the only time he's pitched on three days rest was in 2008, when he went one inning of middle relief against the Giants, giving up two hits and a walk.

Haven't they done something similar last year?

Not during the regular season that I can see. If they tried it in the playoffs, I assume it didn't work out.

You're right, they did try it against Atlanta, and it worked out. Kershaw pitched the 5th game on three days rest, and went six innings: 3 H, 6 K, 1 BB, 2 R, neither earned. He left with the score tied 2-2, Dodgers went on to win.

I'd still hold him back. As I've said before, my feelings on that are heavily influenced by the way the Jays used Stieb in the '85 ALCS.

Boy, the ump missed that one.

Everyone in the booth thinks Kershaw in Game 4 is a "no-brainer." I'll amend my earlier post: if the Dodgers lose tonight, I can see the case for pitching him. If they win, hold him back.

few things in sports as beautiful as watching a center fielder make a play on the dead run with his back to the plate

Scully: "Shades of Terry Moore!"

Wow, 7 SOs in a row for Puig

Wow, 3 HRs in 3 games for marp

Wow, Harold Reynolds is really annoying

Lollygag standup triple

pweeeeeg

agh, the stream i was using went down

strikout.co has a million

thanks!

errrr strikeout.co

i just typed "strikout" again by accident apparently my brain is broken wrt this word

bullpen more like lolpen

Cardinals were also last in the league in HR? Getting closer to a strange improbability that has surely never happened before.

if the cardinals play the orioles in the world series it will be the first time that teams named after birds have battled for the title. neat huh? #jaysonstark

lol almost had me there - right?

now the great Short Rest Test

i guess we don't have rain delays in the PS anymore, as in the days of Bowie Kuhn

yay, extra game(s?)

ah, wrong game lol

A rundown of the eight three-days-rest starts in divisional series since 2013, including Kershaw last year:

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/52331/poll-right-move-to-start-kershaw

Two bad ones, six that more or less worked out. I voted for "Yes, but only if they're down in the series." They're down in the series.

You can't really justify not using the best pitcher in baseball in a must-win game. It's like losing a playoff game in the late innings without using your closer.

puig benched

plus having Zack for Game 5 should be good

Mattingly on Matt Carpenter: "I'm thinking Stan Musial is somewhere rolling around in that body."

So there's a clip when this is relayed to Carpenter in the post-game and he gives a nice "gosh that's flattering" answer. But right before it you hear Lackey say "siiick". Kind of funny.

Redbirds prepping Lynn to start Game 5 or Game 1 NLCS b/c of Waino's elbow. http://bit.ly/1uy4T3c

@truebluela
Don Mattingly keeps saying, "This gives us the best chance to win today" over and over again. Like he's trying to convince himself

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/10/7/6941103/nlds-2014-dodgers-cardinals-yasiel-puig-slump-don-mattingly-baseball-quotable

i'll be disappointed if there's no giants/dodgers series but at the same time, half a dozen parking lot murders will probably be avoided

@molly_knight
Yadi worked Puig like a marionette last post-season, and Puig knew it. He's in his head again.

@ProductiveOuts
"Just feel like mentally we feel like we have to give Yas a break." Mattingly on the KLAC pregame show

@KenTremendous
Well, it makes sense. I mean Puig led the team in OPS for the season, sure, but look at his last 12 at bats! #Mattingly

a nice long winter break

Has anyone read the Alan Licht book? I leafed through it a couple times (and enjoyed it!), but never pulled the trigger on it.

Lol wrong thread.

wrong "ILB"!

@robneyer
oh, and by the way, Shelby Miller throws a ton of fastballs and Puig is one of the Dodgers' best fastball hitters (Ethier isn't)

10 pitches, 10 fastballs in the 1st

That last one was...wobbly.

cardinals basically taking two strikes in each at-bat, kershaw at 30 pitches in two innings

The strikeouts are nice, but yeah, the meter's running.

Still, so far this is giving me the impression its working.

How could the Cardinals let that one pass? Obviously a foul ball. (I don't think the Dodgers would have won an appeal on the pick-off, though.)

94 pitches--"low-stress," they'd probably argue in the booth, but I'd be stressed. Maybe Mattingly will leave him out for the 7th and 8th if nobody reaches base.