There's a long drive, it's going to be

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There's a long drive, it's going to be

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So that was a hell of a thing, but in my 12th try the Giants HAVE WON THE PENNANT.

Let's break this series down. To say I was a heavy favorite going into this series in an understatement. On multiple occasions JP threatened to burn the whole IBC down if I didn't win. This is the formula for DMB to do something really stupid. Plus I had to use Kluber and Arrieta in games 4 and 5 of the NLDS so Anibal was going to lead off and Peavy was getting a start. A perfect recipe for some craziness.

Game 1:
Nothing says big game like Anibal Sanchez vs. Travis Wood right? Well this turned out to be the pitching duel of the postseason. Wood was unhittable, striking out 6 through the first 3 innings and allowing only one scratched out run over 7.1, finishing with 8 Ks. Giants rookie of the year by default Alex Blandino doubled in the 5th and scored on a single by Jarrod Dyson (hitters 2-6 in the order AKA my entire offense went 2-19 with 5Ks). Anibal Sanchez was just a little bit better, after pitching out of a jam in the first inning he threw 8 shutout innings (though he only struck out 4 and walked 3 so the defense owes him for this one), and Doolittle came in for the save to preserve a 1-0 win (that would be a 1-0 series lead for the Giants)

Game 2:
Corey Kluber vs. Vince Velsaquez. Perhaps I was a little overconfident looking at the pitching matchup in this one going in. Velasquez was flat out unhittable. At one point he struck out 6 straight en route to 8 shutout innings with 11Ks and only one walk (to the first hitter of the game). He only allowed 3 singles, 2 of which were immediately erased on double plays. Matt Adams homered off the first pitch he saw from Kluber in the first inning and that held up, with the Cardinals scratching out another run in the eighth for insurance off of a wild pitch and an infield single. I was getting the sense that this would be a pretty pitching heavy series (and nothing is more boring than simming 0-0 games IMHO). My 2-6 guys went 3-15 with 5 more K's, so confidence was pretty low. 2-0 Cardinals win, the series is tied, and the heart of my order is hitting a hot .147, not a lot of margin for error.

Game 3:

Jake Arrieta vs. Zach Lee, again the pitching edge should be mine. This time, Ian Desmond hits a grand slam in the second inning after Pedro Alvarez and Yoenis Cespedes get their first hits of the series (both singles). Arrieta made that 4-spot stand up for 8 innings, allowing 1 run while striking out 8 (on a Yasmany Tomas infield single no less). My offense didn't do much after that, as Lee didn't allow another run and the Cardinals bullpen pitched 4 scoreless relief innings with only one hit and one walk allowed. On comes Sean Doolittle to shut this bad boy down and a nice easy win forthcoming. Segura grounds out. Barnhart strikes out. Easy peasy. Or not. 2 out walk to Aledmys Diaz, single for Yelich, and a 2-run triple for MOOKIE BETTS (who is one of my favorite IRL but I hate in this postseason). It's 4-3 with the tying run on 3rd, and Aaron decides to pull the lefty Matt Adams for Christian Colon. I counter by brining in Hector Rondon who disposes of Colon with a 3 pitch groundout and that's that. I think I've weathered the storm. Giants win 4-3 and lead the series 2-1.

Game 4:

Or perhaps not! Sadly, my rotation depth is not what I'd like it to be so Jake Peavy, who had a surprisingly good season for me, gets the nod as the game 4 starter. Aaron counters with Taijuan Walker, who looked like he was gonna be a stud a couple of years ago. We strike quickly in the top of the first, Kendrick HBP, Posey single, Kendrick 3 run HR. Peavy quickly rips through the first 2.2 innings allowing only one hit his first time through the lineup. Then Yelich hits a home run to make it 3-1 and Betts follows up with 2 out triple. Uh oh. Peavy recovers to strike out Matt Adams and a soft sigh of relief is breathed while the metaphorical bullpen starts to fill up. The bottom of the order (including Peavy) strung some singles together in the top of the 4th to get that run back, and Peavy got a quick 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning and we're feeling OK. Howie Kendrick singled to chase Walker from the game in the top of the 5th, but in came Nick Vincent who quickly dispatched the heart of the order. Then Peavy got all Peavy. Barnhart on an infield single to Peavy, then a two out double for Yelich to score Barnhart, and a two out double for Betts and it's 4-3. That's all I need to see from Peavy so in comes Alex Torres to get Matt Adams and finish the inning. 4 more 1 hit innings from Aaron's bullpen follow because we can't hit relievers, but my bullpen matched it, and Doolittle came on for the save after Rondon ripped through the heart of the order in the top of the 8th. Segura. Out. Barnhart. Out. Asshole pinch hitter Aledmys Diaz (who I still can't get over cutting) game tying home run. Corey Knebel and Kevin Quackenbush trade zeroes in the 10th and 11th, and then Sam Freeman shuts me down in the 12th, and the last arm I have is Jhoulys Chacin (whoops). Barnhart out, walk to Suzuki, double for Yelich and that's the ballgame. Cardinals win 5-4, series tied at 2. After this game I gave JP an update and he said quote "I'm in a bar, I can't hear this right now, I'm just going to drink myself to sleep."

Game 5:
Here we go, it's Wood vs. Sanchez again! Wood is unhittable again! Sanchez is matching him zero for zero, though this time Wood hits double digit strikeouts without walking anyone in 7.2, while Sanchez only strikes out the 6 and walks a couple. The Giants didn't get a runner past first base until Howie Kendrick tripled with 2 outs in in the 8th (which ultimately chased Wood). Sanchez worked his way out of a 1st and 3rd 1 out jam in the second and a 2nd and 3rd with one out jam in the 5th. In the 8th things got fun. Aledmys Diaz (who came in as part of a double switch in the top of the inning, maybe he should have played more Aaron?) walked, so i took out Sanchez to bring in the lefty Diekman. He promptly walked Christian Yelich, then threw a wild pitch on the first pitch to Mookie Betts, so I walked him to set up the lefty/lefty against Matt Adams (who really hadn't done much since his game winning home run in the first inning of game 2). Aaron countered with Yasmany Tomas so with both Rondon and Doolittle fatigued I brought in (gulp) Santiago Casilla with the bases loaded and one out. He (of course) struck out Tomas and pinch hitter Colin Moran. We did nothing in the 9th, but Aaron got some things going against Casilla in his half. Piscotty singled, then Colon singled, and both advanced on an error by Jarrod Dyson(!). I started to see the pennant slipping away. Segura and Barnhart popped up, and here came Aledmys Diaz. He hit a screamer, but this one went right to Howie Kendrick and we escaped the jam. That's 9 full innings with no runs. The 10th passed without excitement and Aaron Sanchez came on. Desmond led off with a double, Posey walked, Valencia walked, and Corey Knebel came on to face Dae-Ho Lee. Lee managed to drive one to left for a sac fly and the winning run, Giants win this one 1-0 in 11 and now lead the series 3-2. I don't think I can oversell how tense these games felt on my end. Lots of general swearing at the TV and I assume the same for Aaron.

Game 6:
Corey Kluber vs. Vince Velasquez. This can't happen again right? I'm not excited to see the Cardinals scratch across in unearned run in the first, but that was a Pedro Alvarez error so I can't exactly bitch. I couldn't complain about the second run in the top of the third on two hits by Yelich and Betts, and then a Piscotty RBI groundout. What was not fun, however, was Vince Fucking Velasquez striking out 5 in the first 2 innings. And his general unhittableness. Kluber settled down and didn't allow another run after the third, but he got TOSSED (I didn't know that was possible in DMB but there we go) for arguing balls and strikes in the 8th inning. Meanwhile Velasquez was just mowing me down, and to be frank I was a little on tilt, especially since Vinny V had struck out 5 of the last 6 hitters. It was only a 2-0 game, but I still had tired pitchers so I went with Jhoulys. Whoops. Walk, single, walk, single, double, walk, single (runner thrown out at home), strikeout. 2-0 becomes 7-0 just like that. Three quick outs for Vinny V in the bottom of the 8th and I was like fuck this Chacin, you wear this one. Single, strikeout, single, single, single, double, walk, single, pop up, strikeout, 4 more runs. Chacin's line was 8 runs on 10 hits with 4 walks in 1.2 IP (79 pitches). This one mercifully ends 11-0 St. Louis and we're going to a Game 7.

Game 7:

It's time like this I really miss Anthony Alford and Rafael Devers (sorry Nils). The bell cow Jake Arrieta is getting another shot at Zach Lee. Arrieta rolls through the first 3 innings pretty comfortably, and Lee matches him 0 for 0. A relatively smooth 4th for Arrieta, and Lee is going to try to keep it going himself. But Cespedes (whose bat has finally woken up) leads off the inning with a double. Desmond singles to drive him in and it's 1-0 Giants. Is it rally time? Dyson walks and it's first and second with one out, and Arrieta comes up to bunt. Of course he fails because this is DMB and pitchers can't bunt. Jason grounds out and that's that, but I'd rather be winning than losing. Now I start to get really nervous because Barnhart leads off the 5th with a single and then (in the highlight of the season) ZACH LEE SUCCESSFULLY GETS A SACRIFICE BUNT DOWN! No really, this happened and I actually said "oh fuck" at the screen because that has to be a really bad omen for me. Fortunately Arrieta got Yelich and Betts to get through it. With one out in the bottom of the inning Posey tripled, and in classic game 7 style the quick hook came out and Hector Santiago came in. I countered with Danny Valencia, who singled in Posey for the insurance run before Santiago struck out the next two hitters. The Cardinals threatened in the 6th with a double and a walk but couldn't scratch a run across, and Ian Desmond homered in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-0. A clean 7th for Arrieta and for Luke Gregerson, and with Arrieta's pitch count getting ugly I brought in Doolittle in the 8th. He got out of the inning on 8 pitches, and a single, double, single by Cedric Hunter, Jarrod Dyson, and John Jaso respectively brought in 2 more runs to make it 5-0 and Aaron started prematurely congratulating me. Or not, as Doolittle pitched a quick ninth and (in case you missed it the first time)...

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Name: Ty Bradley

Post by Astros »

I was so mad I went to bed at 9 o'clock. Once Game 7 ended I bet I spent 45 minutes to an hour just stewing and rehashing the series in my mind, drinking and swearing a lot. I'm well aware my team sucked but after pulling out that Game 4, to have the winning run at 3rd in the 5th, in the 8th with one out and in the 9th with nobody out and not be able to get the run home drove me up the wall. Five shutouts for the series. Losing 3 games by a run, being shut out 3 times, I think I gave Pat a run for his money for the 2005 WS as the most devastating series loss when he lost every game he scored less than 2 runs
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