NLCS Game 4 Aftermath: Blerg.
October 20, 2009 at 7:46 am | Posted in 2009 NLCS vs. Phillies, Jonathan Broxton | 14 CommentsThey say it’s best to confront your pain. Let’s find out how last night’s travashamockery is being received across the intertubes – and make sure you read to the bottom, because I saved the biggest punch in the face for last.
Deadspin (avowed Philly homer A.J. Daulerio):
D:LKFJ:LDFKJ:LDFKJ:LDKFJ:LDFK!!!
Yep. That’s about right. Kind of how we felt when Matt Holliday botched that catch and then Mark Loretta got the walkoff in the NLDS, right?
Hmm, I don’t remember that one from my childhood. Sure fits the moment, though. (Also, happy three year anniversary to SOSG. Too bad it couldn’t have come under happier circumstances.)
Déjà blue: Broxton melts under pressure
An out from tying the NLCS at two games apiece, the Dodgers instead watched the Phillies dance on their grave. Is this really how I’m wasting my life?
Not quite there yet, but sometimes you wonder…
“It’s obviously a tough one to get past,” Torre said, “but you know, that’s our job.”
It was also Sherrill’s job to sail through the eighth, Broxton’s to nail the victory down, and why the Dodgers played 162 games — to get to this moment.
But then the dogs choked.
Now it seems it’s just time to bow-OUT.
Ugh. This isn’t helping.
History will show that the Dodgers lost when Jonathan Broxton’s fastball was hit.
Honesty will show that they lost when his fastball was haunted.
The crack of Jimmy Rollins’ line drive, the roar of a stunned crowd, the shaking of a chilled stadium will live forever in the minds of those who witnessed an incomparable Dodgers’ heartbreak.
But it is the soft shuffle of Matt Stairs jogging toward first base three batters earlier that will live forever with the man who caused it.
I don’t have it in me right now to refute another Plaschke article of retardation in its’ entirety, so let’s just say that while you can possibly make the point that Stairs’ homer last year helped get him the walk last night, it’s insanity to say that the game was lost as soon as he jogged to first. As though a walk equals a homer, or that the hits by Ruiz or Rollins had nothing to do with it and couldn’t be avoided.
And finally, the pièce de résistance…
Fangraphs Win Probability Chart:
I’ve been staring at this, trying to figure out exactly how to word such a monumental swing, and then I realized that Phillies blog The Fightins’ had done it better then I ever could:
You guys wanna see something cool? Head over to Fan Graphs and check out the live game graph from game four. You see that spikey yellow line at the very end? That is literally the visual representation of taking a dump in one’s pants.
Yep. That’s pretty much exactly what it was.
14 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
Random search term which brought someone to MSTI
MSTI on the web
Business Time
Win big when you bet on baseball this year with Sports Interacton. With fast payouts, live betting and quality customer service, they have you covered for all of your online sports betting needs.MSTI Library
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
I still hurt in my stomach from that game last night. Like getting kicked in the gut.
But, in trying to step back from it all… I realize, Philly is just the better team. They have four guys with 30+ homers, THREE guys with MVP Awards, and two guys with Cy Young awards, and a few former Dodgers to boot.
We have a team bursting with young talent that’s still a ton of unrealized potential. Ethier and Kemp will be feared like Pujols and Holliday next year. Kershaw and Bills will both win 15+ games & put up 200+Ks, next year. From the looks of it, the Dodgers are the Braves of the early 90′s right now. At this point in the development, the strength of that team was starting pitching, but their pitchers always got hammered (it seemed like) in the playoffs. The Dodgers’ strength is the bullpen. Our best guys have cost us TWO games, which is why we’re all so stunned (although, I lay both the game one loss and last night’s loss on Sherrill — like someone mentioned above — if he comes in and does the job he’s supposed to do, Broxton stays in the pen ’til the 9th and doesn’t get cold waiting during the top of the inning.) It took a few trips to the playoffs (and one strike-erased season) before the Braves finally got the job done.
We’ve still got a razor-thin chance if we can get it back to DS, but frankly, the Phills are just better than we are right now.
Comment by Vegas Blue — October 20, 2009 #
That’s the first post-game comment I’ve read that actually made me feel better.
Comment by Shmolnick — October 20, 2009 #
I do like the optimism. I’m not sure I buy the idea that Broxton got cold, though – he was still pumping 100 mph in the 9th.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness — October 20, 2009 #
My contention is that Broxton is not a pussy. He should have gone right after Stairs. Instead, he was all over the place, and then hit Ruiz. to put the winning run on base with one out. Trhowing hard is one thing — having control is another. It’s the only “variable” that makes sense, unless you think he was “haunted” by Stairs’ homer last year. I thought Torre should have got Troncoso warm as soon as Manuel stalled the top of the inning to bring in Lidge. That was a calculated move, in my opinion. Why not start the inning with Lidge? Because if you bring him in in the middle of it, it means “icing” Broxton. But, as a friend of mine put it — there’s no way Torre takes out Broxton in that situation.
It still comes back to the fact that Sherrill didn’t get the job done.
Comment by Vegas Blue — October 20, 2009 #
You can tell yourself this, but its just not true. Blue and Phil are just about at the same place right now. They are just winning. It wouldn’t take a GM smarter than Coletti to keep this a winning team, I just hope it doesn’t get busted up by circumstance.
Anyway people, 50% chance of winning tommorow. If that’s not good enough for you go join the ginats fandom and go start whining about how your team sucks.
Comment by Dodger Dude — October 20, 2009 #
I put way more blame on Sherill than Bronx. We basically traded for him for one reason, which was if we play Philly in the playoffs we have a lefty to shut them down. He has not done it at all. As to whether Bronx got cold or not i don’t know, but after the long top of the 9th i was worried. One question i have is why Managers are unwilling to take out the closer. I know he is supposed to be an end all, but we have other guys in the pen that could come in and get two outs. Bronx walks and hits a guys should mean get a different guy out their. Worsted part about this is for how awesome the pen has been they haven’t been when we really need it.
Comment by gillbert — October 20, 2009 #
It was just a terrible pitch. As far as I can tell it had minimal movement. Tailing a little away as it crossed the plate. But at 100mph any contact Rollins makes is sending the ball somewhere very hard. Weak pitch, strong at bat. Defeated.
Comment by bretbutlerbuntsagain — October 20, 2009 #
“We have a team bursting with young talent that’s still a ton of unrealized potential”
I’m so sick of hearing this crap for four years now. Pretty soon they will be 40 years old and then what? I applaud your attempt at being Joel Osteen like, but c’mon, since when did we become the Cubs and start saying, “wait till next year”?
We’re the Freakin’ Dodgers. We are supposed to go to the World Series Every year. Anything else is unacceptable.
Comment by Alex — October 20, 2009 #
Easy there, man. The Dodgers have been in exactly ONE World series since 1981. That’s damn near 30 years. This team has a tradition of home-growing talent and supplementing it with big late season signings. As pointed out by MSTI in a previous post — Cliff Lee should be wearing Dodger Blue, except Indians personnel are idiots.
Ethier and Kemp are both bona-fide “blue” chippers, Kershaw (or CK1 as I like to call him) is an ace in the making, and Billingsley has all the potential to be a “1A” starter. Broxton has dominating stuff. That’s the heart of this team now. Loney may not hit as many homers as we all wish, but he’s a gold-glover, he drives in a ton of runs, and he is as clutch as anyone on the roster. If Martin can turn around his offense… who knows? And all of those guys are 26 or younger. They haven’t even become veterans yet — and they’ve played in Two NLCS series together now.
They are just going to get better — and I believe they will make several World Series appeances in the next few years, as long as the core can be kept together. Nothing great is ever acheived without perserverance and overcoming failure. This team… this franchise… has all the tools to do that.
Comment by Vegas Blue — October 20, 2009 #
I don’t understand why we continously pitch fastballs to Ryan H. but are afraid of a weak hitter who got lucky last year (Stairs)…he’s the one who is walked unintentionally of course.
It seems as if the phillies know what pitch is coming and make the most out of every opportunity…dodgers have out hit them in almost every game (except for the 11-0 debacle)…do you think Russ Martin is too predictable? Fastball straight down the middle to R. Howard first inning = 2-0 phils.
Also did anyone else notice C.Blake swinging at balls with the bases loaded when we could have gone up on the phils with a walk (settled for 2-2 tie)…I don’t care if the pitcher is on deck, he’s pitching balls no need to swing…….the what ifs!!!!
Comment by Patty — October 20, 2009 #
Agree, that Sadsack of a pitcher Sherrill cost us runs in GM 1 & again didn’t do his job in Gm4. This guy reminds me of Billy Koch, you never know what you are going to get. How can Torre be so calm with Sherrill on the mound.
Guys with heat, all you need to do is get some wood on it & it takes off, just one of those things from Rollins.
This was their game to win but ….. it didnt happen.
Two positions in sports that give me “boiled blood”, Relief Pitchers & Field Goal Kickers.
Comment by Jimmy — October 20, 2009 #
all i gotta say is Broxton really needs to develop another pitch. ok so he throws 98-100mph. yeah that’s fast but these are also major league hitters. if they sit on fastballs all day yeah they’re gonna hit it. why can’t Broxton get an offspeed pitch which will make his fastball even better?
Comment by preston — October 20, 2009 #
Broxton is fine. He has been absolutely dominating this season. There is no such thing as a guy the throws 100 MPH and has pinpoint control. It just does NOT exist…so let’s stop expecting that.
If that ball is in any other spot (i.e. not down at the knees where he can catch up to it) he swings right through it. Also, Broxton does have another pitch, it’s called a slider. It’s a very good pitch, but I have no problem with him going with a 100 mph fastball. If he hangs a slider and Rollins hits one out everyone would be crying about the pitch selection.
In closing, Broxton still awesome. If we have a one-run lead tomorrow there is nobody I would rather see come into the game.
However, I would like to see Kuo face Philly’s top lefty’s over Sherrill.
Also, here is my unfallible prediction.
Scores of the next 3 games:
Game 5 — Dodgers 7 — Phillies 3
Game 6 — Dodgers 6 — Phillies 2
Game 7 — Dodgers 7 — Phillies 4
*Put it on the big board
Comment by Kenny 'Mr Falcon' Brooks — October 20, 2009 #
The Dodgers are a darn good team, the Phillies have been just a little but better. Give ‘em credit. These Phils know how to eke the wins out.
I remember their final game against the Rockies. The Phillies were up in the series 2-1. Fourth game, the Rox scored three in the eighth inning to go up 4-2. Rox bring in their closer, but the Phils still managed to score three in the ninth to win. By the way, had the Rox hung on to that game, that would have forced a game five, which would have made the Phils ppitch Hamels again (Lee had pitched game four), before meeting the Dodgers — essentially burning their aces. But no. These Phillies know how to finish. They’re impressive.
The Dodgers could still make a good series out of this, by not folding. Even if they end up losing this series, it could serve as a learning experience and a stepping stone.
The last game was ugly, yes, but it was still not quite as bad as the purplish prose that drips from the pen of Sir William Plaschspeare.
Comment by mk — October 20, 2009 #