NLCS Game 2

Of course the night I’m asked to write for the blog is one of the most anticlimactic games of this postseason. In case you missed it, the Giants won 7-1 in a game only their fans could enjoy. Ryan Vogelsong was dominant for San Francisco as he went seven innings and gave up one run on four hits. His counterpart, Chris Carpenter, opened the bottom of the first by giving up a lead off home run to Angel Pagan, but settled down until the fourth inning when he gave up four more runs. The Giants tacked on 2 more in the eighth off Shelby Miller before Brian Wilson’s younger, Hispanic brother Sergio Romo closed out the ninth.

This was a game I think the Giants really needed, yes they came back from down 0-2 against the Reds, but the Cardinals are defending champs and have been playing with a lot of confidence. Oh, and they’re not managed by Dusty Baker. The starters for game 3, Wednesday in St. Louis, are Matt Cain and Kyle Lohse, so that should be a great pitching duel. Just like this game, I think the Giants have the pressure on them since their game 4 and 5 starters will supposedly be Lincecum and Zito (if you believe Joe Buck and Tim McCarver).

Other Things:

1)   I think if a pitcher commits an error that leads to a run, it should count against his ERA. Only 2 of Carpenters runs were earned, yet he committed an error that led to scores by the Giants. Just seems weird you don’t fault him for causing his own mess.

2)   Another bad call in this game, which had no bearing on the outcome, but still it’s not good when everyone knows the right call except for the umpires. This isn’t a knock against the blues, by far they get the majority of the calls right, but fans love a scapegoat. Here’s my idea for replay: each team gets 2 replay requests for the game that can be used at any time (except balls and strikes, I like that variability in the game) and if they are successful in both replays they get one more. This adds strategy to the game because managers must determine when to use the replays; do you use one in the third with 2 outs when a guy reaches first on a close play or do you save it for later? The main argument against replay is games will take longer, but I think my plan will shorten most games. Think about it, instead of a manager arguing for 5 unwinnable minutes, he can instead just ask for replay. Think about it Bud.

3)   Is Angel Pagan an oxymoron?

4)   Thank you Sergio Romo, Hunter Pence, and Brandon Belt for being the only three players in the game to show off their socks. Every other player had the look with the pants going over their cleats. Maybe it’s because I’m a science guy, but I like diversity.