Series Thread: NLCS Giants vs Cardinals

[calsnowskier]

Let the discussion commence...

 

[calsnowskier]

Giants flagship, KNBR, reporting that Wainwright is questionable for the NLCS due to tendonitis in his pitching arm.







I think short of a Fargo wood-chipper incident, Wainwright will go for St Louis in game 1 or 2. This is the stage of the season where you put your career on the line in order to continue.





Unless your name is Angel Pagan, of course.

 

[Clayton]

I think Im ok with Lance Lynn going Game 1. If Wainwright can't pitch by Game 2, though, then that starts to be a big problem.

This kinda feels like the Spurs vs the Patriots. I hope other fans enjoy it but I'm not expecting as much outside enthusiasm for this one as the Royals O's series.

 

[calsnowskier]

I think Im ok with Lance Lynn going Game 1. If Wainwright can't pitch by Game 2, though, then that starts to be a big problem.

This kinda feels like the Spurs vs the Patriots. I hope other fans enjoy it but I'm not expecting as much outside enthusiasm for this one as the Royals O's series.

Spurs vs Spurs is a better comparison. The Spurs never get the respect nationally despite long term, prolonged success and unarguably the best coaching in the league. The Pats gets more respect nationally than they deserve (not saying they are no good, just that they get a larger piece of the pie than they deserve).

The Giants and Cards have pretty much owned the MLB post season for the past 4 seasons (now 5, including this year) and STILL get ignored by national media-types.

Here's to two orgs that are solid top-to-bottom duking it out for the top of the top...

 

[calsnowskier]

Clayton,

Who are the Card players we should be looking at during the series? What are some lingering stories that may play a factor (hot/cold player, injuries, nobodies that are spiking at the right time)?

 

[Clayton]

Clayton,

Who are the Card players we should be looking at during the series? What are some lingering stories that may play a factor (hot/cold player, injuries, nobodies that are spiking at the right time)?

Off the top of my head:

1) Matt Carpenter is totally locked in. Hitting well, extending at bats, hitting for power, playing defense at 3B well.

2) Jon Jay looks a lot better this year. He usually shrinks a bit in the playoffs but he seems fine. He is also hitting left handed pitching really well.

3) Matt Holliday has been clutch all year.

4) Matt Adams has gotten better at beating the shift

5) Shelby Miller has added a new pitch he has been using the past couple of months and its helped him

 

[calsnowskier]

For the Giants...

1) Petit is this years version of 2012 Tim Lincecum, but he showed that in game 2, so you probably know that already. He could still be a potential starter is the need arises.

2) Brandon Belt - His regular season numbers are less than pedestrian, but he dealt with 2 VERY freakish injuries that have nothing to do with his durability (broken thumb from a HBP and a concussion from having two balls thrown at him at once during mid-inning throw-arounds). Since coming back mid-September, he has been red-hot.

3) Crawford - Very streaky player, but he has been playing VERY well the last 2-3 weeks. VERY locked in right now.

4) Left Field - Even if Morse comes back, whoever we have play there will offer a black-hole somewhere (Perez is a black-hole with the bat and Morse is a black-hole with the glove; Ishikawa splits the difference - not HORRIBLE D, moderately OK bat).

5) Panik - Solid, but not GG defense. His bat is like Boggs, Gwynn, Scutaro. You can pretty much pencil in 2 singles from him on any given day. In approx. 1/3 of a season he already has a 4-hit game and a 5-hit game on his resume. No power, what-so-ever, though.

6) Strickland is really just a 1-pitch-pitcher, and the fastball doesn't have much movement. While he will likely be our closer at some point next season, he is still raw and needs work.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Is Panik supposed to ever develop power or is he expected to really only be a singles guy? He has a good swing that I would expect could carry some balls and he is a decent size. Very nice hitter though.

If he could even display something similar to what Danny Santana showed this year, he would be dangerous

 

[calsnowskier]

Is Panik supposed to ever develop power or is he expected to really only be a singles guy? He has a good swing that I would expect could carry some balls and he is a decent size. Very nice hitter though.

If he could even display something similar to what Danny Santana showed this year, he would be dangerous

He has decent doubles power, but he will probably max out at about 5-7 HRs a year. Probably less.

 

[BUD]

I think the Cards will make it back to the WS . I have nothing against SF. In fact I bet on them more then a few times this summer.

 

[calsnowskier]

I think the Cards will make it back to the WS . I have nothing against SF. In fact I bet on them more then a few times this summer.

If you bet on them in June or July, no wonder you are picking the Cards now, and I don't believe you when you say "nothing against SF".

Anyone who bet ON the Giants n June or July should be looking to hire a hitman right about now...

 

[BUD]

If you bet on them in June or July, no wonder you are picking the Cards now, and I don't believe you when you say "nothing against SF".

Anyone who bet ON the Giants n June or July should be looking to hire a hitman right about now...

I didn't say that I had won. Maybe you should put a hit on you self because Frisos season will be over when this series is complete. Have the phone # ready''speed dial'' when SF's last out happens.

 

[calsnowskier]

I didn't say that I had won. Maybe you should put a hit on you self because Frisos season will be over when this series is complete. Have the phone # ready''speed dial'' when SF's last out happens.

Dude. It was two years ago.

Let it go.

 

[wingsauce7]

I'm not at all sold on SF. For what it's worth, the Rockies had a winning season record against them this year which in itself is pretty pathetic. Hoping the Cards destroy the Giants..

 

[wingsauce7]

I'd love to see a rematch of the '85 I-70 series (this time without Don Denkinger)

 

[calsnowskier]

I'm not at all sold on SF. For what it's worth, the Rockies had a winning season record against them this year which in itself is pretty pathetic. Hoping the Cards destroy the Giants..

Anyone who follows the Giants is not sold on them this year. They are a Jekyll and Hyde team, if I ever saw one. They are the best team in baseball for two months, them, on a dime, turn into the worst team in baseball for two months.

Right now, they are playing with heart, but in a small sample size anything can happen.
FTR, the Giants took the season series against the Cards.

 

[Clayton]

Right now, they are playing with heart, but in a small sample size anything can happen.
FTR, the Giants took the season series against the Cards.

I had the Cardinals penciled in as 'happy to make the playoffs' this year. They've battled through injuries and maybe no less than 3 or 4 underachieving players. The Cardinals in the last series against the Dodgers looked better than the Cardinals that went to the World Series last year, though, so they've been a hard team to peg, too.

I'm not sure this games will be as close as a lot of the others but it might still end up being a long series but ebbs and flows back and forth

 

[Nasty_Magician]

C'mon Giants.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Wainwright good to go as expected.

 

[calsnowskier]

Wainwright good to go as expected.

Being announced as the pitcher, and being "good to go" are not exactly the same thing.

That said, I know nothing about his situation. He may be 95%. But it could also be "Dude, this is the NLCS. You are pitching." Like I said yesterday, this is the time of year where you put your career on the line if you need to. You only have so many chances to win games in October.