Playoff Round 1 - October 6 (Game 7 Time BABY!!!)

November 07, 2021, 07:59:40 PM

Game 1: Scurvy Dogs at Bako Bums
The Bum's oozed confidence heading into yesterday's game 6, but as the the Dogs Diaz closed out the 9th. the confidence gained in winning 103 and taking at 2-0 and 3-1 lead in the series was gone.

Today's theme?

Anxiety? Apprehension? Fear?

All game 7's are nerve wracking, but those new themes weren't spurred on by that. No, they came from what has become a "four letter word" for the Bums, Cole!

In the other dugout, the Dog's have shouted #Scruvyin7 at the top of their lungs all series, but while most was bluster, the real confidence in that hashtag was... Cole!

While all hearts and minds were focused on the Dog's Cole, who took a 3.01 ERA and 18 wins, an aging but still crafty and frankly outstanding Greinke, 3.54 ERA and 19 wins, stepped to the rubber in the top half to try to keep the surging Dogs in check.

After a quiet first for both offenses, the Bums netted a run on a Dahl homer to right center. Cole, how could you?

No chink in Greinke's armor showed until the 5th. After a walk, infield hit, and wild pitch, a liner up the middle by Arraez scored 1 but Turner, who was thrown out at 3rd in game 6, had to hold at third, and the rally died out. Tied 1-1.

In the 6th the Bums got to Cole again, with an infield single by Alonso before a Boegarts homer down the leftfield line. Things couldn't be going better for the Bums and with two homers allowed by Cole, not so well for the Dogs. 3-1 Bums.

But this series had been back and forth, and only that would be acceptable in the penultimate game. After a single and a double, to start the 7th, two grounds outs amounted to only one run and the damage looked to be minimized. But Kepler worked a walk and, last nights hero, Ohtani, followed it up with a double down the first base line to score another. Tied 3-3

In the 8th, the Dogs followed the reliever plan that had helped them get back into this series the last two games. Yet this is Cole we are talking about and lifting a Cole is always going to be questioned. Still he went to the showers having allowed 3 runs on 7 hits in 7 innings and having thrown 114 pitches. It wasn't the dominance that we'd come to to expect.

However, if that was the right move, the reliever that came in surely was a bit more questionable. Maples, off a good game 6, had not performed well during the series and was in to face the middle of the lineup.

With the pressure of a late inning tied game 7 tied upon him, his control left and he proceeded to walk the bases loaded. Calling on the bullpen then was the right call, but LeClerc wasn't such a hot idea. entering with a 13.50 ERA for the series, and that decision proved a failure after a 4th walk let in a cheap run.

With limited strikes to swing at. Laureano found one he liked, and hit a deep drive, that on first crack, sounded like it could be a big fly, but was caught at the track in center scoring a 2ndrun. Then Astudillo, who for better or worse has managed to get his name in the recap all series long, lined a single to right center to cross another and Votto lined out to plate a 4th. 7-3

Not wanting to cough up another, Hader put his game face on and shut things down to close out the game. The Bums head to a Brother vs. Brother League series that should make for a tense Crews Thanksgiving and across the diamond, the Dogs head home, dejected that the #Scurvyin7 prophecy only meant they would play 7, not win game 7.

Bums win's 7-3 and take the series 4-3

And with that I retire from game running and reporting but I hope you enjoyed the CAPs while I had the mic. Good luck to all those that are left in their pursuit the 2021 Mutiny Championship!!

Re: Playoff Round 1 - October 6 (Game 7 Time BABY!!!)

Reply #1 – November 08, 2021, 05:31:43 PM

Thank you to Matt for running this series of games and for the fantastic write ups.