2019-10-01 (NL Wild Card Game): Brewers (Woodruff) at Nationals (Scherzer) 7:08 PM CDT [Brewers lose, 4-3 -- Nationals score 3 runs in 8th inning; Heartbreaking end to 2019]

[adambr2]

The game is clearly on a lot of people, first of all. Grisham, Hader, Counsell, the entire offense beyond two swings and the fans that don’t get why you can be ticked beyond belief at a season ending in a stupid way. What do you expect? 7 months of anticipation and oh no, I’m a little mad at the player that might not have loses the game, but gave up the lead according to the official score book?

 

No, that's not what you said before. You harped over and over again that it's Trent Grisham's fault. And you weren't "a little mad". You said you wanted him traded to Baltimore so we never have to see him again and hope he remembers all offseason about how *he* (singular) ruined our entire season.

 

He screwed up. He made a mistake and it cost us big time. Prior to that, the offense screwing up by not getting a single hit w/ RISP followed by Hader screwing up by repeatedly failing to get that final out of the 8th inning while it was still 3-1.

 

Get over it. It's done and it won't be the last time a professional baseball player screws up. If it makes you feel so much better to remind everyone repeatedly about what an awful human being Trent Grisham is than save it for your buddies at home.

[Pugger]

The gymnastics in this thread to pretend that Hader didn't absolutely choke this away are astounding. Lmao. Loads the bases and at a minimum ties the game but it's Grisham...ok...

 

Same guys clinging to the fantasy last year that everything was fine with Jeffress.

Nobody said Hader didn't give it up tonight, quite the opposite. Claiming he is finished is just childish IMO.

 

I'll take that stand. CC didn't see what 90% of us did. You don't leave him out there when he has absolutely no slider and terrible FB control. He was off. It happens. Correct for that. CC didn't. I blame the manager. We are all over analytics and new numbers blah blah blah. I'm sure those numbers can figure out that leaving a wild pitcher in with the bases loaded is a bad idea for a number of reasons.

 

He shouldn't have faced Rendon. He couldn't locate a FB and had no slider.

 

*clap clap clap* Absolutely. Normally CC is pretty good with the pen but he wasn't tonight.

[dlk9s]

I'll admit, part of me is a little relieved it's over. Been a stressful couple months in my household and this month is going to be very busy and tiring. I don't know how I could have dealt with a playoff run.

 

I still would've preferred a win, though.

[wallus]

You see being a true fan is trashing your own team and making Skip Bayless like takes. If you don't do that, you are not a fan!!

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The game is clearly on a lot of people, first of all. Grisham, Hader, Counsell, the entire offense beyond two swings and the fans that don’t get why you can be ticked beyond belief at a season ending in a stupid way. What do you expect? 7 months of anticipation and oh no, I’m a little mad at the player that might not have loses the game, but gave up the lead according to the official score book?

 

No, that's not what you said before. You harped over and over again that it's Trent Grisham's fault. And you weren't "a little mad". You said you wanted him teaded to Baltimore so we never have to see him again and hope he remembers all offseason about how *he* (singular) ruined our entire season.

 

He screwed up. He made a mistake and it cost us big time. Prior to that, the offense screwing up by not getting a single hit w/ RISP followed by Hader screwing up by repeatedly failing to get that final out of the 8th inning while it was still 3-1.

 

Get over it. It's done and it won't be the last time a professional baseball player screws up. If it makes you feel so much better to remind everyone repeatedly about what an awful human being Trent Grisham is than save it for your buddies at home.

 

here, here

[TURBO]

I'll admit, part of me is a little relieved it's over. Been a stressful couple months in my household and this month is going to be very busy and tiring. I don't know how I could have dealt with a playoff run.

 

I still would've preferred a win, though.

 

huh?

 

Does not compute...

[82brewcrew82]

You see being a true fan is trashing your own team and making Skip Bayless like takes. If you don't do that, you are not a fan!!

[OldSchoolSnapper]

And I've got like six people acting real cranky about it.

 

15HR/75IP...yeah he's fine. And he didn't need to give one up tonight to blow the season.

Nobody is acting cranky except you. The flak you are getting is for good reason.

 

 

No it's not. I'm saying what isn't comfortable to admit, that one of our key pieces is definitely not OK, and that's something people really hate being honest about.

 

15 HR in 75 innings, and a massive control problem masked by Ks. Hader isn't OK, and I would love to trade him while it's still possible because I genuinely believe this is your last chance. That's never going to happen, but I'm over the guy.

 

How predictable the end of that game was is beyond troubling.

[BruisedCrew]

I always said since they started the two wild card system that losing the wild card game wouldn’t feel like making the playoffs. Now I know why I felt that way. Over before it starts.

 

BS ... this was 100% a playoff game. My blood pressure would prove it.

 

Real baseball playoffs involve series that cover a few games and a few days and an opportunity for the home fans to attend at least one game in person. To me, this doesn’t qualify.

 

If blood pressure is the measure, try the last game of the 82 season against the Orioles after the Brewers lost 3 in a row to them.

[MDCrew]

Just got to my car.... wow what a gut punch!! It started out so promising, but we had a number of missed opportunities to add runs but we couldn’t. Had a Nats fan sitting next to me and when the 8th started he said to me “you know the Nats are going to win, Zero chance Hader goes 2 innings Brewers messed up when they went with Pom in the 6th.” I was sure hoping he was wrong because the wheels really came off. That was a long painful walk back to my car knowing they were so close and just couldn’t finish.

[Pugger]

My crap takes wound up 100% spot on, lmao. I said the last four days I absolutely hated Hader closing this game out. I said I hated bringing him in when they did in the game we had a chance to tie. I wanted Pomeranz in the 9th here.

 

Next year when Hader's era is over 5 you won't be calling it a crap take anymore. Over him, he is toast.

Look, relievers are volatile. It is tough to expect consistent excellence one year to the next. And it’s not totally outside the realm of possibility that he will have a major slide next year. But if you look at a pitcher that performed like a Hader did this year and all you see is trash, and you’re going on record saying he’s going to be 5+ era guy—borderline un-rosterable, then I don’t know what to tell you. You are letting your emotions cloud your judgment. He has a home run problem, no one will argue that, but this is a league-wide issue. You have to consider this in that context. The ball is juiced and guys are looking for bombs every at bat.

 

Tonight, though, wasn’t even about the home run ball. His location issues could easily be attributed to a long season where injuries forced him to be used in a role for which he isn’t properly suited. If CC had any more reliable relievers to take the late innings consistently, he would have spared Hader this fate but they had nothing. You could tell they so desperately wanted Peralta to be that guy, but it wasn’t to be. Hader is not trash, he’s gassed. He was throwing only 96 tonight. He needed more help, and it never materialized.

 

When it is win or go home CC should have had Lyles up as soon as it was obvious Hader didn't have a slider and his FB was all over the place.

[willie key]

If we want to win next year we need moose and Grandal back. But that probably won’t happen

[HarveysWBs]

Why do the teams i follow always seem to lose in spectacular fashion instead of non dramatic one?

 

I would rather lose 5 to 2 and trailed the whole game.

You've angered the sports gods and need to make amends.

I blame Braun for the roids lie and Rodgers for not calling his parents. It’s been downhill pretty much ever since, and it’s cost the good people of Wisconsin two Super Bowls, a World Series, and Christian Yelich’s knee. The sin must be purged. [half blue]

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I always said since they started the two wild card system that losing the wild card game wouldn’t feel like making the playoffs. Now I know why I felt that way. Over before it starts.

 

BS ... this was 100% a playoff game. My blood pressure would prove it.

 

Real baseball playoffs involve series that cover a few games and a few days and an opportunity for the home fans to attend at least one game in person. To me, this doesn’t qualify.

 

If blood pressure is the measure, try the last game of the 82 season against the Orioles after the Brewers lost 3 in a row to them.

 

fine, agree to disagree then.

 

This team made the playoffs. It sucks the way the season ended, just like every team that makes the playoffs but one.

[pacopete4]

OldSchool usually has some solid takes. Hader being Turnbow and Jeffress is not one of them. If anything is learned from the Hader being the 9th inning closer only guy is that it shouldn’t be that way. He was very successful last year with coming in on matchup. Sign Pomeranz, get Knebel healthy and now you can get back to what worked in 2018.

[dlk9s]

I'll admit, part of me is a little relieved it's over. Been a stressful couple months in my household and this month is going to be very busy and tiring. I don't know how I could have dealt with a playoff run.

 

I still would've preferred a win, though.

 

huh?

 

Does not compute...

 

I know, man. I should probably write some hate mail to Grisham like Texas is going to, but I'm going to do some work, get to bed, then wake up in a few hours to help my kids get ready for school.

 

I will, though, root solely for schadenfreude in the rest of the playoffs.

[adambr2]

Well as much as I wasn't ready for this...time to think offseason.

[Pugger]

I wish this forum permitted to use the degree of language I want to use to describe how I feel about Grisham

 

I completely understand, and feel the same way, but my most harsh feelings are reserved for Hader, Counsell, and the decision making that went into letting Hader continue to pitch even after getting into a deep jam. He should have been pulled after the HBP and the several pitches that were clearly way outside of his target. Grandal (ironically) saved Hader’s bacon a couple of times.

 

Why did they even go to Hader in the 8th? Pom was comfortable and doing his thing. That was a CYA move by Counsell, and boy did it backfire. Just a bad decision, period.

 

Thankfully this is just baseball. I’m extremely disappointed, but next season is around the corner. Let’s go get some pitching, pretty please!

 

Unfortunately I don't think anybody else was up throwing in the pen.

[Bulldogboy]

The fact that the three best relievers were all lefties at the end is crazy. The lack of a righty to pitch the seventh was a killer. Last year Burnes was huge. His flameout is still the biggest killer of this season.

[willie key]

To be fair to that guy that was a little league blunder by Grisham. I had no faith in hader getting out of it anyways. But Grisham does need to take some heat too.

[MrTPlush]

OldSchool usually has some solid takes. Hader being Turnbow and Jeffress is not one of them. If anything is learned from the Hader being the 9th inning closer only guy is that it shouldn’t be that way. He was very successful last year with coming in on matchup. Sign Pomeranz, get Knebel healthy and now you can get back to what worked in 2018.

 

Agreed. I really want Pomeranz back...Knebel coming back and being a force is just a bonus that I won’t count on.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

OldSchool usually has some solid takes. Hader being Turnbow and Jeffress is not one of them. If anything is learned from the Hader being the 9th inning closer only guy is that it shouldn’t be that way. He was very successful last year with coming in on matchup. Sign Pomeranz, get Knebel healthy and now you can get back to what worked in 2018.

 

Hey, a good take

 

Yep, this team has quite a few interesting pitching options for next year. I'd love to see Pomeranz back, but that guy made himself a lot of money over the last couple months.

[willie key]

The fact that the three best relievers were all lefties at the end is crazy. The lack of a righty to pitch the seventh was a killer. Last year Burnes was huge. His flameout is still the biggest killer of this season.

 

 

Knebel being hurt was.

[phnxcrew]

Can we at least swear about the butt-licking Cardinals being in the playoffs still? Asking for a friend... maybe Molina will abscond with La Russa and the boat will sink making me smile for weeks.

[dlk9s]

I think the frustrating thing about Hader - and I'm not looking at stats to back this up - is that he seemed very much like a feast or famine guy this season. He either looked good and shut the door or blew up. It felt like if he went 2-0 on the leadoff batter or let a guy on base, that was it, he was giving it up. It's probably just selective memory, but that's what it felt like.

 

Last year, we all felt like when he came in, the other team was dead. This year, I doubt many of us had a ton of confidence when he took the mound. We knew he COULD be lights-out, but it felt like a coin flip if he WOULD be.