2021-09-08: Phillies (Gibson) at Brewers (Peralta) [Brewers win, 4-3 -- Escobar go-ahead HR proves the difference; Crew cuts magic number to 10]

[Eye Black]

 

 

Freddy Peralta: Batter (Phillies) vs Pitching Stats

 

Kyle Gibson: Batter (Brewers) vs Pitching Stats

 

 

Statcast Game Preview for Phillies-Brewers

 

Statcast Game Feed for Phillies-Brewers

[Eye Black]

Today is the final game of this 16 straight days with games stretch the Brewers have been on. Sort of strange that they go from playing every day for more than two weeks to getting 3 off days over the next 8 calendar days (starting tomorrow).

[Fear The Chorizo]

Today is the final game of this 16 straight days with games stretch the Brewers have been on. Sort of strange that they go from playing ever day for more than two weeks to getting 3 off days over the next 8 calendar days (starting tomorrow).

 

Feels like the Brewers often have a few extra offdays in September compared to other teams - part of that has to be the fact they have 81 homes games where they are guaranteed not to have a rainout with the roof option in their ballpark. This year most rainouts have resulted in next day doubleheaders across MLB to try and limit excessive travel as much as possible, so I'd imagine most teams have a good number of days off down the stretch.

[PeaveyFury]

Didn't the Brewers have a bunch of off days in 2019, while the Cubs had to make up a bunch of rain days? If I remember correctly, that was a big contributor to the Cubs' fading down the stretch.

 

Good to have a roof and rest in September....

[Fear The Chorizo]

Didn't the Brewers have a bunch of off days in 2019, while the Cubs had to make up a bunch of rain days? If I remember correctly, that was a big contributor to the Cubs' fading down the stretch.

 

Good to have a roof and rest in September....

 

I think that was 2018 and what allowed the Brewers to catch and tie them for the division. That year Cubs still played ok through that stretch, but they had something crazy like 28 games in 28 calendar days from August-mid September - they had 1 offday mixed in but it included a doubleheader and a few random trips to play makeup games either on the road or back at home in the midst of a long road trip. Even leading up to that stretch, they had limited days off from late July through mid August due to some early season rainouts, too.

 

In 2019, the Cubs had a 9 game losing streak against the Reds, Cards, and Pirates in mid september to seal their fate.

[KeithStone53151]

Didn't the Brewers have a bunch of off days in 2019, while the Cubs had to make up a bunch of rain days? If I remember correctly, that was a big contributor to the Cubs' fading down the stretch.

 

Good to have a roof and rest in September....

 

Correct, too many games in a row coupled with Joe Maddon as your manager is a surefire way to wreck a bullpen...

[Joseph Zarr]

The oracle tells me Vogey is getting the nod at 1B tonight. A PH GS and a BB and Rowdy's overall cold streak lately will provoke CC to give Vogey a shot at keeping his bat warm.

 

Lo Cain, other than a fairly unimpressive PH last week, has quietly put together a nice string of offense. Here's hoping he stays healthy and keeps that up into a Post Season run.

 

Lastly, Fab Freddy: Here's hoping you find that pre 10 Day stint form! Rooting for you and some fire tonight: 7-9 k's sounds nice.

[MrTPlush]

The Cubs did not fade down the stretch in 2018. They were 16-12 in September and 11-6 September 12 onward and 4-1 to end the season.

 

The 2019 Cubs did blow all four tires at the end of 2019, but it wasn't due to rain make-ups. Their schedule was just like that. Actually, baseball reference shows the Cubs did not have a single rain postponement all of 2019. I only quickly cross-checked September, but they played true to what was scheduled. They had a day off in the midst of that losing streak (23rd) and their other September off day was the 4th.

 

2018 was the year they had a few rain make-ups towards the end of the year:

 

-August 28 suspended, made up as DH next day

-August 30th off day canceled to make a game up.

-September 7th postponed till next day for DH

-September 9th postponed till September 13th. This one sucked as they had to play at Milwaukee, go to DC the next day, and then the day after that go to Cincy.

 

Basically between August 21th and the end of the season they had a single planned off day on September 20th. Still, it is incredibly misleading to say they only had one off day as they had numerous postponements that rested their pen just fine. It was more like a few DHs and some inconveniences. The Brewers simply just went invincible to win the division.

[Eye Black]

Vogelbach is indeed in the lineup, he is 5-for-7 with a double and home run against Kyle Gibson for his career.

 

[Fear The Chorizo]

Basically between August 21th and the end of the season they had a single planned off day on September 20th. Still, it is incredibly misleading to say they only had one off day as they had numerous postponements that rested their pen just fine.

 

No it isn't. I also said the Cubs played ok during this stretch - agreed that it took the Brewers getting white-hot all through September to wind up catching a team that played the month with a winning record. By season's end, that Cub team was gassed in large part because of the stretch from mid August through mid September and the fact they didn't have an opportunity to rest guys down the stretch and still win the division outright because the Brewers went 20-7 Sept-Game 163.

 

From post AS break (July 19) through October 1 (game 163 against the Brewers), the Cubs played 70 games in 75 calendar days. The Brewers only had to play 65. The Cubs had 1 less day off during the AS break because they had to start with a 5 game/4 day set against the cardinals after an earlier rainout. During their 2nd half, the Cubs were forced into playing two 9 inning doubleheaders, and had one of their designated days off in late August turn into a trip to Atlanta to for a makeup game to start a 10 game roadie immediately after 9 straight games before it. Two of the Cubs actual calendar days off playing in that stretch still had them at a ballpark getting ready to play, but they had rainouts - Sept 7 (rainout, still went to the ballpark on the road) Sept 9 (rainout at Wash, had to fly to MKE to face the Brewers before flying right back to Wash to make it up on the 13th). Plus, 7 of their games during the 2nd half went extra innings. That National series that had 2 rainouts, a doubleheader, and on top of that, 11 hours of in-game rain delays just to get those games in was brutal. What really caused issues for the Cubs down the stretch is they didn't get any meaningful contribution from September callups because they had no quality depth on their 40 man...meanwhile the Brewers had 9 calendar days off during the 2nd half and were playing September baseball using extra bullpen arms and pinch hitters galore after all the callups they made.

 

I recall Rizzo was griping early on that season in April that there were too many games, lamenting what was in store for his team later that year after all their early spring postponements - and I'm pretty sure he actually boarded the plane to go to that 1 game makeup back in Washington mid-september with just his game uniform as a statement to how crazy their travel schedule was.

[markedman5]

I wonder if we might see Ashby piggyback with Freddy again tonight?

 

Might depend how Freddy pitches but after only going 2 innings in his last start they might want to limit him to 4 or 5 max tonight.

 

Good chance that Hader and Devin pitch tonight even in non save situation considering the off day tomorrow.

[PeaveyFury]

I recall Rizzo was griping early on that season in April that there were too many games, lamenting what was in store for his team later that year after all their early spring postponements - and I'm pretty sure he actually boarded the plane to go to that 1 game makeup back in Washington mid-september with just his game uniform as a statement to how crazy their travel schedule was.

 

Yeah, off days weren't the only part of it. They had crazy travel to facilitate the make-ups that didn't help them at all.

[wibadgers23]

I wonder if we might see Ashby piggyback with Freddy again tonight?

 

Might depend how Freddy pitches but after only going 2 innings in his last start they might want to limit him to 4 or 5 max tonight.

 

Good chance that Hader and Devin pitch tonight even in non save situation considering the off day tomorrow.

 

Yeah was wondering the same thing about Ashby. I would actually love to get him another start but considering how well Houser and Lauer have been pitching and all of the off days coming up, I'm not sure where you fit in a start for him.

[willie key]

i will sleep so much better if peralta regains his form tonight

 

or show some semblance of the dominant pitcher weve seen all year

[LouisEly]

i will sleep so much better if peralta regains his form tonight

 

or show some semblance of the dominant pitcher weve seen all year

Took Houser two starts before he got back to form. If Peralta isn't back to full form tonight I wouldn't panic.

[NYChez]

What’s the pitch that Freddy throws 89?

[jason21nl]

So sick of seeing Harper

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

FB velo is good from Freddy. Harper is just good.

[markedman5]

What’s the pitch that Freddy throws 89?

 

Change up

[NYChez]

Really nice pitching by Freddy in the first. Harper is just that good.

[wibadgers23]

So sick of seeing Harper

 

Yeah hoping the Braves or Mets win the East just so we don’t have to see him in the NLDS.

[phnxcrew]

Is the strategy to pad Harper’s stats? Otherwise I don’t see why we’re pitching to him with the rest of the lineup being very average .

[BruisedCrew]

i will sleep so much better if peralta regains his form tonight

 

or show some semblance of the dominant pitcher weve seen all year

Took Houser two starts before he got back to form. If Peralta isn't back to full form tonight I wouldn't panic.

 

Houser had Covid, or at least a positive test. Peralta had “shoulder soreness” and apparently didn’t say anything about it until after he had to exit the game in St. Louis. You have to wonder if there is more to his problems than just being rusty.

[BruisedCrew]

Ouch. Yelich swinging at ball four.

[MrTPlush]

Come on Yelich, smh.