Context? Looks hilarious.

Exactly. Veteran bat in cleanup no matter what.

I completely agree. I think the Cardinals beat the Nationals in 2012 precisely because Washington leaned so heavily on Drew Storen that, by the time Game 5 came around, they'd seen him so many times and he had enough wear that he was ready for slaughter.

The theme of high scoring, HR oriented regular season offenses continuing to struggle to score runs in the post season continues. You don't get to face scrubs starters or especially poor relievers so you have to be better at scoring a run here and there, without big innings, and executing the small things. These high scoring teams just don't seem to be very good at that on a consistent basis and doesn't seem to be something they try much. I think the Royals really have helped change things and how teams try to win.

Game 5, 2011 World Series. Mike Napoli hit a ball deep into right center that Jon Jay tracked down for the final out in the inning, keeping the game close. Carpenter responded with his normal meek reservations.

I agree completely. But some teams just refuse to see the light. I'm looking at you Orioles and Blue Jays. Love ya, don't change a thing!

This sounds like a thread bump type of response.........

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

This better be Miller for just one because he already was hot

The Cardinals and Red Sox won the WS in the last five years by poleaxing teams with murderous offenses.

I would caution against creating a narrative of a few 4-7 game sample sizes. Yes, offensive numbers will generally be depressed in the postseason, but great offenses hit great pitchers better than scrappy hitters do.

The Royals ran out a lot of average starting pitchers during their run who managed to scrape together five-six innings of one or two-run ball. Sometimes, the steaks just fall in your favor.

I have argued for years that the reason those Oakland A's teams never won was because their offense wasn't necessarily built for the playoffs. Beane and a lot of stats guys would chalk it up to luck, and sure there is a ton of luck needed to win, 100% agree... but when your offense is based on walks and HRs, those things can be tougher to get against playoff pitching. In a game like this you're facing guys like Kluber and Miller, they aren't going to walk you. They're going to throw strikes and you have to hit them. All of a sudden a .240 hitter with a high OBP is now just a .240 hitter.

And a quick one it was

FSU just took the lead on Clemson

It's definitely not a 100% or maybe even the best strategy, but it seems things are changing to the get a dominate bullpen and somehow scrap together the first five innings, sometimes less. The added wildcard makes this even more plausible for teams who can't accel in all areas.

The better hitting teams could potentially overcome it but it would require them to play differently in the post season. There is no reason Chicago should have four shut outs and be struggling so much to score if they are the best offense. They leave opportunities on the field to score while waiting for the bigger inning.

Still using Miller?

Why?