I saw this morning Strasburg declined a start. Crazy.
From the article:
This is an incredible development. The playoffs are a time to make history and receive glory. The postseason is when Curt Schilling pitched with blood pouring out of his ankle and when Willis Reed played through a torn muscle in the NBA Finals. Yet Strasburg is turning down the opportunity to pitch because he’s under the weather? That will not reflect well on him at all.
Actually, Strasburg felt ill Tuesday and caught a
huge break with Tuesday's game being postponed.
The reporting out of Chicago is that Strasburg was first on the team bus to Wrigley Field and told Baker
he felt well enough to pitch after having Tuesday to rest up. And Baker moved accordingly. Because
the postponement should have reminded everyone that when you have the game you absolutely
haveto win to stay alive coming, you don't
really want Tanner Roark starting it for you if you can help it.
If Roark had started Game Four assuming it was played on Tuesday, it would have been all bullpen
hands on deck. And there's where Baker might have caught a small break---he hadn't used his two
best relief pitchers, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson, in Game Three at all, and Baker could have
given the game to Madson at the first sign of serious trouble from Roark. Since Madson has starting
experience, he could have gone several innings before Baker would have had to think about maybe
a five- or six-out save out of Doolittle.
But the rain postponement came and Baker got lucky when Strasburg came to him this morning
telling him he could go. (If you've ever gone to Chicago in the middle of changing weather, you'd
know it's entirely possible to feel ill from the change when you first get there.)
And if you pitch Strasburg today and win, you go back to Gio Gonzalez for Game Five on
hisregular rest. Gonzalez pitched well in Game Two; he was ruined by an unlikely error at third base
and a home run shortly afterward. But he's not even close to the guy you should be afraid to send
out for a Game Five if you get there. And, back to the Doolittle-Madson factor, if Strasburg gets
into trouble Baker has those pen options to play and hold fort.
Right now I can see Baker planning his immediate future and writing Max Scherzer's name in to start
Game One of a League Championship Series if the Nats get there. With possibly Roark in Game Two
and Strasburg in Game Three. Unless Scherzer's hamstring starts barking again. If it does, Baker's
going to have to channel his inner Flying Wallenda to think about his pitching matchups.
