2017 NLDS Game 5 Live Blog

5:07	Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

5:07	Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to NLDS Game 5 Live Blog

5:09	Jeff Sullivan: Currently just trying to get my stream to actually work, so in the meantime, let’s entertain ourselves with some polls!

5:09	Jeff Sullivan: Who do you think is going to win? Cubs (70.2% \| 165 votes) Nationals (29.7% \| 70 votes) Total Votes: 235

5:09	Jeff Sullivan: Who do you actually want to win? Cubs (38.8% \| 96 votes) Nationals (61.1% \| 151 votes) Total Votes: 247

5:11	Jeff Sullivan: Well right now I’m being frustrated by my own technology so I hope you’re having fun!

5:15	Jeff Sullivan: Terribly sorry about all that. We’re fixed!

5:15	Sadman: why not start Scherz for a couple innings and go from there?

5:15	Jeff Sullivan: Leverage likely to be higher later on. Better to try to pick your spots

5:16	Thomas: Can we get an over/under on how long it will take you to get your stream to work?

5:16	Jeff Sullivan: It was several agonizing minutes

5:17	Aaron : Strasburg buried his narrative. Looks like Gio is resurrecting his.

5:17	Jeff Sullivan: Has there been a strongly positive narrative about Gio Gonzalez?

5:18	Jeff Sullivan: Upside of these circumstances: Gonzalez is terribly inefficient, but in a Game 5 it doesn’t really matter for a hill of beans

5:18	Mike: So if you’re the Dodgers who do you want to win this game? It feels so close that it will likely swing wildly back and forth depending on which starters are getting used and who has the worst game 1-2 starting situation by the end.

5:18	Jeff Sullivan: I don’t think the Dodgers have a preference. These teams are evenly matched. Probably just rooting for a long-ass slog

5:19	Jeff Sullivan: Solid opposite-field line drive for Almora. It’s already 1-0 Cubs but they’ve got two more on with two outs

5:19	lastings: is Gio going way more offspeed than normal?

5:20	Jeff Sullivan: So far, yeah; 8 fastballs out of 19 pitches

5:20	Shrewd Cat: In what is essentially a one-game playoff, isn’t every inning the same leverage, aside from part of the lineup or if runners on?

5:20	Jeff Sullivan: Nope. Every inning has high leverage, but there are still tiers

5:20	Jack: Should they get Scherzer up now?

5:21	Jeff Sullivan: Ideally you wouldn’t end up in a situation where a pitcher has to bat. I think you save Scherzer for a bit if you can

5:22	Jeff Sullivan: Loaded after a walk for Heyward. Looking like classic Gio, not 2017 Gio

5:22	Jeff Sullivan: Which makes sense, because 2017 Gio was a mirage

5:23	Jeff Sullivan: And there’s present-era Heyward making an easy weak out. Nationals out of the jam and that could’ve been a zillion times worse

5:23	Show Hey O’Tawny: Downside is Gio looks bad so far

5:23	Jeff Sullivan: He always looks bad. He just usually gets better results

5:23	Jeff Sullivan: I’ve heard it said before that the Nationals have thought about trading him just because they don’t like to watch him on the mound

5:23	Sadman: How quick is the hook for gio? like REALLY quick? or a LITTLE quick?

5:24	Jeff Sullivan: Absolutely zero reason to push it at all

5:24	Ram: When do you get Scherzer up?

5:24	Jeff Sullivan: I wait to get him up until I’m absolutely certain he’s coming in. Might need a bridge reliever between Gio and Max

5:25	Charlie : Chances of Roark out of the pen to bridge Gio to Max, if needed?

5:25	Jeff Sullivan: Could easily see it

5:25	Guest: A really good changeup is underrated. Everyone loves the big slider or curve, but a really good change might be the best offspeed pitch.

5:25	Jeff Sullivan: And what’s funny is the minor leaguers with really good changeups tend to be underrated! But I agree with you

5:26	Jonathan: Do you think there is any merit to this “1st inning wildness” narrative, or just baseball weirdness?

5:26	Jeff Sullivan: Pretty much always just baseball weirdness

5:26	Jeff Sullivan: Kyle Hendricks doesn’t seem like a good matchup for Trea Turner, but that’s mostly because everyone has looked like a bad matchup for Trea Turner lately

5:27	That Guy: Worse contract: Heyward or Ellsbury?

5:27	Jeff Sullivan: Ellsbury is 34 years old

5:27	Jeff Sullivan: And Turner is aboard with a broken-bat floinker. Dangerous guy to have on to lead off

5:28	Jeff Sullivan: Hailing like crazy all of a sudden here in Portland, OR. If hell has frozen over, maybe that means the Nats are winning an elimination game

5:29	Jeff Sullivan: Easy steal for Turner. Even despite his inconsistent hitting he is an underrated all-around player

5:29	Philip Christy: Why the FUCK didn’t Jackson run to first last night?

5:29	Jeff Sullivan: He might still be waiting

5:29	Matt Vasgersian: If Nats have any chance, they need Gonzalez to go at least 6 innings, no matter how he pitches.

5:30	Show Hey O’Tawny: Who the hell starts NLCS game 1 if Gio, Roark, and Scherzer go today?

5:30	Jeff Sullivan: Roark could probably go if he only got an inning

5:30	Jeff Sullivan: Weird running catch in center by Almora

5:31	Mojo Hill: Still makes no sense to me to have Werth batting 2nd and Murphy-Rendon 5-6

5:31	Jeff Sullivan: Never made sense to have Alcides Escobar batting leadoff

5:32	Jeff Sullivan: Fun fact I learned last night about Bryce Harper: he sees by far the fewest inside fastballs for any left-handed hitter

5:32	Jeff Sullivan: Maybe that’s obvious but there you go

5:32	Sadman: how do you handle stealing bases in high leverage games like this one? conservative, aggressive or just regular type?

5:32	Jeff Sullivan: Mostly regular. I’d trust a guy like Turner to know what he’s doing

5:32	STL: I find it shocking that no one else thought to pinch hit for Heyward in the first : /

5:33	Jeff Sullivan: Several commenters did!

5:33	Lunar verLander: Quite a few middle infielder blunders the past few games; no reason to suspect it’s indicative of anything, just random coincidences, right?

5:33	Jeff Sullivan: Juiced grass

5:33	Jeff Sullivan: Quality spoil by Harper on that low-away changeup

5:34	Jeff Sullivan: And Turner is out trying for home on the grounder. Great job by Baez making up for his earlier flub

5:34	That Guy: Quick reminder that Bryce Harper is STILL younger than either Aaron Judge or Jose Altuve

5:34	Pie: Live by the Trea, die by the Trea

5:35	Ben: who doesn’t love Baez

5:35	Jeff Sullivan: Probably Brian McCann

5:35	Thomas: Jeff, what has surprised you most this postseason (can be anything regarding baseball)?

5:35	Jeff Sullivan: Kluber

5:35	Jeff Sullivan: Or the soft spot I’ve unexpectedly had for the Yankees

5:35	David: it cannot possibly be true that the best middle infield arm belongs to a second baseman right?

5:35	Jeff Sullivan: It’s Simmons

5:36	Hello Jeff : did Andrelton Simmons die?

5:36	Jeff Sullivan: If he did that’s a horrible way of breaking the news

5:36	Ben: Bryce Harper is STILL younger than either Aaron Judge or Jose Altuve……… um, won’t he always be?

5:36	New Guy: Pardon my newness, but how’s this work? We comment and you decided which ones to let through?

5:36	Jeff Sullivan: Basically, yes. But there are hundreds of people in here. It is very overwhelming

5:37	Luber: idk how mets fans tolerate ron darling year round

5:37	Jeff Sullivan: I find that he’s a lot better doing the Mets-specific broadcast. I don’t know what happens to his brain when he has to go national

5:37	Jeff Sullivan: And Zimmerman whiffs at a perfect changeup. 1-0 Cubs after 1

5:38	StrangePenguin: Yes, I like Darling and Hernandez on the Mets broadcasts.

5:38	Charlie: John Smoltz gets my vote for the worst postseason commenter

5:39	STL: Jeff — would you have pinch hit for Heyward in that situation (elimination game, based loaded, top 1, 1-0, lefty / lefty, SP clearly struggling)? Why or why not?

5:39	Jeff Sullivan: I would not have. Open to the argument, but my first thought is it’s just too early and Heyward would be completely pissed off. You assume as this game goes forward you’ll be seeing a lot of righties

5:39	Ram: What playoff announcers are actually good though? Ranked?

5:40	Jeff Sullivan: I have always liked Vasgersian and I also enjoy Brian Anderson’s work for the most part

5:41	Sadman: It makes me sad that both of these teams can’t win. : (

5:41	Jeff Sullivan: They already have!

5:41	Jeff Sullivan: Until tonight

5:41	Jeff Sullivan: Tonight someone becomes a loser

5:41	That Guy: Hot take: A-Rod will become the best broadcast guy in five years.

5:41	Jeff Sullivan: I’m not even sure if that’s a hot take anymore. He’s wonderful

5:42	Sad fan: Why would the Indians be so secretive about Kluber’s health? He started game 2 of the ALDS last year because he was hurt and no one questioned them. Why not just admit to it? I am worried he is dying of cancer or something.

5:42	Jeff Sullivan: Teams never like to give anything away when it’s even remotely exploitable

5:42	Jeff Sullivan: Fun fact: Gio Gonzalez, historically, has been absolute murder on opposing pitchers at the plate

5:42	Jeff Sullivan: That curveball is why

5:43	jake: is this the part where we all happily agree that joe buck is Actually Good

5:43	Jeff Sullivan: That might have happened a year or two ago

5:43	David S.: When Vasgersian calls a big home run it’s goddamn awesome.

5:43	Jeff Sullivan: Loved him when he was in San Diego. So much fun

5:44	stever20: A-Rod might already be the best broadcast guy. love listening to him.

5:44	IslandPen: whats best case for LA (not counting injuries)? Nats win but blow through every starter?

5:44	Jeff Sullivan: Nats win and Stephen Strasburg gets everyone sick

5:44	lastings: how is this the same pitcher as the first inning?

5:45	Jeff Sullivan: This is instructive. Very little carryover for great or struggling pitchers between frames

5:45	Ben: your dedication to watching the padres is commendable

5:45	Jeff Sullivan: It used to be less terrible

5:45	Jeff Sullivan: Hell of a curveball to end the inning for Gonzalez. He won’t last much longer but that was redemptive

5:45	kevinthecomic: weiters was heading back to the dugout b4 the ump called strike 3

5:46	Jeff Sullivan: One of the best body languages

5:46	Adam : would you rather live during the ascent of a civilization or its decline?

5:46	Jeff Sullivan: I kind of feel like I’m already doing both

5:46	Andrew: Was watching the Padres purely a scouting endeavor for better info on the Vedder Cup?

5:46	Jeff Sullivan: I lived in San Diego. It’s what was on

5:46	Ben: jeff- should we be worried about the yellowstone supervolcano?

5:46	Jeff Sullivan: Absolutely not

5:47	Jeff Sullivan: https://www.wired.com/2016/01/chill-out-yellowstone-isnt-about-to-dest…

5:47	Jeff Sullivan: Shout out to Erik Klemetti

5:47	Confused Englishman: Would you rather walk up the mountain or down?

5:47	Jeff Sullivan: I used to think down but now I strongly lean up

5:47	Jeff Sullivan: Down blows

5:48	Wieters target: struggles to get the low pitch called strike, maybe it has to do with how high he holds his glove?

5:48	Jeff Sullivan: Yep, Wieters has always been better getting high strikes than low

5:49	ChatzMcGee: DINGER.

5:49	Ryan: MURPHY FINALLY SHOWED UP

5:49	kevinthecomic: KLOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5:49	Jeff Sullivan: I love when the chat window spoils the live stream. Daniel Murphy!

5:49	David: nice launch angle

5:49	Guest: don’t go high middle to Daniel Murphy

5:49	stever20: wow if Murphy can get going for the Nats, that’s a huge difference….

5:49	Jeff Sullivan: They have so, so many star players

5:50	Davy: Murphy gets his hands through the zone so fast. He looks like he’s going to be late on the ball, and then somehow he pulls it.

5:50	Jeff Sullivan: Amazing how you can develop in this day and age when you already have plus bat-to-ball skills

5:50	Gary: Jeff, I’m new. Why do you say Gonzales won’t last much longer?

5:51	Jeff Sullivan: Shouldn’t push him. Everyone, basically, is available, and he isn’t very good

5:51	That Guy: It still amazes me what Murphy has become. Did anyone see that coming?

5:51	Jeff Sullivan: We didn’t, but then, we also didn’t understand the home-run spike as it was beginning

5:51	Jeff Sullivan: My hunch now is that you should look out for 2018 Ketel Marte

5:51	Lunar verLander: Another kind of weird bounce! Juiced grass!!

5:52	BrewCrew82: Rendon looks like a one-line locker room extra in every baseball movie.

5:53	Jeff Sullivan: That is the second bunt hit of Matt Wieters’ entire career

5:53	Ryan: perfect bunt, wow

5:53	David: thatd be a nice bunt without a shift

5:53	jj: What skill do you think makes a manager good in the post season?

5:54	Jeff Sullivan: Calm personality, and having established enough trust during the season that players don’t question playoff-specific aggressive strategic decisions

5:54	IslandPen: pinch hit for gio if he comes up with a couple guys on base?

5:54	STL: Definitely pinch hit for Gio

5:54	CubsGo: Crazy lucky hits for Nats so far. One two hard contact.

5:55	Jeff Sullivan: Nothing lucky about a bunt against the shift

5:55	Mike: Last night Dave got asked which manager he thinks makes the least poor decisions, and went Dave Roberts. Picking anyone else?

5:55	Jeff Sullivan: Don’t think so

5:56	Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: TAYLOR!

5:56	ChatzMcGee: Wow…

5:56	Joe: Fuuuuuuuuuu

5:56	ChatzMcGee: michael A. Taylor playoff hero.

5:56	Davy: Tomahawk!

5:56	Dave: Nothing lucky about that either

5:56	Major Minor: Rally killer

5:56	Pete: So many star players! Plus Michael A. Taylor

5:56	Jeff Sullivan: Taylor just slugged an 0-and-2 fastball at the god damn letters!

5:56	Jeff Sullivan: Maybe you can’t blow 85 miles per hour past a big-league bat after all

5:57	Andrew: Maybe less need to pinch hit for Gio now.

5:57	Jeff Sullivan: Can confirm

5:57	Jeff Sullivan: Should still have a short leash

5:57	fastballs: why do they keep throwing them to Michael Taylor? That’s all he hunts

5:57	Michelle: So this Michael Taylor hero narrative… not what I expected.

5:57	Jeff Sullivan: THERE’S ONLY ONE OCTOBER

5:58	ChatzMcGee: I bet that’s the highest pitch Taylor has hit a for a dinger.

5:58	Jeff Sullivan: Now I wonder if that’s actually true. He’s just aggressive enough to try to do that a bunch. Mark Trumbo-esque

5:58	stever20: why don’t the Cubs have anyone up in the pen?

5:58	Jeff Sullivan: They don’t trust their pen

5:58	Jesse: Is Taylor a legitimate starting outfielder at this point?

5:58	Jeff Sullivan: His defense is good enough that you can accept the offensive decline coming next season

5:59	Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: Nats Radio just said that was Weiters’ first career bunt hit. Since you looked it up, when was the other?

5:59	Jeff Sullivan: Last year against Boston

5:59	Jeff Sullivan: Wait, no!

6:00	Jeff Sullivan: Upon further examination, that was a sacrifice that turned into a busted fielder’s choice

6:00	Jeff Sullivan: So to correct the record: first bunt hit of Matt Wieters’ entire career. Wow

6:00	Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: Not knowing that Nats, why is Michael A Taylor doing well so surprising? I see 3+ WAR, 105 wRC+, and 19 homers. He’s good but not great, no?

6:01	Jeff Sullivan: He’s fine. Strikes out a bunch but runs into dingers. Sort of Keon Broxton-y

6:01	Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: I retract my question, having now looked at Michael A Taylor’s previous seasons.

6:01	Seth Moko: Related to Michael Taylor: unsolicited plug for Joe Sheehan’s newsletter and article today on Dusty’s handling of Taylor vs. earlier Dusty handling of a young Corey Patterson. Really good article

6:02	Major Minor: Who gets more ABs for the Nats next year – Taylor or Robles?

6:02	Jeff Sullivan: Taylor

6:02	Pie: Jeff, what are your thoughts leading into the ALCS?

6:02	Jeff Sullivan: It will be very good

6:02	Jeff Sullivan: Lance McCullers will be very important

6:03	Jeff Sullivan: Ah, the good ol second-inning intentional walk

6:03	hscer: well now we know Ernie Johnson’s definition of batting around

6:03	Show Hey O’Tawny: Harper just needs to spend another two months in the woods without a razor and he’ll look just like Jayson Werth

6:04	Louis: Jeff, did the Nats bat around in the second?

6:04	Jeff Sullivan: I’ve become a believer in the 10-batter theory

6:04	Andrew: Do you see McCullers filling the old fireman (or new Andrew Miller) role? Devenski was definitely the go-to for that during the season

6:04	Jeff Sullivan: Both important, but Devenski might be wearing down. And Peacock/Morton can’t go deep

6:05	Jeff Sullivan: Zimmerman strikes out. That was anticlimactic, but nevertheless, it’s 4-1 Nationals after two

6:05	ChatzMcGee: Not sure this one was higher, but it’s the highest pitch I could find on StatCast: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/videos?video_id=1533930183

6:05	Andrew: “Nats bat around in the 2nd”….Ernie is on team 9 apparently

6:05	Wally: Does Hendricks always pitch up this much, or just missing?

6:05	Jeff Sullivan: I think it’s been more of a recent thing for him, if memory serves

6:06	Shrewd Cat: What was Joe Maddon drinking? Looked like dirty creek water.

6:06	Jeff Sullivan: dirty creek water

6:06	Sadman: why do baseball players always shout “Let’s Go!” whenever something good happens? Is there no other way to express celebration?

6:06	Jeff Sullivan: There are like four different exhortations in the entire English language

6:07	Jeff Sullivan: Let’s go! You got this! C’mon man! Let’s do this!

6:07	Mike: This chat is under siege from Effectively Wild. the 10 batter theory is clearly wrong.

6:07	Jeff Sullivan: I am in control of this chat and this will proceed no further

6:07	That Guy: My favorite innings are when a team bats around and the same player makes an out twice.

6:07	Jeff Sullivan: anti-Tatis

6:08	Chuckb: Goal here should be 3 outs from Gio & then go to Schererville, right?

6:08	Jeff Sullivan: Might, again, want a bridge for an inning just because the pitcher spot might bat in the next frame

6:09	Jeff Sullivan: Not a great dive by Taylor on that sinking liner but good backup from Werth

6:09	Sadman: I once involuntarily exclaimed “Congratulations!” when a batter hit a go-ahead double. Why can’t this catch on? It kind of makes me sad…

6:10	alpha309: How many times has a player pulled a Tatis?

6:10	Jeff Sullivan: 1

6:10	Jeff Sullivan: What a weird punchout call on Rizzo

6:10	Jeff Sullivan: Definitely a ball and an unusually generous strike for an 0-and-2 count

6:10	Bernard: What do you expect out of Scherzer today?

6:10	Jeff Sullivan: Good pitching

6:11	Paco Picopiedra: Most dispirited strike three punch out call ever

6:11	Matt: Do you see the Cubs yanking Heyward next time up since they need offense?

6:11	Jeff Sullivan: Not if a righty’s pitching

6:11	Luber: your playoff k zone piece has been great for these past couple nights

6:11	Jeff Sullivan: I’m amazing!

6:12	hscer: and the strictest definition of a Tatis–the one that includes facing the same pitcher–is extremely likely to never happen again

6:12	Hunky Dory: Tatis? Too young…

6:12	Jeff Sullivan: Two grand slams in the same inning

6:13	Jeff Sullivan: There’s a little balance — Contreras walks on a possible strike

6:13	Jeff Sullivan: Gio’s leash ought to be tightening

6:13	David: bullpen time?????

6:13	Jeff Sullivan: Someone at least needs to be getting warm

6:14	hscer: late hitter timeouts are the worst

6:15	Sadman: time called right when he started his motion. That’s kind of rude.

6:15	John Autin: They are ump timeouts.

6:16	Jeff Sullivan: Aaaaaaaaaaand we’re loaded. With Heyward on deck!

6:16	nats fan with PTSD: getting out to an early lead in game 5 and then having gio gonzalez throw it away reminds me of 2012

6:16	John Autin: Gio gotta go.

6:17	libre: Do you believe in Scott Boras’ pitch for Wieters — something along the lines of “can’t win in the postseason without a veteran catcher?”

6:17	Jeff Sullivan: The Royals won with Salvador Perez

6:17	Jeff Sullivan: Out, run, 4-2 Nats. Look at this — second and third for Heyward, with two outs

6:18	Jeff Sullivan: Also, re: above, the Giants won with Buster Posey

6:18	kevinthecomic: heyward will, once again, kill the rally

6:18	Dr Evil: Is this a ST game? Are the two managers trying to build up starter innings?

6:21	Jeff Sullivan: Bounced! More classic Gio!

6:21	Jeff Sullivan: 4-3, possibly saving Heyward and the Cubs from themselves

6:22	Jeff Sullivan: Wow, Heyward

6:22	Jeff Sullivan: Ugly hack, inning over. But at least the Cubs scored a run while he was up there

6:22	IsIt2015Yet?: Why is it now easier to hate the Cubs than the Yankees?

6:22	Jeff Sullivan: Recency bias

6:22	Bernard: At least heyward lasted long enough for the wild pitch

6:23	Show Hey O’Tawny: Jesus H. Christ, Heyward. Awful

6:23	CubsGo: Yay! Heyward did his job of stretching out the at-bat until Gio threw wild.

6:23	Hunky Dory: Do Cubs try to move Heyward this winter?

6:23	Jeff Sullivan: No good way to do it

6:23	Jeff Sullivan: Remember last spring when his swing was overhauled and fixed?

6:23	STL: Jeff. Im sorry. But I think that Rizzo should walk on the field and fire Baker on live television. Furthermore, Maddon should not allow Heyward to bat again in this game.

6:24	Jeff Sullivan: I bet the entire Nats front office came together to try to figure out a pitching plan for this game

6:24	libre: Does a passed-ball/wild-pitch-while-batting factor into WAR?

6:24	Jeff Sullivan: no

6:24	Jeff Sullivan: but it probably factors into WPA

6:24	SignedEpsteinsMother: Is that considered a good AB by Heyward?

6:24	Jeff Sullivan: No. He swung at an obvious ball four

6:25	Nate: Is Heyward the worst contract in baseball right now?

6:25	Jeff Sullivan: lol no

6:25	Jeff Sullivan: Pujols and Cabrera look terrrrrrrrrrrrrible

6:26	Mike: why on earth is kyle hendricks still pitching

6:26	Jeff Sullivan: Give him one thing, he’s thrown virtually 100% strikes

6:26	Mo Vaughn: Is Heyward the worst player in baseball right now?

6:26	Jeff Sullivan: no

6:26	Jeff Sullivan: not even close

6:27	dblumenshine: wow does maddon hate the entire cubs bullpen that article was not lying

6:27	Dr Evil: No reason for Hendricks to still be in there, is there?

6:27	Jeff Sullivan: I think it’s defensible for him to finish this trip through the order

6:27	Jeff Sullivan: He’s a good pitcher

6:27	Oddball Herrera: At least Cabrera you can kindaaaaa argue he was dinged up. This is clearly who Pujols is

6:28	Jeff Sullivan: Cabrera is always dinged up. That doesn’t get better with age

6:28	George: If Heyward were a FA this winter, what do you estimate he’d get?

6:28	Jeff Sullivan: 1/$10m

6:28	Hunky Dory: Could there be something to a Heyward-plus-prospects/cash for Stanton trade?

6:28	Jeff Sullivan: I guess I could see something like that

6:29	IsIt2015Yet?: What’s up with all the Walgreens Nationals stuff on Twitter? It’s not that funny, really.

6:29	Jeff Sullivan: Nothing on twitter is funny for more than three minutes

6:30	The Old Buccaneer: If Gio is on the bench shaking his head he can’t be going back in, right?

6:30	Jeff Sullivan: He’s pacing around, seemingly trying to stay warm

6:30	Pete: Hendricks up second in the next inning, is Maddon just trying to get him to get one more out here?

6:30	Jeff Sullivan: Probably

6:30	SignedEpsteinsMother: as much as anyone I have seen, Kyle Hendricks can have an inning like that and then cruise for for 3 or 4.

6:30	Jeff Sullivan: He allowed a three-run homer on an 0-and-2 pitch at the letters. He wasn’t that bad in the second

6:31	Charlie: 1/10 seems low, the glove gives him at least a 1 win floor per year plus the potential to have an above average bat

6:31	Jeff Sullivan: I think Heyward would seek out a one-year deal

6:31	The Old Buccaneer: But Stanton has value even on that contract, right? Heyward does not

6:31	Jeff Sullivan: Stanton’s contract is bad

6:31	Jeff Sullivan: for the team responsible for it

6:32	Jeff Sullivan: And we’re through three. 4-3 Nats. It’s been an hour and a half

6:32	Jeff Sullivan: Going to guess Hendricks is probably finished, given that his spot is due up

6:33	Jeff Sullivan: It’s 4-3 Nationals going into the fourth. Gut feeling: who’s your winner? Cubs (44.6% \| 105 votes) Nationals (55.3% \| 130 votes) Total Votes: 235

6:33	Joseph: Jeff, is there a place on the site to view the “probability of winning” charts during the game itself?

6:33	Jeff Sullivan: http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2017-10-12&team=Nationals&…

6:33	Jeff Sullivan: Currently 62% win expectancy for the Nationals

6:34	IsIt2015Yet?: Is Joe Maddon the most overrated coach in MLB history?

6:34	Jeff Sullivan: No. His teams are good

6:34	Bill Don: Who’s the worst player remaining in the playoffs?

6:34	Jeff Sullivan: Some backup catcher

6:34	Jeff Sullivan: Got you on a technicality, Bill Don

6:35	Jeff Sullivan: Matt Albers now pitching!

6:35	Jeff Sullivan: 80 FIP- this year, 79 xFIP- somehow

6:35	Jeff Sullivan: Should be a one-inning bridge to Scherzer

6:35	Jeff Sullivan: Scherzer is stretching right now in the bullpen

6:35	John Autin: Jeff, where’d you get the idea Cabrera’s always dinged up?

6:36	Jeff Sullivan: From tracking his past few years. His slumps are always connected to some muscle strain

6:36	mike rizzo: henricks and gio are like polar opposite pitchers

6:36	Jeff Sullivan: And they will have both lasted three innings. Baseball!

6:36	Lunar verLander: So much for the “Cubs / Nats play short games” trend

6:36	Jeff Sullivan: Every playoff baseball game takes forever

6:36	Jeff Sullivan: MLB is lucky they’ve mostly been close

6:37	Jeff Sullivan: Quote Dusty: “I was hoping Gio would go longer”

6:37	Jeff Sullivan: sigh

6:37	Jeff Sullivan: Dusty talking about Albers going more than one inning

6:37	Jeff Sullivan: He’s due up next inning

6:37	Jeff Sullivan: What on earth

6:37	Frank: If Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw are any indication, my plumber throws mid-90s with a plus slider.

6:37	SignedEpsteinsMother: Don’t be surprised when Hendricks bats here.

6:38	Jeff Sullivan: Indeed, Hendricks is apparently going to try to go more than three innings

6:38	Jeff Sullivan: Maddon really not trusting his bullpen today

6:38	Charlie: I let Kyle go as long as he can, avoid middle relievers as much as possible. Q had some inconsistency during the season too so I’m not totally comfortable with him out of the pen

6:38	David: Is there more volatility in win expectancy during the posteason? I guess what i mean is – are leads less safe?

6:38	Jeff Sullivan: In theory they’re even more safe because you use exclusively good pitchers

6:39	Jeff Sullivan: Announcers love every first baseman’s ability to scoop low throws. Nobody knows who’s actually bad at it

6:39	Joe: Does anybody actually believe Dusty will let ALbers lead off?

6:39	Jeff Sullivan: Well

6:40	TigersFan: Seconding “Cabrera’s always dinged up.” Hasn’t been healthy in an age.

6:40	Jeff Sullivan: Yeah, the thing about Cabrera is he usually just plays through the pain. Doesn’t let himself miss games

6:41	egm: If Baez got to start each plate appearance 1-0, what would his BB% look like at the end of a season?

6:41	Jeff Sullivan: Career 7.3% unintentional walk rate after going ahead 1-and-0

6:41	Seth Moko: Is Dusty seriously going to let Albers hit?

6:41	hscer: TBS tries, twice, to get Dusty to give away his bullpen strategy. he BS’s about Albers getting more than an inning possibly

6:41	Jeff Sullivan: A 1-2-3 fourth for Matt Albers!

6:42	Jeff Sullivan: 16 pitches. True test will be seeing if Dusty actually lets him hit

6:42	Jeff Sullivan: He is due to lead off

6:43	Mike: Its both possible that not every Dusty Baker decision is bad and that Dusty Baker’s fucking dumb

6:43	Jeff Sullivan: I don’t think Baker is dumb at all. I just think some in-game strategies don’t play to his strengths

6:44	Jeff Sullivan: For the record, I think Dusty Baker is, overall, an above-average MLB manager

6:44	Jeff Sullivan: Robles hitting for Albers

6:45	Jeff Sullivan: Modest disaster averted!

6:45	Jeff Sullivan: And Robles does what Albers would’ve done anyway

6:45	Jeff Sullivan: Baseball

6:47	Joseph: Who are your current “below-average”/”worst” MLB managers?

6:47	Jeff Sullivan: Haha

6:47	Jeff Sullivan: I don’t have many actual takes

6:48	Jeff Sullivan: I’ve just taken the time before to look into Dusty closer than usual. I have an opinion about him and almost nobody else

6:48	Jeff Sullivan: I generally avoid manager articles like the plague

6:49	Ross: Robles stays in? Or no?

6:49	Jeff Sullivan: Very skeptical

6:49	Ryan DC: Is the TBS zone off or does this ump hate low strikes?

6:49	Jeff Sullivan: This is a game with two bad-framing catchers

6:50	SignedEpsteinsMother: OK, watch Hendricks lurk off the mound at the end of inning, and tell me he doesn’t remind u of Jake Gyllanall in Nightcrawler. The guy does not get rattled.

6:50	Jeff Sullivan: Everyone used to think Cliff Lee never got rattled. He said that during the World Series he was actually about to shit himself

6:51	Jeff Sullivan: Two-out noise now from the Nationals. Consecutive singles have two on for Zimmerman

6:51	ChatzMcGee: Would letting Albers hit and getting an extra inning out of him really have been that big of a disaster?

6:52	Jeff Sullivan: Not an actual disaster, but it would’ve been pointless. Can’t give away fractions of outs in one-run elimination games

6:52	Chone Figgins: How many innings does Scherzer pitch?

6:52	Jeff Sullivan: I could even see him getting through the eighth

6:52	Jeff Sullivan: Zimmerman briefly thought he got it. He did not get it. Going to the fifth! 4-3 Nationals

6:52	Jeff Sullivan: Max Scherzer is coming in as we e-speak

6:52	Sadman: what chance do we see Strasburg tonight?

6:53	Jeff Sullivan: 100% you see him in the dugout wearing a hoodie

6:53	Ben: Is Hendricks the Cubs’ best starter?

6:53	Jeff Sullivan: I think it’s Quintana but it’s one of them

6:53	Bob: Ron Darling is awful. He has about as much insight as Helen Keller

6:53	Jeff Sullivan: Helen Keller was extremely bright

6:54	Oddball Herrera: Come on Jeff, the road to fame in today’s media is to be constantly agitating for other people to lose their jobs

6:54	Jeff Sullivan: I don’t understand why anyone would want to be famous

6:55	Cam Daveron: Would you leave scherzer in for 4 innings if hes rolling? Five even?

6:55	Jeff Sullivan: No matter what I’d like to hand a ninth-inning lead to Doolittle

6:55	Charlie: plot twist, Robles stays in to pitch

6:56	Jeff Sullivan: Scherzer throws a fastball at 96

6:56	Jeff Sullivan: Who expected Max Scherzer vs. Kris Bryant to yield a ground ball

6:57	IsIt2015Yet?: Is a league made up of 5-7 superteams a deathknell for MLB?

6:57	Jeff Sullivan: Nope

6:57	Jeff Sullivan: It also won’t sustain that way

6:57	Jeff Sullivan: Wow, thought Rizzo got more of that than he did

6:57	CU-BS: In the 7th game of the 2014 WS, Bumgarner entered to start the 5th and just stayed.

6:57	Jeff Sullivan: I’m sure Scherzer will be pleading his case if he pitches well enough

6:58	Jeff Sullivan: He’s one of those guys who doesn’t want to leave a game with a lead

6:58	SignedEpsteinsMother: Sullivan with the name-drop!

6:58	Jeff Sullivan: To be clear, the Cliff Lee anecdote is second-hand, from a former teammate

6:58	Jeff Sullivan: I never met Cliff Lee

6:58	Jeff Sullivan: 🙁

6:58	Jeff Sullivan: (Cliff Lee was good, fast, and perfect)

6:59	Jeff Sullivan: Zobrist now in for Almora

6:59	Matt: Strangely, I think Darling is way better during the regular season. Almost like he dumbs it down for the national audience.

6:59	Evan: Ron Darling is much better on the local Mets broadcast than he is on TBS. I have no explanation.

6:59	Lunar verLander: If Sale’s & Verlander’s foray as relievers is any indication, Scherzer’s about to give up some home runs…

7:00	Jeff Sullivan: Sale took a while before the dinger

7:00	Seth Moko: That video board of Scherzer’s eyes with Ks in them is nightmare fuel

7:00	Show Hey O’Tawny: Wait wait wait wait Yolmer Sanchez is Carlos Sanchez???

7:00	Jeff Sullivan: This tripped me up for literally months

7:01	Closer: Would Max Scherzer be the best closer in baseball or is the position specialized enough that others would be as good or better?

7:01	Jeff Sullivan: Not as good as Jansen

7:01	alpha309: Dodgers have to love Scherzer staying in as long as possible

7:02	Eli: Do you see the Dodgers in the WS regardless of whichever team wins tonight?

7:02	Jeff Sullivan: They’ll be favored, but not that strongly

7:02	Nate: Perspective: Victor Robles was a month old when Jayson Werth was drafted. Now, they are teammates.

7:02	Jeff Sullivan: Scoop there by Zimmerman on the low pick-off. Best scooper around!

7:03	Lunar verLander: Ron Darling brought up pitch tunneling during one of the WC games; blew my mind.

7:03	Jeff Sullivan: It’s a fairly old concept. Just newly researched

7:03	Jeff Sullivan: Bloop single for Zobrist. Bench bat works and now it’s Russell against a guy who owned righties more than maybe anyone else

7:04	Jeff Sullivan: Russell down the line!

7:04	Jeff Sullivan: 5-4 Cubs, improbably

7:04	Jeff Sullivan: First-pitch changeup, in off the plate, and Russell sneaked it past Rendon by a few inches

7:05	Sadman: OH WOW

7:05	hscer: amazing

7:05	The Hamburglar: The Cubs have seemed really lucky this series

7:05	Cam Daveron: Zobrist sleeper HOF candidate?

7:05	Jeff Sullivan: Virtually no chance

7:05	alpha309: And Heyward is coming up for the last out in a rally

7:05	Netflix and Rich Hill: this is unlikely!

7:06	Bernard: Wow, stadium got QUIET

7:06	Jeff Sullivan: Two grounders and a bloop off of Scherzer. There are your two runs. Baseball is wonderful and frequently sucks

7:06	A.: Dusty will get killed for this

7:06	Jeff Sullivan: Shouldn’t, but angry fans are morons

7:07	David: This seems so early for a Nats Game 5 collapse

7:07	John Autin: Volatility is starters in relief.

7:08	Jason Heyward: I WASN’T THE LAST OUT IN A RALLY!

7:08	Jeff Sullivan: Unnnnnnnnnnnnnbelievable

7:09	Jeff Sullivan: Baez strikes out. Wieters can’t catch it. Ball goes to the backstop. Wieters makes an ill-advised throw. Gets by two Nationals. 6-4 Cubs

7:09	Sadman: holy shit.

7:09	Clint: Austin Jackson pay attention

7:09	John Autin: Dumbest throw ever. Veteran catcher!

7:09	Sad fan: That was not good.

7:09	Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: The Nationals have done so much to hurt themselves.

7:09	Morbo: Second passed ball of the night

7:10	Jeff Sullivan: And yet Gary Sanchez catches all the flak

7:10	Karl: All we’re missing is a balk and this game will have everything

7:10	Nick: #veteranplayoffcatcher

7:10	Show Hey O’Tawny: That was one of the silliest things I’ve ever seen on a baseball field

7:10	Show Hey O’Tawny: I fucking love this dumb sport

7:11	David: Nats don’t just lose, they do it in horrifying fashion

7:12	Jeff Sullivan: Catcher’s interference on Wieters

7:12	Jeff Sullivan: Amazing

7:12	Jeff Sullivan: AMAZING

7:12	Catching Metrics: Having a below average defensive catcher bites! In the worst way.

7:12	P: They have to move on from Wieters next year right?

7:12	Jesse: If Matt Wieters is the starting catcher again next year it’s gonna be real hard to be a Nats fan.

7:13	Josiah: The combination of cubs magic and nats ineptitude is on full display

7:13	Long live Jeff Frye: Can you explain the passed ball on a strikeout rule again? I thought 1st had to be unoccupied.

7:13	Jeff Sullivan: Without looking it up, going to guess that’s not true with two outs

7:13	Dr. Bob: Matt Wieters is awful and nobody listened to us O’s fans

7:14	Jeff Sullivan: Bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. This is the most amazing thing I have seen all year

7:14	Jeff Sullivan: 7-4 Cubs. Max Scherzer started better than he’s looked lately. Wieters has been a catastrophe

7:14	nickg: Strong possibility of this being an all-time great bad game.

7:14	Luber: are the nats cursed

7:14	libre: Almost as if pitching on short rest is hard … coughKERSHAWcough …

7:15	Daniel: Tire fire for the Nats

7:15	Lachlan: This is actually remarkable

7:15	Jeff Sullivan: Roark and Solis throwing in the bullpen

7:15	Evan: Being a Nats fan seems like it would be hard in general.

7:16	Jeff Sullivan: The inning is over! To muted applause

7:16	Sad fan: Two catcher interference calls this postseason. What is the record?

7:16	Jeff Sullivan: That was just the 14th playoff catcher’s interference call ever on record

7:16	Jeff Sullivan: Four of them in the last two playoffs

7:16	Mike: catchers interferene in both LDS game 5s, what are the odds

7:16	Guest: What happened to Wieters??

7:17	Jeff Sullivan: He got bad a while ago

7:17	Jeff Sullivan: That inning was kept alive by a lot of things, but it was mostly kept alive by a Willson Contreras infield single with a hit probability of 15%

7:18	Goober: Scherzer has allowed 7 in a row to reach without a single well hit ball.

7:18	Jeff Sullivan: Russell hit the ball 103 miles per hour

7:18	Frostilicus: The Nats were up 3 just 3 innings ago…but this game feels locked up for Chicago, doesn’t it?

7:19	Veteran Playoff Catcher: Whoever said Scherzer would give up a HR had an insufficient imagination

7:19	IslandPen: really can’t imagine a worse way to forfeit a season. worse than 2012 and 2016.

7:19	ESPN: Will the Nats ever win a playoff game?

7:19	Jeff Sullivan: They seem to win a couple every year!

7:19	M. Wolicki: The nats are the Mets of the playoffs.

7:20	Netflix and Rich Hill: Do you ever have an idea of what a player looks like in your head only to come to find out you were inconceivably wrong? I thought Solis was a lanky, African-American.

7:20	Jeff Sullivan: I still don’t know what Sammy Solis looks like and I’ve seen him at least a dozen times

7:20	Jeff Sullivan: Leadoff walk for Murphy. I don’t want to talk about momentum but the Nats could really use some life here right away

7:20	Avid Reader: Already looking forward to your article about this tomorrow, Jeff!

7:21	Jeff Sullivan: I’m taking the night off after this probable five-hour live blog. Already scheduled a far more boring post about Didi Gregorius

7:21	Ryan: it’s an emotional rollercoaster being a Nats fan, loved seeing Scherzer come in, this sucks

7:21	Matt : if Bryant spends his entire career as uncltuch as fuck but is otherwise HoF does that meaningfully effect his chances?

7:21	Jeff Sullivan: I doubt anyone would really notice or care

7:21	hscer: being a Nats fan is pretty great from December through September

7:21	Jeff Sullivan: Remember when Wieters looked like a possible hero for his bunt single

7:22	Raindog: Is it fair to say that baseball has overshot the “use a SP in relief in the postseason” idea? Maybe you should actually use some relievers?

7:22	Jeff Sullivan: I am definitely of the belief that managers are weirdly too afraid of using their perfectly fine non-closer relievers

7:22	Jeff Sullivan: I mean, you roster those guys for a reason

7:23	Davy: At a certain point, people are going to understand that trusting your bullpen is smarter than throwing somebody on short rest, right?

7:23	Bernard: This felt like the 2003 Bartman inning, in terms of how the team just fell apart. The Cubs just are on the other side for this inning

7:23	Chris R: This is devastating, my son is crying his eyes out. This is the life of a nationals fan.

7:23	Jeff Sullivan: You, on the other hand — you are numb in your wise older age

7:24	Daniel: Wieters was never really good. Had like one or two good seasons.

7:24	Jeff Sullivan: He was best before he was ever in the majors

7:24	David: What was the hit probability on the Zobrist bloop?

7:24	Jeff Sullivan: 67%. Bloops are fluky but consistently helpful https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?game_pk=526496&type=exit_veloc…

7:25	Zachary: If there’s one thing to take away from today’s game, it’s Matt Albers > Max Scherzer.

7:25	Jeff Sullivan: Cubs a little fortunate that Duensing was able to retire Rendon, albeit on a liner

7:25	Sadman: Also we’re only half way through this game.

7:26	Jeff Sullivan: I don’t want to be that guy complaining but every game this month has taken forever

7:26	Jeff Sullivan: This one, at least, makes sense

7:27	Lunar verLander: Wait…are you still planning to do your regular Friday chat?

7:27	Jeff Sullivan: Somehow yes

7:27	Jeff Sullivan: All chatting, all the time

7:27	libre: Jesse G-S @jgoldstrass The second a batter hits the catcher in the mask/helmet with a backswing on a dropped third-strike swing, it’s a de… twitter.com/i/web/status/9… 13 Oct 2017 ?

7:28	Show Hey O’Tawny: Why do so many baseball players have distinctive facial hair? Brian Duensing has a curly moustache for no reason

7:28	Jeff Sullivan: The top-of-head hair is always covered up with a hat or a helmet, so they need to find other ways of expressing themselves

7:28	Scary Monster: Nats fans should calm down! This game’s got a long way to go.

7:28	Jeff Sullivan: At least two and a half more hours

7:29	STL: If the gamie ends as-is … what the the narrative on the Nationals tmrw?

7:29	Jeff Sullivan: Cursed

7:29	Jeff Sullivan: Wieters sees six pitches, with four easily out of the zone. Strikeout!

7:30	Springer am Rand: Re: imagining what a player looks like before you see him, my confession is that I thought Trea Turner was black when he was a prospect because no one talks about white guys being fast.

7:30	Jeff Sullivan: And then Bradley Zimmer happened!

7:30	Cam Daveron: Does hit probability account for fielder positioning or is the tech not there yet

7:30	Jeff Sullivan: It does not

7:31	Clint: Hard to believe it’s the fifth

7:31	Zachary: Matt Weiters in Single A (174 wRC+), AA (190 wRC+), AAA (146 wRC+), MLB (93 wRC+).

7:31	Chris S: Calling it Nationals win 8 – 7, Cubs still go to nlcs just to spite the Nats

7:33	Jeff Sullivan: Jeff Long @JeffLongBP I don’t want to be an alarmist, but… it would appear they seriously messed that up. 13 Oct 2017

7:33	Jeff Sullivan: I don’t follow twitter when I’m doing a live blog but it would appear there’s a very interesting conversation taking place re: the strikeout passed ball in the top of the fifth

7:33	Jeff Sullivan: Anyway, Michael A Taylor just struck out and we’re going to the sixth, finally

7:34	Charlie: Someone mentioned KB and clutch a while back. My issue with the clutch metric is that it effectively punishes a hitter for performing well in non-high leverage situations

7:34	Jeff Sullivan: Kris Bryant had a 68 wRC+ in high-leverage situations this year. That sucks

7:34	Jeff Sullivan: No one thinks he is unclutch. He has been unclutch is all

7:34	Nate: Are you married, Jeff? If so, thanks for giving up your evening for us.

7:34	Jeff Sullivan: Dave live-blogged a wild-card game on the night of his literal anniversary

7:35	Frostilicus: good thing the metro is open late tonight

7:35	Cam Daveron: So weiters was right, it was a dead ball?

7:35	Jeff Sullivan: Seems that way to me

7:36	Jeff Sullivan: If true, top of the fifth should’ve ended at 5-4

7:36	Guest: I feel like employing Michael Taylor has to violate child labor laws

7:36	Jeff Sullivan: Devers too

7:36	George: Does Wieters get a major league contract this offseason?

7:36	Jeff Sullivan: Yep

7:37	Curious: How long did it take for the Red Sox to develop the “cursed” narrative? Nats have only been around for a dozen years or so and good for less than half that time

7:37	Jeff Sullivan: Think it’s less a Nats curse and more a DC sports curse. It is, of course, nonsense, but they’ve had it pretty bad

7:37	Jeff Sullivan: Kintzler with the ol confidently-walk-off-the-mound-after-strike-three move

7:37	Jeff Sullivan: Except it wasn’t strike three

7:38	Blorb: It wasn’t on the backswing. Hit glove, then ball.

7:38	Jeff Sullivan: Not about the interference. About Baez’s backswing after he struck out

7:38	That Guy: I guess they can try playing the game under protest?

7:38	Jeff Sullivan: Might as well!

7:38	Jeff Sullivan: Not that it ever does anything

7:38	Mike: Is wRC+ lower in high leverage situations overall? Due to bringing a reliever in

7:38	Jeff Sullivan: Not meaningfully

7:39

Joe D: “If a batter strikes at a ball and misses and swings so hard he
carries the bat all the way around and, in the umpire’s judg-
ment, unintentionally hits the catcher or the ball in back of him on the backswing, it shall be called a strike only (not interference). The ball will be dead, however, and no runner shall advance on the play.”http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/4/0/224919040/2017_Official_Baseball_Ru…

7:39	Netflix and Rich Hill: Haha, Dave also said he was getting his wife DONUTS for their anniversary…and actually, that’s the level of romance I’d expect out of Dave Cameron

7:39	Jeff Sullivan: In fairness I can vouch for the donuts. Dave’s wife was ecstatic

7:39	Evan: Jeff has a girlfriend. She stopped by the Glory Hole Recreation Area a couple weeks back. It’s not what it sounds like.

7:39	Jeff Sullivan: Or so she says

7:39	Frank: So do the Nats go with Kintzler -> Madson -> Doolittle, or do they go with the guy from the T-Mobile commercial who Harper directs to the bullpen?

7:40	Sadman: So… What does mlb do about that missed call?

7:40	Jeff Sullivan: Nothing

7:40	Frostilicus: Weiters has a player option for next season, no?

7:40	Lyle: Wieters will pick up his option

7:40	Guest: Wieters knowing the backswing dead ball rule has to be worth a few mil alone

7:40	Jeff Sullivan: Not if he’s not persuasive about it!

7:41	Matt: Do the umps/managers not know the backswing rule, or did the umps just not see that it hit Wieters?

7:41	Jeff Sullivan: I imagine the ump didn’t see it happen

7:41	Ryan King: Real quick on that passed ball/blown call thing. Seems to me “umpires judgment” implies it is a discretionary call like an infield fly. Wieters was not impacted by Baez’s backswing so it would seem like it is acceptable to not call the ball dead

7:41	Jeff Sullivan: This is probably the right defense from the ump’s standpoint

7:41	Jeff Sullivan: Although the “judgment” seems to only apply to the intentionality of it

7:41	Jeff Sullivan: The part about contact with the catcher appears to be unambiguous

7:42	Jeff Sullivan: So here’s to the postgame pressers

7:42	Tom: I think you may be confusing backswing with follow through. Think about a golf swing.

7:42	Jeff Sullivan: “If a batter strikes at a ball and misses and swings so hard he carries the bat all the way around and, in the umpire’s judg- ment, unintentionally hits the catcher or the ball in back of him on the backswing”

7:42	Jeff Sullivan: emphasis on “all the way around”

7:43

hscer:

Baseball Reference

@baseball_ref

None of the 2.73m half innings in our db have even had all 4 of these events. 22 w/ 3. Only 5 games had all 4.

Jeff Passan@JeffPassan

I am willing to bet never before in baseball history have four batters in a row reached on this sequence of events. twitter.com/JeffPassan/sta…

13 Oct 2017

7:44	Jeff Sullivan: Holy good god damn Jayson Werth

7:44	Jeff Sullivan: Routine sliding catch turns into a run. 8-4 Cubs

7:44	Jeff Sullivan: This is unfathomable

7:45	Jeff Sullivan: Just stop playing

7:45	Evan: I remember seeing a runner sent back on a SB because of backswing contact. Hard to believe that the umps don’t know the rules. MLB umpires know the rules really well.

7:45	Davy: It’s weird that the broadcast hasn’t mentioned it at all, though.

7:45	Jeff Sullivan: And incidentally, the inning stayed alive because Ben Zobrist drew a full-count walk on a strike in the zone

7:45	Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: More terrible Nats stuff.

7:45	Lachlan: The nats are cursed

7:45	Paco Picopiedra: Wow. Just…wow.

7:45	Cardi Gee: Is this even real life at this point?

7:45	Chris S: Strikezones are for losers, just pitch wherever you like it’s all random anyway

7:46	Carlos: What if in the umpire’s judgment he intentionally hits the catcher?

7:46	Jeff Sullivan: duel

7:46	Daniel: Falling apart

7:46	Adam: Does not look like he “lost it in the lights”

7:46	Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: Kintzler getting squeezed.

7:46	Jeff Sullivan: Wieters’d

7:46	STL: “what else can go wrong tonight for the Nationals” *Heyward smacks a gapper

7:46	Aaron : Zobrist walked on strike 3 as well. Everything that can go wrong is

7:47	Tyler B: The broadcast didn’t even pick up that they were arguing about the backswing until about 5 times viewing the replay.

7:47	libre: Is the broadcast bad or is it just me?

7:47	Jeff Sullivan: It is 75% of the users in this internet chat room

7:47	Show Hey O’Tawny: Speaking as a hockey official it’s really reallt hard to remember all the rules and enforce them all

7:48	libre: Who catches a break first: Dusty Baker or the city of Washington?

7:48	Jeff Sullivan: Baker seems to live a pretty happy life

7:48	Jeff Sullivan: While I was typing that Heyward made another inning-ending out

7:48	Jeff Sullivan: 8-4 Cubs, Nationals win expectancy standing at 0%

7:48	Charlie: Death, taxes, Nats losing in the NLDS, and Heyward making outs

7:49	STL: Disagree with the statement it didnt look like he lost it in the lights. I thought it looked exactly like he lost it in the lights in slow motion. He just didnt do the weak, pretend my eyes hurt excuse afterwards like most people do. He just wore it.

7:49	Show Hey O’Tawny: Lost in this is that Heyward has been horribad at the plate tonight

7:49	Jeff Sullivan: That has assuredly not been lost in this

7:50	Matt: What’s the most devastating team implosion you’ve ever witnessed?

7:51	Jeff Sullivan: I’ll never believe how the 2011 Rangers lost Game 6

7:51	dustys job: 8th run scored by the cubs is the first run scored via a base-hit, all previous 7 were outs or errors

7:51	Confused Englishman: Is this game going give some momentum to rbot umps?

7:51	Jeff Sullivan: No more than usual

7:52	Pete: Re: the dropped 3rd strike call, Do the Nats need to immediately file a protest with the ump or can they do it at any point?

7:52	Jeff Sullivan: Crowdsource! Anyone know?

7:53	Mattingly’s Sideburns: Too late to protest

7:53	Aaron : Have to protest at the time

7:53	John Autin: Immediately

7:54

Lachlan: “Managers can protest a game when they allege that the umpires have misapplied the rules. The umpires must be notified of the protest at the time the play in question occurs and before the next pitch or attempted play begins. If the play in question ended the game, a protest can be filed with the league office until noon the following day. No protests are permitted on judgment calls by the umpires.”

7:54	Garrett: WAIt what did I miss what’s wrong with the drop 3rd strike call

7:54	Jeff Sullivan: Baez reached first base and a run scored even though the bat hit Wieters on the backswing. That is, apparently, supposed to be a dead ball

7:54	Jeff Sullivan: I had never heard of this until tonight. Neither had Ron Darling!

7:55	Darren: Not the first time Werth has done this… Shaun Newkirk @Shauncore Hmmm where have I seen Jayson Werth do that before… 13 Oct 2017

7:55	Andrew: As a cubs fan i think i finally understand how 2003 Marlins fans felt

7:56	Andrew: “For one of these teams, winter is coming.” Good lord Ernie

7:56	Jeff Sullivan: Endless summer in the other place

7:56	Jeff Sullivan: Baseball is magic

7:57	Evan: Can you recommend a completely off the grid hike I can start planning now (but won’t take too much lead time) just in case the WS is Yankees-Cubs?

7:57	Jeff Sullivan: Just start walking

7:57	Jeff Sullivan: Walk across the continent

7:57	Garrett: Ok so in a hypothetical protest would Baez be out or would he just be awarded first with runners getting no extra bases?

7:57	Jeff Sullivan: Out

7:57	Jeff Sullivan: Dead-ball strike

7:58	TJ: This game is really kind of boring for a game 5

7:58	Jeff Sullivan: That’s just the comedown from one of the most insane half-innings in recent history about 40 minutes ago

7:58	Netflix and Rich Hill: Does this game compel you to write, or is this more of a discuss on the podcast type of ordeal?

7:59	Jeff Sullivan: I’d probably write if I weren’t doing this, but since I’m doing this, I’m not going to have any energy left to stay up for several hours. It’ll be a podcast conversation in the morning

7:59	Garrett: Jeff do you think baseball( playoffs in particular) is this random or do you think there is something mental with the Nationals?

8:00	Jeff Sullivan: Lots of players come and go. Different editions of the Nationals are different. But I at least can’t deny the appearance of things

8:00	Cardi Gee: Surprising that nothing has been made of he intentional walk to Heyward, even in hindsight

8:01	Jeff Sullivan: Scherzer was already behind 2-and-0, and he’s substantially worse against lefties. Made some sense

8:01	Jeff Sullivan: Harper double; Nationals have a little bit of life

8:01	nickg: I love baseball, but good grief these playoff games have been long.

8:01	Jeff Sullivan: Longest per-9 duration in the wild-card era, so far

8:03	Elvis Andrus: good thing everyone has now forgotten about my horrible 2015 NLDS half inning 😉

8:03	Hmmm: How does a multi million (billion?) dollar industry still have incorrectly ruled plays when all you need is some nerds with a rule book

8:03	Jeff Sullivan: Nerds take too long

8:03	Garrett: simple answer to this is increased bullpen usage right?

8:04	Jeff Sullivan: I feel like pace has also spiraled out of control

8:04	Jeff Sullivan: Walk and wild pitch! It’s…8-5

8:04	Jeff Sullivan: Show me a homer here. Make something happen

8:04	John Autin: When this game’s over, relievers will have faced more than half the batters in this PS.

8:05	Daniel: it’s the sixth, feels like the 8th

8:05	wow: murphy w/ bases loaded would be great

8:05	Jeff Sullivan: Corners will work

8:05	Theo: This is has become more interesting than I would prefer

8:05	John Autin: Run-scoring wild pitch ball 4! This game has EVERYTHING!

8:05	Zachary: this game isn’t done being weird

8:05	libre: Bob Geren caused a 20-minute delay in a Dodger game earlier this year. Parliamentarians-as-coaches are the new market inefficiency.

8:05	Zachary: I really think a pitch clock would help with pace and not impact the actual gameplay that much.

8:05	Jeff Sullivan: It’s inevitable. Maybe next season

8:06	Mike: See you’re saying length of game is out of control but then wishing for a HR to tie it up

8:06	Jeff Sullivan: I mean this one is already going forever. Might as well make it worth it

8:06	Tommy toms: Playoff baseball ages people

8:06	Bodes: Get dem bases loaded so a run can be balked in!

8:06	Goober: As a Dodger fan I want extra innings just to wear the winner down but as a baseball fan all I want to for this gongshow of a game to end.

8:06	Chris R: Good new my son is ok now, he has resigned himself to the loss and decided life is meaningless and fleeting. So he’s playing with legos

8:07	Jeff Sullivan: Way to go Chris Jr.!

8:07	DL Hughey: So this has been a terrible game, right? Compare this to the 1-0 Tanaka game…

8:07	Jeff Sullivan: Terribly executed, wonderfully odd

8:07	That Guy: This is the most Yankees-Red Sox non Yankees-Red Sox game ever

8:07	Matt: We’re still missing some good baserunning obstruction

8:08	Jeff Sullivan: Double! Murphy! 8-6!

8:08	Jeff Sullivan: Somehow not a two-run double!

8:08	Garrett: WOW

8:08	Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: Just missed another dinger!

8:08	Matt: Maybe we should all stop watching and play with legos?

8:08	Goat: I feel like I’m being tortured

8:08	Jose Curvo: Mike Maddox made 472 major league appearances. He’s closing in on that just in mound visits tonight.

8:08	Cardi Gee: Have to walk Rendon here, right?

8:08	Jeff Sullivan: Can’t do that with a walk-prone reliever I don’t think

8:09	Jeff Sullivan: Well they’re doing it anyway!

8:09	Jeff Sullivan: Wieters alert!

8:09	Ryan: Wieters has a chance for redemption!

8:09	Jeff Sullivan: …first-pitch out.

8:09	Jeff Sullivan: Hit it well but not well enough. 8-6! Seventh inning.

8:10	HappyFunBall: Sigh

8:10	demboyz: how is it they didnt get 2 on the double?

8:10	Jeff Sullivan: Zimmerman has below-average speed but yeah I don’t really know

8:10	Mike: Heyward just paid for his contract this year ?

8:10	Jeff Sullivan: Not a very difficult catch

8:11	Dylan: Weiters is all over this game

8:12	Eric: 6 innings in 3 hours. Pitch clock save us

8:12	Jeff Sullivan: Well, also 14 runs.

8:12	Nate: Zimmerman is your reminder: Alex Gordon would’ve been out.

8:12	B-Rob: “Not a very difficult catch”

8:12	B-Rob: Mark Trumbo begs to differ

8:12	Jeff Sullivan: O’s fans represent

8:12	STL: Id like to see a replay to see if the 3rd base coach was holding Zimmerman. Similar to KCR 3rd base coach holding Gordon

8:13	Charlie: How do you get 9 more outs. What pitchers do you use?

8:13	Jeff Sullivan: Maddon will go with Edwards to Davis, I imagine, but I’d be tempted to give an inning to Lackey

8:14	Joe: Everybody take note of what Solis looks like!

8:14	Joe Maddon: Petriello put the catch at 41% probability

8:14	Jeff Sullivan: Huh. Pretty good then. Lower odds than I would’ve guessed

8:14	Ross: He was holding Zimmerman

8:14	Pat the Bat: 3rd base coach was holding him

8:15	Jeff Sullivan: Schwarber with the 380-foot single

8:15	Jeff Sullivan: He’s in this league about 20 years too late

8:15	The Old Buccaneer: It’s wasn’t a difficult decision to walk Rendon, Right? Face a good hitter with two on or a bad hitter with three on.

8:16	Jeff Sullivan: I didn’t like it. Didn’t even get the platoon advantage and Wieters has historically been better from the right side

8:16	Jeff Sullivan: But I’m inherently conservative

8:17	STL: Can someone fire Ron Darling for thinking that Schwarber intentionally has a 31.2 and 31.3 oz bat (as if he has them for separate occasions)

8:17	Shaun: 114 MPH, 385 foot single

8:17	Show Hey O’Tawny: I already forget what Solis looks like

8:17	Motown Oden: Half the Tigers hit 380 foot singles this year.

8:17	Garrett: This game is going to go another hour and a half right? Thankfully I’m on the west coast

8:17	Jeff Sullivan: At least

8:18	Show Hey O’Tawny: Q in the pen cause who needs starters

8:18	Dodger Fan: QUINTANA UP IN THE PEN!!!!

8:18	Jeff Sullivan: Base hit, corners. Gut feeling: Nats can’t cough up another run

8:18	Joseph: As a Dodgers fan, I want nothing more than for Quintana to have to come in.

8:19	libre: Seriously though, with Quintana up, no matter what this game is the best case for the Dodgers.

8:19	That Guy: Kyle Schwarber would be right at home on the early 00s A’s

8:19	Garrett: Odds we ever see a 1 2 3 inning again?

8:19	Jeff Sullivan: It will never happen again

8:19	Show Hey O’Tawny: Best pitcher for WSH tonight has been, you guessed it, Matt Albers

8:20	Hunky Dory: Is it normal for every batted ball to find a gap in the infield and every bloop to fall in?

8:20	Bud Selig’s Concentrated Malice: I can’t tell if I’m enjoying this game or if this is baseball’s version of purgatory.

8:20	Jeff Sullivan: same

8:20	Jeff Sullivan: So Madson is pitching and now Lobaton is catching. No more Wieters

8:21	Chris S: I can tell you I’m hating this game

8:21	Andrew C: Purgatory. Its even worse with a rooting interest

8:21	Chone: This is one of the more strange games I’ve ever seen. What’s even happening?

8:21	Charlie: all this needs is a rain delay

8:22	Jeff Sullivan: aw go to hell 🙁

8:22	Jeff Sullivan: I’d probably just extend this chat right into my usual Friday chat

8:22	Jeff Sullivan: FanGraphs chatathon

8:22	GodsBelow: So, given everything thats happened so far, wade davis will walk in the go ahead run in the 9th?

8:22	Jeff Sullivan: so the winning run then

8:22	Jeff Sullivan: unless things get EXTREMELY weird

8:23	Jeff Sullivan: Kris Bryant with the clutch run-scoring fielder’s choice

8:23	HappyFunBall: The Nats had two rain delays this year where it didn’t rain. It could happen!

8:23	Jeff Sullivan: Baker seemingly challenging the slide at second

8:24	Jeff Sullivan: Why not

8:24	Garrett: That slide looks dirty actually

8:24	Mike: Wow that slide

8:24	Jeff Sullivan: I doubt they call this back

8:24	Lunar verLander: I guess we haven’t see THIS yet

8:24	Mike: Oh man, an overturn for a slide into 2nd would be amazing rn

8:25	Jeff Sullivan: Challenge doesn’t work. 9-6 Cubs

8:26	Matt : Kris Bryant showing why he somehow had 7 BSR two years in a row with like 10 steals

8:26	Eddie Murray’s Fro: Leg whip game

8:26	Zachary: this game needs a benches clearing incident at some point

8:26	Jeff Sullivan: Maybe a benches-clearing mutual forfeit

8:27	Guest: This game has more the feel of a crappy preseason game than elimination game

8:27	Jeff Sullivan: Elimination games need a jazzed-up crowd. Crowd still shellshocked by the top of the fifth

8:28	Goober: Can a bat break to reveal cork? That’s what I want to see.

8:28	Matt : Now that I think about it does Bryant have the speed to get 20 plus steals or is he just great at advancing well and all out sprints

8:28	Jeff Sullivan: I think he just has really good instincts. If Daniel Murphy could steal 25 or whatever bases that one year, Bryant could do it

8:28	Jeff Sullivan: See also Paul Goldschmidt

8:29	Mike: making these guys play 2 in 24 hours in different cities not going to produce the highest quality baseball

8:29	Gina: Can managers smoke cigarettes or drink in the dugout? Seems like dusty could use a strong drink.

8:29	Jeff Sullivan: Maddon was already seen chugging dirty creek water

8:30	Lunar verLander: let’s see: umpire ejecting a fan, that weird “bobble an outfield hit 200+ feet over the outfield wall” rule, and a RHP picking off a runner from 3rd…anything else in the annals of “super crazy shit” that we haven’t see yet?

8:30	BB: A bee delay

8:30	The Old Buccaneer: These games remind me sometimes living in the eastern time zone sucks. And this is an east coast game.

8:31	Jeff Sullivan: The west coast is great except for the earthquake that will eventually kill us

8:31	dblumenshine: watching bryant all year long he is highly praised for how good of a baserunner he is. not speed, but routes on the bases, where he speeds up and slows down, how his foot hits the bag on turns, etc

8:31	pat burrell: smoked heaters down the steps from the phillies dugout all the time

8:31	Motown Oden: Leyland smoked in the tunnel

8:31	GoldySilver: Its not the 9th yet? HOW.

8:31	Lunar verLander: And that supervolcano that’ll get us all, but get you west coat guys first

8:32	Jeff Sullivan: Actually likely for the ash to blow east and then circulate the globe

8:32	Jeff Sullivan: so we’d get it last

8:32	Show Hey O’Tawny: Mountain time y’all

8:33	SignedEpsteinsMother: Joe has to have a short leash on Edwards. it takes about 5 pitches to tell if it’s good Carl.

8:33	Garrett: Seems irresponsible to pitch one pitcher 5 times in a 5 game series.

8:33	Mike: Also forest fires @ NorCal right now

8:33	Jeff Sullivan: Oh yeah the west coast also burns all the time

8:34	Frostilicus: The open-late DC Metro closes in an hour

8:34	Jeff Sullivan: Leadoff walk!

8:34	Jeff Sullivan: Cubs bullpen!

8:34	: Edwards wild again

8:34	Paco Picopiedra: Can’t wait till Ewdards walks the bases loaded

8:34	ChatzMcGee: Edwards control is so bad.

8:34	DL Hughey: Bad Carl is here

8:35	Jeff Sullivan: And that’s it for Edwards

8:35	Jeff Sullivan: SignedEpsteinsMother was right!

8:35	Jeff Sullivan: Jose Quintana now pitching

8:35	libre: Cannot wait for more relievers, so we can be wrong about it having been the best case for the Dodgers earlier.

8:35	Goober: A big inning here could get us passed the 4 hour mark in the 7th. We’ve saved 14 seconds on IBBs though so that’s nice

8:36	Chone: Great job by Maddon here. Cannot let Edwards walk ’em loaded.

8:36	Guest: This is unbelievable

8:36	Hmmm: Michael Taylor walking is a miracle

8:36	That Guy: This is the game that doesn’t end, yes it goes on and on my friend

8:36	Guest: This game needs another starter imploding if you ask me

8:37	Paco Picopiedra: So was there basically no reason to bring Edwards in?

8:37	Bobert: Whatever happened to good bullpens for contenders? Paging the Yankees, Indians, and Dodgers!

8:37	Stephen Church: Definitely hoping for the most chaotic ending possible

8:37	Jerome Walton: Dodgers are definitely winning tonight.

8:37	Morbo: Alright, it’s settled. Jeff just hates news monsters

8:37	Jeff Sullivan: love you Morbo

8:38	Garrett: It’s the 7th inning Jeff!!! The 7th!!!

8:38	noseeum: I wasn’t on the chat when Scherzer was pitching but at what point was the consensus “what are you doing, take him out!!!” reached? I’m guessing after the first run was given up.

8:38	Jeff Sullivan: Scherzer was mostly fine. Wieters, not so much

8:38	Jeff Sullivan: First pitch right down the dick. Pop out

8:39	Bobert: Five hour elimination game where too many pitchers pitch. Game 7 WS anyone? Love it.

8:39	ThatsNotMyMonster: Anyone else watching from a hospital room?

8:39	Jeff Sullivan: I feel like eventually that will be all of us

8:40	Jeff Sullivan: Base hit!

8:40	Jeff Sullivan: It! Keeps! Going!

8:41	Buck: Right down the dick? No one says that.

8:41	Jeff Sullivan: google!

8:41	Jeff Sullivan: http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/fastball-right-down-the-dick.4527258…

8:42	Jeff Sullivan: Boy is Contreras ever a poor receiver, relatively speaking

8:42	Guest: This “Joe Maddon Has Lost Faith in His Bullpen Again” article is leering at me from the sidebar

8:42	Jeff Sullivan: oh good, we needed a mound visit

8:43	Jeff Sullivan: GET ON THE SAME GOD DAMN PAGE

8:43	JD15: Is it a small zone tonight?

8:43	Jeff Sullivan: Bad catchers

8:43	Morbo: I don’t think the Dodgers could have written a better game for themselves if they tried

8:43	Show Hey O’Tawny: Davis in the ‘pen!

8:43	That Guy: Longest nine inning game on record is 4:45. We’re only about 70 minutes away from that.

8:44	Daniel: This strike zone sucks, all night

8:44	Jeff Sullivan: And the game has been so freaking weird I’ve hardly even noticed

8:44	Jeff Sullivan: Walk. Unreal

8:44	Jeff Sullivan: Bryce Harper coming up

8:44	Jeff Sullivan: Lean into it, baseball. Just lean all the way into it

8:45	Dodger Fan: 12 pitchers in this game have recorded a combined 40 outs

8:45	Show Hey O’Tawny: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh just finish the gaaaaaaaame

8:45	Andrew: This is the postseason of the Joe Buck Oh God Yes tweet

8:45	Nick R: Forget a pitch clock, limit number of mount bad visits

8:45	Phil: Time for some legitimate research on using starters as relievers on short rest…

8:46	Bobert: Dodgers getting a massive massive massive break.

8:46	Zachary: This is it. This is the Nationals’ shot right here.

8:46	LudeBurger: Can anyone give me a game summary? I just got out of class

8:46	Jeff Sullivan: lol

8:46	Phil: Using starters in relief has barely worked at all this postseason.

8:47	Jeff Sullivan: Just off the end of the bat. Nats get a run but that feels a little bit lucky for Chicago

8:48	Jeff Sullivan: New pitcher

8:48	Jeff Sullivan: jesus

8:48	Jeff Sullivan: Wade Davis in with two outs in the seventh

8:48	Jeff Sullivan: Ride or die, I guess

8:49	PeeWee Herman: I saw that sucker hang and thought for sure that Harper got it

8:49	Jeff Sullivan: Just a split-second ahead of it. Or, just an inch too far away. Baseball, man

8:49	KimByung Slice: How many people are in this chat?

8:49	Jeff Sullivan: 743

8:50	alpha309: who the hell is left in these bullpens?

8:50	Jeff Sullivan: Arrieta/Wilson/Lester/Lackey

8:50	Jeff Sullivan: Doolittle/Perez/Romero/Roark/Strasburg

8:50	Cardi Gee: This is Davis’ game to win or lose at this point, right?

8:50	Jeff Sullivan: That’s gotta be the hope

8:50	Brett: John Lackey may end up trying to close this game if the Cubs keep the lead…

8:51	Bobert: It’s gotten to the point where I’ve changed the channel several times this INNING and watched almost a full show, it won’t end.

8:51	Michelle: You’ll be chatting with us again in about 12 hours, Jeff. Hope you like us.

8:51	Jeff Sullivan: I love each and every one of you

8:51	Jeff Sullivan: Except for this one guy Steve who was swearing at me three hours ago

8:51	Jeff Sullivan: Fuck off, Steve

8:52	John Autin: We nerds are LOVING this. We’re all in with this one.

8:52	Jonathan: Watch this ends up going to extras, decided by position players pitching

8:52	stever20: series games 1-4 20 runs. series game 5- 16 runs and counting.

8:52	ReggieBar: Am the only one in Vanuatu?

8:53	Jeff Sullivan: Oh geez

8:53	Jeff Sullivan: That was an underwhelming inning-ending strikeout. To the eighth! 9-7 Cubs

8:54	Hunky Dory: Eminem once rapped, “my music is soothing, but it’s also been proven that it can make you want to jump out of your car while it’s moving.” Never has there been a more fitting description of this game, I’d argue.

8:54	Sad fan: Do most people just lurk in these chats or all we all sending multiple questions/comments?

8:54	Jeff Sullivan: Majority probably lurk but the queue is still moving very fast

8:54	Show Hey O’Tawny: Strasburg???? No way is he possible

8:55	Jeff Sullivan: I was just listing everyone left on the roster

8:55	Nate: My friend who’s a bartender in Cubs-ville might be the only guy not complaining about the length. He’s making bank tonight.

8:55	Bork: Hello, friends

8:55	Jeff Sullivan: Hello friend

8:56	Dan Quinn: 28-3 wasn’t this grueling

8:56	Yep.: I told my dog Id walk her after the 7th. Justifiably, I am now cleaning up a mess.

8:56	The Old Buccaneer: What will everyone’s emotional state be when this game gets tied?

8:56	Jeff Sullivan: Blissfuriated

8:56	John: Wow, approaching 4 hours before we even get to the 8th. This is absurd.

8:57	Daniel: We get to watch two more innings of this, lucky us

8:57	Will: This game is just comical at the moment

8:57	Cowdisciple: There are bullpens against whoch a two run lead seems insurmountable

8:57	Cowdisciple: These are not those teams.

8:57	Charlie: when they released the roster, I knew it was a mistake to go with 11 pitchers. Martin’s a useful player and all but an extra reliver is more valuable than a 7th (!) outfielder

8:57	Jeff Sullivan: Martin has a strong arm…

8:57	Jeff Sullivan: …

8:58	Raindog: Forget who’s left in the pen; who’s left on the bench when Madson is batter #4 in the 8th?

8:58	Jeff Sullivan: Lind/Kendrick/Goodwin. good bench!

8:58	Mark: I’m at the game. Nats fan. Does not feel like it s dragging.

8:58	PitchClocksPlease: According to the channel guide, “The Postseason Show” is currently showing on TBS. Game has gone on so long, computer now thinks it’s a recap of the entire playoffs.

8:59	GiradiStillShould’veChallenged: I’m in Australia. It’s 3pm and I have done nothing at work due to the longevity of this game and have zero regrets.

8:59	ChatzMcGee: I don’t even know if I’m enjoying this game. Feels more like morbid fascination at best.

8:59	Bud Selig’s Concentrated Malice: There’s an ominous feeling of dread that somehow the dumbest thing to happen in this game has yet to actually happen.

8:59	Buster Douglas: How many comments make you laugh but are too inappropriate to post?

9:00	Jeff Sullivan: Surprisingly few! Y’all are well-behaved. Although my girlfriend has chimed in to suggest this is taking way too long because we were going to watch old GoT

9:00	Jeff Sullivan: Hey, two outs in a row. It can happen

9:00	Josh: I’m sure you get a ton of comments, but i have sent non absurd or offensive comments all game and got nothing through 🙁

9:00	Jeff Sullivan: Now you win!

9:00	Thomas: Jeff, thanks for taking your Thursday night to chat with us. We all appreciate it.

9:00	Jeff Sullivan: You’re welcome! But also it is my job

9:01	JeffSullivan: Hello friend. Welcome to the Friday Chat.

9:01	Nate: Harper’s sac fly dropped the Nationals odds to win from 27.1% to 21%.

9:01	Mr. Woods: So Eddie Buttler in Game 1 for the Cubs?

9:01	Jeff Sullivan: I wonder if by this point as a Nats fan you’re just so exhausted this doesn’t even hurt so much anymore

9:02	Mike: jeff if a position player pitches in this game I will up my EW donation to the $100 a month threshold so we can talk about it on a podcast

9:02	Shoney’s: All those empty seats behind home. Not a good look…

9:02	Jeff Sullivan: Maybe not their fault. The DC metro sucks

9:02	Jeff Sullivan: 1-2-3 inning!

9:02	Jeff Sullivan: Bottom of the eighth!

9:03	Mike: On Nov 2 we’ll all be wishing we had more baseball

9:03	Jeff Sullivan: On November 2 this game will be in the 13th inning

9:03	Mike: mark has time to read this chat while physically at the game and doesnt think its dragging

9:04	Raindog: Adam Lind passed out my knowledge when he left the AL years ago. Does he still have an awful beard?

9:04	Jeff Sullivan: He was in the AL last season

9:05	Jamie: You getting OT for this, Jeff?

9:05	Jeff Sullivan: I think we have a misunderstanding. FG is strictly volunteerism

9:05	Brett: Seems like control is worse during the playoffs? I’d love to see data on if that’s true. If it is, would wonder if it’s nerves, focus (not wanting to throw hittable pitches), hitters daring umps to call strikes, or something else.

9:06	Jeff Sullivan: I know that velocity goes up. Might be a link there between adrenaline and overthrowing

9:06	Ryan: it is now Friday the 13th

9:06	Tommy toms: How did Dave pick you for the chat tonight Jeff? You just draw the short straw?

9:06	Jeff Sullivan: Dave did yesterday

9:06	Ben: What is the point of the catcher sign shot? Are we supposed to understand the signs?

9:06	Jeff Sullivan: This will be on the test

9:07	Hunky Dory: Hi Jeff. I live in Boston and have no car or network of hiking friends. How do I get into hiking?

9:07	Jeff Sullivan: Ask me questions like this tomorrow in my other chat!

9:07	Jeff Sullivan: Leadoff walk!

9:07	Jeff Sullivan: Every extra pitch makes going 2.1 innings for Davis more and more difficult

9:07	Neutral Nick: This game is fine

9:08	Jeff Sullivan: Lind standing on deck

9:08	Motown Oden: D.C. Metro is wonderful. The schedule sucks.

9:08	Jeff Sullivan: Sorry friends, I was wrong

9:08	Jeff Sullivan: 2-and-0 count to Rendon…

9:09	Palpatine: PA at the park just announced the last train will be at 1 AM instead of 12:30, so the crowd should stick around

9:09	Jeff Sullivan: 3-and-0…

9:09	Eddie Murray’s Fro: I impregnated my wife and she had the baby in the time it’s taken to get to the bottom of the 8th

9:10	Cowdisciple: If you are the Dodgers, do you consider pushing Kershaw back a game because the first game matchup will be so favorable anyway?

9:10	Jeff Sullivan: Absolutely not

9:10	Jeff Sullivan: Rendon fouls off probable ball four

9:10	Jeff Sullivan: albeit close

9:11	Jeff Sullivan: Feels like Davis is going to be very taxed from all this

9:11	Jeff Sullivan: Ball four!

9:11	Jeff Sullivan: Wowwww

9:11	Andrew: Fyi marlins man is still in the front row

9:11	Alfrz: Can you link the win probability again?

9:11	Jeff Sullivan: http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2017-10-12&team=Nationals&…

9:12	Jeff Sullivan: 36.5% for the Nationals after that walk

9:12	Skip: Jeff, at the end of this game can you please re-calculate the average length of the playoffs games this year?

9:12	Jeff Sullivan: Seven hours

9:12	nats fan: i’m pretty numb to this by now. it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve lost a game 5 to a defending world series champion 9-7 after getting out to an early lead and having gio gonzalez give up 3 runs and then the bullpen completely blow it.

9:12	Jeff Sullivan: Everybody get your hopes up! It’s Adam Lind!

9:13	Morbo: I’d like catchers to start using their middle finger, exclusively, for signs. Throw the networks for a loop

9:13	Jeff Sullivan: Aaaaaaaaaaaaand a routine double play on the first pitch

9:13	Jeff Sullivan: That’s pretty damn deflating

9:13	Jeff Sullivan: What a massive break, too, for Davis’ arm

9:14	Jeff Sullivan: Nats just lost 23% of win expectancy on the DP

9:15	Bobert: Remember that Gardner 12-pitch single a few years ago? Fun times.

9:16	Jeff Sullivan: Michael A Taylor!

9:16	Jeff Sullivan: Nine! To! Eight!

9:16	druidiful: Jeff’s stream seems to be a bit behind.

9:17	Jeff Sullivan: It most certainly is

9:17	Jeff Sullivan: Although if I were ahead of everyone then some people would complain about spoilers!

9:17	Slurms MacKenzie: Justin Wilson went from being one of the trade deadline’s hottest commodities to losing his control so badly that Maddon feels the need to run Wade Davis into the ground. Rough couple of months.

9:18	LJ: Taylor is godlike this series

9:18	bosoxforlife: Remember when everybody was worried about the Nats CF after Eaton went down.

9:18	Anonymous: Michael “Fuckin'” A. Taylor

9:19	Oddball Herrera: Little known fact, Michael Taylor is in fact not related at all to the exiled president of Liberia

9:19	PF: is the queu therefore spoiling the game for you?

9:19	Jeff Sullivan: I’m just glad so many people are still here

9:19	Mikey: The only way for the Nats to end this curse is with a game winning Jose Lobaton home run

9:19	Guest: Even Taylor is going to need a shave after this marathon

9:19	Pete: If you wrote about what happened in this game I wouldn’t believe you anyway

9:19	Jeff Sullivan: Base! Hit! Lobaton!

9:20	Jeff Sullivan: Davis has thrown 24 pitches

9:20	Josh R: Michael D Taylor hasn’t played in the majors since 2014. When can we just call Michael A. “Michael”?

9:20	druidiful: Are chatters giving you fake game updates knowing you are behind?

9:20	Jeff Sullivan: A few have, yes!

9:20	deananna: Yanks got Chad Green for Justin Wilson

9:21	PF: Is swearing allowed in this chat?

9:21	Jeff Sullivan: It’s after midnight back east. I make the rules and my rules are lax

9:21	Mark: This game makes me REALLY question Wilson’s spot on the roster over Rondon, who looked good his last few outings.

9:21	Jeff Sullivan: Turner tried to turn his leg into that inside pitch

9:21	Jeff Sullivan: Clever (didn’t work)

9:21	HankLloydWright: I watched a whole movie and it feels like I only missed 3 innings

9:21	ReggieBar: Only lunch time here in Vanuatu!

9:22	John Autin: Nats need some softer hits so they can take the extra base!

9:22	Mikey: Heart of the order will hit in the 9th.

9:22	Jeff Sullivan: If Lobaton is out here…

9:23	Jeff Sullivan: Oh geez I hate these calls so much

9:24	Jeff Sullivan: Doesn’t seem clear and convincing from the front angle

9:24	HankLloydWright: chat automatically sensors your forking swearing. Piece of shirt chat.

9:24	generic cubs fan: glad I met my medical deductible already this year.

9:24	Replay Sucks: This is the worst kind of replay

9:24	No effin way: If they call him out I will have seen everything

9:25	kcharles520: that would have been such a terrible mistake if he’s out

9:25	Jeff Sullivan: Out.

9:25	Jeff Sullivan: Wow. Un. Believable

9:25	Jeff Sullivan: What was Lobaton doooooooooingggggggggg

9:25	Dodger Fan: there are few things i hate more than games being decided by feet briefly bouncing off the bag

9:25	Boooo: This is why replay stinks.

9:25	Mikey: Lobaton getting thrown out at first is the Nattiest thing ever

9:25	Anonymous: That would be so ticky-tack. In spirit he was safe.

9:26	Jeff Sullivan: I know the rules, I get why this happens, and I support instant replay, but, man, calls and plays like that are just such a bummer to me

9:26	Cardi Gee: Jeff, do you think these situations should be reviewable?

9:26	Jeff Sullivan: I would prefer there be some sort of rule modification enacted so that calls like that don’t happen

9:26	Karl: Ignoring the stakes, is this a better game than WS game 7 last year?

9:27	Jeff Sullivan: We haven’t had anything like the Rajai Davis home run. That was the most improbable thing I’d ever seen

9:27	Jeff Sullivan: on a baseball field

9:27	Nick R: Shouldn’t be out for popping Off a bag

9:27	Davy: It seems like it’d be easy to fix this whole hand/foot coming off for a nanosecond loophole in the replay rule.

9:27	Show Hey O’Tawny: Just let him be safe who cares life is meaningless

9:27	libre: And of course Ron Darling is excited for it!

9:28	Raindog: please tell me he didn’t vibrate off the base

9:28	Anonymous: If that was the last out in the 9th inning, they call him safe. Humans are awful.

9:28	Jeff Sullivan: Doolittle now pitching, by the way

9:28	ratwheels: Back angle was clear and convincing.

9:29	Jeff Sullivan: Lobaton was out. Those replay reversals are still stupid

9:29	Brian: Fuck this. I love baseball but fuck that rule.

9:29	Jeff Sullivan: 888 readers in here right now. dang

9:29	Jeff Sullivan: Hey another Heyward out

9:30	Show Hey O’Tawny: This game’s got literally everything dumb and great about baseball

9:30	Bobert: My GF and I are laughing about how we met at a baseball game…and how this one would kill any sort of romantic air.

9:30	I hate the cubs: to be fair to lobaton he beat the throw

9:30	Jeff Sullivan: Don’t know why he’d think to wander in the first place. Cubs love the back pick

9:30	Jeff Sullivan: And he’s Jose Lobaton

9:31	Raindog: is there any sensate being who doesn’t loathe “did he momentarily bounce off the bag?”

9:31	Hmmm: So feet off bag = ok, but bat hitting catchers on backswing = can’t review it

9:31	Jeff Sullivan: Two strikeouts in a row. Doolittle is good

9:32	Jeff Sullivan: Javier Baez is pretty good but I can’t imagine he will ever be great

9:32	Jeff Sullivan: His approach is just so bad

9:33	Raindog: at a molecular level, he’s never really touching the bag. call them all out!

9:33	Jeff Sullivan: Time for the bottom of the ninth!

9:33	Jeff Sullivan: Turner-Werth-Harper

9:34	Jeff Sullivan: How do you feel about replay reviews challenging runners coming barely off the base? Challenge them all! (25.7% \| 112 votes) Hate it! (74.2% \| 323 votes) Total Votes: 435

9:35	ratwheels: What time was the actual first pitch? We could break the record of 4:45…

9:35	Jeff Sullivan: 8:08pm ET

9:35	Pie: What’s the most improbable thing you’ve seen off of a baseball field?

9:35	Jeff Sullivan: space

9:36	Guy: Is this game remembered as A) a good baseball game B) an excruciating baseball game or C) an exhibit in questionable umpiring

9:36	Jeff Sullivan: It will be remembered fondly for being memorable. Not memorably good or bad

9:36	Jeff Sullivan: This inning could get really spicy if Turner reaches to lead off

9:37	Zonk: 4:28 now, this game broke the NL record already….

9:37	Jeff Sullivan: Contreras poorly catches another borderline pitch…

9:38	Jeff Sullivan: Apologies to those of you who are active in the queue because right now the queue is insane!

9:38	HankLloydWright: Is Davis the only pitcher the Cubs have left?

9:38	Jeff Sullivan: Wilson and Lackey

9:38	Jeff Sullivan: Fly out. One down.

9:39	druidiful: Why is Werth hitting second in this lineup?

9:39	Jeff Sullivan: For this moment right now!

9:39	Matt: Davis high for pitches on the year is 34

9:39	Nate: How does this break records? The Nationals played an 18-inning NLDS game a few years back…

9:39	Jeff Sullivan: For a would-be 9-inning game

9:40	Ryan: This has felt like an elongated root canal (a Cubs fan)

9:40	Canyonero Driver: Can catchers get better at pitch framing? How frequently does it happen?

9:40	Jeff Sullivan: They can!

9:41	Raindog: get on base for Harper! get on base for Harper! It’s the only appropriate finish!

9:41	batting order: good thing Rendon is up right n……oh wait

9:41	Jeff Sullivan: Werth chases. Two down

9:41	B: The heart attack foul ball is one of the underrated great baseball moments imo

9:41	Shirtless George Brett: Wade Davis is a cyborg who cares not for pitch counts.

9:42	Bump in the morning: Can we save this chat? Like a FG chat HOF?

9:42	Jeff Sullivan: Transcript will be posted when it’s finished!

9:42	Jeff Sullivan: Who doesn’t love reading a transcript!

9:42	nats fan: this has felt like an elongated car crash (a nats fan)

9:42	Jesse: This has felt like an elongated root canal (a Nats fan)

9:43	Dingo: I’m only here because Grant Brisbee’s internet went out.

9:43	HankLloydWright: At the beginning of this series I was cheering for the Cubs, but some how I switched part way through. The joys of not having your team make the playoffs!

9:43	Canyonero Driver: Does Davis’s arm fall off before the Harper at bat ends?

9:43	nats fan: this is quite possibly the most nats nats game i have ever seen

9:43	Jeff Sullivan: Plenty of competition!

9:43	Paco Picopiedra: Would be funny if maddon intentionally walked Harper here lol

9:43	deananna: Harper is going to give us a Rajai Davis moment

9:44	Jeff Sullivan: Just missed his pitch right there, perhaps

9:44	Dan: Why is Davis displaying his guts and guile on the field. Should be a rule against that.

9:44	Bobert: This has felt like an elongated roller coaster. I love roller coasters. (Dodgers fan)

9:44	caesar_solid: this has felt like an elongated baseball game (baseball fan)

9:44	Lem: I just want to be a part of FG transcript history

9:44	James: This has been a long game (a Yankees fan)

9:44	IsIt2015Yet?: Clearly, this has been a boring, root canal post-season.

9:44	Colin: Bryce has to hit a homer so they can finally lose in the 23rd. It’s the nats way

9:44	Show Hey O’Tawny: I’m a jays fan and I’m shitting a brick

9:45	Anonymous: Hello, reader who is reading a transcript! You know who wins this game!

9:45	Jeff Sullivan: What fun for the reader!

9:45	Jeff Sullivan: How are they taking so long to just throw pitches

9:45	nats fan: dc sports is so uniquely good at getting your hopes up and then crushing them, but a ticky tack replay of a pickoff of jose lobaton is just too much

9:45	888th sensate being: I took a nap! (Nap fan)

9:46	Jeff Sullivan: Strikeout!

9:46	Jeff Sullivan: It’s finally finally over!

9:46	Ace: IT ENDS!

9:46	I hate the cubs: unbelievable

9:46	John Autin: Goodnight, friends.

9:46	Show Hey O’Tawny: Ball. Fucking. Game.

9:46	Dr. Dave: Not with a bang, but a whimper

9:46	paullu: 15 min to get your train, Nats fans!

9:46	Lunar verLander: Thank you, Jeff. This was…an experience

9:46	Jeff Sullivan: Thank you, sincerely, all of you

9:46	Jeff Sullivan: That was a marathon, but that was certainly a game to remember

9:46	Jeff Sullivan: Awful, horrible, empty feeling for the Nationals. Again. And we prepare for Cubs and Dodgers on Saturday

9:46	David: 8 of the last 9 Nats postsesaon losses have been by one run

9:47	Jeff Sullivan: Time of game: 4:37

9:47	Jeff Sullivan: Two hundred and seventy-seven minutes

9:47	Nate: I could’ve ran 0 marathons during this span

9:47	Jeff Sullivan: Goodnight everybody. I’ll be chatting again early tomorrow!

BAL	CHW	LAA
BOS	CLE	OAK
NYY	DET	SEA
TBR	KCR	TEX
TOR	MIN	HOU

ATL	CHC*	ARI
MIA	CIN	COL
WSN	MIL	LAD
NYM*	PIT	SDP*
PHI	STL	SFG