The 2021 World Series: Braves vs. Astros

SemperFidelisSox

Member
SoSH Member
May 25, 2008
31,084
Boston, MA
Minter probably won’t be available tomorow and Matzek threw 1.1 Fried needs to give them length tomorrow. Snitker now has to manage the bullpen without a clear Game 4 or 5 starter.
 

BravesField

New Member
Oct 27, 2021
252
Hope it's not too soon to discuss games 3-5...When Houston goes to Atlanta, there's no DH. You have to think that Alvarez has to be in the lineup since he is hitting a ton. The only place he's played is LF. Can't take Brantley or Tucker out of the lineup, so McCormick sits. None of these 3 guys are Center Fielders, Brantley hasn't played there since 2015 and Tucker has 5 career games playing CF. I guess Brantley goes to right and Tucker to center. Regardless, someone is out of position, and that may be a factor when the series shifts to Atlanta.
 
Interesting note from Joe Sheehan's newsletter today:
Ron Kulpa will have the plate tonight. Hoo, boy. Among the 90 umpires with at least ten games behind the plate this year per Ump Scorecards, Kulpa was 88th in ball-and-strike accuracy. He posted the worst game of anyone in this group all year, missing 15% of the calls he made. Just four umpires this year have a greater effect on the run scoring in a game than Kulpa does. Over the course of his career, Kulpa is one of the most pitcher-friendly umpires in baseball, boosting strikeouts and holding down run scoring more than all but a few of his peers.
On the one hand, yuck. On the other hand, the Braves desperately need Fried to go 6 or 7 innings tonight...and this can't hurt.