Oh yeah. I’m losing count on days. Cole can pitch with regular rest. I think you have to go with Cole. After the Bucs are in the NLCS (Gene Hackman look: and they will be in the NLCS) we’ll give Burnett another chance.
I hope you are right and Hurdle starts Cole. Cole has been the Pirates best pitcher down the stretch, and that includes Liriano.
If it is Cole and Wainwright, it will be another fantastic pitcher’s duel. If it’s Burnett, us Pirate fans will be praying each inning that Burnett doesn’t implode, and he gets through 5 innings, we’ll be hoping he gets pulled from the game and Hurdle goes to the bullpen.
I would hate to see the Pirates season end because of Burnett. I have no confidence in him, but every once in a while, he tosses a great game. I hope Hurdle doesn’t bet the season on that idea. But Hurdle has made some strange moves this year, and I will be surprised if he goes with Cole over Burnett.
(Please let me be surprised!)
I forgot to ask.
Was it just me, or did it look like the Pirates pinch runner, on his attempted steal in the eighth, have the base stolen easily, then saw him slide 10 feet before the bag and slow his slide?
It was a strange looking slide. Almost like he hit the ground and lost half his speed. I was amazed he actually made it to the bag.
I know at least one other person thought so. The announcer, who i think was Dick Stockton, said the exact same thing.
So far so good for Kershaw.
Oh, and Brian McCann continues to reinforce my feelings about him.
Cole has been announced as the Game 5 starter against Wainright. And yes, Harrison started his slide far too early. There’s already a YouTube video up making fun of it.
I just came in here to post the news about Cole.
Way to go, Hurdle. It always validates my eyes when the manager makes the right decision on a player move. Lets hope Cole was inspired today by Wacha and has a no-hitter through 7.
This just in: The Dodgers have eliminated the Braves in the NLDS (Final score 4-3). Atlanta’s post-season has ended.
New chant for Braves: “D’OH-OHOHOOOOOOOH! WEEEEEEE REALLY SUUUUUUUCK!!” 
Sorry, but if the Braves were playing the Taliban, I would don a turban, say shitty things about women and shout, “ALALALALALALALAHH,” at the top of my lungs.
Dodgers did it well, they have the bats, lets see what happens next round.
Either way, I’m all Red Sox, and how I feel about the TB Rays, see above about the Taliban.
I wasn’t speculating when I posted after the game ended that it would be Cole. Hurdle announced it in the post-game press conference. Sorry for the confusion. 
Assuming their season-to-date workload isn’t an issue, pitchers are fine on 3 days rest. Teams could go to a 4 man rotation easily, especially those with dominant bullpens like the Dodgers. 4-man rotations rely heavily on getting the ball to the bullpen early and often - which is actually a net decrease on the number of pitches thrown by a starter over the course of a season.
That was a hell of a game the Cards and Pirates played yesterday. Wacha has been on fire. Now, if only Carpenter could remember how to hit the ball. He was as solid as can be until mid-Sept. Not really the best time for a slump.
Jas09, I’m pretty sure Miller pitched a couple of innings in game 2.
You’re right, he pitched one inning. I wasn’t able to watch or follow much of that game at all, what with it being during a work day. At least the Dodgers had the decency to win so the Cards/Pirates series gets one prime-time game.
Maybe teams now will reconsider the asinine “unwritten rule” (but I repeat myself) that a closer can only pitch the ninth inning.
Keep in mind that every earlier inning the closer throws is one less potential extra inning where he’s useful.
I think if you hold players back in order to have them in extra innings, your priorities are somewhat skewed. Honestly, I can’t tell if you’re joking.
I think the point was that you use your best short-term pitcher in the most difficult situation, rather than exclusively in the 9th inning. If Kimbrel shuts down the Dodgers in the 8th, he may not have been needed in the 9th, which potentially would have been the weakest part of the Dodgers’ lineup.
If an ace reliever can prevent a run in an earlier inning, you won’t have to go to extras, because you’ll be winning. Or, you will get to, and have a chance, where you otherwise would have just lost.
I’m pretty sure he was joking.
The idea of saving your closer for extra innings… in a game where you already have the lead in the 8th… can’t be serious.
I don’t think it was a joke. Or at least it perfectly reflects a view people really have–that the ninth-inning-plus “save situation” is the ideal time to use your ace reliever, and that bringing him any other time is risky.
The Pirates used their “closer” yesterday when they were one run behind in the ninth, did they not? That’s a high-leverage situation–higher than being two or three runs up. As it happened the Pirates didn’t score in their half and still lost, but it was a smart move.
I actually had two acquaintances on Facebook argue with me that the Blue Jays shouldn’t bring their closer in to the ninth inning of a tie game at home, because he should be saved for a save situation.
I pointed out that this would literally mean you could never use your closer in a home game if the game’s tied after eight, because there will never be a save situation.
They didn’t get it.