Frankly, I think that both the strategies apparently being employed in this series (“hit lots of home runs, preferably solo shots” vs. “try to keep it tied until the other team screws up”) are unsustainable in the long term…but one of them may be just good enough to propel its proponents into the World Series.
Where they may well be facing a team rolling through an 11-game postseason winning streak (spanning 3 decades!).
Fun Fact from today’s game:
This is the sixth time in MLB history that a postseason game ended when a player reached base on an error. Each of the previous five teams to win such a game went on to win the World Series.
Man, the Cards playing the Giants in the post-season makes me feel like how every other NL team’s fans must feel playing the Cardinals. How do they keep winning in such ridiculous ways, with obviously burnt out pitchers, with rather sketchy relievers?
Walk, failed sac-bunt-turned-hit, sac-bunt-turned-error.
And yeah, absolutely no reason for Choate to be in that game after walking the one batter he was sent in to get out.
I don’t know Choate’s history, but apparently he’s a lefty specialist. The Giants had 3 left-handers lined up in the inning (Crawford, Blanco, and Panik on-deck); the only righty was Perez, who was at the plate for one reason and one reason only–to lay down a sacrifice bunt. It seems a bit harsh to blame Choate for Perez’ incompetence…
In the end, it might not really matter, since it looks like the Royals will never lose another game of baseball, ever again.
You’re right, and it isn’t really a problem with that specific instance other than the fact that it’s easy to get too caught up in the LH/RH thing without considering the quality of the other matchups. I’d like to think that Carlos Martinez can get Gregor Blanco out (and Perez, of course). Choate is a LOOGY - and he didn’t get the “one out” part of that, so I pull him. If Choate got the lead-off guy then I’d let him face Perez (a hit isn’t the end of the world with the bases empty) and then let him deal with the lefties coming up. Once the lead-off batter gets on it becomes a significant situation and I think a manager should use their best pitcher available. And Martinez is just a better pitcher (as is Rosenthal - but I get that almost no managers use their “closer” in an extra inning game unless they have the lead).
Also I think, knowing the bunt is coming, the fielding ability of the pitcher should also be a factor. Martinez is a significantly better athlete than Choate.
It doesn’t help that the justification for not going to Martinez (according to a Post-Dispatch writer this morning) included that he had to be saved to back up Rosenthal. So now not only are you not using your one of your best reliever because it’s not a “save situation” but you’re also not using one of your other best relievers because he has to back up your closer? Madness.
And don’t even get me started on using Daniel Descalso to pinch hit instead of Oscar Taveras. 
It was noted in the paper this morning that the last team to sweep through to the World Series was the 2007 Rockies, who proceeded to be beaten like a rented mule in what is often referred to as the worst World Series ever played.
That said, the 2007 Rockies were clearly inferior to the Red Sox. The 2014 Royals probably really are the best team of the Final Four. The team’s only real weakness this year was a lack of power, and as I mentioned on Page 1, to some extent that’s flukey; they had a lot of guys hit very few homers this year who would normally hit many homers, and so it’s to be expected those guys (e.g. Eric Hosmer) may overperform their regular season power numbers. This is a team that made the playoffs despite almost all their power hitters having terrible regular seasons for no obvious reason. The team you should be scared of is the team that has key players who have underperformed, because that team might actually be even better than they’ve played.
The other factor in KC’s advantage remains the bullpen, which is ridiculous. Having 2-3 elite relievers is a much bigger advantage in the playoffs than the regular season, because they can pitch twice as much now. To say KC’s top three are on a roll is something of an understatement.
Would everyone please stop talking about the Royals, please? I’ve been a nervous wreck for 2 straight weeks, and I’m afraid that if I blink, I’m going to wake up with Ken Harvey getting run over by the tarp and Trey Hillman setting the lineup card again.
Yes. And very depressing, if you’re an Orioles fan.
I wouldn’t back a team to come back from a 3-0 deficit under any circumstances, but right now i firmly believe that if the Orioles had a 10-0 lead in the ninth inning, the earth would open and swallow them up rather than allow the Royals to lose a game.
Oh, I’d bank on the Orioles to HOLD a lead.
But against that trio you don’t have much of a chance of *coming back *from a lead.
This is actually a trivia question you can ask; of Herrera, Davis and Holland, which one gave up a home run this year?
Greg Holland gave up 3 homers. Davis and Herrera gave up no homers at all.
I do feel pretty confident that if the Cards somehow manage to stumble through this series, that the Royals will more or less have their way with them.
Then again, I thought the Sox stood no chance against the Cards in 2004, so what do I know?
Why would you think that? Blind homerism? The Cardinals were the best team in MLB in 2004 prior to the World Series, but the Red Sox were 2nd, maybe 3rd at worst. I would never think the 3rd best team stood “no chance” in a game as fluky as baseball.
Geez Louise, the Royals. Two runs on an error by the catcher on what should’ve been a straightforward out at the plate.
The way the Red Sox almost got swept by the Yankees in the ALCS? The Curse of the Bambino? The Cardinals’ MV3? An unjustified gut feeling?
Given that I’m a Red Sox fan first and foremost, no, it wouldn’t be blind homerism.
The Cardinals were just an extremely well put together team that had really impressed me during the regular season and playoffs. The Red Sox at the time seemed to be flying through on pure adrenalin.
And Red Sox fans are innately pessimistic.
Woo! For the Royals.
Congrats to Baltimore for a good season.
Don Denkinger is dusting off his mask.
But seriously, congrats to the Royals. Hopefully this will be an I-70 series.
And there it is! Holy CRAP! KC wins 8 post-season games in a row!!
I’m gonna have to learn the players’ names this weekend! 
Congrats to the KC fans. That is one hell of a way to win a pennant.
Wooooooo!!!
Congrats to the Royals.
A good season for the Orioles, but a pretty disappointing way to go out.
Yeah Royals!! One half of an I-70 Series rematch is set. Now let’s go Cards!