BillyBob1
- Champaign
Is Mikolas game 1 starter? Or is that your opinion? Makes sense. Don’t think you want a rookie Hudson starting the first game on the road.
2019 St. Louis Cardinals
Is Mikolas game 1 starter? Or is that your opinion? Makes sense. Don’t think you want a rookie Hudson starting the first game on the road.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
I really don't trust Mikolas right now, I would almost prefer, dare I say it, Wacha. See if he can relive his post season magic of days gone by. Mikolas has not been good on the road.
BillyBob1
- Champaign
Is Wacha healthy? Haven’t heard any updates sense he came out of his last start. Didn’t Mikolas have a good start last time out vs Cubs in Chicago?
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
No idea if he is healthy, missed that game. Yes, Mikolas was good against the Cubs. I would still rather have him for game 4 (if necessary).
BillyBob1
- Champaign
He came out early after a visit from the trainer.
dgcrow
- Kelso, WA
This from the Cardinals' website:
Starter Michael Wacha has a right shoulder strain and will not throw until the middle of next week. That likely makes him unavailable for an NLDS, although he said he is hopeful to pitch again this season. If he makes the postseason roster, he will likely be in the bullpen.
It's literally what Derrick Goold tweeted out last night.
With Flaherty in game 2 and Waino at home in game 3...I like our chances in those 2 games. If Mikolas can get us a win in game 1 I think we'll sweep them.
IlliniFan85
- Colorado Springs, CO
If that is his walkoff homer against the Cubs in 2003 then I was at that game. It was pretty cool.
I think so but I am not sure. It was something I pulled off the internet. (obviously) The website didn't provide any context. It was a countdown to the start of the 2015 season.
Flaherty will be the only pitcher to pitch twice in the NLDS, so the rest of the rotation really doesn't matter that much. Game 2 & 5 will be on normal rest for him. Mikolas, as far as true talent goes, is definitely the 2nd best starting pitcher so just let him throw game 1. Hudson and Wainwright should be starting at home whenever possible, ATL is a launching pad and Busch suppresses flyballs, which is especially important for Wainwright.
I'm excited. Good chunk of rest this week hopefully helps the bullpen, which has been the strength of the team the entire 2nd half of the year. The Braves are very good, but I'd take the Cardinals pitching over theirs, and anything can happen in a short series!
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
Since ATL is a launching pad, wouldn't an extreme ground ball pitcher in Hudson be a better choice? Or, the experience of Mikolas?
Mikolas is just a better pitcher, period. But as far as ground ball rate, that just means if Hudson is giving up a flyball than something went wrong and it's probably a homerun. Might as well have him pitch in the pitcher friendly park rather than the non-pitcher friendly one.
But ILLwinsagain was right up there, SunTrust isn't as offensively heavy as i thought it was. 2018 it was more of a hitters park but it settled down in 2019, I know most parks are pretty consistent (besides Wrigley that plays completely different depending on the wind), so it's probably more of a middle of the road park.
I was kind of curious to see how team payroll looked for the playoff teams. The Yankees of course have one of the highest and Tampa has the lowest.
I used both USA Today and Spotrac. The two are slightly different. For comparison's sake I listed all top 10 teams. 5 of the teams with the largest payrolls are in the playoffs and 5 teams outside the top ten made it as well. On a 25 man roster there probably isn't much difference between a payroll of $125 and $150 million. Injuries probably play a larger part in determining playoff teams.
TEAM PAYROLLS (USA TODAY)
I used both USA Today and Spotrac. The two are slightly different. For comparison's sake I listed all top 10 teams. 5 of the teams with the largest payrolls are in the playoffs and 5 teams outside the top ten made it as well. On a 25 man roster there probably isn't much difference between a payroll of $125 and $150 million. Injuries probably play a larger part in determining playoff teams.
TEAM PAYROLLS (USA TODAY)
| RANK | TEAM | SALARY |
| 1 | Cubs | $211,546,714 |
| 2 | Yankees | $205,442,088 |
| 3 | Nationals | $204,449,127 |
| 4 | Red Sox | $204,335,019 |
| 5 | Giants | $199,729,652 |
| 6 | Angels | $177,328,583 |
| 7 | Dodgers | $170,903,333 |
| 8 | Astros | $165,653,000 |
| 9 | Cardinals | $165,253,599 |
| 10 | Mariners | $152,807,076 |
| 15 | Brewers | $127,850,342 |
| 17 | Braves | $117,855,753 |
| 18 | Twins | $114,901,933 |
| 23 | Athletics | $102,545,000 |
| 30 | Rays | $53,500,799 |
| RANK | TEAM (SPOTRAC) | 2019 TOTAL PAYROLL |
| 1 | Boston Red Sox | $229,121,106 |
| 2 | Chicago Cubs | $218,090,085 |
| 3 | New York Yankees | $218,019,037 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Dodgers | $200,600,814 |
| 5 | San Francisco Giants | $173,069,310 |
| 6 | St. Louis Cardinals | $172,152,164 |
| 7 | Houston Astros | $168,304,925 |
| 8 | Washington Nationals | $167,714,782 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Angels | $160,270,385 |
| 10 | New York Mets | $158,816,800 |
| 14 | Atlanta Braves | $137,947,963 |
| 16 | Milwaukee Brewers | $128,614,019 |
| 18 | Minnesota Twins | $124,756,003 |
| 25 | Oakland Athletics | $92,894,531 |
| 30 | Tampa Bay Rays | $63,146,706 |
I’d still throw Mo under the bus
Game times for Game 1 and 2 are set. Game 1 will begin at 4:02 PM CT and Game 2 will begin at 3:37 PM CT with both games and the entire NL postseason airing on TBS. Game 1 may potentially be moved back 1 hour if the Brewers defeat the Nationals tomorrow night.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
Curious, why they may bump back if Brewers win. I would assume that the Brewers would be packing for LA too. Both Brewers and Gnats would be leaving from the same place.
I think it has to do with TV. If the Nats win they want to start the primetime game at 8:30 ET. If the Brewers win they will start at 8:30 CT.
The roster:
PITCHERS (12): John Brebbia-RHP, Genésis Cabrera-LHP, Jack Flaherty-RHP, Giovanny Gallegos-RHP, Dakota Hudson– RHP, Ryan Helsley-RHP, Carlos Martínez- RHP, Miles Mikolas-RHP, Andrew Miller-LHP, Daniel Ponce de Leon-RHP, Adam Wainwright– RHP; Tyler Webb– LHP
CATCHERS (2): Yadier Molina, Matt Wieters
INFIELDERS (6): Matt Carpenter, Paul DeJong, Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, Yairo Muñoz, Kolten Wong
OUTFIELDERS (5): Randy Arozarena, Harrison Bader, Dexter Fowler, José Martínez, Marcell Ozuna
FOXMW
Any comments? Even though he strikes out, a lot, I like the power O'Neill brings. He has some speed too.
Gant out? I know he has struggled some but his season has been a lot better than Cabrera. He has been there to pick up 11 wins.
PITCHERS (12): John Brebbia-RHP, Genésis Cabrera-LHP, Jack Flaherty-RHP, Giovanny Gallegos-RHP, Dakota Hudson– RHP, Ryan Helsley-RHP, Carlos Martínez- RHP, Miles Mikolas-RHP, Andrew Miller-LHP, Daniel Ponce de Leon-RHP, Adam Wainwright– RHP; Tyler Webb– LHP
CATCHERS (2): Yadier Molina, Matt Wieters
INFIELDERS (6): Matt Carpenter, Paul DeJong, Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, Yairo Muñoz, Kolten Wong
OUTFIELDERS (5): Randy Arozarena, Harrison Bader, Dexter Fowler, José Martínez, Marcell Ozuna
FOXMW
Any comments? Even though he strikes out, a lot, I like the power O'Neill brings. He has some speed too.
Gant out? I know he has struggled some but his season has been a lot better than Cabrera. He has been there to pick up 11 wins.
Biggest surprise to me is Gant