Nationals use 4 starters, 2 relievers to beat Astros in World Series

World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg

Five times during the 2019 playoffs, the Washington Nationals faced elimination. In those five games, the Nationals trailed in all of them. However, they never lost.

Washington finished off an improbable run to a World Series championship Wednesday night, rallying to beat the Houston Astros, 6-2, in Game 7.

The Nationals trailed, 2-0, after six innings, but they came back with three runs in the seventh inning, one in the eighth and two in the ninth to stun the crowd in Houston and win the series, four games to three.

Most people will remember this series because the road team won all seven games -- that's never happened before in any sport. But hopefully, history will look back on this series as the one that brought good starting pitching back into fashion.

The Nationals won this series with basically six pitchers: World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Anibal Sanchez, Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson. The first four men on that list are starters; the last two are relievers.

Washington pitched 36 innings in this series, and 32.2 of them were handled by the six men listed above.

Strasburg earned his MVP with a brilliant, clutch performance in Game 6. He went 8.1 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in a 7-2 Washington victory.

On the morning of Game 7, it was unclear who would pitch for the Nationals. But Scherzer answered the bell, three days after being scratched from his Game 5 start and taking a cortisone shot for back and neck muscle spasms.

Scherzer was far from his best, allowing 11 base runners (seven hits, four walks) over five innings, but only two of them scored. The Astros were ahead, 2-0, but they could have been ahead 6-0. Instead, they left 10 men on base and went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. It was a gutsy outing by the Washington pitcher.

Worth noting: Houston also got brilliant starting pitching in Game 7. Zack Greinke allowed no runs on one hit through six innings, before he ran into mild trouble in the seventh inning.

Anthony Rendon homered with one out to make it 2-1, and Juan Soto followed with a walk. Greinke had only thrown 80 pitches, but you know, the analytics say you shouldn't let a starting pitcher face a lineup the third time through.

So even though Greinke had good stuff, Houston manager A.J. Hinch went to the bullpen. And then Hinch spent the rest of the game desperately trying to find a reliever who had stuff as good as Greinke's was.

Howie Kendrick greeted Will Harris with a two-run homer that put the Nationals ahead to stay at 3-2.

Soto's RBI single in the eighth made it 4-2 and added a run to Houston closer Roberto Osuna's tab. Then Washington scored two more in the ninth off Joe Smith and Jose Urquidy, with Adam Eaton delivering a two-run single to make it 6-2.

The Astros used five relievers, and the game got out of hand on their watch. So much for the era of "super relievers," huh? Maybe it is better to stick with an accomplished starter over a bunch of decent but not great relievers, no?

Meanwhile, the Nationals relieved Scherzer with another starting pitcher, Corbin, who worked three scoreless innings and earned the win in this clinching game. Hudson came on in his familiar relief role and worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts, no doubt setting off a wild celebration in the nation's capital.

Our congratulations go out to the Nationals and their fans. This was a surprising championship, but a well-earned one. Washington beat both the 106-win Dodgers and the 107-win Astros on its path to the title. You have to respect that performance. 

Here are the pitching matchups for the first three games of the World Series

Max Scherzer

The 2019 World Series will be a delight for fans of starting pitching. The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals both go three-deep with brand-name starters, and those six pitchers will be on display in the first three games of the Fall Classic.

All games start at 7 p.m. Central. Here are the matchups (Astros' starter listed first, since they have home-field advantage):

Tuesday at Houston: Gerrit Cole vs. Max Scherzer
Wednesday at Houston: Justin Verlander vs. Stephen Strasburg
Friday at Washington: Zack Greinke vs. Patrick Corbin

I was wondering whether the Nationals would go with Scherzer or Strasburg in Game 1. Scherzer is their ace, so he seems like the obvious choice, but Strasburg has been terrific in the playoffs throughout his career. In seven lifetime postseason appearances, he's 4-2 with a 1.10 ERA, with 57 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched.

Of course, Scherzer hasn't exactly been struggling. He won his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, and then took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. Scherzer has allowed just one earned run on five hits over 15 innings in his past two starts. He has struck out 21 and walked only five over that same span.

Can he beat Cole? We'll see. Cole has been ridiculously good in three postseason starts so far this October. He's 3-0, and he's allowed one run in 22.2 innings pitched, with 32 strikeouts and eight walks.

Right now, it feels as though the Astros are invincible when Cole pitches. But if anyone can outduel him, perhaps Scherzer's the guy.

Tune in Tuesday night.

Yankees, Astros dominating American League playoffs

Justin Verlander

Who is Randy Dobnak anyway?

The Minnesota Twins play the White Sox 19 times a season, so I'd like to think I'm familiar with the Minnesota roster. But I was left scratching my head when I saw that Dobnak was starting Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Saturday against the New York Yankees.

I didn't recall Dobnak pitching for Minnesota at all this season against the Sox -- or against anyone. Turns out, he did appear in relief in a game against Chicago on Aug. 29. I must have missed that one.

Dobnak entered Saturday's game with nine career MLB appearances, and predictable results ensued against the Yankees. He allowed four earned runs on six hits with two walks and no strikeouts over two-plus innings, and New York rolled to an 8-2 victory.

The Yankees now possess a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, and they are continuing their decades-long mastery of the Twins. Minnesota's postseason losing streak now stands at 15 games -- a MLB record -- and 12 of those losses have come against the Yankees.

Obviously, the Twins don't have the pitching to get the job done in this series, despite their 101 wins in the regular season. Minnesota's starting rotation is in tatters. Jose Berrios lost Game 1. Manager Rocco Baldelli for some reason opted to save 15-game winner Jake Odorizzi for Game 3. Other than that, there are no good options for the Twins.

Michael Pineda is suspended because of performance-enhancing drug use. Kyle Gibson has been dealing with illness, and apparently doesn't have the stamina to pitch more than a couple of innings at a time. And Martin Perez has regressed into the below-average starter he's been for most of his career.

It's hard to see the Twins winning their next two games at home and forcing a Game 5 against the mighty Yankees. Heck, it's hard to see Minnesota winning Game 3 at this point.

Meanwhile, the Houston Astros are the other side of the coin with starting pitching. They have a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series with the Tampa Bay Rays. Honestly, it's easy to have sympathy for the Tampa Bay hitters, who have had to face the best two pitchers in baseball the first two games of that series.

Here's how Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole have fared:

Verlander in Game 1: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 Ks, 3 BBs
Cole in Game 2: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 15 Ks, 1 BB

Game 1 was a 6-2 win for Houston; Game 2 was a 3-1 win for the Astros.

Zack Greinke gets the ball in Game 3 for Houston, and while he's a slight downgrade from Verlander and Cole, he's still going to be tough on Tampa Bay hitters. Greinke is 18-5 with a 2.93 ERA this season. How's that for a No. 3 starter? Good luck, Rays.

For months, it's looked as though the 107-win Astros and 103-win Yankees were on a collision course to meet in the American League Championship Series. At this point, it would be a shock if that matchup does not take place.

And, a word to the wise for the White Sox and their brass: Neither the Astros nor the Yankees are going away in the American League. They are setting the bar, and the bar is much higher than mediocre 87-75 seasons.

Even if the Sox improve by 15 games next season to get to 87 wins, it's hard to see them matching up with the league powers. They need about a 30-game improvement. It's going to take more than just one good offseason, I dare say.

Three games against the Houston Astros in about 24 hours ... hmmm ...

It's a rainy Monday night in Chicago. The game between the White Sox and the Houston Astros has been postponed, and it is the correct decision.

The rain is falling outside my window in Wheeling as I type, and the forecast for the rest of the evening is abysmal -- especially south of here, where Guaranteed Rate Field is located.

The game will be made up at 3:40 p.m. Tuesday as part of a straight doubleheader. Game 2 will start 30 to 40 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1, but not before 7:10 p.m.

Monday's pitching matchup -- Dylan Cease vs. Zack Greinke -- carries over to the opener of the doubleheader. Game 2 will feature Ivan Nova vs. Gerrit Cole.

There's nothing that can be done about this poor weather, but it's a bad break for the Sox (52-64), who will have to play three games against the league-best Astros (77-41) in about a 24-hour span. Remember, the conclusion of this three-game series is a 1:10 p.m. start Wednesday.

The Sox pitching staff would be challenged no matter the configuration of this series, but having to cover 27 innings in a condensed time period against a powerful Houston offense is a lot to ask.

This series could be a painful one for the Sox and their fans. I realize that I might have said that, too, before the Sox played at Houston in June. Despite my negativity, the Sox managed to split that four-game set. But remember, George Springer and Jose Altuve were on the injured list at that time, and the Astros had not yet called up Yordan Alvarez, who has quickly moved to the front of the line in the race for American League Rookie of the Year.

This is an explosive Houston team. The Sox will be facing the odds-on favorite to win the 2019 World Series in these three games, in my humble opinion.

Game 4 of the NLDS shapes up as a defining moment for Clayton Kershaw

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is widely considered the best pitcher in baseball. We'll make no argument to the contrary.

Kershaw's performance over the past four seasons has been without peer. This year, he finished 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA. He claimed his fourth consecutive National League ERA title, and that 1.77 mark was nearly half a run better than his closest competitor. He is a lock to win his third NL Cy Young award in the last four years.

Kershaw had a 1.83 ERA during the 2013 campaign, so that means he is just the second pitcher in the live-ball era to post an ERA of 1.85 or less in consecutive seasons. Hall of Famer Greg Maddux is the other.

Yes, Kershaw is the best in the game right now.

But you know what has eluded him to this point in his career? Postseason success. I've heard some people compare Kershaw to another former Dodgers' lefty, Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax. Some say Kershaw may go down as the best pitcher to play in the live-ball era once he's all done. Who am I to say he can't do that? But if he is going to be considered better than Koufax, he better figure out a way to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the playoffs.

The Cardinals will take a 2-1 series lead over the Dodgers into Tuesday's Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Kershaw is taking the ball on three days' rest. The season is on the line for the favored Dodgers.

Normally, a team feels pretty good about sending its ace out there in a must-win game, but Kershaw's postseason numbers are inexplicably terrible.

In 10 postseason games (7 starts), he's 1-4 with a 5.20 ERA. He has lost each of his last three playoff starts, all against the Cardinals. In two of those outings, he got bombed.

Kershaw went to the mound in a similar situation in Game 6 of last year's NLCS. The Cardinals were up 3-2 in the series, at home and looking to clinch. St. Louis roughed up Kershaw to the tune of seven earned runs on 10 hits over four innings. The Cardinals won, 9-0, and advanced to the World Series.

In Game 1 of this NLDS, Kershaw was staked to a 6-1 lead. He coughed up the whole thing, allowing eight earned runs on eight hits over 6.2 innings pitched. The Cardinals rallied to win, 10-9.

In Kershaw's last two playoff starts, he's allowed 15 earned runs on 18 hits over 10.2 innings pitched. Those aren't numbers you would associate with someone whose name is being mentioned alongside some of the all-time greats.

Most experts picked the Dodgers to win this series, because they figured the combination of Kershaw and teammate Zack Greinke would be too much for the Cardinals to handle. Greinke did his part in Game 2, a 3-2 Dodgers victory, and he's poised to pitch Game 5 back in Los Angeles if Kershaw can lead the Dodgers to a win in Game 4.

This game is a defining moment for Kershaw. His postseason failures are a black mark on an otherwise brilliant resume. As of this writing, we're just three hours from the first pitch of Game 4. I'll be interested to see how Kershaw responds in this pressure-packed start.

Big contract for any pitcher is risky business

The contract Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is going to receive is already giving some people upset stomachs. The size of it might end up being more eye-popping than the $50-60 million contracts teams gave to Yu Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Keep in mind that was before the posting fee was capped at $20 million. The Red Sox and Rangers each coughed up posting fees in excess of $50 million, making the total investment for each pitcher more than $100 million.

It was a big deal when Kevin Brown
became the first $100 million pitcher
in baseball when he signed with the Dodgers.

That big of an investment rarely works out well if you're expecting the player to pitch well over the life of the whole contract. Here are the biggest contracts ever given to pitchers:

Felix Hernandez, Mariners, $175,000,000 (2013-19)
CC Sabathia, Yankees, $161,000,000 (2009-15)
Zack Greinke, Dodgers, $147,000,000 (2013-18)
Cole Hamels, Phillies, $144,000,000 (2013-18)
Johan Santana, Mets, $137,500,000 (2008-13)
Matt Cain, Giants, $127,500,000 (2012-17)
Barry Zito, Giants, $126,000,000 (2007-13)
CC Sabathia, Yankees, $122,000,000 (2012-16)
Mike Hampton, Rockies, $121,000,000 (2001-08)
Cliff Lee, Phillies, $120,000,000 (2011-15)
Yu Darvish, Rangers, $111.700,000 (2012-2017)*
Kevin Brown, Dodgers, $105,000,000 (1999-2005)
Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox, $102,111,111 (2007-2012)*
Adam Wainwright, Cardinals, $97,500,000 (2014-18)
Carlos Zambrano, Cubs, $91,500,000 (2008-12)
-Source: Cot's Baseball Contracts
*posting fee included with salary

Obviously most of these contracts are newer as teams have been flush with cash and the pay for elite pitchers has gone up. Though maybe it's interesting is that five of the top six contracts ever given out to pitchers weren't signed by free agents, but were extensions for guys with a year or two left before hitting the market.

Of the contracts that have been completed, all of them looked like a disaster at some point. Hampton's looked like one almost as soon as the ink dried in the thin Colorado air. Zito's was almost as bad save for the fact he still soaked up a lot of innings for the Giants over the course of his seven-year deal.

Over the course of Zambrano's extension, he suffered a decrease in either his performance or ability to take the mound each and every year of his new contract. Matsuzaka and Santana each had a few good years at the front ends of their deals before ineffectiveness and/or injuries did them in.

The best contract of all of them in my opinion was Brown's. Baseball's first $100 million arm was good for more than 1,000 innings with a 3.23 ERA over seven years. Brown, who I think has an underrated Hall of Fame case, missed some time with injuries, but still pitched a lot of mostly good innings for his money, only completely losing it the final year when he was 40.

The jury is still out on the other contracts. Cain, Verlander, Hamels and Sabathia each just endured their worst season in years. Greinke was very good, but missed time after breaking a bone in a scuffle with Carlos Quentin. With Hernandez, Lee, Darvish and Wainwright, things are looking so-far-so-good, though only Lee's contract is even close to completion.

The results here seem pretty apparent. If you don't have to spend almost $100 million or more on a pitcher, then don't. The risk is still one that teams are willing to make, especially teams that are close to contention. Should they be?

Possibly. In a way, this is already how teams view the cost of dabbling in free agency. They're willing to get a good value on the front end of a contract in exchange for dead money at the end.

Looking at each of these contracts, none of them really stopped the team paying the checks from doing anything else. Zito didn't keep the Giants from winning two World Series titles. Lee and Hamels aren't the problem with the Phillies' payroll. Even Mike Hampton's contract was eventually carved up and served in digestible bites that teams other than the Rockies helped swallow.

Unless Tanaka pulls a Hampton-Zito, the team that wins the bidding for his services will be getting a good pitcher for at least a few years. So any team with the money might as well bid away.