Let's look forward to the Cardinals Methocalypse

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I blame Yeti.

To be fair, there's nothing to really blame him for yet.

*taps nose twice, knocks on wood*

I suppose there could always be another Don Denkinger in their future.

[flannj]

I blame Yeti.

To be fair, there's nothing to really blame him for yet.

*taps broken blood vesseled nose twice, knocks on wood half eaten raw potato*

I suppose there could always be another Don Denkinger in their future.

Fellow Mick'd

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Got a glimpse at a hard copy of today's Trib a bit ago as I went out to get some lunch.

Page 1 of the sports section is dominated by a photo of a screaming CC Sabathia. Coverage of Nats-Cards Game 5 is limited to a tiny box that says "St. Louis wins 3-2". (More coverage online!)

Do they have to put the paper to bed before the start of the WGN evening news or something?

[Eli]

And maybe the goddamn Nationals shouldn't have shut down Strasburg.

I'd be so pissed if I were a Nats fan. Even if they were totally beholden to keeping Strasburg on an innings limit, it wouldn't have been that tough to work around it and leave him with 20-30 innings to pitch in the playoffs. It seemed pretty clear they were headed to the playoffs by July, so skipping a few starts or limiting some of his other outings was doable.

Basically, they took a clear and obvious loss in order to avoid a potential loss. As young and talented as the team is, there's no guarantee of when they'll make the playoffs again. And there's no guarantee that Strasburg's elbow doesn't explode anyway in his first start next year, despite shutting him down this year.

In short, I hate this.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

And maybe the goddamn Nationals shouldn't have shut down Strasburg.

I'd be so pissed if I were a Nats fan. Even if they were totally beholden to keeping Strasburg on an innings limit, it wouldn't have been that tough to work around it and leave him with 20-30 innings to pitch in the playoffs. It seemed pretty clear they were headed to the playoffs by July, so skipping a few starts or limiting some of his other outings was doable.

Basically, they took a clear and obvious loss in order to avoid a potential loss. As young and talented as the team is, there's no guarantee of when they'll make the playoffs again. And there's no guarantee that Strasburg's elbow doesn't explode anyway in his first start next year, despite shutting him down this year.

In short, I hate this.

Or they could have just started his season in June, rather than April.

[Slaky]

And maybe the goddamn Nationals shouldn't have shut down Strasburg.

I'd be so pissed if I were a Nats fan. Even if they were totally beholden to keeping Strasburg on an innings limit, it wouldn't have been that tough to work around it and leave him with 20-30 innings to pitch in the playoffs. It seemed pretty clear they were headed to the playoffs by July, so skipping a few starts or limiting some of his other outings was doable.

Basically, they took a clear and obvious loss in order to avoid a potential loss. As young and talented as the team is, there's no guarantee of when they'll make the playoffs again. And there's no guarantee that Strasburg's elbow doesn't explode anyway in his first start next year, despite shutting him down this year.

In short, I hate this.

That's just it. They may never make the playoffs again. In the process one has to wonder if Strasburg has been so annoyed by the whole thing that he looks to leave the organization the second he gets the chance.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

And maybe the goddamn Nationals shouldn't have shut down Strasburg.

I'd be so pissed if I were a Nats fan. Even if they were totally beholden to keeping Strasburg on an innings limit, it wouldn't have been that tough to work around it and leave him with 20-30 innings to pitch in the playoffs. It seemed pretty clear they were headed to the playoffs by July, so skipping a few starts or limiting some of his other outings was doable.

Basically, they took a clear and obvious loss in order to avoid a potential loss. As young and talented as the team is, there's no guarantee of when they'll make the playoffs again. And there's no guarantee that Strasburg's elbow doesn't explode anyway in his first start next year, despite shutting him down this year.

In short, I hate this.

Or they could have just started his season in June, rather than April.

The problem with just skipping some starts here and there, at least as I've heard it, is that the innings limit wasn't just about the number of actual innings pitched in game action, but also about all of the other work that goes along with that. Even if he skipped some starts, he'd still have to continue his side work if his arm was going to be kept in game shape. In other words, I gather that total IP is only really a useful proxy for arm wear and tear and not the actual main concern itself.

Huey's option is more realistic. And, as has been pointed out elsewhere, it's closer to what the Braves did with Medlen, who spent the first half of the season handling light duty in middle relief.

Of course, the Braves themselves finished 4 games behind the Nats and never made past the wild card playoff. So Medlen gets to take some of those saved bullets with him into the off-season.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

And, of course, there's no guarantee that Strasburg would have single-handedly won the series for them.

I mean, they won the game started by Strasburg's rotation replacement, Detwiler, who gave them 6 innings of 3-hit pitching.

Now, I suppose Strasburg would have probably been slotted in as the Division Series Game 1 starter. Assuming the Nats won the division with him pitching fewer than 160 innings in the regular season so they wouldn't feel obliged to start him in the wild card game instead.

And a Game 1 start would have had him in line to also start Game 5 instead of Gio Gonzalez. Assuming they'd allow him to pitch on four days' rest amid the rest of their concerns about his arm, while also no doubt hoping to see him take the mound twice (if necessary) in the Championship Series.

[CT III]

And, of course, there's no guarantee that Strasburg would have single-handedly won the series for them.

I mean, they won the game started by Strasburg's rotation replacement, Detwiler, who gave them 6 innings of 3-hit pitching.

Now, I suppose Strasburg would have probably been slotted in as the Division Series Game 1 starter. Assuming the Nats won the division with him pitching fewer than 160 innings in the regular season so they wouldn't feel obliged to start him in the wild card game instead.

And a Game 1 start would have had him in line to also start Game 5 instead of Gio Gonzalez. Assuming they'd allow him to pitch on four days' rest amid the rest of their concerns about his arm, while also no doubt hoping to see him take the mound twice (if necessary) in the Championship Series.

Hey Tank?  SHUT UP.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

And, of course, there's no guarantee that Strasburg would have single-handedly won the series for them.

I mean, they won the game started by Strasburg's rotation replacement, Detwiler, who gave them 6 innings of 3-hit pitching.

Now, I suppose Strasburg would have probably been slotted in as the Division Series Game 1 starter. Assuming the Nats won the division with him pitching fewer than 160 innings in the regular season so they wouldn't feel obliged to start him in the wild card game instead.

And a Game 1 start would have had him in line to also start Game 5 instead of Gio Gonzalez. Assuming they'd allow him to pitch on four days' rest amid the rest of their concerns about his arm, while also no doubt hoping to see him take the mound twice (if necessary) in the Championship Series.

Hey Tank?  SHUT UP.

*punches CT*

[Armchair_QB]

And maybe the goddamn Nationals shouldn't have shut down Strasburg.

I'd be so pissed if I were a Nats fan. Even if they were totally beholden to keeping Strasburg on an innings limit, it wouldn't have been that tough to work around it and leave him with 20-30 innings to pitch in the playoffs. It seemed pretty clear they were headed to the playoffs by July, so skipping a few starts or limiting some of his other outings was doable.

Basically, they took a clear and obvious loss in order to avoid a potential loss. As young and talented as the team is, there's no guarantee of when they'll make the playoffs again. And there's no guarantee that Strasburg's elbow doesn't explode anyway in his first start next year, despite shutting him down this year.

In short, I hate this.

Nat fans will love it even more if he blows his elbow in spring training.

[Gilgamesh]

And maybe the goddamn Nationals shouldn't have shut down Strasburg.

I'd be so pissed if I were a Nats fan. Even if they were totally beholden to keeping Strasburg on an innings limit, it wouldn't have been that tough to work around it and leave him with 20-30 innings to pitch in the playoffs. It seemed pretty clear they were headed to the playoffs by July, so skipping a few starts or limiting some of his other outings was doable.

Basically, they took a clear and obvious loss in order to avoid a potential loss. As young and talented as the team is, there's no guarantee of when they'll make the playoffs again. And there's no guarantee that Strasburg's elbow doesn't explode anyway in his first start next year, despite shutting him down this year.

In short, I hate this.

Nat fans will love it even more if he blows his elbow in spring training.

They've seen it too many times.

[Brownie]

This is the worst of all possible outcomes for me.  The Giants and that other team playing to go to the World Series.  The good  news is that one of them is going to lose...The bad news (I can't even write it)

1987 was not a good year for you.

What do you like better: Whitey getting so red-assed from a bad joke Marv Albert told that he wouldn't do a pregame interview with NBC more than a year later or Joe Morgan stating with certainty that Bob Brenly was going to shut down the Cardinals' with his throwing arm?

[Eli]

And, of course, there's no guarantee that Strasburg would have single-handedly won the series for them.

I don't think there are many reasonable people who are saying he would have guaranteed a win.

To me, pitchers are always injury risks. It's the nature of baseball. Strasburg was at risk of an injury last season coming back from TJS, he was an injury risk during the 160ish innings he threw this season and he'll be an injury risk during the next 2,000 (hopefully) innings he throws. To me, ever-so-slightly decreasing that risk by removing 30 innings somewhere in the middle of all that wasn't worth the obvious blow to their chances of winning a World Series this year.

Just making up a number, what are the chances Strasburg gets injured in the next five years? For the sake of my pointless exercise, let's say 10%. What did they knock that down to by punting this year? 9.9%? 9.5%?

I'll add that the second-guessing AFTER the Nats lost to the Cardinals is lame, just because it's simplistic hindsight. But there were many smart people who didn't like the decision when it was made, and I think their points have always been valid.

[Shooter]

And maybe the goddamn Nationals shouldn't have shut down Strasburg.

I'd be so pissed if I were a Nats fan. Even if they were totally beholden to keeping Strasburg on an innings limit, it wouldn't have been that tough to work around it and leave him with 20-30 innings to pitch in the playoffs. It seemed pretty clear they were headed to the playoffs by July, so skipping a few starts or limiting some of his other outings was doable.

Basically, they took a clear and obvious loss in order to avoid a potential loss. As young and talented as the team is, there's no guarantee of when they'll make the playoffs again. And there's no guarantee that Strasburg's elbow doesn't explode anyway in his first start next year, despite shutting him down this year.

In short, I hate this.

That's just it. They may never make the playoffs again. In the process one has to wonder if Strasburg has been so annoyed by the whole thing that he looks to leave the organization the second he gets the chance.

From what I've heard, Scott Boras was heavily involved in setting the limit, etc.