WORLD SERIES GAME 1 POST-MORTEM
Dodgers 3, Astros 1
With an amorphous blob of a strike zone, a pitcher like Kershaw dealing, and Justin Turner reaching up and sending a chest-high Keuchel pitch just over the left field fence, you kind of just throw up your hands and move on because it clearly wasn’t in the cards tonight. I bet Springer would like one or two of his ABs back, though.
Really, outside of just one pitch – his first of the game – Keuchel pitched a great game and got a lot of help from his defense, who turned three double plays. He just got burned on the aforementioned high pitch to Turner while Kershaw and Friends outdueled him. If there’s a positive sign, though, it’s that Peacock and Devenski both turned in scoreless outings, with Devenski in particular looking on point.
WORLD SERIES GAME 2 – LA leads 1-0
Wednesday, October 25, 7:09pm CDT – Dodger Stadium
Justin Verlander (4-0, 1.46) vs. Rich Hill (0-0, 3.00)
I’ve run out of things to say about Verlander, so instead I’ll just get right to his record against the Dodgers. Verlander actually faced the Dodgers this season in his third-to-last start with Detroit. It went well: he scattered two hits (one of which was a solo homer, the only run) and a walk over eight innings while fanning nine. He has never pitched at Dodger Stadium.
Hill had the closest thing to a healthy season as a starter in a decade, starting 25 games for the first time since 2007. After a shaky start to the year that had his ERA above 5 by mid-June, he worked it down to 3.32 by the end of the season, aided by sub-2 ERAs in July and September. In this postseason Hill has divided his nine innings between two Game 2s: four innings of two-run ball in the NLDS and five innings of one-run ball in the NLCS.
Hill has ten career appearances against the Astros, although most of them either came in relief or were way back in the Astros’ National League days. He did start against Houston twice in 2016 as a member of the A’s, though, and took home a 1-1 record and 2.25 ERA against the club in two six-inning quality starts.
Select pitcher/batter matchups:
Utley vs. Verlander: 6 AB, .333/.333/.500
Gutierrez vs. Verlander: 38 AB, .263/.300/.474
Forsythe vs. Verlander: 9 AB, .222/.222/.222
Maybin vs. Hill: 5 AB, .400/.500/.400
Beltran vs. Hill: 11 AB, .273/.273/.545
Altuve vs. Hill: 5 AB, .200/.333/.800
Springer vs. Hill: 5 AB, .200/.333/.600
McCann vs. Hill: 9 AB, .111/.200/.111