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The biggest of stagesI don't know myself. I'm sure Wash will be asked that tonight, post-game.
I'd like to take a guess. In summary:
"Dutchie, we need you. Throw strikes."
My what a year makes. Tonight, in the World Series:
8.2 IP - 2 hits - 0 runs - 2 BBs - 7 Ks.
A year ago, in the World Series:
1 IP - 0 hits - 3 runs - 4 BBs - 1 Ks.
Technically, he's pitched more than a full game and allowed two hits.
Yeah, that's not the point I guess. Walking home three runs (I still don't understand what Wash was watching last year) was clearly the coup de grace of meltdowns. There was always that thought that Dutch would be remembered for that.
No longer. Holland sexually abused the strike zone, picked his spots, threw several pitches for strikes, went inside to all the righties and wowed a national audience and sent the Ballpark into a mad hysteria of disbelief.
When Holland's on, I think he's the best starter in the rotation. When he's off, there may be no one worse. Tonight he was clearly on. It showed early. Throwing strikes and jamming the right-handed hitters. They never really stood a chance against that 95-mph fastball coming at your hands.
I think Wash built this rotation perfectly for the series to get the maximum amount of success. Getting Colby Lewis twice on the road, keeping Holland and Harrison at home.
Never once did I really feel Wash gave up or lost confidence in Holland. I think he sees the potential as much as we all see the potential. Holland can be a great starter. I just think he needs to grow up a little.
If he was a boy in 2010, he's a young man now. He has the mustache to prove it.
****
Another tip of the cap to Wash, who tends to rile fans up either way from game to game with his roster, line-up, bullpen moves or in-game decisions.
He went with Mitch Moreland tonight at first base. Clearly, he's better defensively, you had a lefty bat to the line-up and you wanted Mike Napoli catching Holland as he has for most of the season.
The subtle move, something I didn't hear the TV guys mention, was slotting David Murphy in the seven hole, Napoli eight and then Moreland in the nine hole.
The natural inclination would be to have Napoli in the seven hold, but that would have both lefties going back to back. Kinda plays into Tony LaRussa's bullpen shenanigans allowing him to bring in a lefty late in the game, if needed.
Instead, Wash split his lefties with a bit of Nap-Nap-Weiner. In the sixth, Edwin Jackson walked Nelson Cruz and David Murphy with one out. I don't know LaRussa's thoughts here. It was Jackson's seventh walk (Murphy) and he was clearly on his last legs. LaRussa's pulled better pitchers for less.
Maybe he didn't want to burn a lefty (Arthur Rhodes?) on Murphy. I don't know. Maybe Wash's line-up move didn't have the biggest of impacts. I refuse to believe that it didn't have any impact, that it didn't make LaRussa make hard decisions.
****
I thought the 6-8 hitters for the Rangers were the key. Yes, it includes Napoli's gigantic, The Sandlot-like homer off Mitchell Boggs. It also included six total walks. It included tough, tough at-bats where the pitcher had to continously make that pitch over and over.
It didn't always result in hits or three-run homers. But it made LaRussa and Jackson think that once they got past the No. 5 hitter it wasn't over. You still had Nelson Cruz, The Baptist Bomber and Napster. It's a line-up that doesn't quit.
It's a three-game series. Best of two.
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