Michael Wacha is not Justin Verlander. He isn’t Max Scherzer either. He is Michael Wacha and is a 22 year-old winning championship series MVPs and shutting down teams in the World Series.
The NL has a ton of young pitchers and for a while Wacha was not on that list. Steven Strasburg, Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez, and Gerrit Cole are the flashy names. Wacha is now on the list as the only one still pitching and the only one who is 4-0 with an ERA of 1.00 through in this year’s postseason.
In Game 1 of the World Series the Red Sox roughed up the Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright as they won 8-1. Coming into Game 2 the Red Sox knew they were in a Detroit type battle in the sense that hits would be hard to come by and runs even harder to produce.
Against the three aces of Detroit, Sanchez, Verlander, and Scherzer, the Red Sox took the strategy of trying to get them out of the game as soon as possible by jacking up their pitch count. That strategy worked.
In Game 1 Anibal Sanchez threw a no hitter for six innings, but with a pitch count at 116, he was taken out after the 6th. Detroit won, but not after having to use up their bullpen. In Game 2 Scherzer had given up only two hits on one run as he nursed a 5-1 lead. Through seven, his pitch count was at 108 and the Detroit had to once again go to the bullpen, where the Red Sox came back and won the game.
Boston’s ability to get the starters out of the game made a 2-0 Detroit lead a 1-1 split. Last night, it was the Red Sox who were well on their way to taking a 2-0 lead to the Midwest.
However this Cardinals team has a bullpen. They also can run the bases. In the bottom of the 6th on Wacha’s 103rd pitch, David Ortiz took a change-up opposite field to make the score 2-1 and subsequently ending his night.
Mission accomplished for Boston. They got Wacha out of the game after six innings and they had the lead. Yet this is when the bottom of the order struck.
John Lackey walked 2011 World Series Hero David Freese. Center-fielder Jon Jay singled. A high pitch to Daniel Descalso, moved the runners over. A walk to Descalso.
Now bases loaded, one out, with the tying run on third the Cardinals did what… the Cardinals do. A sac fly from lead off hitter and MVP candidate Matt Carpenter led to a run.
Then the heads up play by Jon Jay to see the errant throw from Jonny Gomes get past the catcher as he tagged up to get to third. Reliever Craig Breslow, backing up the catcher, then processed to overthrow the third baseman and BOOM. Cardinals now lead the 3-2. Another run later and the series is now 1-1 going to St. Louis.
22-year-old right handed rookie Carlos Martinez threw two brilliant innings to set-up fireball throwing Trevor Rosenthal who had a 2.63 ERA in 71 appearance in 2013. He is only 23 years old too.
Wacha was great, but that was expected. The hero’s were two relief pitchers and a center-fielder who didn’t even start last night. They were the hero’s because they were the guys who Detroit did not have.
They had heads-up base running and lights out relief pitchers in order to beat the Red Sox. They didn’t have Miguel Cabera or Justin Verlander, they had Carlos Martinez and Jon Jay and that was enough.
