At this point, they are all melted. Openers, closers, everyone. With so many pitching changes by the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves, it is sometimes impossible to identify who is on the mound.
“Everybody in the World Series right now is exhausted, everybody,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said on a Monday off. “Both teams, all players. It has been a very long year ”.
Luckily, you can assign Max Fried.
With five full days to rest, the 24-year-old left-hander will open Game 6 on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park as Atlanta tries to win its first championship since 1995. The Braves lost the opportunity Sunday, blowing a four-run lead at home. and they suffered a 9-5 loss that cut their lead to 3-2.
Luis García will start for Houston. It will be seen how long it can last.
It will be a huge challenge for the AL Rookie of the Year candidate. The Venezuelan will open with just three days off.
“We believe that he is the best qualified for this job. We know he has little margin, but everyone has little margin and they are playing with little or no rest, ”acknowledged Astros manager Dusty Baker.
Not a surprise considering both teams have used at least five pitchers in every game.
Houston relievers Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek have each worked four times. His teammates Kendall Graveman, Brooks Raley and Yimi Garcia have been called three times each.
Braves relievers Tyler Matzek, Luke Jackson, AJ Minter and Will Smith have three appearances.
They are challenging the fatigue and familiarity that opposing hitters are gaining with their repertoires. But it is what it is when it comes to taking advantage of each inning. Many play a role in what is likened to a game of chess.
“It is a joint organizational work, since we have several individuals in the statistics department working on it. And he’s probably bigger in terms of pitchers, in terms of bullpen, in every head-to-head meeting, ”Baker said.
“We have tables with data and other things – sheets and other things and that we have to decipher and use at our discretion,” he added.
Garcia pitched into the fourth inning Friday in Game 3, beaten 2-0 by Atlanta. He allowed one run and three hits. He needed 72 pitches to get to that point, with four walks and six strikeouts.
The 24-year-old right-hander scored the victory that sentenced the American League Championship Series, allowing just one hit to Boston in 5 2/3 innings of the sixth game. He’s not worried about pitching with little rest.
In addition to condensing his workload, he says that “nothing has changed.”
“I just want to do my thing,” he said. AP (HN)