By Charlie Shipp
It has been one of the most interesting World Series, to say the least, and just when you think one team is about to throw in the towel, someone throws a haymaker to put them right back into the fight.
The series returns to Houston Tuesday and it is almost poetic that Justin Verlander is getting the rock to finish off the Nats. Not the postseason Verlander has hoped for, but he is still Justin Verlander ladies and gentleman. Having some shaky starts and then dialing it in, I believe he is going to get back to the dominant force he tends to be in a big game. Still do not understand why people are comparing him to Clayton Kershaw in the postseason because didn’t we all witnessed him in the 2017 Playoffs and World Series. The guy was untouchable in other words. It’s not easy to please the people when you have almost an identical flamethrower in the rotation known as Gerrit Cole. Plus, the bats have come alive for the Astros and the juice in the bats are back.
Bregman having some issues at the plate, is back to crushing the ball and being the ball player we all love. Jose Altuve is gonna do Altuve things and put the bat on the ball. Not to speculate, but the ball is always going to go far when he hits it. The one person who is back and you love to see is Yordan Alvarez. The guy showed up in Game 5 by going 3-3. One thing I can ask you is this. Is there going to be pulp or no pulp at the Juice Box Tuesday? The Washington Nationals have given everything they have had this series and have been a team collaborative effort. Everyone in the clubhouse has contributed to their success in this series.
On Tuesday, we have the almighty Stephen Strasburg taking the bump and has already shown he can shut down the Astros offense. The only thing I believe is going to hurt the Nats is Max Scherzer having some neck spasm issues and Kurt Suzuki being out. Juan Soto is not only great because every announcer preaches the fact that he is twenty-one years old and playing in the Major Leagues, but hit a towering home run off Cole in Game 5. In the 1-3 spot of the lineup for the Nats, it was a rough night at the plate for them. No hits and combining for three strikeouts for the meat part of the lineup.
We all know that the Washington Nationals are scrappy and are going to leave nothing in the tank on Tuesday. Also, can we get a set of new umpires behind the plate for this game 6. We can all agree there have been some close calls behind the plate that have set the nationals back. I am not one to bash umpire because they are doing this for the love of the game. In other words, they need to be better and more consistent. Get a guy behind there with some good plate vision and not afraid to give someone the hat trick or golden sombrero.
In conclusion, this is baseball and anything can happen. This series has shown that nothing makes sense when it comes to sport. The better team does not always win. It is a matter who can execute and who is hot. This is why baseball is so romantic.
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