What must the Nomads do to knock off Rochester in the NLDS? The easy answer: everything we did during the regular season. With an 8-2 record against RRR, including a somewhat season-turning 4-game sweep on the road, we won games in pretty much every way imaginable, as John mentioned in his post. But we'll need to focus on a few key areas:
1. Start Raking: I never would've believed that we would able to advance to the next round in 4 games with only two batters hitting above .250. While my pitching has improved over the season, it's still erratic, so my offense has to carry a good amount of the weight. Getting the Decker/Becker combo on track is essential. RRR is too talented to beat with just 3-4 runs per game. Corey Franco once again quietly had another all-around effective season, and he needs to get on base in front of those bashers. Wes Robertson has been a disappointment in his sophomore year, but I have a sneaking suspicion he'll come up big in this series.
2. Work the Count: Rochester's staff doesn't walk many batters, being 4th in the world in fewest walks given up while also 3rd in the world in opponents' OBP. Couple RRR's control with my team's free-swinging attitude, and it could be trouble for me. It's imperative that my boys remain selective and try to wear down the Rochester pitchers. I'm not a believer in their bullpen; getting to them early could give me an advantage.
3. The Tapies/Jamison Match-up: Both these guys were major midseason acquisitions for their respective staffs. Interesting backstory for those who might not be aware: Rochester beat out my offer for Tapies, after what seemed like months of negotiations, and also beat out my offer for Tim Christiansen, a move that seems to not have worked out so well for RRR, as he pitched to the tune of a 5.01 ERA in a Rochester uni, resulting in his being a bullpen arm now. Both of these trades are what pushed me to acquire Bernard Jamison, whose 3.48 ERA as a Nomad was a big piece of my playoff push. Winning Game 1 is always important, but a dominant effort by either of these aces will set the stage for one team to rise quickly.
Best of luck to Rochester.
1. Start Raking: I never would've believed that we would able to advance to the next round in 4 games with only two batters hitting above .250. While my pitching has improved over the season, it's still erratic, so my offense has to carry a good amount of the weight. Getting the Decker/Becker combo on track is essential. RRR is too talented to beat with just 3-4 runs per game. Corey Franco once again quietly had another all-around effective season, and he needs to get on base in front of those bashers. Wes Robertson has been a disappointment in his sophomore year, but I have a sneaking suspicion he'll come up big in this series.
2. Work the Count: Rochester's staff doesn't walk many batters, being 4th in the world in fewest walks given up while also 3rd in the world in opponents' OBP. Couple RRR's control with my team's free-swinging attitude, and it could be trouble for me. It's imperative that my boys remain selective and try to wear down the Rochester pitchers. I'm not a believer in their bullpen; getting to them early could give me an advantage.
3. The Tapies/Jamison Match-up: Both these guys were major midseason acquisitions for their respective staffs. Interesting backstory for those who might not be aware: Rochester beat out my offer for Tapies, after what seemed like months of negotiations, and also beat out my offer for Tim Christiansen, a move that seems to not have worked out so well for RRR, as he pitched to the tune of a 5.01 ERA in a Rochester uni, resulting in his being a bullpen arm now. Both of these trades are what pushed me to acquire Bernard Jamison, whose 3.48 ERA as a Nomad was a big piece of my playoff push. Winning Game 1 is always important, but a dominant effort by either of these aces will set the stage for one team to rise quickly.
Best of luck to Rochester.
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