Live Chats

Cards Game Day with Jeff Gordon

Before, during and after Game 2 of the NLDS between the Cardinals and Nationals, bring your questions and opinions to a live chat with columnist Jeff Gordon.

by Mike Smithon Oct 7, 2012 at 10:31 PM

We are strong Cardinals fans, but the game was handed to us on a silver platter and

by Larry Richardson 10/8/2012 6:59:14 PM
Game handed on silver platter refused by the Cards!

by Larry Richardson 10/8/2012 6:59:48 PM
That will rank among the all-time most frustrating Cardinal postseason games ever. It is not like got shut down by Randy Johnson. That was a mess.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:00:35 PM
CARDINALS LINEUP:

Jon Jay (CF)
Carlos Beltran (RF)
Matt Holliday (LF)
Allen Craig (1B)
Yadier Molina (C)
David Freese (3B)
Daniel Descalso (2B)
Pete Kozma (SS)
Jaime Garcia (LHP)

NATIONALS LINEUP:

Jayson Werth (RF)
Bryce Harper (CF)
Ryan Zimmerman (3B)
Adam LaRoche (1B)
Michael Morse (LF)
Ian Desmond (SS)
Danny Espinosa (2B)
Kurt Suzuki (C)
Jordan Zimmermann (RHP)

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:02:05 PM
RT @Cardinals: "We know how to play this game. Let's show up today ready to play without reinventing the wheel." – Mike Matheny #12in12

by Jeff Gordon via twitter 10/8/2012 7:08:04 PM
RT @Cardinals: "This is what we live for. You grind it out for 6 months and you couldn't ask for anything more." – @dfreese23 on the #po ...

by Jeff Gordon via twitter 10/8/2012 7:12:13 PM
RT @Cardinals: "If you feel that you have to drastically overhaul things, that causes room for panic. That's not where we are." – Mike M ...

by Jeff Gordon via twitter 10/8/2012 7:13:22 PM
by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:16:00 PM
Matheny leaves open possibility of starting Lohse on regular rest in Game 3 should Nats win today. Developing.

by Joe Strauss via twitter 10/8/2012 7:16:01 PM
Any more insight on Matheny deviating from the formula that has worked well since Mujica arrived? I could even understand (I guess) the Zep move if it was a lefty that Johnson wasn't going to move, but getting beat by our sixth or seventh best reliever makes no sense. He lost all faith in Zep and barely pitched in September, yet he is in the most crucial part of the game?

by Ryan J. 10/8/2012 7:16:31 PM
. @barrysvrluga chats with Ryan Zimmerman about playoff intensity, and his throwing. wapo.st

by AdamKilgoreBG via twitter 10/8/2012 7:17:01 PM
Matheny has called out Jason Motte plenty in the eighth inning, but he didn't have a palatable double switch to make that move with him. My argument: Get the out, protect the lead and then worry about what happens offensively in the bottom of the frame.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:18:34 PM
@JoeStrauss Carp will be f^#@ing pissed.

by Carps_Rib via twitter 10/8/2012 7:18:46 PM
@JoeStrauss wonder how Carpenter feels about that.

by CoCoWilliams35 via twitter 10/8/2012 7:18:49 PM
@JoeStrauss Any word on the posibility of hits with runners in scoring positon? Is that #developing?

by JohnMarecek via twitter 10/8/2012 7:26:26 PM
RT @MLB: "What we've done has been good enough to give us the best record in baseball. No need to change that now." – Adam LaRoche on th ...

by Jeff Gordon via twitter 10/8/2012 7:28:09 PM
RT @DavidMWilhelm: Matheny on 3 outs on 2 pitches in Game 1: "You don't have Craig or Molina do anything different than they've done all ...

by Jeff Gordon via twitter 10/8/2012 7:28:38 PM
#Cardinals mgr Mike Matheny doesn't want rookie shortstop Kozma to be "distracted" by attention (full quote) sulia.com

by Derrick Goold via twitter 10/8/2012 7:28:51 PM
So when did Matheny lose confidence in Boggs to get a lefty out? If he wasn't going to bring Motte in because he didn't want to pull Holliday(which he has done on multiple occasions) then why pull Boggs. If Matheny wants us to believe he has confidence in Zep in the playoffs then why was he buried in September high leverage games. Sorry for the rant I feel better!

by Ryan J. 10/8/2012 7:34:32 PM
Your sentiments are widely shared.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:34:47 PM
Does swinging on the first pitch bother you? When you have bases loaded all the pressure is on the pitcher. Can't we see a pitch first?

by KC 10/8/2012 7:34:55 PM
As I always say, automatically taking one pitch is a bad plan -- unless the pitcher is really, really wild. Pitchers counter that "always take" plan by throwing a fat strike that the hitter takes. Most pitchers can make that pitch if the hitter is committed to taking. Up in the count 0-1, the pitcher then forces the batter to chase after his best stuff.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:36:48 PM
@JoeStrauss How would that help anything? Must win 3 games. Lohse can only pitch one.

by azta110790 via twitter 10/8/2012 7:38:36 PM
are Rosenthal and Kelly on the roster, if so were they warming up? I thought they were pretty good this year, why not lift rzip and put one of them in, if he was thinking that far ahead? Just wondering cuz i did not hear anyone mention these 2 pitchers.

by john 10/8/2012 7:41:07 PM
Both rookies are on the roster. Neither was an eighth inning option, in Matheny's mind.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:41:35 PM
Jeff: Why all the concern over a double switch? Couldn't he have just taken Boggs out and replaced him with Motte?

by CuriousGeorge 10/8/2012 7:41:43 PM
To do that and avoid having Motte hit, Matheny would have had to remove one of his top hitters and he didn't want to do that. Me. I worry about protecting the lead before I worry about taking out a hitter.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:44:20 PM
MM's decisions yesterday certainly were perplexing, not been a real fan of his this year- though he certainly seemed to improve. Bottom line, if the guys hit (any of them) then the cards win that game- pitcher was not sharp at all, MM didn't lose the game, the players did. Do you agree? Go Cards!

by atlcardfan 10/8/2012 7:44:32 PM
Sure, the Cardinals win that game easily with some timely hitting. They got timely in Atlanta and advanced through the play-in game. If they resume hitting today -- and keep hitting -- then they can play for a while longer.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:45:33 PM
the biggest mistake on this roster is leaving Freeman off in my opinion

by karen 10/8/2012 7:45:37 PM
I'm told the Nats-Cards game at Nats Park on Wednesday will start at 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on MLB Network.

by AdamKilgoreBG via twitter 10/8/2012 7:45:42 PM
Keeping Freeman wouldn't have changed the eighth-inning dynamic.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:46:58 PM
What you saw yesterday was a microcasm of this season when the Cardinals play good teams. They find ways to lose. I wrote them off before they played Atlanta, so that shows you what I know. I still am uncomfortable with a clean up hitter than swings continuously at pitches down and out of the strike zone (Holliday). Good pitchers take advantage of that as we have seen time and again. Whatever happened with plate discipline? If the pitch is coming in low, why swing at it? I mean, these players are supposed to be the best of the best.

by CuriousGeorge 10/8/2012 7:47:02 PM
If the Cardinals always find ways to lose against good teams they wouldn't be in the playoffs. And folks were happy with No. 3 hitter that came up large in the play-in game, allowing the Cardinals to advance to the bracket.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:48:34 PM
Jeff, I have a feeling nats are gonna take control of series, they flat out stole game 1 due to cards ineptitude, it's a must win game today, not feeling it, how bout you

by Butch 10/8/2012 7:48:46 PM
Garcia should be tough on the Nationals. As I said yesterday at this time, if the Cards hit, they win. They have hit this starter well, so they have a chance.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:49:32 PM
Why would mlb announce 1pm start time for Wednesday, 2 series could be over tomorrow

by Butch 10/8/2012 7:49:50 PM
In any other sport, winning three games out of four is a pretty good challenge. The Nats only had to win one in the Lou and they may well win two. The question of the year is which Jaime Garcia is going to show up today? This guy just scares the heck out of me. He is definitely not mentally tough and MM better have him on a short lease unless the Birds put up a lot of runs.

by CuriousGeorge 10/8/2012 7:50:12 PM
Garcia has been pretty good at Busch Stadium. In fact, he has been nails. So starting him in Game 2 was easy.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 7:50:47 PM
RT @dcsportsbog: Ian Desmond: "The sun is the sun." Indeed.

by Jeff Gordon via twitter 10/8/2012 7:51:58 PM
NLDS Game 3 will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Nats Park. We'll have info on how to watch it if you don't have MLB Network. wapo.st

by AdamKilgoreBG via twitter 10/8/2012 7:57:21 PM
After the nats took the lead yesterday, Busch 3 was a morgue, I was told to sit down twice in the bottom of eighth when we had the tying run at second, BFIB my butt

by Doris 10/8/2012 8:00:21 PM
Lot of casual fans at the playoff games.

by Jeff Gordon 10/8/2012 8:00:37 PM
@AdamKilgoreWP Makes no sense.Why put Nats in the first slot? Could be a tied series. St. Louis is a tremendous baseball town too. Strange.

by jerseybigcat via twitter 10/8/2012 8:00:45 PM
Jeff: I was listening to two talking heads on the radio, neither of which I respect: Jay Randolph and Tim McCarver. Concerning the shadows, McCarver was saying that MLB had no other options with the start time. What? Does he think all fans are stupid? It is all about reaching the greatest audience, thereby maximizing the dollar, plain and simple. They could care less about the quality of the game. They ignore that the game drags on slowly with players stepping out and calling time. They need to make a rule that once a hitter is in the box and the pitcher begins his motion, no time out!

by CuriousGeorge 10/8/2012 8:01:18 PM