Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

[JHeyBraves]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Following.

This is nothing short of awesome. Looking forward to seeing how the playoffs play out.

[TheNumber35]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Well, it all comes down to this game for the Astros. Not really, but this is as good a chance as any for the Astros to clinch the series and move on to face whoever stands in our way. Take a look at the bracket for this postseason up to this point


2-2 in the AL in both series and Cinci leads 2-1. Looks like the Reds will be in the NLCS with us if we can take care of business here behind our guy in Paul Clemens.


Here we go! Game time, and after a scoreless first inning from Zach Duke, Paul Clemens took the hill to face.


And here's Pauly!


Alright, we did work in this game from the get-go. JD hit a homer to make it 2-0


Then the unthinkable happened! Jose Altuve hit another homer in this series, making it 4-0 after 2 innings.


And we would only tack on from there with a constant barrage of RBIs, eventually the lead would swell up to 10-4 after Clemens departed after 6 innings. Blaine Boyer would surrender a 2R HR in the 7th to Mike Morse making it 10-6 headed into the 8th


And there the score would remain headed into the bottom of the 9th, and we weren't taking any chances. Kevin Jepsen came on into the game to hold this 4 run lead against the middle of the Nats lineup. Jepsen got the first two guys quickly and then walked Morse intentionally. He then faced Harper, got the count to 1-2 and then...the amazing happened.



Hot damn! Not much suspense to be had here, but that's alright. We're moving on and that's the important thing here.

[TheNumber35]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Speaking of the Reds...check this chit out.


The NLCS will feature the 98 win Reds against the 100 win Astros. And for those of you who care, the Oakland A's have defeated the Yankees and the Tigers have defeated the Angels and those two teams will face off in the ALCS. What does that mean for us? It means we pull for Detroit because of the epic storylines that are to be had if the Tigers win that series. Bonderman returning to Detroit for a WS start? Can't make this chit up (well other than the fact that we did make this whole thing up.) Also, Bogey still dons a Tigers uniform and he'll probably will see some time against his former team, especially in the NL setting with pinch hitting and defensive replacements for awful defending Tigers outfielders.

But we've gotta get through this series against our bitter rivals first. As someone so eloquently pointed out, the Reds had our number early...but we had their number later in the year once we came on a bit. The season series ended 10-6 Astros. Game one would pit the aces against one another, Latos v Norris. Let's get it on!


Hell yeah, a sellout crowd and we're at home...GLORIOUS!



There are the lineups for game 1, no real surprises as our whole lineup was on in the Washington series. With Altuve being as hot as he was in the series, we've got our 1, 2, 3, and 6 hitters killing it. If we can get Juicin' and Pena to swing it a little better, we'll be impossible to stop.

Bud ran into a bit of trouble in this one, allowing 3 runs over 7 innings of work. However the starter on the other side had even more issues. But more on that in a second. Bud's runs all came off the HR ball, mainly this one by Mesoraco.


Phillips and Cosart (not pictured) also homered off the ace of our staff. But that wasn't the story in game one. The story was this guy


Mat Latos, he's been solid up to this point...hell he had a 14 K game in the DS against Arizona. But today just wasn't his day. First inning, two on and one out for Juicin' who knocks one right back at him.


1-0 Stros' on that swing. And it would be 4-0 Stro's on this one.


Carlos Pena, bout' time you showed up son! 3-R HR and Latos wouldn't get much better from there.

This CarGo double off the gate plated a run in the 3rd inning


And it got out of hand from there. JD homered for us as well and when it was all said and done. Latos allowed 7 runs over 4+ innings.


Through the first 6 innings it was 7-2. Not much else to tell here, we scored 3 off the pen and they got to Bud one more time and the final looks like this.


What a big win in game 1 for us. Both mentally for our team, and in the literal sense. It was a 7 run blowout. Game two coming up soon sends Jeremy Bonderman against Johnny Cueto

[TheNumber35]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Game one was ours for the taking, Game two looked to be in our favor as well as Cueto was scratched from his Game 2 start for some unknown reason (the Show changed their rotation on me going into the game and I didn't notice.) So now we've got Bonderman v Arroyo. Arroyo allowed 5 runs over 5 innings of work in game 3 of the NLDS, a loss for Cincinnati.

Oh! That reminds me of something else you've earned by staying here and reading through all this mumbo-jumbo I've posted: updated brackets!


So we're tied at 1-1 over in the AL with Game 2 being played here in the NL. Alright, lets get started here.




There's the Reds lineup today, nothing too crazy and out of this world to see. Other than Mesoraco being a beast! That dude has been on a tear the entire postseason, and Joey Votto hasn't hit his power stride yet...and went 0-4 yesterday. We need to keep it that way. Jeremy! That's all you dude


Nothing much to report coming into this one, other than a scoreless first by Bonderman! This leads us to the bottom of the first here at home, our opponent takes the hill for Cincinnati. Recall that Bronson has pitched very well against us ever since the beginning of this dynasty. Recall how much we hate him. Well this is the perfect time to take that out on the field.


Those numbers aren't pretty, hopefully we can get to this moron early and often today.

Fast-forward to the bottom of the 3rd inning, Jason Castro connects on one and does a nice, slow trot to make it 1-0.


Suck it "Bronson". Well that's all fine and dandy...problem though. The game is longer than 3 innings. And Bonderman was cruising until the top of the 5th where they would put some on the board. 3 runs to be exact. On this Mesoraco 3R HR ball.


3-1. Damnit. Bronson is dominating us and Bonderman gives up 3 runs. We can't push across more than one stinkin' run against this bum, and they got to our 2nd Ace. Well its alright because our star would knock Arroyo out of this one in the 8th inning with a solo jack.


Go Car Go indeed. 3-2 Astros after we get Arroyo out of this one. And here we go into the bottom of the 9th and in comes Big Bad Chapman.


We've gotten to him before and we damn well better try to get to him him in a one run game. We would get two runners on base before a bunt advanced them to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Then an ill-fated strikeout would really quell our chances of this comeback. But wait, a swing and a sinking liner to shallow right field! Both runners have scored, Bruce comes in...and he!


Makes the f***ing catch! What. The. F***. Are you chitting me? Unbelivable.


Tied at 1-1's in this series too. We should have walked off but Jay Bruce decided he wouldn't allow that to happen.

[AC]

The postseason bracket is actually really realistic, huh?

[TheNumber35]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

The postseason bracket is actually really realistic, huh?

Lol at using the word "realistic" to describe the Astros being in the NLCS. But on the AL side, yeah things are playing out about how I'd expect them to. And very similar to the real life 2012 brackets. Other than the whole D-Backs over Giants thing.

[TheNumber35]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Well that last game was incredibly frustrating. Maybe Kyle Weiland can get us some good luck and get us rolling in Game 3 against Johnny Cueto. Maybe, but Cueto was the Reds 2nd best pitcher in the DS...behind the guy going tomorrow for them in Homer Bailey. Anyways, we need to win today in Cincinnati to take back home field from them. We want this series to be decided in Houston if need be and we've gotta win at least one here in Cinci to guarantee that to happen. Its time for brackets again, except the bracket picture I have isn't correct. It says that Oakland is up in the series 2-1...when in fact Detroit won. I must have taken the screen in the game where my PS3 froze and forgot to take another one. Whatever, point is that Detroit is up 2-1 against Oakland.

Onto the game, which again is very important in the scope of this series.




Our lineup, as per usual everyone you expect is playing. Go figure that we're going to ride the hot guys.

And we've gotta face Mr. Ace himself.


Cueto you SoB...those are some damn good numbers. Well we can oppose him with Kyle Weiland. Who was alright in his 6 innings of work in Game 3 of the NLDS, allowing 3 runs and punching out 6. Good enough to warrant another start, without a doubt. Anyways. we'd struggle against Johnny Cueto, and they would get to Kyle for a pair of runs. Heading into the 7th and things weren't looking good.


2-0 Reds, and we wouldn't get anything going until the top of the 9th inning and Cueto was still out there. He literally imploded without an explaination, he walked the bases loaded on a bunch of really good ABs from Astros hitters after a game filled with struggles. They would lift their ace for Chapman again...but we wouldn't be denied this time! Chris Johnson had the biggest hit of his life with a bases clearing bloop double with two outs in the inning.


And going into the 9th we had a GD lead! No way...anywho, in trots Kevin "Carly Rae" Jepsen from the bullpen.


He's been unhittable in these playoffs, but everyone has an off-day. And unfortunately, Jepsen's was today. He allowed a leadoff double, a sac bunt, and a sac fly to tie the game. He then punched out Cosart to end the inning tied at 3.


We'd push a run across in the top of the 13th inning after Jepsen and Escalona combined to give us 3 shutout innings of ball, and they handed the ball to Rhiner Cruz (making his first appearance since Game 3 of the NLDS by the way.)


But you know what? He locked it down and got us the crazy comeback win. He also earned his first career save in the process as well. Way to go Rhiner!


And after some bullchit robs us of being up 2-0, we pull out our own bullchit and go up 2-1. I can live with that at the end of the day.

[AC]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

What parent named their kid Rhiner?

[CameRoN0407]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

What parent named their kid Rhiner?

Apparently Mrs. Cruz. lol

[TheNumber35]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Milan...you've followed the Astros thread since its beginnings no? If that's true, you must know who Cruz is since he's been a topic of our Astros discussions since I joined the thread, and earlier than that if you read back lol. His name is kinda ridiculous though isn't it?

[AC]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Oh, I know WHO he is. I'm just confounded someone would name their kid that. It's almost as bad a name as Keith.

Keith...

Keith.

Still sounds weird. As does Rhiner.

[TheNumber35]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Oh, I know WHO he is. I'm just confounded someone would name their kid that. It's almost as bad a name as Keith.

Keith...

Keith.

Still sounds weird. As does Rhiner.

Lol. When somebody tells you they're named Keith...you probably feel like this



Also, if you don't know why I picked this gif...

[AC]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

I'm dead to you.

[TheNumber35]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

I'm dead to you.

Go watch Scrubs...and then you will be relevant again.

Spoiler

Nah, the reason I picked that gif is because the guy on the right is named Keith, and the dude on the left hates his guts for no real reason right from the day he starts at the hospital.

[AC]

Re: Holdin' Onto Hope Part 2: Cranes, Trains, and Auto-Explosions (The Show 12)

Scrubs? I don't watch that lol.

Spoiler

Am I irrelevant now?