Bellinger is typically pretty sharp on the bases, really weird that he thought he was just going to coast home without a play. What a break for the Cardinals
I was thinking maybe they were opening with a right hander so that the lineup would have more lefties in it or something for Smyly but looking at splits, he's getting hit much harder by lefties this year. Plus everyone knows Fulmer isnt going more than 1 inning considering he pitched today, so even if that was a valid strategy, you'd just balance your lineup to factor in 1 inning pitched by a RHP.
In all the enjoyment of that moment, I didn't even realize the DP grounder was also a ball. So Leiter comes in, gets ahead of the 1st batter 1-2, then throws 9 straight balls, of which 8 were taken, and gets 2 outs.
Oh yeah, that was the worst screw job by an umpire that I've seen since that Dodgers game in April where all 3 Dodgers outs in the 9th were on clear balls that were called strikes.
lmao, with the bases loaded and 1 out with the Cubs up by a run, Leiter throws 5 straight balls and still gets out of the inning. That is horsefeathers hilarious.