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We're here to Second Guess, so let's get down to business and begin Garner's laundry list.

1. The double-switch in the top of the 7th. Morgan and Jon Miller questioned this move at the time, and they were right. By now, the game was tied 5-5, and Mike Gallo replaced Chad Qualls on the mound for the Astros. Gallo went into the No. 1 spot in the order, replacing Craig Biggio, with Jason Lane going to left field and hitting ninth.

The problem is Garner only picked up one spot in the batting order. The last out in the sixth was by the No. 2 hitter, Carlos Beltran, so the pitcher's spot was still seven batters away. You don't double-switch when the pitcher's spot is still that far down the order. You're not gaining much, and you're losing Craig Biggio from the game.

2. Not double-switching when Brad Lidge came in the game.

After Dan Miceli walked Johnny Estrada with one out in the 8th, Garner went to his best pitcher, Brad Lidge. Can't fault that move much -- tie game, you don't want to mess around too long with Miceli.

But the last out in the 7th was by No. 5 hitter Jeff Kent, so Lidge's spot (No. 1) was now only five spots away. This is when you double-switch, because if you bring in Lidge you have to make sure he's in there for the 9th inning. The right move would have been to take out Kent, with Adam Everett going to shortstop, hitting No. 1 (or, preferably, hitting No. 9 with Biggio still in the game), and Jose Vizcaino sliding over to second.

This way, if the Astros mount a rally in the bottom of the 8th, Lidge's spot won't come up. And if it does -- well, that means they've scored a run or two and Lidge can hit with Houston leading and then close out the Braves in the top of the ninth.

Instead, neither Garner nor his bench coach recognized this need. So, sure enough, the Astros get two-out singles from Brad Ausmus and Jason Lane, bringing up Lidge. He comes out of the game after throwing just seven pitches. Pinch-hitter Orlando Palmeiro grounds out, keeping the game tied.

3. Pitching to J.D. Drew in the top of the ninth.

With two outs, Russ Springer plunked Rafael Furcal with a two-strike fastball. With Drew up, Furcal stole second. After Springer fell behind 3 balls, 1 strike, Joe Morgan -- who had a terrific game -- thought Houston should walk Drew and pitch to Marcus Giles.

Joe wasn't looking at the stats, but here they are:

Drew vs. RH: .313/.450/.593
Giles vs. RH: .282/.341/.369

Intentional walks are used too often, but this certainly seemed like the time for one. You've got 31 points in batting average and over 200 points in slugging percentage to consider. You've got one of the NL's best hitters, especially, against right-handed pitchers, in Drew. And you're behind in the count. Why screw around?

Anyway, on the 3-1 pitch, Springer threw a curveball that looked outside, but was called a strike (how would things be different if it had been called ball four?). Suddenly emboldened to go after Drew, Ausmus -- hailed as a great game-caller, mind you -- calls for a fastball, and Drew ripped it for the go-ahead single.

True, Drew had struggled in the series and had fanned his previous two at-bats -- but Giles was only 2-for-19 in the series.

4. Taking out Roger Clemens after five innings.

We'll skip the debate over whether Clemens should even have been starting, but I think taking out Clemens with a 5-2 lead was defensible. He was pitching on three days' rest, had allowed eight baserunners in five innings and was lucky to have escaped with only two runs.

On the other hand, you've got one of the greatest pitchers of all time ... or Chad Qualls.
--David Schoenfield

The Washburn Move

Friday, October 8
The following was written as Mike Scioscia removes Frankie Rodriguez in the bottom of the 10th, in favor of Jarrod Washburn, as David Ortiz steps in with two outs.

David Schoenfield: I think the managers have made all the right moves so far, but this could be a Second Guess. I know Ortiz doesn't hit lefties like he does righties, but Washburn is no K-Rod.

Eric Neel: Oh, good lord ... I can't bear to watch.

Eric: That's just so sad ...

Eric: Man, that's brutal; one thing I know is this: in 84 innings, K-Rod had given up 2 home runs this year. 2! You can figure he might get hit by Ortiz, but you can't figure he had anywhere near the chance Washburn did to get killed outright.

David: Overmanaging.

Eric: It was a weird move in a lot of ways ... why Washburn? Why not leave Frankie in? It was like a brain fart, a twitch ... when Washburn makes mistakes, they're mistakes up, mistakes flat; his pitches don't move much ... he's ripe for a ball in the air -- 20 home runs allowed in 149 innings.

David: OK, a quick check of the numbers and I can see what Scioscia was thinking:

Ortiz vs. LH: .250/.315/.469
Ortiz vs. RH: .326/.411/.671
Washburn vs. LH: .225/.277/.387
Rodriguez vs. LH: .213/.299/.265

K-Rod is an alien from another planet against righties (.386 OPS!) and merely superhuman against lefties; he'd thrown 38 pitches; Washburn IS very tough against lefties and Ortiz's OPS drops 300 points ... but Washburn hadn't pitched in relief all year and I still want K-Rod out there for one more batter.

Eric: I've been saying all year, and I've never felt it more than tonight, that K-Rod is the one of a handful of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Period.

If you're going gut, as Mike likes to do, maybe you don't let yourself be ruled by the numbers in a moment like this. K-Rod was vicious, and the D was right behind him, and there were no balls in the air against him, really, and the thing that can kill you in a moment like this is a home $%#@%! run.

David: So, you were rooting for the Angels ... Man, your season is on the line ... I think I'd rather go down with K-Rod than a mediocre lefty who got shelled in Game 1 and who hadn't pitched in relief all season.

Gets to the big question, though, doesn't it: When do you manage by your gut and when do use the book? Man, maybe this ain't such an easy job.

Eric: I know the job is difficult, and I like a lot of what Scioscia does (though I think his small-ball proclivity is a problem), but man, this looked, from the moment he hit the top step of the dugout, like a bad, bad, bad idea ... Put it this way, if it had been Grady Little and Boston, the guy would need security just to get to the jet that would whisk him out of town for the witness relocation program.

Phil Garner will survive his questionable moves and move on to the NLCS vs the Cardinals. I want to see if the Astros can shut down the Cards the same way they shut down the Braves. The Braves line up is anemic. 10-3 in favor of the Astros in the top of the 8th.

12-3 Houston! Brave Fans are starting to leave. They are done!

Houston Made it. Welcome Houston to your first NLCS.

In other news:

MLB recalls T-shirt after BoSox fans complain

A day before Boston and New York started the AL championship series, Major League Baseball recalled a T-shirt it had sanctioned because it rubbed Red Sox fans the wrong way.

The message on the shirt that drew the negative reaction read: "Hey Red Sox ... Who's your daddy?"

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