Matt Gelb

Not even that.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic last week, Ricky and I were talking about it, had suggested maybe you start Game 1 with Jesus Lizardo in the bullpen.

That would serve as his bullpen session, and then he'd still be available to go Game 3.

So now if you don't have Lizardo come the postseason, You don't have anyone that's going to be able to go to the pen.

that crowd is going to be on eggshells.

Oh, I hate this.

If there's no Jesus Lizardo now, there is a chance, as Matt Gelb's reporting, there is a chance.

But if we know at that time Jesus Lizardo's not going, I think the crowd there is going to think we're underdogs, and we know how they play when they're underdogs.

Now, what's interesting with the Cubs, I actually was reading this the other day.

I forget who put it out there, but I, it was Matt Gelb-

Mm-hmm

... of The Athletic.

We all know their starters are really good.

The question is, is that offense that surged in August and early September and now is kind of fading again, is that offense going to be there or is it not? Matt Gelb wrote about this in The Athletic today.

What they were doing, is it sustainable? If it is, if they get back to that, they may be a better team than the Braves because simply their starting pitching is better than the Braves' is.

Now, I will say this, the Braves' starting pitching beyond sale, it's been a question and an issue all season long.

And so this is the question.

I saw this in a Matt Gelb article earlier this week.

He threw out the idea, and he put this as his own opinion, but obviously he's pretty plugged in.

Thoughts on Lozardo coming out of the bullpen in Game 1 and starting Game 3 of a wildcard series so that you start Wheeler, a righty, in Game 1, and you could potentially get him in two games, not just one.

Mm.

And Matt Gelb wrote an interesting article in The Athletic yesterday basically suggesting that they use one of their big starters in relief in game one of the Wild Card series.

In other words, just to get to Duran and make it easier that way without having to expose any of their weaker relievers.

So, here we are.

That's not to say that it will be Luzardo.

Uh, there was an interesting point raised by Matt Gelb in The Athletic the other day about how if you don't start Luzardo in games one or two, it at least gives you the ability to bring him out.

Say you get down 1-0 in the series, it at least gives you the, uh, ability to bring Sa- uh, Luzardo out of the bullpen in game two if you must have the outs, whereas if you would've used him as a starter in game one, that possibility no longer exists.

Yeah.