The Lunatic Fringe

I’m tempted to add Strasburg to the list of aces the Giants have taken down in the playoffs.  Almost every “ace” the Giants have faced in the playoffs since 2010 has fallen.  Pretty much the only one who avoided that fate: Johnny Cueto, who got injured too early to have a result one way or the other.  Kyle Lohse, who was the ace of the 2012 St. Louis Cardinals staff, got a win in Game 3 that year, but fell in Game 7, so he did better than most.

However, it could be argued that Strasburg, while the most overpowering of Washington’s pitchers, was not their best this year.  Some say it’s Game 2 starter Jordan Zimmerman is, whose 2.66 ERA was 12th best in the majors (though still behind teammate Doug Fister’s 2.41).  Zimmerman added to that by throwing a no-hitter in the season finale, so there’s that.

Staying away from the debate of who is another team’s best, let’s take a second and look at what happens after a no-hitter.  This article from earlier this year talks about a bunch of post no-hitter follow-ups (though, being from May, it’s missing some of the most recent examples).  And what it says that, since Johnny Vander Meer threw back-to-back no-hitters in 1938, most pitchers have a 3.52 ERA in their next outing, giving up an average of over six hits in those outings.

But the postseason is different, right?  Well…the Giants have some history with guys coming off of no-hitters while in the postseason.  Roy Halladay, after all, threw a no-hitter in the NLDS of 2010.  He got 10 days off, and then gave up four runs in seven innings to the Giants.  Zimmerman’s wasn’t a playoff no-hitter, of course, but he’s in the playoffs now.  He’s gotten a little more than normal rest, with six days off.

So what’s going to happen?

Well, there’s some history that indicates that the Nationals’ fans might have a little let-down.