Division Series' Day 5: Keeping Me On My Toes

 

I really thought the Mariners were gonna go with a bullpen game and opening for Kirby or something like that, but they had faith in Bryce Miller. Not 2023 Bryce Miller.....current Bryce Miller. So if you wanted to know why their series is 2-2, that's why.

Look, the Tigers are just a good team. You can't keep them down. Just when you think they've quieted down they blow back up again, and like the Jays anybody can be the hero at any time. Torres, Dingler, Jahmai Jones, Greene, McKinstry, most notably Javier Baez, who was responsible for FOUR runs. You forgot how good this guy can be in October because it's been so long. This was both on the Tigers' offense and on the Mariners' bullpen, who turned sour after a relatively strong series. 

Now, Game 5 in Seattle is gonna be tight as hell. Both teams want it. I wanna say Seattle has the leverage but the Tigers might go with Skubal again. It's gonna be wild no matter what happens.

The Brewers are clearly the better team in their matchup. They proved it during the regular season. The trick now is making sure their mistakes don't come back to haunt them. And somehow earlier today, Quinn Priester was the mistake. He's had such a great season, and has been such an integral piece of this team's success this year...but his first October start was not great. The 4 runs the Cubs won on came against Priester. And even if the Brewers end up winning this series, the fact that Priester was the low point here is gonna be a major takeaway going forward.

Still, it was nice for the Cubs to get a win. Happ scored a playoff run, and I'm mostly happy he got to see a team hit October again. Michael Busch is definitely a top-tier postseason performer and I hope he gets more opportunities to share it. PCA was right about the refs. Palencia closing over a full season would be great. I'm not sure how much hope I have that they'll win Game 4, but they've at least proved they can upset this team without getting completely owned.

And speaking of getting completely owned...

I had a feeling this series might go this way, but not that it would be so embarrassing. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. owned the Yankees. The splitters owned the Yankees. The rotation, and even the bullpen in this game, owned the Yankees. And as good as Judge and somehow Ryan McMahon could be, the Blue Jays can get production from EVERYBODY. Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger, Myles Straw. Pretty much anybody can be the hero in Toronto, and the Yankees have multiple people who simply couldn't in this game. And thus...the Jays, with a very good team, advance, and the Yanks don't. Can't make it any clearer than that. The Jays were the better team, and they had the momentum.

The Yankees only get further next year if they stop fooling themselves. Deluding themselves into thinking that things that have not worked before will eventually work is not the way to go. Sometimes you have to let somebody go rather than let them let you down again. That could go for Volpe, for Boone, for lots of people. The fanatical approach will get the team nowhere, especially with the AL East looking to be even more competitive next year. 

The Jays have a serious shot at a World Series. If the Tigers win, it's a 75% chance. If the M's win...little closer to 50/50.

This one I actually saw coming. I knew the Phils weren't gonna let THAT be the end of it. They'd come this far, they'd gotten the okay to wear the baby blue throwbacks on the road. They were gonna make it count.

I don't care if those are Kyle Schwarber's last two homers in Philly colors, he made 'em count. He's one of the best power hitters of his era, and he's done so much for us, including this. It happened after a lot of hemming and hawing from fans, but it still happened. Also props to Ranger Suarez [AND AARON NOLA] for holding down the best offense in the NL, and Brandon Marsh, J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm for providing strong run support. This was the effort we'd been waiting all series for, and even if another game like it doesn't happen, we still won this one and earned it.

Tomorrow I think a series ends, and one goes to Game 5. I have my guess of which that is. I'd rather not be proven wrong, but I'd be fine with happy Cubs fans even if my Phils go down as well.