...Atta boy, Harper.
I had a feeling that something would happen when the Phils-Braves series came back to Philly, but I did not think it would be motivated solely by spite. Bryce Harper having a 2-homer day specifically because Orlando Arcia gave him shit for making an error, right down to death-staring him while crossing the bases, may be one of the most Philly thing ever. And believe me, Philly is branded on shit like this. I was at a live podcast show last night, and the audience booed the concept of Dolph Lundgren existing. We make heroes for life, but we also make enemies for life. That's how this city works.
I'm pretty proud of this team, honestly. Nola has turned his season around this October, and is boosting his free agency case exponentially [now if someone other than St. Louis could enter the bidding race, that'd be greatly appreciated]. Turner, Realmuto and Marsh all had heroic moments. Nick Castellanos had a 2-homer day as well that was less reported on because it involved less spite. The bullpen was rock-solid, including a less-distressed and more-willing-to-flex-his-versatility Michael Lorenzen and the unhittable wunderkind Orion Kerkering, who might be deified in Philly before he even gets to play a full season for us [for all we know, Fuld trades him for Corbin Burnes or some shit].
I love so much about how this team is playing, and I hope we can finish strong before shit gets really tough. Tonight the Braves are putting up Strider again, and while we did break through last time, he's still their toughest pitcher, and we can't let them even the series.
...because when you wait around and let the stronger team even the series, this shit happens.
Hey, I guess that Rangers-Astros revenge plot was a cool idea, cause we're getting that. No bursting 30 year droughts, none of that, just the Astros going to their seventh ALCS in a row because Rob Manfred thought that taking away their manager was enough of a punishment.
The Astros are on autopilot doing these wins. You know the drill at this point, Yordan Alvarez does something incredible, a starting pitcher that was mediocre during the regular season is suddenly incredible, there's a fight put up by the opposition but they win anyway because the bullpen is amazing despite Hector Neris, who the Phillies' bullpen coaches tried to fix and never could, being there. Tonight Michael Brantley got to be a hero, despite missing most of the season due to an injury. I'm...so exhausted. Why the hell couldn't a team that was actually good during the regular season get a chance instead of another year of this bullshit?
Yes, Braves fans, I know, that's hypocritical of me. But I'd gladly take y'all advancing than Houston. WHICH ISN'T AN INVITATION. Y'know, I'd still prefer my hometown team take it. But the Braves, regardless of what people think on Twitter, have not cheated. And nobody on that team is as infuriating as Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman or Yordan Alvarez to me. Not even Marcell Ozuna.
The Rangers have an opportunity to embarrass the Astros and get to their first World Series since 2011. I pray they can do this and add some variety into the equation. Cause if it's just a repeat of last year's World Series, down to the outcome, I don't know what I'm gonna do.
The Twins certainly gave 'em hell. Had the Astros not decided to be incredible this month, they could have stood a chance. But y'know...they're gonna do that.
I applaud the Twins for digging into their depth options this year, like bringing in Edouard Julien as a 2nd base option in Polanco's absence, or getting great games out of Matt Wallner. This team came a long way from its midyear default status as division leader. I certainly hope they can build on this and become a more intimidating playoff force in forthcoming years. Given the quality of the AL Central, and the slow rise of the Detroit Tigers, it's not guaranteed, but if enough of what worked this year repeats, you never know.
The Arizona Diamondbacks had been waiting for this moment since the Dodgers re-took the west. They got their revenge. And oh my, it was glorious.
The kicker for me was that for Game 3, it didn't take Merrill Kelly or Zac Gallen, the proven options, to stop the Dodgers' offense, including Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. They started Brandon Pfaadt, who was a default third option rookie with some good perks but a lot of trouble during the regular season. Pfaadt impressed, going nearly 5 innings without giving up any runs, and holding the Dodgers to two hits. Meanwhile, Lance Lynn, who was one of the saviors of the oft-injured Dodgers rotation, got lit up by the usual suspects: Marte, Walker, Perdomo and Moreno. All in the same inning. And that was all it took.
The Diamondbacks' excellent season has surprised me, and I'm actually pretty pleased with how far they've come. They're a wild card NLCS team in an entirely different way than the Padres. Everybody expected the Padres last year to go in via the wild card slot and take down the alpha; nobody expected the D-Backs to do the same this year, because all their assets were either homegrown or wisely traded there. This team has made so many smart decisions, and I really hope they find more success.
...except if the Phillies make the NLCS.
In hindsight, maybe going ahead without Gavin Lux, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin or Julio Urias wasn't a great shake of things for the Dodgers.
You see, in September the Dodgers got away with limited pitching options because they could still outhit everybody. But with that week off, all the hitters lost momentum, the two marquee guys couldn't get ANYTHING done, and the team got embarrassed by a team nobody had in their playoff schematic in April. The Dodgers' fanbase has every right to be disappointed, even if this particular team didn't exactly catch fire til the last third of the season.
If there's an actual rotation next year, they could have a chance. But then hopefully something else we're not thinking about doesn't bite 'em in the ass.
One last spot to unveil. Tonight it could be decided. I hope it does.
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