...Is this really gonna be so simple? The Tigers are really cornering the Guardians with Game 4 at home?? This is what it's coming down to?
I didn't really think this series was gonna go like this. Twice now the Guardians have failed to show up in the runs column, and it's to the detriment of more great pitching. Ramirez, Thomas, Kwan, Naylor...aren't really having great series'. The Tigers just ran their bullpen again today and they couldn't get through that. Which means the Tigers are within inches of getting to a Championship Series with literally ONE STARTER to their name. Remember, we criticized the Diamondbacks last year for having two. This is just Tarik Skubal and the rest. Jeez.
The Tigers are winning this series because their scrappy, small-baller lineup just keeps coming through for them. Tonight Spencer Torkelson had the hero moment, lengthening the lead late. Torkelson is in his third season and is now FINALLY beginning to figure out this whole 'hitting at an MLB level' thing, and the Tigers must be thankful it's happening in the postseason.
The Tigers could close it out tomorrow. How wild is that? I don't think the Guardians are gonna make it that easy for them, but...you never know at this rate.
I think this Mets-Phillies series was just a matter of how well you handle the pressure of success. Neither of these teams performs well as the overachiever. The Mets spent the last few years, thanks to Steve Cohen, as the alpha of the division, overspending in order to achieve something, which left them...nowhere. So after Cohen's most modest offseason, where all he really did was bring on a few small pieces in J.D. Martinez, Harrison Bader, Sean Manaea and Jose Iglesias, the Mets finally achieved their full form. They were never gonna win it all from the top. They had to become the underdog. And they had to do it by beating the alpha, and then the second alpha, of the division.
The Mets beat the Phillies because for the first time this decade, the Phillies were no longer the underdogs. They had to be the favorite. And they couldn't do that. They always work better from behind. And so, the Mets kicked their asses. All they needed tonight was a grandy from Francisco Lindor and another surprise dominant start, this one coming from Jose Quintana. The bullpen held it down, Diaz signed it and mailed it. And just like that, the Mets are back in the NLCS for the first time since 2015, and we all know how that went. I'm honestly really happy with this team, and I kinda wanna see how far this goes now.
Year 1 of the Phillies taking the first round bye. Didn't go well, did it, Rob?
The issue here is that this team peaked in June. Usually the Phillies peak in, like, October. But this year they wanted to try being good from the start of the season, and that's not really sustainable to win championships anymore. So I think, if the Phillies are gonna suck at any point in the year next year, it probably should be April or May, y'know, just get it out of the way. So you can do what all the young, hip teams are doing and just spontaneously become good midyear and take that to the end.
I'm...a little frustrated. Because with everything this team has accomplished and accumulated, you'd think they'd have figured out how to leg it out by now. The worst version of this team got the furthest. It is all about conserving momentum, and it gets harder and harder for the Phillies to do this every year. It was especially hard for them with the first round bye. By the end, only little hits, Kody Clemens pinch hit shit and Ranger Suarez getting out of tough situations were keeping this team alive. And against a Mets team with this much momentum, that is not enough.
Next year's team needs to learn from this. This could have been the year. And we decided to not let that happen.
This Royals-Yankees series has been inconsistent, back-and-forth, all over the place and completely nebulous. Luckily, Giancarlo Stanton is inevitable.
The Yankees aren't completely wowing me yet this postseason. They've had good moments, but Judge has gone cold, first base has been inconsistent and the starters have been human. But what I can say about the Yankees that I can't say about the Phillies is that the Yankees have shown up. When they needed to tonight, the bullpen jumped into action and Stanton went yard. This was a Schmidt against Lugo game, one that very easily could have gone Kansas City's way, but we outlasted them, and we somehow took a series lead over a team that's amassed all this momentum.
If the Yankees slay the Royals, they slay the first round bye. Nobody can do that. But maybe we can. Cole up tomorrow. Maybe it'll be our night.
When it became clear that the Dodgers were putting up a 'pen game against Dylan Cease, I kinda figured the Padres were advancing tonight. Except that didn't happen. The Dodgers' bullpen held the Padres to 7 hits and no runs. 8 guys got up there and none of them gave up a run. Michael Kopech, Anthony Banda, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Evan Phillips, Ryan Brasier, Landon Knack and Alex Vesia all got up there and did exactly what they were supposed to do. And, as such, since no starter got lit up, the Dodgers just needed to hit, and that's exactly what they did. Mookie Betts had a big night, Max Muncy had a big night, Will Smith and Gavin Lux. This was the kind of full team performance we were waiting for, and against the still-tough Padres bullpen as well.
This series goes to a Game 5 in LA, and that's gonna be a tight matchup. I still think San Diego miiiight have the edge, but you can never count out the Dodgers' lineup. This one could be separated by inches.
Some AL series' could end tomorrow. I think only one will, but I don't know if it'll be the one I'm hoping does.
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