Division Series' Day 3: Failure to Communicate

 

Like Phils-Mets Game 1, Tigers-Guardians Game 2 was a ferocious pitching battle where it was so defined by two really unhittable starters, in this case Tarik Skubal and Matt Boyd [LOOK AT HIM GO!], that you knew the hit had to come some time, and it would still catch you off guard. For a while, Justyn Henry Malloy was the only Tigers hitter to get anything done today, and it was some amazing defensive work from the Guardians to keep the score low all game. 

Which is why when Emmanuel Clase got up in the ninth, it felt like it was pointing towards a Cleveland victory. The Guardians' bullpen is better than Detroit's, and Clase doesn't give up many runs. And yet Kerry Carpenter blasted a three-run bomb off of him to blow the game open in the ninth. It took so long for anyone to get through the armor of Emmanuel Clase, and now somebody does in the playoffs. And now the Guardians are panicking. They've got to go to Detroit now, the series tied, and hope they can still get something done, even with the superior bullpen. There's a crack in it now, and they're hoping that's the extent of it.

Meanwhile, the Tigers proved that they still have some life in them, which could make the next 2 games very interesting.

Game 1 in the Bronx, the Yankees proved they could parry attacks. Game 2 proved that they also could forget to.

There were so many situations where the Yankees could have done something this game, and they just didn't. Judge and Soto were way quieter tonight. Rodon was strong enough but isn't perfect this year. And the Royals were able to keep pounding against us, with big moments from Salvador Perez, Tommy Pham, and utility man extraordinaire Garrett Hampson, who's been having a great postseason. Right now the Royals' starting pitching is looking more reliable than ours, and odds are we're getting Seth Lugo on Wednesday, which won't be much easier. If we have Clarke Schmidt and they have Lugo, and Lugo's been better recently...look, I'm not thrilled with our odds.

It'd be amazing if what happened Sunday happened again, and the Yanks caught fire like mad, but...I'm getting worried again. The last two days have given me this idea that the bye might still be a momentum-killer, and I'd love to be proven wrong.

Back to the NL series' tomorrow. We'll see who takes the next lead.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2023: Marlins

 

The Miami Marlins made the playoffs this year. They also fired the GM that got them here and might be without their ace for another year or so, but...let's at least focus on the good things.

The Marlins built so much over the course of the year by making smart moves, like getting a batting title guy in Luis Arraez to revitalize the contact hitting, swinging A.J. Puk before the season to aid the bullpen, and getting both Jake Burger and Josh Bell to keep the lineup alive in the season's final months. It may not have been enough to stop the Phillies from doing their thing, but it was enough to prove themselves as an underrated force of hitting.

As he has been in the past few years, Jon Berti has been a wonderfully versatile piece that played multiple positions and filled many roles both as a contact hitter, base-stealer and utility guy. This year Berti hit .294 with 114 hits, fourth on the Marlins, and 16 steals. 

2024 Prediction: He's 34. He's given the Marlins a lot. I think he might slip a little bit, even if he does show sparks of his usual material in points.

After 7 wonderful seasons as the first baseman in Houston, the Astros moved on from Yuli Gurriel, and so did the 39-year-old Gurriel, signing a deal with the Marlins. I think because he played for so long, combining his Cuba numbers, Gurriel isn't gonna hang it up until he's 100% sure he's out of juice. So Gurriel tried his hand at another year for Miami, and he was alright. Gurriel hit .245 with 27 RBIs in 108 games, which probably led to the Marlins needing to get Bell.

2024 Prediction: He wants to keep playing. But does anyone want to sign him? Honestly...I think he does one more season somewhere small and then hangs it up.

Joey Wendle's second season in Miami was a step down for his first, at least offensively, as he hit .212 this year with 63 hits in 112 games. The good news is that Wendle is still an excellent defender, and as the starting shortstop he still put himself above the pack. 

2024 Prediction: I think Wendle will be a defensive sub in New York, as they pretty much have the starting infield down, but I think they'll like him in Queens.

As Jacob Stallings is looking more like a backup than ever, the starting catching position went to Nick Fortes, who, while decent defensively, is clearly no J.T. Realmuto at the plate. The 26-year-old hit .206 with 60 hits in 108 games. He was definitely an 'he's what we've got' pick for Miami, but there's always a chance he could improve.

2024 Prediction: Hits higher than .204 at the plate, but don't be surprised if the Marlins pursue an offensive upgrade behind the plate.

One of the most incredible relief seasons of 2023 came from former Orioles relief man Tanner Scott, in his second season for the Marlins. Scott put on a show this season, with a 9-5 record, a 2.31 ERA, a 0.987 WHIP, 12 saves and 108 strikeouts in 74 games. He was also unhittable in one postseason inning against Philadelphia. No matter what he accomplishes next for Miami, the fans will always remember Scott's 2023 season.

2024 Prediction: He will not top that, but he'll still do decently.

Here's something I wasn't expecting- former Rockies utility bat Garrett Hampson actually accomplished a lot for the Marlins in a similar utility role. In 98 games, Hampson hit .276 with 61 hits and 23 RBIs. Hampson really is a cool player to have around, and while the Marlins will have to find utility help elsewhere next year, he's definitely reestablished his legitimacy.

2024 Prediction: I mean, at this rate, he might start a lot more games than the Royals are anticipating.

Lost in the shuffle of Burger and Bell was the Marlins' sly trade for David Robertson, who was having his second straight stellar first half, this one with the Mets. Like last year, his numbers bobbled upon a trade, and while the Marlins made the deal looking for a new closing option, Robertson had a 5.06 ERA with only 4 saves in 22 games. The team had to turn to Tanner Scott to help them out in the ninth for September, and thankfully he did a job, but it was clear that D-Rob let them down.

2024 Prediction: I think this is honestly a good place to call it a day. I'm not sure he thinks that, but I do.

Coming Tomorrow- Several reasons why the Mets couldn't get it done this year.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2022: Rockies

 

The Colorado Rockies being the surprise winner in the Kris Bryant race and then only getting 42 games out of him...figures.

The Rockies have been losing more and more of what made them fun in the past, as Jon Gray, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story have all left. Two people in this post have already left also. The Rox, at the same time, have been trying to build a somewhat impressive team, and have Brendan Rodgers, Ryan McMahon and C.J. Cron at the ready for the near future. They are...trying to be good, but are in the wrong division to truly compete, as the Dodgers, Padres, Giants and D-Backs are also building themselves up next year. So the Rockies may just have some more years like 2022, where...they were alright, but ultimately finished in last. 

On one hand, the Rockies got decent years out of Kyle Freeland, Chad Kuhl and German Marquez. On the other hand, they got a disappointing year out of Antonio Senzatela. Senza went 3-7 with a 5.07 ERA and a 1.690 WHIP. He's still a decent innings eater, but they only got 19 games out of him this year.

2023 Prediction: It will be his age-28 season, so I'm guessing he has the ASG-worthy season he should have been rewarded for in 2020.

Connor Joe is just a fun player. Toils around the minors for a few years, gets his chance with Colorado and becomes a fan favorite. He got a full year as a lineup piece this year, and in 111 games he hit .237 with 96 hits and 28 RBIs. Not as productive as last year, but still fun in a pinch.

2023 Prediction: Joe will be among many people vying for a DH/bat position in Pittsburgh. I think he gets some time in the OF and does relatively well, but maybe not as well as in Denver.

Elias Diaz has been signed until 2024 to catch for the Rockies. Diaz is...a serviceable catcher. His defensive numbers went a bit downhill this year, and he only hit .228 this year. But with Dom Nunez out of the picture and Brian Serven looking like a backup, Diaz just seems like he's gonna be the guy, good or no, going forward.

2023 Prediction: I'm gonna get to next December and have to do a custom of this guy and that'll have been the first time I've heard anything about him since now.

And while he'd been a big piece for the Rockies in years past, Garrett Hampson began to fall out of favor with the team this year. After a career year in 2021, Hampson only hit .211 with 42 hits in 90 games. With Alan Trejo and Elehuris Montero in the picture now doing amusing utility things, it doesn't shock me that the Rockies let him go.

2023 Prediction: I'd say that Hampson will have to compete with Jon Berti and Joey Wendle in similar middle infield roles, but I think the Marlins are trying to trade Wendle, so maybe he'll be useful.

Coming Tomorrow- I have a surprising amount of Royals actually.

Denver After the Ball

 

The All-Star Game is over, the circus has left town in Denver. All that remains is two more weeks to see this team intact before the sharp, painful realization of rebuilding even further. So get your Rockies games in while they're hot.

It's no secret that Trevor Story is likely headed elsewhere, but you also have players like Jon Gray, Mychal Givens and C.J. Cron who have no contractual business for 2022. Of that bunch, Givens is the most likely to get dealt, but there definitely could be a market for Gray, and Cron seems to me more like a late-August waiver deal guy. 

There's also the variable of Charlie Blackmon, who I have not heard a single thing about this season. I follow the MLB twitter accounts, and all 30 teams, so I do follow the Rockies on twitter, and I don't think they've talked about Blackmon at all. And he's hitting .266 with 41 RBIs and 77 hits, so it's not a complete wash of a season, but he's once again angered the WAR gods and according to sabermetrics has a -4 batting score. I will never understand why Blackmon is such a poor player sabermetrically, cause this is the third or fourth season where he's run into this sort of luck. His contract's up next year [cause I don't think the Rockies are gonna invoke his option], but will anyone go for him? Considering they all follow the sabermetric stuff very closely??

And what are the Rockies gonna be left with? Well, aside from German Marquez, who I don't THINK is going anywhere [I could be wrong], they have this network of former utility outfield/infield guys who have taken over the team. Ryan McMahon, Garrett Hampson, Raimel Tapia, Josh Fuentes, Brendan Rodgers now, Yonathan Daza. Chris Owings and Sam Hilliard also count. When Story goes, and if Cron and Blackmon go, that will be the Colorado Rockies. A bunch of interchangeable utility guys that have only sort of established themselves as starters. McMahon and Tapia are having great seasons, but I don't know if Rockies fans are ready to wear them on their backs yet. The big hero is probably leaving at the end of the month, and it's not certain when the next one will arrive in Denver. Unless it's someone like Brendan Rodgers or something.

It's still very hazy and indistinct for the Rockies. And hopefully it clears up a bit soon, even after the exodus.

Coming Tonight: This is exactly what I was talking about with Blackmon. A guy hitting .243 with 31 RBIs who somehow has an entire win above replacement more than Blackmon. I don't get it. Defense only has so much to do with it. Argh.