Wild Card Series Day 3: Scores Settled?

 

A lot of 'was this trip really necessary?' outcomes for the wild card round. Lot of teams just beating the lower seed. The only 'upset' came from the team that had led the division the whole year beating the team that won it in the last few games. Still some intriguing baseball games to get us there but it's very much calling into question of the reason for expanding the playoffs, aside from 'to give teams the ownership group likes a chance'. Though...considerably less of that than in 2020 or 2022. A lot like Survivor instituting a final four tiebreaker to ensure the winner they want only for the people they like in the last several seasons to be shit at making fire.

The Tigers were able to win against the Guardians in October, after...not really being able to do so in September. They did it with contact, like RBIs from Wenceel Perez, Kerry Carpenter, Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene. The only real long ball was an inconsequential one from Dillon Dingler. The Tigers did almost spoil their win once or twice, and Spencer Torkelson's defense at 1st allowed 2 more runs to score, but they finished off Cleveland simply by being a better-developed team than them, and promptly punched their ticket to Seattle. Right now the Mariners are the favorites, which is a weird thing to say considering how well the Tigers were playing in June, but with Skubal on the mound anything's possible.

The Guardians were over a dozen games out of 1st at the beginning of September and still made the playoffs. That alone is an accomplishment. They were able to take the division with a wildly depleted team, led by a ton of rookies and unsung guys, and still pose a threat to the Tigers in a wild card series. That they didn't completely get the job done is sad, but understandable. The heroes yesterday were guys like George Valera, a rookie outfielder responsible for a rare earned run for Cleveland, and Chase DeLauter, the rookie prospect who got his first hit in the postseason, and Brayan Rocchio, who finished the season making up for all the time he wasn't hitting in the first 5 months. They will be back stronger, better developed and more commandingly. 

The Cubs were the better team heading into their wild card series and were able to stave off the Padres after all, despite...being the Cubs. A lot had been made about their rough postseason luck since 2017, and they were able to erase that thanks to a home crowd, a better team and a commanding start from Jameson Taillon. If Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch are gonna be great playoff pieces, they might be in for a long run. And if Jamo's a valid October option, only allowing 2 hits in 4 innings, they might have the starting depth after all. Cubs-Brewers has the potential to be the tightest series of the four, as the Brewers don't want you to know that they've actually lost steam since their insane August. Could go either way honestly. 

As for the Padres...they got here, and they fought hard, but if Tatis and Machado aren't gonna hit then there's no point in showing up. At the end, the Padres were starting fights with the umps, saying they took the series from them. No. The Cubs were better and you couldn't hit them. Don't try and blame the system. One of the few Padres to actually show up this series was Freddy Fermin, the catcher they traded for to ensure they actually had a decent option back there. Fermin went 4-for-11 this postseason, hitting .364. The goal is for the rest of the team to show up as well. Jackson Merrill getting a late homer isn't gonna be enough. Next year it may be tougher for them to catch the Dodgers unless they really put the effort in.

As for my Yankees...what else can you say but 'wow'? Cam Schlittler getting Game 3 was a risk, and it paid off in dramatic fashion. The man went 8 innings, striking out 12, allowing no runs and no walks. It was a masterful performance, made even crazier by the fact that Schlittler was nearing 100mph for most of the night and was hitting 97 in the 8th. Nobody could hit this guy, and nobody could hit the bullpen either. The Yankees won this game by completely silencing a very tough Red Sox team, and remembering to contact-hit when they could. And again, the guys we got midyear, like Amed Rosario, David Bednar and Ryan McMahon, were the true difference maker. Very proud of these guys, and hopefully they can regain momentum in Toronto.

Connelly Early didn't do terribly badly himself, he struck out 6 through 4, but the problem with the Sox starting Nathaniel Lowe and Romy Gonzalez is that the errors that the Yankees' infield worked to avoid are gonna happen. That 4th inning illuminated just how unfit defensively this Sox team was for this moment, and they failed Connelly Early. The Red Sox were very close to winning this series and shocking everyone, and for the first time since 2003 they simply couldn't stop the Yankees. 

I assume they'll be back, bigger and badder, with their big 3 next year, and that'll be...fun. For now, we've got 4 fun looking series scheduled for this weekend. Still a lot of teams I really enjoy in the mix, so I'm enjoying this. 

Wild Card Series' Day 2: So It's Gonna Be One of Those

 

I'm honestly happy the wild card series' aren't gonna be simple this year [for the most part]. Better for baseball. 

The key for the Tigers was getting the Skubal game down. Cause that was the only game where they really had a leg up on Cleveland. Casey Mize is good, but he's not Skubal good, and the contact game came raining down on him today, including big moments from Brayan Rocchio and George Valera, plus a very impressive three-run bomb from Bo Naylor, hoping to meet his brother in the ALDS. Tanner Bibee wasn't too bad either, only allowing 1 run and 5 hits in 4 and 2/3rds innings. This was the exact kind of game the Guardians should have won, and it allows for an even more exciting Game 3. Flaherty v. Cantillo. That'll definitely be interesting. 

Okay, so clearly the heroes of the Padres game were people like Dylan Cease and Manny Machado, but ultimately this game will be known as the Mason Miller game. He came in, faced five batters and struck out every last one, turning a lead into a commanding lead. The Cubs are a very tough team, and for this Padres squad to silence them, including a rare spotless inning from Robert Suarez, means that the Cubs may not have the cakewalk they were thinking this'd be. The Padres' lineup can strike back, and this game 3 is gonna be a matchup between Yu Darvish and Jameson Taillon. Yes, Yu has been shaky this year, but he's also clicked into place when the Padres have needed him. And is Jamo an October weapon? I suppose we'll find out.

This Yankee win was such a relief. I was so worried that the score staying tied would indicate an inability to capitalize on big moments, but then it dawned on me that all the Red Sox runs were scored by Trevor Story. The Yankees win belonged the whole team, from Ben Rice and his 1st inning bomb to Carlos Rodon and his strong start to Austin Wells who had the big RBI to Jazz Chisholm whose slide cemented the win. And the relief pitching, including Fernando Cruz and David Bednar, got us out of a lot of tight scrapes. No matter what happens next, and considering the lack of Boston rotation depth I'm mildly optimistic, we were able to win a game like this and make this a 3-game series after all. I'd really like it if we won tomorrow, but not getting swept is a true plus. 

If any of these wild card series' was only gonna last 2 games, it was gonna be Dodgers-Reds. Yes, the Dodgers have had bullpen issues...but they're the Dodgers. They're gonna win big.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in just his second season, has become a postseason icon for the Dodgers, tonight went 6 and 2/3rds innings, and struck out 9, only allowing 2 runs and 4 hits. You NEED a rock like that in the postseason, and so far the Dodgers have had two of 'em starting games, Yoshi and Snell. We haven't even gotten to Glasnow yet. The offense did their thing, with some hard work from typical October heroes Kiké Hernandez and Mookie Betts. The key was small-balling past the Reds' pitching rather than going full power, and it's proof that there's still variety in this lineup. 

The Dodgers will head to Philly as the underdogs, though not by much. This is still a very tough team, and the Phillies aren't without flaws of their own. The Dodgers could find their October magic against the Phils...or, alternatively, the Phils could slay the curse of the 1st round bye and ascend to greatness yet again. It's their choice.

And since we've got to eulogize someone here...

Getting to the playoffs alone was a reward in itself for the Reds. They outdid the odds, outfought the Mets and earned October. This Dodgers series was always gonna be a tough hurdle, and it shouldn't encourage them from trying again next year. Unfortunately the only Red to truly show up tonight was rookie Sal Stewart, who singled in 2 runs early, the only crack in Yoshi's armor all night basically, then tried to get things going in the 8th with another RBI. Everybody else was silenced, and even Zack Littell struggled against a truly tough lineup. They should be happy to have made it, and shouldn't beat themselves up for not outdoing the Dodgers in LA in October. 

Tomorrow we break three ties. Pulling for my Yanks but, as it's a tough Boston team IN Fenway...prepared for either outcome. 

Wild Card Series' Day 1: Who You Came For

 

The Tigers have a lot to prove since blowing the divisional race to Cleveland, and I think starting their Wild Card series by putting their ace out there and shutting the Guardians down was the correct course of action.

Everyone's expecting this series to be close. Judging from the fact that Gavin Williams was similarly working, aside from his run, it's going to be. If Skubal didn't show up in this first game and give the Tigers a head-start, this wasn't gonna be productive at all for Detroit. That's the one one-up card they have, if that fails there's no point. Skubal went 7 and 2/3rds, struck out 14 and only allowed 1 hit. It's a truly sensational opening performance from THE guy for the Tigers, and it speaks louder than the small ball that ultimately won it.

I'm intrigued to see how the Guardians do against a pitcher that isn't Skubal tomorrow. I'm guessing the playing field will have been evened.

The combination of a Wrigley home crowd and a pitcher who's notoriously worse on the road spelt doom for the Padres immediately. Nick Pivetta against the Cubs faithful was gonna lead to an outcome like this. And though the Padres bullpen did their best to work around it, it's clear this Padres team cannot outhit the Cubs this year.

The Cubs got production from Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly, and power production at that, in addition to contact dominance from Nico Hoerner. They outpowered San Diego, the better power team who got nothing done against Matthew Boyd. The only Padres run was scored on a PCA error. Boyd himself kept the balls close and didn't overheat. I did not think this Padres team could be contained this easily, but there you have it. What's more, the team's usual closing option, Daniel Palencia, was in to relieve Boyd in the fifth, meaning the save went to Brad Keller, which was a pretty cool touch. 

Look, man. I don't care who you are. If your goal is to hit two different lefties throwing 100mph for 9 innings, you can't get too mad if you're not able to. That's insanely difficult. The Yankees have struggled against Crochet all year, and they haven't had much luck off of Chapman either. I applaud them for even being able to get hits off of Crochet at all, and the AV homer was a very big moment. Now...that was the extent of it, and there was a lot of guys left on, which is infuriating, but...Chapman's tough, man. He used to get bases-loaded saves with the Yanks all the time. Just give you the sliver of hope and then go in for the kill. 

The Yankees tried. But this game was gonna be the tough one, even with Max Fried having a similarly strong night. They figured out the flaws in the bullpen, and Yankee-killers like Masataka Yoshida and Alex Bregman found those puncture points. I can't say much else, man. We knew our weaknesses, and they knew 'em, and they found 'em and won. All you can hope for is that it doesn't happen again. 

This is the kind of playoff game you'd have expected from the Dodgers going into the season, with no knowledge of how disappointing much of the season would be. A huge offensive explosion against a great pitcher, double-homer days from both Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez, some full-lineup padding, even bit players like Rortvedt and Call getting in on it, and a masterful ace performance from Blake Snell. This is what the Dodgers wanted this season to lead to, and the fact that they got a game like this even after the tumultuous year before it speaks so much to their organizational depth and forward thinking. They can build a great team and it'll be so great that even injuries can't kill it. That's the Dodgers.

Snell, by the way, erased any angst from his mostly-lost season by being his usual, dominant self, going 7 strong with 2 earned runs and 9 Ks. This is the Blake Snell that the Rays loved giving the ball to back in 2020, and the Blake Snell that eventually became a hero for San Diego. And here he is, doing exactly what he's supposed to.

The Reds did show some fight late, which makes me think Game 2 could be a little closer, and the Dodgers' very atrocious bullpen did nothing to especially quell things. But if the Dodgers start rolling now I don't know if anyone will be able to stop them.

Wild Card Week Day 3: Believe it or Not

 

The very first series of the year, the Mets were swept by the Brewers. And not in an inoffensive way. There were big, flashy moments, including a damn near brawl at one point as a result of a dirty slide from Rhys Hoskins. The very last series of the year, the Brewers won the first two games against the Mets, and then right on the last game of the season, before they'd have to fly to Atlanta to see if this postseason thing would happen at all this year, the Mets won big, 5-0. The tide had turned. After a year of being pushed down by this superior Brewers team, something gave. Days later, it was revealed that the Mets would play the Brewers for at least two more games. 

Any chance of this series being cut and dry were removed at moment one. In a week of simple, predictable matchups, Mets-Brewers went back and forth the whole time. Great pitching, clutch hitting, come from behind victories, messy moments. Somehow, this had become the most evenly matched playoff series yet, and I wasn't gonna assume it'd end reasonably either.

Everything coming down to Devin Williams, Pete Alonso and the ninth felt inevitable. Remember, everything came down to Pierce Johnson and Francisco Lindor, I knew something was gonna happen there. So here, with two men on and Alonso stepping to the plate, the moment felt inevitable. And so...Alonso powered through.

The fact that it didn't stopped there, and they just kept hitting Williams to make it 4-2, thanks to great work from Jesse Winker and Starling Marte, just proves how badly the Mets wanted it. They got hungry midyear, and they became unstoppable. Nothing could stand in this team's way, which does make me worried for this Phils-Mets series. Out of the two teams, the Brewers matched up better against us. The Mets routinely have our number, and they could again. 

The Mets making an NLCS would be incredible. Not definite, not unheard of, but it's the kind of miracle only this franchise can make happen. The Phils will make it extremely difficult, though.

This has to be the last straw, right? 

It's not Counsell, it's not Yelich, it's not an improved youth movement. Somehow this Brewers team is still allergic to October, and they haven't figured out why. 

At certain points in this series, this team felt ready for the next level. Jackson Chourio, Willy Adames, Tobias Myers, Freddy Peralta, even Jake Bauers tonight, they all felt like they were heading to Philly with this kind of team effort. But the Mets just had more, and the Brewers were outmatched once again, despite all that regular season progress. They were the first to clinch, and now they're the last cut before the division series'. This has to hurt. I hope they can come back from it next year, but seeing as literally every other team in their division is making conscious efforts to improve after just being on the cusp of greatness this year, it's not gonna be a gimme. Then again, I said that last year, and here we are.

Saturday marks the beginning of the next stage of playoff greatness. Tigers-Guardians will be a battle between two impeccably-arranged contact-heavy beasts. Mets-Phillies will be an all out war to see whose destiny is more important. Yanks-Royals will be a true test of whether or not the Yanks are October ready this year. And Dodgers-Padres is gonna be a bloody rematch of 2022. It's gonna be amazing. I'll get the popcorn ready. 

Wild Card Week Day 2: Poetic Justice

 

I didn't think they'd actually be able to do it...

The Tigers had the momentum, the Astros were falling apart...it seemed like it'd be funny if it did happen, as unlikely as it was. I figured 'it's October, the Astros usually catch fire in October, this is the kind of team they could embarrass', but...at the same time, the Tigers embarrassing the Astros in Houston was just as likely. I just...hoped for an outcome. And I think it's wild that said outcome ended up happening.

The Tigers took down the Astros, and a dealing Hunter Brown, with only pure small ball. Parker Meadows' homer got the ball rolling early, but hits from Matt Vierling and Andy Ibanez broke the game open and made it much easier for the Tigers to roll into the ALDS. I have no idea how it happened, and I have no idea if they stand any chance against the Guardians, but they are scrappy, they can scrounge runs from anywhere, and they are unpredictable.

And so ends the Astros' 7 year run of making the ALCS. They had great moves, huge streaks, and smart organizational planning, but the pitching staff couldn't sustain itself and the team just wasn't as good as past versions. It was nice that Jon Singleton got to be this team's everyday first baseman, but Yuli Gurriel's seeing the second week of October and the rest of the Astros aren't. People are predicting some big pieces are gonna leave, and I have a hard time finding any sympathy for this team in that process. Oh no, the eight year dynasty you built is finally coming apart, you know, like a normal team! Talk to Jerod Mayo and see how he's coping. 

Meanwhile, though the Orioles put up more runs than yesterday, it was superior starting pitching and just the slightest offensive help that gave the Royals the edge. When you have Seth Lugo and that bullpen neutralizing the offense, all you need is a little something from Pasquantino or Witt and you've got a playoff win. Lucas Erceg got to bring it home, and after his breakthrough year he deserves that moment. The Royals are living pretty large right now, and giving how they've matched up against the Yankees thus far, they could legitimately chase New York in this 5-game series. I still think the Yanks have the edge, but the Royals have a lot that could keep us from steamrolling them.

Let's face it, the O's season ended a month and a half ago. The team ran out of steam, the rotation folded, Rutschman went cold, the Yanks secured the division lead...the Orioles' heart just wasn't in it for this stretch run. And I hate saying that, because this team seemed so strong at midseason. Ryan O'Hearn was nearly an all-star, and though he finishes the season with his head held high, he probably thought his postseason would last a little longer than this. This team just got dealt terrible luck this year, and hopefully the stars align so they can really go for it in 2025. 

Of the four wild card series', Mets-Brewers was the one I saw going all three games. And it's because even if the Mets take game one, you cannot count out A.) the Brewers' ability to be clutch, and B.) the Mets' ability to completely shit the bed. Both happening here was not surprising. Jackson Chourio having a 2-homer game? Very surprising. In April everyone was calling him inexperienced and not ready, and then he snapped to it and put together a really nice rookie season. He can hit 2 home runs in October games now, at 20. So that's very good for the Brewers, and makes their preseason extension move look really good. The Brewers have some leverage for tomorrow's game, as well as the knowledge that the Mets are very good at blowing opportunities. It'll be interesting to see how that one shakes out.

And the most inevitable series of wild card week wrapped up just as you thought it would. The Padres had been one of the best teams in baseball since midyear, and were virtually unstoppable in the last month or so. Even with Joe Musgrove being removed early, this bullpen, offense and full unit was the stronger one by far, and matched up insanely well against the Braves. Kyle Higashioka was responsible for the big moment once again tonight, proving that he really is a great fit with the Padres. Machado and Merrill equally impressed, and made sure it wasn't just Tatis covering the power this October. This team made quick work of Max Fried, stopped even late offensive surges from Michael Harris and Jorge Soler, and put a cap on a quick series. The Padres look to surprise the Dodgers and return to the NLCS. It'd be amazing if this happened, even despite all the selling they did after the Peter Seidler gambit failed.

Look, considering everything that's gone wrong for the Braves this year, I think making the playoffs in itself was a nice victory. They squeezed into the playoffs at the last second, with a lot of ailing team members, and did their best with a ragtag group of veterans helping out. Ramon Laureano, Gio Urshela, Whit Merrifield and Jorge Soler played big roles in this team, and that should say a lot. I think Soler did a lot to bring back the 2021 vibes, but it was never gonna be enough. Hopefully Riley, Acuna and Strider are healthy next year and this team can dominate again. 

The Phils anxiously wait to see who wins in Milwaukee. They arguably match up better against the Brewers, but the Mets could cling to life and force a crucial divisional rematch. 

Wild Card Week Day 1: The Shifting of Tides

 

One of the few games I had any time to watch today was Tigers-Astros. And it's a funny happenstance, because it was one of the few I had any vested interest in, due to an unflinching desire to see Houston suffer, and it happened to be on ABC, the channel my TV is automatically on anyway due to how often I watch Jeopardy during weeknights. And so I watched a bit of it. Watched Skubal work, watched the small ball chip away at Valdez. And I started looking around, going '...this is really happening, right?'

It is...incredible, unlikely, and hysterical, all at the same time, that after essentially skipping to first with no competition yet again, the Astros are being matched by the freaking Detroit Tigers. A team that, by July, was dead enough to deal away two of their best players, and everyone assumed that was that. Today, people like Wenceel Perez, Trey Sweeney, Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling and Jake Rogers were getting stuff done against these guys. And all the big stars on the Astros couldn't get anything done against Tarik Skubal. Is it a Skubal-centric thing...or is this team just matching well against the Astros?

I mean, you saw in the ninth, Jason Foley and Beau Brieske got lucky, they nearly ruined the whole thing but Brieske managed to shut it down. This was so close to being a ninth inning Astros victory. But it wasn't. And so the Tigers go into Game 2, with a band of relievers rather than a still-on-rest starter, hoping that Hunter Brown befalls a similar fate and they don't have to risk a Game 3 in Houston. I'd love for the Tigers to pull this off, just cause it'd be an amazing story.

The Royals-O's series, so far, is going how I thought it would. These Orioles are just tired. They haven't figured out how to leg out a full regular season regime yet. And Cole Ragans, who's coming off another great season, shut 'em down entirely, making it a sole run by Bobby Witt Jr. as the deciding factor. What makes me think the O's could leg it out is that it was just that run, thanks to an equally impressive start from Corbin Burnes. Tomorrow will be Eflin v. Lugo, and that could be pretty cool too. I still think the Royals ultimately have this one, but you never know when the Orioles could suddenly spring to life.

I think we were all expecting the 'lolmets' moment to happen by now, and it's honestly just refreshing that it hasn't. This Mets-Brewers match was tense for a while, lots of back-and-forth nibbling away. Then the Mets broke it open in the fifth and never looked back. The key to this team is that everyone can pitch in- Jesse Winker and Starling Marte got things rolling, and then Vientos, Iglesias and Martinez finished the job. I do worry about the Mets' relatively thin pitching ceiling, Sevvy got the job done today but I'm not sure if Peterson, Manaea and Quintana are gonna be the best postseason options, especially given the strength of the field. Still, happy for the Mets, it'd be cool if they kept it going.

Padres-Braves is also going exactly how I thought. The Braves, like the O's, don't have much left. Without Marcell Ozuna they'd be cooked. They didn't have Sale tonight, so they had to start AJ Smith-Shawver, and...that went how I expected it to. It's very funny that what led them past the Braves tonight were two of the pieces they got for Juan Soto. Kyle Higashioka had a very helpful RBI after the Tatis homer, and Michael King had a BEAUTIFUL start, with 12 Ks, no runs and no walks. It makes me sad that he never got to be a postseason hurler for us, even though, yes Clarke Schmidt might still be great in October. But I'm still happy he got to be a trusted postseason starter, and I hope the Padres can clear this hurdle tomorrow.

I think 2 of these are gonna get settled tomorrow [ideally 3 but, y'know, the Astros], and at least 1 will need to go to 3 games. We'll see how right I am tomorrow.

Wild Card Series' Day 2: Well, That Was Easy

 

I mean, I kinda assumed one of these Wild Card series' would go all three, but damn. Two days of games and we're out. Alright then. Makes it a lot easier.

I think the MLB guys knew that the Rangers-Rays series would have the most obvious outcome, which is why they played 'em so early. The Rangers came within inches of a division title, as did the Rays, but of the two teams that petered off after the first half, the Rangers still felt the most like a contender. Meanwhile, the Rays' starting pitching paled in comparison to the Rangers', and just putting up Nate Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery, ironically two ex-Yankees, was enough to silence the Rays for good. The biggest takeaway from this wild card series was Evan Carter, the rookie who homered his way into legitimacy among Rangers fans, and made himself just another big part of the team's future. The Rangers may not meet with their sworn enemies immediately, but I see this Rangers-Orioles series being tough, potentially going all 5 games, and taking the most out of both teams. Honestly? The Rangers might be able to win this one, if the pitching stays as solid on their end.

The Twins winning rights two MLB wrongs. One is the obvious, giving them a series win for the first time in two decades. The other has been bugging me for years: the last time a central divisional team won a playoff series was 2019, and it was those stinking Cardinals. All of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 campaigns went without a single playoff series win by any of the ten teams from the central divisions. The 2019 Twins, 2020-21 White Sox, 2022 Guardians, and LITERALLY ALL FOUR CENTRAL TEAMS THAT MADE THE 2020 PLAYOFFS, could not advance. So having the Twins finally break that streak felt really good. 

It's also cool that somebody like Willi Castro got to play a big part in this win. The Twins have gotten material out of their stars, but they've let Donovan Solano, Willi Castro, Bailey Ober and Edouard Julien have their moments as well. This is a very fun Twins team, and them advancing was honestly a foregone conclusion after their September. I just hope they have enough to take down Houston. Could you IMAGINE an ALCS year for Minnesota? Wouldn't that be awesome??

The Diamondbacks taking their Wild Card series was one I sort of saw coming, even if I still figured the Brewers could sneak up when they least expected it. But somehow the Arizona bullpen shut these guys out in later innings, and the D-Backs lineup kept raining down on this once-strong Milwaukee team. Evan Longoria had the big moment last night, and tonight Tommy Pham brought in an RBI and cemented his place on this team. Pham's had a troubled few years, but I think he's evaded some of his rotten luck and is back to doing things right. 

The D-Backs will need a lot more of this luck to evade the Dodgers, who, like usual, seek to claim an easy playoff spot. I see a slight chance of an upset, but the D-Backs will have to work for it.

And, once again, we have the hometown team. I was a little nervous when Thomson put up Nola for this game, as he's only briefly shown true greatness this year. I shouldn't have worried. Nola went 7 strong without allowing any runs, and worked some true postseason magic while Realmuto, Schwarber, Turner and Stott made swiss cheese of the Marlins' pitching. Braxton Garrett getting lit up I could have guessed, but the bullpen as well? Andrew Nardi, who's been excellent this year? This team really is legit. 

The Phillies will need to hope lightning strikes twice against Atlanta. Miami was very much the easy part; the Braves have one of the most ferocious offenses in the majors, and while there is the factor of lessening momentum, which did cloud their September, the Braves still could be trouble. I could see this series going either way. I just want to believe the Phillies can make this happen. The stars look like they're aligning. They just need to keep fighting.

And as for the fallen:

The 2023 Rays team were...a Tampa Bay Rays team. They're all the same to me at this point. They all do the same things, use the same kinds of players, have the same issues. This year's had a ton more pitching injuries and the single most unfortunate thing to come out about a guy they have signed for 10 years. I assume there will be players traded this offseason to offset costs. Manny Margot, I hope you haven't signed a lease in St. Pete..

The one sad part of the Twins advancing is that the Jays, who will once again end their surefire playoff run right after it's started, still can't deliver on their promises. They have the team, they have the foundation, they certainly have the pitching...they just can't get it done. And yanking Jose Berrios, thereby undoing the thread that held this game together for the Jays, was the most heartbreaking part. Had he stayed in, there's a chance they would have legged it out.

I hope next year is the year things change. Though, again, if everybody in the AL East competes, it still could be very difficult for them. 

Similarly, since 2018 the Brewers haven't gotten anything done in October either, and this team, despite a strong regular season finish, fell to a wild card team, the only division leader this year to do so in this round. Sal Frelick was one of the few people that made me think the Brewers could make it close, as he contributed to an early offensive boost before the 5th and 6th innings. 

The Brewers need to ensure that the team consistently succeeds at the plate. Cause having 3 guys that can hit isn't gonna cut it going forward. Not when the Cubs and Reds also exist.

I genuinely thought the Marlins were gonna make it a 3-game series. Out of all of them. With Josh Bell hitting as well as he was, I thought they could drum something up against the bullpen. But with no Sandy Alcantara, no Eury Perez, and the feeling that something was missing from this lineup, there was no chance for them. Aside from Bell, no other Marlins really did anything too special this series, and it saddens me, because they looked so fun during the heat of the season.

It will be tough for the Marlins to try something like this again, but not impossible, especially if everyone stays healthy. 

So now we've got our division series' matchups. Some I think I can predict, some I don't want to even try. I just know they're gonna be interesting. The absolute worst case scenario is getting a boring outcome. We do not want Astros-Dodgers again, or even honestly Astros-Braves. I wanna see something I've never seen before. Two teams that haven't been here in a while, or have NEVER been here, and can make an entertaining, enjoyable World Series experience. I just hope that isn't too much to ask. 

Wild Card Series' Day 1: Starting Guns

 

My rooting interest lies with the Rangers during their leg of the AL Wild Card games, solely because the fact that they got the AL West yanked out from under them by technicalities installed essentially this season needs to be rectified.

The Astros aren't good enough this year for a first round bye. They just aren't. But with a commissioner who clearly loves them and hates when they don't win things, they're gonna get by a lot easier even when they don't need to. Which is why the Rangers are pit against the 99-win Rays rather than Houston getting them. To this end, it does mean that I can root against the Rays, rather than rooting for them in this series and hoping they don't get too hot.

The Rangers have been an exceptional team this year, they've just been very unlucky. They run out of steam at the worst times. So my hope was that they'd strike the Rays when they least expect it, and before they have an opportunity to fall apart. Having the Rangers strike first, and before they get to Eovaldi or Dunning in the rotation, makes me very confident.

It also tells you how good of an idea it was for them to pick up Jordan Montgomery. Once again, Brian Cashman never should have given that guy up, he is a handy guy to have around, and his stock has only rose since leaving the Yankees. Gumby got a Game 1 start and went 7 innings without allowing a run. That never could have happened for the Yanks. 

I'm optimistic that the Rangers can keep things going for one more game, though you can never completely count the Rays out.

My rooting interest also lies with the Twins for their Wild Card series, solely because I want them to surprise everybody. The whole season they've been accused of just being carried to the playoffs on the power of the rest of their division [sucking], and while they did become a much better team in September, there's still a lot of skeptics out there. Plus, they're against another unlucky postseason team, the Blue Jays, who've had great teams but no postseason series wins to show for it. 

Yesterday's Twins victory was their first in 2 decades. So if you think the Jays have gone a bit without succeeding, give them time; the 2016 team's barely in the rearview. 

The Twins only really needed two guys to bring down the Jays in Game 1. One of them was Royce Lewis, who hit two home runs, making up for his injury-plagued seasons with ferocity. The other was Pablo Lopez, who had an excellent start, striking out 3 and only giving up 1 run. Those two guys did all the work. It does make me worry that it's keeping the team from being fully versatile, as a lot of guys in this lineup did nothing at the plate in Game 1. They may all get rolling today, you never know. Or, it could be the Jays' turn, as Berrios may have a score to settle in Minneapolis. 

One of the hooks of the Diamondbacks making the playoffs was the opportunity for MLB fans to see rookie Corbin Carroll in the playoffs. And he delivered almost immediately against Milwaukee. 

The Brewers did put up some nice numbers against Brandon Pfaadt, which I sort of thought they'd do, with Carlos Santana and Tyrone Taylor making it 3-0. Then, like magic, Corbin Carroll arrived, and took something Corbin Burnes threw out there yard. Then Ketel Marte followed suit. An inning later Gabriel Moreno got into it. What began as a one-sided pitching matchup turned into a dangerous, versatile lineup getting the best of one of the strongest pitchers in baseball. I'm shocked...but I'm not, like, completely gobsmacked by it. This D-Backs team is not to be trifled with, they could do some real damage going forward.

Christian Walker and Paul Sewald made it an easy finish. Against a Brewers team that's been hard to tame all year, they made it look like child's play. 

And then there's the hometown team.

Gotta be honest, as good as this team has been, the Marlins are the exact kind of team that can cause trouble for us. They can beat you up late, creep up and flip the script while you're relaxing. Josh Bell had me sweating a little late with his hard-hitting theatrics and multiple doubles. There is enough to this team that even when things were going well, especially when Zack Wheeler was on the mound, I wasn't completely assured. 

And yet this team delivered. And yet people like Harper, Realmuto, Stott, Bohm, and even Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache, just kept outdoing the Marlins' pitching. And yet Wheeler stayed unrattled. And yet Jose Alvarado mopped up multiple messes. I'm still very hesitant that these Phillies may not catch fire like last year's could, but this game was a very good sign, and one that could lead to something great. 

May they keep at it for as long as they can. I love this team, and I love seeing them outdo the odds.

Wild Card Series' Day 3: Mets Twist Again [Like They Did Last Summer]

 

I once had a reader tell me I was being too salty about the Mets on here, so I'll try and keep an open mind. But with this...oh gosh that's so difficult.

How do you see a Mets team go from a 100-win monolith with no weaknesses to being kicked out of first by the Braves to getting railed in a playoff series by the Padres, who were lower in the standings than them, and not think it's the funniest thing ever? Even the Mets fans have been going '...I mean, these are the Mets, they do this'. How do you see the Padres go against one of the best pitchers of our generation, Max Scherzer, and completely dominate him, and not think God's just enjoying himself?

And how do you see Joe Musgrove deliver one of his best starts in years against the Mets while Buck Showalter, searching for a way to get him off the mound, complains that maybe he's using an illegal substance on his ears, when in fact it was a LEGAL substance that Showalter couldn't do anything about, and not just enjoy the entire journey of baseball history that led to this exact point? This guy was two managers before Torre in the Bronx and here he is just trying to get a dominant pitcher away from his lineup. Look, his earwax has tack on it!

The thing is, I genuinely do feel bad for this Mets team. They were right there, so close, and genuinely had the team to go far...and then things slipped slightly, a bunch of unlucky things happened in the span of a week, and now the Phillies are in the playoffs and they aren't. I genuinely thought Pete Alonso, Jacob deGrom and Edwin Diaz were gonna be big figures in this postseason. Instead, this is the latest and greatest Mets team to lose all momentum late after a big start. I really hope they can figure out how to sustain momentum, because this is terrible.

As for the Padres...look, they've got a pretty sharp team. Musgrove, Darvish, Grisham and Soto have been huge weapons for them, and now they're heading into a series against the Dodgers, a team they grappled with famously in the leadup to the World Series in 2020. It's a pretty cool revenge match, and I think the Padres have the momentum to be something of an apt opponent for these Dodgers. LA is still the better team, but the Padres have proven they have the power to upset 100-win teams.

And so the field is set. All four high seeds will be playing teams they've had trouble beating this season. The Dodgers have struggled against San Diego, the Braves have lost some games to Philly, the Astros have actually seemed human in some games against Seattle, and the Yankees notoriously blew some games to Cleveland this summer. There are stakes, history, and interesting possibilities. Aside from my selfish desire for a rematch of the 2009 World Series, I'd love to see perennial underdogs like the Mariners or Padres make it all the way. 

The Mets will be back. With an exit like this, they have to be.

Wild Card Day 1 Observations: Karmic Retribution at Work

 

I think one of the ultimate goals this postseason for the teams that don't always dominate recent postseasons to do well. You know, I am very worried that we could have another year where the same few teams, like the Astros, Rays, Dodgers, Cardinals and Braves make it all the way [yes, I can hear you saying 'What about the Yankees?'], and I'd love to see the sort of underdog teams that don't always make it here have nice Octobers and start new regimes. And judging by the first day of the Wild Card series', I think we are seeing some of that at work.

I mean, I think the most traditional modern-day postseason team that won yesterday was probably Cleveland. They've been a perennial postseason team, even if they haven't had much luck since 2016. And now that they've let the kids come up and dominate the team along with Ramirez, they come off as fresh underdogs again. So, seeing them pummel the Rays a bit was fun. I've talked at length about why I don't like the Rays this season [I'll give ya a hint, it has to do with Jason Adam, Jeffrey Springs, Jalen Beeks and Ryan Thompson], but I also don't like how they just waltz into the playoffs without having a particularly durable or efficient team. It was a very simple game, but I'm glad Ramirez got the better of the Rays' pitching, and I hope this team can do it again today. 

So...I watched almost the entirety of the Phillies-Cardinals game yesterday. Thrilling stuff if ya love pitching and defense. I watched every single hit Philly ball go to a Cardinals outfielder, and I watched a few Cardinals balls go unanswered for a bit until Juan Yepez stepped up to bat, I audibly went 'oh no' and he blasted one to Mars. Fun stuff. So I run out to pick up some food in the top of the ninth, come back and it's 6-2 Phils. I was extremely confused. I had basically resigned myself to a Philly loss, and was just looking forward to what Aaron Nola would be doing today, but...sure enough, the Phils got hits off of Ryan Helsley and small-balled their way to a win. Which means I should get food during the game more often. I'm glad the heroes can be people like Bryson Stott, David Robertson, Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm. Proof that it doesn't have to just be the big guys. Hoping for a big Game 2 as well.

...Bless the Seattle Mariners, man. They've been waiting 21 years for this, they come in there and absolutely throttle a team that people were saying would be a postseason lock all year. Not that the Blue Jays didn't try, but the Ms had Luis Castillo throwing smoke, Raleigh and Suarez having fun at the plate, and so many elements clicking into place now. My uncle's a Mariners guy, and though he watched the game with baited breath, he's gotta be relieved that this team can work in October. I hope it lasts longer than this one game.

And then...the upset of the night, not counting inning 9 in St. Louis. Max Scherzer, one of the best pitchers in baseball, being too hurt to hold down the Padres lineup. Josh Bell, Jurickson Profar, Trent Grisham and Manny Machado all took him yard, and made everybody rethink their postseason predictions. Even if the Mets' bullpen was pretty strong afterwards, and there were signs of life thanks to Eduardo Escobar, the Padres looked phenomenal last night, and Yu Darvish looked absolutely untouchable. The Padres need to prove that they can stop the Mets consistently, as the Mets will be putting up deGrom today against Blake Snell, which looks like a winning matchup for New York. If the Padres win today, the Mets fans' passive aggressive anger will be through the roof.

I hope we get some more fun games today. Would love to see some teams advance, especially Philly.

NL Wild Card: Money Beats Luck

 

Seeing as the AL Wild Card didn't go as planned for me, it's very nice that the NL Wild Card game went exactly as I wished it would. The single most infuriating non-Astros team in the playoff picture got bounced in an instant. It was a very good day.

And I saw a lot of people online going 'yeah, the real winner would be if a meteor destroyed Dodger Stadium and both teams got incinerated'. FIRST OF ALL...THAT IS NOT HOW METEORS WORK. There'd be a bunch of Cardinals and Dodgers going 'OW'. It's not like a gigantic explosion. I may not have a degree in science, or anything applicable to the advancement of society [screenwriting, I went to school for screenwriting], but I'm pretty sure that just a lot of people would get hurt. Which, I think, still accomplishes the primary goal of the threat, but less colorfully.

Also, and this is maybe because I root for east coast teams, I don't have a ton of issues with the Dodgers. Why should I? They're like the Yankees, except they actually get to World Series' and keep the same manager when they lose a playoff game. I don't hate anyone on the Dodgers. I'm patient with Bellinger, I love the fringe guys like Tony Gonsolin and Phil Bickford. And come on, you can't hate on Albert Pujols. It's impossible. The guy's a living legend, and now he's the cute uncle of the Dodgers clubhouse. And the media wants me to hate Trevor Bauer, but we never really found out whether it was actual abuse or just a rough sex thing. Is Trevor Bauer about to become the Johnny Depp of baseball? Like, when he's actually innocent of this one thing but enough people are saying 'yeah, but he probably did SOMETHING bad at some point'?

So the Dodgers are a very successful, very well-built team that has a lot of players that I like, and is one of now FOUR teams I don't have much of a problem with that are in the NL playoff picture. Meanwhile, the Cardinals ruptured Ryan Howard's achilles, have constantly made the playoffs in years where there was no room in the conversation for them, and annoyed the hell out of me with this 14-game streak from this year. Of course I wanted the Dodgers to win, and I'm glad they did.

It was very tense watching this game as the score was close the whole time, and it was very much a game of inches. Whose bullpen will break? Whose lineup will spark fire? Who will make a mistake first? Even though the Dodgers were the better team, they still couldn't get past Luis Garcia and Giovanny Gallegos. And the Cards couldn't get past Kelly, Graterol, Treinen, Knebel or Jansen, because DAMN that Dodgers bullpen is awesome this year. 

But when Taylor walked off, it just felt nice. I could have used it about 5 innings ago, but it was nice.

I dunno what I'm gonna do in the AL, other than hope the White Sox somehow stick it out over Houston. But the NL is pretty open for me. I'd be fine with any of the four making a World Series, though arguably the more fun teams will be playing each other in Milwaukee tomorrow night. If the Dodgers repeat, that may be the most boring outcome, but it's still better than another Astros World Series. 

Tonight, some AL matchups. I am rooting for both kinds of Sox. I know, weird, right?

AL Wild Card: So Much For That

 Well I'm glad we got the heartbreak out of the way on literally the first day of the playoffs. 

I wanna go back and examine the science of how the Red Sox got that higher seed, and therefore home field advantage last night. Because we had the same record, and the Yankees won their game first, and that means it probably went down to who had more wins over the other, and...look man, maybe a lot of those wins were in May or June, back when the script was kind of flipped for both of those teams.

Am I saying that the 6-2 loss wouldn't have happened if we were in Yankee Stadium, and maybe had competent umps? Yeah, I am. Somebody pulled up a stat last night that two of Giancarlo Stanton's singles in Fenway would have been homers in Yankee Stadium. Also, Cole getting beat up is probably the result of him facing a bloodthirsty away crowd. So the smallest of stats dulled our best hitter and best pitcher, and gave the win to the Red Sox. 

...What I'm saying is that if somebody sifts through all the close Yanks-Sox games that the Sox won and all of them were down to an Angel Hernandez call, I wouldn't be surprised. 

I'm whining. Of course I'm whining. The Red Sox, at the end of the day, are the better team, and also the luckier team. The Yankees were very okay this whole season and had spurts of greatness. The Sox were a good team this season that had spurts of terribleness. Clearly, the actual good team is gonna win in a one-game playoff, unless something goes terribly wrong. And what can I say? Nate Eovaldi showed up, the offense got the best of even some Yankee titans, and it wasn't much of a contest. I can't really say we were robbed, at least not in the circumstances we were left with last night.

And so here we are. We have an AL bracket where three of the teams are ones I would rather not win anything, and also the White Sox. My best case scenario for all of this is a White Sox-Rays ALCS. Just flush out the Astros and Red Sox, take the pain away. I'm not gonna love it if the Rays repeat, but it's better than a lot of the other outcomes here. All of the fun options are in the NL, at least as long as the Dodgers win tonight. 

I no longer have a horse in this playoff race. So, uh...go White Sox, I suppose. And the Brewers, I dunno, a friend of mine started working for the Brewers this year and I want him to enjoy himself. 

AL Wild Card: The Inevitable

 
Once the Rays took hold of the AL East, there was really only going to be one outcome for the AL Wild Card game, as much as the Blue Jays, A's and Mariners wanted to think otherwise. It was always going to be Yankees-Red Sox.

And it sums up a lot of the baseball year. The Red Sox represent the first half, where J.D. Martinez went on his home run tear, Nick Pivetta returned to the baseball limelight, Barnes was a major closer in the league, and Bogaerts and Devers were contact superstars. And the Yankees represent the second half, where the streak illuminated the best of habits, Rizzo and Gallo added to the fun, Stanton and Judge took off, and Gerrit Cole had some truly mesmerizing starts. 

But the reason they're both in the wild card game is that neither of them is wholly great enough to lead. The Rays played the best kind of small-ball, building an excellent roster of efficient players without a great deal of big names. The Yanks and Sox had big names, and big moments, but also big droughts and big collapses. This game is a second chance for both of them. If this were 2020, they'd still be seeded well enough to potentially dominate in the postseason. 

And so it's really a matter of which team truly shows up tonight. The Sox may have the better contact hitters, but Gerrit Cole's on the mound. And the Yanks may have some serious power, but they also can strike out a lot, and with Nasty Nate on the mound, it could be tricky. It's going to probably come down to who pounces first, and it could be either.

I'm pulling for my Yankees obviously, despite knowing that they're a bit more human this year. They also have had the most recent momentum. But it's far from a lock, and we won't know what's going on until things truly get underway tonight.