Here are three things worth monitoring in baseball today, with a chance for the World Series matchup to be locked in by day’s end. It will be the last day of the year with more than one MLB game, so enjoy!
1. NLCS Game 6:
After the Phillies took Game 5 in Arizona, they have a chance to end the series tonight, with Game 6 starting at 4:07pm Central. Doing so would punch their ticket to the World Series for a second straight year. Of course, the Diamondbacks will be looking to take this game and live to fight another day. Aaron Nola will take the ball for the Phils and will be hoping to extend his outstanding postseason run, having thrown 18 2/3 innings over three starts with an ERA of 0.96. As an impending free agent, it feels like he’s earning himself millions of future dollars each time he climbs the hill this month. Merrill Kelly starts for the Snakes, having registered an ERA of 3.00 in his two playoff outings this year.
2. ALCS Game 7:
After a deflating loss in Game 5, the Rangers bounced back with an emphatic victory in Game 6, pushing the series to a seventh game. Strangely, this will be the first winner-take-all game of this year’s postseason, since every Wild Card series was a two-game sweep and none of the Division Series went to five games. Max Scherzer will be starting for the Rangers, making his second appearance after returning from injury. The first one didn’t go so well, as he allowed five earned runs in four innings, but he’ll obviously be hoping for better results tonight. If he and the club are successful, the Rangers will head to the World Series for the first time since 2011. The Astros counter with Cristian Javier, who has an ERA of 1.69 in his two starts this postseason, continuing his trend of clicking in the spotlight. In 43 1/3 playoff innings in his career, his ERA is just 2.08. If the Astros take it tonight, they will return to the World Series for a third straight year and their fifth appearance in the past seven Fall Classics.
As of right now, it’s unknown if Bryan Abreu will be available for the Astros after he received a two-game suspension for Game 5’s fireworks. Abreu appealed that suspension, allowing him to pitch in Game 6 last night, but that appeal will be heard today. Game time is 7:03 pm Central.
3. Managerial musical chairs:
There was a surprising twist out of California yesterday, with the Padres giving manager Bob Melvin permission to speak with their division rivals in San Francisco about their open managerial position. The Giants are one of four clubs with an empty skipper’s chair, along with the Guardians, Mets and Angels, but it seems the Padres might be replacing them on that list. The Brewers could be added as well, with Craig Counsell’s contract set to expire at the end of October, which is just over a week away now.
Which Scherzer will show up tonight? The blue or brown one
The one with the hanging slider that will get taken yard by the ‘stros.
Man has he looked like s@#t this series. Typical October Max. Man that slider gets out of the park quick!! I’m rooting for the Rangers because I’ll always love deGrom even though he’s not really a part of this run although Seager,Seimien, and deGrom have changed the perception of Texas as has Bochy. But I hope Max gets bombed everytime he goes out there.
Good grief — your season on the line with a the remnants of a future HoF that’s barely been on your team and only 2nd GS removed from injury? Are Ranger fans ok with this?? Jobu will need to be repainted with all the rubbing for this one.
Alvarez v. Scherzer (.500 in 12 PA) — juicy
There isn’t anyone on the team aside from Montgomery and Eovaldi (who aren’t rested) that is a better option. Gray is wildly inconsistent, and also coming back from injury. Dunning, Bradford and Perez are soft tossers who probably get lit up by the Astros lineup, while Heaney profiles better as a reliever given his two pitch mix. If the Rangers have a better choice, I’d love to hear your suggestion.
No Soup…It seems that all four remaining teams have two top SP: Gallen and Kelly, Eovaldi and Montgomery, Valdez and Javier, and Wheeler and Nola. If Scherzer gets off to a bad start, Bochy will likely go to the bullpen. Game 7, and Bochy is a far better manager than Baker.
I don’t disagree, my point is there isn’t anyone else I would rather have starting the game, even if it is with a short leash.
Idk what’s more overrated Seinfeld for being funny or the Mets for being a quality organization.
Such a terrible look for the league if Abreu’a suspension is upheld.
On the contrary, what a terrible look if it isn’t.
He shouldn’t have been ejected much less suspended.
jjd002: Really? A guy hits a three-run homer, then gets hit by a fastball on the first pitch of his next AB? That’s definitely sending a message. Something like that was all but expected in another era, but pitchers weren’t throwing 98+ mph. Abreu should definitely be gone for tonight’s game and fined heavily.
Do you understand baseball? It was a 2 run game in the ALCS. Nobody in their right mind is hitting anyone on purpose. They do what the rangers did a decade ago to Batista if they were upset, wait until the next season.
And to add to it – they suspended him 2 games in a 7 game series. That’s like suspending someone 20+ games during the regular season. Bad precedent they are setting. Bert Campaneris literally threw his bat at a player in the ‘72 ALCS and they had his suspension start at the beginning of the regular season. That’s exactly when this suspension should be held, if a suspension should be required. Not sure why they are breaking precedent here.
The math on postseason vs regular season doesnt check out. They dont base suspensions on percentage of the series they are playing in.
Suspensions from postseason infractions should have postseason ramifications. Players could injure another player from dangerous rulebreaking and take them out of the postseason and then not pay for it until the next season. That seems like an uneven exchange
Those were the old days.
Not anymore…..
That’s because no body gets suspension in a playoff
Problem is, even if it weren’t intentional, it still leaves the strong suspicion it was. Two of the espn commentators said they didn’t feel it was, but at the same time one also did feel that it was.
When you have a situation that leads to speculation of whether or not it was intentional or not, you’re going to be throwing inside at your own peril. Because if it does hit them, that’s what people are going to think the intention was.
If there’s no reason to believe it was intentional, then it’s written up as one that got away. If there’s cause for belief, such as it being retaliation for something and you plunk someone, there’s going to be those who feel it was intentional.
Another thing that doesn’t help his case is, the commentators even say he only hit 3 batters all year. So while there is the fact it’s “only 3”, I’d say that still means that he’s a pitcher that doesn’t seemingly throw all that wild. Even his strikeouts to walks for the season look to be in line with someone who seems to hit his targets with consistent results. So there’s going to be people who assume he threw it intentionally even if it seems dumb to have done so.
Do you believe it was intentional? As much as Smoltz has grown on my nerves, he may be the most credible voice on this particular matter and his first reaction was that it was on purpose. Although I agreed with Smoltz, not sure that Abreu’s true intention can be proven. Play ball
I’m not sure if I believe it was intentional or not, but the problem with it is that there was too much there to leave it open to be interpreted as intentional. That makes it hard to appeal, because if you’re drilling someone with a first pitch fastball the next ab after, it’s going to be looked at with the possibility of being intentional. And when it leads to the benches clearing, that’s going to factor negatively in. Yeah, sure, there’s people watching the game who like to see a bit of intensity of the benches clearing. But MLB is going to take it seriously.
This is what’s cute when people use small sample sizes to support their opinions.
In just a little over 300 innings in the minors he hit 26 hitters and threw 47 wild pitches. In 180 innings in the pros he’s hit 12 batters and has had 12 wild pitches, baring in mind he throws the majority of the time to Maldonado who’s one of the best catchers in the game.
Does that not sound like a guy who is a little wild? Furthermore, Abreu threw a grand total of 6 pitches that night, 5 were balls.
So with a runner on 1st in a two run game, after walking a guy on 5 pitches, Abreu, with pin point control apparently, drilled Garcia intentionally. Garcia also didn’t even bother to try to get out of the way.
What they didn’t say is he was pitching out of the slide, where he’s more likely to let one slip.
I disagree.. He did it on purpose and he could have. seriously hurt or killed the batter.
All because he got his feelings hurt over a bat flip.
That behavior doesn’t belong in the game, pitchers today throw way too hard. I would have suspended him for a month…..
> he could have … killed the batter.
Huh?
You can thank almomar and Alex roddruiguez for incidents during the playoffs that warranted suspensions but those weren’t served until the start of the following seasons under then rules. Ruing a gentleman’s game during the playoffs.
All I know for sure is that when Game 7 is settled tonight, one team will clearly be a complete choke artist who just couldn’t compete with the other.
Because baseball is now football.
The Rangers had a good streak, but they couldn’t handle the unpredictability of Scherzer, who tends to falter under pressure with a 3.90 FIP.
I would pitch Scherzer 2 or 3 innings at the most tonight. Then, use your entire bullpen and hope the game doesn’t go 18 innings.
All hands on deck tonight. If he struggles, everyone gets an inning. Don’t give the hitters any chance to get comfortable, vary speeds, arm angles, lefty/righty and “stuff” often. Lose and go home.
I hate Scherzer almost as much as Martin Perez. I fast forward innings Perez pitches. Now, if bith pitched today, it would give me conflicting feelings, eased only if Texas scores 10+ runs early. If Texas wins, they should “party like it’s” 2019.
They should’ve started Dunning the Gator. Scherzer is a lock HOF and didn’t need this stage for his ego.
I expect we will see Dunning tonight. Could Heaney pitch again? He didn’t throw many pitches last night but as a starter isn’t used to pitching back to back games. I expect Montgomery could also pitch an inning or two.
I love these all or nothing games, which is why the best of three wildcard games, while admittedly fairer, aren’t nearly as fun as one winner take all game.
Your right. He’s ego is a massive as the state of Texas. Now he’s got a thumb injury. Excuses anyone??
” Max Scherzer will be starting for the Rangers”
As Porky Pig used to say, “That’s all, Folks!”
With the Angels hiring Don Chiti as Pitching Coordinator, I would believe Buck Showalter’s hiring as manager will soon follow.
Doesn’t matter. The AL West is too strong for the Angels in 24’, possibly much longer.
One thing I think isn’t being talked about enough is how bad the Astros have been at home. I saw a stat that if they advance to the WS, they would be the first team to ever do so with a losing record at home. Not just that, but they have been really, really bad at home recently. In Sept/Oct, they are 5-15 at home and that includes sweeps by the Royals and Yankees and losing 2/3 to the A’s. Its clearly a boogeyman for them right now (and has been as recently as the 2019 WS, which was the first time the visiting team lost every game in a 7-game series).
To be clear, Abreu’s suspension is for two postseason games. Period. No gaming the system so it can be next year regular season.
Texas is hoping both pitchers return to this season’s mean. They are also hoping Scherzer doesn’t have a dead arm.
@jorge @jjd002
What no-one has commented on is where Maldonado was set up. Pretty much middle middle, certainly not close to a brush back. I have to then wonder what Maldonado said that created such a response…
Regardless, only Abreu knows, and I guess we’ll never know…
Peter in London
Apparently, the dugout called for him to do a side step when he threw the pitch. This is the first time all year he has done this side step. So that might explain why he missed the location of up and in to Garcia.
Shouldn’t the results of the appeal be forthcoming by now? What gives?
@Gilbert
But you are suggesting that Maldonado was unaware?
No disrespect but none of that makes sense. But, genuinely I’m a clueless English guy, so please explain.
I’m not suggesting anything about Maldonado. Abreu’s control was already off that night. He walked the previous batter, and the dugout told him to alter his delivery by doing a sidestep move. It is quick pitch sort of move to help fool the batter and / or runner. That was the first time he had done that move all year. So, that would explain the reason that he missed his spot by a large margin. At least to me anyways.
@Gilbert…
Cool. Appreciate your explanation. Still seems a strange time to try it, to me at least. But I do get what you are saying after a five pitch walk previously…
Slide step, not Side step. It quickens a pitcher’s delivery time to home and sometimes the arm is a little late catching up to the lower half causing the pitch to run up and in to a RH hitter. I agree that you shouldn’t ask a player to do something in the playoffs that he wasn’t asked to do in the regular season.
I remember the last guy saying the Rangers had an epic collapse in game 5. Remember, it’s a 7 game series. They’re up now but whatever happens, they certainly didn’t just give up or collapse until at least game 7.
Dusty Baker’s got that (choking) dog in him
The Astros hit batters; the Rangers hit homeruns
Should that be my new username?
Texas is in barring a truly epic collapse. Boras is salivating for sure after Montgomery bailed out Scherzer.