Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. NLDS Game 2:
While the ALDS had its second game of the series yesterday, the NL had a day off. The NLDS will resume today with games in Milwaukee and Philadelphia. The Phillies will be looking to avoid dropping a second consecutive home game to the Dodgers after Teoscar Hernandez’s three-run homer gave Los Angeles a 5-3 lead they would not relinquish. At 6:08pm local time this evening, a duel between opposing lefties will begin as two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell steps up for the Dodgers to face off against Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo. Three hours later (8:08pm local time), the Brewers will take the field and try to put the Cubs on the brink of elimination while Chicago will try to put Saturday’s 9-3 drubbing in the past and send a tied series to Wrigley Field. Lefty Shota Imanaga will be on the mound for the Cubs today. The Brewers will use fellow southpaw Aaron Ashby as an opener with right-hander Quinn Priester likely to handle bulk innings.
2. Yankees on the brink:
The Yankees managed to win back-to-back elimination games against the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series last week, but now they’ll need to win three consecutive elimination games if they hope to stay alive and advance to the ALCS after they were no-hit by Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage through 5 1/3 innings while the Jays’ offense piled on 13 runs by the end of the sixth inning. While New York rallied a bit against the Toronto bullpen, it wasn’t enough to stop the Bombers from entering today’s off-day staring down the possibility of getting swept in front of their home crowd on Tuesday.
3. Managerial searches continue:
While the playoffs continue, a number of teams eliminated from the postseason are on the hunt for a new manager. Skip Schumaker has already been hired in Texas to replace Bruce Bochy, but that still leaves vacancies in Colorado, Baltimore, San Francisco, Minnesota, Atlanta, Anaheim, and Washington D.C. New candidates emerged for the Giants and Angels yesterday, but other potential candidates like Mets executive Andy Green have passed on the opportunity to be considered for a managerial gig. With so many vacancies yet to be filled, plenty of intriguing candidates will emerge over the next few weeks as teams conduct interviews and ask rival organizations for permission to speak with their employees.
Might be adding the Yankees to that managerial search list.
The ghost of George hiring the ghost of Billy Martin again?
One thing we can all agree on, actually.
Why are Yankees fans spoiled little brats? You want your manager fired you want your GM fired you guys are perennial 91 team every season you’re making the plans almost every season.
Try being an Angels fan try being a Rockies fan.
STOP COMPLAINING. Enjoy the playoffs. You have some of the best players in the game. Some of the most overrated players in the game and they get that distinction only cause the play in New York
Your team is on national television every weekend
Your team is the only baseball team sports center talks about
And you have a winning history
So for the love of God, stop complaining
@old
Nah boone is safe they just bone this years possible short coming on the equipment guy or the the special ast. To offensive strategies coordinator
bone eh?
@vt
Meant blame must of hit the wrong key and auto correct took over
Boone got Hal three additional home games this postseason to increase profits, so his mission was accomplished.
@jdgoat
But… but… he got him a bunch of postseason games last year and increased profit but this year might only be 3. That’s a net loss.
It’s not happening. Boone is doing the job exactly how Cashman wants it. The issues people have with his coaching are core to how the Yankees want the team managed. If the Yankees wanted a manager that didn’t treat Excel sheets like gospel for coaching decisions and wanted a manager that didn’t do everything the front office wanted micromanaging, Rob Thompson would’ve been their manager. If they fire Boone it will be a new name doing the same things.
Things will only improve when Crashman is gone.
Agreed totally….Rob Thompson should have been the choice instead of Boone……
You can have him. No fire in the belly. We need a reincarnation of Dallas Green.
Yet he led the league in manager ejections…
Ignore the Philly fans who think that Dallas Green was somehow the Connie Mack of the last 50 years. It’s so funny how many fans want another Larry Bowa instead of another Charlie Manuel.
Ace – The ESPN guys were reiterating that last week, saying Boone’s strategic decisions are made by the analytics folks in the front office.
That would explain why he got the job despite no experience. It doesn’t take experience to be a mouthpiece.
@Fever Pitch Guy
I think the A’s developed Moneyball to get revenge on the Yankees for that playoff round loss. Now the Yankees can’t win with Moneyball analytics and the geeks are ensuring the Yankees don’t win another championship. It seems the A’s cursed the Yankees.
i know cultures vary among teams but i suspect most modern-day managers take their marching orders from the analytics team. boone is a “very good enough” manager he’s good with the media and keeps clubhouse drama under wraps. i’m not his biggest fan but it’s not his fault the lineup went cold all at once
dasit – Yeah I’m not in a position to judge Boone as a manager because I don’t follow the Yankees every day (obviously), but when you hire a guy to be an MLB manager who has zero managing or coaching experience at any level, that’s pretty much a sign he’s just a mouthpiece.
“The curse of the Beanebino”…
Does this logic automatically apply to all managers hired with no experience, like Craig Counsel (Brewers) and Servais (Mariners)?
Philly – Those are two really bad analogies.
Prior to becoming Yankees manager, after retiring as a player Boone had zero experience with any MLB or minor league team.
Counsell was in the Brewers front office as a special assistant to the GM before being hired as manager.
Servais was Senior Director of Player Development for 7 years with the Rangers, and Assistant GM for 5 years with the Angels.
Examples, I think you mean. I was just questioning what you said about no managing or coaching experience.
If they get swept tomorrow night, especially in blowout fashion, I’m going to say that’s a real possibility. I think you have to even if it wasn’t quite his fault. You cannot look at what happened here though and think it’s ok to follow the same path next season.
If they pull off a miracle comeback, or even win back two to force game five, then you’ll have an argument the other way.
Yanks will be fine at home. Their fans will just rip the bats outta the Jays hitters hands. Problem solved….
@Jerry Hairston Jr’s Toupee
Maybe play some banana ball? Fans catch the ball and the batter’s out, even if it’s a HR?
Touche….
Why is it Boone’s fault that Gil and then their huge free agent acquisition Fried pooped the bed ?? How is it Boone’s fault that Aaron Judge is shadow of himself in the postseason?? I’m actually not seeing the lapses in base running and defense that I saw last post season , which can be heaped on Boone’s shoulders.
Boone is an extension of Cash, they both need to go. Boone however does get out-managed every postseason snd that IS his fault
Boone doesn’t get out-managed every postseason. The players he is provided with don’t perform. That’s on Cashman.
Yeah kodion totally. Putting in a guy who wasnt pitched in over a month due to injury in a relief situation when they are normally a starting pitched to face Mookie Betts, Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman is totally not getting outmanaged. Riiiiiiight. Cashman is a problem, Boone is too. He gets out managed every postseason.
Shota in game 2? Really? 8 million a year for this? I’m pretty sure even Homey the Clown would think that’s a bad idea. Homey don’t play dat.
Home runs allowed are scary, but Shota was always below average in that department, even in Japan. One late eight run start and a home run to Manny Machado last week should not disqualify him from starting tonight.
Really surprised the Cubs aren’t going with Rea in this one. Hell, I was surprised he wasn’t their Game 1 pitcher. Like, I get that it’s the post-season and you go with your TOR pitchers, but both Boyd and Imanaga seemed lately like they would benefit from an extra day off, and Rea has been pitching lights-out lately. I can see the counterargument that Rea may be the kind of pitcher that looks great in the regular season but then gets exposed as the rotation back-end pitcher he was originally viewed as. But still, two pitchers need rest and another pitcher is killing it… why not go with the latter?
As a Brewer fan, I’m happy with Counsell’s decision. I was also surprised that Rea didn’t pitch game 1 (or now game 2) since he is very familiar with AmFam Field from his time as an effective starter for the Crew. If you look at Imanaga’s second half — especially his last 7 games — the trend isn’t good. Fingers crossed!
The only thing dumber than picking Soroka over Assad and pitching Boyd in game 1 is pitching Imanaga in game 2. I doubt the Cubs can win 3 in a row so Counsell better hope he picked right. But I’m leery.
100 percent agree with assad should of started game 1..u can see boyd has been laboring down the strech..using him on short rest was foolish..could of started assad then bring in rea and hope to rest the bull pen and giving boyd extra rest maybe then he would of looked like the pitcher he was most of the year
Three starts against the Brewers this year Shota .190/.224/.349. Rea in two starts.. .343/.419/.457.
You gotta win with Shota at some point. I may prefer him at a cool wrigley night wed-thu but here you can go down with Shota – Taillon- Boyd – Shota and not fret it all winter.
For what it’s worth it would have gone Assad, Boyd, Shota, Taillon, Boyd hoping in game one and matching Taillon with Peralta in game four…but no such luck.
You can go ahead and try and win with Shota for the next 2 years. The Cubs can afford the $40m it will take to find out. For this year it looks like the books are closed on him and he’ll take his 8.10 post season ERA into the winter.
You’re basing his career off of one postseason game. Calm down a bit, Douglas.
Odds are that Hal will not fire Cashman, and its 50/50 on Boone.
While we heap criticism on Boone for his decision making, Cashman should be held accountable for handing Boone a horrible bullpen starting with Williams to not only to start the year, but his July acquisitions, other than the defense of McMahon, has been terrible (Bird and the horrible SF kid).
Hal desperately needs a seasoned baseball guy between he and Cashman as a baseball advisor to the owner which would allow for a baseball opinion on the moves that Cashman wants to make as Hal knows nothing about Baseball other than its makes his family money…..
There are a number of former managers (Melvin comes to mind) who could fill this role.
You mention the, “horrible bullpen starting with Williams” to start the year. I’m curious as to how the acquisition of Devin Williams was viewed by Yankee fans at the time. I thought it was positive, but I could be wrong.
He was one of the best closers in baseball. Every Yankees fan applauded the move. I’m not sure what @Rocky7 (has me muted) is trying to say while acknowledging Cashman handed him in a lemon in Williams. Both former GMs Brian Sabean and Omar Minaya are senior advisors to Cashman. The only reason the Yankees are even in the playoffs is due to the trade deadline acquisitions which occurred before Luke Weaver went into his own tailspin.
I thought it was a good acquisition because i liked the player but i didn’t care for the price. I really thought Durbin was the perfect player for the team we had. Not saying he’s a perennial all star just the whole speed, defense, contact, baseball IQ package would’ve been a welcome sight. Also hated the complete and utter lack of infield depth organizationally. Injured volpe was still the best option at SS even when he was terrible and that’s on Cashman and whoever else advises him.
Any reason Doval is just some kid while Bird gets to be Bird despite being just one year apart? Hell, Doval has been in the league longer and has had significantly more success than Bird as well. So again, why is he the kid not worth remembering to you?
rocky7
but his July acquisitions, other than the defense of McMahon, has been terrible
=========================
Is Bednar really that bad for the Yankees?
These stupid off days. No reason to have an off day yesterday.
It’s about TV eyeballs. MLB doesn’t want to compete against the NFL.
Could be the NFL, but more likely they want baseball on every day. Used to be that one set of series would start later so they could still have the same effect, but changed with this new format. But could be right, I hadn’t considered the NFL previously.
It’s because they want all the LDS game 1s to be no more than 4 days after WC game 1 (so that the WC series teams won’t have their ace available for game 1, producing a reasonable benefit for the bye teams), but they want to still stagger the series as they have historically, to avoid having a bunch of days with 4 games and then several days with no games.
I also dislike having off days between home games in a series, but they’re fighting a bunch of contradictory scheduling concerns.
In what possible universe would MLB schedule games to compete against the NFL? They’d have gotten absolutely no ratings for the 1:00 game.
Travel?
I think the Yankees win Game 3 but Blue Jays take the series in Game 4. Vladdy and rest of that Toronto lineup isn’t going to be stopped by the Yankees pitching.
Shota for Game 2, that’s going to be really interesting to watch.
Green may be waiting for Mendoza to get sacked.
I am surprised that I have not seen Scott Servais on anyone’s managerial lists.
Yankees got lulled into complacency with that soft schedule to end the season and then playing the decimated Red Sox, which other than Crochet, didn’t really scare anyone. Now they are playing a team with fight and vigor and they’re not used to it. Will have to readjust fast. Winning 3 in a row is not unheard of, but Judge and Big G need to wake up.
Im not sure if complacency is the right word for it, i think theyre simply not that good. Im sure theyre real motivated, theyre just mid (mid for a roster with a 300MM payroll, mind you)
Another 10 feet by Bregman’s 400 foot, bases-loaded shot, and the NYY wouldn’t even be playing now. The RS had a good team, even without Anthony.
Joe Brady, with all due respect, I can’t see how a team with Nick Sogard, Nate Eaton, Romy Gonzalez in the starting lineup…Yoshida batting cleanup and Rafaela batting fifth!! How did you think that lineup was going to produce enough? Also the lack of starting pitching depth due to injuries and what not was just not conducive to a long playoff run. One thing I will have to say is I give Alex Cora a ton of credit for getting that lineup as far as he did. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the guy may have won me over.
I’m 100% sure every player on that team is not complacent and wants to win the World Series. Awful take.
I’m 100% sure they want to as well, but I’m saying they haven’t been challenged much lately and perhaps were not expecting the full throttle roll out they got in Toronto.