For what now feels like a week ago that was only
this morning, Detroit and Baltimore played their second game of their layout of
the ALDS. For what will look like an epic collapse for the entire city of
Detroit will look like sweet, sweet revenge for one Delmon Young. A guy who
spent a great season in 2011 and then got shipped off for battery parts in
Philly, finally got to take a real shot at the team who he thought would give
him a real chance to shine.
Early in this game, it took both teams a while to
heat up and then the 3rd inning we finally saw some offense. The big
second basemen Schoop hit a 2 out single and Nick Markakis hit a questionable 2
run homerun that looked as though it should have been a double. Tigers fans
will blame it on the home crowd favoring of the umpires for years to come, but
it seriously looked like the Tiger fans had room to gripe as it looked like it
bounced off of the fence. Yes! It was difficult to see, but on a couple of
angles they had, it looked like it never went over the fence. This homerun was
so early in the game that people eventually forgot about it, but it did make a
big difference in the end.
Well, Detroit didn’t give two rat’s behinds as they
responded in the next half inning (top of the 4th) and scored 5 runs
to make it 5-2 Detroit. Miguel Cabrera was heated in this inning as J.D.
Martinez hit a 3 run bomb to make it 4-2, Miggy decided to jabber at the
Baltimore crowd while he was on base, that’s never a good idea when you are on
the road. Soon after J.D. hit the homerun, Nick Castellanos hit a solo shot of
his own to solidify Miggy’s trash talking ideations towards the Baltimore
crowd. Could any of them hear/understand him? Probably not, but it’s a Triple
Crown winner yelling his statements, surely they were important.
The Orioles answered in the 4th with a
J.J. Hardy 2 out single to cut the score 5-3, and at this point the Orioles
needed to bank on their bullpen to carry them through to get the W. The Orioles
also had multiple chances to add to the score as in the 5th inning
they failed, along with the 6th inning they also couldn’t put a run
together, and then the 8th inning came once again.
This time, the Tigers seemed to put the nail in the
coffin as Victor Martinez hit’s an RBI double that almost got the Tigers two
runs but Miggy got thrown out at the plate. Still, it’s a 6-3 ballgame for the
Tigers, and if their pitching could hold the lead, they could steal a game in
Baltimore and head back to Detroit with home field advantage in virtually a 3
game series. All they needed was 6 outs, but if you remember Thursday night’s 8th
inning, this just became another chapter in this ALDS that seemed to rewrite
itself for the implosion of the Tigers. Up 3 in the bottom of the 8th
Adam Jones gets plunked by a pitch, Cruz gets a ball past the infield to get on
base, and the gritty gutty Orioles were at it again as Pierce rips an RBI
single to put a run across the board. 6-4. Then J.J. Hardy works a walk from
the new incoming pitcher Soria who recently had been known for his struggles.
Then came up the former Tiger who again proved his worth in the 2011 postseason
with clutch hit after clutch hit and he now 3 years later, he gets the chance
to prove it once again in a pinch hit situation in the Bottom of the 8th
with the bases loaded down 2 runs. He rips it down the line, the crowd going
absolutely bananas, as all three runners get across home plate to take a 7-6
lead in the bottom of the 8th!!! Yes it wasn’t an implosion like Game
1 for the Tigers, but the chapter may as well have been just as gut wrenching
as a former face hit the decisive blow in Game 2. I can’t describe to you how
incredible the atmosphere sounded from the television and knowing that it was a
TBS broadcast where they filter the sound, you knew the place was absolutely bumpin’.
Zach Britton came in for the 9th, shut it down, and the Orioles will
pack up their bags run to Detriot with a 2-0 series lead in a best of 5, and
try to finish off this team who has the best hitter in the game who can’t keep
his mouth shut. On to Detroit they go.
Let’s stay in the Beltway shall we? Except this time
we’ll head back to the Nation’s Capital where we breakdown Game 1 of the NLDS
of the 2 time champion San Francisco Giants and the fiery Washington Nationals.
The only funny thing is, nobody was more fiery than the Giants starting pitcher
on this day. That man was Jake Peavy. If you poured gasoline on this guy on
this day, Obama would have had to call national security that’s how hot Peavy
was. The best part too? He held a no hitter against one of the best offensive
teams in the game up until the 5th inning.
Strasburg was absolutely fabulous as well. The only
time he gave up runs was when the Giants found a way to manufacture them and
the grittiest of ways. In the top of the 3rd, Panik hit an RBI
single after the Giants had sacrificed a man to second, the Nationals then had
a pass ball that moved the runners up to 2nd and 3rd, then Panik made it 1-0.
Then came the top of the 4th, where Hunter pence hustled out a potential double play and was safe at
first base, he steals second base, then Brandon Belt scores Pence on an RBI
single making it 2-0 Giants.
After the Nationals broke through with their first
hit in the 5th inning off of Jake Peavy on a Bryce Harper infield
single, they threatened with the bases loaded in the 6th inning but
couldn’t score. Then the Giants again get a huge triple in 7th by
Joe Panik, and Buster Posey knocks him in for an RBI single making it 3-0 San
Francisco Giants in the Nation’s Capital.
That was what really put Bryce Harper over the edge,
because in the next half inning (after an amazing rendition of God Bless
America), he hit a ball in the third deck. This reignited the entire crowd as
the National fans got right back into the flow of the game. Two batters later,
Asdrubal Cabrera decided to stamp another letter to the fans with another solo
shot making it 3-2 Giants. They crept back into it and they did it against the
future closer, 100+ MPH throwing, lighting rod pitcher of Hunter Strickland. He
was pulled after the second homerun. I’m sure the fear was strong with San
Francisco after those two moon shots.
The bottom of the 8th was another frightening
inning as Sergio Romo almost cost the game again, but he managed to get out of
a situation leaving 2 men on base where the Nationals again found themselves
short of the runs they needed. They didn’t have another chance to win, and the
Giants sealed it in the 9th. This was one of those 4 hour,
intensified, magnifying games that felt as though each run was a touchdown in
football. If you saw the game, you know exactly what I mean. The Giants win
Game 1, 3-2 and now lead the series 1-0 and they will play again Saturday.
You want to talk about where the real matchup was
this Friday? That’s right, Los Angeles California where two of the best teams
in baseball were hosting playoff games. SoCal was soaking in the hot night and
the pitching matchup out in the National League, was just itching for a
showdown like no other, but who would have thought it would have ended the way
it did.
Dodgers. Cardinals. Wainwright. Kershaw. Popcorn.
Ready.
Need I say anything else?
Both these teams are the rematch of the 2013 NLCS
and bad blood had been rejuvenated between the two after what happened to Hanley
Ramirez last postseason when he had his ribs shattered on an inside fastball.
The pitching matchup wasn’t too bad either.
I think coming into this game looking at a 2-1, 3-2,
4-3 game would have been expected, but right out of the gate Randal Grichuk didn’t
want a pitcher’s duel as he brought Clayton Kershaw back to earth on a solo
blast in the 1st inning to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. It
also didn’t help that the Dodgers couldn’t get anything going on offense
against Adam Wainwright in the first couple innings and left a total of 4 men
on base. Then came the brawl.
Well, it was more of a pushing match that ended in a
benches clearing scuffle, but fists were on the verge of being thrown. In the
bottom of the 3rd, Yasiel Puig got plunked pretty good and that set
off Adrian Gonzalez to get in the face of Yadier Molina and both had to be separated
by the home plate umpire. The benches cleared, players and coaches cooled down
and everything got back to normal rather quickly, but it was definitely a spark
that the Dodgers needed.
The Dodgers then proceed to score two 2 out runs to
get the lead back at 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd. Which is all that
Clayton Kershaw needed. He fanned all three batters in the 4th, the
Dodgers added two more 2 out runs in the 4th to make it 4-1, and
Kershaw shut down the 5th as well. AJ Ellis, the Dodgers number 8
hitter on this day, hit a 2 run bomb to then give Kershaw a 6-1 lead heading
into the top of the 6th. Mind you, Kershaw is 111-2 when given this
kind of lead in his career and knowing the kind of year he has had, it’s over.
Kershaw cruises to get the first two outs in the 6th
until Matt Carpenter hits a solo shot to make it 6-2 Dodgers. Still, only two
runs allowed on only two homeruns, Kershaw is cruising, and Adrian Gonzalez
made an incredible catch on a foul ball to rejuvenate the Dodgers heading into
the bottom of the 6th. The Dodgers didn’t respond with any runs, but
Kershaw was in the driver seat to get the Dodgers Game 1 of this division
series. Then came the top of the 7th inning.
So many questions, so many angles, so many different
perspectives to pick from, but I can tell you this much, this is just what the
Cardinals do. Matt Holliday gets a base hit, then Peralta, then Molina, then
Adams knocks in Holliday to make it 6-3 Dodgers. 4 straight hits and now the
bases are loaded. Pete Kozma strikes out, and then Jon Jay gets an RBI base hit
to make it 6-4 and Kershaw still has the bases loaded. Mattingly goes out to
the mound decides to keep Kershaw in (because duh, it’s Clayton freaking
Kershaw) and have him try to finish out the inning. Kershaw K’s Taveras for the
second out in the inning, then there’s that bad man in Matt Carpenter. What
does he do? Breaks the spirit of the Dodgers and hits a bases clearing, two out,
3-run double to give the Cardinals a 7-6 lead. Kershaw is then pulled, and his
replacement walks the man who hit the first home run of the game in Randal Grichuk,
gets walked and Matt Holliday (who led off the inning with a single) hit’s a
towering 3 run bomb that gives the Cardinals a 10-6 lead… WHAT! CLAYTON
KERSHAW?! Now he has the chants of Clayton Manning with the way he performed in
that 7th inning! A 7 run 7th inning and the Cardinals
were 5 for 7 with 8 RBI’s when there was a guy on second base facing Kershaw.
Can you say tipping your pitches? Oh yeah. It was clear as day.
Another crazy stat, Clayton Kershaw is the only
pitcher in MLB history to give up 7+ runs in consecutive postseason starts
(both of which were to the St. Louis Cardinals). Again, mind boggling
considering this is the same man being considered with the likes of Bob Gipson
in winning the Cy Young & MVP Awards for this upcoming November. Baseball,
it’s a crazy game for a reason.
The Dodgers couldn’t respond in their half of the 7th,
but they did find some magic in the bottom of the 8th. Puig finds a
way to get on with a walk, and Adrian Gonzalez hits a 2 run bomb to make it a
10-8 ballgame as they chipped away to get that much closer to the Cardinals.
Then came the bottom of the 9th where the last ups for the Dodgers
were that close. A.J. Ellis got his 4th hit to keep the Dodgers
hopes hanging by a thread, and then Andre Eithier came on to pinch hit for the
pitcher’s spot and he hits a double that puts Ellis on 3rd Base. Two on, men on
2nd and 3rd base with 1 out and Dee Gordon all he needs
his a base hit to tie it. He grounds out, but gets Ellis to score making it
10-9 Cardinals with 2 outs in the inning, the tying run on 2nd base
and Yasiel Puig is up at the plate with one out left in the ballgame. He could
tie it, he could win it, or he could lose it. Unfortunately, he struck out
swinging and the Cardinals took Game 1 of this best of 5 NLDS with a 10-9 win
in Los Angeles.
This game was by far game of the day, but
considering the prior two games, it really was just the icing on the cake.
Nobody expected Wainwright to be taken out before the 5th, nobody
expected Kershaw to blow it in the 7th, this game was easily the
most unexpected game I can remember in a very long time. It isn’t the best game
I’ve ever seen, but it’s definitely one of the most exciting. The funniest
thing too, is that there was one more game to be played on this already crazy
Friday in Postseason Baseball.
The Angels and Royals were already zipping along
with their two young studs all the way up until about the 5th inning
when the action started to occur. This was the first game in postseason history
where two rookie starting pitchers were facing one another and by the looks of
it, it won’t be the last time these two see each other again. Other than the 2nd
inning, where Eric Hosmer got to second base on an error by the right fielder
and Alex Gordon knocked him in to make it 1-0 Royals early, it was a back and
forth pitcher’s duel all night long.
Josh Hamilton drilled Salvador Perez in the head on
his follow through by accident and the training staff had to come out and do concussion
tests on Perez to see if he was ok. Ultimately he was fine and stayed in, but
it would have been a huge blow for Kansas City if he had to leave the game.
But, the bottom of the 6th is where the Angels would ultimately
respond as Albert Pujols put himself in playoff lore once again as he got a two
out, opposite field, base hit to knock in the tying run (Calhoun) to score
making it a 1-1 tie.
The game moved quickly into the 8th where
the Angels nearly won the game and the Royals made an amazing double play to
kill the momentum of the Angels. C.J. Cron hit’s a leadoff double and gets a
pinch runner in Collin Cowgill. Chris Ianetta hits a fly ball to Jarrod Dyson
(who had just entered the ball game for defensive purposes) and Collin Cowgill decides
to tag up and go to third. Jarrod Dyson throws an absolute pea shot to third
and throws out Cowgill by half a step making that an F8-5 double play. 2 outs,
bottom of the 8th, now with nobody on base. The definition of an
inning killer, but Kansas City still couldn’t capitalize as they left 2 men on
base in the top of the 9th.
The game ultimately goes to extra-innings and it’s
the first time a team (Kansas City Royals) has played in 3 straight extra-inning
games in postseason history. Huston Street (who worked the 9th
inning) came in and worked the 10th inning as well, it was the first
time he had worked more than 1 inning since 2011. He made it through. The
Angels again got a runner on in the bottom of the tenth but an amazing double
play got the Royals to the 11th. That’s where the magic happened
again.
Lorenzo Cain beats out an infield single, and Eric
Hosmer decides to rain down a towering 2 run bomb to give the Royals a 3-1 lead
in the top of the 11th. The Royals then decide to add on and the man
who got hit in the head earlier punched a base hit to get the man Jerrod Dyson
(who made that spectacular throw in the 8th) over for a score to
make it 4-1 Royals in the 11th. They went to the bottom of the 11th
and one solid question came up as Greg Holland ended the ballgame giving the
Royals a 2-0 series lead, and the first team in MLB history to win three
straight extra-inning games. Where is Mike Trout?
This guy is 0-fer in his postseason debut thus far
and he’s supposed to take over as the new face of the game. The prior face of
the game was this guy in Derek Jeter (I don’t know if you’ve heard of him) but
he was known to be clutch in the postseason from his first full year in the
league in 1996. Mike Trout can’t even buy a hit and looks like a complete scrub
at the plate right now. Outside of that, the Angels aren’t playing that bad of
ball, it’s just the Royals are that magical right now.
There were three 4 hour games today. The last time I
checked, nobody cared, and today was absolutely one of the best days of
baseball I can remember in quite some time when it included a 4 game schedule
of all day baseball from 9 am pacific time to 10:30 pm pacific time. Crazy
baseball, you gotta love it!
I’ll see you tomorrow night!
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