Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe 1871-Present

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 3 of the first 2013 American League Division Series from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, The date in Monday, October 7:

Lineup Changes:

Red Sox- Daniel Nava will start in left field and bat sixth. Also, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back behind the plate and will bat seventh, while Will Middlebrooks slides down to ninth.

Rangers- Jeff Baker will serve as the designated hitter and bay sixth, which moves Mitch Moreland down to seventh and Crag Gentry down to eighth.

Weather: 80 degrees, fair skies, north wind at 7 MPH.

Red Sox 3rd: With two out, Middlebrooks singled to center. Jacoby Ellsbury's base hit up the middle put runners at the corners, and Shane Victorino lined a base hit to left to bring Middlebrooks home and give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead, with Ellsbury going to third. Dustin Pedroia's line drive was gloved by Ian Kinsler to retire the side with runners still at the corners, but the Bosox have taken the lead thanks to three consecutive hits. After two and a half, it's Red Sox 1, Rangers 0.

Red Sox 4th: Mike Napoli drew a one-out walk. Nava's base hit to left center moved him to third, and he came home on Saltalamacchia's base hit to right center to make it 2-0 Boston. The Rangers caught a break when Salty tried for a double; center fielder Leonys Martin's perfect throw was waiting for him at second, and he walked right into Ian Kinsler's tag for out number two. Nava ended up at third, After Stephen Drew walked, Middlebrooks beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single, which allowed Nava to score and put the Sox up 3-0. Ellsbury followed with a base hit to right center to bring Nava home with the fourth Boston run and move Middlebrooks to third, and Victorino's single to left center scored Middlebrooks to make it 5-0 and moved Nava to third. A walk to Pedroia loaded the baes, but David Ortiz's grounder to Moreland at first ended the inning with the bases still loaded. The Red Sox have erupted for four runs on five hits and three walks, and at the end of three and a half it's Bosox 5, Lawmen 0.

Red Sox 7th: Napoli drew a leadoff walk against Rangers reliever Matt Garza. Nava's single to left put two men on, but Salty's foul pop behind third was caught by Adrian Beltre for out number one. Drew's base hit to left center loaded the bases, but Middlebrooks went down swinging for the second out. Ellsbury was next, and here's Ernie Johnson with the count one ball and one strike:

"The Red Sox lead 5-0 here in the seventh, but they could have blown this game wide open by now with a little more timely hittng. They left runners at first and third in the third, left the bases loaded even as they scored four in the fourth, stranded runners at first and third in the fifth, and even left a runner at second on the sixth. One more big hit could put the Rangers away for the night, and Ellsbury's looking for it right now. Your runners are Napoli at third, Nava at second, and Drew at first. Garza looks them over, nods to (A.J.) Pierzynski, now kicks and fires........HIGH FLY BALL TO DEEP LEFT CENTER, GOING BACK IS MARTIN, BUT IT'S GONNA BE OVER HIS HEAD! NAPOLI'S IN, NAVA SCORES, HERE COMES DREW! THE THROW WILL GO TO THIRD TO KEEP ELLSBURY AT SECOND WITH A BASES-CLEARING DOUBLE, AND THE RIED SOX LEAD 8-0!.....Ellsbury now has four RBIs tonight, and that's the kind of hit I was just talking about."

Rangers manager Ron Washington replaced Garza with Joe Ortiz, whose first assignment was Victorino. Shane lined the first pitch he saw off the wall in left center for a double, which brought Ellsbury home and made it a 9-0 game. Pedroia struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Sox have scored four more runs on four hits and a walk while leaving Ellsbury at second. It's time to stretch in Arlington, and the Red Sox now lead the Rangers 9-0.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Red Sox 9, Rangers 0, and the Red Sox lead the series two games to one.

Ellsbury finished the evening five for six with a run scored and four RBIs. Victorino was three for six with three RBIs, which meant that the top two hitters in the Boston order combined to go eight for twelve with a run scored and seven RBIs. Nava was three for four plus a walk and scored twice, while Middlebrooks finished two for five plus a walk with two runs scored and an RBI. Drew was two for four plus a walk and scored twice. The Boston bats were particularly potent after two outs, when they drove in eight of their nine runs. But TBS' Player of the Game award went to Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, who pitched a three hit shutout, giving up just one walk and striking out two in an ultra-efficient ninety-two pitches. Kinsler, Baker, and Alex Rios had the Texas hits, while Gentry worked the walk. The Rangers didn't get a runner past first base all night. The Rangers have managed just six hits over the last two games.

Final totals: Red Sox 9-17-0, Rangers 0-3-0.

W- Buchholz (1-0)
L- Ogando (0-1)

The series will continue with Game 4 tomorrow night here at Rangers Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8:30 PM Eastern, with Jake Peavy starting for the Red Sox and Derek Holland taking the mound for the Rangers.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 4 of the first 2013 American League Division Series from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. The date is Tuesday, October 8:

Lineup Changes:

Rangers- Mitch Moreland moves up to sixth and Craig Gentry to seventh. David Murphy will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth.

Weather: 70 degrees, partly cloudy skies, southeast wind at 8 MPH.

Red Sox 4th: Shane Victorino lined a leadoff single to right. He moved to second on Dustin Pedroia's bouncer to third and scored on David Ortiz's single to left, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Mike Napoli's single to left center put two men on, but Daniel Nava went down swinging for the second out. Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked to load the bases, but Rangers starter Derek Holland struck Stephen Drew out swinging to end the inning with the sacks still jammed. The Red Sox settle for a run on three hits and a walk, and after three and a half they lead the Rangers 1-0.

Red Sox 5th: Will Middlebrooks led off with a base hit up the middle. Jacoby Ellsbury flew to Gentry in left for out number one, and Victorino went down swinging for the second out. A wild pitch moved Middlebrooks to second, and Pedroia brought Will home with a base hit to left center to put the Red Sox up 2-0. Big Papi followed with a double into the right field corner to score Pedroia, and it was 3-0 Boston. Napoli struck out swinging to end the inning with Papi still at second, but the Sox have added two runs on three hits and a wild pitch. We're halfway through Game 4, and it's Boston 3, Texas 0.

Rangers 8th: Leonys Martin led off and was hit in the knee by a pitch. Ian Kinsler was caught looking for out number one, but Elvis Andrus' single to right put runners at the corners. Alex Rios struck out swinging, and there were two down with Adrian Beltre coming to the plate. Here's Ernie Johnson with the count one ball and one strike:

"Martin is only the second runner to reach third base for the Rangers tonight; the other was Moreland when Murphy hit into a double play in the fifth. The Red Sox' starting pitching has been stellar so far in the series, and Jake Peavy is looking to put the finishing touches on his evening and get the ball to Koji Uehara in the ninth. There you see the runners, who will be off on contact. One-one pitch.......DRILLED DOWN THE LINE IN LEFT, NAVA BACK, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND WE'RE TIED JUST LIKE THAT!...…A THREE-RUN HOMER FOR ADRIAN BELTRE, AND THIS BALLPARK IS ALIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT!"

Jim Kaat: "Peavy tried to put this curve on the outside corner to get a swing and a miss, but it hung just a little, and that little bit was all Beltre needed to put a charge into that ball. He didn't get the ball squarely enough to hit it straightaway, but there was enough juice behind it to get it out down the line. Nava thought he had a play, but he just did run out of room."

A.J. Pierzynski's infield pop was caught by Pedroia to end the inning, but the Rangers have tied the game thanks to Beltre's three-run homer, which was set up by a hit and a hit batsman. We're deadlocked at three as we head to the ninth in Game 4.

Rangers 9th: With one out, Gentry singled to right against Red Sox closer Koji Uehara. Murphy's liner was gloved by Moreland for the first out, but Gentry stole second a moment later. Then a roar came up from the crowd, as Nelson Cruz came out of the dugout to bat for the injured Martin. Here's EJ again:

"Cruz is battling a bruised knee of his own, which is why we've only seen him once in this whole series. I doubt he's healthy enough to run the bases, so (Rangers manager) Ron Washington has to be hoping that he'll run into one and send everyone home."

Kaat: "We already know he's not cleared to play the field, so if the game continues the Rangers will have some decisions to make in the outfield. Gentry could move to center, but who would they get to play left? Remember, Murphy's the DH, and if they put him in the field they lose the DH position for the rest of the game."

Johnson: "And they wouldn't have Cruz anymore either."

Kaat: "They could have batted him for Murphy, but we don't know if he can handle more than one at-bat."

Johnson: "It's a roll of the dice on several fronts for the Rangers. Gentry at second can fly, so a ball hit to the outfield on the ground will most likely score him. A fly ball that's caught will most likely move him to third and leave it all up to Ian Kinsler with two out. Here's the first pitch from Uehara.......HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! BACK GOES ELLSBURY, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND IT IS GONE! THIS GAME IS OVER!.......Nelson Cruz ends it all with one swing, and we're headed back to Boston for Game 5 on Thursday!"

Kaat: "He doesn't look like he's hurting too badly right now. He puts every bit of power behind this swing, and that's saying a lot. There's no question that this ball was gone from the second he made contact, although Ellsbury gives it a good try just in case. What a win for the Texas Rangers. They were being shut out by Jake Peavy with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, and now they've come back to even things up at two games apiece."

Our final: Rangers 5, Red Sox 3, and the series is even at two games apiece.

Cruz was named Player of the Game by TBS because of his game-winning homer. Beltre led the Texas offense, going three for four with his three-run homer, while Andrus and Gentry each went two for four and scored a run. Ortiz was the offensive star for the Red Sox, going two for four and driving in a pair of runs, and Victorino was two for four and scored a run. Starting pitchers Peavy and Holland each gave up three runs on eight hits; Peavy pitched seven and two-third innings, walked one, and struck out four,, while Holland pitched seven innings, walked two, and struck out seven. Neal Cotts pitched a perfect eighth for the Rangers, while Tanner Sheppers had a one--two-three ninth to get the win.

Final totals: Rangers 5-10-0, Red Sox 3-8-0.

W- Scheppers (1-0)
L- Uehara (0-1)

HR- TEX: Beltre (2), Cruz (1)

The series will go back to Fenway Park for the deciding Game 5 on Thursday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4:30 PM Eastern, and it will be a rematch of Game 1 on the mound: Yu Darvish (Rangers) against Jon Lester (Red Sox).

Next: We look at Game 5.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 5 of the first 2013 American League Division Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Thursday, October 10:

Lineup Changes:

Rangers- A.J. Pierzynski will serve as the designated hitter. Geovany Soto will take his place behind the plate and bat sixth, which moves Mitch Moreland down to seventh and Craig Gentry down to eighth. One piece of good news: Leonys Martin has been cleared to play after being hit in the knee by a pitch in Game 4; he'll start in center field and bat ninth.

Red Sox- Jonny Gomes will start in left field and bat sixth.

Weather: 58 degrees, cloudy skies, east-northeast wind at 10 MPH.

Since there was no real-life Game 5, let's take a look at the umpiring crew:

Home Plate: Mike Winters
First Base: Larry Vanover
Second Base: Chris Guccione
Third Base: Eric Cooper
Left Field: Dana DeMuth
Right Field: Paul Emmel

Rangers 1st: With two out, Alex Rios blooped a single to left, then stole second. After Adrian Beltre walked on four pitches, Pierzynski lined a base hit up the middle to score Rios and give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Soto's fly to Jacoby Ellsbury in shallow center ended the inning with runners still at first and second, but the Rangers have scored first thanks to two hits, a walk, and a stolen base. It's up to the Red Sox to counter.

Red Sox 1st: Ellsbury led off with a single to right against Rangers starter Yu Darvish. Shane Victorino's base hit to left center put runners at the corners, and a walk to Dustin Pedroia loaded the bases. David Ortiz grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, which brought Ellsbury home to tie the game at one. Victorino moved to third on the play, and Mike Napoli walked to put runners back at the corners. But Darvish struck Gomes out swinging to strand the runners and retire the side. The Sox have tied the game thanks to two hits, two walks, and a productive double play, and we're tied at one after one in Game 5.

Rangers 3rd: Rios led off against Red Sox starter Jon Lester. Here's Ernie Johnson with the count two balls and no strikes:

"Rios hit a bloop single to left in the first, stole second, and came home on the base hit by Pierzynski. We're tied at one here in the top of the third, and this is just Game 1 of our ALDS doubleheader here on TBS. The other game comes after us, and it's the Tigers going against the A's out at the Coliseum in Oakland. By the end of the day, the ALCS matchup will be decided, so stay here with us and see it all unfold. The NLCS has already been decided; it'll be the Cardinals against the Dodgers. Here's the 2-0 from Lester.......LINED DEEP TO LEFT, GOING BACK IS GOMES, AT THE WARNING TRACK, AT THE MONSTER, AND THIS ONE IS GONE!...…Alex Rios takes Jon Lester deep here in the third, and the Rangers go out in front 2-1."

Jim Kaat: "Lester hasn't quite been himself today, EJ. The Rangers have hit him hard, even when they've made outs, and he's been consistently high, unable to get he ball down into the strike zone. Rios takes full advantage of that here and really stings this ball. Most of the Rangers have consistently hit the ball to left, either on the gorund or in the air, so this fits their pattern, and it's up to Lester to break it."

Lester got the next two outs, as Beltre grounded to Napoli at first and Pierzynski bounced to second. That brought Soto to the plate with two out, and here's EJ again:

"Soto can indirectly thank Nelson Cruz's bruised knee for his start today. With Cruz unable to start, even as a DH, (Rangers manager) Ron Washington felt he needed a more experienced bat in that spot going into a deciding game, and he picked Pierzynski. So Soto, who was so hot for the Cubs during the postseason a few years back, starts behind the plate. With the weather cool and overcast, we may not even see Cruz as a pinch hitter in this one. Here's the first pitch to Soto.....HIT HIGH AND HARD DOWN THE LEFT FIELD LINE, ANOTHER LONG RUN FOR GOMES, HE'S AT THE TRACK, AT THE MONSTER, AND IT'S GONE!.......The Rangers have homered twice off Jon Lester in this inning to take a 3-1 lead, and this time it's Geovany Soto doing the honors."

Kaat: "Again, this ball's too far up in the strike zone, and if Soto hadn't gotten under it slightly, this would have been a tape measure shot. As it is, he pulls it a ton down the left field line, and there's enough power behind the ball to get it over the wall, (Catcher Jarrod) Saltalamacchia's out to try and calm Lester down a little, because this can;t continue if the Red Sox want to have any chance in this ballgame."

Moreland went down swinging to end the inning, but homers from Rios and Soto have staked the Lawmen to a 3-1 lead after two and a half.

Red Sox 4th: Napoli drew a leadoff walk, which brought Gomes to the plate against Darvish. Here's EJ with the count one ball and one strike:

"We've talked several times about Lester being wilder than usual, but the walk to Napoli was the fifth given up by Darvish on the day. Fortunately for the Rangers, none of the walks have hurt them so far, but they've driven up Darvish's pitch count; he's already thrown fifty-one pitches in a little over three innings. Gomes struck out to end the first, and there's Napoli at first being held on by Moreland; he's not really a threat to run in any case.. Darvish heaves a sigh to collect himself, now here's the one-one pitch.......SWING AND A LINE DRIVE DEEP TO LEFT, CRAIG GENTRY GOES BACK, HE'S AT THE TRACK, AT THE MONSTER, AND THIS BALL'S GONE!.....Jonny Gomes hits a two-run homer here in the bottom of the fourth, and we're tied at three."

Kaat: "Darvish is having the same problem Lester is: he's getting the ball too far up in the strike zone, and that allows hitters to get full extension with the arms and hit deep line drives and fly balls. Here's another one off the bat of Gomes, and Gentry thinks he might have a play on it until he reaches the warning track, when he knows it's gone. There's something about deciding games that bring out the unusual, so fasten your seat belts for a wild one, folks."

Salty walked to keep the inning going, but Stephen Drew grounded into a 3-6-3 double play. Will Middlebrooks' fly to Rios in right ended the inning, but the Red Sox have tied the game on Gomes two-run homer. At the end of four, it's Texas 3, Boston 3.

The game remained tied until the eleventh. Both team wasted several golden opportunities to unsnap the tie. The Rangers' best chance came in the fifth, when Rios reached on Middlebrooks' throwing error, then stole second and third. Soto walked with two outs to put runners at the corners, but Moreland's bouncer to second ended the inning. The Red Sox' best opportunity came in the seventh. Middlebrooks walked with one out, but was forced by Ellsbury. Victorino's single to left put runners at the corners, but Pedroia's bouncer to short ended the inning.

Rangers 11th: With two out, Rios was hit in the knee by a pitch, then stole second, his fifth stolen base of the day. A walk to Beltre put two on, and Pierzynski came to the plate against Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow. We join EJ with the count two balls and one strike:

"Junichi Tazawa warming up for the Red Sox; he'll face Soto if Breslow can't get Pierzynski out. Rios is always a threat to steal, especially toight, but I doubt he'll try now and risk being thrown out at third. Breslow looks him back to second anyway, now into the stretch, and here's the two-one pitch.......ground ball, BASE HIT INTO RIGHT CENTER FIELD! RIOS AROUND THIRD, HERE'S THE THROW FROM ELLSBURY.....NOT IN TIME! PIERZYNSKI'S SINGLE PUTS THE RANGERS HAEAD 4-3, AND BELTRE'S NOW AT THIRD!"

Tazawa caught Soto looking to retire the side, have taken the lead thanks to a hit, a walk, a hit batsman, and a stolen base. Joe Nathan's already been used, so the winning pitcher in the Wild Card Game, Martin Perez, will try to nail down a trip to the ALCS for the Rangers in the bottom of the eleventh. He'll face Gomes, Salty, and Drew while trying to protect a 4-3 lead.

Red Sox 11th: With one out, it was Satly against Perez. Here's EJ with the count one ball and no strikes:

"We've talked about wasted opportunities and how the losing team will rue letting them get away. In addition to the ones we've mentioned earlier, the Ranger stranded Martin in the sixth after a one-outcut double. In the seventh, Beltre singled and Pierzynski was hit by a pitch, but Jon Lester ended his night by striking out both Soto and Moreland. In the ninth, Rios singled and stole second, but was left in scoring position when Pierzynski flew out. In spite of it all, they're just two outs from the ALCS. There you see Drew on deck, and if someone should get on, it'll be Middlebrooks up next. Perez ready, and here's the 1-0 pitch........HIGH FLY BALL, DEEP RIGHT CENTER, BACK IS MARTIN, AT THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!...…Just like that, this game is tied, thanks to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Fenway Park is alive and on its feet!"

Kaat: "A good pitch by Perez, put exactly where he wanted it on the outside part of the plate. but Saltalamacchia got to it anyway. This wasn't a cheap home run by any means, and Perez has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. He has to go back to work and focus on getting the next couple of hitters out, and he's tough enough to do that, as we saw against the Indians in the Wild Card Game."

Drew grounded to first for the second out. A walk to Middlebrooks kept the inning alive, but Will was forced by Ellsbury to end the inning, The Red Sox have tied the game thanks to Salty's homer. and we head to the twelfth tied at four.

Red Sox 12th: With one out, Pedroia beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single. David Ortiz singled to left, and Gentry picked up the ball and fired to third in an effort to throw Pedroia out. But Dustin was safe by an eyelash, and runners were at the corners for Napoli. Here's EJ:

"Everybody's in for the Rangers, both infield and outfield. A fly ball of any depth or a grounder not hit right at somebody means the series goes to the Red Sox. Even if the ball is caught easily, it'll be close, as Pedroia at third has decent speed. Perez really needs a strikeout here so the defense behind him can play more normally. Napoli hitless in two official at-bats, and he's walked three times. There you see Jonny Gomes on deck in case Napoli makes an out. One out, bottom of the twelfth, tied at four. Here's the first pitch to Napoli...…grounded between first and second INTO RIGHT CENTER FIELD! HERE COMES PEDROIA, AND THE RED SOX WIN THE SERIES!.......Mike Napoli with the one-out base hit here in the bottom of the twelfth, and the Red Sox, who were behind 4-3 going to the bottom of the eleventh, tie the game on a homer by Jarrod Saltalamacchia, then win the game on a base hit by the former Ranger Mike Napoli in the bottom of the twelfth.

It's the top of the second out in Oakland with the Tigers and A's scoreless, so we'll take a break and then join Don Orsillo, Dennis Eckersley, and Buck Martinez . Once again our final in twelve innings, as we look at our Player of the Game, Mike Napoli: the Boston Red Sox 5, the Texas Rangers 4 , and the Red Sox win the series three games to two. For Jim Kaat and our dugout reporter Rachel Nichols, I'm Ernie Johnson saying good night from Fenway Park in Boston. You're watching coverage of the American League Division Series on TBS."

In addition to Napoli, the Red Sox were led offensively by Pedroia, who was two for three with a run scored and walked three times. For the Rangers, Pierzynski was two for five with two RBIs. and Rios was three for five with an RBI and three runs scored. He also stole five bases, which is a record for a postseason game regardless of universe. The Rangers' pitching staff surrendered ten walks, nine of which came from Darvish. The Rangers also struck out sixteen times; Tuzawa fanned the final four Texas batters to earn the win.

Final totals: Red Sox 5-10-1, Rangers 4-11-0.

W- Tuzawa (1-0)
L- Perez (0-1)

HR- TEX: Rios (1), Soto (1)
BOS: Gomes (1), Saltalamacchia (1)

The Red Sox went on to defeat the Tigers in six games to win their ninth American League pennant so far in this timeline, then defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games to claim their fourth world championship so far in this timeline. By my unofficial count, we've now crowned a hundred and two modern world champions, and the American League leads the all-time standings 53-49.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the 2016 National League Wild Card Game from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The date is Wednesday, October 5:

Weather: 70 degrees, fair skies, south wind at 9 MPH.

Cardinals 2nd: Right fielder Stephen Piscotty led off with a double to left. Third baseman Jhonny Peralta followed with a single to left to score Piscotty and give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw recovered by getting left fielder Brandon Moss to bounce into a 3-6-3 double play, and shortstop Aledmys Diaz was called out on strikes to end the inning. The Redbirds have scored first thanks to a pair of hits, and after an inning and a half they lead the Dodgers 1-0.

Dodgers 4th: Right fielder Josh Reddick beat out a roller to first for an infield single. That brought up center fielder Joc Pederson, who doubled into the right center power alley to score Reddick and tie the game at one. Catcher Yasmani Grandal popped to Diaz at short for the second out, and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny decided to walk left fielder Andrew Toles intentionally to get to Kershaw. Here's Bob Costas with how that gamble turned out:

"Kershaw was eight for forty-six this year, an average of .174, with three RBIs. He's hit over.200 twice in his career, so this may not be the easy out that Mike Matheny is banking on. The runners are Pederson and second and Toles at first. Wainwright stretches, and the first pitch IS LINED TO CENTER! GOING BACK IS GRICHUK, HE'S AT THE TRACK, AND HE'LL PLAY IT OFF THE WALL!PEDERSON SCORES! TOLES IS BEING WAVED AROUND, AND HE'LL SCORE AS THE THROW GOES TO THIRD! CLAYTON KERSHAW HELPS HIS OWN CAUSE WITH A TWO-RUN DOUBLE TO CENTER, AND THE DODGERS TAKE A 3-1 LEAD!"

Second baseman Chase Utley went down swinging to end the inning, but the Dodgers have scored three runs on three hits and a walk while stranding Kershaw at second, and as we go to the fifth the Men in Blue now lead 3-1.

Cardinals 7th: Diaz led off with a single to right center. Jedd Gyorko came off the bench to bat for second baseman Greg Garcia, and his bloop double to left center brought Diaz home and cut the Dodgers' lead to 3-2. Matheny went back to his bench and sent up Matt Adams to bat for reliever Matt Bowman, but Kershaw ended his evening in style by retiring Adams on a bouncer to short for the third out. The Cards have to settle for a run on two hits while leaving the tying run at second, and as we stretch at Chavez Ravine the Dodgers are still in front 3-2.

Dodgers 7th: With one out, shortstop Corey Seager took a pitch from Cardinals reliever Jonathan Broxton off of his knee. Third baseman Justin Turner walked to put two men on, and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez stroked a base hit to right center that scored Seager and gave the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. Turner moved to third on the play, and Matheny came out of the St. Louis dugout with the hook for Broxton. New pitcher Kevin Siegrist struck Reddick out swinging for the second out, then retired Pederson on a fly to center to end the inning with runners still at the corners. But the Dodgers have still added an insurance run on a hit, a walk, and a hit batsman. After seven, it's Los Angeles 4, St. Louis 2.

That was all the scoring. Here's Bob's call of the final out:

"The Dodgers are one strike away from a trip to Wrigley Field for the NLDS, and even though the players are thrilled for themselves first and foremost, there's someone else whom they're just as thrilled for: Vin Scully. Almost everyone who follows baseball on even a casual basis knows that he's retiring at the end of this season after sixty-six years of baseball broadcasting, and it was the players who convinced him to call the Dodgers' playoff games when he had originally planned to retire at the end of the regular season. His Dodgers career will be extended by at least a week if (closer Kenley) Jansen can get this last out; he may or may not call the San Francisco portion of the NLCS for ESPN Radio if the Giants make it, assuming that the Dodgers don't. At any rate, Diaz is hoping to keep the Cardinals alive, with Gyorko on deck. Peralta at first, and he'll be off on contact with two out. The stretch by Jansen, and here's the one-two pitch.......A HIGH FLY BALL TO DEEP RIGHT CENTER, PEDERSON IS BACK, AT THE TRACK, HE'S FINALLY UNDER IT, AND MAKES THE CATCH! THE DODGERS MOVE ON!..........Clayton Kershaw is the hero; he pitched seven very strong innings, and also knocked in what turned out to be the winning runs with his two-run double in the fourth. On the mound, he gave up two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out six. Joe Blanton pitched the eighth, and Kenley Jansen earned the save with a perfect ninth despite the slight scare from Diaz.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, could only get four innings out of Adam Wainwright, and only one player had more than one hit: Stephen Piscotty, who was two for four and scored a run. The bullpen held the Dodgers to one run over the final five innings, but the bats simply never got going the way they needed to. Some will blame Mike Matheny for pitching to Kershaw in the fourth instead of Toles, but that's a move most managers would make in that same situation. This just happened to be one time when it backfired.

Once again, our final score: the Los Angeles Dodger 4, the St. Louis Cardinals 2. For Jim Kaat and Ken Rosenthal, I'm Bob Costas. Before we say good night, I'd like to say a word about our colleague Dick Enberg, who's retiring from national broadcasting after the ALCS, which he's calling for TBS. He was a mentor and friend during my years at NBC, and he's retiring about as close to the peak of his abilities as possible. It's been a thrill to work with him again here at MLB Network, and here's hoping for a few more "Oh, mys" during this postseason. I know I'll be watching.

Once again, good night from a still-jubilant Dodger Stadium. We'll be back here later with some interviews from the Dodger clubhouse, but right now it's time for Greg Amsinger and the MLB Tonight gang back in Secaucus."

Final totals: Dodgers 4-6-0, Cardinals 2-7-0.

W- Kershaw (1-0)
S- Jansen (1)
L- Wainwright (0-1)

The Cubs defeated the Dodgers in five games to win their NLDS. They'll face the winner of the Giants-Nationals series in the NLCS.

Next: Game 1 of the Giants-Nationals series, which will begin on Friday afternoon at Nationals Park in Washington. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 5:30 PM on ESPN, with Matt Moore pitching for the Giants and Max Scherzer starting for the Nats.

Note: I took the Dodgers-Cubs NLDS result from the first five games of their real-life NLCS.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 1 of the second 2016 National League Division Series from Nationals Park in Washington. The date is Friday, October 7:

Giants 1st: Center fielder Denard Span drilled the first pitch of the game off the wall in center for a double. First baseman Brandon Belt followed with a double into the right center power alley to score Span and give the Giants a 1-0 lead. Catcher Buster Posey flied to Trea Turner in left center field for out number one, but right fielder Hunter Pence and shortstop Brandon Crawford drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. That brought left fielder Angel Pagan to the plate. Here's Sean McDonough with the count two balls and no strikes:

"(Nationals starter) Max Scherzer is in some unexpected trouble here in the top of the first, as he's only gotten one out so far and thrown twenty-seven pitches. Now the bases are loaded, and the count is 2-0 on Pagan. It's a little early to say he's in jeopardy, but his night almost certainly won't be as long as the Nationals and their fans would have liked. Pagan's a solid hitter; he hit twelve home runs and drove in fifty-five runs on the season. Scherzer again shaking off the rookie Severino, and that may be part of his problem as well. Again he shakes, now he nods, and here's the two-ball pitch......…HIGH FLY BALL TO DEEP RGHT CENTER! TURNER GOING BACK, HE'S AT THE TRACK, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND THIS ONE IS GONE! A GRAND SLAM FOR ANGEL PAGAN, AND THE GIANTS LEAD 5-0!...…Scherzer seems to be way off his game, Jess."

Jessica Mendoza: "He sure does, Sean. I don't know what's going on between him and Severino, but it's clearly affecting the way he's pitching. He threw this one right over the heart of the plate, almost daring Pagan to hit it as far as he could, which Pagan did. They need to get things together in a hurry and allow the offense to get to work on this deficit. Five runs in the first inning isn't as hard to come back from as you might think, but if it gets to seven or eight, they'll be in big trouble."

After a rather animated visit from Nationals pitching coach Mike Maddux, Scherzer retired second baseman Joe Panik on a fly to shallow left center for out number two. Next was third baseman Connor Gillaspie, and here's Sean with the count of one ball and one strike:

"Blake Treinen, who used to be a starter, is warming up in the bullpen for the Nationals. Who would have guessed that the Giants may be one hit away from chasing Max Scherzer in the very first inning. Pitcher Matt Moore is on deck for the Giants, and he'll have at least a five-run lead to work with when he gets out to the mound. Gillaspie's been getting a lot of work at third base since the Giants traded Matt Duffy to the Rays in mid-June; he's also filled in at first. He hits for more average than power, which is a problem with Moore coming up behind him. Scherzer agrees with Severino, there's a rarity. Now the one-one pitch...…LINED DEEP TO RIGHT, GOING BACK IS HARPER, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND THIS ONE'S GONE!...…Connor Gillaspie hit only six home runs all year, but that was a bullet over the wall in right, and now (Nationals manager) Dusty Baker is coming out to remove the potential National League Cy Young winner after only two-thirds of an inning."

Mendoza: "He couldn't let it go on, Sean. Max Scherzer's too valuable of a pitcher to keep out there when he's taking a beating like this. He's physically tired, he's had trouble communicating with his catcher the entire rime he's been out there, and the Giants just plain have his number today. We know Max, and we know he'll be ready to go later in the series."

Treinen faced Moore first, and the Giants hurler lined a base hit to right. Span's bouncer to Ryan Zimmermann at first finally ended the inning, but the Giants have sent ten men to the plate and scored six runs on five hits (including two home runs) and two walks. It's now up to the Nationals to dig themselves out of a six-run hole as they come to bat.

Nationals 1st: With one out, center fielder Bryce Harper faced Moore. Here's Sean with the count one ball and two strikes:

"Moore's pitching the way Max Scherzer was supposed to pitch, as he froze Trea Turner with a beautiful curve on the outside corner for the first out, and now he has Harper set up with a count of one ball and two strikes. There you see Jayson Werth on deck."

Mendoza: "As crazy as it sounds, the Giants don't really mind if Bryce Harper homers right now. He could hit it five hundred feet and it really wouldn't hurt them, because it would be a solo shot. What they have to guard against is a big inning with lots of baserunners like the one they had in the top of the first. The Nationals, on the other hand, are looking for anything they can get."

McDonough: "1-2 PITCH IS HAMMED DEEP TO CENTER, BACK GOES SPAN, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!...…The Nationals start their road back with a solo homer off the bat of Bryce Harper, and even though it's still 6-1, Moore's plenty hot at himself."

Mendoza: "He tried to get Harper to chase with a curveball low and away, but Harper was too smart for him. He puts a big uppercut into his swing and almost fishes the ball out of the dirt. After a swing as powerful as that, there's only one place the ball's going, and that's out of the park. Now the Nats need to start building an inning with some baserunners and cut into the lead a little more, and they've got the hitters who can do it coming up."

Left fielder Jayson Weerth's liner was gloved by Panik for the second out, and second baseman Daniel Murphy went down swinging to end the inning. Harper's 423-foot homer has put the home squad on the board, but they still trail the Giants 6-1 after one.

Giants 2nd: Belt led off against Treinen. Here's how Jon Miller called it over the Giants Radio Network:

"The Giants are hoping for another inning like they had in the first, where they scored six runs and knocked Max Xcgerzer out of the game. Belt drove in the first run of the game with a double that scored Denard Span, and he was on base for Pagan's grand slam. We're at the bottom of the hour, so we owe our stations an ID, and we'll squeeze it in after this pitch. Treinen gave up a single to Moore before retiring Span to end the first, and he's ready for Belt here in the second. Here's the first pitch.....HIGH FLY BALL TO DEEP RIGHT CENTER FIELD, GOING BACK IS HARPER, HE'S AT THE WALL, ADIOS PELOTA!.......Brandon Belt hits the first pitch here in the second inning over the wall in right center, and the Giants now lead 7-1 on the strength of three home runs so far today."

Treinen retired the next three batters in order: Posey struck out swinging, Pence flew to Werth on the warning track in left, and Crawford's liner was speared by Zimmerman to end the inning. The Giants have added to their lead thanks to Belt's home run, and after an inning and a half they lead the Nats 7-1.

Nationals 3rd: Treiner led off by grounding a ball pat a diving Moore and up the middle for a base hit. Turner's single to right center put two men on, and a walk to Harper loaded the bases. Werth took a called third strike for the first out, but Murphy's single to center scored Treinen and Turner to cut the Frisco lead to 7-3. Harper moved to third on the hit and came home on third baseman Anthony Rendon's double to center, which made it 7-4. Murphy stopped at third, and the Nats had the potential for a big inning. But it never came to pass; Zimmerman grounded to short for the second out, and shortstop Danny Espinosa was retired on a comebacker to end the inning with runners still at second and third. The Nats are back in the game after scoring three runs on four hits and a walk. At the end of three, it's San Francisco 7, Washington 4.

Giants 4th: With two out, Posey blooped a single to center, which brought Pence to the plate. Here's Sean with the count two balls and no strikes:

"Outside of the home run to Belt leading off the second, Blake Treinen has done a good job of settling the Giants' offense down. He allowed a single to Pagan leading off the third, then got the next three hitters. We'll see what he can do here with Pence at the plate. Hunter Pence has been one of the mainstays of this club since he was acquired from the Phillies midway through the 2012 world championship season. Today he's 0 for 1 plus a walk, and his out was just inches from being a home run, as Werth caiught the ball just below the home run line.

The Nationals are back within three, but they blew a real opportunity to get even closer in the last inning, leaving runners at second and third. Posey's no threat to run with his bad knees, and here's the two-ball pitch to Pence.......HIGH FLY BALL TO DEEP LEFT CENTER FIELD, GOIG BACK IS HARPER, HE'S AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S AT LEAST THREE ROWS INTO THE LEFT-CENTER BLEACHERS!....The Giants have now hit four home runs in as many innings, and their lead is 9-4 here in the fourth."

Mendoza: "Treinen got this pitch a bit too far up, and it ended up floating out over the heart of the plate, which is a prime hitting zone for almost everyone, especially proven power hitters like Pence. There you see Harper starting back at full speed, but just before he gets to the wall he sees it's a lost cause. The Giants have not only hit a lot of home runs, but they've hit them a long, long way. Left center field is 377 feet away from home plate here at Nationals Park, and this ball went at least four hundred feet."

McDonough: The exact distance on that home run was 401 feet. You were close, Jess."

Crawford was retired on a pop to Murphy at second base to end the inning, but Pence's two-run shot has increased the Giants' lead to 9-4 after three and a half.

Giants 5th: Panik walked with one out, which brought Gillaspie to the plate. Here's Sean with the count one ball and no strikes:

"Gillaspie's already had a big day with the bat, as it was his home run in the top of the first that knocked Max Scherzer out of the game. The Giants have really brought the power bats today, as they have four home runs in as many innings. They haven't homered in every inning, though; they homered twice in the first and were shut out in the third. We're in the top of the fifth, and the Giants lead 9-4. One out with Panik at first, and the former Giant Yusmeiro Petit looks like he's the next pitcher in for the Nationals, as Treinen has already worked three and two-thirds innings. Panik not going at first, and here's the 1-0 pitch...…AND THAT ONE IS ABSOLUTELY BLASTED DEEP TO RIGHT! HARPER JUST TURNS AROUND AND LOOKS AS IT LEAVESTHE YARD! CONOR GILLASPIE HAS HOMERED TWICE TONIGHT, AND THE GINATS NOW LEAD 11-4!...…What a shot from someone who only homered six times all year."

Mendoza: "He's having a once-in-a-lifetime night, Sean. This is the kind of game that can make careers and reputations, and it's a whale of a story, too. Gillaspie's showed some pop before; he hit thirteen homers with the White Sox three years ago. But he's never been really dangerous as a hitter until today, and you can bet that the Nationals will find different ways to pitch to him for the rest of this series."

Moore's popup was caught by Rendon behind third base for out number two, and Span's grounder to first retired the side. Gillaspie's second homer of the evening has extended the Giants' lead to 11-4 halfway through Game 1.

Giants 9th: Posey drew a leadoff walk. Pence's liner was gloved by Zimmerman for out number one, but Crawford's triple off the wall in left brought Buster home to increase the Giants' lead to 12-4. Pagan took a called third strike for the second out, but Panik walked to load the bases. Gillaspie came to the plate with a chance to hit his third home run of the game, but his fly to right was caught by Harper to strand the runners and end the inning. The Giants have added another run on a hit and two walks, and we head to the bottom of the ninth they lead the Nationals 12-4.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Giants 12, Nationals 4, and the Giants lead the best-of-five series one game to none.

Despite Gillaspie's heroics, ESPN named Pagan its Player of the Game. He finished two for five with a home run and four RBIs. Gillaspie was two for five; both of his hits were homers, and he drove in three runs. Belt was two for five with a homer, two runs scored, and two RBIs, while Pence was one for four plus a walk with his two-run homer and another run scored. On the mound, Moore lasted eight innings, giving up four runs on eight hits while walking just one and striking out seven. Rendon and Zimmerman each went two for our for the Nationals, and Zimmerman drove in a run, while Harper homered and scored another run.

Final totals: Giants 12-12-0, Nationals 4-8-0.

W- Moore (1-0)
L- Scherzer (0-1)

HR- SF: Gillaspie 2 (2), Pagan (1), Belt (1), Pence (1)
WSH: Harper (1)

After a postponement the next day because of rain, the series resumed on Sunday, October 9at Nationals Park. First pitch was scheduled for shortly after 1PM Eastern, with Madison Bumgarner starting for the Giants and Tanner Roark going to the hill for the Nationals.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Here's a one-paragraph recap of Game 2 due to a tornado warning:

Giants 5, Nationals 2 (ESPN: Sean McDonough, Jessica Mendoza, Buster Olney; SF leads series 2-0)

Hunter Penes's fourth-inning homer started the scoring, and Buster Posey's two-run double capped a three-run ninth inning uprising that broke a 2-2 tie. Brandon Belt had singled home pinch hitter Gorkys Hernandez with the go-ahead run earlier in the frame. Pence finished three for five, while Posey was two for four. Connor Gillaspie knocked in the other San Francisco run to continue his hit series, and starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija held the Nats to one run on four hits over seven innings. Danny Espinosa and starting pitcher Tanner Roark had the Washington RBIs, and Roark pitched seven strong innings, holding the Giants to two runs on five hits. Reliever Blake Treinen took the loss, while Giants reliever George Kontos blew a save opportunity, but got the win.

The series will continue tomorrow with Game 3 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 9:30 PM on ESPN2, with Gio Gonzalez pitching for the Nationals and Madison Bumgarner starting for the Giants.

Note: Game 3 will air on ESPN2 because ESPN is committed to Monday Night Football.

Final totals: Giants 5-11-0, Nationals 2-6-1.

W- Kontos (1-0)
S- Casilla (1)
L- Treinen (0-1)

HR- SF: Pence (2)

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Before I get to today's game, I'd like to inform everyone that I won't be doing a thread on whatever games are lost in 2020 due to the coronavirus unless whatever schedule MLB adopts results in teams playing an uneven number of games, in which case I'll find a way to equalize everything. This isn't a strike situation, which could have been easily prevented; this is an act of God that it would be foolish to try to butterfly, much like World War I in 1918. Let's just hope that there's some type of season in the first place!

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 3 of the second 2016 National League Division Series from AT&T Park in San Francisco. The date is Monday, October 10:

Lineup Changes:

Nationals- Bryce Harper moves down to the cleanup spot, which moves Jayson Werth up to second and Daniel Murphy up to third.

Giants- Conor Gillaspie moves up to fifth, which bumps Brandon Crawford down to sixth. Joe Panik moves up to seventh, while Gregor Blanco moves down to eighth.

Giants 2nd: Gillaspie led off with a triple into the left field corner. That brought Crawford to the plate, and also set up our Defensive Play of the Night. Here's Sean McDonough:

"High fly ball deep to right center. Back is Turner, back, back, he loses it in the lights, AND HARPER CUTS IN FRONT OF HIM TO MAKE THE GRAB! Now he throws home, but Gillaspie will beat it easily, and the Giants score first. Turner, who's a natural second baseman, had no idea where that ball was, but Harper, who broke in to the big leagues as a center fielder, spotted it and got over there in time."

Panik continued the inning by lining a single up the middle, but he was forced by Blanco, who then stole second. Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez then walked his mound opponent, Madison Bumgarner, to put two men on. Denard Span's single to right brought Blanco home to give the Giants a 2-0 lead, and a walk to Brandon Belt loaded the bases for Buster Posey. But the Giants catcher lifted a routine fly to left which was caught by Werth to retire the side. The Giants have jumped in front with two runs on three hits and two walks, but they've also left the bases loaded. After two in Game 3, it's Giants 2, Nationals 0.

Nationals 3rd: With two out, Murphy faced Bumgarner. Here's Sean with the count one ball and one strike:

"(Nationals manager) Dusty Baker switched his lineup around tonight , which may puzzle some fans. Murphy led the team in home runs with twenty-five and RBIs with a hundred and four, and yet he's hitting second while Bryce Haroer, who only drove in eighty-six runs, is batting cleanup. Most people familiar with the Nationals say that Harper's happier and more comfortable when he bats cleanup, but then the question becomes: Should Harper's comfort matter when the Nationals are facing elimination? Dusty appears to have answered that question in the affirmative, so we'll see if he's right. Here's the one-one pitch to Murphy........THAT ONE'S A LINE DRIVE GOING DEEP TO RIGHT CENTER! BACK GOES SPAN, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, BUT THIS BALL IS GONE!.....It doesn't matter where Murphy hits in the lineup; all he does is produce, and his homer has just put the Nationals on the board."

Jessica Mendoza: "Bumgarner puts this one a little too far over the plate. and that makes it easy for Murphy to hit a real bullet that gets out of here in a hurry. It's a tribute to Denard Span's speed that he even makes this play close, but he never really had a chance to make the catch. Madison hasn't quite been at the top of his game tonight, so let's see if the Nationals can keep taking advantage of that throughout the game."

Harper went down swinging to end the inning, but Murphy's homer has cut the Frisco lead to 2-1 after two and a half.

Nationals 4th: With two out, Danny Espinosa came to the plate against Bumgarner. Here's Sean:

"We all remember what happened with two outs in the last inning, and the Nationals wouldn't mind a repeat performance from Danny Espinosa. Bumgarner struck him out in his only at-bat so far tonight, but in the regular season he finished tied with Bryce Harper for second in home runs on the Nationals with twenty-four. He was the regular second baseman for the Nats from 2011 to 2014, was a utilityman last year, and moved to shortstop full time this year, leading the National League in games played at the position with a hundred and fifty-even. First pitch from Bumgarner......…HIT DEEP DOWN THE LINE IN LEFT, LONG RUN FOR BLANCO, HE'S BACK TO THE WALL, STICKS OUT THE GLOVE, BUT IT'S GONE!.......For the second inning in a row, the Nationals get a two-out homer from one of their top power hitters, this time Espinosa, and we're tied at two."

Mendoza: "Espinosa got underneath the ball and pulled it down the line in left, but he put enough power behind his swing that Blanco had a long run back to the wall. He sees the ball going over and sticks out hos glove, but the ball clears it by a good two inches. Bumgarner's walking around the mound talking to himself right now; he was cruising in the last inning before he gave up the home run to Murphy, and he was cruising in this inning too. Now, all of a sudden, he's in a tie game."

Catcher Jose Lobaton popped to Panik at second to retire the side, but the visitors have tied the game on Espinosa's homer. After three and a half, it's Washington 2, San Francisco 2.

Giants 8th: With two out, Panix faced Nationals reliever (and former Giant) Yusmeiro Petit. Here's Sean with the count one ball and one strike:

"Gregor Blanco's on deck for the Giants, but the real drama is who's going to pitch the ninth. (Closer Santiago) Casilla's warming up, but Madison Bumgarner's in the hole. He's only thrown ninety-four pitches, but would (Giants manager) Bruce Bochy allow him to bat in a tie game with runners potentially on base, even though he's an excellent hitting pitcher? We'll see of he comes out on deck. In the meantime, it's a one-one count on Panik with two outs here in the eighth, and Petit's ready with the next pitch.....SWUNG ON AND HAMMERED DEEP TO RIGHT CENTER, BACK GOES TURNER, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND THIS BALL IS GONE! JOE PANIK HOMERS HERE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH TO PUT THE GIANTS UP 3-2, AND NOW THEY'RE ONLY THREE OUTS AWAY FROM THE NLCS!"

Mendoza: "I can barely hear myself, Sean. Panik's not known as a power hitter, but he can get around on a ball pretty well under the right circumstances; he had ten home runs this regular season. This slider from Petit doesn't break at all. It ends up right in Panik's wheelhouse, and he hits it a ton. Turner takes two steps back, then realizes it's gone and just stands there with his hands on his hips watching it go. Now I guess we'll soon see who gets those last three outs that the Giants need."

Blanco continued the inning with a triple off the wall in left center, and there was a brief moment of suspense before Bumgarner stepped out of the dugout to bat for himself. Petit struck him out swinging, and Blanco was stranded at third. But Panik's homer has given the Giants the lead, and Bumgarner will face Murphy, Harper, and Rendon in the top of the ninth with his Giants now leading 3-2.

Murphy led off the Washington ninth with a single, but Bumgarner got the next two outs before facing Ryan Zimmerman. Here's how Sean called it:

"Both Harper and (third baseman Anthony) Rendon have missed home runs by inches, and now it's Ryan Zimmerman's turn. I wouldn't think it would be tooo much longer before we see Santiago Casilla, who's standing ready in the Giants bullpen. If it was anybody but Madison Bumgarner on the mound, Casilla would most likely already be in the game, especially after those last two fly balls. They're on their feet here at AT&T Park, as the Giants are one out away from their fourth NLCS in the last seven years. Bumgarner has thrown a hundred and four pitches, and Zimmerman's one for three; he singled in his last at-bat in the seventh. Bumgarner leans in for the sign from Posey, now checks Murphy at first, where he's being held on by Belt. First pitch is HIT DEEP DOWN THE LINE IN LEFT! RANGING OVER IS BLANCO, HE HAS A BEAD ON IT, OVER BY THE LINE, AND HE MAKES THE CATCH! THE GIANTS SWEEP THE NATIONALS!.......Madison Bumgarner pitches a six hitter, and Joe Panik's eighth-inning homer provides the margin of victory, as the Giants continue their postseason dominance over the Nationals. They beat them in the NLCS in 2012, in a Division Series two years ago, and in another Division Series here tonight, this time sweeping them three in a row.

Bumgarner and Panik will share our Player of the Game ward, as Panik finished three for four at the plate with the game-winning homer, while as I mentioned earlier Bumgarner pitched a six-hitter, going all the way and allowing two runs, both on homers, and six hits while walking two, striking out eight, and throwing a hundred and five pitches. Murphy was the only National with two hits; he finished two for four with his homer.

Once again, our final score: the San Francisco Giants 3, the Washington Nationals 2, and the Giants sweep the series three games to none. Coming up next is SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, which will feature itervies with Buster Olney from the Giants clubhouse, highlights from this game, plus a recap of the Monday Night Football tilt between the Buccaneers and the Panthers, and a special thanks to Brent Musburger for sitting in alongside Jon Gruden. For Buster Olney, Jessica Mendoza, and the rest of our fabulous baseball crew, I'm Sean McDonough saying so long from AT&T Park in San Francisco. SportsCenter starts in just two minutes and thirty seonds."

Final totals: Giants 3-8-0, Nationals 2-6-0.

W- Bumgarner (1-0)
L- Petit (0-1)

HR- WSH: Murphy (1), Espinosa (1)
SF: Panik (1)

The Giants would go on to face the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 NLCS. We''ll pick up our coverage of that series in Game 5, with the Cubs holding a three games to one edge thanks to their victory in the real-life NLDS between the two teams.

Next: A recap of the first four games of the NLCS.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now here's a recap of the first four games of the 2016 NLCS:

The series began on Saturday night, October 15 with a fabulous pitcher's duel between the Giants' Johnny Cueto and the Cubs' Jon Lester. Going into the last of the eighth, Lester had shut out the Giants on five hits, while Cueto was blanking the Cubs on just two. Each team was looking for a big hit, and the Cubs got theirs first, as Javier Baez homered to produce the only run of the game. Baez ended up with two of the three Chicago hits on the night. Closer Aroldis Chapman worked around a two-out Buster Posey double in the ninth, retiring Hunter Pence on a grounder to second to end the game. The Cubs had survived a 1-0 nailbiter to take a one game to none lead in the best-of-seven series,

Final totals: Cubs 1-3-0, Giants 0-6-0.

W- Lester (1-0)
S- Chapman (1)
L- Cueto (0-1)

HR-CHC: Baez (1)

Game 2 took place the following night at Wrigley, and the Cubs roared out to a 4-0 lead after two innings on their way to a 5-2 victory. The two biggest hits for the Cubs came from their pitching staff: starter Kyle Hendricks singled in two runs as part of a three-run second, while reliever Kerry Wood homered in the fourth against Giants reliever George Kontos. Wood got the win in relief after Hendricks failed to survive the Giants' two-run uprising in the third, while starter Jeff Samardzija took the loss for San Francisco after giving up four runs on six hits in two innings. Brandon Belt and pinch hitter Gregor Blanco had the Giants' RBIs, while Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist knocked in the other Chicago runs. The Cubs won despite committing three errors on the night.

Final totals: Cubs 5-9-3, Giants 2-6-1.

W- Wood (1-0)
S- Chapman (2)
L- Samardzija (0-1)

HR- CHC: Wood (1)

The series shifted to San Francisco's AT&T Park on Tuesday, October 18, and the Cubs pitchers continued to do damage with their bats early, as starting pitcher Jake Arrieta hit a three-run homer off of Giants starter Madison Bumgarner in the second to put the Cubs in front 3-1. The Cubs were leading 3-2 going to the bottom of the eighth, but the Giants took the lead on a leadoff single by Belt, a walk to Buster Posey, and a two-run triple by Conor Gillaspie. who later scored on a base hit to center by Brandon Crawford. The Cubs also continued their shoddy defensive play, committing a pair of errors in the inning. But all was temporarily forgiven in the top of the ninth; Dexter Fowler drew a leadoff walk, and Bryant followed with a two-run homer off of Giants reliever Sergio Romo to tie the game at five. The game remained tied until the bottom of the thirteenth, when Crawford stroked a leadoff double against Cubs reliever Mike Montgomery and sored on a double by Joe Panik. After five hours and four miuntes, the Giants were back in the series after winning a 6-5 thriller; they now trailed two games to one.

Final totals: Giants 6-13-1, Cubs 5-10-2.

W- Blach (1-0)
L- Montgomery (0-1)

HR- CHC: Arrieta (1), Bryant (1)

The next night in Game 4, the Giants built a 5-2 lead after eight. The Giants scored twice in the fourth and twice in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie, and the Giants gave the Cubs a taste of their own medicine, as starting pitcher Matt Moore singled in the tiebreaking run in the fourth. Gillaspie singled in a run in the fifth; he finished his evening four for four and also scored a run, Denard Span added two hits, a run scored, and an RBI, while Panik was two for three with a run scored and an RBI. Moore was taken out of the game after eight innings despite only giving up two runs on two hits and striking out ten, and the Cubs proceeded to feast on the Frisco bullpen. No less than five pitchers were used by Giants manager Bruce Bochy in the inning.

First was Derek Law, who gave up a leadoff single to Bryant. Next was Javier Lopez, who walked Anthony Rizzo. ad he surrendered a double to Zobrist that scored Bryant. Will Smith was victim number four, as Wilson Contreras' two-run single scored Rizzo and Zobrist to tie the game at five. Conteras was eventually forced by Jason Heyward who moved to second on an error by Crawford and scored the go-ahead run on a base hit by Javier Baez. Hunter Strickland, the fifth Giants pitcher of the inning, surrendered the game-winning hit. Chapman secured his third save of the series by striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth. David Ross had homered earlier for the Cubs.

Our final: Cubs 6, Giants 5, and the Cubs lead the series three games to one and can clinch their first National League pennant since 1969 with a victory in Game 5.

Final totals Cubs 6-6-0, Giants 5-11-2.

W- Rondon (1-0)
S- Chapman (3)
L- Smith (0-1)

HR- CHC: Ross (1)

Next: The series continues with Game 5 on Thursday, October 20 at AT&T Park. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, and it will be a rematch of Game 1 on the mound, as Jon Lester (Cubs) faces Johnny Cueto (Giants).

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 5 of the 2016 National League Championship Series from AT&T Park in San Francisco. The date is Thursday, October 20:

Lineup Changes:

Giants- Gorkys Hernandez will led off and play center field. Angel Pagan is back in left field and batting fifth, which moves Brandon Crawford down to sixth. Also, Conor Gillaspie moves down to eighth, while Kelby Tomlinson starts at second base and will bat seventh.

Weather: 75 degrees, fair skies, west-northwest winds at 12 MPH.

Giants 4th: With one out, Cubs starter Jon Lester hit catcher Buster Posey in the knee with a pitch. Right fielder Hunter Pence followed with a single up the middle, but Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler charged the ball and fired a bullet to third to throw Posey out. That brought left fielder Angel Pagan to the plate, and he blasted a triple into the left field corner to score Pence and give the Giants a 1-0 lead. Shortstop Brandon Crawford's shallow right center was caught by Fowler to end the inning, but the Giants have taken the lead thanks to two hits and a hit batsman while stranding Pagan at third. After four, it's Giants 1, Cubs 0.

Giants 5th: Tomlinson led off with a single to left. Gillaspie's line drive was speared by Cubs second baseman Javier Baez for the first out, but starting pitcher Johnny Cueto bunted Tomlinson over to second. Hernandez lined a double into the left center power alley to score Tomlinson and put the Giants up 2-0. First baseman Brandon Belt followed with a single to right, which brought Hernandez home to make it 3-0. Posey flew to left center to ed the inning, but the Giants have added a pair of runs on three hits and a sacrifice bunt. At the end of five, it's G-Men 3, Cubbies 0.

Cubs 7th: Catcher David Ross led off with a comebacker to Cueto, who fielded the ball cleanly but threw wildly to first, allowing Ross to reach. Chris Coghlan batted for Lester and singled up the middle to put two men on, but Fowler flew to Pence in shallow right for out number one. That brought up third baseman Kris Bryant, who doubled over Hernandez's head in center to score Ross and put the Cubs on the board. Coghlan moved to third on the play and scored on first baseman Anthony Rizzo's grounder to second, which cut the Giants' lead to 3-2. Bryant moved to third on the hit, and a walk to left fielder Ben Zobrist put runners back at the corners for shortstop Addison Russell, who bounced the first pitch he saw to his counterpart Crawford to strand the runners and end the inning. The Cubs have gotten back into the game thanks to two runs on two hits, a walk, an error, and a productive groundout, and as we stretch in Game 5, it's San Francisco 3, Chicago 2.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Giants 3, Cubs 2, and the Cubs lead the series three games to two.

Cueto was named Player of the Game by Fox. He pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits while walking four and striking out five. Pagan, Crawford, and Tomlinson each had two hits for the Giants, while Fowler was three for five in a losing cause for the Cubs. Lester pitched six and two-thirds strong innings in a losing cause, giving up three runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out five.

Final totals: Giants 3-9-1, Cubs 2-6-0.

W- Cueto (1-1)
S- Casilla (2)
L- Lester (1-1)

The series will head back to Wrigley Field in Chicago for Game 6 in Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, and there will be a Game 2 rematch on the mound, as former Cub Jeff Samardzija starts for the Giants and Kyle Hendricks pitches for the Cubs.

Next: We look at Game 6.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 6 of the 2016 National League Championship Series from Wrigley Field in Chicago. The date is Saturday, October 22:

Lineup Changes:

Giants- Denard Span returns to center field and will lead off. Brandon Crwford and Angel Pagan will switch places in the batting order; Crawford will bat fifth, while Pagan bats sixth. Conor Gillaspie moves up to seventh, while Joe Panik is back at second base and will bat eighth.

Cubs- Willson Contreras replaces David Ross behind the plate and will bat eighth.

Giants 1st: Brandon Belt drew a one-out walk. A wild pitch from Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks moved him to second, but Buster Posey's liner was gloved by Addison Russell at short for out number two. Hunter Pence was next, and he dumped a base hit into left center that scored Belt and gave the Giants a 1-0 lead. Brandon Crawford's grounder to first ended the inning, but the Giants have scored first thanks to a hit, a walk, and a wild pitch. Now let's hear from the Cubs.

Cubs 4th: With one out, Kris Bryant beat out a grounder to third for an infield single. Anthony Rizzo went down swinging for the second out, which brought Ben Zobrist to the plate against Gants starter Jeff Samardzija, Here's Joe Buck with the count no balls and one strike:

"We would be remiss if we didn't take a moment to wish a conditional final farewell to the one and only Vin Scully. Were doing it now because if the Cubs win, we'll have a whole lot of other things to get into later. The reason that I use the word conditional is because he'll call the World Series for ESPN Radio if the Giants complete their comeback and make it there. Otherwise, he signed off for the last time on Thursday night from AT&T Park, which has kind of become his home away from home over the past few seasons, as it's the only park he traveled to with the Dodgers on a regular basis outside of Southern California. His Dodgers career ended earlier this month right here at Wrigley Field in the NLDS, and we know he'll be watching over these next two nights to find out if he's officially retired or not. Right now, the Giants are up 1-0 here in the fourth, as Samardzija pitches again to Ben Zobrist.....HIT HARD DOWN THE LINE IN RIGHT, BACK IS PENCE, AT THE RACK, AT THE IVY, AND THIS BALL IS.......GONE!...…Ben Zobrist parks this one a few inches beyond the outstretched glove of Hunter Pence, and it's 2-1 Cubs here in the fourth."

John Smoltz: "Zobrist was fooled slightly, but he managed to get enough wood on the ball to pull it down the line in right. There's a little bit of wind, but I'm not sure if that helped the ball get out or not. Pence tracks the ball like he has a play on it, and even puts his glove up at the wall, but as you said, Joe, it's a few inches beyond him, if that."

Russell's line drive was gloved by Crawford for the final out, but Zobrist's two-run homer has put the Cubs in front 2-1 after four in Game 6.

Cubs 6th: With one out, Dexter Fowler lined one into the right field corner for a hustling triple. Bryant followed with a single to left, bringing Fowler home and putting the Cubs up 3-1. After Rizzo took a called third strike for the second out, Zobrist walked on four pitches to put two men on. Russell was next, and grounded Samardzija's first pitch past him and into center field for a base hit. Bryant came home to make it 4-1, while Rizzo went to third. Jason Heyward's liner was speared by Crawford to end the inning with runners still at the corners, but the Cubs have added two insurance runs on three hits and a walk. After six, it's Cubs 4, Giants 1.

Gants 8th: Belt walked with one out, which brought Posey to the plate. Here's Joe with the count one ball and two strikes:

"Hector Rondon, who was the closer for the Cubs before they acquired Aroldis Chapman, is warming up in the Chicago bullpen. Hendricks has been much better than he was in Game 2, as he's only given up one run on four hits in seven and a third innings, but he's dealing with the meat of the Giants' order in Posey and Pence, and if one of them gets on Crawford's no slouch either. The Cubs are only five outs away from the World Series, but these fans have been down this road too often to count on anything other than the last out in the ninth. Hendricks now looks to Belt at first; he's almost certainly not trying to steal with Posey at the plate. Now into the stretch, and here's the one-two pitch...........HIT HARD DOWN THE LINE IN LEFT! BACK GOES ZOBRIST, AT THE TRACK, AT THE IVY, AND THIS ONE IS GONE!...…Buster Posey hits one out down the line in left, and all of a sudden we're looking at a 4-3 game. Here comes (Cubs manager) Joe Maddon out of the dugout, and we'll see Hector Rondon."

Smoltz: "Hendricks thought he had that pitch in the perfect place, low and outside, but Posey went down and got it. He pulls it down the line in left, but he's powerful enough to get it out of here by a good margin regardless. Actually, I'm kind of surprised that Maddon didn't have Aroldis Chapman warming up at the start of this inning, but Rondon's been a closer himself, so he's more than capable of getting these last two outs and giving Chapman a clean slate to start the ninth."

Rondon only needed five pitches to end the inning; he used four to strike Pence out swinging, and Crawford grounded to Bryant at third on the first pitch he saw to end the inning. The Giants have pulled closer thanks to Posey's two-run homer, but they still trail the Cubs 4-3 after seven and a half.

Before we get to the last out, here's our Defensive Play of the Night. There's one out in the bottom of the fifth, Heyward is at first, and Contreras is at the plate against Samardzija. Here's Joe:

"Grounder down to Panik, flips to Crawford, WHO HAS TO GET OUT OF HEYWARD'S WAY, THROW TO FIRST...…GOT HIM!...…That may have been a double play by rule anyway, but Crawford had the presence of mind to turn it the old-fashioned way with Heyward bearing down on him. The Cubs don't score here in the fifth, and we go to the sixth with them leading 2-1, as we head to break with the replay of what we just saw. What a turn by Brandon Crawford."

Now let's head to the top of the ninth. There are two out, and Chapman is facing Panik. Here's Joe:

"The Cubs haven't been in this situation since 1969; they're one strike away from the World Series. There are so many milestones for both the Cubs and the city of Chicago that can be erased tonight and over the next week or so; the biggest one is that the Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1906, when they defeated the Cleveland Naps, who are now the Indians, in six games. The city of Chicago in general hasn't seen a baseball world championship since 1917, when the White Sox beat the Giants. Amazingly, there are quite a few White Sox fans who are rooting for the Cubs in this situation, just like there are Cubs fans who root for the White Sox when they're in the playoffs. This is almost never seen in New York, but New York hasn't gone ninety-nine years without a World Series win. Two balls, one strike to Panik, and here's the next pitch......…FLY BALL TO LEFT, NOT DEEP, ZOBRIST IS UNDER IT, AND MAKES THE CATCH! FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1969, THE CHICAGO CUBS HAVE WON THE NATIONAL LEAGUE PENNANT!.......The scene here at Wrigley Field is incredible, as most current Cubs fans either weren't alive for the last pennant or only barely remember it. The hero tonight was Kyle Hendricks; his numbers were inflated by Posey's home run, but he pitched brilliantly before that. He finished having given up three runs on five hits in seven and a third innings, with three walks and five strikeouts. Hector Rondon finished the eighth, and Aroldis Chapman faced only three batters in the ninth despite giving up a leadoff walk to Angel Pagan, who was immediately caught stealing. He saved all four wins by the Cubs in this series, and we've just received word that he's been named the series MVP.

Braynt led the Cubs' offense tonight, as he went two for four, scored twice, and drove in a run. Posey was two for four with a homer and two runs batted in for the Giants, while Crawford was two for four. Belt was hitless in his only official at-bat, but he walked three times and scored two runs.

Our final score: the Chicago Cubs 4, the San Francisco Giants 3, and the Cubs win this National League Championship Series four games to two. We'll take a quick break, then be back with the on-field ceremonies, which should be something else. The Warren Giles trophy for the National League champions will be presented to the Cubs, and the series MVP trophy will be presented to Aroldis Chapman. We'll also have plenty of interviews with our Ken Rosenthal as the city of Chicago celebrates what is literally a once in a lifetime event for most of its baseball fans: the Cubs have won their first National League pennant in forty-seven years. Back after these messages and a word from your local station. You're watching Fox Spots' coverage of the National League Championship Series."

Final totals: Cubs 4-6-0, Giants 3-5-0.

W- Hendricks (1-0)
S- Chapman (4)
L- Samardzija (0-2)

HR- SF: Posey (1)
CHC: Zobrist (1)

This is the Cubs' eighteenth National League pennant so far in this timeline.

Next: We switch to the American League, where the Boston Red Sox will host the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of their ALDS on Thursday, October 6. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4:30 PM Eastern, with Marco Estrada starting for the Blue Jays and Rick Porcello pitching for the Red Sox.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 1 of the first 2016 American League Division Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Thursday, October 6:

Weather: 64 degrees, fair skies, east-southeast wind at 7 MPH.

Red Sox 4th: Shortstop Xander Bogaerts led off with a single up the middle. Blue Jays starter Center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. flew to Kevin Pillar in shallow right center for out number one, and catcher Sandy Leon bounced to Edwin Encarnacion at first for the second out, with Bogaerts moving to second. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi slapped a base hit to left that scored Bogaerts and gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia's fly down the left field line was caught by the Jays' Melvin Upton Jr. to retire the side, but the Red Sox are on the board thanks to two hits and a productive groundout. After four, it's Red Sox 1, Blue Jays 0.

Red Sox 5th: With one out, right fielder Mookie Betts lined a base hit to right center, then stole second. Designated hitter David Ortiz went down swinging for out number two, but first baseman Hanley Ramirez lined a single to center. Betts scored easily, and it was 2-0 Red Sox. Bogaert grounded a single to left to put two men on, and a walk to Bradley loaded the bases. Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada thought he had caught Leon looking at a 3-2 fastball to end the inning, but home plate umpire Chad Fairchild called ball four, and Ramirez trotted home to make it 3-0. That brought Benintendi to the plate, and here's how Dick Enberg called it:

"The Red Sox are looking for one more big hit to really bust this game open. One ball and one strike on Benintendi, and the veteran Francisco Liriano is ready in the bullpen for the Jays if this inning continues, while Pedroia waits on deck for the Red Sox. Bogaerts at third, Bradley at second, Leon at first. Estarda gets the sign from (catcher Russell) Martin, and here's the one-one pitch...…LINE DRIVE INTO RIGHT FIELD, BASE HIT! BOGAERTS WILL SCORE! BRADLEY WILL SCORE! BEINTENDI MAKES THE TURN AT FIRST, THEN PUTS ON THE BRAKES!........A two-run single for Benintendi, and the Bosox have scored four runs here in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead!"

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons made the call to the pen for Liriano, and Pedroia greeted him with a lined single to left that reloaded the bases. Third baseman Brock Holt's fly to shallow center ended the inning with the bases still loaded, but the Red Sox have scored four runs on five hits, two walks (one with the bases loaded), and a stolen base. At the end of five, the Bosox now lead the visiting Jays 5-0.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 0, and the Red Sox lead the best-of-five series one game to none.

Benintendi and Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello shared Player of the Game honors from TBS. Benintendii was two for four with three RBIs, while Porcello and reliever Joe Kelly combined on a four-hit shutout. Porcello pitched eight innings, giving up all four Toronto hits while walking two and striking out eight. Five different Boston hitters had two hits apiece as part of the Sox' thirteen-hit attack. In addition to Benintendi's two hits, Ramirez was two for four with a run scored and an RBI, while Bogaerts was two for four and scored twice. Betts was two for five and scored another run, and Pedroia was two for five.. The Blue Jays only got one runner to second base all day: second baseman Devon Travis , who reached on a force play with one out in the third and moved to second on third baseman Josh Donaldson's infield single. Encarnacion struck out swinging to end the inning.

Final totals: Red Sox 5-13-0, Blue Jays 0-4-0,

W- Porcello (1-0)
L- Estrada (0-1)

The series continues with Game 2 tomorrow afternoon at Fenway Park. Fist pitch is scheduled for shortly after 1PM Eastern, with J.A. Happ starting for the Blue Jays and David Price going to the hill for the Red Sox.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 2 of the first 2016 American League Division Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Friday, October 7:

Lineup Changes:

Blue Jays- Ezequiel Carrera moves from right field to left field and will lead off. Michael Saunders will serve as the designated hitter and bat seventh. Kevin Pillar moves down to eighth, and Darwin Barney replaces Devon Travis at second base and will bat ninth.

Red Sox- Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. switch places in the batting order: Benintendi will bat seventh, while Bradley bats ninth.

Weather(as of 1:54 PM): 67 degrees, fair skies, east-northeast wind at 9 MPH.

Blue Jays 2nd: With one out, Russell Martin lined a single to left center. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's single to right center put runners at the corners, and Saunders followed with a triple off the Green Monster in left to bring both runners home and give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead. Pillar doubled over Bradley's head to score Saunders and make it 3-0, and then it was Barney's turn. Here's Dick Enberg with the count two balls and one strike:

" The fans here in Boston thought they had it made with David Price on the mound today, but after a perfect first he's had a world of trouble here in the second. This all started after (Jose) Bautista was caught looking to lead off the inning; since then, Price has given up four straight hits. It looks like Robbie Ross is starting to throw in the Red Sox bullpen, but even if he hurries he's two or three batters away. Barney was a decent run producer early in his career with the Cubs, but now he's known mostly for his glove. Still, a hit here would almost certainly make it 4-0 and put the cap on a big inning for the Jays. Price gets the sign from Leon, runner goes, AND THAT ONE'S HIT DEEP TO ROGHT BETTS IS BACK, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE! TOUCH 'EM ALL, DARIWN BARNEY!...…..He only hit four home runs in a hundred ad four games this year, has never hit more than seven in a single year, but he picked a fine time to show off his power, and the Jays now lead 5-0."

Ron Darling: "This one was all David Price's fault, Dick. He thought he could blow Barney away with a fastball down the middle, but Barney was waiting for it and really put everything he had into his swing. Even lesser hitters can show some power if they guess correctly, and that's what happened here. Price has had a tough time adjusting to the harsher spotlight here in Boston, and a postseason debut like this isn't going to help matters at all."

Both Carrera and Josh Donaldson grounded to short to end the inning, but the Blue Jays have exploded for five runs on five consecutive hits, and at the end of an inning and a half they lead the Red Sox 5-0.

Red Sox 4th: Hanley Ramirez led off with a single to left center against Jays starter J.A. Happ. After Xander Bogaerts popped to Barney at second for out number one, Benintendi lined a single to right. Bautista uncorked a powerful throw to third, but Ramirez beat it by half a step, and there were runners at the corners. Sandy Leon followed with another single to right, and Ramirez scored to put the Red Sox on the board. Bradley struck out swinging for out number two, but Dustin Pedroia's single to left center scored Benintendi to cut the Toronto lead to 5-2. Third baseman Brock Holt was next, and the former Pirate socked a double inside the bag at third and down the left field line. Leon and Pedroia both scored, and all of a sudden the home squad was within 5-4. Betts beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single to put runners back a the corners, but David Ortiz took a called third strike from Happ to end the inning. The Bosox have scored four runs on six hits while leaving runners at the corners, and after four they only trail the Jays 5-4.

Blue Jays 5th: Carrera led off with a lined single to left center against Ross. Donaldson's fly to left was caught by Benintendi on the warning track for out number one, and Encarnacion went down swinging for out number two. It was up to Martin to keep things going, and he stroked a double to right. Carrera and Bautista both scored, and the Jays led 7-4. Tulowitzki's liner was speared by Ramirez for the final out, but the Jays have added two runs on two hits and a walk while stranding Martin at second. We're halfway through Game 2, and it's Toronto 7, Boston 4.

Blue Jays 7th: Donaldson led off against former Red Sox closer Koji Uehara. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"Uehara was the closer until the Red Sox acquired Craig Kimbrel from the Padres in the offseason; now he's either the seventh-inning guy of the eighth inning guy, depending on how the game's going. Right now it's not going very well for the Red Sox, who trail 7-4 here in the seventh. After Donaldson come Encarnacion and Bautista, and that's probably why John Farrell turned to his former closer here in the seventh, as this is definitely the heart of the Blue Jays' order. One-one pitch.......LINE DRIVE GOING DEEP TO LEFT CENTER, BACK GOES BRADLEY, AT THE WALL, AND DONALDSON TOUCHES 'EM ALL!........A solo shot for the 'Bringer of Rain'', as he calls himself at times, and he's certainly rained on the parade here at Fenway, as the Blue Jays take a 7-4 lead."

Darling: "Uehara can't get this cutter to cut the way he wants it to, and it comes in flat as a pancake, which makes it easy pickings for Donaldson. This ball was absolutely scalded, and it got out of here in a hurry. (Junichi) Tuzawa's getting ready in a hurry, because the Red Sox can't afford any more mistakes like the one Uehara just made."

Encarnacion and Bautista drew back-to-back walks, and that was all for Uehara. Tuzawa came in and retired Martin on a fly to Bradley in shallow right center, Tulo on a fly to shallow right, and Saunders on a popup to Bogaerts at short to end the inning with runners still at first and second. But the Jays have added a run on Donaldson;s homer, and as we stretch at Fenway their lead over the Sox is now 8-4.

Red Sox 7th: Holt led off with a double to right against Jays reliever Joe Biagini. Betts took a called third strike for out number one, which brought Big Papi to the plate. Here's Dick:

"The fans here at Fenway could be seeing Ortiz for the last time; if the Jays hold on today and win the next two games over the weekend in Toronto, the Sox would be eliminated. It's a bit far-fetched to look so far ahead, but that underscores the importance of every October at-bat. Holt not taking a lead off of second; this is the offensive threat for the Sox, so why take a chance when a base hit would score the run anyway? There you see Travis Shaw getting loose in the dugout, as he'll run for Papi should he reach base. Ready now for the first pitch from Biagini...…HIT A MILE DEEP TO CENTER! BACK IS PILLAR, BUT THERE'S NO CHANCE! THIS ONE IS LONG GONE!.....From the ovation here at Fenway, you'd think Ortiz had won the game in the last of the ninth instead of cutting the Sox' deficit to 8-6 in the bottom of the seventh! They're going wild for Papi at Fenway!"

Darling: "This is the type of hit that David Ortiz has been known for over the years: the kind that energizes the Red Sox and turn games around. The Jays still lead 8-6, but it feels like the game has turned completely around. This place is alive, and here comes Papi out of the dugout for a curtain call...……. As for the home run itself, it was an absolute bomb, as you can see in the replay. Biagini needs to get himself beck together in a hurry and stop the Red Sox' momentum before it gets going any further."

To Biagini's credit, he did just that; Ramirez struck out swinging, and Bogaerts bounced to short to retire the side. The Bosox have crept closer as a result of Big Papi's two-run homer, which traveled 419 feet. But it's the Blue Jays who still lead 8-6 as we head to the eighth. (Note: Straightaway center field is 398 feet away from home plate at Fenway Park.)

Red Sox 8th: Blue Jays manager John Gibbons turned to closer Roberto Osuna with the hope of getting a two-inning save. But Benintendi drew a leadoff walk. Leon whacked a double to center, which moved Benintendi to third. Bradley beat out a bouncer to second for an infield single, which allowed Benintendi to score and cut the Jays' lead to 8-7. Leon moved to third on the play, and he scored to tie the game at eight when Pedroia forced Bradley. Holt forced Pedroia for out number two, which brought Betts to the plate. Here's Dick with the count two balls and two strikes:

"The save may be blown for Osuna, but it would be a huge lift for the Jays if he can get this out and retire the side with the game still tied. Two balls, two strikes, two outs here in the bottom of the eighth with Holt at first. He'll be off on contact, as there you see Big Papi on deck. Osuna ready, Martin ready, Betts ready, and here's the two-two pitch...…fly ball to left, Carrera coming in, he'll have to hurry, and IT DROPS IN! HOLT FLYING AROUND THIRD, AND THE THROW WILL GO TO SECOND TO HOLD BETTS THERE! MOOKIE HAS A DOUBLE, AND THE RED SOX HAVE A 9-8 LEAD!"

Big Papi continued the inning with a walk, and Shaw ran for him at first. Ramirez walked on five pitches, and that was all for Osuna. Jason Grilli came in and retired Bogaerts on a fly to shallow center to end the inning with the bases still loaded, but the Red Sox have taken the lead with three runs on three hits, three walks, and a pair of fielder's choices. Now it's up to Kimbrel; he'll face the heart of the Jays' order in the top of the ninth: Donaldson, Encarnacion, and Bautista. At the end of eight, it's Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 8.

Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth, sandwiched around a one-out walk to Encarnacion. Our final: Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 8, and the Red Sox lead the series two games to none.

Betts was named Player of the Game by TBS thanks to his game-winning hit. Five of the nine Red Sox starters had two hits, and Pedroia, Holt, and Ortiz each drove in two runs. Pedroia was two for five with two RBIs and a run scored, Ortiz was two for four with his two-run homer, and Holt was two for three plus two walks with two runs scored and two RBIs. Betts was two for five with the game-winning RBI, and Leon was two for four with two runs scored and a run batted in. Benintendi was one for two plus two walks and scored twice. For the Blue Jays, Martin was two for five with a run scored and two RBIs, while Barney was two for four with his two-run homer. Saunders also drove in a pair of runs with his second-inning triple. On the mound, the Red Sox pitching staff combined to strike out fourteen Toronto hitters.

Final totals: Red Sox 9-14-0, Blue Jays 8-10-0.

W- Tuzawa (1-0)
S- Kimbrel (1)
L- Osuna (0-1)

HR- TOR: Barney (1), Donaldson (1)
BOS: Ortiz (1)

The series will shift to Toronto's Rogers Centre for Game 3 on Sunday night. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 7:30 PM Eastern, with Clay Buchholz starting for the Red Sox and Aaron Sanchez going to the hill for the Blue Jays.

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Night. It's the bottom of the sixth, with two out and Pedroia at the plate. Here's Dick:

"Bouncer down to first, slow getting to Encarnacion, now he has it, the race to the bag.......WON BY ENCCARNACION! OH, MY!.....He had no time to throw to Happ covering, so he had to outrace Pedroia to the bag, and he did by half a step."

The Red Sox challenged the call, but it was upheld on instant replay.

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 3 of the first 2016 American League Division Series from Rogers Centre in Toronto. The date is Sunday, October 9.

Red Sox 2nd: Xander Bogaerts drew a leadoff walk. Andrew Benintendi followed with a double into the right center power alley to score Bogaerts and give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Sandy Leon's base hit to left center brought Benintendi home, and it was 2-0 Bosox. Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez got Jackie Bradley Jr. to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, and Dustin Pedroia's grounder to Josh Donaldson at third ended the inning. But the Red Sox have jumped in front with two runs on two hits and a walk, and at the end of an inning and a half they lead the Blue Jays 2-0.

Red Sox 3rd: With one out, Mookie Betts doubled to right. Russell Martin was charged with a passed ball, allowing Beets to go to third. Sanchez then threw a wild pitch, which allowed Betts to score and gave the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. Next was David Ortiz, who doubled down the line in right. Big Papi held at second while Hanley Ramirez grounded to short for out number two, which brought Bogaerts to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg with the count one ball and one strike:

"The Blue Jays led 5-0 and 8-4 in Game 2, but the Red Sox came back to win with two in the seventh on Ortiz's home run and three more in the eighth against (Jays closer) Roberto Osuna. They've kept the offense going tonight against Sanchez, as they lead 3-0 in the third and are looking for more. Bogaerts drew the walk which led to the two runs last inning for Boston, and now he has a chance to move Ortiz along with two out; Papi's only good for one base at a time these days. The stretch now by Sanchez, one-one pitch......…THAT ONE'S HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! BACK GOES PILLAR, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND BOGAERTS TOUCHES 'EM ALL!........Ortiz can take his time coming in now, as Bogaerts finds the seats in left center with a two-run homer to make it 5-0 Red Sox."

Ron Darling: "Sanchez tried to make Bogaerts go fishing in the dirt, but the ball didn't drop through the heart of the strike zone like it was supposed to, and Bogaerts met it squarely. Pillar had no chance, but he stayed with it right to the end. Right now, the Red Sox offense is making it look easy, Dick."

Benintendi kept the inning going with a single up the middle. Leon's grounder to Edwin Encarnacion at first retired the side, but the Scarlet Hose have scored three more runs on four hits, a passed ball, ad a wild pitch. After three and a half, it's Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 0.

Blue Jays 3rd: Donaldson led off against Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz. Here's Dick:

"The Jays need some offense in a hurry, and the three men most likely to get it for them are up in this inning: Donaldson, Encarnacion, and (Jose) Bautista. Donaldosn is 0 for 1 tonight; he struck out swinging in the first. The only hit given up by (Red Sox starter) Clay Buchholz so far was the leadoff single by (Troy) Tulowitzki in the second, and (Michael) Saunders drew a walk, but Buchholz got the next three batters, striking out two of them. Now he's ready to face Donaldson. First pitch is SWUNG ON AND HT DEEP TO LEFT CENTER, BRADLEY GOING BACK, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND DONALDSON TOUCHES 'EM ALL TO PUT THE JAYS ON THE BOARD!...........That's Donaldson's second home run of the series, and it's certainly brought the fans to their feet here at Rogers Centre; let's see what it does for the Jays' offense."

Darling: "This is the swing that helped Donaldson hit thirty-seven home runs this year: compact but powerful. The ball flies off of his bat like it does off of few others in the game, and as you said, Dick, we'll see if this home run sparks the rest of the Blue Jays' offense. They need a lot more than one solo homer to get back into this game; they need a string of hits that last about ten minutes. Fortunately for them, they have the people coming up who can put that string together for them."

That string of hits never happened; Encarnacion's liner was gloved by Brock Holt at third for out number one, and Bautista's popup was caught by Dustin Pedroia at second for the second out. Martin kept the inning going with a single to right center, but Tulo forced him to retire the side. The Jays are on the board thanks to Donaldson's home run, but they still trail the Bosox 5-1 after three.

Red Sox 4th: Bradley and Pedroia drew back-to-back walks to start. Holt went down swinging for out number one, but Betts grounded a single to right center which scored Bradley to give the Red Sox a 6-1 lead. Pedroia moved to third on the hit, and a walk to Ortiz loaded the bases. But Ramirez's liner was speared by Donaldson for out number two, and Bogaerts took a called third strike to end the inning with the bases still loaded. The Sox settle for a run on a hit and three walks, and as we head to the bottom of the fourth they enjoy a 6-1 lead over the Jays.

Blue Jays 5th: After two out, Bautista singled to left center. That brought Martin to the plate. Here's Dick with the count two balls and no strikes:

"The crowd here at Rogers Center is starting to buzz, as Buchholz has missed badly with these last two pitches. Martin has a history of coming up with big home runs in the postseason; we all remember that he hit two game-winning home runs for the Yankees in the 2012 ALCS against the White Sox, and fans in Pittsburgh remember his two home runs in the 2013 National League Wild Card Game in Cincinnati. Right now, the Jays will take any kind of a hit, as they're trying to climb out of a five-run hole here in the fifth. Buchholz taking a stroll in back of the mound to calm himself down a bit; he's pitched well to this point, and (Red Sox manager) John Farrell says he'll be happy with five good innings out of his starter. He needs just one more out, down two balls and no strikes to Martin. Bautista not a threat to run in this situation, there's the sign from Leon, and the two-ball pitch........high fly ball deep to right, Betts going back, he's got a bead on it at the warning, track, ball's still carrying, AND IT IS GONE!.....Mookie Betts thought he had a play up until the moment it disappeared over the fence, and it just cleared by less than a foot. Regardless, it's now a 6-3 game."

Darling: "Mookie Betts did everything he could do, but this ball just kept going and going. It didn't even look like it was hit that hard, but Martin hit it just in the right spot for it to carry a long, long way. Look at Beets shrug as the ball goes just beyond his reach: 'What else could I have done?'" Now we'll see how much longer Farrell stays with Buchholz."

Tulowitzki kept the inning going with a single to left. Saunders walked to put two men on, and Pillar lined a single to right center to score Tulo and bring the Jays to within 6-4. Saunders moved to third on the play, but Darwin Barney's infield popup was caught by Pedroia behind second base to retire the side with runners still at the corners. The Jays have scored three runs on four hits and a walk, and after five in Game 3 it's Boston 6, Toronto 4.

Blue Jays 8th: Barney led off with a single to left. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons sent Melvin Upton Jr. up to bat for Ezequiel Carrera, and Red Sox reliever Robbie Ross fell behind Upton three balls and a strike. Here's Dick:

"Upton hasn't played a whole lot in this series; he started Game 1, but wasn't used in Game 2, and he wasn't happy about it; he blasted John Gibbons in the press on the off day yesterday, wondering why Michael Saunders was serving as the designated hitter instead of him, and citing his extensive postseason experience compared to Saunders, who hadn't played in a postseason game before he started Game 2. Gibbons hasn't fought back publicly. but you have to wonder what kind of future Upton has in Toronto beyond this postseason. Right now, they need him to keep this inning going following the single by Barney, and it's logical that we'll see him replace Carrera in left in the top of the ninth. Barney takes his lead off first, and here's the three-one pitch......…HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO CENTER, BACK GOES BRADLEY, AT THE WALL, AND WE'RE ALL TIED UP! TOUCH 'EM ALL, MELVIN UPTON JR!........Farrell had (Junichi) Tuzawa ready in the bullpen, but he chose to stay with Ross and paid for it."

Darling: "Upton channeled all of his energy, all of his frustration, into that swing, and watch him drop the bat. He absolutely knows that he's tied this game, and Rogers Centre is going absolutely crazy. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada, and the Blue Jays have played a lot of playoff games on that day. They want another one tomorrow."

Enberg: "They can taste the hot turkey sandwiches and stuffing already. What a comeback by the Blue Jays; they were down 6-1 after three and a half, and they've fought back to tie this game at six."

Tuzawa finally entered the game, but Donaldson belted his first pitch to deep left, and Benintendi barely made the catch before crashing face first into the wall. He got up after a few moments, and the game continued, as Holt bobbled Encarnacion's grounder to third for an error. He was able to squeeze Bautista's popup for out number two, but Martin walked to keep the inning going. Tulo was next, but Tuzawa struck him out swinging at three straight pitches to end the inning with runners still at first and second. The Jays have tied the game thanks to Upton's two-run pinch-hit homer, but they've also failed to take advantage of an error and a walk. As we go to the ninth at a raucous Rogers Centre, we're deadlocked at six.

Red Sox 10th: With one out, Pedroia lined a double into the right center power alley against Blue Jays reliever Jason Grilli. Holt was next, and here's Dick with the count two balls and a strike:

"A reminder that it's Mookie Betts on deck, then Travis Shaw, who pinch ran for Ortiz in the ninth after Papi's leadoff single. Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly throwing in the Red Sox bullpen, and we'll almost certainly see Kelly in the bottom of the tenth if this game stays tied and Kimbrel if the Red Sox take the lead. Two and one to Holt, as Pedroia takes a short lead at second. The stretch by Grilli, and here's the two-one pitch.....LINED INTO LEFT FIELD, AND IT WILL GET DOWN FOR A HIT! AROUND THIRD IS PEDROIA, HE'LL SCORE! HOLT TRYING FOR SECOND, AND HE'LL GET THERE WITH A DOUBLE! THE RED SOX LEAD 7-6, AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'LL BE KIMBREL IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TENTH!"

Betts took a called third strike for the second out, and Shaw struck out swinging to end the inning. The Red Sox have taken the lead with a run on two hits; the key blow came on Holt's double. Kimbrel will face Upton, Donaldson, and Encarnacion in the last of the tenth as the Red Sox try to hold on to their 7-6 lead.

Upton led off the bottom of the tenth with a single, but Donaldson took a called third strike and Encarnacion went down swinging. Now it's Bautista against Kimbrel, and here's Dick:

"Bautista one for four plus a walk tonight, and he's been very quiet in the series so far. The Blue Jays need a hit from him now more than ever, as they're down to their last out. Kimbrel fooled Donaldson badly, then absolutely blew Encarnacion away. Now he deals with the man they call Joey Bats here in Toronto. Upton at first, two out, Red Sox leading 7-6 here in the bottom of the tenth. Kimbrel ready, and the first pitch is HIT TO LEFT, IT'S NOT DEEP! BENINTENDI COMING IN, HE'S UNDER IT, AND MAKES THE CATCH! THE RED SOX MOVE ON TO THE ALCS!.....Brock Holt drives in the winning run with his double in the top of the tenth, and Craig Kimbrel survives the leadoff single by Melvin Upton Jr. in the bottom of the tenth by retiring the next three batters to nail down the win. Holt is our Player of the Game, but we also need to tp our caps to two other key Red Sox. Mookie Betts was three for six with a run scored and an RBI, while Andrew Benintendi was three for four plus a walk with a run scored and an RBI. Xander Bogaerts was two for four plus a walk with a two--run homer and another run scored. For the Blue Jays, Russell Martin was three for four with a two-run homer, while Troy Tulowitzki was two for five and scored a run. The Blue Jays played better than the final series tally will indicate; two of the three games were decided by a run. The only game where the outcome was never in doubt was Game 1, when Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly combined to shut out the Jays 4-0,

Once again, our final score in ten innings: the Boston Red Sox 7, the Toronto Blue Jays 6, and the Red Sox sweep the series three games to none. Stay tuned now for The Postseason Show Presented by Chrysler, with Brian Kenny and our merry band of analysts back in Atlanta. They'll have highlights and analysis of both of today's games, plus interviews from the victorious Red Sox clubhouse. That's all coming up on the other side of this break. For Ron Darling and our dugout reporter Lauren Shehadi, this is Dick Enberg saying so long from Rogers Centre in Toronto, We'll have the upcoming ALCS here on TBS, and thanks to today's win the Boston Red Sox will be a part of it. Brian Kenny follows from Atlanta after these messages. You're watching TBS' coverage of the American League Division Series."

Final totals: Red Sox 7-14-1, Blue Jays 6-12-0.

W- Uehara (1-0)
S- Kimbrel (2)
L- Grilli (0-1)

HR- BOS: Bogaerts (1)
TOR: Donaldson (2), Martin (1), Upton Jr. (1)

Next: We begin the other ALDS, as the Cleveland Indians host the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field. Game 1 is set for Thursday, October 6, with first pitch scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern. James Paxton will start for the Mariners, while Trevor Bauer takes the hill for the Indians.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 1 of the second 2016 American League Division Series from Progressive Field in Cleveland. The date is Thursday, October 6:

Mariners 2nd: Designated hitter Nelson Cruz led off against Indians starter Trevor Bauer. Here's Ernie Johnson with the count one ball and one strike:

"Nelson Cruz was acquired for his playoff experience: four trips with the Rangers, then last year with Baltimore. This is the first year that he's dedicated himself mostly to being a designated hitter; he was primarily an outfielder in Texas, then split time between the field and the DH spot last year with the Orioles. He still started forty-eight games in right field this year, and we may see him there during this series, according to (Mariners manager) Scott Servais. Bauer gave up the leadoff single to (left fielder) Nori Aoki in the first, but he was thrown out at second, and Bauer got the next two outs easily. One-one pitch is pulled down the line in right, back goes Chisenhall, it could be trouble, at the wall, AND IT'S GONE!......That was a routine fly ball of f of most bats, but it's a home run for Nelson Cruz, and the Mariners strike first in Game 1."

Jim Kaat: "Cruz didn't even hit this ball all that well, EJ, but he's so strong that he was able to muscle it out of here down the line. Look at Lonnie Chisenhall; he keeps raising his glove, hoping for the ball to come down, but it doesn't until it's over the wall. Bauer can't let that home run bother him; he threw the pitch he wanted, and nine out of ten times it would have been a flyout. This was number ten."

Third baseman Kyle Seager followed with a base hit to right center, but first baseman Adam Lind grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Center fielder Leonys Martin walked to keep the inning going, but catcher Mike Zunino took a called third strike to retire the side. The M's are on the board first due to Cruz's home run, and they lead the Indians 1-0 after an inning and a half.

Mariners 3rd: After two out, right fielder Seth Smith took a Bauer fastball off of his forearm. That brought second baseman Robinson Cano to the plate. Here's EJ again:

"Cano has taken this franchise to the postseason in two of the three years he's been here, but this is the Mariners' first division title since 2003. The experts thought that he wouldn't be the home run threat that he was in New York due to Safeco Field being a much bigger park than Yankee Stadium, but he figured out this year, hitting thirty-nine home runs and driving in a hundred and three runs. There you see Cruz, who's already homered once tonight, on deck. Smith being held on by (Mike) Napoli at first, and here's the first pitch to Cano.......HIGH FLY BALL, LEFT CENTER FIELD! GOING BACK IS NAQUIN, HE'S AT THE TRACK, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND THIS ONE'S GONE!...…There you see the power that we just talked about on full display, and it's 3-0 Seattle."

Kaat: "Bauer looked like he was trying to keep the ball away from Cano and not give him anything to hit, but instead of hitting the outside corner this ball tailed back over the plate and into Cano's hitting zone. My guess is that before the inning, the Indians decided not to mess around with Cano, but if that was their strategy, it just blew up in their collective faces."

Bauer pitched around Cruz and walked him on four pitches, and Seager lined a base hit to right center to put runners at the corners. A walk to Lind loaded the bases, but Bauer came back to strike out swinging to end the inning with the bases still loaded. The Mariners settle for two runs on two hits, two walks, and a hit batsman, with the key blow coming on Cano's two-run homer. After two and a half, it's Mariners 3, Indians 0.

Mariners 6th:After two out, Zunino faced Bauer. Here's EJ with the count two balls and no strikes:

"Zunino might be one of the most dangerous hitters that no one knows about. He played in just fifty-five games this season, but still managed to hit twelve home runs in hundred and sixty-four at-bats, and his career high is twenty-two hit two years ago. Bauer's settled down since the Cano homer in the third; he retired the Mariners in order in the fourth and gave up a two-out walk to Cruz in the fifth that ultimately did no damage. He goes to the windup with no one on base, and here's the one-one pitch.....FLY BALL HIT DEEP TO RIGHT! BACK IS CHISENHALL, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND IT IS GONE!,,,,,,The Mariners have now hit three home runs off of Trevor Bauer, and those three home runs have brought home all four of their runs."

Kaat: "Bauer's line isn't going to look very good in the box score tomorrow, but he really hasn't pitched all that badly. This pitch to Zunino wasn't a bad pitch, it was on the outside corner just where he wanted it, but Zunino shortened his swing to cover that exact type of pitch, and with his power he was able to hit it a long way. Bauer's really thrown only one bad pitch tonight: the home run ball to Cano. On the other two homers, he threw the pitch he needed to throw, but the Mariners were able to hit it, which can happen to any pitcher."

Shortstop Ketel Marte flew to Tyler Naquin in right center to end the inning, but the Mariners have extended their lead thanks to Zunino's homer. At the end of five and a half, it's Seattle 4, Cleveland 0.

Mariners 9th: With one out, left fielder Nori Aoki lined a single to right center against Indians reliever Dan Otero . Smith's fly to deep left center was caught at the warning track by Naquin for the second out, which brought up Cano. Here's EJ with the count one ball and no strikes:

"It was Cano's homer in the third that turned the game around, as it extended the Seattle lead to 3-0. There's (Mariners starter) James Paxton; like Bauer, he won;t have the best-looking line in the world tomorrow morning, as he's scattered ten hits, but he's also kept the Indians off the board. Only once have the Indians left more than one man on, and that was in the fourth, when they left runners at first and second. The defense has also turned two double plays, which have helped immensely. Aoi not much of a threat to run at first; not only are the Mariners up by six, but he's lost quite a bit of his speed over the years. He only stole five base in the regular season and was caught twice. Otero gets his sign, and here's the one-ball pitch......…LINED DEEP TO RIGHT, CHISENHALL STARTS BACK, HE'S TO THE TRACK, BUT THIS ONE'S ALREADY GONE! A BULLET OFF THE BAT OF ROBINSON CANO, HIS SECOND HOMER OF THE NIGHT, AND THE MARINERS LEAD 6-0!"

Kaat: "You could hardly follow the flight of that ball, it got out so quick. Cano's really seeing the ball well right now, and if he stays this hot for the rest of this series, the Mariners will make short work of the Indians. With Cruz hitting behind him, the Cleveland pitchers are going to have to make an almost-impossible choice, and there are very few easy outs in the rest of the lineup either. It's going to be interesting to see how they adapt, especially since they'll be down a game in a best-of-five series barring a massive comeback."

Cruz continued the inning by drawing his third walk of the game, and Seager followed with a double to left. Cruz chugged home, and the Mariners led 7-0. Lind's grounder to first ended the inning with Seager still at second, but the Mariners have added to their lead again, scoring three runs on three hits and a walk. As we go to the bottom of the ninth, the M's are looking to put the finishing touches on a 7-0 shutout of the Tribe.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Mariners 7, Indians 0, and the Mariners lead the best-of-five series one game to none.

Cano was named Player of the Game by TBS. He finished two for five with a pair of two-run homers, which gave him four RBIs for the night. Cruz was one for two with a homer, scored two runs, and walked three times, while Seager was three for five with a run batted in and Aoki was two for four plus a walk with a run scored. On the mound, Paxton and reliever Vidal Nuno combined on an unusual eleven-hit shutout. Every member of the Cleveland starting lineup had at least one hit, with third baseman Jose Ramirez and catcher Roberto Perez each going two for four. Neither Seattle pitcher allowed a walk, and they combined to strike out eight.

Final totals: Mariners 7-9-0, Indians 0-11-0.

W- Paxton (1-0)
L- Bauer (0-1)

HR- SEA: Cano 2 (2), Cruz (1), Zunino (1)

The series will continue with Game 2 tomorrow afternoon here at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4:30 PM Eastern, with Tiajuan Walker starting for the Mariners and Corey Kluber going to the hill for the Indians.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 2 of the second 2016 American League Division Series from Progressive Field in Cleveland. The date is Friday, October 7:

Lineup Changes:

Indians- Rajai Davis will lead off and start in center field. Carlos Santana moves down to fifth, Jose Ramirez to sixth, and Lonnie Chisenhall to eighth. Finally, Brandon Guyer will start in left field and bat seventh,

Mariners 4th: Robinson Cano led off against Indians starter Corey Kluber. Here's Ernie Johnson with the count one ball and one strike:

"Cano was, of course, the star of the game last night with two home runs, but he downplayed his accomplishments after the game, reminding everyone that this was just the first step in a three-step process and that the Mariners would be facing the man who's considered by most observers to be the ace of the Cleveland staff today in Corey Kluber. He and Nelson Cruz are providing a ton of veteran leadership to this young Mariners team that won the American League West with just eighty-six victories this season. Kluber now ready with the one-one pitch........LINE DRIVE GOING DEEP TOLEFT, BACK GOES BRANDON GUYER, HE'S AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND THIS BALL IS GONE!........That's three home runs in two games for Robinson Cano, and the Mariners strike first again in Game 2."

Jim Kaat: "Kluber tried to take a bit off of his fastball to induce a late swing from Cano, but Robbie did something simple: He went with the pitch and slowed down his swing so he could meet the ball, and the result was another wicked line drive. It didn't get out of the park quite as quickly as his second home run did last night, but t got out quickly enough that Brandon Guyer had no chance at the ball. Now let's see what happens with Cruz."

We rejoin EJ with the count two balls and a strike:

"Kluber's certainly working tentatively to Cruz, as well he might. Cruz put the Mariners on the board last night with his home run in the second, and they went on to hit four home runs in the 7-0 shutout win. Kyle Seager, who didn't hit a home run but had three hits last night, in on deck. Cruz took a called third strike in the first, and Kluber's looking for a repeat performance here in the fourth. (Catcher Roberto) Perez sets up outside, now here's the two-one pitch.......HIT A MILE DEEP TO ENTER! DAVIS GOING BACK, HE'S HALFWAY TO THE WALL, BUT HE GIVES UP! NO CHANCE TO CATCH THAT BABY! A TOWERING HOME RUN FOR NELSON CRUZ, AND THE MARINERS GO BACK-TO-BACK IN THE FOURTH!"

Kaat: "EJ, I don't think anyone ever dreamed that the Mariners would be able to hit Cleveland pitching as hard as they have so far in this series. We haven't even played a game and a half yet, and the Mariners have already hit seven home runs. Cruz has hit two, and this one is an absolute monster shot. Davis took two steps toward the wall, then turned around and admired it like the rest of it. Here comes the Indians' pitching coach, Mickey Callaway, out of the dugout to give Kluber a breather, and he sure looks like he needs one."

After Callaway's visit, Kluber settled down to strike out both Seager and Adam Lind swinging and retire Leonys Martin on a grounder to second to end the inning. But the Mariners are on the board thanks to back-to-back jacks from Cano and Cruz, and they lead the Indians 2-0 after three and a half.

Indians 5th: With one out, Jose Ramirez grounded a single to left, then stole second. Guyer's double off the wall in right brought him home to cut the Mariners' lead in half. Next was Lonnie Chisenhall, who stroked a base hit to right center. Guyer scored easily, and we were tied at two. Roberto Perez walked, but was forced by Davis, with Chisenhall moving to third. Davis stole second to put two men in scoring position, but second baseman Jason Kipnis struck out swinging to strand the runners and end the inning. The Tribe has tied the game with two runs on three hits, a walk, two stolen bases, and a fielder's choice; they've also broken up Mariners starter Tiajuan Walker's no-hit bid after four and two-thirds innings. We go to the sixth in Game 2 tied at two.

Mariners 9th: Cruz drew a leadoff walk against Indians reliever Bryan Shaw, and Shawn O'Malley went in to run for him. Seager beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single to put two men on, but Lind's foul pop was caught by Mike Napoli behind first base for out number one. Martin forced Seager for the second out, but Mike Zunino lined a base hit to scoring O'Malley and putting the Mariners up 3-2. Seager moved to third on the play, but Ketel Marte's popup was caught by Kipnis to end the inning with runners still at the corners. Now it's up to closer Steve Cishek to shut down the Tribe in the bottom of the ninth; he'll face Ramirez, Guyer, and Chisenhall with the Mariners clinging to a 3-2 lead.

Martin's fielder's choice is one of our three choices for Defensive Play of the Day. Here's how EJ called it:

"Ground ball, DIVING STOP BY LINDOR, TO SECOND FOR ONE, THROW TO FIRST......SAFE!......Martin's safe at first, but what a diving stop by Francisco Lindor, who basely let it settle in hos glove before flipping to Kipnis to get the out on Kyle Seager. Two out in the inning, runners still at first and third, and here's Mike Zunino."

Indians 9th: Ramirez beat out a grounder to second for a leadoff infield single. Coco Crisp batted for Guyer and was hit on the forearm by a pitch to put two men on. Chisenhall forced Crisp for the first out, with Ramirez moving to third. and Perez struck out swinging for out number two. It was all up to Davis, and we join EJ with the count one ball and two strikes:

"The Mariners are one strike away from an improbable two games to none lead in this series. Cishek is looking to save it for Tiajuan Walker, who allowed only three hits in eight innings. Unfortunately, two of them scored runs for the Indians in the fifth, but he still gets the win if Cishek can take care of Davis. Ramirez at third, Chisenhall at first, and everyone will be moving at the crack of the bat. The stretch by Cishek, and the one-two pitch........LINED INTO LEFT CENTER FIELD, BASE HIT! RAMIREZ WILL SCORE TO TIE THE GAME! CHISENHALL'S GOING TO THIRD, THE THROW BY MARTIN IS....IN TIME, BUT CHISENHALL BEAT IT! THE WINNING RUN IS NOW NINETY FEET AWAY FOR CLEVELAND!"

Kipnis' infield pop was caught by Cano behind second to end the inning with runners still at the corners, but the Tribe has tied the game with a run on two hits, a force play, and a hit batsman. We're headed to extra innings at Progressive Field with the Mariners and Indians tied at three.

Mariners 11th: Seager led off with a single to right center against new Indians pitcher Zach McAllister. Lind walked to put two men on, but Martin struck out swinging for out number one. Zunino was next, and here's EJ:

"Zunino's only one for four this evening, but that one hit gave the Mariners the lead in the top of the ninth. The Indians tied it on Davis' base hit, and here we are in the eleventh. Edwin Diaz, the other closer for the Mariners, is starting to get loose in case the M's take the lead; it'll be Ramirez, Crisp, and Chisenhall due up in the bottom of the eleventh for the Indians. Right now, it's up to McAllister to keep the Mariners off the board. Seager at second, Lind at first, and the pitch to Zunino........ground ball, UP THE MIDDLE, BASE HIT! SEAGER AROUND THIRD, DAVIS' THROW TO THE PLATE.......NOT IN TIME! MIKE ZUNINO PUT THE MARINERS IN FRONT AGAIN, AND NOW DIAZ WILL BEAR DOWN IN THE BULLPEN, BECAUSE HE'S CONING IN FOR SURE!"

Marte followed by lining a single to right. Lind sored to put the M's up 5-3, but Chisenhall fired a perfect strike to third to cut down an incoming Zunino for out number two. Nori Aoki's grounder to second retired the side, but the Mariners have taken the lead again with two runs on three hits and a walk. After ten and a half, it's Seattle 5, Cleveland 3.

Diaz gave up a leadoff single to Ramirez in the bottom of the eleventh, but retired the next three batters in order. Perez lined to Cano at second to end the game. Our final: Mariners 5, Indians 3, and the Mariners lead the series two games to none.

Zunino was named Player of the Game by TBS because of his pair of clutch hits that gave the Mariners the lead in the ninth and won the game for them in the eleventh. Seager was once again three for five, which gives makes him six for ten so far in the series. He also scored a run. Walker pitched eight brilliant innings, giving up two runs on just three hits while walking four and striking out seven. Kluber matched him over seven innings, giving up two runs on just four hits while walking one and striking out eight. Each pitching staff combined to strike out ten opposing batters. Even though he didn't drive in any runs for the Tribe, Ramirez finished three for five on the day and scored a pair of runs to pace the offense.

Now for our other two Defensive Plays of the Day. We start in the top of the third, with two out and Seth Smith at the plate. Take it away, EJ:

"LINE DRIVE, DIVING STOP BY NAPOLI TO END THE INNING!...…Mike Napoli knocked the wind out of himself, as he came down hard with his midsection right on top of first base, but he held on for the out, and the Mariners are down in order here in the third, After two and a half, we're scoreless."

Now for our third play. Zunino leads off the top of the fifth as we go back to EJ:

"Ground ball deep in the hole at short, Lindor has a long throw...…GOT HIM!.....Napoli practically did the splits to stay on the bag, and Zunino goes back to the dugout shaking his head. One out in the Seattle fifth, and here's Ketel Marte."

Final totals: Mariners 5-9-1, Indians 3-6-0.

W- Miranda (1-0)
S- Diaz (1)
L- McAllister (0-1)

HR- SEA: Cano (3), Cruz (2)

The series shifts to Safeco Field in Seattle for Game 3 on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4PM Eastern, with Josh Tomlin starting for the Indians and Hishashi Iwakuma going to the mound for the Mariners.

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 3 of the second 2016 American League Division Series from Safeco Field in Seattle. The date is Sunday, October 9:

Lineup Changes:

Indians- Carlos Santana moves back to the leadoff spot. Jose Ramirez moves up to fifth and Lonnie Chisenhall to sixth. Coco Crisp will start in left field and will bat seventh. Finally, Tyler Naquin is back in center field and will bat eighth.

Weather: 55 degrees, cloudy skies, north wind at 7 MPH.

Indians 1st: Santana led off with a double to right. Jason Kipnis followed with a single to left, scoring Santana and giving the Tribe a 1-0 lead. Francisco Lindor hit a fly ball deep to center, but Leonys Martin made the catch at the wall for the first out. Mike Napoli popped up to Adam Lind at first for out number two, and Ramirez flew to right center to end the inning. The Tribe has struck first thanks to a pair of hits; now let's hear from the M's.

Mariners 1st: With one out, Seth Smith hit a bouncer down to second. Kipnis couldn't find the handle, and Smith reached on the error. Robinson Cano's single to right center put runners at the corners, but Indians starter Josh Tomlin struck Nelson Cruz out swinging for the second out. Next was Kyle Seager, who lined a single to left. Smith scored, and we were tied at one. Lind's foul pop behind the plate was caught by Roberto Perez for out number three, and the Mariners had left runners at first and second, but they'd also tied the game thanks to two hits and an error. After one, it's Indians 1, Mariners 1.

Indians 2nd: Crisp drew a one-out walk. Naquin beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single, and there were two men on. A double steal put runners at second and third, and Roberto Perez's sacrifice fly to Aoki in left center scored Crisp and put the Indians up 2-1. Naquin moved to third on the play, but he was stranded when Santana flew to Martin in right center to retire the side. The Indians are back on top thanks to a run on a hit, a walk, a double steal, and a sacrifice fly. After an inning and a half, it's Tribe 2, M's 1.

Mariners 6th: After two out, Cruz lined a double off the wall in center. That brought Seager to the plate. Here's Ernie Johnson with the count one ball and two strikes:

"Seager has already driven in a the only Seattle run with a single in the bottom of the first. Cruz's double is only the fourth hit given up by Josh Tomlin, and (Mariners manager) Scott Servais hasn't sent out a runner for Cruz yet; it may be a bit too early in the game for that, as it's nearly certain that Cruz will come to the plate at least one more time in regulation. This means that the Mariners will probably need two hits to get Cruz home from second, and there's Adam Lind on deck. Tomlin looking to strand Cruz at second and turn the Mariners away, and also to silence the sellout crowd here at Safeco Field. The stretch by Tomlin, and the one-two pitch........HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO ROGHT CENTER, BACK GOES NAQUIN, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND IT IS GONE!.......Kyle Seager goes deep for two runs here in the bottom of the sixth, and it's 3-2 Seattle. That's the way to bring Cruz home, Kitty."

Jim Kaat: "It sure is, EJ. Tomlin's pitched so well, and it's a shame that his first mistake of the day has cost the Indians the lead. This curveball doesn't break as sharply as Tomlin wanted it too, and Seager was able to put a good swing on it. It's a pretty cold, dark day here in Seattle, but that ball carried pretty well because Seager hit it so hard. This was the eighth homer that the Mariners have hit in the past three games, and that kind of power is why they're looking for a sweep today."

Lind struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Mariners have taken the lead on Seager's two-run homer, which was set up by Cruz's double. At the end of five and a half, it's Seattle 3, Cleveland 2.

Indians 8th: Crisp led off with a single up the middle, stole second, and moved to third on Naquin's bouncer to first. Perez flew to Martin in right center to bring Crisp home, his second sacrifice fly of the day, and we were tied at three. Santana popped to short to retire the side, but the Tribe has manufactured the tying run with the help of a hit, a stolen base, a productive ground ball, and a sacrifice fly. We're deadlocked at three as we head to the bottom of the eighth.

Mariners 8th: Smith drew a leadoff walk, which brought Cano to the plate. Here's EJ with the count one ball and one strike:

"Bryan Shaw is warming up in the Cleveland bullpen, but Tomlin''s only thrown ninety-four pitches so far, so the Indians are hoping that he can get through this inning and that they can take lead in the ninth so they can go straight to (closer) Cody Allen. Cao's been the leader so far for the Mariners in just about every aspect, but he's only one for three today with a single in the first. The noise is deafening here at Safeco Field, as Smith takes a short lead off of first. Tomlin's ready to throw pitch number ninety-five on the day. A nod to Perez, and here it comes.....HIT HIGH AND EEP TO CENTER! BACK GOES NAQUIN, AT THE WALL, AND CANO'S DONE IT AGAIN! A TWO-RUN HOMER, HIS FOURTH OF THE SERIES, AND THE MARINERS ARE THREE OUTS AWAY FROM A MAJOR UPSET!"

Kaat: "What a series for Robinson Cano. This is what the Mariners signed him for, and he's more than delivered over these last three games. We talked about it being a cold, dark day in Seattle earlier, but lust like Seager's homer earlier, this ball really carried because it was hit so well. This ball would have gone out of any park at any time of year, and Tomlin's going to be charged with a loss when he only threw one or two bad pitches all day long. That's the cruelty of baseball."

Johnson: "They want Cano to take a curtain call, and here he comes!...…I wonder if the sesimographs are going off, like they do at times during Seahawks games."

Shaw relived Tomlin and retired the next three batters in order: Cruz popped to third, Seager struck out swinging, and Lind's liner was gloved by Mike Napoli to end the inning. But the Mariners have taken the lead thanks to Cano's two-run homer, and closer Steve Cishek will try to protect their 5-3 lead in the top of the ninth while facing Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, and Napoli.

Indians 9th: Kipnis led off with a single to left. Lindor followed by lining a double into the left center power alley, which scored Kipnis and brought the Tribe within 5-4. But Napoli struck out swinging, and Ramirez popped to Ketel Marte at short for the second out. That left Chisenhall as the last hope for Cleveland, and here's EJ:

"Two balls and no strikes on Chisenhall. Cishek hasn't had the easiest time in this series; he gave up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth in Game 2, and he's given up a run here in the ninth. Edwin Diaz throwing now in the Seattle bullpen, and Tyler Naquin on deck for the Indians. Right now Cishek would just be happy if he could throw a strike to make it two and one. The fans here at Safeco Field have been on their feet since Cano hit his homer run in the bottom of the eighth, and you can see the brooms ready to sweep out the Indians. Lindor can run at second, so any ball hit to the outfield could be trouble. The stretch by Cishek, and here's the two-ball pitch.....HIT DOWN TO LIND AT FIRST, HE'LL TAKE IT HIMSELF, AND THE MARINERS ARE MOVING ON!........A three-game sweep that almost no one expected; most experts thought that if there would be a sweep, it would be the Indians doing the sweeping. But Robinson Cano hits four home runs in three games, Nelson Cruz adds a pair, and the Mariners are headed to Fenway Park for Game 1 of the ALCS on Tuesday night. On a side note, it's absolutely pouring right now, but nobody cares.

Cano would undoubtedly be the MVP of this series if one was being awarded, but a close second would be Kyle Seager. He was two for four today with a home run and three RBIs, which makes him eight for fourteen in the series. Cano and Seager combined for four of the six Seattle hits today, and let's also remember Seth Smith, who scored two runs despite going hitless in three at-bats. Jason Kipnis was three for five plus a run scored and an RBI for Cleveland, while Lindor was two for four plus a walk with an RBI and Perez drove in two runs with sacrifice flies, both of which were scored by Crisp. Ramirez was two for five, while Naquin was two for three plus a walk.

We're going to get out of here before we're drowned like rats. Stay tuned for The Postsaeson Show Presented by Chrysler, with Brian Kenny and his band of analysts from our Atlanta studio. The Mariners will celebrate tonight, then head for Boston, where the ALCS will begin on Tuesday night. Our final score once again from a suddenly soggy Safeco Field- say that five times fast- the Seattle Mariners 5, the Cleveland Indians 4, and the Mariners have swept this ALDS three games to none. For Jim Kaat and Sam Ryan , this is Ernie Johnson saying so long from Seattle. Brian Kenny and friends are up after the break, and you're watching TBS' coverage of the American League Division Series."

Final totals: Mariners 5-6-0, Indians 4-11-1.

W- Nuno (1-0)
S- Cishek (1)
L- Tomlin (0-1)

HR-SEA: Cano (4), Seager (1)

Next: We begin the ALCS with Game 1 at Fenway Park in Boston on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Felix Hernandez starting for the Mariners and Eduardo Rodriguez going to the hill for the Red Sox.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 1 of the 2016 American League Championship Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Tuesday, October 11:

Weather: 54 degrees, fair skies, south-southeast wind at 8 MPH.

Red Sox 1st: Second baseman Dustin Pedroia drew a leadoff walk, but was forced by shortstop Xander Bogaerts. That brought designated hitter David Ortiz to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg:

"This is the confrontation everyone's been looking forward to: King Felix against Big Papi. Neither man may be what they once were, but what they still are is plenty good. It was Ortiz's home run that turned around the Toronto series for the Red Sox; they were down 8-4 in the seventh when Ortiz went deep for two runs and woke up everyone in this ballpark. The Red Sox scored three in the eighth to win 9-8, then finished off the sweep in Game 3. This is Papi's last year; he says he'll hang 'em up once this playoff run is over. You can bet that Hernandez isn't intimidated by him in the least. Ready for the first pitch.....AND THAT ONE'S HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO DEAD CENTER, BACK IS MARTIN, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND ORTIZ TOUCHES 'EM ALL AGAIN!...….We talked about his big homer against the Jays, which was to straightaway center, and now another homer to center gets the Red Sox started in the ALCS."

Ron Darling: "Felix decided to challenge Ortiz right down the middle to see what he'd do with it, and also to establish that he wasn't afraid to pitch to Ortiz regardless of the game situation. A few years ago he might have made Papi look silly; now he doesn't have quite the hop he did on his fastball, and Ortiz hits it a mile over the wall in center."

Jim Kaat: "This crowd is on fire right now. As much as they love the whole Red Sox team, Papi's in a class by himself. They go crazy for him every time he does something the least bit positive."

Right fielder Mookie Betts flew to left for the second out, but first baseman Hanley Ramirez singled to right to extend the inning. Third baseman Travis Shaw was called out on strikes to retire the side, but the Red Sox are on the board first thanks to Ortiz's two-run homer, and they lead the Mariners 2-0 at the end of one.

Red Sox 3rd: Bogaerts led off with a single to right. Ortiz's fly to right was caught at the wall by Seth Smith for out number one, which brought Betts to the plate. Here's Dick with the count one ball and two strikes:

"Most daily observers of the Red Sox believe that they'll become Betts' team next year when Ortiz retires, although some say it will be the veteran Dustin Pedroia who will still have the most influence. No matter who becomes their emotional leader, the Red Sox are like their brethren the Patriots in football: they have enough talent to be a consistent contender for many years to come. Bogaerts takes his lead at first, and Hernandez ready with the one-two pitch..........HIT WELL TO DEEP LEFT CENTER, MARTIN IN THE RUN AGAIN, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND THIS BALL IS GONE!...…Mookie Betts with the second two-run homer for the Red Sox tonight, and they now lead 4-0."

Kaat: "Betts guesses an off-speed pitch from Hernandez and adjusts his swing accordingly. It used to be that hitters had a hard time catching up to Felix Hernandez no matter what they tried, but nowadays they can adjust to him in the same way they can to other pitchers because his stuff's not quite so overpowering."

Darling: "There's a reason why (Mariners manager) Scott Servais went with (James) Paxton, (Taijuan) Waker, and (Hishashi) Iwakuma as his first three starters this postseason: as hard as it may be for some fans to believe, they're all better than Felix is right now. There was a time when a lineup like this, with a few reserves in it, wouldn't have laid a glove on Felix. Now, they're hitting him pretty well, to say the least."

Ramirez's fly to deep left was run down at the warning track by Nori Aoki for the second out, and Shaw's liner was gloved by Robinson Cano at second to end the inning. But Betts' two-run blast has extended the Red Sox' lead; at the end of three, it's Boston 4, Seattle 0.

Mariners 6th: With one out, Aoki doubled off the wall in center. Smith followed with a base hit just out of the reach of Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez and into center field. Aoki scored, and the Mariners were on the board. Cano followed with a fly ball to deep left that was caught just below the home run line by the Red Sox' Chris Young for the second out, and designated hitter Nelson Cruz forced Smith to retire the side. The Mariners settle for a run on two hits and a fielder's choice, and after five and a half it's Bosox 4, M's 1.

Red Sox 6th: Center fielder Andrew Benintendi led off with a single up the middle against Mariners reliever Nick Vincent. Catcher Christian Vazquez took a called third strike for out number one, but second baseman Dustin Pedroia walked to put two men on. and Bogaerts hit a fly ball to left that dropped on the warning track and bounced over the Green Monster for a ground-rule double. Benintendi scored, and the Red Sox led 5-1. Papi followed with a base hit to right that brought home Pedroia and Bogaerts, and it was 7-1 Boston. Vincent departed in favor of Ariel Miranda, who hit Betts in the forearm with a pitch to put two men on. Ramirez flew to Aoki in shallow left for out number two, which brought Shaw to the plate. Here's Dick with the count two balls and a strike:

"Shaw appeared twice as a pinch runner for Ortiz in the Toronto series, but this is the first time he's played in the field this postseason. Brock Holt started all three games at third against the Blue Jays, but (Red Sox manager) John Farrell thought that it was time to get Shaw's bat in the lineup. So far, he's hitless in three at-bats. There are the runners: Ortiz at second, Betts at first. Miranda's trying to hold the Red Sox at three runs for the inning as he throws the two-one pitch......…THAT ONE'S HAMMERED DEEP TO RIGHT, BACK IS SMITH, HE'S AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S A LONG WAY GONE!,,,,,,,A three-run blast from Travis Shaw, and the Red Sox hit double digits here in Game 1."

Darling: "The Red Sox are doing to the Mariners tonight what the Mariners did to the Indians in their series, which is homering them to death. Miranda got this one way too high in the strike zone, and Shaw barely needs to flick his wrists to hit this ball a long, long way. After a home run like that, John Farrell's going to have a decision to make about his starting third baseman going forward."

Kaat: "Holt can play a lot of other positions, and he may have to in order to stay in the lineup."

Young was next, and here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"Jackie Bradley Jr. had a migraine earlier this afternoon; he's feeling better now, but Farrell decided to play it safe and move Benintendi to center while starting Young in left. He's one for three tonight with an infield single and two stolen bases, so the move has paid off. We'll see if Bradley's back in center tomorrow or if this successful arrangement continues. Miranda just wants to get out of the inning without any more damage being done; the Red Sox are already in front 10-1 here in the bottom of the sixth. The one-one pitch to Young........fly ball to left, carrying toward the wall, Aoki going back, ball's curving......IT HITS THE FISK POLE FOR A HOME RUN!...…The ball was curving foul and out of lay, but it smacked into the pole, which makes it an automatic home run and a ten-run lead for Boston."

Kaat: "It just keeps getting worse for the Mariners. This ball was clearly headed for foul territory, but takes a left turn at the last second and hits off the pole, which as Dick said means an automatic home run for Young. That's the fourth home run for the Red Sox tonight, and if they keep hitting this well they'll have an easy time in this series. James Paxton, who's pitching in Game 2 tomorrow night, has to be looking at this performance and shaking his head. This is what might be in store for him tomorrow."

Darling: "He pitched eight shutout innings last time out against the Indians, and he'll need a similar performance tomorrow to get the Mariners back into this series."

Benintendi's grounder to Adam Lind at first ended the inning, but the Red Sox have added four runs on five hits (including two home runs), a hit batsman, and a walk. We've played six in Game 1, and it's now Red Sox 11, Mariners 1.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Red Sox 11, Mariners 1, and the Red Sox lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

Ortiz and Rodriguez shared Player of the Game honors from TBS. Big Papi was three for five with a home run, two runs scored, and four RBIs, while Rodriguez pitched a complete game, giving up just one run on four hits while walking three and striking out seven in just a hundred and six pitches. Bogaerts was also an offensive force; he went four for five with an RBI and scored three times. Betts was one for three plus a walk with two runs scored and a two-run homer, while Shaw added his three-run homer. Ramirez went two for five, while Vazquez went two for four.. In all, the Red Sox ponded out sixteen hits; the only member of the starting lineup not to have a hit was Pedroia, who nonetheless contributed by drawing a pair of walks and scoring a run.

Final totals: Red Sox 11-16-1, Mariners 1-4-0.

W- Rodriguez (1-0)
L- Hernandez (0-1)

HR- BOS: Ortiz (1), Betts (1), Shaw (1), Young (1)

The series will continue with Game 2 tomorrow night here at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with James Paxton starting for the Mariners and David Price taking the mound for the Red Sox.

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Night. It's the bottom of the eighth, and Shaw's at the plate with Ramirez at first. Here's Dick:

"Grounded down to second, WHAT A STOP BY CANO, MARTE FOR ONE, TO FIRST....DOUBLE PLAY! OH, MY!...…A diving stop by Robinson Cano, who shoveled the ball to (Ketel) Marte at short, and Marte with the low but accurate throw to first. The Red Sox are done in the eighth, but they'll head to the ninth up by ten."

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 2 of the 2016 American League Championship Series from Fenway Park in Boston. The date is Wednesday, October 12:

Lineup Changes:

Mariners- Guillermo Hrerdia gets the start in left field and will lead off. Franklin Gutierrez replaces Seth Smith in right field and will bat second. Dae-Ho Lee starts at first base and will bat sixth. Chris Iannetta will start behind the plate and bat eighth, while Shawn O'Malley replaces Ketel Marte at short and will bat ninth.

Red Sox- Brock Holt is back at third base and will bat sixth. Jackie Bradley Jr. returns to the lineup in center field and will bat seventh. Sandy Leon is back behind the plate and will bat eighth, and Andrew Benintendi moves back to left field and will bat ninth.

Weather: 57 degrees, fair skies, south-southeast wind at 10 MPH.

Mariners 4th: With one out, Kyle Seager lined a double into the power alley in right center. Lee brought him home with a single to left center, and the Mariners led 1-0. Leonys Martin's fly to the warning track in right was caught by Mookie Betts for out number two, and Betts also grabbed Iannetta's shallow fly to right to retire the side. The M's have struck first thanks to a run on two hits, and after three and a half they lead the Red Sox 1-0.

Red Sox 6th: Hanley Ramirez lined a leadoff double off the wall in right. Holt's fly to shallow center was caught by Martin for the first out, but a wild pitch from Mariners starter James Paxton moved Ramirez to third. Bradley's liner was smothered by Robinson Cano at second for out number two, but a walk to Leon put runners at the corners. Benintendi was next, and he lined a ball into the left field corner. Both Ramirez and Leon scored to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead, and Benintendi hustled into third with a triple. Dustin Pedroia's fly to center ended the inning with Benintendi still at third, but the Bosox have taken the lead thanks to two runs on two hits, a walk, and a wild pitch. At the end of six, it's Red Sox 2, Mariners 1.

Mariners 8th: Cano singled to right center with one out against new Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara. That brought Nelson Cruz to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg with the count one ball and one strike:

"Cruz is one for three tonight; he led off the second with a single. Cano isn't a threat to run; he only tried to steal once in the regular season and was caught. Besides that, if he went to second the Red Sox would automatically walk Cruz, and might then walk Seager, which would load the bases but set up a possible inning-ending double play. Uehara is a former closer for the Red Sox that was moved aside once Craig Kimbrel came on board, but this is a save situation of a sort; up by a run, eight inning, one man on, and a top home run threat at the plate. Uehara checks Cano just to make sure, now here's the one-one pitch........LINE DRIVE HIT DEEP TO LEFT! BACK GOES BENINTENDI, AT THE MONSTER, AND IT IS GONE!.......Nelson Cruz touches 'em all for the first time in this series and the third time this postseason to give the Mariners a 3-2 lead. Fenway Park has gotten quiet in a hurry, Kitty."

Jim Kaat: "It certainly has, Dick. Uehara tried a cutter that would break down in Cruz's hitting zone and cause him to swing and miss, but it comes in with very little movement, and Cruz is able to get full extension on it. This is a bullet right off of Cruz's bat, and it gets out pretty quickly. Now the Mariners have a chance at a big inning, with Seager coming up and Lee on deck. (Mariners manager) Scott Servais could also use Adam Lind to bat for Lee; both men have significant pop in their bats."

Ron Darling: "The job for Uehara now is to get outs and keep the Red Sox within one run. They have more than enough offense to overcome a one-run deficit, but they'll have trouble if they have to come back from two or three runs down against the likes of Edwin Diaz and Steve Cishek."

Uehara did indeed get the next three outs in short order: Seager flew to Betts in shallow right, Lee batted for himself and grounded to short, and Martin took a called third strike to retire the side. But Cruz's two-run homer has put the Mariners back in front. After seven and a half, it's Seattle 3, Boston 2.

That was all the scoring. Diaz pitched out of a first-and-second jam in the bottom of the eighth, and Diaz pitched around Ramirez's one-out single in the bottom of the ninth, striking out both Holt and Bradley swinging to end the game. Our final: Mariners 3, Red Sox 2, and this series is tied at a game apiece.

Cruz was named Player of the Game by TBS because of his game-winning homer. He finished the evening two foe four. Both Seager and Lee also went two for four; Lee drove in a run, while Seager scored a run. Ramirez led the Red Sox' offense, going three for five and scoring a run. Benintendi was two for four and knocked in both Boston runs, while Bogaerts was two for four plus a walk and Leon was two for three plus a walk and scored a run. Both starting pitchers pitched well; Paxton pitched six innings, giving up two runs on eight hits while walking thee and striking out one, while Price pitched seven innings, giving up one run on five hits while walking four and striking out six.

Final totals: Mariners 3-8-0, Red Sox 2-11-0.

W- Vincent (1-0)
S- Cishek (1)
L- Uehara (0-1)

HR- SEA: Cruz (1)

The series shifts to Safeco Field in Seattle for Game 3 on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Clay Buchholz starting for the Red Sox and Taijuan Walker pitching for the Mariners.

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Night. It's the bottom of the fourth, and Ramirez has just led off with a single. Holt's now at the plate, and here's Dick:

"Bouncer SMOTHERED BY CANO! HE GETS UP AND FLIPS TO SHORT FOR THE FORCE!...…Holt is safe at first, but that ball was headed into center field before Cano did a swan dive to get on top of the ball. Now there's one on and one out here in the fourth, and here's Jackie Bradley Jr."

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 3 of the 2016 American League Championship Series from Safeco Field in Seattle. The date is Friday, October 14:

Lineup Changes:

Red Sox- Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brock Holt change places in the batting order; Bradley will bat sixth, while Holt bats seventh. Andrew Benintendi and Sandy Leon also flip-flop, with Benintendi batting eighth and Leon ninth.

Mariners- Nori Aoki is back in left field and will lead off. Seth Smith returns to right field and will bat second. Adam Lind is back at first base and will bat sixth. Leonys Martin moves up to seventh. Mike Zunino is back behind the plate ad will bat eighth, while Ketel Marte is back at shortstop and will bat ninth.

Weather: At first pitch, the temperature was 56 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and a south-southwest wind at 17 MPH gusting to 29 MPH. It had been raining throughout the day, and the field was wet all night long. There was a rain delay of approximately two hours starting around 7:53 PM and ending at 9:53 PM.

Despite the aforementioned rain, starting pitchers Clay Buchholz (Red Sox) and Taijuan Walker (Mariners) stayed in the game. Buchholz lasted seven innings, during which he shut out the Mariners on four hits while walking two and striking out three. Walker pitched eight innings, giving up just one run on four hitswhile walking two and striking out two. Walker threw ninety-five pitches, while Buchholz threw ninety-one.

The game was a scoreless pitcher's duel through seven innings. The Red Sox' biggest threat during the first seven frames came in the fourth. David Ortiz singled with one out, and Mookie Betts walked to put two men on. Hanley Ramirez forced Betts, which allowed Big Papi to move to third, but Bradley's liner was speared by Marte to end the inning with runners still at the corners. The Mariners threatened in the bottom of the seventh on a leadoff walk to Nelson Cruz, a one-out walk to Lind, an a fielder's choice off the bat of Martin which moved Cruz to third. But Zunino grounded to Holt on the first pitch he saw, and the inning was over.

Red Sox 8th: Benintendi led off with a double down the right field line. He held at second while Leon popped to Marte at short for out number one, but moved to third when Dustin Pedroia bounced to second for out number two. A wild pitch from Walker brought Benintendi home, and the Red Sox led 1-0. Xander Bogaerts walked to keep the inning going, but Ortiz's grounder to second retired the side. The Red Sox have finally drawn first blood on this cold, rainy night in Seattle thanks to a hit, a walk, a productive groundout, and a wild pitch. As we go to the bottom of the eighth at Safeco Field, it's Red Sox 1, Mariners 0.

Red Sox 9th: Betts led off with a single to right against new Mariners pitcher Edwin Diaz. Ramirez lined a base hit to left that put runners at the corners, but he was forced by Bradley for the first out while Betts scored to make it 2-0 Red Sox. Holt walked to put two men on, but Diaz rebounded to strike both Benintendi and Leon out swinging to end the inning with runners still at first and second. The Red Sox settle for a run on two hits, a walk, and a fielder's choice, and we'll go to the bottom of the ninth with Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel set to make his series debut against Cruz, Kyle Seager and Lind and the Bosox holding on to a 2-0 lead.

Lind singled with two out against Kimbrel in the bottom of the ninth, but Martin flew to Bradley in shallow left center to end the game. Our final: Red Sox 2, Mariners 0, and the Red Sox lead the series two games to one.

Buchholz was named Player of the Game by TBS. Betts led the Red Sox offensively, going two for three plus a walk and scoring a run. Lind and Marte were the Mariners' offensive leaders; Lind went two for three plus a walk and scored a run, while Marte went two for three. The two teams combined for twelve hits on the night, but Benintendi's leadoff double in the eighth was the only extra-base hit.

Final totals: Red Sox 2-6-0, Mariners 0-6-0.

W- Buchholz (1-0)
S- Kimbrel (1)
L- Walker (0-1)

The series will continue with Game 4 tomorrow afternoon here at Safeco Field. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4:30 PM Eastern, with Drew Pomeranz pitching for the Red Sox and Hishashi Iwakuma starting for the Mariners.

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Day. It's the to of the sixth, with one out and Bogaerts at first. Ortiz is at the plate, and here's Dick Enberg:

"Grounder deep in the hole at third, LOOK AT THE STOP BY SEAGER! THROWS TO SECOND FOR THE FORCE ON BOGAERTS, NOE THE THROW TO FIRST...…SAFE BY AN EYELASH!........That ball was headed for left field when Seager leapt on top of it and threw to (Robinson) Cano for the force on Bogaerts. It's only because the ball was hit so deeply that Ortiz had any chance at all to beat the throw to first. Now he's at first with two out, and here's Mookie Betts."

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?