The Cardinals absolutely crushed Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers. It started in game one. Kershaw's Dodgers led the Cardinals 6-2 going into the top of the seventh inning. Kershaw had been good, but not great, pitching six strong, allowing two earned runs and striking out eight St. Louis batters. But in the seventh, the Cardinals got to Clayton. The Cardinals first three hitters -- Matt Holliday, Jhonny Peralta, and Yadier Molina -- loaded the bases by reaching on singles. Matt Adams drew the first blood of the inning, singling home Holliday to make it a 6-3 game. Two batters later, Jon Jay cut the deficit to two, with a run-scoring single to left. Following an Oscar Taveras strikeout, Matt Carpenter unloaded. Carpenter hit a three-run double to right, putting the Cardinals on top 7-6. Game one ended with a Cardinals 10-9 win, but it really set the tone on what type of series this would be. Clayton Kershaw pitched 6.2 innings, allowed eight earned runs, and struck out ten. The world went crazy. "Was Kershaw tipping pitches?" they asked. "Were the Cardinals stealing signs?" Nope. They just plain out beat him. The Cardinals got another clutch hit in game three. With the series, and game, tied at one, rookie infielder Kolten Wong hit a two-run home run off of Scott Elbert in the seventh to propel the Cardinals to a 3-1 win. John Lackey was really good for St. Louis and they continued to cruise. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly announced that, with an elimination possibility in game four, Kershaw would be back on the hill on just three days rest. Three days to give him time to get that bad taste out of his mouth and tie up the series to bring it back to Los Angeles. For six innings, Mattingly seemed like a genius. Kershaw had a one-hitter going with nine strikeouts and the Dodgers had a 2-0 lead. Then came the dreaded seventh inning. With runners on first and second, Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams unloaded. He provided the only run support the Cardinals would need in the game. Adams hit a go-ahead home run on the second pitch he saw -- a curveball -- that went right into the St. Louis bullpen. He gave them a 3-2 lead, one that would remain the final score. Kershaw allowed a total of nine runs in the seventh inning during his two starts. The Cardinals took the series three games to one and now are taking their postseason magic into the NLCS, where they will face the Giants. The Dodgers just couldn't get the job done. Them and their estimated $238.9 million Opening Day payroll lost to the Cardinals, who pay their players just more than half that amount ($141.7 million). The Cardinals are good enough to go to the World Series. They proved that in this series. They now will be headed to their ninth NLCS since 2000 and their fourth straight. Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals, my only correct Division Series pick, on moving on to the NLCS. --Devan F.
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Let's party like it's 1985: Royals playing for the World Series with crushing sweep of Angels10/6/2014 America's favorite postseason team is at it once again. The Royals, who have not lost a postseason game since game four of the 1985 World Series, continued their winning, sweeping the Angels and going back to the ALCS for the first time since that magical year in 1985. Kansas City ended their lengthy postseason drought this year, and now if they can take four of seven from the Baltimore Orioles, they will end their World Series drought in one fell swoop. The Royals defeated the Athletics 9-8 in a stunning comeback in the AL Wild Card Game, but nobody thought they could take down the team with the best record in the majors. Or at least this fast. The Royals took the charge in this series from the get go. In games one and two at Angel Stadium, Kansas City took both games to eleven innings. They got go-ahead homers from Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer in those games, respectively, that gave them a commanding 2-0 lead. The team played a game of "pitch until you get your clutch hit." Kansas City pitching held the Angels to just two and one runs in those games before delivering during the extra innings. Jason Vargas allowed two runs on three hits in six innings game one; Yordano Ventura went seven, allowing one run on five hits. A shutdown bullpen allowed just one run over the short series. In game three at Kaufmann Stadium, the Royals didn't need that clutch hit, as even after Mike Trout homered in the top of first, Alex Gordon doubled in three in the bottom of the inning. Then the Royals went on cruise control. Hosmer, who has been their hottest hitter, left the yard with a two-run homer in the third, and Moustakas went yard in the fourth. Behind James Shields, the Royals held the Angels to three runs on eight runs, scoring eight runs on nine hits themselves. The Angels just never looked comfortable. They pressed for runs and just did not play the smooth game that the Royals did. Games one and two could have been theirs had they not outplay themselves. The Angels pressed this series, attempting to live up to the World Series contender status. Now it's the Royals that become the World Series contenders. The Royals do not play again until Friday, when they take the Orioles on in game one of the American League Championship Series at Camden Yards. It's been awhile, but the Royals are picking up their postseason success where they left off, and now they might just be headed to the World Series. --Devan F. You just cannot predict baseball. Nobody in America (maybe except for some diehard Orioles fans) predicted that the Orioles would have sweep the Tigers. They defeated the Detroit today 2-1 to make that reality. Behind Nelson Cruz, they were able to take a series in three games that many thought would be a lot closer. Coming into the series, many thought the Orioles and Tigers would be interlocked in a very good series. The Orioles with their high-flying offense, lead by AL home run king Nelson Cruz, would be matched up very nicely with the Tigers starting pitching staff that includes three former AL Cy Young award winners in Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and David Price. The Orioles beat all three. In a row. Nelson Cruz was the highlight of the Orioles offense. He hit .500 (6-for-12) with two homers, five runs batted in, and twelve total bases in the three games. Other than Cruz, each game had their own individual heroes, with it being Jonathan Schoop and Alejandro De Aza in game one, and Delmon Young in game two. Game three was all Cruz. As for the pitching, the Orioles staff doesn't have any big names like the Tigers. Yet they did their job in games one and three, as Chris Tillman and Bud Norris, respectively pitched pretty good games. Tillman went five and allowed just two in game one, and Norris went 6 2/3 shutout in the clincher, allowing just two hits, and striking out six Detroit hitters. The Tigers starters weren't bad by any means. They tossed 20 1/3 innings, averaging 6 2/3 a start, and posted a pretty respectable 4.43 ERA. Just looking at those stats, you probably would have never expected those starters to lose three games in a row. But the Tigers bullpen was bad by all means. Joakim Soria, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Coke turned a one run deficit into a nine run deficit in the eighth inning of game one, and Soria and Chamberlain blew a three run lead in the eighth inning of game two. If the Tigers win one of those two games, we have a whole new series. But they didn't. The Tigers were outplayed in all aspects of the game in this series. The Orioles had better overall pitching and defense, and their timely hitting really got the job done. This team has something about them that makes you want to root for them. For the first time since 1997, the Orioles will be playing for the American League's spot in the World Series, advancing to the ALCS. And there is absolutely nobody that can stop them from doing that. --Devan F. This postseason, I will not be writing individual game recaps for the Division and Championship series. I will be writing a recap of the clinching game. However, from time to time, I will be "checking in" on the series, giving my thoughts on what has happened so far. The American League Division Series, four games in, has been a delight. Here are my thoughts.
Baltimore Orioles 2, Detroit Tigers 0 We watch the Tigers bullpen implode time and time again in the regular season, but I never really thought much about it when making my ALDS predictions. I thought that manager Brad Ausmus would be super careful with his bullpen, having every guy on a short leash. I was wrong. The Tigers bullpen has imploded twice, once in a one run deficit, and once with a three run lead. Win one of those games and it's a whole new series. I can't see them winning this series right now. They do now get two games at Comerica Park to try and savior their season. FanGraphs still gives them a 20.4 percent chance of winning the ALDS. They'll need all of it. But it just hasn't been a Tigers implosion that has led to the Orioles success. They are winning games just like how they were in the regular season; with a ton of offense and just enough pitching. When I made my predictions, I believed that that strategy can get you to the postseason, but won't be able to get you through it. I was wrong. The Orioles have a death grip on the Tigers right now, and have been getting clutch hits up and down their lineup. On Friday it was Delmon Young, who hit a double into the left center gap, driving in Nelson Cruz, Steve Pearce, and J.J. Hardy. Baltimore has something special about them that is fun to watch and now are really proving to me that they are legitimate World Series contenders. Of course, they still have to win one more game against these hungry Tigers. Kansas City Royals 2, Los Angeles Angels 0 The Kansas City Royals are the most fun team to watch right now. I don't know what it is about them, but this team's heart, hustle, and the fact that they haven't been in the postseason since 1985 have made them America's favorite team. They are just one game away from eliminating the Angels, whom many picked to win the World Series this season. And in that game, they have James Shields on the mound. The Royals just have been amazing to watch this postseason. Every game they've played has gone to either 11 or 12 games, and they are right neck and neck with their opponent. Then, in that 11th or 12th inning, they get a clutch hit. Eric Hosmer delivered the blow late last night, hitting a two-run home run in the 11th to give the Royals a 3-1 lead. They would end up winning 4-1. Now the Royals go to Kaufmann Stadium, where they have to win just one out of two to move to the ALCS. FanGraphs believes that they have an 88.3 percent chance of doing that. The Angels are falling apart. They are trying too hard to score runs. In the first inning of last night's game, Mike Trout reached on a fielder's choice, but then was thrown out trying to steal second. Yordano Ventura, the Royals starter, is one of the toughest pitchers to run on in the majors, as his 100 mph fastball and quick delivery get catcher Salvador Perez the ball very quickly. Trout had only attempted 18 steals throughout this season and was thrown out easily. The Angels need to let the runs come to them. They cannot make things happen. And with their backs against the wall, it is very hard to see them advancing to the ALCS. They need to suck it up and play really good baseball at Kaufmann if they want any chance to win this series. --Devan F. The San Francisco Giants manhandled the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card game on Wednesday. They soundly won by a 8-0 score, with seven runs batted in coming from Brandons Crawford and Belt. Madison Bumgarner posted the strongest outing of the postseason thus far, going all nine in a shutout, striking out 10. Can they continue on by beating the Nationals in the NLDS?
The Washington Nationals over the San Francisco Giants The answer to the question above: no. The Nationals have the deepest roster in all of the major leagues. Their rotation consists of Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark, all of whom are among the most underrated pitchers in the National League. Ryan Zimmerman, the team's best player not too long ago, is a bench player. They've got Adam LaRoche, Asdrubal Cabrera, Ian Desmond, and Anthony Rendon, perhaps their team MVP, around the infield diamond. This team is built to go far and the Giants won't be able to match up with them. The Giants need to win game one in order to have a chance at winning this series. Bumgarner likely won't be able to pitch until game three, so if they can take game one or game two, they possibly could take a 2-1 lead in this series. However, that won't be easy. They've got to face Strasburg and Zimmermann, two pitchers that are extremely hot. The Giants can usually find a way find a way to win in the postseason, but I do not believe that their luck will get them through the National League Division Series. The St. Louis Cardinals over the Los Angeles Dodgers The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the sneakiest teams in the postseason. They won the World Series in 2011, lost in the NLCS in 2012, and lost the World Series in 2013. The one thing in common? They've been able to get through the NLDS every single year. Adam Wainwright can match up with Clayton Kershaw and Michael Wacha can match up with Zack Greinke. Then it comes down to which team has the better roster. While the Dodgers have a very talented squad, the Cardinals postseason experience, might be able to win them this series. As for the Dodgers, money does not always buy championships. They've invested a lot of money in their players. In fact, their payroll is the highest in the major leagues. Kershaw has issues in the postseason and the team always seems to get out prematurely. I wouldn't be surprised if they can finally break through this season, as now the team has postseason experience (prior to 2013, the team hadn't made the playoffs since 2009), but the Cardinals always play well in the playoffs. This is going to be a fantastic series, no doubt. --Devan F. |
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