After two days of baseball, only one team has advanced out of the Wild Card Series: the defending champion Dodgers, who completed a two-game sweep of the Reds to cap Wednesday’s four-game slate. There were Game 2 heroics all afternoon. Cleveland blew open the second installation of its American League Wild Card Series with a […]
After two days of baseball, only one team has advanced out of the Wild Card Series: the defending champion Dodgers, who completed a two-game sweep of the Reds to cap Wednesday’s four-game slate.
There were Game 2 heroics all afternoon. Cleveland blew open the second installation of its American League Wild Card Series with a huge eighth inning capped by a three-run blast by catcher Bo Naylor. Before that five-run explosion, Cleveland had managed just two runs off Detroit pitching through the first 16 innings of the series. Meanwhile, on the road in Chicago, the Padres shut out the Cubs behind a dominant Dylan Cease and a superb bullpen, with Manny Machado’s two-run bomb sealing the 3-0 win. And in the third Game 2 of the day, the Yankees broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth when Jazz Chisholm Jr. motored home from first in 9.16 seconds on an Austin Wells double.
In all best-of-three Wild Card Series, the winner of Game 1 has gone 18-2. Will we see the Guardians, the Padres or the Yankees buck that trend today?
Tigers at Guardians
3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
SP: Jack Flaherty (DET) vs. Slade Cecconi (CLE)
This should be a pitchers’ duel, as neither of these AL Central teams has hit much this year, with the Guardians having the distinction of having the lowest OBP of any team to ever make it to the postseason! The Tigers, for their part, had lots of runners on base in Game 2 and went just 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Ouch.
Then again, neither Game 3 starter can be properly called an ace. Here in Birdland we remember Jack Flaherty’s interesting curveball and erratic results: this season was like that, as he went 8-15 with a 4.64 ERA. In three regular-season starts against Cleveland, the veteran righty allowed three runs in 6.2 innings, one run in five, and three runs in 4.1 last month. As for Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi, the third-year righty finished 7-7 with a 4.30 ERA, but over the season had two good six-inning starts against Detroit where he allowed one and two runs, respectively.
Cleveland should have an edge in the starter’s matchup, not to mention all the vibes thanks to their 15-game regular-season comeback and their eighth-inning comeback on Wednesday. If the Tigers let Cleveland get into heads, or if they continue to squander RISP opportunities today, they’ll be going home.
Padres at Cubs
5:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
SP: Yu Darvish (SD) vs. Jameson Taillon (CHC)
The Padres are regularly spotted in the playoffs, but often it’s their pitching that lets them down. This season, the Padres might have the deepest bullpen in baseball, but it’s already overworked this series. Actually, both teams are leaning heavily on their relievers: the Padres bullpen has covered 8 1/3 innings so far, allowing just one run, while the Cubs have done the same in 9 2/3.
It’s likely both ‘pens will be called on for even more heavy lifting in Game 3. Yu Darvish, San Diego’s starter, is averaging less than five innings a start, and the Cubs’ Jameson Taillon will probably be fronting a bullpen game for his part. The Cubs have used onetime Oriole Andrew Kittredge twice already, in back-to-back games, and San Diego’s Adrian Morejón and the outstanding Mason Miller have already made two appearances each. Which bullpen gives out first, looks like the million-dollar question in this series.
Red Sox at Yankees
8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
SP: Connelly Early (BOS) vs. Cam Schlittler (NYY)
The line on this one is two rookies starting a playoff game in the Bronx for all the marbles. Yeah, the unusually named Cam Schlittler (24) and Connolly Early (23) better be made of strong stuff. Early, in particular, only joined the Sox’s roster in September. Good luck, kids!
Like in the San Diego-Chicago series, these are two tired bullpens. The Wild Card Series practically demands it, with games on consecutive days and no rest, plus managers overthinking the matchups. It feels like whichever rookie starter can give their team a little more length might have the edge. Then again, with these two offenses meeting up in Yankee Stadium you’re always a home run away from one team winning everything.
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Enjoy all the baseball, Birdland, even if the Orioles aren’t in it!
Category: General Sports
