On the heels of a wild win by the Braves and a crushing defeat for the Dodgers in last night’s NLDS games, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. ALDS heads to Minnesota, Arlington:
Game 3 of the ALDS is scheduled today for both the Astros’ series against the Twins and the Orioles’ series against the Rangers. Baltimore is fighting for their playoff lives today in Arlington after the Rangers took the first two games of the series at Camden Yards. The Orioles figure to send right-hander Dean Kremer (4.12 ERA) to the mound while the Rangers counter with veteran hurler Nathan Eovaldi (3.63 ERA). While plenty of playoff games were played at Arlington’s Globe Life Field during the pandemic, including the 2020 World Series, tonight’s game will be the Rangers’ first ever postseason game at their new stadium. Baltimore’s last stand will begin at 7:03pm CT.
Meanwhile, the Astros and Twins head to Target Field in Minnesota after splitting two games in Houston. Houston will send right-hander Cristian Javier (4.56 ERA) to the mound opposite the veteran Sonny Gray (2.79 ERA). The matchup is sure to be an exciting one; Gray, of course, leads the majors with a sterling 2.83 FIP and is one of the top candidates for the AL Cy Young award this year. Javier, on the other hand, has had a difficult season on the mound but made history during his last postseason outing. He threw six shutout innings against the Phillies during Game 4 of the World Series last year, leading the Houston pitching staff to a combined no-hitter for just the third postseason no-no in baseball history. The teams will play at 3:07pm CT.
2. Brewers to hold press conference:
The Brewers saw their season cut short last week when the club was swept out of the Wild Card Series in Milwaukee at the hands of the Diamondbacks. With the end of the club’s season comes an end-of-season press conference, and Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays that Brewers GM Matt Arnold will hold the presser today at 11:30am CT. Plenty of questions face the Brewers this offseason, with co-aces Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff as well as shortstop Willy Adames all set to go through arbitration for the final time and manager Craig Counsell’s contract set to expire at the end of the month. A transitional year could be in the cards for Milwaukee in 2024, despite the club winning 92 games in 2023 en route to their third division title and fifth postseason appearance in the last six years.
3. Offseason Outlook Chat today:
As the postseason continues for the eight teams fortunate enough to have made it this far, our annual Offseason Outlook series is back to take a look ahead at what’s in store for all 30 clubs this winter. Last night, MLBTR published the Angels installment of the 2023-24 series, which you can read here. If you have any questions regarding what the future might hold in Anaheim, including those about the future of a certain two-way superstar poised to hit free agency next month, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be hosting an Angels-centric live chat at 2:00pm CT this afternoon. You can click here to leave a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to participate live or read the transcript of the chat after it’s completed.
How do you win 100 games and still do stupid stuff such as:
-Bullpen games (Dodgers, Orioles)
-Get shut out by a team throwing a bullpen game (Braves)
-Start a guy who hasn’t pitched in 3 weeks over a healthy ready-to-go option, and now you have to have a bullpen game (Braves)
Rooting for the winner of the Twins/Astros since neither of them has done anything to beat themselves. Neither have the Rangers, but if Montgomery/Eovaldi don’t go 5 minimum preferably 7, it heads south in a hurry
I dont believe Dodgers were planning on bullpen games.
Kershaw lasted 1/3 an inning giving up 6 runs in game 1
I dont think yesterday was suppose to be a pen game either but Miller lasted 1.2 innings giving up 3 runs. Could be wrong on game 2.
But both games became pen games out of necessity cause the starter stunk.
Plan B should have been Lynn/Pepiot/Grove coming in to soak up 5 or 6 (whoever doesn’t get shelled) so it’s not “Oh hell, this again?” in the hitter’s minds.
Dodgers won 100 games but now most of their starters are injured or off the roster. The position players are still healthy.
Playoff strategies are much different than regular season strategies. Pitchers have much shorter leashes. Would you have left Kershaw in there after he already gave up 6 runs….or leave him out there are give up more and possibly put the game further out of reach?? He was getting absolutely shelled. I dont see how you can describe that as “stupid”. the dodgers made an appropriate move and tried to stop the diamondbacks momentum to try to keep the game in check.
Also you make it seem so simple to go up to the plate and hit 98-100mph fastballs for players that have had 5 days off.
For the Orioles, Bradish and Rodriguez were among the AL’s very best pitchers in the 2nd half of the season. It appears both ran out of gas/had bad outings at the absolute worst times.
It also doesn’t help that they are leaving a ton of guys on base. Certainly Saturday they could have scored more than 2 runs to win that one and on Sunday they missed plenty of opportunities too (although 8 runs should be enough to win games).
So much wrong with everything you wrote there’s not enough time to address everything.
Firstly the playoff format is terrible. Teams getting a buy have like a week off. Brutal format.
Those teams haven’t done anything to beat themselves? Oh so you like when they lose conventionally. Do you want the starter to lose a close game in the 5th or 6th facing the middle of the order a 3rd time or are most fans smart enough now realize that’s a losing strategy.
Iverbure – what’s wrong with what I wrote? No supporting evidence given, just jibber jabber.
I actually agree with you about the playoff format. I’ve also seen a lot of posts about that around from players, press, etc. I know its supposed to give the best regular season teams the advantage of more rest but its not doing that….the teams coming out of the first round seem to have momentum and the best teams have the disadvantage. The Braves and Orioles this year should be most set up for success, that’s what 162 games should earn you.
What’s wrong with having the starter go through the order the third time in the 5th or 6th as both Bradish and Rodriguez had done so successfully the whole 2nd half of the season if both were on? Why’s it a losing strategy when it worked from July through the end of September? It was apparent neither of them had their stuff way before the 5th/6th in their ALDS starts anyway.
The Brewers’ press conference might be advertised as a regularly scheduled event, but there should be some big questions in the air
If they don’t know whether Counsell is staying or going at this point you have to wonder what they’ve been doing this past week. Tough call on whether to trade Burnes and/or Woodruff. The most shocking development would be the announcement that they plan to extend one or both.
Can’t extend Woody yet with the injury concerns. Trade Burnes for best talent and some lottery ticket pitchers, and you take whatever you can get for Adames.
Bad year to trade a starter with so many available in free agency. Using hindsight the brewers really should have traded one of burnes or woody. It’s necessarily for smaller market teams to trade assets and reload even when it’s not convenient.
“Baltimore’s last stand will begin at 7:03pm CT.”
– Even MLBTR has been told to root against Texas, along with everyone at ESPN, Fox Sports, and probably 90% of other sites.
That’s a load of bull. Take off the tinfoil hat.
Lynn is most likely the game 3 starter and Grove pitched in game 1 giving up a run so probably wasn’t available for game 2.
And pepiot is probably gave 4 starter.
So using Lynn and Pepiot in game 2 would have ramifications later on I the series…..
If they don’t want ramifications, then Miller should have shown up. The idea is to win today. You can’t concede a game to having to use 5-7 pitchers. They tossed it away like they can go on a 3 game streak and keep playing…
How did the Dodgers win 100 games. The Middle Infiled is so bad that Mookie moonlights at 2B and only the Red Sox were worse this year up the middle, LF is a bigger blacker hole than the Yankees’ LF, and if Will Smith isn’t catching it would save everyone time to just add an out to the scoreboard and go to the next batter
Their bullpen was great in the second half and they beat up on bad pitching. Add that to an historic august and you wind up with 100 wins. As we are seeing though, this team is not built to win when it matters. They miss Buehler and Seager.
Remember they shopped the FA bargain bin last winter and into the season. No big signings, and Lux and Buehler have been out all year. Amazing they were able to do what they did considering they were expected to have a down year. They seemingly the favorite to sign Ohtani, but they really need to shore up that rotation first and foremost.
I agree with all of that , however, they need some guys that can hit when the bright lights are on. They had multiple opportunities to flip that game last night and choked.
Before Sunday, the last time the Astros lost an ALDS game IN Houston was 2015, which was also the last time they went home in the ALDS. That combined with the Twins having a definite advantage in the pitching matchup tonight… the Twins have reason to be optimistic
You can give up 19 runs and then win four straight. Just a thought.
Are we still angry because Atlanta has a racist voting system? I keep forgetting.
Don’t bring up uninformed racial conspiracy theories. Let the fools bring them up. Colorado has laws that are more anti-Democrat/illegal immigrant than Georgia. People just substitute those terms with “racist” since it’s easier to win an argument that way.
OK, thanks. I was wondering why I hadn’t heard any more racist rants about Atlanta.
Seager – name the laws in Colorado that are more anti-Democrat/illegal immigrant than Georgia. I live in Colorado, in the metro of a designated sanctuary city, in already one of the most diverse areas of the country. My local and state representatives and senator are democrat as is the governor. Please provide proof of that assertion.
The bias with these analysts is glaringly obvious with the words they use, their excitement, and their idiotic optimism. These guys are all obsessesed with Atlanta, LAD, and Baltimore. Baltimore even has a lower run differential than Texas, and yet MLB.com says Baltimore can’t be counted out. They even had a bunch of guys saying it’s likely that the LAD and AZ series and the Texas Baltimore series both go to game 5. They are delusional.
Baldelli simply out managing old man Baker. Dusty is so out of touch. He’s the black Sleepy Joe
I would love to see Minnesota advance. Twins and Rangers would be a good series. Phillies and D’Backs would be good too.