Ahead of the 2024 regular season’s final weekend, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Freeman nursing injury:
While the mood surrounding the Dodgers was largely celebratory last night in the aftermath of the club clinching their 11th NL West title in 12 seasons, there was one possible cause for concern: first baseman Freddie Freeman, who departed last night’s game against the Padres during the seventh inning due to an ankle injury. As noted by MLB.com’s Juan Toribio, Freeman was in a walking boot and on crutches following last night’s game but seemed optimistic after telling reporters that x-rays came back negative, revealing a sprain.
Freeman noted that while his ankle is swollen, club officials are “optimistic” he’ll be ready to go in time for the playoffs when the NLDS kicks off next Saturday. Freeman joins Miguel Rojas as the second member of Los Angeles’ everyday starting lineup who won’t be participating in the club’s final series against Colorado in hopes of getting healthy enough to participate in the upcoming playoff run. The Dodgers appear likely to shift Max Muncy over to first base while Freeman is out, thereby opening the hot corner up for Enrique Hernandez.
2. Twins facing elimination:
The Twins are staring down elimination after dropping four of their previous five games to the Marlins and Red Sox, leaving them with a disastrous 9-15 record that has allowed the Tigers to surpass them in the AL Wild Card race. Just one season removed from breaking their lengthy drought without a playoff series win, Minnesota now sports a 82-77 record headed into the season’s final series. Both the Tigers and Royals have identical 85-74 records, leaving the Twins in need of a miracle to return to the postseason at this point.
They hold the tiebreaker over both of their rivals, but the club would need to not only sweep the Orioles in their final series of the season but also benefit from either Detroit or Kansas City getting swept in their final series of the year in order to make it into the playoffs. Of those two possibilities, the Royals getting swept by the Braves appears to be more likely than the Tigers getting swept by the White Sox, although Chicago has plenty of incentive to do everything it can to sweep considering they’d avoid taking sole possession of the modern era’s all-time loss record if they can extend their current winning streak from three games to six. Minnesota’s last stand begins at 7:10pm local time this evening when Pablo Lopez (4.11 ERA) takes on Baltimore rookie and former Twins prospect Cade Povich (5.59 ERA in 15 starts).
3. D-backs look to clinch:
The Padres have already clinched an NL Wild Card spot, but their final series of the regular season will still have major playoff implications as they head to the desert to face the Diamondbacks in a three-game set. Arizona currently holds an NL Wild Card spot with an 88-71 record that leaves them essentially tied with the Mets (87-70) and one game up on the Braves (86-71). Still, their playoff hopes aren’t quite as solid as it might seem at first glance after the final two games of this week’s series between Atlanta and New York were rescheduled for Monday. That leaves the Snakes in need of a sweep this weekend in order to punch their ticket to the postseason without waiting on the results of Monday’s doubleheader, as both the Mets and Braves hold the tiebreaker over them.
If Arizona manages to sweep the Padres, they’d finish with a record of 91-71. Either the Braves or Mets could reach that win total, but at least one club is guaranteed to fall short as the Braves would need to win all five of their remaining games in order to do so while the Mets would need to go at least 4-1. Anything less than a sweep, however, leaves Arizona’s fate in the hands of a doubleheader that will occur after they’ve wrapped up their regular season, a frustrating circumstance for the Diamondbacks that would leave them in limbo ahead of a potential NL Wild Card series on Tuesday. They’ll kick off their attempt to clinch at 6:40pm local time this evening with veteran righty Merrill Kelly (3.71 ERA) on the mound opposite Padres veteran Yu Darvish (3.18 ERA in 15 starts).
baseballandbrews
The scene in Oakland yesterday was surreal. 46,889 in attendance and 30 minutes after the last house (which was standing almost the entire game), you thought they all were there to watch them clinch a division they fiercely fought for. They were all there. Soaking in the moment. Great articles in Yahoo Sports that sum up the last two days. Cheers to the fans of Oakland!
sufferforsnakes
Where were those fans the rest of the season?
CO Guardening
What an oblivious response.
RunDMC
In the parking lot, preaching truth.
JPR
If you don’t understand the situation don’t offer your opinion. It just makes you look stupid.
Old York
@baseballandbrews
Too bad. Move on and go cheer for the Giants instead.
Fever Pitch Guy
Old – That’s cold, man!
I was a season ticketholder of an NHL team that eventually moved, no way in hell would I begin rooting for a nearby rival. I continued rooting for the same franchise from a distance.
Old York
@Fever Pitch Guy
Sorry that you don’t root for a real team. And who watches hockey?
Fever Pitch Guy
Old – Basically everyone from New England watches hockey, and many play it including mothers and daughters.
Need I even mention other northern states or countries like Canada?
Why do you consider a moved team to not be “real”?
Some of your responses are really quite unusual ….
Old York
@Fever Pitch Guy
Were you a Hartford Whalers fan? Yeah, that wasn’t a real team. Sorry.
Fever Pitch Guy
Old – Stanley Cup champions, Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, the list goes on and on ….. but hey, thanks for playing!
Rishi
Wouldn’t it be true that an X-ray wouldn’t show anything relevant to a sprain? And a sprain could be anything from a minor sprain to a severe ligament tear. So idk what to make of it all.Generally if it’s quite swollen and you are on crutches in a boot that’s a bad sign. But it may just be to get back quicker. He did walk off. I didn’t see a good look of the play.
RunDMC
Have they addressed whether Ohtani playing the field (anywhere) could be an option to free up the DH in these situations, to get Freeman ABs?
YankeesBleacherCreature
@RunDMC No chance Ohtani takes the field having not done so all year.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Could be some kind of cold compression boot to minimize swelling. Hard to walk unassisted in those things.
Rishi
Yea. That would make sense. I mean if it were a severe sprain I don’t think they would sound optimistic like that (it would probably be swollen like a grapefruit).
BlueSkies_LA
He was also seen on the field after the clubhouse celebration in just the walking boot and all smiles. The other big tell is nobody has suggested so far that he will be getting an MRI. Dodger fans have visions of Muncy having his shoulder jammed on another ugly play at 1B a few years ago also on the last home game of the season. That was a disaster. In this case I think Freddie is going to be okay, at least after taking a week off. Fortunately they clinched last night and have that luxury.
Brew’88
In looking at the replays, it looked like a low ankle sprain (rolled his ankle), and those swell up fast but heal faster than a high ankle sprain. Hope he’s okay for playoffs.
Rishi
I see no way to avoid the playoff oddities (this year is a rare case but the layoff is big to me) without eliminating the first round bye. Have 2-3 days off or so. Let any makeup games happen. Let people set their rotation. It is advantage enough for the best teams to have home field advantage and face a worse team. They don’t need a bye.
Rishi
Ideally maybe they should get a bye but it all works out so much better if it’s eliminated.
MPrck
Detroit has to win one of their next two games to be able to start Maeda on Sunday. Detroit faces Chicago’s ace Crochet tonight so it’s going to be interesting that’s for sure. 30-11 Detroit’s last 41 games rival it’s 84 35-5 start. Both teams will have a playoff crowd to deal with, and it’s a Detroit home crowd so that gives Detroit the edge with last at bats. GO TIGERS !
cwsOverhaul
No worries. Tigers will clinch tonight, so Skubal is all set for G1 of playoff series in Baltimore. KC will likely take the trip to Houston as WC #3 since it’s a lot harder to beat a motivated Atl club this weekend.
CO Guardening
Pretty impressive late season run, well done.
Fever Pitch Guy
CO – Especially after selling off at the trade deadline.
Old York
@MPrck
WSox are going to be hungry to cause some trouble to a division rival trying to make the playoffs and they want to keep that 3-game streak going.
They probably take 2 of 3 from DET this weekend.
MPrck
It’s a big test for Detroit this weekend having to must win one game out of three. Ideally they win it tonight against the Chicago ace. Then they have to decide to drop 2 players, and or add Madris to the team. Right now it is looking like Jung is the odd man out, but if they do add Madris then another hitting person drops off too. First they have to win one more game.
warnbeeb
Madris won’t be added and Jung won’t be dropped. Maeda and Malloy will be off the playoff roster.
MPrck
Dropping Jham won’t happen I now believe. He has home run power, and Jung has not hit one yet. If they do add Madris then Ibanez would drop, or Jham, but right now I believe Jham is the better bat. Of course, they still have to win one more game before any thing happens.
CardsFan57
Crochet hasn’t pitched like an ace since June.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Hard to do so when you’re only limited to 4 IP per outing. Give up 2 runs in any inning and your ERA is screwed. Plus the shoddy defense behind him.
CardsFan57
Innings pitched are innings pitched. His FIP has risen just as much as his ERA. He may not be built for starting. Either way his pitching in a game is far less likely to affect the outcome of a game in the second half than in the first half. I’m just stating facts.
MPrck
Hope that continues then.
Brew’88
Crochet was dominant in his recent start against the Padres, but only went 5 innings
DashaToushu
@CardsFan
“Crochet hasn’t pitched like an ace since June.”
First half: 35.2 K%, 5.4 BB%, 45.7% GB,
Second half: 34.6 K%, 5.9 BB%, 43.3% GB
Close enough to identical. All that’s really changed are his batted ball results.
First half: .290 BABIP, 11% HR/FB
Second half: .386 BABIP, 25% FB
Batted balls results are much more flukey over the short term than K and BB rates. It’s also nearly impossible to be that dominant with BB’s and K’s and that poor with batted balls.
This is almost certainly not sustainable.
If the K and BB rates stay the same next year, there’s little reason to think the results won’t follow.
CardsFan57
His home run rate spiked quite a bit which is why his FIP rose in the second half.
lesterdnightfly
Crochet is not an ace, except for the Woe Sox, where he’s the best-talented starter.
Big difference.
DashaToushu
@Lester
By what definition is Crochet not an ace?
whyhayzee
thereby opening the hot corner up for Enrique Hernandez.
Using Kiki in the postseason? What a concept.
Thefrogsaregey
I wonder if Javy Baez will actually go to the parade this year when they win it all. They were basically the pirates record wise with him in the lineup
Rsox
Baez should be given his WS ring and his walking papers if Detroit wins it all. If not, just his walking papers because the team is much better without him
Mikenmn
This late White Sox surge will convince management of……what?
Rsox
That they did it right all along and Grifol was the problem. Thus dooming White Sox fans to even more of this next year
Gwynning
I hope the Padre’s equipment manager remembers to bring shovels, we might have to bury some dead snakes in the desert!
highflyballintorightfield
Thank goodness they are moving Muncy to first. While Freeman was away, they had Kike’ play 1st and let Muncy keep kicking the ball around at 3rd. This is much better.
BlueSkies_LA
I hadn’t heard but it makes sense, at least for the next three games. Lately Muncy has been passible defensively at 3B though.
BlueSkies_LA
Haven’t heard any discussion on this yet, but how is the rainout in Atlanta gong to be made up? This game is hugely consequential to both the NL wildcard and which team is first seed.
DashaToushu
@BlueSkies
“the final two games of this week’s series between Atlanta and New York were rescheduled for Monday.”
BlueSkies_LA
Correction, wildcard only and it looks like the missed games will be made up in a doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday. Yikes!
differentbears
Andrew Friedman said during the clubhouse celebration that if they needed Freddie to play, he likely would be able to. The crutches and boot were worrisome without any comment, but it would seem it’s likely immediate SOP for a turned ankle with so much on the line.
The better sign was that Freddie Freeman walked (albeit gingerly) off the field in the first place, which likely meant he himself knew it wasn’t something catastrophic.
The bye has not seemed to help the last few years, but it’s most welcome in this injury-ravaged season. The Dodgers will almost certainly need the Big Three healthy and hitting to have a shot this year.