Last night, MLBTR readers weighed in on the National League Division Series. With both series knotted up 1-1 at the time, readers heavily favored the Padres to upset the Dodgers while giving a slight edge to the Phillies to take down the Mets. The lower seeds each prevailed at home tonight to put the NL’s top two teams on the brink of elimination.
Tuesday was a travel day in the American League. Those series are also squared at a game apiece, providing an opportunity to check in on those sets. The Guardians destroyed the Tigers in Game 1, but Kerry Carpenter hit a game-winning homer in the ninth off Emmanuel Clase to give the Tigers a 3-0 win in the second game. The Royals rebounded after dropping a back-and-forth contest against the Yankees in Game 1. Kansas City rode a four-run fourth inning to a relatively easy 4-2 victory in Game 2.
Cleveland and Detroit will kick off play on Wednesday afternoon. The Guardians are turning to Alex Cobb in what will be just his fourth appearance in a Cleveland uniform. Cleveland landed Cobb from the Giants at the deadline to address a rotation that was the team’s biggest weakness. Cobb had spent the first few months of the season on the IL rehabbing last fall’s hip surgery. Blisters and a cracked fingernail on his throwing hand limited him to a trio of regular season appearances. Cobb pitched well in that brief action, allowing five earned runs with 10 strikeouts and three walks over 16 1/3 innings. This will be his first game in almost six weeks.
The Tigers haven’t announced a starter to oppose Cobb. Detroit has mostly ridden bullpen games behind ace Tarik Skubal and second starter Reese Olson. They’ll probably have Olson lined up for Game 4 with Skubal on tap if the series gets a decider. Tomorrow is likely to be an all hands on deck affair. Cleveland could go back to respective Games 1 and 2 starters Tanner Bibee and Matthew Boyd after tomorrow.
There’s a more conventional pitching matchup in Kansas City. The hosts will turn to Seth Lugo, who turned in an even 3.00 earned run average across 206 2/3 innings during his first season with the Royals. The potential Cy Young finalist tossed 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts against Baltimore in the clincher of last week’s Wild Card series — the first postseason start of Lugo’s career. New York counters with Clarke Schmidt, who’ll be starting a playoff game for the first time himself. The former first-round pick had a 2.85 ERA over 16 starts in the regular season. He lost three months midseason to a lat strain but was excellent when healthy.
New York and Kansas City already list Gerrit Cole and Michael Wacha as the respective probable starters for Game 4. Neither team has announced its pitcher for a potential Game 5. That’d likely be a rematch of Monday’s pitching matchup between K.C. ace Cole Ragans and Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodón with both pitchers on regular rest by Saturday.
Which teams will vie for the ALCS next week?
Ranger Danger19
Tigers, Yankees in 5
DonOsbourne
The site deleted my original comment. But go Tigers!
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Tigers royals padres and Mets all have an opportunity to upset the world
And I think they all will
GO1962
I suspect the Yankees will win over the Royals, but I want the Royals to go all the way.
Ranger Danger19
Off topic but the Dodgers are a group of spoiled wannabes that will never win anything of significance
GaryWarriorsRedSoxx
You’re out of your mind. Do you know anything about the Dodgers at all? Ohtani is the most gentlemanly player in major league baseball. I’ve never someone check on another team’s player or the Umpire as often as he has. He is polite and a good human being.
I feel the same about Mookie betts. He’s an All-Star outfielder but if you ask him to play second or short he does it. No whining no complaining. Pure professional ball player.
Freddie Freeman same way. Kiki hernandez. We’re not going to play you everyday but we need you in center and short and second and third Etc okay no problem.
Yamamoto the pitcher Japanese of course polite beyond belief. Need I go on? Really not sure where your comment came from and I think it’s 100% off base.
Ranger Danger19
Ohtani is the biggest drama queen in sports. So what else do you have?
aragon
A gambler?
Ranger Danger19
Dallas Cowboys 2.0
HalosHeavenJJ
If Hinch is being honest he’s thinking two wins with Skubal on the hill and find a way to win one of the other 3. And with the way they’re playing right now I think that happens.
NY pretty much has the same thing in Cole but with a much better overall roster.