As the Mets move on to the NLCS for the first time since 2015, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. ALDS Game 4:
The Royals and Guardians are facing elimination today as both sides of the ALDS move on to Game 4. In Kansas City, the club’s hopes rest on flipping the script in a Game 1 rematch: Michael Wacha (3.35 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals, and the Yankees will counter with Gerrit Cole (3.41 ERA in 17 starts). Game 1 eventually turned out in the Yankees’ favor, as Wacha surrendered three runs over four innings and struck out three while Cole surrendered the same number of runs over five innings and struck out four.
Meanwhile, the Guardians will send right-hander Tanner Bibee (3.47 ERA) to the mound opposite Detroit’s pitching staff, which has operated with all hands on deck in games where likely AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal isn’t on the mound. With his team’s season on the line, Bibee will hope to put up a similar or better performance to his outing in Game 1, where he struck out six Tigers in 4 2/3 scoreless frames before passing the torch to the club’s dominant bullpen in an eventual 7-0 shutout victory.
2. Brewers end-of-season presser:
As teams that made the postseason but have since been eliminated lick their wounds and look ahead to the coming offseason, part of the process is often a end-of-season press conference held by the club. The Brewers have scheduled their end-of-season press conference for 11am local time (h/t Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). The biggest question facing the Brewers this winter is how they’ll replace star shortstop Willy Adames, who is scheduled to hit free agency next month and figures to be out of the small-market club’s price range. Aside from Adames, the club will also see both Joe Ross and Frankie Montas head into free agency and could face questions regarding the future of closer Devin Williams has he enters his final season of team control. General manager Matt Arnold will tackle all that and more as he meets with the media this morning.
3. Dodgers facing questions ahead of Game 5:
Though the Phillies were sent home by the Mets in Game 4 of the NLDS last night, the Division Series still continues in California after the Dodgers forced a Game 5 against the Padres last night. The clubs are off today as they head back to Dodger Stadium, and the workout day figures to hold plenty of questions for L.A. as they figure out how best to line up their pitching staff and who is available from their positional corps ahead of a winner-take-all finale against their division rival.
As noted by Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post, Roberts told reporters last night that not only has he not decided between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jack Flaherty for who will start opposite Yu Darvish in Game 5, but that he’s even considering using neither and opting for another bullpen game after L.A. relievers shut out the Padres in Game 4 last night. Meanwhile, the health status of both first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Miguel Rojas remains up in the air. Freeman was a late scratch from yesterday’s lineup due to the sprained ankle that has plagued him throughout the series, while Rojas is known to have aggravated an adductor injury that has bothered him in recent weeks.
DevoPettis
Phillies problem was they had one too many ex-Angels. They’re bad luck you know. You knew Estevez was gonna blow it at some point
RunDMC
LOL…this is the playoffs — where LAA couldn’t be further from relevance. Now they’re getting blamed for PHI’s bp problems that have been there for years??
Samuel
Estevez has been shaky since the Phillies got him.
Yesterday was no surprise.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
No Tropicana field news??? I haven’t seen a stadium failure like that since the metrodome snow incident
el_chapo_
The saints dome in Katrina was pretty nasty as well.
Idosteroids
Seems like a can opener was taken to it. Pics look awful.
King Floch
Just saw the pics and it looks like an improvement tbh.
BaseballisLife
Deeds is the only writer awake and he is as worthless as teats on a boar.
Rsox
There was the 1994 Kingdome where parts of the ceiling were falling on to the field which forced the Mariners to play the last 20 games before the strike on the road. That is a true “stadium failure” as those other incidents were acts of nature
Butter Biscuits
Great game by the dodgers
JRamHOF
It was over when Bieber’s TJ was announced in April. Thank you for a fun season, Guards
Sideline Redwine
because things went downhill after that?
Old York
@JRamHOF
No worries, the Guardians are dumping the Tigers. The BP days can only last so long until the guys can’t pitch themselves out of a bag.
JRamHOF
@Old York – let’s hope so!
Joe says...
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? No! And it’s not over now! – John Blutarsky
wileycoyote56
? Where did you go to school? Hopefully that was sarcasm about Germans bombing Pearl Harbor
YankeesBleacherCreature
@Joe went to the prestigious Faber College.
Joe says...
Proud Delta Faber alumn.
horaceallen
Sheesh, it’s an Animal House reference.
Assdribble_Cabrera
Wiley – Is this sarcasm?? Because I can’t believe you do get the reference. Apparently, you didn’t watch movies under your rock.
olmtiant
Joe…. Who says Yankee and redsox fans can’t get along… years ago my daughter in 3 grade asked me what kind of grades did I get in school… To my proud answer….. CCDDF!!!
Joe says...
Congratulations, olmtiant. You’re at the top of the Delta pledge class.
amk1920
Playing Rojas would be insane. They are much better without him right now
lamarc
True, just don’t put Taylor in the game he struck out 4 times and couldn’t get a bunt down. Let pages play centerfield.
Brew’88
If I were Roberts, and assuming it’s his decision to make, I’d go with another bullpen game. The Padres haven’t figured out any of those 8 guys yet, but have done very well against the SPs. Playing the matchups with relievers seems to be working.
Old York
@Brew’88
That’s what the Tigers are doing. Keep ’em guessing.
Mojo37
I think it’s gonna be a hybrid with Yoshi taking maybe 3 innings at some point and the BP deployed similarly to game 4.
highflyballintorightfield
Big issue is whether they really believe he’s tipping his pitches or if that was just a red herring. If they think he’s tipping, he can’t go in an elimination game, and Flaherty will take the 3 innings. But yeah, they can’t do exactly the same thing unless they have another big lead as they were out of high-leverage guys after 8.
Mojo37
It’s a blue herring. 🙂
Samuel
Brew’88
Hitting is rhythm. Few pitchers can pitch well the 3rd time through a line-up anymore.
I saw this in the ’97 WS. Manager Jim Leyland used the Marlins bullpen against an Indians team that was the best hitting team I’ve ever seen. He used unknown relievers later in games, and made sure that none of them faced a hitter more than once….in the entire series. Shut that teams hitters down.
Guardians did this in games all year using bullpenners for 5-6 innings when they had a lead. It resulted in an outrageous percentage of wins. The Tigers did the same thing starting maybe
3 weeks ago. Now the Dodgers.
For years I’ve seen AAA pitchers be called up to start MLB games. Almost all can do decently the first time through the order, some-
times the 2nd.
Pro sports are copy cat. This will not end during these playoffs, It will carry onto next year. Bullpenners are cheap. Who cares if they throw out their arms. There’s always more coming up. This is a key to how the Rays have won for years on low budgets.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Let’s hope Cole closes this out tonight. I do not want Rodon pitching a decisive Game 5.
Joe says...
With Cole on regular rest, I expect he’ll be a lot better.
I just wish Judge could figure out Wacha.
YankeesBleacherCreature
He just needs to figure it out at this point. I saw two pitches last night that he normally crushes yet was fouled off. The game shouldn’t have been that close and you can’t rely on the bullpen to be perfect.
SweetBabyRayKingsThickThighs
Just do a BP game both starting staffs are gassed or bad
Old York
@SweetBabyRayKingsThickThighs
What happened to the great SPs that went 7 or 8 innings in the playoffs and kept the game at 1 or 2 runs? What a joke the SP has become. Going a few innings. I miss the good ol’days!
King Floch
Corbin Burnes did exactly that like a week ago and it didn’t help the Orioles advance past the first round, so…
Old York
@King Floch
Well, the O’s bats went silent since late August. Can’t really help that, right?
Acoss1331
Dodgers put up a fight. Now I’m not sure who wins between the Padres and Dodgers, it’ll be a fun game to watch!
As for the Brewers, I’m not underestimating them. Even if they lose Adames to free agency, they’re still the favorite to win the NL Central next year in my mind.
King Floch
>MLBTR is now shilling for the Better Help scam
Um hello, OOF Department?
Citizen1
Any word on the Tampa bay rays? They now have an outdoor stadium.
Old York
They can play in Miami. The Marlins aren’t competing next year anyway, so it won’t matter if they miss some games or just forfeit.
BaseballisLife
Where are the Rays going to play next season?
King Floch
They should go on tour like the Savannah Bananas.
It might actually improve their attendance numbers!
Rsox
Tropicana Field. It’s Florida, they can do construction during the winter months. It’s not like it snows there.
Troy Percival's iPad
Can you imagine if the Rays made the playoffs and they used the roof as an excuse to not have any answer in RF next season (because they bought a roof instead of a RF when they don’t have any excuse to not get both) beyond who ever showed up with a pulse and a not-pulled hamstring?
whyhayzee
I snuck some pine tar onto Bobby Witt Jr.’s bat.
avenger65
A team after season press conference that’s conspicuously absent: the White Sox. They cancelled Sox Fest the last two years so why not hide as all cowards do.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Getz is probably busy finding a new manager before holding a White Sox presser. They need a new fall guy face for next season bc it certainly won’t be Getz himself.
whyhayzee
Royals fans, if you go to New York for game 5, you should eat at Le Pavillon. You can tell me why if you know your Royals history. Go on their website and scroll down.