(9/11-9/14) Weekend Recap
Another weekend in the books. We had some great matchups between playoff contenders, as the Red Sox hosted the Yankees, the Rangers visited the Mets, and the Dodgers and Giants squared off in San Francisco. As always, I recapped every game below. You’ll notice some of these series recaps get shorter with less detail as the teams involved fall out of focus during the playoff run.
Here we go:
Pirates @ Nationals - Nationals take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (PIT 5 - WAS 6): This game was back and forth as the Pirates held the lead until the bottom of the 7th. The Nationals had cut into the lead in the 6th, scoring two off a Brady House solo HR and a wild pitch, making it 3-2 Pirates. Dylan Crews gave the Nationals the lead with a two -run HR and Josh Bell drove in another 2 runs to give them 6. The Pirates got 2 back in the top of the 9th off Jose Ferrer, but he held on as the Nats took game 1.
Game 2 (PIT 5 - WAS 1): It was a pitching duel without a score until the bottom of the 6th. Bubba Chandler and Andrew Alvarez both went 6 innings, with Chandler surrendering one run on 3 hits and Alvarez shutting the Pirates out on 2 hits, striking out 7. Chandler wasn’t able to get credited for the W, but the Pirates scored 4 runs in the top of the 8th due to a couple of 2 RBI singles, courtesy of Andrew McCutchen and Nick Yorke. Jared Triolo added another run with a solo shot in the top of the 9th and that was all she wrote.
Game 3 (PIT 3 - WAS 4): Keeping this one short. The Pirates were up 3-0 after the first inning, but Washington tied it back up by the bottom of the 2nd. It was tied 3-3 until the bottom of the 8th when Daylen Lile hit an RBI double. Clayton Beeter closed it from there. Lile, Chaparro, and DeJong had multi-hit games.
Summary: Recapping series like this one is more of a formality at this point. The Pirates and Nationals are very far out of it at this point. Washington will host Atlanta for another nothing series and Pittsburgh will host the Cubs looking to shake up some NL playoff seeding.
Astros @ Braves - Astros take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (HOU 11 - ATL 3): What a debut for Zach Cole Jr. The Astros’ rookie outfielder took the first pitch he saw deep for his first major league hit/HR. He ended up going 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs as he gave Hurston Waldrep nightmares at the plate. The Astros are looking to swing their momentum back in their favor, and an 11-3 blowout win on the road is a great start. Although Colton Gordon gave up 3 runs, he still got the 4-inning save for the first of his career.
Game 2 (HOU 6 - ATL 2): Houston might be back. They ended this one early. They rocked Bryce Elder for 6 runs off 10 hits through 4 innings. Hunter Brown had another great outing, cementing his ace status. He went 6.2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. Christian Walker hit a moonshot home run and the Astros kept pace with the Rangers and the Mariners in the race for the AL West/Wild Card.
Game 3 (HOU 3 - ATL 8): Framber Valdez was bad again as he only completed 4 innings, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits. Matt Olson hit his second homer in as many games, and Sandy Leon hit a 2-run homer (had no idea he was still in the league). Ozzie Albies had a 2-hit, 3-RBI game and Ha-Seong Kim was 3 for 4 with an RBI. Joey Wentz had a solid outing for the Braves.
Summary: The Astros needed those first two wins to change the direction they were heading, but Framber has some serious issues that need to get worked out. They will host Texas for a 3-game series as the Rangers just took 2 out of 3 from the Mets.
Royals @ Phillies - Phillies take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (KCR 2 - PHI 8): Walker Buehler made his Phillies debut, turning in 5 innings of 1-run baseball. The offense took care of the rest, with 2-run HRs by Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott. The Phillies tagged Michael Lorenzen for 10 hits and 6 runs. The Phillies continue their hot streak and push the Royals further out of contention in the AL playoff race.
Game 2 (KCR 6 - PHI 8): This one looked like it might be another Taijuan Walker throw away game for the Phillies as Salvador Perez had homered twice by the 3rd inning. The Phillies came back and took the lead in the bottom of the 5th off a Kyle Schwarber homer, a Nick Castellanos sac fly, and an Otto Kemp double. Schwarber drove in another run on a single, and Brandon Marsh hit a solo HR. Carter Jensen got another RBI for his stat page to make it 6-8, but Jhoan Duran came in to put the Royals to sleep in the 9th. The Phillies have won 6 in a row and 9 of 10, and the Royals have lost 3 in a row and 6 of 7.
Game 3 (KCR 10 - PHI 3): The Royals needed this one. They stopped their losing streak with an offensive outburst. HRs from Jac Caglianone, Salvador Perez, and Bobby Witt, Jr. accounted for 6 of their 10 runs and Noah Cameron had a great 7 inning start, with Schwarber and Realmuto homers in the first being his only runs given up. Aaron Nola is the most unpredictable pitcher in Philly’s rotation and it’ll be interesting to see where he fits in on the playoff roster.
Summary: The Phillies took care of business while starting the lesser half of their 6-man rotation. It should be a nice coast to the finish line for them as they’ve basically locked up the NL East and a top-2 playoff seed. They do have to go to LA to face the Dodgers, but as long as they get 1, things will be fine. The Royals look to be dead. They’re hovering at .500 and have 6 games coming up at home vs. Seattle and Toronto. We’ll see how that goes.
Orioles @ Blue Jays - Blue Jays sweep 3
Game 1 (BAL 1 - TOR 6): Trevor Rogers, again, put forward 5 innings of 1 run (unearned) ball to put the Orioles in a position to win. He did walk 4, but struck out 6 on 79 pitches as he left the game in a 1-1 tie. The bullpen blew the rest, giving up 5 ERs across 3 innings. Chris Bassitt was arguably the more impressive pitcher, as his 5 innings of 1-run ball resulted in less baserunners, due to only 2 hits and 1 walk. The Jays used 5 bullpen arms to get the job done, but they succeeded without giving up a single run. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued his torrid stretch, going 3 for 3 with an RBI and 2 walks.
Game 2 (BAL 4 - TOR 5): Tomoyuki Sugano stifled the Blue Jays for 6 innings. He only gave up 1 run (Addison Barger HR) on 4 hits. The Orioles got to Max Scherzer for 2 runs in the top of the 1st, and held the lead (4-2) until the bottom of the 9th. Daulton Varsho started the inning off with a single, then Yennier Cano came in to relieve Keegan Akin. Ernie Clement singled, then Joey Loperfido hit a pinch-hit RBI single to bring the Blue Jays within 1. Andres Gimenez then drove in the tying run with a single. George Springer reached on catcher’s interference, and Alejandro Kirk walked it off with a sac fly. Wild comeback win for the Jays.
Game 3 (BAL 2 - TOR 11): This game was within reach for the Orioles, but got out of hand in the bottom of the 7th when the Jays scored 6 unanswered runs. Toronto got a solid 6 innings from Shane Bieber. Addison Barger and Ernie Clement each had 3-RBI games, and George Springer and Alejandro Kirk had 3-hit days. As for the Orioles, Coby Mayo hit a home run for the second time in two games and Colton Cowser had a solo shot as well.
Summary: Toronto flexed their muscles this series. They proved they could win in many ways. They proved they could out-pitch you. They proved they could mount a late-inning comeback win. And they proved they could bludgeon you to death with base hits. They needed to keep winning with the Yankees surging, and they did just that.
White Sox @ Guardians - Guardians sweep 3
Game 1 (CWS 0 - CLE 4): This was the Tanner Bibee game. He threw a complete game shutout, only giving up 2 hits and striking out 10. The Cleveland offense came from two solo HRs from David Fry and Angel Martinez, alongside RBI singles from Austin Hedges and Nolan Jones. Cleveland has now won 8 of 10.
Game 2 (CWS 1 - CLE 3): Parker Messick had another nice start as he limited the White Sox to 1 run on 7 hits through 6 innings. The Guardians got a 2-run home run from CJ Kayfus in the 2nd and a solo home run from Jhonkensy Noel in the 8th to secure the series win. Cade Smith continued to look unshakeable as he’s had a very consistent couple weeks. The Guardians have won three in a row, and still 8 of 10.
Game 3 (CWS 2 - CLE 3): Cleveland took care of business again. Bo Naylor drove in all three runs for the Guardians. His 2-run double in the 4th gave them the lead, and his tie-breaking solo HR in the 7th gave them the run they needed to secure the sweep. Slade Cecconi had another great outing and Cleveland won their 4th straight.
Summary: Cleveland has wedged themselves back into the playoff picture. They’re now 2.5 games back of the final wild card spot and winners of 9 out of 10. They will face the Tigers with a prime opportunity to show they can hang with their division leader. The White Sox will face the Orioles.
Rangers @ Mets - Rangers take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (TEX 8 - NYM 3): Jacob deGrom was phenomenal in his return to Citi Field. He went 7 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits. He walked no one, and struck out 2. But the real story was how badly the Rangers lit up Jonah Tong. The 22-year-old couldn’t get out of the 1st inning, as he gave up 6 runs on 4 hits, while walking 3 batters. It was over for the Mets after the top of the 1st inning. The Rangers have won 6 out of 7 and the Mets have lost 7 in a row.
Game 2 (TEX 3 - NYM 2): What a start for the rookie Brandon Sproat. In his second career start, he threw 6 shutout innings for the Mets, getting pulled at the 70-pitch mark. The Mets led 1-0 at that point, then Juan Soto extended their lead with a solo home run. The Rangers answered back in the top of the 8th with a Josh Smith sac fly and a Rowdy Tellez double that tied the game at 2. Wyatt Langford drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 9th off Edwin Diaz as the Mets have now lost 8 in a row.
Game 3 (TEX 2 - NYM 5): The Mets almost gave this one away too. Nolan McLean continues to be unflappable as he shut out the Rangers over 6 innings, striking out 7. The Mets carried their 2-0 lead into the 7th, when the Rangers took advantage of McLean’s departure with a game-tying, 2-RBI single from Joc Pederson. The game went into extras, where in the bottom of the 10th, the Rangers intentionally walked Juan Soto in favor of Pete Alonso to put two on and enable a double play possibility. Alonso then took Luis Curvelo deep for a 3-run walk-off home run to stop the Mets’ 8-game losing streak.
Summary: Regardless of what happens in the Giants’ and Reds’ games today, the Mets will end the weekend holding onto their playoff spot. Maybe Pete Alonso’s walk-off home run will spark something for the Mets, as they need to take advantage of anything they can get. They will host the Padres next as they try to turn this thing around. The Rangers will take their series win to Houston, where they look to further contend for the AL West and the final wild card spot.
Tigers @ Marlins - Marlins take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (DET 2 - MIA 8): The story here is Tarik Skubal getting tagged for 4 ERs and then leaving the game with an injury to his left side (oblique?). The Tigers cannot afford to lose him. The Marlins came out swinging here, with HRs from Agustin Ramirez, Heriberto Hernandez, and Joey Wiemer. Javier Sanoja had 3 RBIs, and Sandy Alcantara went 7 innings, striking out 8 and only giving up 2 runs on 4 hits.
Game 2 (DET 4 - MIA 6): This one had to go 11 innings, but the Marlins continued to make life difficult for the Tigers. The Marlins jumped out to a 2-0 lead off an Otto Lopez single and a Javier Sanoja double. Kerry Carpenter tied it up with a 2-run home run and the Tigers then took the lead on a Gleyber Torres sac fly. Troy Johnston tied it with a HR in the bottom of the 6th, and it held at 3-3 until the top of the 11th inning. In the top half, Wenceel Perez hit an RBI double to give the Tigers the lead. But in the bottom half, the Marlins tied it up on a fielder’s choice, and Troy Johnston hit his second HR of the game to walk it off. The Marlins take the series.
Game 3 (DET 2 - MIA 0): The only scoring came in the top of the 2nd off a throwing error and a Dillon Dingler single. The rest was all pitching. Keider Montero threw 5 innings of shutout ball, and Urquidy, Kahnle, and Vest closed out Miami. Adam Mazur had a good start for the Marlins.
Summary: Detroit has the AL Central locked up, but they probably didn’t expect to lose this series. Hopefully Tarik Skubal is okay and they can go into the playoffs healthy. They have to host Cleveland next, who is 9-1 in their last 10 and fighting to get into the playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see how the Tigers handle that series. Miami will go to Colorado for a series I will not be watching or recapping.
Cardinals @ Brewers - Brewers take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (STL 2 - MIL 8): The Brewers returned to their winning ways as they’ve won 18 straight games that Quinn Priester has started. Christian Yelich hit a 2-run HR, and Chourio, Collins, and Ortiz all had multi-hit games. 5 different Brewers hitters had RBIs as they roughed up Andre Pallante and the Cardinals’ bullpen.
Game 2 (STL 8 - MIL 9): The Brewers clinched a playoff berth before this game started, so when Jacob Misiorowski got hit around and they were down 6-1 in the bottom of the 6th, it looked like they’d pack it in. But they continued to fight. They scored one in the bottom of the 6th, two in the bottom of the 8th, and were within two. Then they gave up a run in the top of the 9th to make it 7-4 and it looked over again. But they tied it up in the bottom of the 9th off a Sal Frelick double, a Jackson Chourio single, and a William Contreras single. In the 10th, the Cardinals got their Manfred runner home to take the lead, but the Brewers walked them off with a Caleb Durbin double and an Andruw Monasterio single. Wild game, emblematic of the Brewers’ season.
Game 3 (STL 3 - MIL 2): The Cardinals got to Jose Quintana early, with their 3 runs coming in the top of the 2nd. Miles Mikolas did just enough to keep the Brewers at bay, as they could only muster up a couple of solo HRs (Durbin and Jansen). The Cardinals’ bullpen held the Brewers scoreless through 4 innings as the Cardinals took the last game.
Summary: The Brewers clinched a playoff spot and took the series, even though they could have let it go. They had a great showing in game one, and came back in unbelievable fashion in game two. They kept their distance between the Cubs for the division and the Phillies for the top seed in the playoffs. They will host the Angels for a 3-game series at home. The Cardinals will host the Reds.
Diamondbacks @ Twins - Diamondbacks take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (ARI 8 - MIN 9): A wild game in Minnesota as the Twins were up 6-2, then the Diamondbacks were up 8-6 in the 9th, and the Twins walked it off 9-8. Kody Clemens had his first career multi-HR game, and didn’t stop at two. He hit 3 home runs and tacked on an RBI double, ending the night 4 for 4 with 5 RBIs. The Diamondbacks got a clutch, go-ahead 3-run home run from Gabriel Moreno in the top of the 9th, but they failed to hold on. Luke Keaschall’s sac fly won the game as Jake Woodford and Andrew Saalfrank blew it for the Dbacks.
Game 2 (ARI 5 - MIN 2): Ryne Nelson had another good outing. He threw 6 innings of shutout ball. Joe Ryan only completed 4 innings as he threw 93 pitches and gave up 2 runs off an Alek Thomas moonshot. The Twins tied it up in the bottom of the 8th with a Kody Clemens two-RBI single, and forced the game into the 10th inning. The Dbacks pulled away in the 10th with a Gabriel Moreno single and a Blaze Alexander two-RBI double, and evened up the series. The Diamondbacks get the win while the Mets, Reds, and Giants all lose.
Game 3 (ARI 6 - MIN 4): Bailey Ober struck out 9 batters through 6 innings, but a big James McCann 3-run homer put him on the hook for the L. The Diamondbacks survived a couple scares from the Twins to take the series. McCann had 4 RBIs, and Alek Thomas had a multi-hit game with an RBI. The Twins got a couple HRs from Mickey Gasper and Matt Wallner, but it wasn’t enough.
Summary: The Diamondbacks have sandwiched themselves right back into the wild card race. They now sit 2 games behind the Mets, with the Giants in between them. They’ve gone 6-4 in their last 10 and face the Giants at home in a rematch of last week’s series. The Twins will host the Yankees, which I’m sure will turn out great for them.
Rays @ Cubs - Cubs take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (TBR 4 - CHC 6): Christopher Morel put the Rays up early against his former team with a three-run shot in the top of the 1st off Matt Boyd. The Cubs’ offense answered back, tying it up in the bottom of the 2nd, and pulling ahead 5-3 in the bottom of the 3rd (Moises Ballesteros - aka Mo Baller - RBI triple). The Rays got a run back, but that was quickly countered by an Ian Happ solo HR. The Cubs’ bullpen finished off the final 4 innings without allowing a baserunner as they took game one.
Game 2 (TBR 5 - CHC 4): The Cubs took a 3-0 lead through 4 off a Mo Baller (see above) home run and a Dansby Swanson 2-RBI double. The Rays answered back, tying it up in the 7th. Michael Busch hit a go-ahead HR in the bottom half, but Junior Caminero answered back with a solo shot of his own in the top of the 8th. The difference maker was a Nick Fortes HR in the top of the 9th off Brad Keller, and Pete Fairbanks closed it out, evening up the series. Congrats to Anthony Rizzo on his retirement.
Game 3 (TBR 3 - CHC 4): Junior Caminero hit his 44th home run of the year and Adrian Houser had a solid 6 inning start against the Cubs. The Rays held a 3-1 lead into the 6th, when Ian Happ’s solo HR brought Chicago within one run. Nico Hoerner’s 2-RBI double in the next inning put the Cubs out in front, and Caleb Thielbar and Andrew Kittredge closed it out from there. Shota Imanaga ended up with a no-decision, but he struck out 9 in 5 innings.
Summary: The Cubs kept pace with the Brewers and continued to remain healthily in front of the rest of the pack in the wild card race. They seem locked into that top spot. They will look to continue their winning ways in Pittsburgh, as they head there for 3 games starting Monday. The Rays will host the Blue Jays, looking to play spoiler.
Reds @ Athletics - Athletics sweep 3
Game 1 (CIN 0 - ATH 3): A prime opportunity for the Reds to capitalize on the Mets’ loss turned into a scene Cincinnati fans have gotten used to all year. The bats went silent, as JT Ginn and the rest of the A’s bullpen left the Reds’ offense with 14 Ks. Carlos Cortes had two solo HRs, and Lawrence Butler had one of his own.
Game 2 (CIN 5 - ATH 11): The A’s knocked around the Reds’ ace, Hunter Greene, as he threw 84 pitches in 2.1 innings, giving up 5 runs on 4 hits (4 BBs). Carlos Cortes homered again, Brent Rooker homered, and Nick Kurtz hit a grand slam 493 feet for the longest HR in baseball since 2023. Luis Severino got banged around by the Reds as well, but the A’s bullpen held the Reds scoreless as they failed to take advantage of the Mets’ and Giants’ losses.
Game 3 (CIN 4 - ATH 7): The Reds got out to a 3-0 lead by the top of the 2nd, due to a Noelvi Marte solo HR and a Will Benson 2-run HR. After that, it was all Athletics. They jumped on Nick Lodolo as Jacob Wilson, Colby Thomas, and Nick Kurtz all homered against the lefty. Brett Harris hit an RBI double, and Brent Rooker hit a 2-run homer to get the A’s to 7. The only other Reds’ run came in the top of the 8th via a Sal Stewart solo shot. Michael Kelly got the save.
Summary: This was a tough series for the Reds. They came in with a shot to get into the final wild card spot with the Mets on a slide, but they got dominated in Sacramento. I think they are a .500 team and that’s it. They’ll take on the Cardinals next, with a chance to make up ground. As far as the A’s, this is a really fun team to watch and they can jump on you in a hurry. They will head to Boston as they face a damaged Boston lineup that took two out of three from them last week.
Dodgers @ Giants - Dodgers take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (LAD 1 - SFG 5): Another wild one involving the Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto had another phenomenal start. His line: 7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 Ks. Justin Verlander on the other side was just as impressive. His line: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. The story here is the Dodgers’ bullpen blowing it again, as they took a 1-1 tie into the bottom of the 10th. Blake Treinen got the loss, but it was really Tanner Scott again that got shelled. He came in and walked a batter, then intentionally walked the second batter to load the bases, then gave up a walk-off grand slam to Patrick Bailey, as the Giants took advantage of the Mets’ loss and now only sit 0.5 games out of the playoff picture.
Game 2 (LAD 13 - SFG 7): After the first inning, it looked like the Giants’ magic would continue as they got 4 runs off Clayton Kershaw and led 4-1. But the Dodgers rode a 2-run 3rd and a 4-run 5th to separate themselves and even up the series. Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman combined for 6 hits and 5 RBIs, as Shohei Ohtani had a 3-hit day with a solo HR. The Giants failed to take advantage of the Mets’ and Reds’ losses and still sit outside the playoff picture.
Game 3 (LAD 10 - SFG 2): Tyler Glasnow threw 6.2, 1-run innings on 108 pitches while Robbie Ray got smushed. His line: 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ERs, 4 BBs, 5 Ks, 98 pitches. Teoscar Hernandez was 4 for 6, Michael Conforto was 3 for 4, Freddie Freeman was 3 for 6, and Mookie Betts was 3 for 4. The Dodgers’ offense took off, scoring 10 runs on 18 hits and scoring off every Giants pitcher they threw on the mound. It was a bloodbath in San Francisco.
Summary: The Dodgers showed the Giants who’s boss at Oracle Park. After blowing game one, they came back and stomped them on back to back days. The Giants had a tough draw as they looked to capitalize on the Mets’ woes, but they still have to find ways to win. They head to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks in a rematch of last week, with the Snakes breathing down their neck, only 0.5 games back of them in the wild card. The Dodgers will host the Phillies with a 2.5 game lead in the division, but significantly behind the Phillies for the 2 seed.
Angels @ Mariners - Mariners sweep 4
Game 1 (LAA 6 - SEA 7): A wild one to start off the series as it took 15 pitchers across 12 innings to close it out. Harry Ford was the hero here, with a walk off sac-fly in the bottom of the 12th. The Mariners in their City Connects move into a first place tie with the Astros in the AL West. Bryce Miller struck out 11 Angels through 5.2 innings. Leadoff DH Mike Trout hit a home run in the top of the 5th that tied the game at 4 until the 11th inning. The Mariners have won 6 in a row.
Game 2 (LAA 1 - SEA 2): Luis Castillo tossed a gem again as he might be getting his groove back. He went 6 innings and struck out 5. Yusei Kikuchi was equally as good, going 6 innings and striking out 3. The difference maker was a Mitch Garver solo HR that put the Mariners up 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th. The bullpen shut it down and the Mariners won their 7th game in a row.
Game 3 (LAA 3 - SEA 5): Bryan Woo continued his dominance with 13 strikeouts in 6 innings. He gave up 2 runs, but the Seattle offense gave him plenty of run support in the form of a Jorge Polanco 2-RBI double, a Josh Naylor 2-RBI single, and a J.P. Crawford solo HR. This one was all Mariners as they kept pace with the Astros and the Rangers and won their 8th game in a row.
Game 4 (LAA 2 - SEA 11): Holy smokes. If this is what the full-strength Mariners look like, they will be a tough team to beat. George Kirby struck out 14(!) Angels’ hitters through 6.1, only giving up 2 runs (solo HRs by Christian Moore and Oswald Peraza). Only 2 of the Mariners' runs came via HR, a two-run shot by Cal Raleigh in the 1st. They had 5 runs by the 3rd and scored 6 in the 4th to bring them to 11. Aside from Eugenio Suarez (who is maybe 0 for his last 30 right now), the Mariners’ offense was on fire. Jorge Polanco has hit 11 doubles in his last 7 games and was 3 for 5 today. Raleigh, Rodriguez, Naylor, Polanco, Canzone, and Crawford combined for 14 hits and all 11 RBIs.
Summary: The Mariners have jumped into 1st place in the AL West after winning their 9th game in a row. They look to be at full strength, even with Eugenio Suarez’s bat missing. They will go to Kansas City next to see if they can keep their streak alive against a Royals team that can’t seem to play better than .500 ball. The Angels will head to Milwaukee to face baseball’s best team.
Rockies @ Padres - Padres take 3 out of 4
Game 1 (COL 0 - SDP 2): The Rockies got the full Padres’ pitching experience as Randy Vasquez shut them out over 6 innings and struck out 9 Rockies hitters. They only got 4 hits off him, but that was 4 more than they got the rest of the game as Estrada, Miller, and Suarez took the 7th, 8th, and 9th and struck out 5 without allowing a baserunner. A Luis Arraez single and a Jackson Merrill solo home run were all the Padres needed to get back to their winning ways and take the first of the 4-game series.
Game 2 (COL 4 - SDP 2): Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 1st, but that would be all the Padres would score until a Ramon Laureano groundout in the bottom of the 9th. JP Sears, although he struck out 8, got credited with the loss as he gave up 4 runs on two homers (Blaine Crim 3-run HR and Kyle Farmer solo HR). Tanner Gordon had a great start for the Rockies. He struck out 9 over 6 innings of 2-hit work, with Machado’s HR being the only run given up by Gordon. Orlando Arcia and Jordan Beck had multi-hit games for the Rocks.
Game 3 (COL 3 - SDP 11): Dylan Cease needed this. He had a quality start with 6 innings of 1-run ball. He only walked 1 batter, as he’s had control issues all year. The Padres’ offense blew this game wide open by the 4th, as homers from Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill gave them a 9-1 lead. Bryce Johnson added on a two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th and the Padres took the series lead.
Game 4 (COL 6 - SDP 9): It looked like San Diego was going to run away with this one as they were up 7-0 after 3 innings. Jackson Merrill hit a big 3-run homer to contribute to that lead, with 3 separate RBI singles from Cronenworth, Iglesias, and Fermin to fill in the rest. The Rockies didn’t make it easy, as Mickey Moniak hit 2 HRs, a solo and a 3-run shot, and drove in another run via a 7th inning single off Adrian Morejon. The Rockies got it as close as 6-7, but Gavin Sheets extended the Padres’ lead in the bottom of the 8th with a 2-RBI double. Mason Miller and Robert Suarez combined to shut Colorado out over the last 2+ innings.
Summary: The Padres desperately needed this series win. I’m sure they would have loved the sweep, but they’ll take the 3 out of 4. They’re still 2.5 games back of the Dodgers for the division and 3.5 games back of the Cubs for the top wild card spot. They will head to Queens to take on the Mets as they have a cushy 5-game lead over them for the second wild card spot. The Rockies will host the Marlins.
Yankees @ Red Sox - Yankees take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (NYY 4 - BOS 1): This one was never in question for the Yankees. Aaron Judge hit his 362nd career HR as a Yankee (moving him to 4th on the Yankees’ all-time list) in the top of the 1st. Boston booted the ball around the infield to allow two more runs to score in the top of the 7th and the Red Sox failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Luis Gil went 6 full innings without giving up a hit (4 BBs/4 Ks) even though it felt like he was playing with fire all game. The Yankees’ bullpen held it down, aside from a Nate Eaton solo HR, as they took game one in Boston.
Game 2 (NYY 5 - BOS 3): Brayan Bello got off to a tough start, giving up 2 runs in the first inning (HBP, 2 BBs, sac fly, single, double). He gave up another two runs, both to Jazz Chisholm Jr. who ended the game 3 for 5 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Max Fried had a solid start, giving up 2 ERs on 9 hits, as he was able to work out of several jams due to the Red Sox’s inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Alex Bregman hit a HR, and Jarren Duran hit a pinch-hit home run to bring the Red Sox within a run in the bottom of the 8th. But Cody Bellinger tagged Aroldis Chapman for an RBI double and David Bednar wiped out the Sox in the bottom of the 9th. The Yankees take the series on the road.
Game 3 (NYY 4 - BOS 6): The Red Sox put all 6 runs on Will Warren in the bottom of the 1st. 5 straight hits, plus a sac fly, an RBI groundout, and a Carlos Narvaez solo HR put the Sox in the driver’s seat. Warren ended up going 5 full innings, with Doval, Leiter Jr., and Blackburn sticking 0’s on the board for the Red Sox offense. The Yankees tried to make it interesting, as they tagged Garrett Crochet for 3 runs on two homers (Judge and Rosario), although he struck out 12. Jose Caballero homered to bring the Yankees within two, but Aroldis Chapman got back to his shutdown ways and got the save.
Summary: The Yankees put a bow on the season series with the Red Sox even though they struggled with them all year. The Yankees looked like the better team here by far and the Red Sox should be concerned about facing them in a 3-game wild card series in the Bronx. Even the Red Sox win tonight wasn’t convincing, as they only managed to score in the first inning and almost let the Yankees back in it. They need Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony back for some left-handed pop, and Alex Bregman needs to pick it back up as he’s chosen a bad time to enter into a slump. Boston will host the A’s and the Yankees will go to Minnesota to face the Twins. These upcoming series could go in two different directions. Boston sits 1.5 games back of the Yankees for the top wild card spot and only 1 game above the Astros for the final wild card spot.
