Weekend Series Recap: 8/14-8/17
It was a fun Players’ Weekend as we got to see some cool gear and got to highlight some amazing causes that the players advocate for. We also had the Little League Classic on Sunday. But let’s get to all the games:
Phillies @ Nationals - Split 2-2
Game 1 (PHI 2 - WAS 3): Lord beat Jesus as the Nationals took game 1 behind Brad Lord’s 6 solid innings of work. It was a low scoring affair on both sides, but a Paul DeJong solo shot and a two run single from Jose Tena proved to be all that was needed to secure game 1.
Game 2 (PHI 6 - WAS 2): Zack Wheeler vs MacKenzie Gore put up similar lines, both giving up 2 ER a piece. The difference came in the top of the 7th, when Kyle Schwarber hit a 3 run homer, and Bryce Harper went back to back with a solo shot of his own to break the tie and propel Philly to even the series.
Game 3 (PHI 0 - WAS 2): What a showing from Cade Cavalli. 7 innings of shutout ball was all Washington needed to secure the third matchup. That, and a two-run double from James Wood and a two inning save from Jose Ferrer. The Phillies didn’t have much to show from the plate. Trea Turner had another 3 hit game, so that’s cool.
Game 4 (PHI 11 - WAS 9): Well, the Phillies tried to let the Nationals back in this game twice. After Philly got out to a 6-0 lead behind 4 RBIs from Alec Bohm, 3 of which came on a 3 run homer in the 2nd, the Nats responded with 6 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. The Phillies managed to secure another 5 run lead behind a Castellanos homer and some more timely hitting from Weston Wilson, Bryce Harper, and Harrison Bader. Things did get a little hairy in the bottom of the 9th when Paul DeJong hit a 3 run bomb to pull them within two, but Jhoan Duran came in and shut the door, evening the series.
Summary: The Phillies needed to take 3 out of 4 to feel good here. After losing 2 out of 3 to the Reds, this wasn’t the way to put more distance between them and the Mets. The Nats are just happy to be here. Also, hopefully Zack Wheeler is okay. Blood clots are always scary and I hope he gets healthy soon.
Marlins @ Red Sox - Red Sox take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (MIA 1 - BOS 2): Behind a couple stellar outings from both starters (Alcantara and Giolito both going 6 innings and allowing 1 run a piece), these teams went into the 9th inning tied at 1. Chapman shut the door on the Marlins in the top half, and Trevor Story continued his heroics, driving in the winning run on a base hit off Calvin Faucher after Josh Simpson walked the first two batters and hit the third to load the bases.
Game 2 (MIA 5 - BOS 7): This game was all Sox. Cal Quantril got rocked early, only going 3.2 and giving up all 7 runs (all earned). Brayan Bello provided a strong outing, going 6.1 and only giving up two runs on a couple solo homers (congrats Troy Johnston on your first major league homer). Trevor Story had a big 3 run homer, and stole another base (still has not been caught stealing this year). The top of the 9th got dicey when Isaiah Campbell came in and gave up three runs, making it a save situation for Aroldis Chapman to come in and stop the Marlins’ rally.
Game 3 (MIA 5 - BOS 3): This was a tough one if you’re a Boston fan, but exciting if you like the Marlins’ young star Jakob Marsee, who is off to an electric start to his career. Turns out, it matters when you blow a 5 run lead the day before and need to put in your closer (making him unavailable the next day). The Red Sox took a 3-2 lead into the top of the 9th and had to turn to Greg Weissert, since Aroldis was unavailable, and quickly gave up a game tying home run to Dane Myers. After giving up another single, Weissert was pulled for the deadline-acquired Steven Matz, who gave up a two-run home run to Marsee, the first batter he faced. The Red Sox couldn’t overcome the deficit and squander a golden opportunity to sweep the Fish at home.
Summary: The Red Sox could have used a sweep, since the Yankees ended up sweeping the Cardinals (Spoiler). But they do remain 0.5 games up on them in the wild card. The Marlins get a much needed win after cooling off from their hot streak. Jakob Marsee showed he loves the spotlight and came up clutch in avoiding the sweep in Boston.
Rangers @ Blue Jays - Blue Jays take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (TEX 5 - TOR 6): deGrom showed up again, throwing 5 shutout innings. The Rangers and Jays traded home runs, with Higashioka hitting a 3 run shot, then Kirk hitting a two run shot of his own, with Semien getting the Rangers to 5 with a two run shot in the top of the 8th. The bottom half of the 8th proved to be the turning point, as new Rangers arm Danny Coulombe got hit for 3 earned runs with Phil Maton coming in to take the loss as he allowed a two run single from Kirk again.
Game 2 (TEX 2 - TOR 14): Short and sweet. Eric Lauer remains solid for the Jays, and the offense mashed Patrick Corbin, giving him a nice reminder of his days as a National. Homers by Daulton Varsho, Davis Schneider, and Myles Straw (x2) highlighted the 14 run effort and Rowdy Tellez was pitching for the Rangers in the 7th inning.
Game 3 (TEX 10 - TOR 4): Is this the Texas lineup we remember from their 2023 title run? Big days at the plate from Semien, Seager, and Heim (plus a homer from Evan Carter) gave Nate Eovaldi a nice cushion for his 7 inning, 2 run, 6 K performance. Vladdy Jr. continued on his hot August going 2 for 4 with a homer.
Summary: Toronto continues to roll. Texas continues to disappoint. With the Yankees sweep and the Red Sox taking 2 out of 3 from the Marlins, Toronto needed this series win to stay ahead of pace. It’s about over for Texas at this point.
Braves @ Guardians - Braves sweep 3
Game 1 (ATL 2 - CLE 0): Hurston Waldrep and the Braves’ bullpen held the Guardians to 2 hits the entire game. The first Braves run came in the top of the 4th when the Guards’ Cantillo walked in a run. Then Michael Harris II drove in the second run in the top of the 9th for some insurance.
Game 2 (ATL 10 - CLE 1): Cleveland couldn’t find their offense once again with the only run being a Brayan Rocchio solo shot. The Braves only needed two arms to get through the game, with Joey Wentz going 6 and Hunter Stratton going the other 3. The Braves offense shined, manufacturing 7 out of 10 runs creatively, with the other 3 coming from another Michael Harris II homer.
Game 3 (ATL 5 - CLE 4): Cleveland found some offense here. They were up 4-1 after 4 innings in a game where both SPs had games to forget. The Braves got 2 runs back in the top of the 5th, and took the lead the next inning on a two-run Jurickson Profar homer. The Braves ‘pen tossed 5 shutout innings after that, closing out the sweep.
Summary: The Braves have now won 5 in a row, and 8 of their last 10. It’s too late for them, but they’re a scary team to play spoiler if they can put it together. Cleveland could not afford to get swept at home. With the aforementioned Red Sox and Yankees winning their respective series, this puts Cleveland in a bad spot to begin the week, 3.5 back of the final wild card spot.
Brewers @ Reds - Brewers take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (MIL 10 - CIN 8): What a wild game. After the second inning, the Reds were up 8-1 and we thought the Brewers’ winning streak was over. The Reds jumped all over Misiorowski, forcing him out early. But the Brewers got 5 back in the top of the 3rd, tied it up in the top of the 4th, and tacked 2 more on while retiring 21 straight batters to extend their winning streak to 13.
Game 2 (MIL 6 - CIN 5): Brewers magic prevails again. The Brewers led 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th, when Ke’Bryan Hayes and Spencer Steer both hit solo homers to take the lead. That held until the top of the 9th, when Brice Turang scored on a throwing error from Elly De La Cruz on what would have been the game ending, and winning streak ending, double play. The two teams traded runs in the 10th inning, and the Brewers got a miracle 3 run homer from Andruw Monasterio in the top of the 11th. They needed all three of those runs, as the Reds got 2 back in the bottom of the 11th, but fell short, extending the Brewers’ winning streak to 14 games.
Game 3 (MIL 2 - CIN 3): The streak has ended. It took another extra inning game and another flash of life after the Brewers were surely dead. But a couple of pitching gems on both sides. Andrew Abbott shut out the Crew, and Jose Quintana and Tobias Myers held their own against the Reds. William Contreras heroic shot in the top of the 9th made it look like the streak would continue, but the Reds tied it up in the bottom of the 9th and the Brewers left Grant Anderson out there to take the L in the bottom of the 10th when an Austin Hays single ended the Brewers’ streak.
Summary: The Brewers were without Isaac Collins and Blake Perkins for the weekend, so they relied on the other “no-name” guys to fill the box score. The Reds were feisty and without some shotty defense and a little luck, they could have easily seen a sweep go their way. They salvaged the last game to keep within striking distance of the Mets for the last wild card spot. The Brewers will take their loss and head to Chicago for a 5 game set against the Cubs.
Orioles @ Astros - Orioles take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (BAL 7 - HOU 0): The story here is Orioles’ starter Brandon Young. He took a perfect game into the 8th inning and lost it with two outs. Still, he pitched 8 shutout innings, only allowing one hit with 6 K’s and no walks. Houston’s bats were silenced and Framber Valdez got banged around a bit in his 6.2 innings. Gunnar Henderson with a couple RBIs. Coby Mayo and Dylan Carlson with homers.
Game 2 (BAL 4 - HOU 5): It took 12 innings, but the Astros ended up squeaking one out. Houston led the whole game into the top of the 8th, when Jackson Holliday hit a game-tying, two run homer that knotted the game at 4-4 until the bottom of the 12th. The always exciting walk off fielder’s choice put the Astros in the W column.
Game 3 (BAL 12 - HOU 0): This was obviously all Orioles. Jordan Westburg had a monster game, going 4 for 5 with 5 RBIs, including a 3 run homer in the 5th. The Orioles welcomed two new prospects to the show in Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo, who each contributed to the barrage of offense dealt to the Astros’ pitching staff. Tough look for the Astros this weekend, but hey, Chas McCormick pitched a shutout inning.
Summary: I didn’t see this coming. The Astros can’t drop 2 of 3 to a team as far out of it as the Orioles. They’ve got a big series coming up here at Detroit to start the week. As far as the Orioles, this was a good way to showcase even more of their prospects. But as they continue to fill their lineup with prospects, at what point do they take the step and bundle some of those prospects to get some real major-league players?
White Sox @ Royals - Royals sweep 3
Game 1 (CWS 1 - KCR 3): Noah Cameron continues his strong campaign for the Royals, as he pitched 5.1 with only 1 ER. The KC bullpen shut the White Sox down, with their only run being Lenyn Sosa’s solo homer (he’s got some impressive Barrel stats recently). The Royals got a Salvy homer with a couple of RBIs from Adam Frazier and Maikel Garcia.
Game 2 (CWS 2 - KCR 6): Michael Lorenzen came off the IL to pitch 4 shutout innings, while the White Sox only scored their 2 runs off Bailey Falter in the top of the 8th. But at that point the Royals already put up 6 runs off homers from Mike Yastrzemski and John Rave, along with another big hit from Maikel Garcia, a 2 RBI double.
Game 3 (CWS 2 - KCR 6): Another Lenyn Sosa homer. Edgar Quero RBI single. The White Sox looked to salvage the last game and held a 2-0 lead until the bottom of the 7th when Jonathan India tied it with a two run homer. The Royals added 4 more runs in the bottom of the 8th and closed the door on the Sox the following half inning, completing the sweep.
Summary: I did not watch any of these games. But good on the Royals for taking care of business. The White Sox were pesky for a while there but they’ve come back to reality lately. The Royals are a sneaky 7 out of 10 now and only 0.5 game back of the Guardians, but still 4 games out of a wild card spot.
Tigers @ Twins - Tigers take 3 out of 4
Game 1 (DET 4 - MIN 3): This one had to go to 11 innings, but Detroit pulled it off. The Twins put all 3 of their runs on the board in the 3rd off Skubal, who hasn’t been as flawless lately as he has been all season. The Tigers got 2 back in the 4th off a two-run shot by Riley Greene, and tacked on another in the 6th. Both teams then went scoreless until the top of the 11th, when Gleyber Torres hit a sac fly to bring home the go ahead, and ultimately winning, run.
Game 2 (DET 7 - MIN 0): This game was over in the top of the 1st. The Tigers put 5 on the Twins right away, then 2 more in the 3rd. Charlie Morton held the Twins scoreless for 6 innings and the Tigers’ bullpen did the rest.
Game 3 (DET 8 - MIN 5): The Tigers held a 2 run lead into the 5th, when the Twins got 3 back on a two-run triple by Brooks Lee and a go-ahead sac fly by Royce Lewis. Detroit regained the lead in the 7th, making it 6-3. The two teams traded runs back and forth after that, but the Twins couldn’t overcome the deficit. Final score 8-5, Detroit.
Game 4 (DET 1 - MIN 8): The Tigers’ only run came off an RBI double by Colt Keith in the 3rd. Otherwise, the Twins shelled old friend Chris Paddock for the second time since the deadline, leaving him with 8 ERs through 5.2. Homers by Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, and Brooks Lee allowed the Twins to salvage the final game and avoid a 4 game sweep at home.
Summary: Detroit may be back on track. They could have easily overlooked their barren division rivals ahead of a 3 game series with the Astros, but they took care of business. 3 of 4 needed to happen for them to feel good. As for the Twins, well, this may be a long, continued look at the future as the ownership has decided not to sell the team. It’s a bleak time to be a Twins fan.
Yankees @ Cardinals - Yankees sweep 3
Game 1 (NYY 4 - STL 3): The Yankees got off to a hot start in the top of the 1st, with an RBI groundout from Aaron Judge and a 2-run home run by Jazz Chisholm Jr. A Jasson Dominguez single made it 4-0, and a solid 5.1 inning outing from Luis Gil was enough to stifle the Cardinals. They closed back in with a run in the bottom of the 6th, and two more in the 7th, but David Bednar ended up closing it out for the Yanks.
Game 2 (NYY 12 - STL 8): In what was supposed to be a low-scoring affair with both Max Fried and Sonny Gray on the mound, it turned out to be a shootout, with both aces getting hit around (Fried allowing 7 ERs and Gray allowing 6 ERs). Ben Rice played hero for the Yanks with a 7 RBI game, including a three run homer that put them up 6-5 and they never looked back. They continued to score, as did the Cards, but never relinquished the lead from that point on.
Game 3 (NYY 8 - STL 4): St. Louis was poised to take this game, as they took the lead 3-4 in the bottom of the 6th on a Yohel Pozo homer. But Cody Bellinger tied it with a sac fly in the top of the 7th, and disaster struck for the Cardinals in the top of the 9th with the game tied 4-4. Thomas Saggese had an inning to forget with two errors, on top of two walks, which allowed the Yankees to plate 4 more, all unearned, to complete the sweep.
Summary: Remember when it was all doom and gloom for Yankees fans? Well a 3 game sweep on the road helps some of that, but their bullpen still has some issues (a big Camilo Doval problem). As for the Cardinals, you’re now 3 games under .500 and 5.5 games out of a wild card spot. If it wasn’t over already, it’s getting close.
Pirates @ Cubs - Cubs take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (PIT 3 - CHC 2): A quiet game, with Braxton Ashcraft and Colin Rea pitching nearly identical statlines in their 5 innings of work. Both teams traded runs in the 4th and the 7th, with Jack Suwinski breaking the tie in the top of the 9th with the go-ahead solo shot that proved to be all they needed to take game 1.
Game 2 (PIT 1 - CHC 3): The two teams again traded runs in the 4th inning, and it remained knotted up at 1 a piece until the bottom of the 8th, when the Cubs plated two off a Seiya Suzuki single and a Nico Hoerner double. Both Shota Imanaga and Mike Burrows had solid outings as the Cubs evened up the series.
Game 3 (PIT 3 - CHC 4): Another low-scoring affair had the Cubs in front 1-2 going into the top of the 6th, with Ben Brown in in long relief after a good outing from Javier Assad. Brown gave up a two-run double to Joey Bart, giving the Pirates the lead 3-2. The Cubs tied it up in the bottom half of the 6th, and then got the go-ahead run in the bottom 8th on a Dansby Swanson sac fly. Andrew Kittredge came in to get the save as the Cubs grabbed the series victory.
Summary: The Cubs needed 2 out of 3 here at least. They got a game back on the Brewers for the first time in forever, now entering a 5-game set with them, beginning with a double-header on Monday. The Pirates put up a decent fight, but they have some serious offensive issues. The Cubs also need to figure out who is going to close games for them if they want to make a serious playoff run.
Diamondbacks @ Rockies - Rockies take 3 out of 4
Game 1 (ARI 8 - COL 2): Tough outing for Bradley Blalock, giving up 7 ERs in the loss. The Dbacks got a 3-run Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homer in the top of the 1st and never looked back. E-Rod had a nice game on the mound, going 7 innings with the only run being a Kyle Farmer solo shot.
Game 2 (ARI 3 - COL 4): Brandon Pfaadt went 6 innings, but gave up 4 runs on 8 hits and took the loss. The Rockies got contributions from Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck, and held the Dbacks scoreless after the 6th, evening up the series.
Game 3 (ARI 7 - COL 10): In the top of the 7th, the Dbacks led 7-2. It all went downhill for them from there. The Rockies then scored 8 unanswered, with 2 coming in the bottom of the 7th, and 6 coming in the bottom of the 8th. A big Brenton Doyle double, a Kyle Farmer single, and a Tyler Freeman homer proved to be the difference maker, as Victor Vodnik closed out his second game in a row.
Game 4 (ARI 5 - COL 6): The DBacks led 4-1 after the 6th inning, off homers from Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Their bullpen blew it again, as the Rockies came back again to score 4 and take the lead in the bottom of the 7th. They added one more in the 8th, and avoided a scare in the top of the 9th, securing 3 out of 4 at home.
Summary: Are the Rockies hot? After losing 8 in a row (3 of which against the Dbacks), they’ve now won 5 of 6 and back to back series against the Cardinals and Diamondbacks. If they keep this up, they may not end up being the worst team in MLB history, but it’ll still be close. As for the Diamondbacks, we knew this season was over the minute they declared a firesale at the trade deadline.
Angels @ Athletics - Athletics take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (LAA 3 - ATH 10): Shea Langeliers, Colby Thomas, and Nick Kurtz continued their homer barrage as they stomped the Angels in game 1. The Angels got a Zach Neto homer, so that’s cool.
Game 2 (LAA 2 - ATH 7): Colby Thomas again! His two run shot in the 1st gave the Athletics the lead and they never looked back. Brent Rooker homered. The Angels looked sad, aside from Neto and Schanuel, with the rest of the lineup going 2 for 24.
Game 3 (LAA 11 - ATH 6): This game was tied from the 6th inning, all the way to the 10th, where the Angels put up 6 runs to take the final game. Another Zach Neto homer. As for the Athletics, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers both homered again.
Summary: Two teams that are far out of it. The Athletics have a bright future if the whole Las Vegas thing works out. The Angels are probably going to meddle in mediocrity forever. I’ve got nothing more to say here.
Rays @ Giants - Rays take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (TBR 7 - SFG 6): Homers from Junior Caminero (Rays) and Willy Adames (Giants) kept things close, until the Giants pulled away 6-3 in the 3rd. It was all Rays after that, as they tied it up in the 4th, and then waited until the top of the 9th to take the lead on a Yandy Diaz single.
Game 2 (TBR 2 - SFG 1): Justin Verlander has cracked the top 10 in strikeouts with 3,511 after a strong 7 inning performance, shutting out the Rays with 8 K’s and only 2 hits surrendered. The Giants’ bullpen lost them the game, alongside their offensive woes, giving up two runs in the top of the 8th, and not being able to score past the 6th themselves.
Game 3 (TBR 1 - SFG 7): The Giants won a game. After losing 7 in a row, the offense decided to show up, but by the unlikely performances of Tyler Fitzgerald and Drew Gilbert who contributed to the Giants’ 7 run outburst.
Summary: The Rays are 3 games under .500, the Giants 4 games under .500. Neither team looks poised to get to the postseason, despite strong starts for both. The Giants have the Padres next, and the Rays have the Yankees. They can both play spoiler for their division rivals.
Padres @ Dodgers - Dodgers sweep 3
Game 1 (SDP 2 - LAD 3): Ramon Laureano continues to be a God-send in LF for the Padres as he homers again, continuing his .900 OPS season. But the Dodgers got the lead in the 3rd and never let it up, adding to it with a Teoscar Hernandez solo shot in the 7th, and shutting the door on the Padres offense. Don’t look now, but Clayton Kershaw seems to be molding back into form, throwing 6 innings of two-hit ball.
Game 2 (SDP 0 - LAD 6): Padres fans look away. This was a hard game for them to swallow. Dylan Cease lost this game for them on the first batter. He walked Shohei. Then he walked Mookie. Then Will Smith. Teoscar sac fly. Then he walked Andy Pages. Michael Conforto two run single…and that was basically it. Cease’s final line: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 6 BB(!), 2 K. Former Padre Blake Snell shut them out, and the bullpen did the rest. Yikes.
Game 3 (SDP 4 - LAD 5): This game looked over after the 1st. The Dodgers jumped on Yu Darvish, scoring 4 runs off homers from Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages. But the Padres came all the way back. Ramon Laureano homered again. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ryan O’Hearn both had RBI doubles, and the game was knotted back up at 4 in the top of the 8th. Then Mookie Betts came out and took Robert Suarez deep as the first batter in the bottom of the 8th, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 lead. Alex Vesia then got Tatis Jr and Arraez to pop out, and struck out Manny Machado to complete the sweep.
Summary: The Padres had all the momentum going into this series. They were up a game in the division on the Dodgers and lost it all, now sitting 2 games back and in the second wild card spot. The Dodgers clinched the season series against the Padres, so they’ll have the tiebreaker should next weekend’s rematch turn out the opposite way this weekend’s did. The Dodgers showed anyone who forgot who the most complete team in the league is.
Mariners @ Mets - Mets take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (SEA 11 - NYM 9): A huge day at the dish for both teams came in the form of homers by: Francisco Lindor (NYM), Mitch Garver (SEA), Cal Raleigh (SEA), Lindor again, Juan Soto (NYM), and Francisco Alvarez (NYM). Luis Castillo got lit up, so did Sean Manaea and Ryan Helsley (again). Frankie Montas made an appearance out of the bullpen.
Game 2 (SEA 1 - NYM 3): Welcome to the show, Nolan McLean! He showed strong in his MLB debut for the Mets, pitching 5.1 and striking out 8 (he did walk 4). Bryan Woo pitched another strong 6 innings for the Mariners, only surrendering one run, but still taking the loss. Eugenio Suarez homered, but the Mets utilized Edwin Diaz for a two-inning save.
Game 3 (SEA 3 - NYM 7): The Little League Classic got off to a rainy start, but it was all Mets. They jumped on George Kirby early with a 3-run lead after two innings. Mark Vientos added on, taking Kirby deep for a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 5th and Francisco Lindor plated one more on a double, ending Kirby’s night with 7 ERs. Cal Raleigh did his best to give the kids some heroics with a two-run homer in the 7th, but that was all the offense the Mariners could muster, as the Mets took the game, and the series.
Summary: The Mets were 2-11 in August going into Saturday and in danger of losing position in the last wild card spot. But they pulled off two big wins against a reinforced Mariners team that some are picking to get to the World Series. The Mets can use this to stable the ship as they head to Washington next. The Mariners saw their rotation get a little banged around, and their offense is not producing what it looks like it should on paper. They head to Philadelphia for another tough east coast series.