Weekend Series Recap: 8/21-8/24
Another wild weekend in the books. We had some déjà vu with the Dodgers and the Padres playing again, as well as the Astros and the Orioles, with different results from last weekend. The Guardians and the Rangers got together in hopes of making a run at the final wild card spot, and the Royals went into Detroit to prove they can hang with one of the best teams in baseball. Oh yeah, and the Red Sox travelled to the Bronx for 4 games against the rival Yankees in hopes of leapfrogging them in the wild card standings. We’ll start there:
Red Sox @ Yankees - Red Sox take 3 out of 4
Game 1 (BOS 6 - NYY 3): Wow what a ride. At the start of nearly every inning it looked like each offense was going to put up a crooked number. But the tale of the game was lack of execution on both sides. Neither team could hit with RISP, and each team gifted the other with runs off poor defensive play (the Red Sox had 1 error, and the Yankees had 4!). But the big bang came at the end when Red Sox phenom Roman Anthony put the first pitch he saw into the right field seats and whipped his bat down in a clip that’s set to haunt the Yankees for years. Also Ben Rice is clobbering baseballs.
Game 2 (BOS 1 - NYY 0): A good old fashioned pitchers’ duel. Max Fried and Brayan Bello both pitched gems, with the only run being a Connor Wong double in the top of the 7th off Mark Leiter Jr. The Red Sox bullpen shut it down, with Garrett Whitlock locking down the 8th and Aroldis Chapman closing out his former team in the 9th with ease.
Game 3 (BOS 12 - NYY 1): 3 in a row now for Boston. This game was over early, as Garrett Crochet used this moment to prove why he was worthy of a big trade package + extension this offseason. He’s Boston’s ace and he showed it with 7 innings of 5-hit ball, striking out 11 and only giving up one run (a solo shot to Giancarlo Stanton). The Boston offense went wild in the top of the 9th, as they extended their 5-1 lead to 12-1, capitalizing on more Yankees’ miscues. Trevor Story had a big day, as did most of the Sox’s offense.
Game 4 (BOS 2 - NYY 7): The Yankees avoided total embarrassment by salvaging the last game at home. This game was never in question. They put 5 runs on Dustin May off two Trent Grisham homers and the first of two Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers. The Red Sox got two runs back in the top of the 6th with a Nathaniel Lowe pinch hit single, but that was it. Walker Buehler made his first appearance out of the bullpen, going 2.1 and giving up the second 2-run Jazz home run. The Yankees now sit 0.5 game back from the Red Sox in the wild card.
Astros @ Orioles - Astros take 3 out of 4
Game 1 (HOU 7 - BAL 2): After nearly throwing a perfect game against the Astros last week, Brandon Young was on the receiving end of the opposite result, as the ‘Stros did their homework. They stuck him with a 9 hit, 7 ER final line over 5.1 IP (and then he went on the IL). Dylan Beavers drove in both runs for the O’s, with one of them coming on his first career homer. Jesus Sanchez finally had a good game as an Astro, going 5 for 5, alongside homers by Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker.
Game 2 (HOU 10 - BAL 7): The Astros jumped out to a 4-run lead in the top of the 3rd off a 3-run homer from Jeremy Peña. The O’s tried to fight back but could never regain the lead. At one point it was 7-6, but the next inning the Astros put up 3 more to keep the distance. Congrats to Samuel Basallo on the $67 million contract extension. He celebrated going 0-2 with 2 K’s after pinch-hitting in the bottom of the 7th.
Game 3 (HOU 9 - BAL 8): This game went back and forth. Houston led 5-0 in the first off homers from Correa, Sanchez, and Caratini. But the Orioles fought back, getting their 5 on the board over the next two innings. Houston got 2 more, then Baltimore got those 2 back. Finally, Christian Walker’s homer (3rd straight game) gave the Astros the 9-7 lead that proved to be enough, as the Orioles could only get one back in the bottom of the 8th, with Bryan Abreu getting the save.
Game 4 (HOU 2 - BAL 3): Baltimore needed its ace to take the final game of the 4 game set. Trevor Rogers went 7 innings, striking out 9 and only giving up 1 run. Gunnar Henderson went yard, along with Luis Vazquez, and the Orioles held the lead from the bottom of the 6th on. Craig Kimbrel made his Astros debut, so that’s cool.
Cardinals @ Rays - Rays take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (STL 7 - TBR 4): Tough night for Joe Boyle. He had a nightmare top of the 2nd when the Cards put 5 on him after a couple walks and wild pitches, on top of a Lars Nootbaar double and an Alec Burleson single. Yandy Diaz homered, but that was about it for the Rays as the Cardinals never gave up the lead. Willson Contreras hit a moonshot.
Game 2 (STL 6 - TBR 10): Welcome to the bigs Carson Williams! The Rays’ #1 SS prospect and the other piece to the Rays’ future left side of the infield (we’ve forgotten about W***** F***** already) made a splash in his 1st MLB appearance, going 2-4 with 3 RBIs and his first big league homer. The Cardinals’ Nathan Church also hit his 1st big league bomb, but that wasn’t enough as the Rays put up runs on every pitcher the Cards trotted out there (Mikolas 5 runs, Veneziano 2 runs, Fernandez 2 runs, Alcala 1 run). Willson Contreras hit another moonshot.
Game 3 (STL 2 - TBR 7): Christopher Morel went 3-4 with a homer. Junior Caminero hit a grand slam. Chandler Simpson had a two-RBI triple. This one was all Rays as the Cardinals only offense came in the top of the 7th and the 9th, when they got two RBI singles from Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. Ryan Pepiot had a nice start for the Rays (5 IP, 1 hit, 3 Ks). Liberatore, Swanson, and Granillo got banged around on the mound for the Cards.
Nationals @ Phillies - Phillies take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (WAS 5 - PHI 4): What is it about the Nats that the Phillies struggle with? The Nationals put up 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning off of a Riley Adams 3-run homer. The Phillies battled back with homers from Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto and led 4-3 with Jhoan Duran coming in to close it out in the top of the 9th. Well, he blew his first save as a Phillie, giving up a double to Dylan Crews, then an RBI single to tie it from Daylen Lile. Then Lile stole third, and Realmuto threw it into the outfield, causing Lile to score the go-ahead run.
Game 2 (WAS 4 - PHI 6): The Phillies evened the series. They went up 5-0 in the 4th with a big inning, headlined by an Edmundo Sosa 3-run homer. Trea Turner homered, Harrison Bader had a 3-hit day, and Aaron Nola went 6 innings. The Nats got some runs back off homers from CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. (who went 3-4 on the day with a double and a HR). Mitchell Parker continues to eat innings for Washington, holding firm with his 6.01 ERA this year over 134.2 IP (yikes).
Game 3 (WAS 2 - PHI 3): Ranger Suarez had an incredible outing. His final line: 7 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 11 K’s. Rafael Marchan had all three RBIs for the Phils with a two run double and a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 3rd. The Nationals tried to make it interesting, scoring a run off James Wood’s GIDP amongst the 8th inning madness, courtesy of Jose Alvarado. Luis Garcia Jr. homered again.
Rockies @ Pirates - Pirates sweep 3
Game 1 (COL 0 - PIT 9): This one was all Pirates, as they got 5 runs off of three doubles throughout the first two innings (McCutchen x2 and Spencer Horwitz). Then three homers later from Horwitz, Tommy Pham, and Alexander Canario. But the real story was the Pirates’ pitching. Braxton Aschraft continued his impressive season, throwing 5 innings of 1 hit ball. Then Bubba Chandler made his long-awaited debut, throwing his own 4 shutout innings, striking out 3 and only giving up two hits. Hard to complain about 9 runs of run support (somebody check in on Paul Skenes).
Game 2 (COL 1 - PIT 5): The Rockies need to win 5 more games to avoid being the worst team in MLB history. But they aren’t showing much fight here in Pittsburgh (they’re also down 0-4 in the 7th as I’m writing this on Sunday). Brenton Doyle has been hot over his last 30ish games, and that’s something the Rocks can feel good about as this year has not been kind to him. But the Pirates continue to sneak out wins at home, with Andrew McCutchen and Jared Triolo homering, and the pitching sequence of Burrows, Mlodzinski, Nicolas, Holderman, and Ramirez locking down Colorado.
Game 3 (COL 0 - PIT 4): The Rockies are bad. The Pirates are surprisingly good at home. Paul Skenes is a generational pitcher. Both teams will not be playing in October. Jared Triolo hit a 3-run home run and Isiah Kiner-Falefa had an RBI double. Skenes’ final line: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K. That’s all I need to say about this game. The Pirates sweep the worst team in baseball at home.
Royals @ Tigers - Tigers take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (KCR 5 - DET 7): The Royals started out looking like a playoff team, going up 3-0 on the Tigers after 3. The Tigers answered back with homers from Zach McKinstry and Riley Greene, tying the game in the 6th. The bottom of the 7th proved to be the difference-maker as recently converted bullpen arm trade acquisition Bailey Falter got tagged for 4 runs off 5 hits and a walk. Vinnie Pasquantino homered again in the top of the 9th, but could only bring the Royals within 2, as they fell short.
Game 2 (KCR 2 - DET 4): As long as Chris Paddack isn’t facing his former team, he’s alright. He went 5 innings, only giving up a run. The Tigers won their 5th in a row, and their 9th out of their last 10. Bobby Witt Jr. went 3-4 with a home run for the Royals, and Andy Ibanez had a nice pinch-hit home run to add to the Tigers’ “we’ll pinch hit anyone for anybody at any time and still create runs” strategic advantage.
Game 3 (KCR 10 - DET 8): The Royals put an end to the Tigers’ 5 game win streak in a wild, back and forth game on Sunday afternoon. The Royals put up 6 runs on Jack Flaherty in the 3rd, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. The Tigers came all the way back with RBI doubles from Jahmai Jones and Dillon Dingler, and a homer from Wenceel Perez, to lead 7-6 after 5 innings. The Royals tied it up in the top of the 6th with a Kyle Isbel single. He eventually came around to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. They extended their lead to 10-7 off Maikel Garcia’s homer. It looked like the Tigers might mount another comeback when Spencer Torkelson hit a solo homer, but that proved to be all the Tigers could muster, as they were held there for the rest of the game.
Blue Jays @ Marlins - Blue Jays take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (TOR 5 - MIA 2): Welcome back, Shane Bieber. In his first start back from Tommy John surgery (and his first start as a Blue Jay), he threw 6 innings of 1 run ball, fanning 9 and walking zero. Big days from Daulton Varsho and Ty France at the plate gave the Blue Jays the run support Bieber needed. The Marlins got their runs off two solo shots from their 22-year-old Venezuelan infielders, Javier Sanoja and Max Acosta.
Game 2 (TOR 7 - MIA 6): It was all good for the Blue Jays through the top of the 7th, as they led 4-0 off a much-needed strong start from Jose Berrios. The Marlins fought back in the bottom of the inning, tagging Berrios and Louie Varland for 3 runs at the hands of Troy Johnston, Javier Sanoja, and Otto Lopez. Sanoja made another appearance in the box score in the bottom of the 9th again, after he brought in the game-tying run off Jeff Hoffman. The game needed 12 innings to decide it, with both teams trading runs in the 10th and the 11th. But finally, Bo Bichette came through with the go-ahead RBI single, and Brendon Little closed it out, securing the series victory for Toronto.
Game 3 (TOR 3 - MIA 5): The Marlins had a 4-0 lead after 5 innings, courtesy of an Eric Wagaman solo home run and a Jakob Marsee 3-RBI triple. Daulton Varsho brought the Jays back in the top of the 7th with a three-run shot, but the Marlins got a run back in the bottom half via an Agustin Ramirez RBI single and held the lead from there. Eury Perez had a solid start, although the box score will show 2 ERs from the Varsho homer.
Mets @ Braves - Mets take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (NYM 12 - ATL 7): What an offensive barrage from the Mets. Lindor, Soto, Baty, Taylor, Mullins, and Senger went a combined 18-29 at the plate with 10 RBIs. Nolan McLean had another fantastic start, going 7 innings and only giving up two runs and striking out 7. Atlanta’s pitching had a night to forget, with both Joey Wentz and Erick Fedde giving up 6 runs apiece.
Game 2 (NYM 9 - ATL 2): All Mets again. 6 home runs off the Braves’ staff, courtesy of Jeff McNeil (twice), Mark Vientos (twice), Pete Alonso, and Starling Marte. Clay Holmes got the W and Cal Quantrill got the L in his first start in Atlanta, and Aaron Bummer is likely done for the season. Michael Harris II has gone quiet again, as he’s 0-8 with 3Ks so far in the series.
Game 3 (NYM 3 - ATL 4): The Mets held a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the 6th, coming from a Mark Vientos homer. The Braves tied it up after getting David Peterson into a jam and took the lead in the bottom of the 8th on a two-run Jurickson Profar single. The Mets got one back off Raisel Iglesias with a Juan Soto single, but couldn’t get the job done as both Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil popped out with two runners on base.
Twins @ White Sox - White Sox take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (MIN 9 - CWS 7): Another 2 RBI night for Lenyn Sosa who has put together a nice offensive season recently. But the real offense came from Royce Lewis’ 6th career grand slam, putting the Twins up 4-1. The two teams kept trading innings, going from 4-1 to 4-4, then 8-4, then 8-7, and finally the Twins got another run to finish the game at 9-7. Colson Montgomery homered.
Game 2 (MIN 3 - CWS 7): Mick Abel made his Twins’ debut after being acquired from Philly in the Jhoan Duran deal. He had a rough go of it, only going 3 innings and getting shelled for 6 runs in the bottom of the 2nd, with 4 of them coming off a Colson Montgomery grand slam. Royce Lewis homered again for the Twins, as did the Minnesota Moose Matt Wallner.
Game 3 (MIN 0 - CWS 8): The White Sox gave another young, trade-deadline acquisition Twins’ pitcher a rough go of it with his new team. Taj Bradley’s line: 5 IP, 9 hits, 7 ERs, 1 BB, 1 K. Colson Montgomery homered again, making it all three games in the series with a homer. The White Sox used 4 pitchers to shut out the MN offense, going from Yoendrys Gomez, to Brandon Eisert, to Mike Vasil, and closing it out with Wikelman Gonzalez.
Guardians @ Rangers - Rangers sweep 3
Game 1 (CLE 3 - TEX 4): Another tough L for Cleveland. After taking the lead 3-2 in the top of the 8th, they got walked off by a Joc Pederson double after Corey Seager singled to tie the game. Cade Smith hasn’t been nearly as lights out this year as he was last year. Nate Eovaldi pitched another gem for the Rangers: 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 ER, 0 BBs, 9 Ks.
Game 2 (CLE 0 - TEX 10): Things are getting bleak in Cleveland. Logan Allen gave up 9 ERs in 5 innings as they hung him out to dry against the normally docile Texas offense, which was propelled by homers from Cody Freeman, Josh Jung, and Adolis Garcia. Jack Leiter Jr. had a phenomenal outing, throwing 7 innings of two-hit, shutout ball, adding on 10 Ks and no walks. Are the Rangers going to do this thing where they give their fans hope again?
Game 3 (CLE 0 - TEX 5): Sad Cleveland. Merrill Kelly shoved for the Rangers and the Rangers tagged Gavin Williams for 4 runs in the bottom of the 4th. The Rangers got homers from both Rowdy Tellez and Joc Pederson as they climbed back up to .500, giving Rangers’ fans hope that surely won’t be snuffed out, right?
Giants @ Brewers - Giants take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (SFG 4 - MIL 5): Willy Adames came back to Milwaukee for the first time since signing with the Giants in the offseason, and treated fans to a two-homer night. The Brewers’ bullpen gave up a couple runs, the most notable being the game-tying run in the 9th off Trevor Megill’s wild pitch. But William Contreras came through in the bottom of the 9th, hitting his first career walk-off home run and giving the Brewers the win at home.
Game 2 (SFG 7 - MIL 1): The Brewers took their 1-0 lead into the top of the 6th, when Grant Anderson came in to relieve Freddy Peralta after he threw 5 innings of shutout baseball (4 BBs, though). Two Brewers errors and three hits gave the Giants 3 unearned runs and the lead. They added on in the 7th with a Casey Schmitt 3-run shot and a Patrick Bailey single, giving the Giants a 7-1 win. Pat Murphy gave some insight into his managerial strategy after the game, indicating they needed to eat some innings and consider the big picture as the Brewers sit firmly in the driver’s seat for a playoff position.
Game 3 (SFG 4 - MIL 3): The Brewers blew this one on Uecker night. Luis Matos gave the Giants an early 2-0 lead, but by the end of the 5th it was 3-2 Brewers due to a couple of RBI singles from Christian Yelich and Brandon Lockridge, and a solo home run by Caleb Durbin. Trevor Megill blew his second save of the series, giving up a double, then a single, then a walk, then a 2 RBI single to Heliot Ramos to hand the Giants the lead 4-3. The Brewers couldn’t answer in the bottom of the 9th. RIP Bob Uecker.
Cubs @ Angels - Cubs sweep 3
Game 1 (CHC 3 - LAA 2): Javier Assad gave the Cubbies a solid start, only surrendering one run in his six innings (one of Yoan Moncada’s 2 homers). Kyle Tucker finally homered, for what feels like the first time in 2 months, and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s solo homer gave the Cubs the lead in the top of the 9th off Kenley Jansen. Daniel Palencia got the save.
Game 2 (CHC 12 - LAA 1): Kyle Tucker has risen. 3 for 5 with two home runs, a double, and 5 RBIs in the Cubs’ rout of the Angels in LA. Reese McGuire hit his first career grand slam and the Angels’ only run was a Jo Adell solo shot in the bottom of the 7th. Cade Horton continued his strong rookie campaign with a 6 inning shutout performance. And Ben Brown went 3 innings, earning his first career save (in a 12-1 womping).
Game 3 (CHC 4 - LAA 3): Kyle Hendricks had a tough start against his former squad. His line: 4.1 IP, 5 hits, 4 ERs, 3 walks, 2 Ks. The Cubs didn’t have to rely on the longball this time, but got RBIs from Kyle Tucker, Nico Hoerner, PCA, and Carson Kelly. Taylor Ward drove in two runs for the Angels with a homer and a double. Jameson Taillon put a nice start together with 5 solid innings of work.
Reds @ Diamondbacks - Diamondbacks take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (CIN 5 - ARI 6): The Dbacks walked it off in the bottom of the 11th with an RBI single from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (the Dbacks were on the field before Carroll even crossed home plate). The Reds used 8 pitchers to the Diamondbacks’ 7. The Reds were close to pulling it off in the 11th, but Elly De La Cruz lined out to 3rd, doubling off TJ Friedl and stifling their efforts.
Game 2 (CIN 1 - ARI 10): It was a tough outing for Andrew Abbott. He’s had a solid year, but only went 4 innings after giving up 7 runs, 6 of them earned. This one was all Dbacks, as they got home runs from Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Geraldo Perdomo, and Blaze Alexander. They tallied 14 hits, half of them for extra bases as they secured the series win, looking for a sweep on Sunday.
Game 3 (CIN 6 - ARI 1): Brady Singer and Zac Gallen each put together a solid 6 innings of work. They held each other’s offenses to 1 run apiece. The Reds broke it open in the top of the 8th off Kyle Backhus and Juan Burgos. They got 5 runs off two separate RBI singles from Austin Hays and TJ Friedl, and a three-run home run from Spencer Steer. That proved to be enough for the Reds to salvage the series finale and gain a game back on the Mets for the final wild card spot.
Dodgers @ Padres - Padres take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (LAD 1 - SDP 2): Blake Snell went 7, Yu Darvish went 6. The Dodgers’ only run came from Alex Freeland’s first career home run. The Padres tagged Snell for two in the bottom of the 4th, proving to be all they needed. The Padres lined up their bullpen perfectly, going Jason Adam, Mason Miller, and Robert Suarez for the 7th, 8th, and 9th and getting back to being tied with their LA rivals for the division lead.
Game 2 (LAD 1 - SDP 5): Nasty Nestor gave the Dodgers fits (Yankees’ fans too after how bad he got shelled in last year’s World Series by the same team) as he went 6 innings, only giving up one hit. Another Padres trade deadline acquisition contributed to the box score, with Ramon Laureano driving in 2 with a single in the 4th. Alex Freeland was the only source of Dodgers offense, providing a pinch-hit home run. The Padres’ bullpen closed the door again, with Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, and Adrian Morejon shutting down LA and giving the Padres a 1-game lead in the division heading into Sunday.
Game 3 (LAD 8 - SDP 2): It looked like the Padres were going to sweep the series. They took a 2-1 lead into the top of the 6th, when Freddie Freeman tied it up with a solo shot. Then it looked like the Padres mailed it in, as they rolled out their B squad bullpen, going to Estrada, Peralta, and Matsui, and the results matched. Dalton Rushing hit a 3-run home run, then Freeman hit a two-run home run for his second in as many innings, and Shohei Ohtani added a home run of his own in the top of the 9th to secure the victory at 8-2 and tie up the division lead with the Padres.
Athletics @ Mariners - Mariners take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (ATH 2 - SEA 3): 4 of the 5 runs in this game came off solo homers. The A’s got theirs from Brent Rooker in the top of the 1st, and the Mariners got three (Suarez, Naylor, and Polanco). Bryan Woo went 7 innings, with the only run given up being Rooker’s solo shot. The Mariners got a much-needed win, despite a 9th inning scare at the hands of Andres Muñoz. Welcome back, Jacob Wilson.
Game 2 (ATH 2 - SEA 1): Where is the Seattle offense? I’ve been harsh on them but come on, 3 hits against the A’s at home? Their only run came off a Randy Arozarena solo home run, when he hacked at a pitch at his eyeballs and it somehow got out. George Kirby had a nice bounce back start, but the A’s got their lead in the 10th with a Shea Langeliers double and shut the Mariners down to even the series up. Is it left-handed pitching? I guess we’ll see as the A’s trot out another lefty, Jacob Lopez, to see if they can take the series Sunday.
Game 3 (ATH 4 - SEA 11): There’s the Seattle offense! Cal Raleigh hit two more home runs driving in 4. Randy Arozarena went 2-4 with a double and scored three times. Julio Rodriguez and Victor Robles drove in two runs each, and Logan Gilbert mowed down the A’s in his 6 innings, only giving up one run (Jacob Wilson solo shot) and striking out 13(!). The Athletics got 3 runs back in garbage time off the Mariners’ bullpen, but the game was already over.
That will do it for the recap. If you’re still here, thank you for the read and give me a follow on X or Instagram for more content.