Well Braves, Astros, Dodgers; that was quick
It felt like yesterday that we started the Divisional Series with the Astros facing the A’s in Los Angeles (because 2020). We already have three of the four teams ready to play in the Championship Series. Both National League series were swept while the Astros-A’s in essence, felt like a sweep. There is only one game left in the Divisional Series and it will likely be an epic one (for the right to hopefully beat the Astros). Today, the theme was advancing or being eliminated (those teams that failed to advance).
Atlanta Braves-Miami Marlins
The fish get squished
The Marlins could not hit in this series. One can say that the Braves pitching was good (it was). But, the Marlins could not find any offense, especially in the last two games. Jesus Aguilar, Corey Dickerson, and Brian Anderson (the leaders in batting average for the team during the regular season) went a combined 9/35 with only one of those hits being an extra-base hit. Since the five-run Game One, the Marlins offense looked putrid.
The future is bright but only within limits. The farm system is built and they proved that they can compete in the future. One problem is the overachievement of this season (a lot went right this year). Then there is the fear that ownership will slash payroll again. This ownership traded away Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Osuna, and Christian Yelich in the same offseason. It would not shock me if they did it again despite the promising future at their disposal.
Great pitching! Travis d’Arnaud?
For the Braves fans, there has to be precautious optimism. This is the first time since 2001 that the Braves will be in the NLCS, but any Braves fan knows of the collapses that the Braves and the city of Atlanta are capable of achieving. this is a team that is built to win and specifically built for the indoor stadium that is Globe Life Park (expect a few home runs). Yet, the Braves will be massive underdogs in the NLCS as they face the superteam Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Braves pitching was superb in this series and has been throughout the postseason. In case you haven’t heard, the Braves have thrown four shutouts and the 1905 New York Giants threw four in the four World Series games (they won the series if you were wondering). The subplot to this series has been Travis d’Arnaud. He was more than clutch in the Divisional Series, knocking 2 home runs and plating 7 runs batted in. This has to have many wondering where this clutch gene was in the early half of Travis’s career, suddenly d’Arnaud looks like the Braves best hitter and the playoffs MVP.
Oakland A’s-Houston Astros
What happened to Oakland?
I don’t understand what happened to the A’s. This was a team that looked like the best team in baseball for most of the season. This was a team that appeared to have no roster issues entering the playoffs. Yet, the A’s looked outmatched in nearly every game in nearly every way. What was it this time for Oakland?
Many will pounce on the A’s reputation for choking in the playoffs and rightfully so. This is a team that until last week, wasn’t able to advance in the postseason since 2006. We must acknowledge that this team was missing Matt Chapman, who wasn’t able to paly in the postseason with an injury sidelining him. Chapman is one of the best defensive players in baseball as well as one of the teams best hitters (basically, the Jimmy Butler of baseball). The big element that we all noticed is the constant theme of Oakland being built to win in the regular season but not in the postseason. Every season we watch the A’s display depth and a complete roster to put them into the playoffs but they seem to always lack the ace and the clutch hitters to win it for them (maybe they should trade for Travis d’Arnaud).
Astros advanced, now what?
If you are a fan of baseball, you likely hate the Astros. The 2017 and 2018 seasons almost feel tainted forever with the Astros stealing signs which ultimately stole a World Series. The Astros keep winning and disappointing the public. It has become clear from the players in the organization that this year’s playoffs are a revenge tour, they embrace being hated as they want to prove the haters wrong. As a fan of the game, there has to be some storyline that we can gravitate towards in case the Astros find a way to keep winning.
Enter Dusty Baker. Dusty is one of the most liked and respected managers in the game. Dusty Baker is a legacy of failure when it comes to the postseason. The losses have been heart-breaking and have left Dusty looking on (with a toothpick in mouth) wondering if there was anything more he could have done. Dusty Baker can erase the legacy of failure this postseason if he leads a broken Astros team to a World Series.
Tampa Bay Rays-New York Yankees
The way many people likely watched this game was with a sense that if the Rays failed to close out the series tonight, they would be doomed in a winner-take-all game. Gerrit Cole would pitch a presumed Game Five and would likely dominate again. With the Yankees on the verge of elimination, we finally saw their stars step up. I mentioned in the last article, how Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres need to start hitting for the Yankees to have any chance in the series. Both Voit and Torres homered in the 5-1 victory. We now have a Game Five that will likely give us many pitchers, few hits, and the occasional small-ball hit that drives in the key run (should be exciting).
Los Angeles Dodgers-San Diego Padres
The Dodgers didn’t beat the Padres with the long ball for the first time this series. Instead, the Dodgers gave the San Diego Padres death by small-ball. It was a slow and painful way to be eliminated. Base hits, sac flies, and keeping the line moving is what made the final score 12-3. We were once again reminded that the Dodgers are the team to beat this postseason, the roster has no flaws and is loaded with MVP candidates.
San Diego = Sad Diego
The Padres gave their best effort in this series but were clearly outmatched. This is a team that is going to be hyped throughout the upcoming offseason as the team of the future. Base on the body language we saw in the late innings, this team looks utterly defeated. The future looks great with many young stars leading the way. The underlying question that nobody wants to answer is “was trading for Mike Clevinger worth it?”. The trade seemed like an all-in move to win this season. The problem is that the trade surrenders a haul of talent to Cleveland in exchange for a pitcher that didn’t contribute much this year and won’t be around for long. This trade looks really bad right now as this season suddenly blew up in their face. The Padres might be back but they will regret this move.
