Author: vet4golfing51

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Pirates Morning Report: World Series Preview

It will be the No. 1 seed Toronto Blue Jays going up against the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. All the expanded playoff worriers can breathe a sigh of relief. No low seeds are getting into this World Series. Again, it is a big boy series. Maybe not quite as big as last time when the top two payrolls made it. The Blue Jays are no slouches when it comes to spending with the 5th largest payroll. Even being 5th puts you almost 100 million dollars behind the Dodgers. The Dodgers made a huge financial commitment to win back-to-back World Series. They are at the doorstep of making this all come true. What these teams did during the regular season seems to be pretty meaningless right now. The Brewers beat the Dodgers in all 6 meetings during the regular season. They were not competitive in the Championship Series and were swept by the Dodgers. Position by position these teams are pretty evenly matched. The Dodgers have the edge at catcher, second base, third base, shortstop, and DH. The Blue Jays are better at first base, all three outfield positions, and pinch hitting. We all know who the Blue Jays are. They are a team that puts the ball in play, walks more than the average team, and yet still hit for power. With the Dodgers’ new starting well-rested rotation, they have 4 pitchers that have some of the highest strikeouts per nine innings for starting pitchers in the majors. If they had enough innings, they would all be in the top 10. This will be one of the keys to the series. Can the Blue Jays continue to make contact against this elite rotation? Then there is what I call the X factor. How will having 7 days off affect the Dodgers? We talk about hitters being affected by this when they don’t face live pitching for longer than normal. Remember the Dodger bats were not exactly on fire in the Brewer series. The pitching could be affected also. Pitchers are a process and routine oriented bunch. Starting pitchers go through a routine every 5 to 6 days. Now that routine will be stretched to 7 days and beyond for some. Only time will tell. If the Blue Jays win the first two games of the series, many people will be pointing to the long wait the Dodgers had to go through. If the starting rotation of the Dodgers gets rocked in the first two games, it will really be brought up. The Dodger rotation was so dominant in the NLCS. In my view, this long delay for the Dodgers will be a factor. The Blue Jays could win the first two games, but it does not guarantee them a series win. The defending champs will not go down easily. I will be rooting for the Blue Jays. I still think it will be a hard-fought, exciting series that will go the distance. At this point, I think it is a toss-up.

I will go back to my Pirates Morning Report format for each of the World Series games. I will give the final score, tell why the team won, and what the key moment of the game was. It will boil down to which team can overcome the other team’s strength. If the Blue Jays can keep their strikeouts to 6 or below, then I think they have a real shot. The Dodgers are riding high. If I am wrong about this delay and the Dodgers grab game 1, then it is going to be very difficult for the Blue Jays to keep the Dodgers from repeating. If that happens, then the Dodgers have spent their money well. It all starts tomorrow.

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Pirates Morning Report: Blue Jays Springer Into World Series

The 6th elimination game of this postseason did not disappoint. George Springer hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 7th to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead they never relinquished. In fact, the Mariners never got a runner on base in the 8th or 9th. The Mariners’ pitchers issued 3 walks, and 2 of those scored runs. In my mind, one of the big reasons the Mariners lost this series was the way manager Dan Wilson handled the pitching staff. He gave a quick hook to pitchers who seemed to be pitching effectively. In some cases, it did not cost the team, but other times it did. It also allowed the Blue Jays to see some pitchers over and over again. In this game, he took out George Kirby after 4 innings. He had only thrown 65 pitches and had given up 1 run on 4 hits. The last two innings he had given up just one hit. The Mariners decided to use Bryan Woo. He pitched in game 5 and did not look too bad considering he had not pitched since mid-September. In the bottom of the 5th, Woo walked the first batter but then got a strikeout and a double play ball to end the inning. In the bottom of the 6th, he gave up a single. He started the eventful bottom of the 7th. He gave up a walk, a single, and a sacrifice bunt, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Woo had struck out George Springer in the bottom of the 5th. Wilson decided to take out one of the best pitchers on the team. He brought in Eduard Bazardo. This would be his 6th inning of relief against the Blue Jays. He had gotten George Springer out the 2 times he faced him. The 3rd time would be the charm for Springer. On the 2nd pitch, he took a 96 MPH sinker and drilled it into the seats for the game-changing home run. It will be the Toronto Blue Jays hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers starting on Friday.

Anybody who does not think that the Dodgers are going to win this World Series has not been watching this postseason. It has been a dominant performance thus far. We will see if having a week off will derail them somewhat. It is the only thing that I think can be a factor here. They will be able to set up their rotation the way they want. With three days off, I would think the Blue Jays will be able to also. Even though I think the Dodgers will win back-to-back World Series, I will be rooting for the Blue Jays. For the Blue Jays to have any success at all, they will have to solve the Dodger starting rotation. You have to wonder if having all this time off could even have a detrimental effect on the pitching. The World Series should start on Wednesday, but MLB is just stupid. When you have a postseason this good, you do not want to give people other options to watch for very long. I do think the Dodgers will have their work cut out for them. I do think this much time off cannot help them. Whether it will affect them enough to allow the Blue Jays to win the first two games, only time will tell. If it does, all I can say is thank you, Major League Baseball.

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Proud

What are you most proud of in your life?

I am most proud of the fact that I made my parents feel proud of me. I learned the most about life from my Dad and my Mother kept me on the straight and narrow. I feel the same pride when I think about my daughter and her family. I am proud of the fact that I know what’s important in life and appreciate every day where everyone I care for is happy and healthy. I know we have a fragile existence and it could all end at any moment. You can only hope it all continues.

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Pirates Morning Report: Mariners Take Lead, Brewers Gone

The Brewers showed us two things. You cannot win playoff games scoring 1 run per game. Intentional walking Shohei Ohtani may not be a bad idea after all. Ohtani almost single handily beat the Brewers last night. He hit 3 home runs, pitched 6 innings striking out 10 Brewers while allowing just 2 hits. Not taking anything away from the Dodgers starters, the Brewers pretty much showed they can’t hit. They could not even really dent a pretty pathetic Dodger bullpen. The highest scoring team in baseball scored 4 runs in 4 games. The Mariners meanwhile broke the trend in this series by winning a game at home. Eugenio Suarez was the hero hitting 2 home runs including the winning grand slam in the bottom of the 8th for the 6-2 win. This game boiled down to missed opportunities for the Blue Jays. From the 3rd through the 6th inning the Blue Jays got the lead off batter on. Three of those times the lead off hit was a double. Once they had the bases loaded and nobody out and failed to score. In fact in 2 at bats they failed to hit the ball over 3 feet. In those 4 innings they were only able to score 2 runs. There was chances to score much more. The series heads back to Toronto tomorrow night. After losing the first two games at home I am sure the Blue Jays are thrilled that they are still alive and heading home to play baseball. The Brewers are heading home to ponder what might have been. The only hope for all of us who do not want to see the Dodgers repeat as World Series champions is that they won’t be playing ball for 6 days thanks to MLB stupidity. We will see if the ALCS will give us the 6th elimination game of this post season.

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Pirates Morning Report: Blue Jays Tie Series, Brewers On The Brink

The Toronto Blue Jays bats remained smoking hot to win game four 8-2. They scored 8 runs on 11 hits to go along with 4 walks. The Mariners walked in a run in the top of the third to make the score 3-1. In the bottom of the 6th the Blue Jays tried to help them out. After getting the first two out they walked the next two batters. Eugenio Suarez singled to right driving in a run. Josh Naylor committed the cardinal sin of getting thrown out at 3rd with 2 outs. This is even worse when you are behind 5-2 at the time. The Mariners never threatened to make a game of it after that. Speaking of even worse the Milwaukee Brewers offense continued its playoff slumber. They could not even hit the beleaguered Dodger bullpen. They scored only one run for the 3rd consecutive game to fall behind 3 games to none. Unless there is the Red Sox miracle it looks like the Dodgers are headed to the World Series for the 2nd year in a row. Damn! Both series resume tonight with Mariners-Blue Jays leading off. The Dodgers could clinch tonight. Let’s hope the Brewers have some fight left in them.

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Pirates Morning Report: Blue Jays Offense Explodes Again

The Blue Jays scored double-digit runs for the third time in the postseason to get back into the series, showcasing their formidable offensive prowess. My philosophy about a playoff series is that the even-numbered games are the most significant games. Someone has to be leading the series, and in this case, it is the Mariners, 2 games to 1. Does it matter how they got there? To quote “the kid” from Moneyball, “It does not.” The Blue Jays delivered a spectacular performance in this particular game, which featured a total of 8 home runs, 5 of which came from their bats. They scored an impressive 13 runs on 18 hits, complemented by 3 walks, a clear indicator of their offensive rhythm and ability to capitalize on pitching mistakes. After just 6 innings, it became apparent that this game was over, reflecting the bats’ intense energy. My advice to the playoff teams goes just one step further: don’t hit a home run anytime in the 1st inning. This year, it has proven to be a bad omen. Is this just a one-game thing for the Blue Jays, reminiscent of the Phillies in the divisional series, or can they sustain this momentum moving forward? Only time will tell as the playoff narrative unfolds. One thing is for sure: the pressure has ramped up significantly on the Mariners, who find themselves in a position where they need to respond effectively to maintain their series lead. They have responded well in the past under such circumstances and will need to do so one more time if they are to avoid a major shift in momentum. Meanwhile, the Dodgers and the Brewers play today, with the Brewers mirroring the Blue Jays’ plight in the same must-win situation as they look to stay alive in their own series. If the Brewers can pull off a victory, the Dodgers will face a similar challenge, with the pressure amping up just a little more against a determined opponent. As the drama unfolds, things could get particularly interesting in both of these series, reinforcing the unpredictable nature of playoff baseball. The playoffs continue to be great, filled with excitement and stories that captivate fans across the league.

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Pirates Morning Report: Starting Pitching Is Back

Going into the postseason, the big question mark for the Dodgers was their bullpen. It looked like it might be their Achilles’ heel. The Dodgers seem to have figured out the problem: just do not use the bullpen. Blake Snell went 8 innings, giving up just one hit in game one. Last night, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game. He gave up a leadoff home run and only 2 more hits the rest of the way. The last hit the Brewers got was in the bottom of the 4th. The last 17 batters were all retired, with the exception of one walk. In 17 innings, the starting pitching of the Dodgers has given up 1 run and 4 hits. It was the bottom half of the Dodger batting order that did most of the damage. They hit 2 home runs and drove in 4 of the 5 runs. The Dodgers now have a 2-0 lead in the series as they head back to L.A. For the first time in Championship Series history, the visiting team has won the first two games in both leagues. The sweep is in play in both series. Tonight, the Mariners host the Blue Jays. Tomorrow night, the Dodgers will host the Brewers. Both No. 1 seeds have to win the next game, or these series are essentially over. I don’t see a Red Sox miracle happening here. However, if either or both can pull out game 3, then the series will take on a whole different vibe. There is no question the Dodgers have been the most impressive team so far. They just seemed to be coasting during much of the regular season. Everyone expected them to run away with the division and win over 100 games. Instead, they barely won over 90 and had to play a wild card round. They had many pitchers on the shelf with injuries during the season. Oddly, this seems to have given them an advantage. Many members of the staff are well-rested and strong because of not pitching that much during the season. After such an exciting first two rounds of the playoffs, it is hard to believe that the Brewers and the Blue Jays could be swept. I have a feeling this will not happen, but it would not be shocking if it does. The Blue Jays will be the first to try to get back in the series. Here is my only advice to both teams that are down 2 games to none: Don’t lead off the game with a home run. After that, everything seems to go downhill from there. Lead off trying to bunt for a base hit. Let’s hope they do.

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Pirates Morning Report: Wild Double Play Highlights The Day.

The Mariners blew out the Blue Jays 10-3 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in ALCS. You could say that modern ball beat old-fashioned ball last night. The strike out a lot, home run a lot Mariners did exactly that. They struck out 14 times while hitting 3 home runs. The home runs accounted for 8 of the 10 runs the Mariners scored. It did not hurt that the Blue Jay pitchers gave up 6 walks and hit one batter. Four of the seven came home to score. The Blue Jays continue to make contact, striking out only 5 times, but it is not producing at the moment. The Mariners’ bullpen did the job again. In the last 6 innings, they gave up 1 hit, walked 4 while giving up 0 runs. In order to get back to Toronto, the Blue Jays will have to win 2 of 3 in Seattle. The Dodgers and Brewers opened the NLCS with a nail-biting thriller. The Dodgers prevailed 2-1. There was the strangest double play in major league history. As Yogi Berra would say, there was also déjà vu all over again. Teoscar Hernández’s baserunning blunders contributed mightily to the strange double play. While he was on 2nd base, he misread a line drive that dropped in for a single and did not score. Now, I am willing to give him a pass on that one because you do not want to get doubled off second. But what on earth was he doing on the next play that allowed the Brewers to pull off this bizarre double play? The bases were loaded with one out when Max Muncy lifted a deep fly ball to center field. The ball went off the glove of Sal Frelick, hitting the wall and back into his glove. This was not a catch. Thank God the left field umpire ruled this correctly or there would have been even more confusion. Hernández was properly tagging at 3rd. Then he started to go. He took about 3 steps and then for some reason went back to the bag. This cost him dearly as the relay throw beat him home since a force out was now in play. Will Smith on second was clueless as to what was going on. The Brewer catcher simply trotted to third base to complete the double play. Pretty simple when you read it just now. At the time, nobody could figure it out, even the announcers. Way to make everybody look bad, Teoscar. Blake Snell was dominant for 8 innings, giving up only 1 hit, striking out 10 with no walks. Freddie Freeman hit a homer in the 6th to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 9th, the Dodgers opened the inning with a walk and single. A sacrifice bunt put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. For the 2nd straight game, a team decided to walk Shohei Ohtani to load the bases to face none other than Mookie Betts. WHAT THE HELL! Ohtani was 0 for 2. Mookie Betts walked again to force in what turned out to be the deciding run of the game. DOUBLE WHAT THE HELL! Why on earth do you want to face Mookie Betts with the bases loaded? Walks continue to be a big factor in post season 2025. There were 22 walks in the 2 games last night. The Brewers rallied in the 9th, but it was not enough as Brice Turang struck out with the bases loaded to end the game. He struck out on a very high fastball.

I have no idea what will happen the rest of the way in the Dodgers-Brewers series, but if the Brewers lose in 7, this will be the game that got away. It will be game two tonight in Milwaukee, with the Brewers desperately needing to win. Speaking of being desperate, the Blue Jays will need to dig deep to get back into this series. The Mariners are just 2 home wins away from going to their first World Series. They will take it up again on Wednesday night. You just got to love playoff baseball.

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Pirates Morning Report: Mariners Really Shutdown Blue Jays

The Seattle Mariners won game one of the ALCS by shutting down the hottest offense in the playoffs in a big way. George Springer hit the first pitch he saw into the right field seats to lead off the bottom of the 1st. The Blue Jays got 1 hit to go with 3 walks the rest of the game. The game stayed 1-0 until the top of the 6th inning. Kevin Gausman was cruising along, throwing a 2-hit shutout through 5 innings. He got the first two outs in the top of the 6th. Cal Raleigh took a 2-2 splitter just above the knees and blasted it 420 feet to tie the game 1-1. Gausman walked the next batter on 5 pitches. He had thrown just 76 pitches and was removed from the game. Sorry, this is not an elimination game. This is also a 7-game series. The more you allow a team to see your bullpen, the more likely they are to start hitting them. You are now turning around Jorge Polanco to bat right-handed. His slash line right-handed is .305/.345/.543. Batting left-handed, it is .254/.321/.481. I don’t know why you would bring in the left-hander, let alone take out Gausman. Brendon Little wild-pitched the runner to second base. Polanco singled to left field to make the score 2-1. A big 2-out lightning inning for the Mariners. Polanco drove in the insurance run in the top of the 8th batting left-handed, so he is no slouch from that side. However, Gausman to me was showing no signs of fatigue. The Blue Jays’ bats were pretty much dead for this game, but you never know if the score remained tied at 1-1. The Blue Jays still have a good process going on, striking out only 4 times for the game. I still like the Blue Jays to win the series, but their offense has to come alive today. On the Mariners’ side of the ledger, even though they won, there are some areas of concern. Randy Arozarena continues to struggle at the plate. He is 4 for 27 in the playoffs. Eugenio Suárez is even worse, going 3 for 25. If these two don’t get going soon, it would seem the Mariners will not be able to win this series.

The Dodgers and the Brewers play game one tonight in Milwaukee. The Dodgers have yet to play an elimination game so far this postseason. I think it is essential for the Brewers to set the Dodgers back on their heels tonight. The Brewers know how to beat the Dodgers, as they won all 6 games they played during the regular season. I do not believe that really affects a team during the playoffs, but it would help if the Brewers kept the momentum going tonight. It should be just another 2 great games tonight in what has been a great postseason.