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Pirates Morning Report: Yamamoto Shows It Can Be Done

Final Score: Dodgers 5 Blue Jays 1

Why The Dodgers Won: Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched his 2nd straight complete game. He gave up just 1 run on 4 hits. One of the hits was a pop-up that should have been caught. He struck out 8, walked none, and hit a batter. He got stronger as the game went on. In the 8th inning, he struck out the side on 14 pitches. He retired the last 20 batters in a row. He threw 103 pitches. Blake Snell threw 100 pitches in a little over 5 innings. Kevin Gausman almost matched Yamamoto pitch for pitch. At one point in the game, he retired 17 batters in a row. It was the top of the 7th that did him in. He gave up two solo home runs to Will Smith and Max Muncy that gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead that they never relinquished. They added 2 more runs in the 8th and won easily 5-1. The good news for the Blue Jays is that Yamamoto cannot pitch every game.

The Key Moments Of The Game: The tone of this game was set in the very 1st inning. The Dodgers scored a run on simple 2-out lightning. A double by Freddie Freeman and a single by Will Smith. In the bottom of the 1st, George Springer opened the inning with a double down the left field line that was scorched 106 MPH. On the very next pitch, Nathan Lukes fisted a little blooper into left field for a single, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. coming to the plate. The game could not have gotten off to a better start for the Blue Jays, especially coming off that offensive performance in game 1. In an at-bat that may be looked at as the turning point of the series, Yamamoto struck him out on 7 pitches. He threw 4 splitters in a row and finished him off with an 81 MPH curveball. Then the Dodgers got a little luck. Alejandro Kirk on a 2-1 pitch hit a soft liner but right at Freddie Freeman for the 2nd out. Yamamoto struck out Daulton Varsho, and the inning was over. The Blue Jays could not take advantage of a pop-up that was not caught in the infield in the 2nd inning. They put runners on 1st and 3rd with one out in the 3rd. They were able to tie the game but could not put up a crooked number. From that point on, Yamamoto mowed them down, not allowing a base runner the rest of the way.

Next Game: Tomorrow night in Los Angeles. The series switches to L.A. on Monday. This series has shaped up as expected, strength against strength. The Dodgers’ starting rotation against the Blue Jays’ foul ball, making contact offense. The Blue Jays won round one, knocking out Blake Snell in the 6th inning. The Dodgers won round two with Yamamoto pitching a complete game gem. The Blue Jays will need to win one in L.A. to get back to Toronto. The good news for the Blue Jays is that both Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani, while great starting pitchers, are not length guys. It will be surprising if either one goes over 6 innings. These next two games will really put that shaky Dodger bullpen to the test. The other big question is, does Max Scherzer have one more game left in the tank? Will Shane Bieber be effective is another big factor? The first two games were solid wins for both teams. There was not a lot of late excitement in either game. To me, this series is going to boil down to who is going to win that close, hard-fought one-run game. They are back at it tomorrow.

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Pirates Morning Report: The Blue Jays Way Prevails

Final Score: Blue Jays 11 Dodgers 4

Why The Blue Jays Won: After 3 and 1/2 innings, the Blue Jays trailed the Dodgers 2-0, but you still had to feel really good about the Blue Jays’ chances. They were playing Blue Jays offense They had made Blake Snell throw 56 pitches and struck out only 3 times in the first 3 innings. Over the next 2-plus innings, things would only get worse for Snell and the Dodgers. Snell would have to throw 44 more pitches and gave up a 2-run homer to Daulton Varsho. The bottom of the 6th was a complete disaster. The Blue Jays started the inning by getting the first 6 men on base. The first 3 against Blake Snell and the next 3 against reliever Emmet Sheehan. They took the lead 5-2. The Dodgers were able to get the first out with a force out at home. The bases were loaded with one out when Addison Barger was announced as the pinch hitter. The Dodgers countered with left-hander Anthony Banda. On the 4th pitch of the at-bat, Barger took an up-and-in slider and parked it in the stands for the first pinch-hit grand slam home run in World Series history. This game was history too. Both teams added 2 more runs for the final score of 11-4. The Blue Jays only struck out 4 times in the game. They hit 3 home runs. The Blue Jays played their game to perfection and blew the Dodgers away.

The Key Moments Of The Game: In the bottom of the first, Snell had just gotten out of a bases-loaded situation with no runs scoring. Blue Jay starter Trey Yesavage did not have his best stuff. He walked Will Smith to start the inning. After a force out, he gave up back-to-back singles, and the Dodgers took the lead 1-0. An infield single loaded the bases. Andy Pages worked the count to 3 and 2. He struck out on a slider that was down around the ankles. Shohei Ohtani grounded out to first base to end the inning. A potential big inning ended with just one run scoring. In the next inning, the Dodgers started out with 2 walks and a single to plate their 2nd run. Freddie Freeman was thrown out trying to go to third. Bo Bichette made a great play up the middle, on the left field side of 2nd base, and threw out the batter. That was the defensive gem of the game. It was Bichette’s first game in the Majors at 2nd base. So much for being a defensive liability. Max Muncy struck out to end the inning. Again, the Dodgers could score only 1 run. Yesavage retired the side in order in his last inning, the 4th, but what a line. He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. It could have been so much worse. Then the Blue Jays did their thing in the bottom of the 6th, scoring 9 runs and essentially ending the Dodgers’ chances in game 1.

Next Game: Tonight, in Toronto. The Blue Jays put on a hitting clinic last night. It is something that Pirate fans can only dream about. Their two-strike approach was phenomenal. Game 2 will see if they can continue their kind of baseball. It looks like the layoff did affect the Dodgers somewhat. Blowout losses are not all bad. It is still just one loss. The Dodgers did not have to use any of their A-squad bullpen. There is no question that the Blue Jays have to be feeling really good right now. In the strength-against-strength showdown, the Blue Jays won the battle easily. The Dodgers should be worried.

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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.