Tag: Baseball playoff

Final Score: Brewers 6 Dodgers 2

Why The Brewers Won: For the second consecutive game a Brewer batter had an epic at bat to start the Brewers toward a win. This time it was Jake Bauers who had an 11 pitch at bat against Blake Snell. On that 11th pitch he hit it out of the park with a runner on first to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead in the top of the 7th. Garrett Mitchell did not take near as long as he blasted the 2nd pitch in the seats to make it 4-2 and send Snell to the showers. The scary thing for the Dodgers is that they have scored 6 runs in the last 2 games. Four runs in game 2 and 2 runs last night. All of these runs were essentially gifted by the Brewers. Last night it was Abner Uribe walking the bases loaded which led to the Dodgers scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th. The Dodgers have only had 8 hits combined in the two games. The Brewers will be going for the sweep tonight.

Key Moments Of The Game: It was indeed the bottom of the 6th and the top of the 7th. In the bottom of the 6th Uribe walked three batters to load the bases with one out. Will Smith took the first pitch he saw and ripped it into the left center field gap to knock in two runs, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. This brought left hand pitcher DL Hall into the game. The Dodgers countered with pinch hitter Kike Hernandez. He never swung at the first four pitches taking 2 strikes. He swung at a slider almost in the dirt to strike out. Tommy Edman swung at the first three pitches that were out of the strike zone or borderline. He took a ball in the dirt. He was frozen on a 98 MPH sinker to be called out on strikes. The Dodgers missed a golden opportunity to score more runs. Hall went on to pitch another 1 and 2/3 inning of scoreless ball. Blake Snell had thrown only 81 pitches when he came out for the 7th inning. He had given up 1 run, a leadoff home run to Jackson Chourio, one other hit and one walk, while striking out 9 Brewers. It took him 7 pitches to walk Andrew Vaughn. Then came the back to back homers and Snell was gone with 101 pitches thrown. The Brewers were able to add on in the 8th and 9th which helped ease the pressure on the Brewer bullpen. The Dodgers really never threatened, and they find themselves down 3 games to none and in a monumental offensive slump.

Next Games: Both series continue today. The Guardians game has been moved up to 1PM to avoid some potential weather. The Brewers of course will be going for the sweep with a bullpen game. It will be up to Tyler Glasnow to keep the Brewers at bay if the Dodgers are to avoid being swept. The Dodgers have to find a way to score runs without the Brewers help. Stay tuned.

The Championship Series begins tonight with the Brewers facing off against the Dodgers, marking a key moment in the postseason that fans and players alike have eagerly awaited. Although I have not seen much of the playoffs up to this point, I did manage to catch the Guardians’ impressive 2-0 victory over the White Sox, which capped off a thrilling comeback after being down 2-0 in the series. The White Sox, a team known for their tendency to strike out frequently, truly took things to new heights last night by striking out an astonishing 21 times, shattering the postseason record for strikeouts in a game. There were 99 pitches thrown that ended either as a strike or a ball being put in play. Out of those, the White Sox only managed to take 20 called strikes. They swung at 23 pitches that were out of the zone. They swung at 56 pitches that were actually in the strike zone, yet still managed to miss consistently. They simply could not make contact with what the Guardians’ pitchers were delivering. The White Sox only put a total of 9 balls in play throughout the game, and of that total, only one – a fly out – was from a pitch that was swung at outside of the strike zone. The remaining 22 consisted of foul balls or swings and misses. In a particularly frustrating top of the 6th inning, they loaded the bases but failed to convert that opportunity into runs. There were 5 White Sox players who had 2 or more plate appearances yet did not manage to put a ball in play all night long, which underlines the dominance of the Guardians’ pitching staff. This performance ranks as one of the most dominant pitching efforts in the history of baseball, defying expectations that the Guardians’ pitching staff would be worn out after extensive use, especially given their substantial leads in games 3 and 4. Perhaps the notion that pitchers are fragile is a myth after all. The Guardians’ staff can now say they proved their endurance in such a critical moment.

We are finally back to best of 7 baseball with the Dodgers facing the Brewers tonight in Milwaukee, where the atmosphere is sure to be electric as fans rally behind the Brewers. The Rays and Guardians will open on Monday night with a matchup that has been highly anticipated, stirring excitement among baseball enthusiasts. I am hoping the Brewers and the Rays, two teams that have shown incredible resilience and talent throughout the season, make it to the World Series. I honestly feel that both series are toss ups, as each game could swing in any direction depending on the performance of key players. The Rays would seem to have a big advantage over the Guardians with a well-rested pitching staff, which could prove crucial in a seven-game series where fatigue can take its toll on pitchers. This is a 7 game series, where every decision counts, and maybe Cleveland will just figure to rest most of their pitchers for game 1 and just hope for the best, a gamble that could backfire or pay off handsomely. This would be almost like a game one forfeit, but the Guardians might consider it if they think they have a stronger chance in the later games. I am sure the Guardians would not admit this strategy openly, but it would not be a bad tactical move if they believe in their bullpen’s strength. I will be watching all of these games intensely since I am done traveling until Christmas. It should be a great week of baseball, filled with memorable moments, stunning plays, and perhaps a few surprises that keep us all on the edge of our seats.