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Last week! A good time for 10 questions …
What is left to play?
The Cardinals swept the Cubs to Wrigley in four games – the second time in MLB history that one team lost a four-game home streak with four straight losses – clarified what had been racing tight in the playoffs of the National League. Here is where we are:
• The Cardinals have three more games than the Brewers, who have swept the Pirates and are 10-2 since Christian Yelich's loss for the season (11-2 if you include the game that Yelich was injured).
• The Brewers and Nationals are now tied for both cards, although the Nationals played two games less (they have a five-game home streak against the Phillies, including a double that Tuesday, while the Brewers have one day off). On Monday). Both teams play four games against the Cubs and 4 1/2 against the Mets. The Brewers have won the series of the season against the Nationals. Therefore, if the clubs get the same record, the wild game will be played in Milwaukee on Tuesday, October 1st.
• If the Brewers are able to catch the Cardinals in the central NL race and end up tied, the deciding game will be played on Monday, September 30th in St. Louis (the Cardinals won the season 10 series) -9).
• The Astros and Yankees are both at 102 wins as they compete for the best overall performance and home advantage, but the Yankees have to finish with the best record since the Astros have the break. d & # 39; equality. The Astros finish with two in Seattle and four in Anaheim while the Yankees have two in Tampa Bay and three in Texas.
What about wild cards from the American League?
Athletics opened a two-game lead over Rays and Indians with a 15-5 record in September. They finish with two in Anaheim and four in Seattle. The Rays host the Red Sox on Monday, face the Yankees two games and finish with three games in Toronto. Cleveland has a six-game road trip against the White Sox and the Nationals.
The most likely scenario for tie-breaking is Rays and Indians tied for the second card. This decisive match would take place in St. Petersburg, as the Rays crushed the Indians in the season series 6-1, making them lose 41-18.
What's interesting right now is how the two teams' rotations line up, especially now that Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are back (but none have yet beaten more than three rounds). Departures for the week are as follows:
Tampa Bay: Snell (Monday), Brendan McKay (Tuesday), Charlie Morton (Wednesday), Glasnow (Friday), Ryan Yarbrough (Saturday), Snell (Sunday).
Cleveland: Aaron Civale (Tuesday), Mike Clevinger (Wednesday), Shane Bieber (Thursday), Zach Plesac (Friday), Adam Plutko (Saturday), Civale (Sunday)
Assuming that these rotations remain in place, it would induce Morton to get into the Rays in the deciding game of Monday or Wednesday, while the Indians would have Clevinger in a decisive game and Clevinger or Bieber in the generic game.
Just for laughs, what if the Cubs suddenly get hot and force a tie?
The Cubs finish with three in Pittsburgh against the Pirates and three in St. Louis. The Brewers are on the road against the Reds and the Rockies, and the Nationals have these five home players against the Phillies, then three against Cleveland. We could get a tie for three for two wild cards at 88-74 if that happens:
Cubs: 6-0
Brewers: 2-4
Nationals: 3-5
Possible, although unlikely. The probabilities for the playoffs of Cubs are reduced to 2.4%, according to FanGraphs. If we find ourselves in a tie to three, we move to the tiebreak of three teams for two places, which involves the designation of teams A, B and C. The Brewers have the first choice because they have won both series of the season. The nationals take the second. Club A hosts club B. The winner is a wild card. Club C would welcome the loser of the first match for the second wild card.
What's going on with the Yankees?
It's an endless story for the Yankees and now Domingo German is out for the post-season because of a survey on domestic violence. Giancarlo Stanton is back in training last week for his first action since June. He played four games, a Saturday center and a record of 4 for 10. But the biggest news is that Luis Severino came back and he looked very lively twice. He started four scoreless innings against the Angels and went on five scoreless innings against the Blue Jays on Sunday, scoring nine goals and throwing 80 shots.
James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka seem ready for the playoff round. The only fourth place remains a question mark. A possible exit in tandem with German is no longer considered. Happ struggled in August, but has a warm hand in September with four points in 23 1/3 innings this month. With Paxton in good form (it allowed a deserved race in September), Severino healthy and Happ in better shape, the Yankees could enter the month of October in the best place of their season. Gleyber Torres missed a few games after getting knee injury on Friday night and Edwin Encarnacion has been missing since Sept. 12, but both are expected to return this week. Receiver Gary Sanchez (groin) took part in the indoor hitter practice, and the Yankees hope he'll be ready for ALDS.
Other injuries to watch for?
Freddie Freeman will stay in Atlanta for a right-angle dagger while the Royals go to Kansas City for a two-game series. Freeman played the problem for a few weeks and averaged .288 in September, albeit twice.
1 related
• The Max Kepler Twins player has not started since September 14 due to an injury to the left shoulder.
• Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong missed the last three games in the series with the Grade 2 hamstring test.
• Justin Turner finally returned to the Dodgers' training on Saturday after a 13-day absence following an ankle injury. Teammate Max Muncy was injured in the thigh on Saturday and Sunday, but his coach Dave Roberts said he would have played it in a playoff game.
• National catcher, Kurt Suzuki, has not been able to catch since Sept. 7 due to an inflammation of the elbow.
• Rays second-baseman Brandon Lowe is back on Sunday, playing his first game since July 2.
• Jose Ramirez could be back in the Cleveland formation on Tuesday.
• Blake Treinen, A's reliever, will be out for the rest of the season with a back stress reaction. His backup companion, Lou Trivino, has not started since September 14 because of an oblique sprain.
Who is Houston's # 4 starter?
Wade Miley had an excellent season in September, ranking among the top 10 players in the US League in ERA, but he allowed 23 hits and 18 points in 7 innings and 1/3 in his last four starts, three of which lasted. no outs, one out and three outs. Can A.J. Hinch have confidence in giving him the playoff ball? He will have another start this week to change things.
The Astros do not really have a fifth starter at the moment, so it's Miley or some kind of shredder game. The Astros could opt for a rotation of three men in the Division series, which would imply that the starter of the first match launches the fourth match in rest of three days. There is no doubt that Justin Verlander will get the ball in the opening game of the playoffs, but asking him to stay in the game asks him to do something he has not done since the launch of 2 2/3 in relief in match 4 of the 2017 ALDS. The only game of his playoff career that he started in his career was that of the 2011 ALDS, but that was after having launched a round in a playoff game.
What happens with MVP races?
We are a little where we were last week. Alex Bregman hit three homers at home and scored four points as he continued to question what looked like a Mike Trout lock before Trout took a season against the clock. Bregman is at 0.293 / .419 / .585 with 39 home runs, 117 runs, 108 RBIs, 112 goals and a good defense.
In Newfoundland, Anthony Rendon did not have a good week, scoring a .167 margin with one homer and two RBIs while the national championships were 3-3. They have not seen a series of three consecutive victories since September 1st. Cody Bellinger scored two homers and scored six points. We still feel that Bellinger has a slight advantage (and it should be noted that Yelich has a small lead in FanGraphs WAR).
What about the Cy Young races?
The battle between Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole will go up to the wire. Verlander won his 20th match Sunday, improving his score to 20-6 with an average of points equal to 2.53 and 288 batting in 217 innings. Cole is 18-5 with a 2.61 ERA and 302 strikeouts in 200 innings and one-third. He is playing in seven consecutive batting matches in a series of seven battles. Cole is due to pitch Tuesday and then a final adjustment on the last day of the season, while Verlander has more than a start. Verlander, however, has already made two more starts and has those 17 extra innings. Edge: Verlander.
I do not know if Jacob deGrom is completely separated from the pack, but do not blame him when the Mets fail in the playoffs. He has the most complete season of domination among NHL starters, with a 10-8 record, a lead of 2.51 and a 248 strike in 197 innings. He is second in the Netherlands in the ERA (Hyun-Jin Ryu is at 2.41 but has thrown 21 innings less), first in back in attack, third in innings, first at lowest allowed, and he finished in force (he has a lead of 1.55 in the second half).
Other steps / races to watch?
Yes! Pete Alonso has 50 home runs and is two points from Aaron Judge's rookie roster. He also has a two-point lead over Eugenio Suarez for the lead of the major league. Three Mets dominated the NHL in home runs – Howard Johnson, Darryl Strawberry and Dave Kingman – but no Mets player led the majors.
You can thank a viral "hot-mic" video of a guy called Jomboy. Coley Harvey »
• Tim Anderson, of the White Sox, leads DJ LeMahieu in the batting race AL, from .334 to .329. If Anderson wins, his career average of .258 in 2019 will be the lowest ever recorded for a batting champion early in the season. LeMahieu tries to win the title in both leagues after leading the NL with a .348 average over the Rockies in 2016.
• Jorge Soler is tied with Mike Trout for the AL division with 45 home runs. Trout is absent and Soler has five points ahead of Nelson Cruz. He is trying to become the first Royals player to lead the AL in home runs.
• The NL batting race is interesting because the co-leaders are Yelich and Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks at .329, but they are both injured the rest of the season. Yelich has the advantage of moving to the fourth decimal: .3292 to .3286. Rendon is third in the .325 race.
• Ronald Acuna Jr., of course, is still chasing this 40-40 season. It is 41 circuits and 37 bases stolen.
• Then there is my hunt for the season's favorite statistics: Nicholas Castellanos, of the Cubs, has 58 doubles and is trying to become the first player since 1936 to reach 60 doubles.
Last farewells?
CC Sabathia said goodbye to Yankees fans at a ceremony Sunday, wiping her tears more than once. Sabathia should be part of the Yankees' post-season lineup, although it may be limited to a relief and / or clean-up role.
The Red Sox finish at home against the Orioles. Is it the last Mookie Betts games with Boston? He has a year left before the end of free time, but rumors about the trade around him are already warming, because the Red Sox could seek to deal with it in the offseason.
The last game of the season in San Francisco against the Dodgers promises to be an emotional affair. This will be Bruce Bochy's last game as manager, after 13 seasons and three world series titles. Next stop: Cooperstown. The starter scheduled that day: Madison Bumgarner, free agent. Next stop: who knows?
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