I’m going to try to keep this one as Jeter-free as possible, if that’s OK.
The playoff races in both the National and American Leagues are nuts, even with just three games remaining on the schedule. All five National League teams are locked in, but we don’t know who will be playing who, and where. The Nationals have a two game lead on the Dodgers for the top seed in the NL, and all they need to clinch homefield through the NLCS is one win or one Dodgers loss. Meanwhile in the NL Central, the Cardinals only have a one game on the Pirates, who have a one game lead on the Giants for the top Wild Card spot in the NL. If the two Central teams finish the year in a tie, a one-game playoff will take place on Monday in St. Louis. The loser of that game will then face the Giants in the Wild Card game on Wednesday. If Pittsburgh overtakes the Cardinals to win the division outright and the Giants finish with the same record as the Cardinals, the Wild Card game will be held in San Francisco.
As for the American League, things are even murkier. The Angels and Orioles will both host their ALDS matchups, but neither knows who they’ll be facing yet. The Tigers lead the Royals by two games in the AL Central with three to play, and if they somehow finish in a tie, the tiebreaker game will be held on Monday in Detroit. The A’s trail the Royals by one game for the AL’s top Wild Card spot, and if the two teams finish with the same record, the game will be held in Oakland. If the Royals surpass the Tigers to win the Central and Oakland finishes with the same record as Detroit, the Wild Card playoff game will be held in Detroit. Then, there are the Mariners and Indians, who are still technically alive in the playoff race. If the Mariners finish tied with either the Royals or A’s for either Wild Card spot, the one-game tiebreaker on Monday or the Wild Card playoff game will be held in Seattle. And if the Indians somehow rally to tie the A’s for the second Wild Card spot, the tiebreaker game will be held in Oakland. I don’t even want to think about a three-way tie between the A’s, Indians, and Mariners.
Alright, I think we’re done here. I hope. Breathe.
Game of the Night: Yankees 6, Orioles 5. You know the script here. In the seventh, Jeter comes up with the bases loaded, hits a weak grounder, J.J. Hardy throws it away, two runs score. Brian McCann follows up with a sac fly to make it 5-2. In the ninth, David Robertson gets pounded by the Orioles, walking Nick Markakis, and giving up homers to Adam Jones and Steve Pearce to tie the game at five. In the bottom of the inning, Evan Meek allows a single to Jose Pirela, Brett Gardner sac bunts pinch runner Antoan Richardson over, and Jeter singles in Richardson to win the game for the Yankees. Exhausting, but amazing.
Pitching Lines of the Night: The Nationals and Mets split a doubleheader, and in Washington’s 3-0 win in game two, Gio Gonzalez allowed one hit in seven shutout innings, walking a pair and punching out a dozen. In Pittsburgh’s 10-1 stomping of Atlanta, Edinson Volquez gave up four hits over seven scoreless frames, striking out ten while walking just one. Hiroki Kuroda pitched well in the Yankees’ win over the Orioles, allowing two runs on three hits in eight innings, striking out nine without a walk.
Hitting Lines of the Night: In Boston’s 11-1 win over the Rays, Christian Vazquez went 4/4 with a double, his first career homer, two runs, and three RBI. Rusney Castillo also shined, going 2/4 with *his* first career homer, a double, two runs, and three RBI. In the Padres’ 9-8 loss to the Giants, Yasmani Grandal went 2/5 with two homers and five RBI. Logan Morrison went 2/4 with two homers and four RBI in Seattle’s 7-5 win over Toronto. In the Royals’ 6-3 win over the White Sox, Lorenzo Cain went 4/5 with two doubles, two runs, and an RBI. Victor Martinez went 3/4 with a double, a homer, and two RBI in Detroit’s 4-2 win over Minnesota. Travis Snider went 3/4 with a double and a solo homer in the Pirates’ win over the Braves.
Other Games: The Reds beat the Brewers 5-3 to eliminate Milwaukee from the playoff race. The Mets beat the Nationals 7-4 in game one of their doubleheader. Miami beat Philadelphia 6-4. The Rangers walked off on the A’s 2-1.
Today’s Games: Jarred Cosart and Doug Fister will square of in game one of a Marlins-Nationals doubleheader. Ervin Santana gets the nod for the Braves in Philadelphia. Chris Tillman and the Orioles take on the Blue Jays. Chris Archer and Corey Kluber square off in Cleveland. Vance Worley and the Pirates will battle the Reds. Jon Niese and the Mets host the Astros. Scott Kazmir starts for the A’s in Texas against the Rangers. The shaky Michael Wacha starts for the Cardinals in Arizona. Jered Weaver and Hisashi Iwakuma will face off in Seattle. Ian Kennedy and the Padres battle Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants.
National TV: Twins-Tigers (7 PM, MLB Network), Pirates-Reds (7 PM, MLB Network)
Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.
