Yesterday, Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.61 ERA in 32 starts) dominated the D-backs, and the Phillies got their usual collection of home runs, and the Phillies rolled to an easy 6-1 win over Arizona. So the Championship Series now look like this:
Philadelphia 3 - 2 Arizona
Houston 3 - 2 Texas
The Astros can win the American League Pennant for the third straight year at home tonight. The Phillies can win the National League Pennant for the second straight year at home tomorrow night.
Here's the lineup for Texas:
ReplyDelete1. Marcus Semien, 2B (.276, 29 homers, 100 RBI's)
2. Corey Seager, SS (.327, 33, 96)
3. Robbie Grossman, LF (.238, 10, 49)
4. Adolis Garcia, RF (.245, 39, 107)
5. Mitch Garver, DH (.270, 19, 50)
6. Jonah Heim, C (.258, 18, 95)
7. Nathaniel Lowe, 1B (.262, 17, 82)
8. Josh Jung, 3B (.266, 23, 70)
9. Leody Taveras, CF (.266, 14, 67)
Pitcher: Nathan Eovaldi (12-5, 3.63 ERA)
Here's the lineup for Houston:
ReplyDelete1. Jose Altuve, 2B (.311, 17 homers, 51 RBI's)
2. Michael Brantley, LF (.278, 2, 7) (Brantley played in only 15 games)
3. Alex Bregman, 3B (.262, 25, 98)
4. Yordan Alvarez, DH (.293, 31, 97)
5. Jose Abreu, 1B (.237, 18, 90)
6. Kyle Tucker, RF (.284, 29, 112)
7. Mauricio Dubon, CF (.278, 10, 46)
8. Jeremy Pena, SS (.263, 10, 52)
9. Martin Maldonado, C (.191, 15, 36)
Pitcher: Framber Valdez (12-11, 3.45 ERA)
Wikipedia has updated its list of teams with the most victories in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. Here is the current list of the top four teams:
ReplyDelete1. Kentucky: 2,375
2. Kansas: 2,370
3. N. Carolina: 2,343
4. Duke: 2,273
Hurrah!
DeleteIn the top of the first, Valdez walks the leadoff man, but mows down the next three batters. Texas 0, the Astros coming up to bat.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 1st, the Astros get a single from Altuve, a walk to Brantley, and a single from Alvarez, and they are up 1-0 with runners on 1st and 2d and one out.
ReplyDeleteHouston does nothing more, and the Astros lead 1-0 after 1.
ReplyDeleteMitch Garver leads off the top of the 2d with a long homer to right center field, and the score is tied at 1.
ReplyDeleteTexas does nothing more, and the score is 1-1 after 1 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteHouston goes down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 2d. Still 1-1 after 2.
ReplyDeleteTexas goes down 1-2-3 in the top of the 3d. Still 1-1.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the third, Brantley draws a one-out walk, and with two outs the Rangers intentionally walk Alvarez to put Brantley in scoring position. But this move pays off as Abreu grounds out to short. Still 1-1 after 3.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 3d, Garver gets a two-out single, and then Jonah Heim hits a long fly that lands in the front row of the right field seats, just outside the grasp of Kyle Tucker. The Rangers suddenly lead 3-1.
ReplyDeleteHere were the game times in last year's ALCS:
ReplyDeleteGame 1: 3:21
Game 2: 3:16
Game 3: 3:35
Game 4: 3:37
Here are the game times so far this year:
ReplyDeleteGame 1: 2:49
Game 2: 3:01
Game 3: 3:05
Game 4: 3:14
Game 5: 3:14
So the pitch clock is cutting game times by about 20 minutes.
ReplyDeleteAs predicted. I'm so happy for the pitch-clock predictors. I mean, I don't really care one way or another--I'm watching baseball when the A's are good or in the postseason, and I'm not watching baseball unless the A's are good or unless it's in the postseason. I'm just happy that their projections turned out to be correct for them.
DeleteTexas leads 3-1 after 3 1/2.
ReplyDeleteEovaldi mows down the Astros 1-2-3 in the fourth. After 4, Texas leads 3-1. The Rangers have a 75 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 5th, the Rangers get an infield single, but nothing more. Texas leads 3-1 after 4 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteEovaldi hits Maldonado to lead off the 5th, but then he overpowers Altuve (pop up), Brantley (strikeout), and Bregman (pop up). Eovaldi has thrown 73 pitches so far, and his Rangers lead 3-1 after 5. They have a 78 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteFor the sixth inning, Houston turns to a new pitcher: Phil Maton (4-3, 3.00 ERA in 68 appearances).
ReplyDeleteTampa Bay and Houston went seven games in 2020, but that was the COVID year. The last time Game Seven of the ALCS was played before a home crowd was October 21, 2017, when the Astros beat the Yankees 4-0 to wrap up that pennant.
ReplyDeleteMaton retires the Rangers on eight pitches. Texas leads 3-1 after 5 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteAlvarez leads off the 6th with a line drive single to left center.
ReplyDeleteThe Rangers go into a shift, but Abreu hits a grounder the opposite way -- through the gap -- and the Astros have men on 1st and 2d with no one out. That brings up Kyle Tucker, who is in a bad slump.
ReplyDeleteTucker forces Abreu at second, and the Astros have runners on first and third with one out.
ReplyDeleteEovaldi v. Dubon:
ReplyDeletePitch 1: swinging strike (0-1)
Pitch 2: foul (0-2)
Pitch 3: long fly to right, Dubon is out, but Alvarez scores on the sac fly
Great small ball from the Astros.
ReplyDeletePena grounds out to end the inning. Texas leads 3-2 after 6. This is baseball at a very high level.
ReplyDeleteFor the 7th inning, Houston brings in a new pitcher: Hector Neris (6-3, 1.71 ERA in 71 appearances).
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 7th, Seager comes up with runners on first and second and two out. Chance for Texas to blow it open.
ReplyDeleteNeris v. Seager:
Pitch 1: foul down the right field line (0-1)
Pitch 2: ball low and away (1-1)
Pitch 3: ball low and away (1-1)
Pitch 4: Seager hits a rocket to Abreu at first. He knocks it down, and flips to Neris for the third out. The crowd goes wild as Neris spikes the ball. Texas leads 3-1 at the seventh inning stretch.
I mean: Texas leads 3-2 at the seventh inning stretch.
DeleteEovaldi has thrown 82 pitches, and he comes out for the 7th inning.
ReplyDeleteEovaldi retires Maldonado for one out, and prepares to face the top of the Astros' lineup for the fourth time.
ReplyDeleteAltuve pokes a single the opposite way, over the head of the second baseman. And that's all for Eovaldi, who pitched great tonight.
ReplyDeleteWith one out and Altuve on first, Bruce Bochy brings in Josh Sborz (6-7, 5.50 ERA) to face Michael Brantley.
ReplyDeleteAs Brantley comes to the plate, Texas has a 63 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteBrantley hits into a 4-6-3 double play, thanks to a great pick by first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Texas leads 3-2 after 7.
ReplyDeleteNow Texas has a 75 percent chance of victory.
DeleteFor the 8th inning, Houston turns to Bryan Abreu (3-2, 1.75 ERA in 72 appearances). Abreu was suspended for two games after he hit Garcia in Game Five, but he has appealed the suspension and is available tonight.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, Tim Kirkjian and the ESPN Radio guys do not think Abreu should have been suspended, because they do not believe he hit Garcia on purpose.
ReplyDeleteEvan Carter (who has replaced Grossman) leads off with an infield single. That brings up Garcia. But first, we have a long delay while Maldonado gets a new helmet:
ReplyDeleteB. Abreu v. Ad. Garcia:
Pitch 1: ball outside (1-0)
Pitch 2: called strike (1-1) Carter steals second
Pitch 3: foul (1-2)
Pitch 4: swinging strike. Garcia strikes out for the fourth time tonight.
Mitch Garver doubles to left, Carter trots home, and the Rangers lead 4-2. That's Garver's third hit of the night.
ReplyDeleteTexas now has an 88 percent chance of victory.
DeleteBochy sends in Travis Jankowski (.263, 1 HR, 30 RBI's, 19 stolen bases) to pinch run for Garver.
ReplyDeleteTexas leads 4-2 after 7 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteSborz comes out to pitch the 8th.
ReplyDeleteBregman walks to start the bottom of the 8th. That brings up Alvarez, who is 2-2 in the game (with a walk) so far. The Texas pitching coach goes out to talk to Sborz.
ReplyDeleteSborz strikes out Alvarez on three pitches. That was great.
ReplyDeleteBut then Jose Abreu laces a single between short and third, and the Astros have men on first and second with one out. This brings up Kyle Tucker, who is in a terrible slump.
ReplyDeleteThat's all for Sborz. Bochy is bringing in Jose Leclerc (0-2, 2.68 ERA and 4 saves in 57 appearances). Leclerc is Bochy's best reliever, but of course he is also the pitcher who gave up a three-run homer to Altuve to lose Game Five.
ReplyDeleteTexas now has a 75 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteLeclerc walks Tucker to load the bases. Aroldis Chapman is warming up in the Texas bullpen. Texas uses another mound visit. Mauricio Dubon heads to the plate.
ReplyDeleteNow Texas has a 63 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteDubon swings at two outside pitches and falls into an 0-2 hole. He then lines out to short, and there are two outs.
ReplyDeleteSo now Dusty Baker sends up Jon Singleton (.165, 2 homers, 12 RBI's) to pinch hit.
ReplyDeleteLeclerc v. Singleton:
ReplyDeletePitch 1: ball outside (1-0)
Pitch 2: called strike (1-1)
Pitch 3: foul down the first base line (1-2)
Pitch 4: ball low (2-2)
Pitch 5: ball outside (3-2)
Pitch 6: foul (3-2)
Pitch 7: foul (3-2)
Pitch 8: swinging strike. Leclerc gets out of the jam. Texas leads 4-2 after 8.
Phew.
DeleteNow Texas has a 93 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteFor the 9th, Houston sends out Rafael Montero (3-3, 5.08 ERA).
ReplyDeleteMontero walks Jung, then Taveras reaches on an error by Altuve (!), and Semien singles to load the bases with no one out. Dusty Baker pulls Montero and brings in Ryne Stanek (3-1, 4.09 ERA in 55 appearances).
ReplyDeleteStanek hits Seager to put the Rangers up 5-2, and it looks like this half-inning could take awhile.
ReplyDeleteAdolis Garcia, who has struck out four times in this game, whacks a GRAND SLAM to put Texas up 9-2. We will have a Game Seven tomorrow night.
ReplyDeleteThat's modern baseball. Even a good team will only have a few trustworthy pitchers this time of year, and if you can get past those guys, you will score a lot of runs.
ReplyDeleteTexas wins 9-2 and we will have two games tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great recap.
ReplyDelete