The Brewers beat the Dodgers 2-1 last night, as the Milwaukee bullpen simply annihilated Dodger hitting. Milwaukee's bullpen threw 4 2/3 innings last night, and the results were two hits and zero runs. So now the odds to win the World Series look like this:
Milwaukee: +175
Los Angeles: +180
Tampa Bay: +310
Cleveland: +650
I think Tampa Bay is being underrated.
Anyway, here is today's schedule:
4 P.M.: Los Angeles at Milwaukee (FOX) (Milwaukee leads 1-0)
7 P.M.: Cleveland at Tampa Bay (TBS) (series tied 0-0)
Here is how Cleveland and Tampa Bay have done in prior ALCS's:
Tampa Bay (2-0): 2008, 2020
Cleveland (3-3): 1995, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2016, 2024
Off the top of my head, I cannot think of a major sports event that featured both Tampa Bay and Cleveland.
Dodgers jump out to a 2-1 lead, but they can't hold it. Yamamoto, who has been great for the Dodgers in the playoffs, gives up two runs in the bottom of the 3d and is pulled from the game after only 2 2/3 innings. The Dodgers escape without further damage, but Milwaukee leads 3-2 after 3.
ReplyDeleteStill 3-2 after 4.
ReplyDeleteI'm really liking the new Fox scorebug. I think it's the best one Fox has ever had.
ReplyDeleteKyle Tucker leads off the top of the 5th with a ringing double down the right field line.
ReplyDeleteSmall ball! Tommy Edman lays down a bunt -- hoping to advance Tucker to third -- but the pitcher, Logan Henderson, leaps on the ball and hurls it well past the first baseman. Tucker scores. Edman scoots to second. And that will be all for Henderson, who is replaced by Dustin May.
ReplyDeleteMore small ball. Betts grounds out to second, sending Edman to third with one out.
ReplyDeleteNow Freeman has a chance to give LA the lead. His fly to left scores Edman and makes the score 4-3 Dodgers.
ReplyDeleteBut in the bottom of the 5th, William Contreras smashes a home run to tie the game at four.
ReplyDeleteWith two outs in the fifth, Dodger pitcher Kris Bubic allows a single to Christian Yelich and a four-ball walk to Garrett Mitchell. That's all for Bubic, who is replaced by Brock Stewart.
ReplyDeleteStewart is the fifth Dodger pitcher of the game, and we are still in the bottom of the 5th. Stewart will face Brewer shortstop Cooper Pratt, who has a chance to put the Brew Crew back into the lead.
ReplyDeleteStewart v. Pratt (1st and 2d, two out):
ReplyDeletePitch 1: Ball outside (1-0)
Pitch 2: Pratt hits a grounder into the hole behind second. Edman makes a brave effort, but his throw pulls Freeman off the bag and the bases are loaded.
With the bases loaded and two out, Stewart strike out Sal Frelick on three pitches to end the inning. We are tied 4-4 after 5.
ReplyDeleteAfter 5:
ReplyDeleteDodgers: 4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors
Brewers: 4 runs, 7 hits, 2 errors
By the way, Ohtani is injured and mired in a terrible slump. He has not homered since August, and he's batting .167 in the post-season. He leads off the sixth against JoJo Romero, the new Brewer pitcher, and he strikes out for the second time in the game.
ReplyDeleteGo online right now. Find Ramin Karimloo's version of "Feed the Birds." Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteRomero mows down the Dodgers 1-2-3, and the score is still 4-4 after 5 1/2.
ReplyDeleteOhtani is now batting .158 in the post-season, and Smith is batting .045. They are batting fourth and fifth today. That's a big hole in the middle of the lineup.
ReplyDeleteStewart opens the bottom of the 6th by hitting David Hamilton, the Brewers' number-nine hitter, on the foot. The Brewers have the lead run on first with no one out and the top of the order coming up.
ReplyDeleteStewart tried to pick off Hamilton and throws the ball away! Hamilton scoots to second, and I will be very surprised if the Brewers don't bring him home now.
ReplyDeleteJackson Chourio grounds out to short, thus advancing Hamilton to third with one out.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers intentionally walk the next batter to set up a double play. So that brings up Contreras, who can pretty much end the game here.
ReplyDeleteStewart v. Contreras (1st and 3d, one out)
ReplyDeletePitch 1: Contreras laces a single to left. Hamilton trots home with the lead run, and the Brewers are going to win this game.
So, the Dodgers will go down 2-0 in the series. They will have to win four out of the next five to capture their third pennant in a row.
ReplyDeleteThe Brewers have beaten Skubal and Yamamoto, and they can taste the pennant now.
ReplyDeleteTanner Scott closes out the inning for L.A., and the Brewers lead 5-4 after six. They are nine outs away from a 2-0 lead in the N.L.C.S. It really feels like whoever wins this game will go to the World Series.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of how UK beat Wisconsin in 2014, only to be beaten by Wisconsin in 2015. Of course, that means that the Brewers will probably lose the World Series to the Devil Rays, and to be honest that outcome would not surprise me at all.
ReplyDeleteAbner Uribe comes in to pitch the seventh. The Brewers bullpen shut out the Dodgers last night, and so far the bullpen has not allowed a hit in this game.
ReplyDeleteUribe mows down the Dodgers 1-2-3 in the 7th, and the Brewers are six outs away.
ReplyDeleteFeels like the Dodgers are just about out of pitching.
ReplyDeleteNext up, I'm going to skip Game One of the Tampa Bay/Cleveland series. I don't like to watch the Devil Rays unless I absolutely have to, and I think they're going to roll to victory in this series anyway. I will be switching to the Rams and the Bills on Monday Night Football.
ReplyDeletePratt singles in the bottom of the 7th, but is thrown out trying to steal second. Brewers still lead 5-4 after 7.
ReplyDeleteAfter 7:
ReplyDeleteDodgers: 4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error
Brewers: 5 runs, 9 hits, 2 errors
The Dodgers have the top of the order coming up in the 8th.
ReplyDeleteUribe returns to pitch the 8th.
ReplyDeleteUribe strikes out Betts, and then leaves to be replaced by Aaron Ashby.
ReplyDeleteThat's a break for the Dodgers, because they had no chance against Uribe.
DeleteAshby mows down Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez, and the Brewers are three outs away.
ReplyDeleteHamilton singles, steals second, advances to third on a groundout, and scores on a single from Durang. The Brewers lead 6-4, and the Dodgers look old and slow.
ReplyDeleteI think Contreras's homer was the key moment in this game. The Dodgers had worked extremely hard to carve out a 4-3 lead, and then Contreras turned the game around with one swing. Since then, the Dodgers have not gotten a hit.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers had run out of pitching. They give up another run, and the Brewers lead 7-4 going into the 9th.
ReplyDeleteDuring this three year run through the playoffs, the Dodgers have beaten the Padres (3-2), the Mets (4-2), the Yankees (4-1), the Reds (2-0), the Phillies (3-1), the Brewers (4-0), the Blue Jays (4-3), and the Braves (3-1). This Brewers' team is the best team they've played. Their pitchers have completely dominated the Dodgers, and they are the only team to seriously reach Yamamoto.
ReplyDeleteShout out to the Yankees and A's, by the way. Winning three pennants in a row is really hard.
ReplyDeleteAt least the Dodgers will get to make one more stand at Dodger Stadium. They deserve that.
ReplyDeleteAshby mows down the Dodgers 1-2-3 in the 9th, and the Brewers win 7-4:
ReplyDeleteDodgers: 4 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors
Brewers: 7 runs, 12 hits, 2 errors
As we expected, the Rays have jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on Cleveland. Unless the Dodgers do something big in L.A., these Championship Series are going to be over fast.
ReplyDeleteLast year, we got a bunch of great playoff series. This year, not so much. But that's baseball.
ReplyDeleteThe Brewers' bullpen threw five perfect innings tonight, which is apparently a post-season record.
ReplyDeleteMilwaukee should give serious consideration to having the bullpen go for a perfect game in Game Three.
ReplyDeleteMy prediction now is that Milwaukee will beat the Dodgers and then lose to Tampa Bay.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the Bills lead the Rams 3-0 with 5 minutes to go in the first quarter.
ReplyDeleteIn the 21st century, the Washington Football Team has only three playoff victories:
ReplyDelete01/07/06: Tampa Bay 10 - 17 Washington (Wild Card)
01/12/25: Tampa Bay 20 - 23 Washington (Wild Card)
01/18/25: Detroit 31 - 45 Washington (Divisional Round)
Washington has only won a single playoff game at its current stadium:
ReplyDelete01/08/00: Washington 27 - 13 Detroit (Wild Card)
They lost the next week in Tampa.
Since moving to their new stadium in the mid-1990's, Washington has played four playoff games against Tampa Bay (2-2), three against Seattle (0-3), two against Detroit (1-1), and one each against Green Bay (0-1) and Philadelphia (0-1). That's a playoff record of 3-8 over the last 30 or so seasons.
ReplyDeleteIt's really weird to play 11 playoff games over 30 years, and have seven of them be against the Buccaneers and the Seahawks.
ReplyDelete