YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:
The
ALCS is now set with the Blue Jays and Royals overcoming some determined
opposition in their
respective five game series. For Toronto it all came down
to a pivotal 7th inning when the Rangers defense went to sleep, the
Blue Jays bats came alive, and Cole Hamels post season magic began to fade. For
the Royals it was all about stringing hits together and hoping that Jonny Cueto
could find his early season form in October. Both came to fruition as they
eliminated the Astros making the Minute Maid orange look more like a pumpkin.
And now there is only one division series remaining as the Mets and Dodgers
determine who will host the Cubs in the NLCS in one of the best pitching
matchups of the postseason.
Blue Jays
Eliminate Rangers 6-3
The Blue Jays are heading to the American League Championship
Series for the first time since 1993, and it was one of the biggest home runs
in franchise history that got them there. Jose Bautista's three-run homer capped a frenzied
seventh inning and allowed Toronto to dispose of the Texas Rangers with a 6-3
victory in Game 5 of the American League Division Series at Rogers Centre on
Wednesday evening. The Rangers had a 2-0 series lead, but the Blue Jays became
just the third team in history to win a best-of-five postseason series after
losing the first two games at home, joining the 2001 Yankees and the 2012
Giants. Both of them advanced to the World Series, and the Giants won it all. The
Blue Jays will face the Royals in Game 1 of the best-of-seven ALCS on Friday
night at 7:30 ET (FOX/Sportsnet) in Kansas City. The whole series boiled down
to a 53-minute, insane seventh inning with the highest of highs in one dugout
and the polar opposite across the diamond. The dramatic twists and turns of
events in that span were unlike any other in postseason memory. Toronto tied
the game, 2-2, on Edwin Encarnacion's
home run in the sixth, but Texas reclaimed a 3-2 lead on a fluke play that
started the seventh inning on a bizarre path that would define the series. "I've
never seen anything like that in 19 years in baseball," said Blue Jays
starter R.A. Dickey. "It
was like a novel that you don't want to put down." Rougned Odor was on third base with two outs when Shin-Soo Choo
took a fastball for ball two. Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin tried to throw the ball back to relief
pitcher Aaron Sanchez,
but it hit Choo's hand, holding the bat, and ricocheted toward third base. Odor
broke home and scored. Umpire Dale Scott called a dead ball and sent Odor back
to third, but Rangers manager Jeff Banister asked Scott to convene with the
other umpires to discuss the play. They reversed the decision and allowed
Odor's run to count, calling a crew-chief review for a rule check in a sequence
that prompted Blue Jays manager John Gibbons to initiate an official protest,
which Toronto withdrew after its victory. "I really didn't see his hand
out there," Martin said of Choo. "I just caught the ball and threw it
back very casually and it hit his bat, and next thing you know a run scores.” "It
never happened in my life before. I don't really know what the rule is. He was
in the box. I mean, it's just one of those moments and it created an
opportunity for us to do something special. Jose, the hero. My college teammate
picking me up right there. Unbelievable man." The Blue Jays didn't waste
time grabbing back the momentum, however, thanks to a series of miscues in the
bottom half of the inning. Before recording an out, the Rangers became the
first team in postseason history to make three errors in a single inning of a
sudden-death game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, loading the bases. Two
batters later, the tying run scored on a little blooper off the bat of Josh Donaldson that barely went over the head of Odor
at second. Bautista then followed with Toronto's biggest home run since Joe
Carter hit a walk-off shot in Game 6 to win the 1993 World Series. It was a
no-doubter that Bautista admired as it hit off the facing of the second deck, much
to the delight of the sold-out crowd, but it led to the first of two
bench-clearing scenes in the inning after Bautista flung his bat high into the
air. "I was looking for something up," Bautista said. "He throws
hard with a sinker. He threw the first one down and I just said tee it up, and
I put a great swing on it and it felt great." The loss went to Texas ace Cole Hamels, who began the seventh inning but was
pulled after Toronto tied the game at 3-3. He allowed five runs (two earned) on
four hits, two walks and eight strikeouts. Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman took the no-decision after he came
through with six strong innings that saw him allow two runs on six hits and a
walk. "I'm not ready to go home," third baseman Adrian Beltre said. "I can't process it. I'm not
ready for it to be over. It's not supposed to happen but it did."
Royals Eliminate
Astros 7-2
In the biggest game of his career, right-hander Johnny Cueto delivered, holding down the Astros for
eight innings on two hits and two runs while helping the Royals secure a 7-2
victory in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday night,
sending them on to face the Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series. The
Royals, the defending AL champions, open the ALCS on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET on
FOX/Sportsnet) against the Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. It's a rematch of the
1985 ALCS, won by Kansas City in seven games. The victory likely helped boost
the mood of the local community in the wake of the heartbreaking news of the
two Kansas City Fire Department firefighters who lost their lives in the line
of duty on Monday night. The Royals honored their memories in pregame
ceremonies.
A
performance like Wednesday's is what the Royals had in mind when they traded
with the Reds to acquire Cueto, who struggled during an awful late-season five-game
stretch in which he carried a 9.57 ERA. But Cueto was nails when it mattered
most, setting down the last 19 hitters he faced Wednesday, as he became the
first to retire the last 19 he faced in a postseason game since Phillies ace Roy Halladay set down 21 Cardinals in a row in 2011.
The 19 consecutive batters retired were the most by an AL pitcher in the
postseason since Don Larsen's perfect game for the Yankees in the 1956 World
Series. "Games like this
is where you see Johnny Cueto, the real Johnny Cueto come out," Cueto
said. "I told my teammates I was going to show up today and get this 'W'
for them. I woke up today on the right foot. As soon as I woke up, I felt
something magic that this was Game 5 and I had to show up for everybody, for my
team and the fans." "He was unbelievably good," Kansas City
manager Ned Yost said. "He didn't make a bad pitch all night. That pitch
that [Luis] Valbuena hit was a good pitch. He came in after the eighth inning
and was lobbying to go back out in the ninth. And I'm like, 'Look, I got the
best reliever [Wade Davis] in the game
down there; he's going to come in and close it out.'" The Astros'
storybook season ended after winning the AL Wild Card Game presented by
Budweiser over the Yankees and having a 2-1 lead in this series over the
Royals. Valbuena had given Houston a 2-0 lead on Wednesday with a two-run jack
in the second inning. "It's very tough. There's not a man in that room
that wanted the season to end," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.
"There's going to be 29 teams that go through what we're going through
today. There's going to be one champion. So it hurts. It hurts to know that we
put everything that we could into this season and it ends abruptly. Seasons
like this end really quickly, and you're never ready for it. It never feels
good." Alex Rios put the
Royals ahead with a two-run double to left in the fifth inning. And Kendrys Morales, who homered twice in Game 1, sealed
it with a three-run homer in the eighth off Astros ace Dallas Keuchel, who came on in relief. "This is
a big step for us," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said in a postgame interview on FOX
Sports 1. "We worked real hard to get back to this point. You've got to
tip your cap to Houston right there, they played a heck of a series. It seemed
like we were coming back or we were behind with our backs against the wall
pretty much every single game. So just a great series overall. I'm glad we
could come out on top."
CURRENT
POSTSEASON PICTURE:
American League
Division Series
Kansas City Eliminated Houston 3-2
ALCS
Game 1: Friday, October 16, at 7:30 PM
Toronto
Eliminated Texas 3-2
ALCS
Game 1: Friday, October 16, at 7:30 PM
National League
Division Series
Chicago
Eliminated St. Louis 3-1
NLCS
Game 1: Tuesday, October 13, at 4:30 PM
New
York and Los Angeles tied 2-2
Game
5: Thursday, October 15, at 8:00 PM
National League
Championship Series
Chicago
at TBD
Game
1: Saturday, October 17, at TBD
American League
Championship Series
Toronto at Kansas City
Game
1: Friday, October 16, at 7:30 PM
PHILS PHACTS:
MacPhail Takes The Reigns – A new era of leadership has officially begun. The Phillies
announced Wednesday morning that Andy MacPhail has officially replaced Pat
Gillick as team president. He had been introduced as the incoming president at
a news conference in June, but with the caveat that Gillick would remain at the
helm through the end of the season. "As the Phillies begin this new
chapter in the club's history, we are confident that Andy is the right person
to lead the organization," Phillies partner John Middleton said in a
statement. "Speaking on behalf of the ownership group, we are pleased with
the input Andy has provided over the past few months. His years of baseball
knowledge, combined with his passion for the game, are important as he moves
forward with his primary objective of developing a championship-caliber
team." But MacPhail, 62, clearly has not been sitting and waiting for
Wednesday to begin making changes. He was very involved before the July 31
non-waiver Trade Deadline. He decided Ruben Amaro Jr. would not return as
general manager. He also decided Pete Mackanin would remain manager. MacPhail
has been interviewing candidates to replace Amaro, a group that reportedly
includes Larry Beinfest, Kim Ng and Ross Atkins. Royals assistant general
manager J.J. Picollo and Angels assistant Matt Klentak, among others, also
could be candidates. MacPhail has said he hopes to announce Amaro's replacement
before the end of the month. Gillick, who replaced David Montgomery as
president in August 2014, said last month he did not know about his future with
the organization, but Middleton said Gillick will remain. "I would also
like to thank Pat Gillick for, once again, providing invaluable leadership to
the Phillies for the past 14 months," Middleton said. "He will
continue to assist the front office in an advisory role." Gillick, 78, has
a small ownership stake in the Phillies, so if he wanted to join a different
organization, he would have to sell his share.
Phils Officially In Rebuild Mode – The Phillies just finished their worst season since 1972,
but they hope history repeats itself. The '72 Phillies hit rock bottom, but the
organization had a talented farm system and talented young players already in
the big leagues when it happened. They eventually formed a core that made the
postseason six times from 1976-83, including winning the 1980 World Series
championship. The Phillies hope they hit the floor in 2015, but they expect
improvement in '16, with the idea they can compete for the postseason as early
as '17. But first things first. The Phillies finished their season without a
general manager. President Andy MacPhail said he would like to find somebody
before the end of the month. Ruben Amaro Jr.'s replacement has plenty of work
to do. Here is a look at what the team might look like when Spring Training
opens in February:
Arbitration eligible: infielders
Andres Blanco and
Freddy Galvis; outfielder
Domonic Brown; right-hander
Jeanmar Gomez.
Free agents: right-handers
Chad Billingsley,
Aaron Harang and
Jerome Williams; left-hander
Cliff Lee (club option); and outfielder
Jeff Francoeur.
Rotation: The Phillies need
some serious rotation help. Free agents Billingsley, Harang and Williams are
not expected to return and Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez might not pitch again for
the Phillies, considering his checkered health history. It means the Phillies
will need to find at least a couple veteran starters to fill out the rotation.
Do not expect the Phillies to commit to big-money contracts. It is too early
for that. Instead expect them to sign starters like
J.A. Happ or
Doug Fister, potential placeholders until the team
knows it truly has a core to reach the postseason. Of course, the Phillies will
fill the rotation with internal pieces, too.
Aaron Nola and
Jerad Eickhoff are heavy favorites to win jobs.
Adam Morgan has a line on one.
Matt Harrison,
Alec Asher,
David Buchanan and others will have the opportunity
to win jobs, too.
Bullpen: The bullpen struggled at times this season,
with the exception of
Jonathan Papelbon
(traded in July) and
Ken Giles. Gomez,
Luis Garcia,
Elvis Araujo and
Dalier Hinojosa put together solid performances. It
seems likely the Phillies will sign a few veteran relievers to stabilize the
bullpen. But once again, do not expect them to pursue the highest-priced free
agents on the market.
Catcher: It would not be a surprise to see both
Carlos Ruiz and
Cameron Rupp back. If so, Rupp is the likely
candidate to start Opening Day as Ruiz suffered the worst season of his career.
Ruiz turns 37 in January, but he has value as a backup. (Not to mention he will
be paid $8.5 million.) Chooch can continue to work with the team's young
pitchers as well as mentor catching prospects
Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp in Spring Training.
Don't rule out the possibility that Knapp, who the Phillies named their Minor
League Player of the Year, sees time with the Phillies at some point. Teams
rarely use only two catchers over the course of a season, and if Knapp is
playing well he could get a shot. Alfaro is promising, but he missed much of
the season with an ankle injury. He needs more seasoning in the Minors.
First
base: Will
Ryan Howard return? He
will make $35 million next season, which includes a $10 million buyout on a
2017 club option. Howard performed well against right-handed pitchers this
year, but he struggled terribly against lefties. He essentially is a platoon
player at this point. If Howard and
Darin Ruf return they could form a pretty respectable
duo as Ruf hit left-handers very well.
Second base: Cesar Hernandez is expected to open next season at
second base. The Phillies saw enough potential offensively to give him a longer
look. But Hernandez is going to have to perform because there are prospects
coming through the system that could force the Phillies to make some position
changes.
Shortstop: Galvis will open the season as the team's shortstop,
but top prospect J.P. Crawford is breathing down his neck. Crawford finished
the season in Double-A Reading, but he is expected to open next season with
Triple-A Lehigh Valley. If Crawford continues to progress, it will be difficult
to keep him in the Minors. And if Crawford is promoted at some point next
season he will be promoted to play shortstop and play every day. If that
happens, Galvis could move to second base if Hernandez is not performing. Or he
could fall into a super utility role.
Third base: Maikel Franco has this job locked up, assuming he is
healthy. He showed he can be a productive bat in the middle of the lineup,
which the Phillies desperately need. Of all the positions on the roster, this
is the easiest one to predict.
Outfield: Odubel Herrera is expected to be the Opening Day
center fielder. He earned it. But who plays the corners? It is unlikely Brown
returns.
Aaron Altherr has
earned a longer look.
Cody Asche will get
another look, although he really must pick up his production. The Phillies see
Asche as somebody who could hit 15-20 home runs with 75-90 RBIs. He fell
woefully short in RBIs this year. The Phillies could bring back Francoeur,
which makes sense. (If Francoeur is not brought back, the Phillies are likely
to pursue another veteran outfielder.) The Phillies need a vocal veteran to
show the team's young players how to act during a long season and how to react
to adversity. Top outfield prospect Nick Williams finished his season in
Double-A. Like Crawford, he is expected to open the season in Triple-A. He
could join the team at some point.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL
East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and
bipolar performances this season, this has ended up being one of the worst
seasons in franchise history! However, there are some former Phillies still
making headlines in the playoffs this year.
