Wild Card, Schmild Card! Here Come the Dodgers
Baseball's wild card is for losers, so let the Reds, Cards and Padres fight over it.
The Dodgers went to San Diego and swept the Padres into oblivion, otherwise known as the lower rung of losers bracket.
Having already resolved themselves to the wild card race, the Padres came into the three-game set with their supposed rivals at Petco Park Tuesday hoping to draw to within 7 1/2 games of Los Angeles. With another six contests to be played in September, the presumption being, they might just pass L.A. and grab home field advantage for the do-or-die, play-in postseason game. Instead, the Dodgers did the sweeping, dropping the Friars a healthy 13 1/2 behind them in the top WC race, two back of Cincinnati for the second spot and a whopping 16 games out of first place.
The Los Angeles vanquished San Diego, is what they did. They beat them with clutch home run hitting from A.J. Pollock and Will Smith, with home run robbing defense by Pollock, with key 5-4-3 double-play turning from Justin Turner to Trea Turner to Billy McKinney and with outstanding pitching from no less than 12 pitchers. Twelve.
Those 12 hurlers held Padres batsmen to nine hits in 34 innings, with starters Julio Urias, Walker Buehler and Max Scherzer combining for 19 1/3 frames with but one unearned run being scored against them. The Pads’ two best hitters, Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Manny Machado combined to go 2-29 (.069) in the series. Throw in Eric Hosmer and the threesome produced to a tune of 3-40 (.075).
Los Angeles has now won 16 of its last 18 contests, cutting the Giants’ lead over them for the National League West flag from four games to 2 1/2. That may not seem like much to you, but it does to me, primarily because I think San Francisco is due for a slide. Perhaps just a little slide, mind you, but a slide nonetheless. The teams meet for their final three times in 2021 next Friday through Sunday at Oracle Park. Say the Dodgers win two out of the three, shaving a game off the Giants’ margin. I’m confident the Dodgers can pick up another 1 1/2 the rest of the way.
If not, if San Francisco wins the series next weekend and doesn’t have that the little slide I have planned for them, well, then Los Angeles goes to the losers bracket. They go directly to the losers bracket. They do no pass Go! They do not collect $200.
The Giants are at Atlanta this weekend while the Dodgers are at home to the Rockies. The matchups for the Colorado series are as follows: Kyle Freeland vs. Brusdar Graterol (in a bullpen game, with Andre Jackson likely being the bulk guy) tonight at 7:10 p.m., Jon Gray vs. David Price Saturday at 6:10 p.m. and Antonio Senzatela Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
Wild cards? We don’t need no stinking wild cards!
ICYMI, mostly about Gavin Lux:
This piece of news has been posted all over the place, but in case you missed it, Chris Sale became only the second man in baseball history to record three immaculate innings (nine pitches to record three outs on three-pitch strikeouts) in a career, accomplishing the feat versus the Twins at Boston Thursday night. Sandy Koufax is the other one.
Giants second baseman, Donovan Solano, has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be away from the club for at least 10 days.
In what skipper Dave Roberts explained as a “roster crunch,” Matt Beaty and Gavin Lux were optioned to the team’s Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City Dodgers prior to last night’s game. The Dodgers needed an extra arm after going 16 innings Wednesday, and with Mookie Betts also returning from the injured list, the two lefty swingers were the odd men out. I’m fairly certain that Beaty will be recalled when rosters expand on September 1, but Lux might not be. With September rosters being expanded to only 28 men beginning this season, it’s likely that Los Angeles will promote one position player and one pitcher, and Beaty has been the better performer thus far. There may be a bit of mixing and matching throughout the month, however, perhaps allowing Lux another opportunity.
I can do an entire column on the subject, and perhaps I will, but with all the criticism the 23-year-old has endured in his three-year career, I think it’s important to note that Lux stepped in to replace shortstop Corey Seager for a 65-game stretch and held down the fort. Which is no small thing, and his performance reminded me a bit of Dave Anderson replacing Alfredo Griffin for 59 games in the middle of the 1988 world championship season.
Lux is hitting .221/.303/.340 this year after managing only a .175/.246/.349 in 2020. The result is a .217/.294/.352 lifetime mark, which can only be viewed as a huge disappointment. And while Lux has frustrated more than a few inside the organization and out, the club hasn’t always done right by him. Shortstop and second base was enough responsibility for this particular player. Throwing him into the fire to play third base in his first start since returning from a hamstring August 17 was folly. They’d given him all of 20 innings at the hot corner at OKC, during which time he recorded all of five chances (with one error, for a fielding percentage of .800). So it should come as no surprise that with four chances in a start at the position 10 days ago, Lux made two errors (both throwing, for a fielding percentage of .500) in six innings in the field.
Now, according to Roberts, Lux is being asked to play third base and right field in the Pacific Coast League. I’m sorry powers that be, but if you want another Kiké Hernandez on your team, you’re going to have to go out and trade for the original article during the winter. And if you want Lux to succeed, just stick him at second base and leave him there. Let the man concentrate on his hitting.
Tweet of the Week:
Media Savvy:
This is great. “The incredible story of Ray Caldwell, the MLB pitcher who survived a lightning strike to finish a game” by Ryan Hockensmith at ESPN.com.
Ken Rosenthal makes the case for Max Muncy as NL MVP at the Athletic.
I normally pass on the obligatory what-would-you-change-about-baseball pieces that cross my path. Because there are too many of them and because baseball doesn’t need changing. (That said, I am available to serve as commish, assuming a telecommuting arrangement can be made, and I can work for major league minimum (times two)).
I did happen to click on Jesse Rogers’ story on the topic at ESPN.com Tuesday, however, and because it includes comments from thoughtful big leaguers, I thought I’d share it with you.
Regarding the main question — does the game need fixing? — Reds’ outfielder Jesse Winker said this: "I feel like we're always trying to fix the game, but I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. We have a beautiful game. I grew up enjoying the game because of the way it is." What a beautiful quote.
Asked what he would do if he were commissioner for a day, another Cincinnati outfielder, Nick Castellanos, answered: "We have consequences for losing and underperforming, I wish everyone across baseball would have the same. Just to keep the integrity of the game at its highest. The purity and intensity and commitment to winning can be watered down if there are no consequences for losing." Amen.
And interestingly, Dodgers’ third baseman and hopeful designated-hitter-to-be, said this: "I would go to a DH in both leagues. For health aspects and keeping our pitchers on the mound. Also, as an older player, it would probably benefit me a little bit."
Good for JT. I am a recent convert to the dark side, by the way. I’m pro DH, and make no apologies for it. My thinking is this:
1/ If the DH allows for a player like Turner to extend his career an additional two or three years when he otherwise wouldn’t, that’s reason enough. See Reggie Jackson, see Paul Molitor, see Edgar Martinez, see Nelson Cruz, who is still going strong at 41 years of age. American Leaguers all.
2/ If it leads to fewer pitcher injuries both at the plate and on the bases, and it will, by all means. How can you not be for reducing pitcher injuries?
3/ The DH is good for labor relations because both sides want it. The owners get more offense and the players get a higher-salaried player for each of the 15 NL teams. At least in theory.
4/ If the presence of the DH reduces the use of the bunt, and especially by American League pitchers, most of whom simply cannot bunt but are forced to try during interleague play, then the universal DH is the greatest thing since sliced Spam. And remember, it’s called sacrifice for a reason!
From baseball historian, Bill Arnold: “The Mets ended 13 straight games against two teams (Dodgers and Giants) that each has a .600 or better winning percentage after 100 games but won just 2 of 13 games; the last time that happened featured the Blue Jays against the Yankees and Orioles in 13 straight between Sept. 8-21, 1980 and went 4-9.”
Also from Arnold: “The Elias Sports Bureau reports that the Marlins became the first team to start three players with the first name of Jesus in a game on Aug. 18; manager Don Mattingly penciled in first baseman Jesus Aguilar to bat third, right fielder Jesus Sanchez to bat cleaup and starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo to bat ninth in the starting lineup against the visiting Braves.”
Baseball Photos of the Day:
One of favorites, Jim Rice.
Three more of my favorites: Bob Welch, Steve Garvey and Davey Lopes. October 19, 1981. The Dodgers win the pennant in Montreal.
A minor favorite of mine, Bert Campaneris, in one of the coolest uniforms in baseball history, as a member of the 1967 Oakland A’s.
Kevin Seitzer wasn’t necessarily one of my favorites, but I do remember thinking about him more than a few times. And I enjoyed watching him swing it. In a 12-year career as a corner infielder primarily with the Kansas City Royals, Seitzer recorded 1557 hits, 285 doubles, 35 triples, 74 homers and 613 RBIs lifetime, along with a better-than-you-might-recall .295/.375/.404 slash line.
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the Internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter. Follow OBHC on Twitter here. Be friends with Howard on Facebook.
Read OBHC online here.
I agree with you in the DH question, and not only because of the good timing of using it for JT.
I also preach patience with Lux, but I find it disturbing that they want him to play 3rd. What does that mean? They've already asked Seager to move next year and he refused? ARod and Ripken Jr move but he won't?
"...the last time that happened featured the Blue Jays against the Yankees and Orioles in 13 straight between Sept. 8-21, 1980 and went 4-9.” One thing that's always amazed me (unmathematically-minded as i am), is how somebody would even begin to figure out (i'm wild-guessing via computer, but still...) the answer to such an obscure weird statistical question. Raised at a time when statistics were 714, 56, 60, .406, etc.