Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below decks of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken have the morning off. In other words …
Why I keep these two on staff remains a mystery.
It’s a magic and loss kind of day in sports, the excitement of the baseball postseason beginning tempered by the deaths of Dikembe Mutombo and Pete Rose. It is part of sports’ appeal how they provide the opportunity to pass down stories from generation to generation of heroes that went before; the Cincinnati Reds-loving grandson squealing with delight over Elly De La Cruz’s exploits while the grandfather reminisces about Rose and Johnny Bench. At their best, sports can provide a bridge over which families can cross even the most seemingly insurmountable chasms.
Pete Rose, ‘Hit King’ and All-Star Cincinnati Reds Player and Manager, Dead at 83
Life and baseball go on. The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves both did what they needed to do on September 30 to ensure they’d continue playing on October 1, splitting their doubleheader and thus leaving the Arizona Diamondbacks to slither into hibernation until pitchers and catchers report next year for spring training. Thus, we finally have our wild card matchups.
• Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros
Tarik Skubal takes his 18-4 record and 2.39 ERA to the mound for Detroit against Houston’s Framber Valdez (15-7, 2.91 ERA). Both pitchers went well down the stretch, with each allowing a total of five earned runs over their last five starts.
Detroit started the season hot, went cold, and finished red hot. Houston started the season looking like the Lilliputian Whiffenpoofs, but righted the spaceship and won their fourth straight AL West championship in Joe Espada’s first year as manager. As mentioned in a previous post, the Tigers’ manager is A.J. Hinch, who previously skippered the Astros, so there’s a bit of a storyline to be harped on by whichever broadcasters are calling the games. Experience gives Houston the edge, but Detroit has been on such a tear that they may well keep things rolling.
• Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles
A funny thing happened in Missouri this year. The Royals, who last year were dreadful to the tune of losing 106 games, finished ten games over .500 this year and made their way into the playoffs. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. led Kansas City into the postseason with his .332 batting average and 32 home runs. The Orioles have a balanced offense that finished second in both batting average and home runs in the American League. Each team has middle-of-the-pack pitching, so each team should score a fair number of runs. Or not.
• New York Mets at Milwaukee Brewers
It’s never dull when the Mets are involved. The first game of the September 30 doubleheader against the Braves was as emblematic of this team as it gets. Down 3-0 going into the eighth inning? No problem! We’ll score six. Oh, wait, we gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth? Easy peasy, we’ll hit a two-run homer in the ninth. Their fans must be exhausted.
The Mets are average as far as batting average but good at the long ball (fourth in the National League). New York’s pitching is average. Meanwhile, the Brewers hit well for average but are nothing to write home about regarding the home run ball. Where they excel is keeping the other team from scoring; Milwaukee’s ERA is the second best in the National League. It should be an interesting series if for no other reason than who knows what the Mets will do.
• Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
Atlanta is limping into this series minus its best player, Ronald Acuña Jr., and regular third baseman Austin Riley. Making matters worse is Chris Sale, the Braves’ best starting pitcher, is day-to-day with back issues and is unlikely to be available for this series. Ouch.
Atlanta pretty much lives and dies by the long ball, ranking second in the National League regarding round-trippers. The Braves had the best ERA in the league. They’ll need it against a Padres squad that led the league in batting average but was not always successful at turning this into productivity; they finished sixth in runs scored. San Diego was in the top third pitching-wise. The Padres have the home-field advantage, but this series is (at least to me) a toss-up.
Have a thunderous Tuesday, everyone.
