Astros were soundly trounced by Seattle in the crucial 3 game home series and now are realistically out of it in terms of winning the division and they are in a dead heat with Cleveland who is very hot right now. It doesn't look good given how we've played the last month vs the Guardians playing their best ball of the season right now. Not to mention if we finish in a tie with them, they hold the tie breaker. So I'm not very optimistic that we will make the playoffs, this team needs an off season overhaul.
If Cleveland beats out Detroit for the Central Division you wouldn't have to worry about Cleveland for the wild card. You are pretty much in a dead heat with Detroit as well but so far they have been struggling. Who has the tie breaker for you vs. Detroit?
Wow! A combination of Cleveland being on fire plus Detroit tanking after the All-Star break has turned the ALC upside down compared to where it was pre-ASB.
Quite the finish to the ALC season coming up. Cleveland gets the struggling Rangers Detroit gets the Red Sox. Astros are cooked, done, fini.
Well the Astros finished in a tie with Cleveland and Detroit but they both had the tiebreaker over the Astros so we are out of the playoffs for the 1st time in a lot of years. Team will need a reboot in the offseason and we'll need to make some key additions esp to the pitching staff. I don't expect Frambler to be back, Lance McCullers is done to big injury history. Yankee's, Toronto, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and Seattle. Seattle and Cleveland were the hot teams at the end. Can they keep it up?
Tie breaker not needed against Cleveland. We were 88-74. Astros and Detroit 87-75. Cleveland makes largest comeback in MLB history (we were 15.5 games back)
Great to see both Cleveland and Cincinnati in the playoffs along with Detroit and Milwaukee. A rust belt renaissance!
The Reds and Mets also ended up tied, but the Reds owned the head to head tiebreaker. Another offseason of drama for the free spending Mets. Breaks my pea pickin' heart.
I just saw something weird today in the Cubs-Padres game, a sacrifice bunt. It actually was successful and ultimately resulted in a run. Amazing. I then heard that it's not the only SB of the day. Could it be that MLB managers are going retro?
Sox/Yankees is a great game. Crochet was really good. Almost had a disaster in the bottom of the 8th when Abreu stole a fly ball from the CF and it looked like they were going to collide.
Dramatic 9th for Boston and NY. Bases loaded for the Yankee's and nobody out, Chapman buckles down and the Soz escape with the 3-1 win.
Another dramatic finish. Bases loaded by Detroit, but Guardians closer held on and they tie the series up.
3 out of 4 Wild Card series going to game 3, only the Dodgers who polished off the Reds in 2 games won't have a game 3. Tigers, Cubs and looks like the Yankee's all move on to the Divisional Series.
One Padres player is ready for the ABS (Automated Ball/Strke System) that is coming next year. Did this really cause the Padres to lose? We'll never know of course, but this doesn't seem to be in the same league with the Royals/Cardinals 1984. Bogaerts didn't mince words after the game when asked about the apparent missed call by plate umpire D.J. Reyburn. "Talk about it now: What do you want me to do?" Bogaerts said, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. "It's a ball. Messed up the whole game, you know? I mean, can't go back in time, and talking about it now won't change anything. So it was bad, and thank God for ABS next year because this is terrible." The automated ball-strike system will be implemented in the majors next season after years of testing in the minors as well as during spring training and at this year's All-Star Game. The MLB competition committee voted last month to give teams two challenges per game using ABS if they believe a call by the plate umpire is wrong.
It really was a horrible call. Not even remotely close to being a strike. Glad to see the change for next year. And now the deep pocket Cubby fans head north to invade Milwaukee. Stub Hub prices have skyrocketed as traitorous Wisconsin residents sell their playoff tickets to the wealthy buttheads from Illinois for extra beer money.
As happy as I am for the Cubs win, I agree that it was a horrible call. Catchers have become masterful at framing but there’s no excuse for not seeing how low that pitch was. Did it change the outcome? We’ll never know. Just glad my team won. Not happy we’re going to be eviscerated by the TUN (Get it, Bobda?) But at least we’ll save money in travel expenses.