Hello,
Again there were only 5 games played in Major League Baseball today. Two of them were very critical to the playoff races. (I wouldn't say the Nationals game is a critical game, they almost assuredly will make the playoffs.) Earlier I wrote about the Braves big 1-0 win today over the Colorado Rockies. The second critical game was Baltimore-New York. I got home from work in time to see the bottom of the 8th inning to the end of the game. I'm going to set the stage first. Matt Wieters had hit a three run home run in the bottom of the 1st inning to lead the Orioles to a 4-0 lead. Each team then scored 1 run in the 4th inning, the Orioles led 5-1. Matt Reynolds later added his 19th home run of the season to give the Orioles a 6-1 lead. So obviously the game is in the bag right?
Um no, this is pennant race baseball. For every team in the pennant race each game is so much more crucial than earlier in the season. The Yankees are fighting to stop their collapse, Joe Girardi even called a meeting yesterday. Then there's the Orioles, frankly an afterthought in MLB for so many years. How much longer will the Orioles remain relevant in this pennant race. I suggest they answered that question tonight. Another favorable omen for the Orioles was unveiling the statue in honor of Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak 17 years ago tonight. I remember watching the end of that game. The Orioles were pathetic that season and that was their highlight of the season. When was the last time the Orioles played a meaningful game in September? Answer; 1997. The Orioles have had 14 straight losing seasons. (Thanks as always to espn.com.)
No the game isn't over, the Yankees aren't going quietly into that good night. Thanks to 3 hits and 4 walks the Yankees tied the game at 6 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. New York has grabbed back the momentum. Oriole fans are thinking oh no, here we go again. But don't worry Orioles fans Mark Reynolds, Matt Wieters and Adam Jones are determined that the Orioles won't lose tonight.
Ace Yankees reliever David Robertson comes into the game, with a less than 3.00 ERA. Robertson faces Adam Jones, the first Orioles of the inning. Jones gets a ball he can hit and promptly sends it 422 feet to give the Orioles the 7-6 lead. Robertson has been pitching so well all season, obviously he won't give up anymore runs, right? One can never know in pennant race baseball. Wieters, one of the heroes of the game, bats and gets a single. The Orioles have already scored one run this inning, have a runner on first base and there are no outs.
Next up is Reynolds, surely the on fire hitter is due for an out? Right? No, he promptly hits the ball 368 feet to left field. It's his second home run of the night and his 20th of the year. He has now hit 8 home runs in his last 7 games. Wieters scores ahead of him and the Orioles lead 9-6. Surely the bleeding for the Yankees has now stopped, right? No! Boone Logan came in for the Yankees and had surely one of the shortest appearances in Major League Baseball ever. He pitched one pitch, which resulted in a 377 foot home run by Chris Davis, before Joe Girardi pulled him from the game. Baltimore now led 10-6.
Former Dodger, former Red Sox, former Brave Derek Lowe then came into the game. He got the three outs and finally got the Yankees out of the inning. Other than a harmless single by Robinson Cano, the Yankees went meekly in the top of the 9th inning.
Now we are back to having a tie in the AL East. Both the Orioles and the Yankees are 77-60 this season. The Orioles continue to defy expectations and the Yankees continue to collapse. Looking at their last 10 games, one might guess that the Yankees are the team that' 7-3 over their last 10 games. But no it's Baltimore that is 7-3 over their last 10, and 10-3 over their last 13 games. Meanwhile the Yankees have stumbled to a 3-7 record over their last 10 games.
That was an exciting game and there are still 3 more games left in this series. Keep up the good work Baltimore.
Previously I referred to both the Dodgers and Pirates less than sizzling records against below average teams in these pennant races. I'm hoping the Dodgers and Pirates took some notes from the Washington Nationals on how to close out an inferior team. The Nationals just swept a 4 game series from the Chicago Cubs. Other than the first game, this series was complete domination. The Nationals out scored the Cubs 31-9, including 18-3 in the last two games. Washington is now 85-52 and have run away from the rest of the NL East. To give you some perspective the Nationals lead the second place Braves by 7.5 games. The Braves have the 4th best record in MLB and a 93.3% chance of making the playoffs. Also from espn.com, Washington has a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs.
themusicaddict
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