Special rules – Rules for 2023

San Fran 4, Los Angeles 0 – Jan 14

The Giants completed a rather unusual sweep, as all 4 games were by 1-run, and mostly of the low-scoring variety. In 2 of the 4 games, LA led after 6 innings; one of the games went to extra innings, while a second was settled in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 9th. But, the main takeaway from the series was that LA has a miserable offensive attack. Absolutely no power, a ton of swing and miss, and unable to put together any sustained rallies. San Francisco took full advantage of that. The sweep pretty much guarantees that the Dodgers will miss the playoffs, and now the second half will be about playoff seeding for the remaining 4 teams…

KC 2, SEA 2 – Dec 29

In a battle for 3rd place, KC and Seattle split the series, keeping their records at identical 13-15, although KC holds the tie-breaker thanks to being up on the season-series. As per usual, both teams left the series feeling they could have won a third game. For Seattle, they won Game 2 by a 6-5 score, and Game 4 by a convincing 4-1 tally, but lost Game 1 in a close 3-2 final, and lost Game 3 by an 11-7 score, although that was primarily due to M’s reliever Gregory Soto walking 4 en route to surrendering 6 runs in the 7th inning, when Seattle was trailing by 2 runs. 

For KC, they will take their 3-2 Game 1 win behind rookie sensation Spencer Strider, and that Game 3 11-7 win; KC will lament losing Game 2, which went to extra innings and KC flat out ran out of relievers, and were forced to bring in Reyes Moronta to toss the top of the 10th. He almost got out of it unscathed. With the ghost runner at 2nd, he walked Manny Machado. But he came back and struck-out Josh Bell, and got Christian Walker to ground out to 2nd, moving the runners over to 2nd and 3rd. KC allowed him the chance to get out of the inning, despite having Andrew Chaffin ready to come in, and Ian Happ made KC pay, slamming a 2-run triple, that was in and out of Lourdes Gurriel’s glove. KC would answer with a run of their own in the bottom of the 10th, and had 1st and 3rd with nobody out, and yet, Clay Holmes found a way to shut KC down without giving up the tying/winning runs. He got Chris Dickerson to ground out, with the runners holding, and also got Aaron Judge on a similar grounder. Seattle intentionally walked Matt Olson, and Gurriel flied out to end the game. 

Both teams now have Oakland on their schedule, which will determine which of these two faces off against Toronto in the semi-finals, and which will face Boston. 

 

BOS 2, SEA 2 – Dec 10

The Boston Red Sox have played consistent ball all season, save for one bad series in the 1st month versus Seattle, where they dropped 3 of 4. The Sox were ready for the rematch, and had it not been for a wild, extra-inning comeback by Seattle, the Sox would have exacted their revenge. As it stood, the series was a split, which help the Sox maintain their decent lead for 2nd place in the division, and setting up the distinct possibility of a semi-final playoff series against those same Mariners. 

Boston’s two wins were fairly convincing – a 6-0 win behind Cristina Javier, and a 4-2 win behind Chris Flexen, who has been on fire lately leading the Sox to several wins. And that 4-2 margin is misleading, since Boston led 4-1 going to the 9th, and the M’s had mustered just 5 hits in the game. Meanwhile, Seattle coaxed a 7-5 win in Game 1 of the series, where Garrett Cole almost spit up a 7-1 lead, as he was victimized by a Luis Rengifo 3-run HR in the 5th, and a Willy Castro solo shot in the 6th to get Boston to within 7-5, but the Seattle pen of Colin McHugh, Evan Phillips, and Clay Holmes shut it down, retiring the final 7 batters to save it. But the wild game was Game 3. The two teams alternated taking and losing the lead in the early innings, as Sea led 2-0, then Bos led 3-2, then Sea led 5-3, all before the 5th inning. But then things settled down, and Seattle clung to that 5-3 lead, until the 8th, when Marcel Osuna tagged Scott Barlow for a 2-run shot, tying the game. That set up overtime, where Adolis Garcia launched a 2-run HR, and Boston took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the 10th. On came Camilo Doval for the save. Brandon Drury was the ghost runner at 2nd. Jorge Mateo grounded out; Juan Soto grounded out; Adley Rutchsmann drew a walk, and with 2-on, 2-out, and 2-strikes on the hitter, Matt Carpenter blasted a 3-run HR, winning the game for Seattle. Carpenter has seemingly come out of nowhere to restart his career, and this was as big a hit as he has had in years! It salvaged a split for Seattle, and preventing them from letting last place Oakland get to within 2 games of them for the last playoff spot. As it stands, the lead is at 3 full games. 

 

TOR 4, SEA 0 – Nov 26

The Blue Jays pretty much just clinched 1st place in the AL with a sweep over the Seattle Mariners. Highlighting the parity in the usbl, 3 of Toronto’s 4 wins were by 1-run, which was extremely frustrating for the Mariners, but very satisfying for the Jays. In the three one-run victories, Toronto’s bullpen went 10 innings, surrendering just 1 run, and that was in Game 4 in the 9th, when the Jays were up 2-0, and closer Josh Hader gave up a solo shot to Matt Carpenter, so it didn’t impact the outcome. The Jays have been playing 7-inning games thanks to co-closers Edwin Diaz and Hader. For Seattle, their offense needs to take a long hard look in the mirror, as their pitching staff did all it could to salvage at least a split, giving up just 2 runs in 2 of the 4 games, and 3 runs in a third game. The M’s managed just 6 runs in the series combined, with 4 of them coming on solo homers, and the other 2 runs on a 2-run single by Manny Machado. The M’s are suddenly vulnerable for making the post-season. 

 

 

OAK 2, BOS 2 – Nov 19

The last-place Oakland A’s had yet another series in which they could begin some sort of playoff push, but again, the results were mixed and very inconsistent. For instance, Oakland scored 5 runs in the 3rd inning of Game 1, but would go on to score just 6 additional runs through the series’ next 33 innings! Where it really hurt Oakland in the series was in Game 4 where Boston got just 1 run – a solo shot off the bat of much-maligned slugger Joey Gallo – but that proved to be enough for the Red Sox, as Max Scherzer combined with rookie closer Camillo Doval on a 6 hitter, with 12 K’s. Oakland’s only real scoring threat came in the 5th inning, when Isaac Paredes led off with a double, and moved to 3rd on Toby Barnhardt’s one-out single. But Adam Vaughn struck-out, and Jonathon Schoop flied out to end the threat. For Boston, enough can’t be said about the quality of their starting pitching. Other than the uncharacteristic performance by Cristian Javier in that Game 1 Oakland win, where he gave up 3 long balls (Hunter Renfroe with the big 3-run HR), the next 3 Boston hurlers combined to give up just 2 runs over 20 innings! Chris Flexen tossed 6 scoreless, Michael Wacha went 7 innings on 2 runs, and Scherzer’s gem in Game 4. 

Sometimes we like to play the what-if game for each team. For Oakland, they won 2 games, but of the 2 losses, one was a 1-0 defeat, and the other was a 2-1 loss when Boston broke a scoreless tie after 8 innings with 2 runs in the top of the 9th. So Oakland feels like they could have won at least 3 of the games. From Boston’s perspective, of their 2 losses, sure, one was a 7-3 blowout, but the other loss was an extra inning defeat, losing in the bottom of the 10th on Teoscar Hernandez’ RBI single, scoring the ghost runner. Regardless of who feels they deserved better in this series, the bottom line is that with each passing series, Oakland’s playoff hopes keep shrinking, as they will run out of games soon, while Boston is solidly in 3rd place, and has a decent chance to overtake Seattle for 2nd place with a good head-to-head showing…

 

TOR 2, BOS 2 – Nov 17

The unheralded Boston Red Sox continued their strong play, by managing a split with the 1st place Toronto Blue Jays. Interestingly, all 4 games were decided by exactly 1 run! Toronto won the first 2 games by scores of 4-3 and 3-2, but then Boston stormed back and won the next 2 games by identical 5-4 scores. If a team had some bad luck, it was the Red Sox, who in that Game 1 loss, had a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th, and on came impressive rookie closer Camilo Doval, but he was done in by an untimely error. Doval struck out Nolan Arenado to lead off the 9th, got Cedric Mullins to fly out, but Byron Buxton reached base when SS Luis Renfigo booted the routine grounder. That extended the inning, and Toronto took advantage of the break. Hi Seung Kim doubled in Buxton to tie the game, and Will Smith singled in Kim to walk it off. But both teams will take the split…

 

TOR 3, OAK 1

The Oakland A’s fell further from a playoff spot, dropping 3 of 4 to the 1st place Blue Jays. Toronto won a game in a shoot-out, won another in a pitcher’s duel, and won a third with pitching and defense. Their only loss came in Game 3, when rookie starter Joe Ross and 4 relievers combined to shut-out Toronto 4-0. In Game 1, Toronto held leads of 6-2 after 5, 8-5 after 6, and then watched as Oakland tied the game in the top of the 7th with 3 more runs, courtesy of a Jose Ramirez 3-run bomb. But in the home half of the 7th, Anthony Rizzo destroyed a baseball, connecting on a left-vs-left against Richard Bleier, and the Toronto late-inning tandem of Alexei Diaz and Josh Hader did the rest. In Game 2, the pitcher’s duel, Aaron Nola out-pitched Dylan Cease, and Toronto win 3-1. The Jays runs were all courtesy of the long ball, as Rizzo went deep, a 2-run shot, and rookie Julio Rodriguez connected on a solo shot. In Oakland’s Game 3 win, the A’s offense came from a Teoscar Hernandez solo shot in the 2nd, and a Hunter Renfroe 3-run shot in the 3rd…Oakland hurlers held Toronto to just 4 hits. Finally, in Game 4, Toronto overcame an early 2-0 deficit by putting up a 5-spot in the bottom of the 3rd…no homers, all singles, doubles, and walks off Nick Pivetta. Michael Kopech went the first 6 on 5 hits and 2 runs; and the Jays pen tossed 3 scoreless on 2 hits – Dylan Coleman, Alex Vesia, and Josh Hader. 

 

KC 2, Bos 2

For those who enjoy pitcher’s duels, this was the series for you! Boston out-scored KC 8-7, an average score per game of 2-2. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, given that both of these teams boast strong starting pitching, with below average offense.  In every game, there was a team that only managed to score 1 run. The teams each averaged 5 hits per game. KC hit 3 home runs in the series, all 3 coming in its Game 4 win, while Boston hit just 1. The Red Sox won Game 1 fairly easily, by a 5-1 score, although their final 2 insurance runs came in the bottom of the 7th, and were both unearned thanks to a Ronald Acuna error. Matt Scherzer was brilliant in this one, going 7 innings on 4 hits and 9 K’s. And KC had a relatively easy time in its Game 4 win, a 4-1 score, thanks to back-to-back homers by Matt Olson and the ageless Albert Pujols in the 4th, and an Aaron Judge blast in the 6th. It was the middle 2 games that were the hotly contested contests. 

In Game 2, it was scoreless through 6 innings, as Joe Musgrove and Tony Gonsolin were both dealing. KC broke through in the top of the 7th, although in keeping with the theme of the series (offense being hard to get), it took 3 singles, a walk, and a stolen base of 3rd for KC to push that valuable run across! KC was hoping to milk that one-run to victory, but after Musgrove was pulled through 7 scoreless, Craig Kimbrel came in in the bottom of the 8th and struggled. Marcel Ozuna led off with a booming double, Josh Donaldson was hit, and Luis Rengifo had an infield single to load them up. Thomas Nido struck out, but DJ Lemehieu singled in Ozuna and Donaldson, and just like that, Boston grabbed the lead at 2-1. Camillo Doval tossed a scoreless 9th for the save. 

In Game 3, more of the same! Spencer Strider vs Chris Flexen. KC did jump out to another 1-0 lead, this time in the top of the 3rd, when with one on, Judge hit one that hit off the top of the wall, barely missing a 2-run homer, but settling for an RBI triple. KC hoped to milk this run to a win as well, and this time they succeeded! Strider went the first 7 innings, all scoreless, giving up just 2 hits and striking out 10. Jose Alvarado came on in the 8th and tossed a scoreless frame, and Jordan Romano did a tight-rope walk to save it in the 9th, but not before Boston had loaded the bases with 1 out, but he got Lemehieu to fly out to left field, too shallow for Ozuna, the runner at 3rd, to try and tag up with the potential tying run, and then Seya Suzuki grounded out on a fine play by Trey Turner. 

With both these teams holding a playoff spot, a split is not the worst thing…

 

AL Month # 2 gets underway!

The 1st place Toronto Blue Jays visited the 4th place Kansas City Royals, in a battle of very similarly-built teams. Both clubs rely on strong starting pitching, to go along with sporadic hitting. KC came in 3 games back of the division leading Blue Jays, but that includes a 4-game sweep by Toronto earlier in the year. Had the two teams split that series, KC would be in 1st place, and Toronto would be a game back in 2nd. Which shows how tight the American League is this year. The two teams split this series, with KC winning the first 2 games, and Toronto winning the back two. And as similar as these teams are to one another, so were the wins and losses. In the first 2 games that KC won, the Royals outscored Toronto 11-7 (Toronto scored 2 runs off KC’s mop-up man in garbage time to make it a bit more reasonable), while in Toronto’s two wins, the Jays out-scored KC 9-1. KC scored first in its 2 wins, while Toronto scored first in its 2 wins. 

Perhaps most concerning for KC, in their 2 losses to Toronto, they managed just 2 hits in each of those losses, a 3-0 defeat and a 6-1 loss. Of those 4 hits, 3 were singles, and one was an RBI double, scoring a runner who had walked. Toronto’s Seong Hu Kim was moved up into the leadoff spot to begin game 2, and was a sparkplug for his team, going 4/12 over the final 3 games, with 2 HRS, and scored 5 times in those 2 games!

Perhaps the pivotal game of the series was Game 3. KC had won the first 2 and was looking to take the series. Alex Cobb went up against Michael Kopech. The aformentioned Kim homered on the first pitch of the ballgame, giving Toronto its first lead of the series at 1-0. But Cobb settled down, and this one became a pitcher’s duel. Both starters went 6 innings, and the score still stood at 1-0 Toronto. KC went to Jose Alvarado and Tanner Houck to get through the 7th scoreless; Toronto went to Alex Vesia for the bottom of the 7th, where things got interesting, as KC loaded the bases with 2 out, but Vesia struck-out Sean Murphy to end the threat. Score remains 1-0 Toronto. In the top of the 8th, KC sent Houck back out there to deal with 2 right-handed batters and a switch hitter sandwiched in between, but he failed to record a single out. Kim walked, Ketel Marte walked, and Will Smith doubled in a run. Andrew Chafin came on and got Blackmon on a short fly ball, intentionally walked Julio Rodrigues to load the bases, got Anthony Rizzo to line out to short, but with 2 out, Byron Buxton barely beat out an infield single, scoring an important 3rd run. Toronto extended its lead to 3-0. In the bottom of the 8th, KC would again load the bases, this time off Alexis Diaz, this time with just 1 out, but Diaz struck-out Aaron Judge and got Matt Olson to ground out, ending the threat. Josh Hader would easily dispose of KC in the 9th to secure the win. 

San Diego 2, Pittsburgh 2

The high-flying Padres faced off against the 1st place Pittsburgh Pirates, eager to prove they belong with the big boys, and SD did just that. The two teams split a ferociously fought series, where SD out-scored Pit by a 15-13 score. Three of the games were decided by 3-run margins, while the final game was an extra-inning, one-run game that Pittburgh won to salvage the split. There were all sorts of fireworks in this series. For one, Pittbsurgh dropped consecutive games in which they led after 6 innings. The more painful of the two was Game 2, where the Pirates went into the 9th inning clinging to a 2-1 lead (Rich Hill and bullpen had outdueled Chris Bassitt). On came Emanuel Clase for the save. Pete Alonso drew a walk to lead-off, took second on Eduardo Escobar’s infield single, and took 3rd to load the bases on Eric Haas’ infield single. Jose Iglesius tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and Gleyber Torres gave SD the lead on an RBI double. Michael Harris and Brenden Donovan would also add RBI singles. San Diego wins 5-2. 

Game 4 was the game Pittsburgh badly needed to split the series. In this one, it was SD’s turn to lose a lead through 6 innings. A 3-run HR by Escobar in the 2nd inning gave the Padres a 3-0 lead, but Pit fought back. A Taylor Ward RBI single in the 3rd produced one run, then a Ward grounder scored a second run in the 5th, and the Bucs came all the way back in the 7th on Kyle Schwarber’s solo homer. Tied after 9. Embattled closer Clase came back to pitch the top of the 10th, and this time he exacted his revenge for the earlier blown save. Despite the ghost runner at 2nd to start the inning, he retired the side without a run scoring. That set the stage for the bottom of the 10th, facing SD set-up man Albert Abreau, the ghost runner (ironically, another Abreau, this one named Jose) took 3rd on a 2-out grounder by Ward, and jogged home on William Contreras’ RBI single. These two teams are tied for 1st place in the National League after the 1st month. 

 

San Diego 2, Cinci 2

The surprising Padres continued their strong play, splitting with the offensively-challenged Cincinnati Reds and maintaining a share of 1st place in the NL. San doego outscored the Reds 22-14, and out-homered them 10-5 (4 of the 5 Cinci homers were solo shots). 

AL 1st month in the books

KC took 3 from the Seattle Mariners, and we have reached the 16 game mark in the season. Oakland sits in last place at 5-11, 2 games back of the final playoff spot currently held by Kansas City at 7-9. Seattle, Boston and 1st place Toronto are comfortably ahead. KC took 3 from the M’s to close out the 1st month. KC’s starting pitchers were dominant for the first 3 games, while KC was firing on all cylinders offensively as well, out-scoring Seattle 23-7. But in Game 4, despite KC building a lead of 6-3 through 5 innings, Seattle scratched for a run in the 6th on a Juan Soto HR, and then came all the way back in the 7th off Tanner Houck, tying the game with a 2-spot, thanks to RBI singles by Mike Yazstremski and Brandon Drury. This one needed 11 innings to settle, but Manny Machado slugged a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 11th to walk it off. Seattle got 5 shut-out innings of relief from their bullpen, as they combined to go 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 K’s. They were the difference in this game. 

 

Pirates split with Cincinnati

Reds hang in there against high-flying Pirates offense

Pittsburgh put up 6 runs, 7 runs, and 9 runs, yet only won 2 of these, as the Reds battled on their end to outscore Pittsburgh and gain a split. In Pittsburgh’s other game they put up just 3 runs, and lost handily by a 7-3 margin. Game 1 was an almost-comeback for Cinci, as they gave up a 2-run, pinch-hit home run to Daulton Varsho in the 6th, which snapped a 3-3 tie, and Mitch Garver added a solo shot in the 7th, giving Pit a 6-3 lead after 7. But Jurickson Profar hit a homer in the 8th, and Jeremy Pena connected with a solo shot in the 9th, but that’s as close as Cinci got, dropping this one 6-5. The Reds won Game 2 by that 7-3 score, thanks in part to Jazz Chisholm’s 2-run homer and another solo shot by Pena. 

Game 3 was the highlight of the series. Cinci built up a 9-2 lead through 4 innings, and needed every last run to hold on! Cinci’s 9 runs were mostly on sustained rallies, although Trey Mancini connected on a 2-run HR. But Pittsburgh fought back! A single run in the 6th made it 9-3 through 8. But the top of the 9th was nuts! With 2 men on and 1 out, Garver slammed a 3-run shot, making it 9-6. That brough tin star-studded closer Edwin Diaz, who promptly struck-out pinch-hitter Kyle Schwarber for the second out. But Taylor Ward homered, and suddenly the lead was down to 9-7. Jose Abreau then singled, as did Marcus Semien, and pinch-hitter Varsho walked, loading the bases, still with 2 out. Pittsburgh was a single away from tying this ball game, but Lars Nootbaar, who had walked to start the crazy 9th inning, grounded out to short to end the game. 

Pittbsurgh won 9-2 in Game 4, as Jesus Lazardo shut down Cinci through 7 innings on just 2 hits, 1 run, and 7 K’s. Pittsburgh was all over Brandon Woodruff, putting up all 9 runs on him over just the first 3 innings, on 9 hits, 5 walks, and an error. 

 

 

Padres off to fast start after disposing of Giants

San Fran’s high hopes for a strong season get off to a rocky start

The Padres started the series with their hitting shoes on, and did not stop hitting until the 5th inning of Game 4 in the series, which is what allowed the Giants to win a game! San Diego averaged 7 runs per game in the series, yet did so on only 4 home runs, and 3 of those 4 were solo homers! So this was truly a case of big inning rally after big inning rally. The only loss SD took was in Game 4 where they led 5-1 after 6 innings, and gave up a 10-spot in the top of the 7th. The Padres certainly seem to be more than the sum of their parts. For San Fran, their vaunted starting rotation was hit hard…they gave up 14 runs in their 23 innings, but the bullpen may have somehow suffered even more, as they gave up 13 runs in their 13 innings pitched. Remember, SF’s pitching is supposed to be the strength of this team. 

Final scores were 7-4, 8-7, and 7-4 in the wins, and that 11-5 loss. The marque game in the series was Game 2. Logan Gilbert vs Sandy Alcantara. It was the pitcher’s duel you would expect, as the game was tied 2-2 through 9 innings. Alcantara went 8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 9 K’s; the only runs he allowed were on a ground ball RBI, and a sac fly. Gilbert went the first 6+, on 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K’s. The runs he allowed scored on an RBI single by Pete Alonso, and an RBI double by Michael Harris that was hit off reliever AJ Minter, but scored Gilbert’s base runner who had walked to lead off the 7th inning. In extras, this game got a bit more wild, to say the least! 

Top of the 10th: a 2-out RBI single by Ty France scores the ghost runner, giving SF a 3-2 lead; Bottom of the 10th: Harris doubles in the ghost runner with nobody out, but he gets stranded on 2nd base, game remains tied at 3-3; Top of the 11th: Luis Robert singles in the ghost runner, and then Gavin Lux slugs a 2-run homer, and the Giants lead 6-3! Bottom of the 11th: Rafael Montero comes in for the Giants to close this one out. Eduardo Escobar walks, Gleyber Torres doubles in the ghost runner, with Escobar stopping at 3rd. JP Crawford singles in Escobar, with Torres taking 3rd, and Torres scores on a sac fly by Harris. Game tied up again at 6-6! Top of the 12th: France singles in the ghost runner, SF leads 7-6. Bottom of the 12th: Bryce Harper singles in the ghost runner, tying the game. Harper takes 2nd on a walk to Alonso, and then 3rd base on another walk, this time to Cody Bellinger, and scores the walk-off winning run on a Torres sac fly. San Diego outlasts San Francisco 8-7! 

 

Pirates open NL season by sweeping LA

Pirates completely dominate hapless LA

The Pirates opened their season by sweeping the Dodgers aside, in a series that did not feel as close as it actually was. For example, in Game 1, Pittsburgh went into the 9th inning clinging to a 4-3 lead, in a game they ultimately would win 5-3. Or in Game 2, where a 2-run homer by Kyle Schwarber in the 4th inning would be the only offense by either team, as Pittsburgh shut-out LA 2-0 behind Merril Kelly’s 3-hitter through 7 shut-out innings. Or Game 3 where Pittsburgh led by just 5-4 through 5 innings, but wound up winning 16-5. Or, Game 4, where LA hoped to salvage a win behind their ace Justin Verlander, and led 4-3 after 6 innings, but ultimately lost 11-4. 

But, when you crunch the numbers after the series, it was all Pittsburgh – they outscored LA 34-12, and out-homered them 14-1. Kyle Schwarber put on a power display in the series, going 4/13, with a double, 3 HRS and 6 RBI. 

San Diego open NL season by taking 3 of 4 from LA

Chris Bassitt dazzles, throwing 1-hitter following 6 no-hit innings

The Padres showed off a decent offensive lineup, which coupled with their above average starting rotation, bodes well for season success. Their bullpen lacks much depth and could become a major negative factor later in the season, but for now, SD has just enough pieces to milk leads. They scored 11, 7, 6, and 5 runs in the games, which made it easy to win. Their only loss was a 9-7 extra inning loss where they led 7-1 after 4, but ultimately lost in 12 innings. For LA, their biggest disappointment was losing the Justin Verlander start. Kudos to the Padres, as they took advantage of a Tommy Edman error to score 2 unearned runs in the 4th to take a 2-0 lead, and then added to that lead in the 5th when Michael Harris hit a solo homer, and 2 batters later, Pete Alonso followed suit. The Padres would win this game 6-2. 

 

NL Gets Underway – LA takes 3 of 4 from Reds!

The games were extremely low-scoring, something insiders anticipate will be the case all season long in the NL. The first 3 games were all decided by 1 run, coincidentally all won by LA, by scores of 4-3, 3-2, and 3-2. The 4th game of the series had more offense, but that was in part to #4 starters being involved, and, LA using a mop-up man who really shouldn’t be pitching in the major leagues. Cinci definitely deserved a better fate in this series – they led after 6 innings in all 4 games, but blew the first 3 games in the 7th or later. There are teams that go through an entire usbl season and only blow 3 6th inning leads, the Reds’ bullpen found a way to blow 3 such games in one series! Give credit to LA though – they recognized how scarce offense was going to be and decided to be more aggressive on the base paths. For example, in Game 2, LA trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the 7th inning. Tyler O’Neill singled off Max Fried to lead-off the inning, and Tommy Edman followed up with a single into left field. But with the play in front of him, O’Neill aggressively took 3rd base just ahead of the throw from Chas McCormack. It immediately paid dividends when the very next batter, Nico Hoerner, hit a sacrifice fly, tying the game. But LA would then go on to score 2 more in that inning, taking a 3-1 lead, which ultimately wound up being a 3-2 final. 

On the plus side for both teams, despite sputtering offenses, both teams have some strong pitching, which will lead to a ton of low scoring games, so this season will focus on managerial abilities in the NL more than perhaps any other season. Boxscores are posted under NL side, as are the updated Standings and Schedule. Good luck to all teams as the NL kicks into high gear…

 

Boston 2, KC 2

The Red Sox continued their strong play, relying on a formula of strong starting pitching and minimal offense! Both games they won were by identical 2-1 scores! In fact, Boston is 4-4 when they score 3 runs or less…for comparison, KC is 0-8 when they score 3 runs or less, so its not a formula that works for everyone. From pretty much every statistical angle, the Red Sox were badly outplayed. They were out-scored 19-11, and out-homered 7-1. Their two losses were lopsided scores of 7-2, and 10-5. So the offense definitely needs help, and perhaps there may be a trade out there that can help. Yet, on the positive side, one of the 2 losses Boston suffered came with Adam Wainwright on the mound, who is Boston’s #5 starter. So the Red Sox are proving series after series that they will not be fading in this AL race, and would be a dangerous team come playoffs with their top 4 ace starters. 

As for KC, a few of their slumping offensive players got hot, including Trey Turner and Matt Chapman, but the offense continues to be inconsistent. And more was expected from the KC starting pitchers. This team has more hitting than Boston, and similar rotation, and yet it sits at 0-5 when scoring 3 runs or less, while the Red Sox have taken lemons and made them lemonade, managing to go 4-4 when scoring 3 or less. Although its early, the fact that KC can’t win the low-scoring games doesnt bode well for them to be a playoff contender…time will tell. 

 

Baltimore Orioles play their first game in franchise history!

The Orioles and their rookie Manager Andrew played their first ever usbl-game, and it featured mixed results. Kansas City pulled it out with an 8-7 win in 11 innings…both teams scored in the 10th, but only KC scored in the 11th. The O’s showed they have a competitive offense, as they scored 7 runs in the game, including 2 home runs – Anthony Santander with a 3-run shot for Baltimore’s first-ever homer, and Alejandro Kirk with a dramatic solo homer in the bottom of the 8th, tying the game and eventually forcing the overtime. The downside was the O’s bullpen – as expected, lack of talent hurt, and lack of depth also came into play since this one went into extras and needed 11 innings to decide it. On the plus side, Tyler Mahle pitched well, getting into the 6th inning and was pulled with a runner at 3rd, 2-out, and leading 3-0 in the game. But that’s when the bullpen squandered Mahle’s good work. The series continues early next week as Baltimore gets comfortable with managing in the usbl…

Seattle 3, Oakland 1 – played Thu June 22

The Oakland A’s continue to struggle with the “new-look” usbl, as it seems with the tougher nightly competition, they suddenly aren’t as dominating as they have been in the past. This time it was the Seattle Mariners, who watched their mediocre offense light up the likes of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta and Jhuran Duran. Oakland scored first in all 4 games, and Oakland led after 6 innings in 2 of the games, and were tied after 6 in the other 2. That’s when Seattle took over in 3 of the 4 games. Seattle scored 18 runs from the 7th inning on, and just 8 through the first 6 innings! Victimized for Oakland were the aformentioned Duran twice for 5 run innings, Trevor Stephan, and, in the only win of the series, David Robertson coughed up 2 late Seattle runs, almost blowing a 3-0 lead! The irony is that one of Oakland’s strength’s is its bullpen!

Seattle’s wins came in Game 1, breaking a 3-3 tie through 6 with a 5-run 7th inning; Game 2, where they trailed 5-2 through 6 and put up a 5-spot in the 7th to win 7-5; and Game 3, where they fell behind 3-0 early, fought back to tie the game at 3’s through 6, and then put up a 6-spot in the 7th to win 9-3! Oakland’s lone victory came in Game 4, when rookie Joe Ryan restored order, firing 5 shut-out innings on just 1 hit, and then 4 relievers combined to save it, albeit the Robertson fiasco in the 8th inning, but Ryan Helsley retired Seattle 1-2-3 in the 9th to preserve the 3-2 win. Oakland falls to the basement of the A.L., while Seattle is tied with Toronto for 1st place! 

 

RED SOX 3, OAK 1; RED SOX 3, JAYS 1 – June 22, 2023

The Boston Red Sox, picked by many to finish near the bottom of the American league, just finished a run of 6-2 over their past 8 games, surprising the 1st place Blue Jays and then the always-dangerous Oakland A’s. So how did they do it? The answer is with great pitching. One of the main reasons the Sox were picked to finish in 5th place was due to what was perceived as a weak hitting attack. That has not changed. On the season, Boston has scored a paltry 42 total runs – a 3.5 run per game average, which is what experts expected. Only KC has averaged fewer runs per game. But, Boston’s pitching has been lights-out, amongst the best in the league. Evidence of that is their 2-3 record when scoring 3 or fewer runs – the best mark in the AL – which shows that their pitching has allowed them to win some of those low scoring games. 

Here is another statistic that will blow your mind – Boston’s team ERA over their past 8 games, for the first 6 innings only – is a staggering 1.50! The Boston starters have been pitching lights-out! That group is made up of ace Max Scherzer, Tony Gonsolin, Cristian Javier, Michael Wacha, and Cody Flexen. If this team continues to get this kind of production from its starting pitchers, they are not only a playoff contender, but a Championship contender as well. 

TORONTO 2, SEATTLE 2 – Thu June 8

In the first series of the year between top teams, the 4-0 Jays hosted the 3-1 Mariners, but nothing really was settled, as the teams split the 4 game series. Both teams walk away from the series feeling like they could have won 3 out of the 4. For Seattle, they lost both games started by their co-aces Gerrit Cole and Logan Webb; For Toronto, they went into the fourth game up 2 games to 1, but lost to Drew Smylie, a pitcher the Jays feel like they should be able to handle, but on this day, he shut Toronto down on 3 hits through 5 scoreless, and then the Seattle pen did the rest in nursing a 2-0 lead, which wound up being a 3-0 final score. 

The Seattle trend of getting 3-run homers continued, as Ian Happ stayed hot with yet another 3-run bomb, while free agent acquisition Manny Machado slugged a 3-run bomb as well. For Toronto, they continue to get power from the bottom 4 in their lineup, as that group added another 3 dingers in the series. And, Toronto closer Taylor Rogers improved to 3/3 in save opportunities this season, so it is clearly a case of everything is going well for the Jays after 2 series. 

 

SEATTLE 3, BOSTON 1 – Tue June 6

The Mariners made an early statement to open the season, taking 3 of 4 against the Red Sox. But more than that, Seattle showed they can win in many different ways, as they slugged their way to a couple of lopsided wins, thanks to several 3-run homers, including two dingers from Ian Happ in Game 1 – a grand slam, and a 3-run shot – over the first 3 innings of the game! Happ would hit another 3-run shot in Game 4, as would Jean Segura. But apart from the slugging victories, Seattle also showed they can come back from late game deficits. In Game 2, Seattle trailed 4-3 after 6 innings, and Sox starter Cristian Javier had retired 11 in a row. But in the top of the 7th, he hit Brandon Drury with a pitch, and then Jorge Mateo took him deep for a 2-run shot, giving Seattle a 5-4 lead. And that stellar bullpen did its thing, combining for 3 shut-out innings – 9 up and 9 down. Boston’s only win was a 1-0 squeeker, the only run coming on a Luis Rengifo solo shot, and Tony Gonsolinand 2 relievers limiting Seattle to just 6 hits. 

 

TORONTO 4 KANSAS CITY 0

The Blue Jays got their 2023 season off to a flying start, sweeping the defending World Series champs 4-straight, and doing it in convincing fashion. Toronto outscored KC 18-4 in the 4 games, and out-homered them 6-1. Kansas City could not get any sort of offense going, and experts are beginning to question whether KC’s offense is even good enough to get them into the playoffs. But this series was all about Toronto. It all started with the Jays starting pitchers, who went 4-0, 25 IP, 10 Hits, 2 ER, for a 0.72 ERA. Toronto also got 2 saves from Taylor Rogers. The Jays displayed a deep batting lineup, as they got 3 home runs from their bottom 4 in the order. Notable was the usbl debit of hotshot rookie Julio Rodriguez, who although went just 3/16, with 2 HRS and 4 RBI. 

 

 

OAKLAND 2 KANSAS CITY 2

In a hard fought series that had a bit of everything, the 2023 season got officially underway, with both teams walking away somewhat satisfied with an opening series split. It certainly could have gone differently – Oakland will bemoan pulling their ace Dylan Cease after 6 scoreless innings, and then watching their highly-vaunted bullpen let them down when Devin Williams walked 4 batters in the bottom of the 7th, leading to 4 KC runs, and turning a 2-0 Oakland lead into a 4-3 loss. On the KC side, they could look at Game 4 where they lost 6-2, but went 1/11 with men in scoring position, including leaving the bases loaded twice in back-to-back innings without scoring a single run, in a game where their starter Luis Severino was victimized by a pair of wind-blown 2-run homers off the bats of Brandon Belt and Dansby Swanson. 

But Oakland was the better team in the series, as they out-homered KC 9-3, out-scored them 26-23 (only reason KC scored that many was thanks to putting up a 15-spot in Game 2), and out-hit them 44-40. But again, KC’s numbers are inflated thanks to a 15-run, 19-hit performance in Game 3. KC will find it difficult to repeat as World Series Champions, given the drop-off in talent from last year. But, one thing for sure, Aaron Judge will be a force all season long. He went 5/12 (.417), with 7 walks (.632 OBA), 4 Runs, and 1 HR-1 RBI – that works out to an OPS of 1.298. 

Welcome to the 2023 USBL SEASON!!

• AL PREVIEW – now posted!
• Rosters are now fully updated under each league page as of the start of the season
• AL Schedule is posted 
• Welcome again, Andrew to the group!

 

 

 

Winter Meetings!!

Winter Meetings set for Sat/Sun April 1, 2. Also, keep your calendars open for next year’s 40th Anniversary Season of the USBL – winter meetings will be held in Las Vegas! Thu April 4 to Sunday April 7, 2024! 

NL – Completely updated and NL AWARD WINNERS POSTED!!

All team stats, stat leaders, standings, etc on the NL side are now fully updated! Enjoy!

 

SF 2, Pit 2

San Fran came into this series aware that a split or better pretty much sews up 1st place for them in the strike-shortened 2022 season, and a split is what they got. The Giants relied on their stellar pitching, specifically their 2 left-handed aces in Julio Urias and Carlos Rodon, to earn the split. Urias defeated Pittsburgh by a 6-3 score, while Rodon disposed of the Bucos by a 3-1 margin. Pittsburgh’s wins came in their ace’s start, Shane Bieber, by a 5-1 margin, and, by blindsiding San Fran’s #5 starter, rookie Logan Gilbert, in a game where Pittsburgh put up 5 runs in the first 2 innings, and held on for a 7-6 win. 

SD Stuns Pit, 3-1

After dropping Game 1 of the series 8-6 to Pittsburgh, the Padres actually got some strong pitching the rest of the way, and took the remaining 3 games to win the series 3-1. Unfortunately, SD is still going to be playing an extra playoff series by virtue of finishing in the bottom 2 of the standings, however, ending on a winning note will surely help with the confidence. Chris (Bassitt Hound) Bassitt shut Pittsburgh out over 7 innings on 1 hit in Game 2, a 2-0 victory, while Sandy Alcantara was almost as dominant in Game 4, shutting out the Pirates over his 7 innings, scattering 5 hits. The series was actually won in game 3 though. The game was tied after 9 innings at 3 apiece. On to extras we went. In the top of the 10th, Pittsburgh brought out their closer Hector Neris. The ghost runner was placed on 2nd to begin the proceedings. Bryce Harper was intentionally walked; Pete Alonso drew a walk, loading the bases with nobody out. But A. Garcia struck out, while Pavin Smith drove home the go-ahead run with a sac fly, but now there were 2 out. That set the stage for Christian Vazquez drilling a 3-run homer, effectively icing the game. Pittsburgh would score 1 in the bottom of the 10th, but that would be the ball game. 

 

LA takes out Cinci 3-1…boxscores posted

San Diego finds way to split with Cinci, trying to climb back in the race

Cin 3, SF 1;   Cin 2, Pit 2; details & boxscores to follow

 

SF Giants dominate hapless Padres

Kevin Gausman combines on a no-hitter!

The San Francisco Giants opened their 2022 season in grand fashion, by sweeping the reeling San Diego Padres 4-straight. Suddenly the Padres are sitting at 1-7, and watching their season crash and burn. San Diego’s problems are a very weak offense, couples with a lack of depth in their starting rotation. Which means that when they have their stronger starting pitchers on the hill, they lose close games, and when they have their roster fillers in there, they lose big. That was certainly the theme in this one. 

Game 1: Facing mid-rotation type Spencer Turnbull, SD mustered all 7 of their hits over his 5 1/3 innings, but managing just 2 runs, on a Max Kepler 2-run shot. Meanwhile, San Fran got two solo shots from Mike Zunino, and a 2-run shot from Ty France, building a 4-2 lead. The SF bullpen completely shut down the Padres over the final 3 2/3 innings, on 0 hits, 0 runs, and 4 K’s. Aaron Hicks drove home a 5th run on a triple in the 9th inning, SF wins 5-2

Game 2: The Kevin Gausman masterpiece. He went 7 hitless, on 7 K’s, and no walks, and Jonathan Loaisiga and Rich Rodriguez added 1-2-3 perfect innings of their own for the no-no. In fact, this would have been a perfect game if not for a Gausman error in the 1st inning, that allowed SD’s only base runner! Jacob Stallings hit a 2-run HR, Eugenio Suarez added a solo shot, and Luis Robert went 3/5 with an RBI. Giants win 5-0.

Game 3: Jose Urias vs Luis Garcia. This was a perfect example of a winable game for SD, if not for their paltry offense. This one was scoreless through 6 innings. Noteworthy is that SD did not record a base hit over those first 6 innings, meaning they went 19 consecutive innings without recording a base hit! The Giants broke through in the top of the 7th on a Mookie Betts solo homer. SD tied it in the bottom of the 8th, when Kevin Pillar reached on a 2-base error by Luis Robert, and scored on Jose Iglesius’ single. This one needed extras, and despite the ghost runner in each inning, neither team could score in the 10th, 11th, or 12th innings! SF broke through in the top of the 13th, highlighted by a Gavin Lux 2-run single. Kenly Jansen, the SF closer, then struck-out the side in the home half of the 13th to lock this one down. 

Game 4: SF took full advantage of SD going to their #5 starter in veteran JA Happ, as the Giants built up a 7-1 lead through 5 innings, with Robert and Andrelton Simmons connecting for solo homers, and Robert also adding a 2-run double. SF scored another 4 off SD’s long man Jake Junis, on a Betts 2-run shot. Final score was 13-4. 

With the Padres showing they may not have any chance at post season success, they could be an interesting trade partner…

 

 

 

NL Opens! LA Dodgers take 3 of 4 from Padres

Tyler O’Neill was a one-man wrecking crew for the LA Dodgers, as they embarked on a season that they hope will lead to them getting back into the elite of the National League after several years of rebuilding. And at least for one series, the Dodgers looked good taking 3 of 4, led by young outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who went 7/15 in the series, with 3 HRS, a double, a triple, 2 BB, 6 Runs, and 9 RBI. 

But this series was interesting in that it became apparent the differences between the have’s, and have-not’s. While San Diego marched out 2 bona-fide sluggers in their lineup in Bryce Harper and Pete Alonso, LA had several more sluggers in their lineup – O’Neill, Joey Votto, Austin Riley, Manny Machado, and Adam Duvall – all 30-40 home run hitters. The difference in talent definitely showed up, as LA outscored SD 26-11, and keep in mind 7 of SD’s 11 runs in the series came in one inning in Game 4. 

Game 1: With a pitching match-up of Sandy Alcantara vs Trevor Rogers, we were expecting a pitcher’s duel, but a 2-run triple by O’Neill in the 3rd inning, and a 2-run HR by rookie Jesus Sanchez in the 6th inning put an end to that. LA wins 5-1. 

Game 2: LA was up 2-0 on Luis Garcia and the Padres, when O’Neill blasted a grand slam, effectively settling this game. Tristin McKenzie went 5 for the win, and the pen took it from there, surrendering 1 run over the final 4 innings in a 9-3 win. 

Game 3: It was all LA in this one. Cal Quantril was masterful, going 7 strong, on 5 hits, and 0 runs. The big blows for LA were a 2-run HR by O’Neill, and a grand slam by Eddie Rosario, all off veteran hurler JA Happ, who may be coming to the end of a decent career. 

Game 4: Joe Ross vs Chris Bassitt. San Diego had managed just 20 hits and 4 total runs through the first 3 games of this series, so they knew they had to mix things up. Gleyber Torres, Max Kepler, and Roberto Perez wound up making their season debuts, in hopes of jump-starting the offense, and it worked! Those 3 all got on base to start the 2nd inning, and all came around to score in a huge 7-run inning, the big blow being a Bryce Harper 3-run shot to cap the big inning. That HR turned out to be huge, because despite the 7-0 lead, LA kept chipping away, using the long ball. Adam Duvall in the 2nd, Will Myers in the 4th, Tyler O’Neill (again) in the 5th, and Manny Machado in the 6th, and all of a sudden, the lead was down to a precarious 7-5 through 6 innings. But the SD bullpen came to the rescue. Mike Mayers in the 7th, John Staumont in the 8th, and Liam Hendriks in the 9th to save it, kept LA off the scoreboard, and gave the Padres their first win of the year. 

Walker Buehler’s g/f is proud of her man as he helped his Oakland A’s sweep Boston 4 straight!

The Oakland A’s used strong pitching from Walker Buehler to sweep the Boston Red Sox, although it wasn’t easy, as 3 of the 4 wins were all by 1-run. The only “laugher” was the Buehler start, where Buehler went 7 strong innings on just 3 hits, no runs, and 9 K’s. Game 2 was a 3-2 Oakland win, when the A’s scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning; Game 3  saw the A’s hold on for a 6-5 win, with most of the runs for both teams coming between the 1st and 5th innings; and Game 4 was another 3-2 Oakland win, as the A’s rallied against Max Scherzer after falling behind 2-0 on a Franmil Reyes 2-run shot. JT Realmuto cranked a 2-run game tying homer in the 6th off Mad Max; and the A’s won it in the bottom of the 9th when Realmuto led off with a double, and scored on pinch hitter Ceaser Hernandez’s RBI double. 

 

NL SCHEDULE NOW UP!

Jan-2-2023:Oakland starts season by taking 3 of 4

Oakland takes advantage of a floundering Seattle team

After getting swept by KC, Seattle travelled to Oakland hoping for a turnaround, but it was not to be, as the A’s took 3 of 4. Seattle is really struggling with their offense in the early going, as they have scored 3 runs or less in 10 of their 16 games, and are 0-10 in those games, while sitting at 6-0 when they score 4 or more runs, thanks to their strong pitching staff. 

Oakland took advantage of those stats, by holding the M’s to 3 runs or less in 3 of the 4 games, and winning all 3 of them. The only game Oakland lost in the series was when Seattle scored 4 runs in Game 2. 

The A’s obliterated lefty Blake Snell in game 1 by an 11-3 thrashing…the A’s are notoriously good against southpaws. Teoscar Hernandez checked in with 2 dingers, while Hunter Renfore and Dansby Swanson also homered. In Game 2, Seattle scored 4 runs on the nose, as they took advantage of some shoddy relief pitching from Devin Williams in the 7th inning, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead, thanks to a 2-run homer off the bad of Austin Hedges, and an RBI single from Josh Bell. Seattle would add that 4th run in the 8th when Jonathan Villar singled in Yastremski. But Jose Berrios did not need all that offense, as he held Oakland to 1 run on 2 hits over his 6 IP. 

Game 3 saw Logan Webb get victimized by the Oakland long ball, as Renfroe hit a 2-run homer and Jose Ramirez drove in 2 more on a triple. Walker Buehler shut down the Seattle offense on just 3 hits over 7 IP, on 8 K’s. Finally, in Game 4, Oakland managed 4 runs in the game, the latter 2 on a 2-run homer from Brandon Lowe, and it was enough, as Seattle once again scored just 3 runs on 6 hits, leading to a 4-3 Oakland win. 

 

Seattle gets swept by KC

M’s seemingly come down to earth after fast start

It was one of those series that teams just want to forget and move on. Kansas City scored more runs in the 4 game series (17) than Seattle got hits (16). That tells you all you need to know about how this series went for the Mariners. They got no-hit in Game 1 by a combination of Tijuan Walker (7 IP), Lucas Sims, and Andrew Chafin. In fact, they didn’t get their first hit of the series until the 4th inning of Game 2. In that second game, KC smacked 5 home runs to win 8-2. 

Games 3 and 4 were much closer, but Seattle just couldnt get the big hit when it needed it, whereas KC did. In Game 3, Kyle Gibson and Freddy Peralta were locked into a 1-1 pitchers duel, until the top of the 8th, when Aaron Judge doubled, and Giancarlo Stanton homered, all off top set-up man Colin McHugh, handing KC a 3-1 win. And in Game 4, Joe Musgrove and Gerrit Cole were locked in another nail-biter, as the only run in the game came on a Yoan Moncada solo shot in the 2nd inning, which held up for the win. KC used Musgrove for 6 IP (4 H, 6 K’s), and then turned it over to Jordan Romano, Blake Treinen, and Craig Kimbrel, who combined to give up just 1 single over the final 3 innings, on 3 K’s and no walks. 

KC badly needed a good series after hobbling to a 3-5 start despite their strong lineup; Seattle was off to a good start, but this series knocked them down into the second division. 

Boston comes down to earth vs Seattle

M’s off to a 5-3 start

Boston’s pitching had been keeping the team in games, allowing the inconsistent Boston offense a chance to come through later in games. That formula did not work in this series, as Boston gave up 8 runs in one game, and 9 in another, leading Seattle to take 3 of the 4 games in the series. Seattle also won an extra inning game, where they blew a 2-run lead in the 7th to the Sox, but redeemed themselves by scoring 2 in the 10th. But the winning runs in that top of the 10th were as unusual as you will ever see. The ghost runner was placed on 2nd base to start the 10th in Jonathan Villar; Juan Soto drew a walk; bith runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd respectively on a passed ball; Villar scored on an infield grounder; and one batter later, Soto also scored on an infield grounder! Those runs proved huge as Boston scored a run in the bottom of the 10th, and had the tying run at 2nd base with nobody out, before Seattle closer Gregory Soto struck out the next 3 batters for the save. 

Boston’s only win came in Game 1, when John Means shut down Seattle on 2 hits and no runs over 6 innings, and Boston scored all of their 3 runs in the 1st inning on RBI hits from Josh Donaldson (2-run single) and Joey Gallo (Fielder’s Choice). 

Seattle opens season with split

M’s reluctantly accept split with Blue Jays, after blowing a save in Game 4, as Fernando Tatis Jr hits another HR

The Mariners were on their way to a convincing 3 out of 4 start to their season versus the Blue Jays, when disaster struck in Game 4 and Toronto turned a 3-1 9th inning deficit into a 5-3 extra innings victory. Up until then, Seattle had been flexing its hitting muscles, winning Game 1 by a 4-2 score, and Game 3 by a convincing 9-2 final. Gerrit Cole and Jose Berrios were on the mound for the victories, and both were solid. The sole loss was a Blake Snell loss, by a 6-3 final, where Marcus Stroman scattered 7 hits and 3 runs over his 7 innings. 

Game 4 was the turning point. After Seattle and Toronto traded solo homers in the 4th inning, by Christian Walker for the M’s and Cedric Mullins by the Jays, Seattle added solo runs in the 7th and 8th innings, on a Mullins error in center, and an RBI double by Alex Verdugo in the 8th. Heading to the bottom of the 9th, on came Seattle closer Giovany Soto. With 1 out, Michael Conforto singled, and pinch-hitter Ryan Zimmerman blasted a 2-run game-tying homer. Seattle failed to score in the top of the 10th, and in the bottom half, with the ghost runner on 2nd base to start the inning, Fernado Tatis slugged yet another home run, walking it off with the 5-3 victory. Tatis now has 8 home runs in 12 games! 

 

Red Sox stun Jays, sweep them 4-straight

All games were close

The Red Sox hosted a hot Blue Jays team, but the surprising Sox pitching staff continued to impress, as they shut down the league’s #1 home run team, and swept the 4-game series. Boston’s offense is still sputtering, but thanks to the strong pitching performances, they did all they needed to do. Game 1 was a 5-4 win, behind 4 shutout innings from the Sox bullpen, and a 3-run homer from Tim Anderson. Game 2 was a more convincing 6-3 win, as Josh Donaldson connected on a 3-run homer, and Joey Gallo slugged a pair of solo homers, and Max Sherzer and the pen did their thing. 

Game 3 was a 4-3 win, but it was not decided until the last 2 innings! Adam Wainwright tossed 7 scoreless, but Aaron Nola matched him out for out on the Toronto side. But in the bottom of the 8th, Boston strung together a 4-run rally off Garrett Whitlock, none on home runs. But in the top of the 9th, Toronto mounted a comeback attempt. Facing Boston closer Dylan Floro, Toronto strung together a Blackmon single, then a Tatis 2-run shot, and a Rizo solo homer to pull to within 4-3, but Nolan Arenado flied out and Cedric Mullins struck out ending the threat. Boston completed the sweep in Game 4 by a 4-2 score. Bostin starter Chris Flexen gave up a 2-spot in the top of the 1st, but then settled down over 6 innings, while the Boston offense got going with single runs in each of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, highlighted by a Gallo RBI double, and solo homers from Donaldson and Bobby Dalbec. 

 

Red Sox open their season

Boston rallies twice for extra-inning wins

The Red Sox opened their 2022 season against the highly-touted KC Royals, and earned a split through some late game heroics. This series was all about the dominance of the KC starting pitchers, as the cumulative score after 7 innings in the 4 games was 12-4 in favor of KC. But Boston fought back in 2 of the 4 games, setting themselves up for a pair of extra inning wins to earn the hard-fought split. 

In Game 2, KC led 1-0 after 6, on the strength of Freddy Peralta’s 10 K in 6 IP performance. But Boston tied it in the 7th, when Odubel Herrera slugged a solo shot off KC reliever Lucas Sims, and then took the lead in the top of the 9th on Adolis Garcia’s solo blast off Jordan Romano, who has now surrendered 4 long balls in 3 2/3 innings! But KC tied it in the bottom of the 9th, when Ronald Acuna singled, stole second, and scored on Matt Olson’s RBI single. But in the top of the 10th, Franmil Reyes doubled in 2 runs, and Boston held on for the 4-3 win, despite KC pushing across a run in the bottom of the 10th and having the tying run on 2nd with just 1 out. 

In Game 4, Boston trailed 2-1 through 7 innings. Max Muncy tied it with a solo blast in the 8th off Blake Treinen, and won it in the 10th on a Herrera RBI single. KC’s 2 wins were a convincing 6-1 win, behind Andrew Heaney’s 6 IP, 2 H, 9 K’s performance; and a 5-3 win behind Joe Musgrove’s solid 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 9 K’s. Boston almost mounted yet another comeback in this one, as they got to within 5-3 on a Joey Gallo solo shot, and then went on to load the bases with 2 out, but DJ Lemehieu grounded out off a shell-shocked Romano.

Conclusions from the series: 

• KC’s starting rotation boasts a 2.33 ERA, while the bullpen sits at an ugly 4.55 with 3 blown saves already! 
• Boston’s offense seems to be non-existent other than through the long ball, as 7 of their 11 runs scored via the long ball. And 11 runs in a 4 game series will not normally earn them a split. However, the Boston pitching, especially the starters, held the Sox in the games with a 4.10 ERA, although in the 2 wins, Boston’s staff gave up just 4 ER in 19 innings, a 1.90 ERA.
• Boston will need the pitching to continue to keep the games close, and allow the offense to keep chipping away as they did in this series. 
• Check out the American League section for the boxscore. 

 

2022 Season kicks off!

Toronto takes 3 of 4 vs highly-touted KC Royals

The usbl opened its 38th season by bringing it back old school, as the KC Royals physically visited the Toronto Blue Jays home park to kick off the 2022 season. For those who haven’t paid attention during the off season, Kansas City is heavily favored to go all the way, as their offense may be the best lineup ever assembled. And, their pitching staff isnt too shabby either. But, at least for one night, things didnt go according to plan. The Toronto Blue Jays b*tch-slapped Kansas City back to reality, taking 3 of the 4 games and sending the message that this is why the games are played on the field and not on paper. 

The night was truly a celebration of one of baseball’s great young stars, Fernando Tatis Jr., who last night took that next step from solid player to superstar. Tatis belted 6 HRS in the series, including 4 in one game! And when he wasn’t hitting bombs, he was drawing walks, with 5 in the series. He literally carried the Jays to victory in this series. Here is how Tatis’ production compares with the rest of the Jays in the series:

Fernando Tatis:  .533 (8 for 15), .650 OBA, 6 HRS – 7 RBI, 7 Runs

Everyone else: .226 (31 for 137), .312 OBA, 4 HRS – 12 RBI, 13 Runs

KC won an easy one – Game 2 – when Joe Musgrove shut down Toronto for a convincing 5-1 win; the Jays had an easy one of their own in Game 4, when KC’s Tijuan Walker gave up 6 solo homers over 6 innings, and KC was never really able to bridge the gap, falling 8-4. The two closely contested games both went to the Jays, as follows.

GAME 1: KC had 13 base runners over the first 6 innings and built up a 6-2 lead after 6. The only blemish was a Tatis 2-run HR. But in the top of the 9th, the Jays mounted a comeback. With KC co-closer Jordan Romano in to close it down, Charlie Blackmon struck out. But Tatis homered to make it a 6-3 ball game; Cedric Mullins flied out, and there were 2 out. Seemed fairly routine. But then Byron Buxton drew a walk, and veteran Anthony Rizzo homered, and suddenly the lead was down to 6-5! Following a Nolan Arenado double, Craig Kimbrel was summoned to the game without fully warming up, and sure enough, the first pitch he threw to pinch-hitter Manuel Margot was smacked into left for a single, driving in Arenado with the tying run. This one would go to extras, where in the top of the 12th, Toronto pushed 3 big runs across, and held on for the improbable 9-6 win. 

GAME 3: This was a good one, as Casey Mize went up against Alex Cobb, and the two battled hard. KC went up in the 3rd on a Trey Turner single and a Ronald Acuna RBI double to score him. But Toronto responded in the top of the 5th, when Rizzo walked, Elias Diaz singled and both runners moved up when Yoan Moncada threw the ball into right field. Thats et up an RBI single by Ketel Marte to tie the game, and Diaz would later score when Adam Frazer grounded into a double play. The Toronto pitching staff shut the door on KC’s vaunted offense over the final 6 innings, giving up just 2 singles, and of course no runs, to earn the 2-1 win. 

The American League figures to be a dogfight, as the 5 teams will be fighting to avoid finishing 4th or 5th where they will be forced to play a wild card series. Stay tuned for regular series reviews all season long! And all boxscores posted under each league’s page. Good luck to all teams. 

 

 

 

2021 World Series Results: Boston vs Pittsburgh

GAME 1: Pittsburgh 10, Boston 1

Adam Wainwright for Boston versus Zack Plesac for Pittsburgh. The Red Sox had to start their #4 starter, and chose to get him out of the way in Game 1, and Pittsburgh immediately took advantage of this, when with 2 out and 2 on in the bottom of the 1st, one of the Dickersons ( Chris, Alex, or Cory) connected for a 3-run bomb. Given the strength of Pittsburgh’s team is its pitching staff, those 3 runs could very well hold up. But Boston responded in the top of the 2nd inning, when one of the Castro boys (Starlin or Willie) connected for a solo shot, closing the lead to 3-1. But after that homer, Plesac retired the next 13 batters in a row, and 16 of the next 17, the only blemish being a harmless 2-out single in the 6th inning. But heading to the bottom of the 6th, Pittsburgh was still clinging to their 3-1 lead. 

But in the home half of that 6th, the Pirates put this one away. After the leadoff man was retired, Pittsburgh strung together 4 hits in a row – 3 singles and a double – the big blow being a bases-loaded, 2-run double by Gio Urshela. And a few batters later, Javy Baez hit a bases-loaded double of his own, this one scoring all 3 base runners, and giving Pittsburgh an 8-1 lead, which would be more than enough. Plesac went 8 IP, on just 3 hits, 1 run, and 6 K’s. Meanwhile, Baez added another run-scoring double, this one cashing in 2 more runs, for the final score of Pittsburgh 10, Boston 1. The Pirates take Game 1 in the World Series. 

GAME 2: Pittsburgh 2, Boston 0

Tony Gonsolin vs Shane Bieber. A low-scoring game was expected, and that’s exactly what we got, as Pittsburgh managed 7 hits in this game in total, to Boston’s 6. And there was no scoring through the first 4 innings – Boston’s only threat early on was the top of the 1st, when Kyle Lewis and DJ Lemehieu led off and got on base, but a double play ball off the bat of Marcel Ozuna killed that rally. Pittsburgh’s best chance to score also came in the 1st inning, when Jonathan Schoop tripled with 1 out, but Gonsolin then struck-out both Freddie Freeman and Jose Abreau to end the threat.

The Pirates broke though in the bottom of the 5th, when with 2 out and nobody on, Baez again came through, smacking a solo home run. Boston managed just 2 singles over the next 3 innings, and found themselves still trailing 1-0 heading to the bottom of the 8th. That’s when the Pirates added some insurance through another unlikely 2-out rally. Freeman walked, Abreau was hit by a pitch, and pinch-hitter Michael A Taylor, facing Darren O’Day, came through with an RBI single, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead. The Pirates decided to let Bieber finish what he started, and why not, as through 8 IP he had given up just 5 hits, all singles, on 9 K’s. But Boston mounted a challenge. Ozuna led off with a single, and, following an Eric Hosmer fly out, James McCann singled. But Bieber beared down to strike out Castro, and then finished the game with another strikeout, his 11th of the game, getting Cole Calhoun. The Pirates win both home games, and take a commanding 2 games to nothing lead in the series. 

GAME 3: Pittsburgh 10, Boston 3

Max Scherzer vs Dakota Hudson. Through 3 innings, this one was as you would have expected – Boston led 1-0, as Scherzer was working on a no-hitter, while Boston’s lone run scored on an Eric Hosmer sac fly, thanks to Pirates hurler Hudson loading the bases on a single, a walk, and an HBP. But things began to unravel for Scherzer and the Sox in the top of the 4th. Freddie Freeman led off with a double, and with 2 out, Gio Urshela connected on a 2-run HR. Pittsburgh would add another in the inning on Gary Varsho’s RBI double. Boston responded in the home half of the 4th with a Cole Calhoun RBI single, cutting the Pirates lead to 4-2 after 4 innings. 

But Pittsburgh broke it wide open in the top of the 5th. Back to back doubles by Jonathon Schoop and Freeman plated a run, and Brett Gardiner hit a grand slam off reliever Kyle Finnegan, giving Pittsburgh a commanding 9-2 lead. The final score would be 10-3 in favor of Pittsburgh, and the Pirates now held a commanding 3 games to nil series lead. 

GAME 4: Boston 4, Pittsburgh 1

The Red Sox needed someone to step up and shut down the Pirates offense, and that someone was Cristian Javier. He fired 7 innings of 1-run ball, on 5 hits, and 10 K’s, restoring order in the series. Yet, this one was in doubt until the later innings. Pittsburgh had actually opened the scoring in the top of the 2nd, on a Kyle Schwarber solo homer. But Boston replied in the home half of the 2nd, when Hosmer drew a walk to start the inning, and James Mccann drilled a 2-run homer off Pirates starter Trevor Cahill. The score would remain 2-1 in favor of the BoSox, until the bottom of the 6th, when Boston got some insurance. With 2 out and nobody on, Marcel Ozuna doubled, and scored on Hosmer’s RBI single. 3-1 Boston. A DJ Lemehieu solo homer in the bottom of the 8th extended the Sox lead to 4-1. Pittsburgh never threatened in this one, as Pittsburgh’s final 20 batters that came to the plate went a combined 2/18. Pittsburgh still leads the series 3 games to 1, but Boston has some life. 

GAME 5: Pittsburgh 6, Boston 3

Gonsolin vs Bieber. The theme of the series was the Pirates offense that put up a ton of runs on the board, which was particularly shocking considering Boston’s stout top 3 starting pitchers. And so it was that Pittsburgh finished the series off by putting up another 6-spot on Boston. And the drama was over early on, as Pittsburgh scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, when they strung together 7 hits (4 singles, 2 doubles, and a triple) along with 2 stolen bases. Add a solo homer in the 5th off the bat of Urshela, and Pittsburgh led 6-0 after 5 complete. Boston did score their 3 runs in the top of the 6th, on a 2-run HR by Hosmer, and a solo shot by Calhoun. Unfortunately, Boston went three up and three down over the final 3 innings, never mounting any threats. 

The key to the series was that in the few games where Boston was able to contain Pittsburgh’s offense, the Red Sox offense sputtered in those games. For example, losing Game 2 by a 2-0 score really hurt the Sox chances in retrospect. A win there and the series would have been 3 games to 2 in favor of Pittsburgh. Boston can’t be upset about losing the other 3 games, as you have to tip your hat to the Pirates for putting up 10 runs, 10 runs, and 6 runs in those other 3 wins, but the 2-0 loss does sting. 

Congratulations to both teams for winning their respective leagues, and getting to the Fall Classic. 

2022 USBL Season a Go!

The 2022 USBL season will be the league’s 38th year! Despite dropping down to 5 teams, the league has always found a way to push forward for those who enjoy the challenge of building a winning baseball team, and this year is no exception. The American League Opening Day rosters are now posted on the AL Page, and the NL rosters will be posted in the coming days, followed by league previews. Stay tuned for more….

 

Playoff races beginning to form

As the league approaches the 2/3 mark, playoff seedings are beginning to take shape. In the A.L., the surprising KC Royals have put themselves in a position to fight for one of the 2 byes, as they battle with Oakland and Seattle. This race will likely be determined by the head-to-head matchups. Toronto currently sits just 3 games out of first, but with just 22 games remaining, if KC played .500 ball the rest of the way, the Jays would have to go 14-8. But then, if KC only played .500 the rest of the way, chances are likely Oakland or Toronto would leapfrog KC, which again means Toronto would need to do better than 14-8. 

As far as who makes the post season, Cleveland and the White Sox have an outside shot, but not very likely. Yet, the final playoff field in the AL will be comprised of several teams that have strong teams on paper. 

Over in the N.L., one thing that really stands out is that the top 7 teams are all playing .500 ball or better, and yet one of these clubs will not earn a post season berth. The NL promises to feature a very entertaining finish, as all 7 teams have the ability to finish anywhere between 1st and 7th, as just 3.5 games separates the 1st and 7th place clubs. 

 

2021 Season – Welcome – the covid season!

• National League is now in full swing – click on to NL Page for results and more….

 

Pittsburgh defeats KC in 6 games 

Pirates offense goes toe to toe with KC offense

Pittsburgh defeats KC 4 games to 2

The Pirates showed that they are more than just the sum of their staring starting pitching and a few impact bats in the middle of their order. In what turned out to be a high-scoring series, Pittsburgh out-scored KC 35-29! Kansas City’s offense did all it could to win the series, as they came out of the gates scoring 6 runs in 3 of the first 4 games of the series (KC averaged just under 6 runs a game during the regular season), yet the Royals managed to win just 1 of those 3 games. 

In short, it was the sort of series where KC had no answers for a determined Pirates team. When KC scored a lot of runs in a game, Pittsburgh did also. When KC’s pitching held the Pirate offense down, so did Pittsburgh’s. 

One big question mark for KC was the effectiveness of its pitching staff, which had held together fairly well throughout the regular season and through the first 2 rounds of the playoffs…but in the World Series, Pittsburgh exposed them for what they were – very mediocre. In fact, the only 2 wins in the series by KC were the 2 games that Justin Verlander started, who is KC’s only legitimate ace pitcher. That stat is very telling. 

Coming into the series, KC pinned its hopes on the fact that Pittsburgh’s bottom part of the order could be pitched to. Guys like Victor Robles, Brett Gardner, Jonathan Schoop, and David Dahl…but, these guys rose to the occasion. Although they only combined to hit .192 (10/52), they were still very much a big part of the offense, as they combined to score 11 runs, hit 4 HRS, and drove in 8. This was definitely one of the keys to the series. 

On the Pittsburgh pitching side, Mike Soroka has the be the MVP. Shane Beiber won both his starts but he was shelled in both; Stephen Strasburg lost both his starts, but Soroka was a key, as KC had targeted his starts as the opportunity to take the series, yet he stood tall in both his starts. His line in the series was 1-0, 1.50 ERA. He started when the series was tied 1 game to 1, and withstood KC to give his team the 2 games to 1 series advantage, and pitched again with his team up 3 games to 2, and shut the door on any KC thoughts of a Game 7…

Lastly, we need to discuss Mitch Garver. He was the one guy KC was concerned about, and rightly so. He batted .261 (6/23), 3 HR and 6 RBI in his 5 GP. But it was the timing of those hits that really made the difference. He hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 8th in Game 3, when the series was tied 1 game to 1, snapping a 2-2 tie in the game and handing Pittsburgh a 4-2 victory. And he did it again in the very next game, snapping a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the 8th, with a 2-run HR, handing the Pirates the 8-6 victory. Those 2 wins in Games 3 and 4 turned a series that was tied 1 game to 1, into a 3 games to 1 Pittsburgh advantage, one that would be impossible for KC to come back from. 

Game by Game review coming soon…

Pittsburgh defeats Philadelphia 4 games to 3

The Pirates defeated Jacob deGrom in Game 5, which went a long way to propelling Pittsburgh to forcing a Game 7, where the Pirates went with a bullpen game to hold off the explosive Phillies offense by a score of 3-0. The Pirates complete the worst-to-first scenario, where they went from the worst record in the usbl last year, to representing the National League in the Fall (Spring) Classic. 

KC defeats Cle 4 games to 3

In a tale of 2 series, KC won the first 3 games in the series in convincing fashion, before Cleveland said it was their turn, and won the next 3, also in convincing fashion, forcing a Game 7. The Indians led 3-2 heading to the bottom of the 7th, behind Lucas Giolito, but Ronald Acuna Jr hit a 2-run home run, giving KC a 4-3 lead that its bullpen would hold for the win. 

Montreal Expos win One-Game Playoff!!

The Expos have struggled their way through 77 games, despite being picked to finish 2nd in the NL Preview…most experts agree that with their roster, they should have picked up at least 5-7 extra wins on the season. But perhaps the one-game playoff was a turning point for them. With no Scherzer or Greinke, they somehow pulled it off, defeating the defending World Series Champs by an 8-4 score, and advancing to the wild card round against an Arizona team that has similarly sputtered. 

This one was not what you would call a classic…Anibal Sanchez vs Julio Teheran…Montreal took control early and often, as their offense finally performed the way it had been expected to…Alex Bregman clubbed a 2-run HR in the 1st, Nick Markakis another 2-run shot in the 3rd followed by an Elroy Jiminez solo shot, Yuli GUrriel a 2-run homer in the 5th, and a solo shot, his second of the game, by Jiminez in the 8th. San Fran was never in this one…

Boxscore: San Fran 4 at Montreal 8 played Mon May 10 one game playoff

Speaking of the NL Preview, here is how we picked them versus how they ended up:

1. Pittsburgh 47-30, Actual 44-33, 2nd place – were on pace until they faded badly down the stretch…
2. Montreal  46-31, Actual 37-41 5th place – whatever could go wrong, did. 
3. Arizona 44-33, Actual 40-36 4th place – a stronger than expected Cinci team knocked Ariz down a peg or two
4. Philadelphia 42-35, Actual 48-28, 1st place – called them a 1st place team if Neil would get out of his own way…
5. Cincinnati 39-38, Actual 44-33, 2nd place – pitching was better than we projected
6. San Fran 36-41, Actual 36-42, 6th place – bang-on in our analysis
7. San Diego 33-44, Actual 33-43, 7th place – bang on in our analysis
8. Los Angeles 20-57, Actual 24-50, 8th place – did not expect the power this team showed…

 

American League Playoff match-ups:

• Toronto and their strong starting staff and weak hitting, will travel to Cleveland to face the Indians who have a better starting staff, and a better offense. 
• Seattle and Oakland will face off, home team yet to be decided. Two low-scoring offenses with pretty strong pitching staffs will square off…
• KC will await the winner of Sea-Oakland. 

 

UPDATE: San Fran defeats SD 1-0, in 10 innings, winning run scoring on a bases loaded walk!

Playoff Races coming down to the wire!

A.L.

The KC Royals clinched 1st place by default, as Cleveland could not pull off the impossible and go 7-0, which would have then required KC to go 3-4 in the Last 7 to retain 1st place (KC is 1-1 thus far). But what is really interesting is that while Cleveland was trying to win ball games in hopes of 1st place, those extra wins actually were needed to prevent Cleveland from dropping to as low as 5th place! With Cleve at 3-2 so far in the Last 7, had they been 1-4, or even 2-3, they would face a ton of pressure to win their remaining 2 games to hold onto 2nd place. As it stands, Cleveland’s magic number is 1. They can clinch 2nd place with a win in their final 2 games against either the White Sox or KC, or, if Oakland and Seattle lose even just 1 game, that will eliminate them from 2nd place hopes. 

Meanwhile, the battle for 3rd place and not having to play the extra series is also hotly contested, as Toronto, Seattle, and Oakland are all within 1.5 games of each other. Toronto right now looks like the likely 5th place team, as they only have 2 games remaining, limiting them as to how high they can still move in the standings. Oakland and Seattle will be fighting for 3rd place, with the key decider being a head-to-head game still to come. 

N.L.

There are 2 big races in the NL. The first one is for, umm, 1st place! Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are dead even, with the Phillies up in the loss column by 1 game, and having 2 games in hand. The other exciting race features 3 teams vying for 1 playoff spot. San Diego is the big story here, as they seemingly were left for dead by Menas and his Giants, but alas, the Padres have a pulse and are back in the race, thanks to a hot couple of weeks. All 3 teams – San Fran, Montreal, and San Diego –  are tied in the loss column! In fact, SD may even hold the edge, as they have 2 games in hand on the Expos and Giants. A key games here will be showdowns between SD vs SF and SD vs Mon. Buckle in, should be a crazy but fun ride!

San Fran sweeps the Padres!!!

The San Francisco Giants played their first playoff series of the year last night, in defense of their World Series Championship, and boy did they look like champs. With playoff elimination staring them in the face, the Giants dominated the upstart Padres, taking all 5 games, and putting themselves in the driver’s seat for the 5th and final playoff spot. San Fran out-scored SD 35-10 in the series. But most impressive was how the Giants pitching staff held SD’s potent offense to just 2 home runs and 10 runs in total! 

So here are the updated playoff scenarios: San Fran heads into the Last 7 locked in with 33 wins. San Diego will now take on the Montreal Expos, the other playoff bubble team amongst the threesome. Should San Diego sweep Montreal, they get to 32 wins, 1 back of San Fran for the final playoff spot, and effectively eliminate the disappointing Expos. If SD takes 4 of 5, they would be tied with Montreal, 2 games back of SF for the last spot. If Montreal sweeps, they get to 34 wins, to vault ahead of San Fran by a game; Montreal taking 4 of 5 puts them in a tie with SF, and Montreal taking 3 puts them 1 back of SF, but all but eliminates SD. This will be a huge series for both teams! Stay tuned. 

Transactions 2020 season – Sept 30 2020

 

Transactions 2019 season

Transactions 2020 season – Feb 19th

 

2019 WORLD SERIES CHAMPS:

San Francisco Giants

SF defeats Toronto 4 games to 2

Boxscores: World Series 2019 

It was as close a series as you can get without it going to 7 games. Three of the first 4 games were settled by one run, including not one but two 1-0 finals in those first 4 games, one of them needing 16 innings to settle! Overall, Toronto struggled to hit as expected, but what wasn’t expected was how San Francisco’s offense had to scratch and claw for runs. And, the Toronto pitching did a great job, but so did the Giants pitching. In the end, it came down to who had the better players, the better talent, and the answer was San Francisco. 

GAME 1: Trevor Cahill vs Aaron Nola

A typical strategy by teams facing one of the best pitchers in the league, is to start perhaps their third best starter, and plan on employing a quick hook. But in Cahill’s case, he has been nothing but money since he was acquired at the trade deadline, so perhaps he could be more than an ‘opener’ in this one. Sure enough, didnt he come out matching zero’s with Nola! Through the first 7 innings, Nola scattered 4 hits on 8 K’s; Cahill have up just 4 hits on 5 K’s, and the score stood zero-sero through 7 innings. San Fran had 2 scoring chances through those first 7 innings, once in the 4th when they got a leadoff double from Mookie Betts but nothing more, and in the 7th when with 2 out Andrelton Simmons tripled but was stranded. Toronto meanwhile had base runners, especially through the first 4 innings where they got their 4 hits and a walk, but only 1 runner got to 2nd base, and that was with 2 out. So its fair to say Cahill out-pitched Nola. But Cahill was yanked after 7, while Nola went the full 9, giving up just a leadoff double in the 8th and stranding the runner at 3rd.

This one went 16 innings. Along the way, SF’s best chance to score came in the 13th, when Mike Zunino drew a leadoff walk, and Ben Zobrist doubled him to 3rd, with nobody out. But Toronto pitcher Dylan Floro got Aaron Hicks to ground out with the infield in, struck-out Betts, and got 2019 playoff hero Eugenio Suarez on a tapper back to the mound. Toronto had 1st and 3rd with 2 out in the 12th but Brandon Crawford flied out to end that threat, but in the bottom of the 14th, Nolan Arenado and Anthony Rizzo singled to lead off, putting runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Ryan Braun grounded to 2nd base, moving the runners up to 2nd and 3rd. But Nomar Mazara tapped back to the mound, where Mike Lorenzen looked the runners back and threw out Mazara for the second out. And following an intentional walk issued to Buster Posey, Crawford again disappointed, popping up to shortstop to end yet another rally. 

In the top of the 16th, with Josh Hader out for his second inning of work, Mookie Betts connected on a long home run, giving SF a 1-0 lead! Out came AJ Minter for the save in the bottom half of the 16th. Braun struck-out, but Mazara walked, and, Posey hit what looked like a double play grounder to Suarez at 3rd, but he booted it! 1st and 2nd, with just 1 out. Crawford flied out to center field for the second out, and Brian Dozier flew out to center as well, ending the game, and handing San Fran a Game 1 win, by a slim 1-0 score in 16 innings!

GAME 2: Noah Syndergaard vs Clayton Kershaw

A bit surprising that Toronto would give the ball to a southpaw, knowing how well the Giants hit lefties, but that’s exactly what Toronto did. And early on, it looked like a bad strategy, as Simmons drilled a solo shot in the 3rd, and Paul Goldschmidt doubled in the 4th and scored on a Mike Moustakas single. 2-0 for SF after 4 innings. But Kershaw bent, but didn’t break, holding SF scoreless over the following few innings. That allowed Toronto to get back into the game in the bottom of the 6th inning. Adam Frazier doubled to lead off, and following a groundout by Arenado, Rizzo walked. Brain flied out, moving both runners up a base to 2nd and 3rd, and with 2 out, Mazara came through with a 2-run single, tying the game. 

Both pitchers went complete game, and both were giving up base runners in the ensuing late innings, but nobody could get the big hit when they needed it, until the top of the 9th. San Fran’s Moustakas led off with a double, and scored on a Simmons RBI single. SF chose to let Syndergaard close it out instead of asking rookie closer Minter to save another 1-run game, and the strategy worked, sort of. Ketel Marte singled to lead off the 9th, but was promptly erased on a 5-4-3 DP off the bat of Albert Almora. Frazer then singled, but Arenado popped out to 2nd base. SF wins the game 3-2, and takes a 2 games to nothing lead in the series. 

GAME 3: Marco Gonzalez vs Julio Teheran

Who are we to judge the managerial decisions of the second-most successful Manager in usbl history? Starting another lefty seemed like playing with fire, especially one who ranks as Toronto’s 5th best starting pitcher, but that’s exactly what Toronto did in a game where it was pretty much do or die. Toronto finally got off to a strong start, right from the top of the 1st inning. Marte doubled, and 1 out later Mazara connected on a 2-run homer. Teheran then settled down, as he gave up just 4 hits and zero runs over the next 6 innings. But Marco Gonzalez was dealing! He went complete game, surrendering just 2 hits through the first 8 innings, and then 2 more in the 9th, and tossed the 4-hit shut-out! He had 3 double plays made behind him. Meanwhile, Toronto got some insurance in the 7th, when doubled by Crawford, Obdubel Herrera, and Almora plate 2 more runs. Toronto wins 4-0, and gets themselves back in the series, trailing 2 games to 1. 

GAME 4: Trevor Bauer vs David Price

The pitching match-up certainly seemed in Toronto’s favor to even the series, and Bauer pitched his ego-maniacal heart out. Through 7 innings, we had yet another scoreless game! Price gave up just 4 hits (2 of them in the 7th inning), on 7 K’s; Bauer through 7 gave up 5 hits, also with 7 K’s. Toronto’s sole scoring opportunity came in the top of the 7th, Price’s last inning. Almora and Cjris Taylor singled to lead off the inning, and following an Arenado strike-out, Braun walked to load the bases. But Price retired Rizzo on an infield pop, and Posey on a fly ball to left. For San Fran, they had several chances to score. In the 4th, they loaded the bases with just 1 out, but Kike Hernandez struck-out and Zunino tapped back to the pitcher. In the 5th, with Hicks on 3rd and Betts on 1st with 2 out, and Goldschmidt up at bat, Betts was thrown out trying to steal, end of rally. And in the 7th, pinch-hitter Mark Canha singled to lead off the inning, Zobrist singled him to 2nd, and Hicks bunted them to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Betts was walked intentionally to load the bases, but Goldschmidt struck-out, and Suarez grounded out. In the top of the 8th and top of the 9th, SF reliever Richard Rodriguez retired the Blue Jays 1-2-3 in both frames. Meanwhile, Toronto stayed with Bauer, and he got SF 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 8th, but in the bottom of the 9th, pinch-hitter Denard Span doubled to lead off. A Zobrist groundout moved Span to 3rd, and, following a walk to Hicks, Mookie Betts singled in Span to walk it off. San Fran wins the game by a 1-0 score, and takes a commanding 3 games to 1 lead in the series!

GAME 5: Aaron Nola vs Trevor Cahill

With their back against the wall, Toronto turned to the best pitcher in the American League in 2019, in the form of Aaron Nola. He got into trouble in the top of the 2nd, when Goldschmidt doubled and scored on Suarez’ single. He also gave up a lead-off double in the 4th to Goldschmidt, but stranded him there. Cahill meanwhile continued to pitch like a Cy Young candidate. He was nicked for a solo homer in the 4th by Arenado, but through 6 innings, we were tied at 1-1, and this game was anybody’s to win. But after San Fran failed to score in the top of the 7th, Toronto got 2 runs in the bottom half, as Crawford and Marte delivered RBI’s. In the bottom of the 8th, Toronto seemingly put this one away. With 1 out Braun walked and took 3rd on Rizzo’s double. And with 2 out, Mazara was intentionally walked to face Robinson Diaz, who unloaded, a deep drive, over the fence in left, for a grand slam! Toronto now led 7-1. Robert Gsellman was in to end this laugher, but a funny thing happened on the way to an easy inning. San Fran loaded the bases, and with 2 out, Kike Hernandez connected on a grand slam of his own! Hicks would be retired to end the threat and the game, but that insurance grand slam for Toronto basically saved their season! Toronto wins the game 7-5, and now trails in the series 3 games to 2. 

GAME 6: Noah Syndergaard vs Clayton Kershaw

After the gem that Kershaw and Gonzalez threw earlier in the series, why not go with the southpaw and hold back Bauer for a potential Game 7? But things got ugly quickly, in the bottom of the 1st in face. After Zobrist flied out to lead off the inning, Betts singled. But he was immediately thrown out (again) trying to steal 2nd. Two out. But Suarez singled, Canha doubled him in, and Goldschmidt smacked a 2-run homer. San Fran led 3-0 after just 1 inning, and it could have been a whole lot worse. Kershaw lasted just 2+ innings, removed when Betts led off the 3rd with a booming double. The bullpen combination of Floro, Oh, and Robbie Erlin kept SF off the scoreboard, but Toronto couldn’t muster much against Thor. In fact, Syndergaard had a no-hitter going through the first 6 innings, the only blemish being a lead-off walk in the 3rd inning. San Fran added a 4th run in the bottom of the 7th, when pinch-hitter Hernandez singled, took 2nd on a grounder, and scored on a Suarez double. 

Syndergaard came out after 7, with a no-hitter intact, due to some arm pain, and in came Alex Wilson. Toronto was ready to face anyone but Thor. Arenado drew a 4-pitch walk to lead off the top of the 8th, and Rizzo smashed a deep drive to right, a 2-run shot, and Toronto was back in the ballgame, trailing just 4-2. Rodriguez quickly replaced Wilson, and retired Toronto to end the 8th. AJ Minter came on for the 9th, and retired Almora, Marte, and Braun 1-2-3, to end the game and win San Francisco their first World Series Championship in history!

NOTES

Toronto actually out-scored San Francisco 15-14, meaning that both teams averaged just 2.5 tuns per game! San Fran out-homered Toronto 4-3. Toronto out-hit SF 44-42. 

Aaron Nola, Toronto’s ace, went 1-1 in his 2 starts, but the loss was a 1-0 loss in 16 innings. The problem was that Toronto’s stagnant offense just couldn’t score for him. Just 1 run through the first 9 innings would have been all he and the Jays would have needed to be playing a Game 7. In all, Toronto went 1-2 in the starts made by its co-aces of Nola and Bauer, but the 2 losses were both by 1-0 scores!

AJ Minter, the weak link in the San Fran pitching staff, did not break, as he posted 2 saves in the series. While no one on SF really hit much in the series, the one exception was Mookie Betts, who went 9 for 22 (.409) with a .536 on-base pct. And while he hit just 1 HR with 2 RBI in the series, both RBI’s were game-winners, the homer in game 1 in the 16th inning, and the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 9th in Game 4, that gave SF a 3 games to 1 lead in the series. For that reason, he is your 2019 World Series MVP. 

Questionable moves for Toronto include saving Bauer for a Game 7. Since he had started Game 4, he didn’t have enough rest to start Game 6, so it was a moot point, but perhaps Toronto could have kept its options open by starting Bauer in Game 3, and having him ready to go for either a Game 6 or Game 7. 

Toronto was also frustrated by the struggles of their best player, Nolan Arenado. He went just 5 for 25 (.200 avg), with just 1 solo homer (and the 1 RBI). Given that he was Toronto’s best offensive weapon, by far, the pressure was on for him to produce, and when he did not do so, the series was pretty much over. 

BOXSCORES – World Series 2019

For San Fran, they now have 1 World Series title in 2 visits to the Final in their history, a 50% World Series success rate. 

Congratulations to Menas G on persevering long enough to pick up the title, and to March A on his continued consistent dominance in the usbl…

See you all for the 2020 season…

 

 

WORLD SERIES Preview:

Toronto vs San Francisco

Welcome to the 2019 World Series, the 35th in usbl history! It pits 7-time World Series Champion March A versus Menas G, who has never won, and only been to the Final twice, the last time in 1997 against these same Blue Jays. 

Looking at the team stats, at first glance, both teams scored a similar amount of runs, hit a similar amount of homers, and gave up a similar amount of runs. But when we take a closer look, we realize that San Fran had the burden of its pitchers batting weighing down their offensive stats. If we eliminate the pitchers’ batting stats, suddenly San Fran’s team batting average jumps from .254 to .262. But San Fran’s offensive superiority goes far beyond just the pitcher batting. The Giants had 7 batters finish the year batting .270 or better, Toronto had 4. San Fran had 5 batters hit double digit homers, totaling 77 dingers amongst them, while Toronto had 4 guys hit double digits in homers, totaling 55. But eliminate Nolan Arenado’s 25 home run season, and the Jays new leader in long balls becomes Anthony Rizzo with just 11. 

On the pitching side, Toronto does battle with 2 aces in Aaron Nola and Trevor Bauer, and then unleashes 2 ace lefties in Robbie Ray and Clayton Kershaw. But in this series, the lefties will likely be working with a quick hook, seeing as SF absolutely pummels lefties. As good as SF’s offense was, they actually hit 31% more home runs in the same at-bats vs lefties than they did vs righties, which equated to 8% more runs scored. This puts even greater pressure on Toronto’s top 2 aces to win their starts. 

Toronto will need to score runs against a very average San Fran pitching staff. But what the Giants lack in talent, they gain in match-up advantage as their Manager is a very analytics-driven strategist who will always play the percentages. It will be an uphill battle for Toronto in this series. 

Prediction

The Giants have the offense to score against anyone, including Toronto’s two-headed monster of Nola and Bauer. So Toronto will not be able to relax even in games started by these two, as San Fran will be on the attack all day long. Which means having to score runs, a lot of runs, to keep up with the Giants. And with Toronto’s lefties pretty much neutralized in the series, including bullpen ace Josh Hader, the Jays will be left looking for answers where there aren’t any, all series long. The best the Jays can hope for is that they get a win here from Nola, and a win there from their bullpen day, and extend the series as long as they can. But this series has the potential to be over quickly if Toronto doesn’t come out ready to battle. 

San Francisco 4, Toronto 2

Good luck to both teams, game time set for Sunday February 9th, 12:00 noon.